Manga: The Complete Guide

By Jason Thompson
Released by Del Rey


Slugline: Words fail me. Just buy it.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Jason Thompson about Manga: The Complete Guide for Publisher's Weekly Comic Week. Click here for the interview.

I have been reading manga for quite a while, dating back to the mid 80s, and short of some scholarly works that are now out of print and were written so densely to be virtually impenetrable, this is the single best resource I have ever had the pleasure to read. And those academic references were only more complete in the details of how the manga market was born and evolved in Japan, and the early first steps over to the US, but lacked the breadth of understand of the current US market. Not only does this cover all the translated manga in the US, it describes all the genres, especially many of whom have been overlooked in the current manga boom (military, science fiction and mecha, I'm looking at you) but once were the staple of the few imported titles. I came across old friends such as Area 88 and Pineapple Army, along with the dozens of high school dramedies that are the modern output of manga. It also talks and reviews the yaoi and the adult manga titles. In the 90s, adult manga once seemed to be the only manga that would sell back in comic shops.

The genre descriptions also have reading lists, so to give suggestions and the appendixes talk about the Japanese language and the challenges of translating it, along with an artist guide.

You need this. Every person who reads manga more than casually should have this, or wants to know more about manga than what is on the printed page. Even though it will be a dated, as the release schedules of the publishers continue to roll along, and as even more publishers arrive, the usefulness of this as historical introduction and an overview of the dozens of genres of manga will not be affected by the passage of time.

PS. Every library that stocks manga should also get this. No excuses.



Manga: The Complete Guide is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Ferdinand

Deathnote, v. 1 - 6

Story by Tsugumi Ohba, art by Takeshi Obata
Published in the U.S. by Viz



Slugline: It's simple: write someone's name in the Deathnote and they die. Getting away with it is the tricky part.

I know, Deathnote is old news and everybody loves it already, but this review is for everybody who hasn't tried it yet. I only just started it, myself.

It took me five volumes to think to myself that normally, this amount of dense exposition would be godawfully boring to slog through. With how short my attention span has gotten from reviewing manga, that should tell you something right there. The dialog is packed with information. There's not a lot of action. The plot is Byzantine, to say the least. The artwork is good but not what I'd call fabulous. And it's got a few blazingly unique characters.

The only thing I can think of that might turn readers off is the complexity, in fact, but everybody's actions are well documented beforehand -- which in itself ought to be godawfully boring, too. How is the writer getting away with this?

I think I'll need to read all 83 (or whatever) volumes to get to the bottom of it.

Check out our review of Deathnote vols. 7-10 also on Prospero's Manga


Death Note vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3, vol. 4, vol. 5 and vol. 6 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, v.2

by Eiji Ohtsuka and Housui Yamazaki
Published in the U.S. by Dark Horse Manga



Slugline: If the victim is already dead, is it murder?

This is a strange and compelling horror story, well written, well drawn, and complete within the volume. I'm going to have to track down v.1.

Kurosagi Delivery Service is made up of people with unusual abilities who try to make a living helping the dead fulfil their final wishes. It's not a very profitable line of work. Between their attempts to get paying jobs, they are drawn into the strange goings-on at a funeral home that involve a young girl who can raise the dead -- sort of. Mostly.

The author does not feel the need to make the reader laugh much -- this is a straight-up, dark and uncensored thriller. Which is not to say that it does not have its lighter moments, or that it doesn't end on an hopeful note. It's a nice change of pace: a horror story that doesn't involve ongoing, grim situations.



The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service vol.2 is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Mushishi, v. 1

by Yuki Urushibara
Published in the U.S. by Del Rey



Slugline: Ginko diagnoses and cures strange, supernaturally-caused diseases.

Ferdinand compared this to the good old days of X-Files, and I can see why. Ginko knows a lot about mushi (primitive supernatural critters) but not everything, and he travels a very traditional Japan helping the afflicted. Where he's from and why he wears modern Westernized clothes isn't explained, nor does it need to be. These stories aren't really about him.

The afflictions are strange and in their way nasty, the way fairy afflictions are in traditional Western tales. There's no gore or big magical battles, only riddles and hope. It's a bit like a medical drama too, in that way. It's a welcome (for me) break from the teenage melodrama, the cute animal sidekicks and the current obsession with scythe-based weapons. The ties to Japanese folklore are a big plus for me, too.

