A Case Suitable for Treatment

MST3K Vol. XVII titles revealed!

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:18:18 GMT

16 comes out next week, but we already know the titles for the next set due out in the spring.

101 - The Crawling Eye. The first MST3K for The Comedy Channel, this is likely the earliest we'll ever get, as I doubt any KTMA episodes will come out on DVD.

415 - The Beatniks (with short: General Hospital). This is a public domain film, so was one of the obvious candidates for release.

910 - The Final Sacrifice. Apparently hard to get for a while, Shout Factory offered more money, and here it is.

1005 - Blood Waters of Dr. Z. One from the final season, this is almost a comfort food MST3K, with many things that make for good MSTings.

Great Manga Gift Guide!

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:00:08 GMT

The manga bloggers around the net are creating manga gift guides. Here is mine, vaguely sorted by initial date of publication in Japan. At the end is also my PIECE OF COAL choice for the worst thing you could ever give.

Black Jack. 17 volumes (8 currently available in English). Published in Japan by Akita Shoten in their magazine Shonen Champion, from 1973 to 1981. Published in North America by Vertical. There's a lot of Tezuka out there to recommend now, thank the Lord, but this is still probably my favorite. The mostly episodic story of a scarred doctor who charges exorbitant fees for his care, it's an examination of ethics and moral dilemmas all over the world. The medical plots range from the outrageous to the even MORE outrageous (after all, if you have a dull normal medical problem, you aren't paying Black Jack 30 million). Black Jack himself is quite an odd duck, being about the polar opposite of the happy-go-lucky all for adventure shonen heroes you see these days. The series can get quite dark, though there is a large helping of morbid humor as well, and there's always Black Jack's "daughter" Pinoko for broad comedy. It's an addicting series, and one every manga lover should read.

Oishinbo. 103 volumes and still running (6 currently available in English as "best ofs", sorted by food). Published in Japan by Shogakukan in their magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1984 to the present. Published in North America by Viz. It seems odd to recommend a series that will likely never be out here in North America completely. Viz's omnibus is scheduled for 1 more volume. And Oishinbo does have fun characters, from the hero Yamaoka, grumpy cuss who knows his food; his grumpy dad who knows his food even better, Yuzan; Yamaoka's partner and later wife, Yuka, who seems to be the only one who can out-manipulate both of them. It would be great to see the development of their story over all 103+ volumes. But this isn't Naruto, folks. Viz was nice just to give us this much. And when you get right down to it, it's irrelevant, as Oishinbo is about the FOOD. There have been various food mangas over here, usually involving either battles or focusing on the owners and waiters of a restaurant, but none devotes such loving care to the preparation and presentation of food as Oishinbo does.

Excel Saga. 23 volumes and still running (19 currently available in North America, the 20th is out in December). Published in Japan by Shonen Gahosha in their magazine Young King OURS from 1996 to the present. Published in North America by Viz. If ever there was a series damaged by its anime counterpart, it's Excel Saga. Oh, don't get me wrong, I love the Excel Saga anime. But the manga, which shares a basic premise and characters with it but not much else, is a much deeper and more interesting kettle of fish. Many who read it wanting the metatextual zaniness of the anime were turned off. Which is a shame, as this is still one of the funniest mangas currently being published. The story of Excel, a lackey at the evil organization ACROSS, and her attempts to take over the world for her master Il Palazzo-sama, Excel Saga starts off as an episodic parody of Japanese corporate culture, with both the heroes and villains functioning very much as salarymen. As the plot thickens, though, and we learn that several of the characters are over 10,000 years old, there's an addicting force that keeps you reading. Excel, while still very genki and strange, is a fantastic deadpan snarker as well. Oh, and it's translated by Carl Horn, with extensive footnotes.