So kids, if you want to convince your parents that manga isn't all gigantic eyes, short skirts and gay boys, offer them a copy of Mushishi. And if you're looking for a change of pace, definitely pick up a copy. I'm adding this to my short list of titles to follow closely.



Mushishi is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Dokebi Bride, v.2

by Marley
Published in the U.S. by Net Comics



Slugline: Sunbi is plagued by evil spirits and the strange new world of the big city, but she gets some advice on how to fight back.

This volume has it all: horror, philosophy, jokes, Korean folklore, tragedy... I get a lot of manga for free, but I went to the store and bought Dobeki Bride and I plan to do it again.

Here in Seoul without her grandmother's guidance, Sunbi struggles to settle in while being tormented by various nasty spirits. It's not easy to sit through class with a demon chewing on your head. Her human acquaintances range from the cousin who hates her to the paranormal buff with the Kirlian camera to a monk who helps Sunbi out of a bad spot. She's hurt and confused by it all, but remains proactive and starts searching for ways to protect herself from these demons.

The art has occasional perspective problems, but segues easily from the mundane world to hyper-detailed horrors of the paranormal. It's not a horror story, though. It's the sort of strong heroine story that I would recommend to anyone, along with Polly and Eternal Sabbath.

I'm hoping I can find an equally good boy-centerd series to go with these, in all honesty.

The back page says v.3 was due in September '06... I'll have to see about that, and order it straight from the source if my book store isn't keeping up.



- Miranda

Polly and the Pirates, v. 1

by Ted Naifeh
Published by Oni Press



Slugline: Polly, the long lost daughter of the Pirate Queen, is far too prim and proper for the treacherous world of pirates -- or is she?

This one jumps high on my list of books I would hand to any kid, any where, any time, and tell them to read. It lands, in fact, right next to the Courtney Crumrin series, also by Ted Naifeh.

Both Polly and Courtney have excellent adventures, NOT oversimplified, NOT oversweetened, just the right mix of cleverness and honor and humor for all-ages readers.

Polly is whisked from her boarding school into the world of pirates and treasure maps and at first she wants nothing to do with it. She even betrays her mother's former crew before she comes around. But she does show her true colors and outfox the foxes, find the treasure and mend her mistakes.

Ted Naifeh is a San Francisco resident, so he works nice historical bits like the Emperor of the United States into the story (though it's not set in San Fran.) And the art is lovely and whimsical, but I could live without the written brogues a few characters speak in. It's a minor quibble, though, in an otherwise excellent read.



- Miranda

Eternal Sabbath, v.1

by Fuyumi Soryo
Published in the U.S. by Del Rey Manga



Slugline: A mind-controlling man going by the name of Ryosuke Akiba meets Mine Kujyou, a woman scientist who he can't control.

Since I got serious about reviewing manga, there haven't been many titles that I'm genuinely looking forward to further volumes of -- Gunslinger Girl, and now Eternal Sabbath. (I've been reading Blade of the Immortal since Dark Horse began collecting the graphic novels.)

Volume 1 introduces us to "Ryosuke" and both his mind-altering abilities and his lack of self. Then we meet Mine, who is one of the most accurately portrayed female scientists that I've seen in manga. Then they meet each other, and I really enjoyed that a) she didn't fall for him b) she applies logic, reasoning and an open mind to figure him out, c) she's more curious than frightened, and d) doesn't launch a crusade against Ryosuke. Then, someone from his past arrives and supplies some background and a more direct plotline, namely that Ryosuke is one of two specimens created in a genetic engineering lab.

I judge manga by the same standards as any fiction -- its quality of plot, characterization, dialog, and worldbuilding. Soryo-san hits all the marks without invoking manga stereotypes, and no wonder: this is the author of Mars, one of the few romance series that I've actually finished. In this new series, the characters are clearly defined, the dialog is good, the background was filled in (but not overexplained) and there's the beginning of a plotline. So many manga need more than one volume to accomplish these things that it's practically normal... and what does it say about a writer that can't communicate such basic elements in the first hundred pages?

Eternal Sabbath sets a new quality benchmark for Prospero's Manga, I'm glad to say. I hope you readers give it a try.



- Miranda