One Piece. 55 volumes and still running (22 currently available in North America, 23 is due out in December). Published in Japan by Shueisha in their magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from 1997 to the present. Published in North America by Viz. Yes, I know, it's hard to recommend 55+ mangas as presents. But better to get it now before the giant blitz of 30 volumes that starts this January! Plus this series, which tends to get regarded as the poor cousin of Naruto and Bleach, is better than both of them. It's about Luffy, a young boy who is determined to be King Of The Pirates. In a fun adventures way, not in a rape and pillage way. He also eats a devil fruit that lets his body stretch like rubber. Gathering his crew one by one, all of whom are fantastic characters with tragic backstories, they sail the Grand Line, getting in huge, well-drawn fights that never confuse the reader, having hilarious conversations with each other that make everyone's face's go insane (except Robin, of course), and having absolutely no romantic shenanigans at all. A combination of a poor anime dub, dislike of the strangeness, and lack of shipping has made this a "failure" in comparison to Naruto. Let's fix that. It's better.

I Hate You More Than Anyone! 13 volumes (8 currently available in English). Published in Japan by Hakusensha in their magazine Hana To Yume from 1997 to 2001. Published in North America by CMX. Some other manga reviewers might be recommending well-written, bittersweet shoujo like Sand Chronicles and We Were There. They're good titles, indeed. But screw that, give me shoujo that's funny. This hideously underrated series is about Kazuha, the oldest of a family of six who is a junior (and later senior) in high school. She has a crush on a young man who runs a daycare, and an angry dislike of the young man's devil-may-care, slightly effeminate friend. Guess who she ends up falling for eventually. Featuring romantic subplots that can make the mood turn on a dime (no serious revelation goes by without being undercut in some way), Wile E. Coyote-like cartoon violence (at one point the heroine shoves her best friend out a 3rd story window), and a hero who is a tease but who isn't a giant jerk (which means this clearly isn't published by Shogakukan, then), I Hate You More Than Anyone! is simply a shoujo romance that is FUN. It also features the best beta couple I've ever read with Kazuha's best friend Senko (grumpy tsundere, emphasis on the tsun) and Maki's best friend Honjo (a deadpan snarker par excellance). And some of the characters also cameo in VB Rose, a series by the same author out from Tokyopop.

Aqua and Aria. 2 + 12 volumes, respectively (2 + 5 currently available in English). Published in Japan by Square Enix (Aqua) and Mag Garden (Aria) in their magazines Stencil (Aqua) and Comic Blade (Aria) from 2001 to 2008. Published in North America by Tokyopop. This series is just relaxing. Some manga I get excited to read, some I get anxious to read, but only Aria gives me a sense of peace. The story of a young woman on Mars (renamed Aqua), which has been terraformed in the 24th century, and her training as a gondolier (undine) in the city of Neo-Venezia, this manga not only deals with Akari and her best friends Aika and Alice coming of age, but is also an excuse to feature some beautiful art. Neo-Venezia is meant to be Venice, only the idealized Venice we always wanted, filled with wide-open spaces, open-air cafes where you can chat with the owner, and creepy underground passages that let you meet with giant cat gods. Not quite science fiction, not really fantasy, Aria probably falls in the genre "slice-of-life". But what a relaxing, pure life it is.

Gatcha Gacha. 8 volumes (7 currently available in English, series is on hiatus). Published in Japan by Hakusensha in their magazine Melody from 2002 to 2008. Published in North America by Tokyopop. Yes, I know. Recommending an abandoned series is intensely cruel. Sales on this were dreadful (possibly as the title is one letter away from a mediocre shonen title from Del Rey), and though it currently only has one volume left, I suspect Tokyopop's fortunes will have to get much better before it comes out. But man, this was awesome. A classic example of josei that's marketed as shoujo over here (and with good reason), this story technically stars Yuri, a happy-go-lucky girl who is intensely into loving her man. So intense, in fact, that she can never keep one - she's broken up with 13 guys as they find her too "heavy". Yuri sometimes angsts, but for the most part is able to move on, and is usually able to stand up for herself. When things get too tough, though, there's Motoko. Motoko is the reason to read this series. Brash and tomboyish, but looking like a beautiful long-haired female, she walks through the series either trying to stare at other women (she's not gay, she just likes looking at other women - uh huh) or getting into fights, she's a fantastic character who won the magazine's character poll running away. The characters and amusing situations are what make this worth reading. And if enough of you buy it, maybe it can be finished!

Strawberry Marshmallow. 6 volumes and still running (5 currently available in English). Published in Japan by Mediaworks in their magazine Dengeki Daioh from 2002 to the present. Published in North America by Tokyopop. Sure, the target audience for this manga may be the source of many arguments on online forums, but who cares? This is fun. The story of Nobue, a young chain-smoking high school girl, and the four 12-year-old girls she tends to run herd on. Well, technically. In reality, this manga is about Miu, an incredibly funny jerkass who causes chaos wherever she goes, and the reactions of everyone else to her antics. The art tends towards the lolicon, I will admit, but I like reading funny manga, and this is funny. Matsuri is such a pathetic drip that it's hysterical, especially when you see her typical day consists of needing help even walking in a straight line. Chika and Miu actually make great partners-in-crime, as well as the boke and tsukkomi team they were born to be. And Nobue is the reader stand in, there to stare at the cute girls and occasionally give Miu a beating. Adorable fun.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. 12 volumes and still ongoing (10 currently published in English). Published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, in several magazines (currently Young Ace) from 2002 to the present. Published in North America by Dark Horse. I'll be honest with you, I don't like horror. Never seen Friday the 13th, The Ring holds no appeal for me, and I tend to avoid horror manga as well. But this is so well done, with a vein of jet-black humor, that's it's completely won me over. This manga features a ragtag bunch of misfits who decide to combine their excessively odd skills to form a company that grants the last wishes of the recently deceased. As you might imagine, this gets them involved in many shady murders, creepy scientific horror plays, and even some old Japanese legends from World War II. But they go about it with a sense of snark that is one of the best in manga, and everyone is interesting. My favorites are Karasu, the buddhist monk in training who is the hero, sort of, as well as Yuji, who can channel a foul-mouthed puppet from space on his left hand. And if you think that sounds ridiculous... yes. Not for the faint-hearted (some of the horror images are nightmarish), this is still utterly addicting. Oh, and it too is translated by Carl Horn, with extensive footnotes. Carl knows how to pick the best.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei. 19 volumes and still running (4 currently available in English). Published in Japan by Kodansha in their magazine Weekly Shonen Magazine from 2005 to the present. Published in North America by Del Rey. My current obsession. And an excellent example of a series that gradually becomes something else. Zetsubou-sensei is the story of Nozomu Itoshiki, a chronically depressed teacher who wears old-fashioned hakama, and his class of eccentric high school students, each with a trademark character tic. Or two. Or four. As the series goes on, though, it's less about the insane girls and their insane teacher, and more about pointing out the foibles in Japanese society. The footnotes are incredibly dense for this one - It's the most newbie-unfriendly manga on this list - but much of the humor is universal, pointing out things such as being the 'deciding vote' in a deadlock (and the power it grants you), or people who take pride in negative things (such as disliking Twilight, for example). All of this is done with a deliberately stark art style that is totally suited to black and white (it rarely has color pages). And as the series goes on, the characters get broader and more violent. It's a fantastic gag series, technically a parody of harem mangas but actually a parody of EVERYTHING.

COAL:

Deus Vitae. 3 volumes (all 3 published in North America). Published in Japan by Kodansha in their Magazine Magazine Z in 2004. Published in North America by Tokyopop. Before the artist made it big by drawing a carbon copy of Akamatsu's superior Negima manga and calling it Negima Neo, he put out this sleazy piece of crap in one of Kodansha's many seinen magazines (one I think is now dead). The plot is completely incomprehensible, so describing it is impossible. Sci-fi, rebelling against the system, lots of computer equipment with metal tentacles that coincidentally wrap themselves around nubile robots. This is what everyone who hates manga believes it all is. Loathsome, on every level.

Happy gift-giving!

LaLa 2010 January

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:20:36 GMT

Welcome to 2010, LaLa style!

Cover goes to Natsume's Book Of Friends. Color pages for Maid-sama! (2), Junai Labyrinth, Ookami-heika no Hanayome, and Seishun Kouryakubon.

Breakdown:
Maid-sama! 44
Natsume's Book Of Friends 37
Ouran High School Host Club 76
Vampire Knight 56
Faster Than A Kiss 31
La Corda D'oro 52
Junai Labyrinth 8
Babysitters' School 3
Chotto Edo Made 17
Mishounen Produce 7
Library Wars: Love & War 23
Ookami-heika no Hanayome 6
嫁姑教室 (gag comic)
Seishun Kouryakubon 4

What's mine is yours, and what is yours is mine.

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:15:02 GMT

I've mentioned difficult Shakespeare comedies here before. Much Ado, for example, and we'll be getting to Taming of the Shrew and Merchant of Venice soon. But those are all, at least, comedies. They are meant to amuse and be romantic, even if they date so badly that the task is nearly impossible these days. They aren't, strictly speaking, problem plays. There's only 3 *real* problem plays, plays that defy genre so hard that you know Shakespeare was aware of it.

One, Troilus and Cressida, I've already discussed. Another, All's Well That Ends Well, we'll get to later (and boy howdy, that title is in the dictionary under ironic.) But today's play is Measure for Measure. In terms of writing, characterization, and even plotting it's the best of the three. But you leave the theater either depressed, angry, or just plain unsatisfied. And it's fairly obvious Shakespeare wrote it that way.

This is, of course, if you see it as Shakespeare wrote it. As ever, directors love to edit the ambiguity right out of the work, or make cuts that support their own positions. Now, I'm not being entirely scornful hear. MfM is a hard play to perform, especially that last act. Much like Two Gentlemen of Verona, there are places where no one speaks where it is obvious they should. Isabella's reaction to her brother's not being dead; Angelo's reaction to not being executed; and most importantly, Isabella's reaction to the Duke's proposal. All are completely unmentioned in the text, and have to be left up to the actors and director.

That last is especially troubling, as it's the one bit modern audiences have most trouble with. One of the main plot points of the play has been Angelo trying to force himself on Isabella, a novice nun. Now, just as the Duke swoops in and resolves everything, he casually proposes to Isabella that she marry *him*. Her reaction? Dunno, which version did you see? She doesn't have another line in the play, and there are no stage directions. Most pre-modern productions had her smile and acquiesce gracefully, most modern productions have her silence be a sign of rejection. One production had the Duke staep back to reveal a huge bed, driving the point home even more.

Because really, more than any other Shakespeare play, Measure for Measure is about sex. It's not at all erotic - one scholar noted that it can be taught easily in school as it's a very unsexy play about sex - but the idea of controlling sex, as well as sex as a commodity, is what drives everything that happens. You have the nerdy guy who gains power and discovers its aphrodisiac qualities, you have the prostitute and pimp who run their bawdy house without shame, and of course you have Claudio and Juliet, who are threatened with execution because he knocked her up before they were married. Yes, they're engaged, but that is neither here nor there.

Oh yes, it's not ALL about sex. It's also about law, and again, this is more than any other Shakespeare play - even The Merchant of Venice is not quite as obsessed with laws, how they are applied, the letter and spirit of same, and doling out of judgment. The Duke spends most of the play trying to find a way around the laws that he is responsible for, and is horrified to see what putting them in practice actually means. Or at least we think he's horrified. The Duke is probably the play's most ambiguous character, and especially in Act 5 he can almost seem gleefully cruel. Of course, he's deliberately playing things up for maximum theatrical effect, but it's not a play for anyone else.

Measure for Measure has never been very popular. In Victorian times it was almost impossible to play without heavy cuts and rewrites, losing the bawdies entirely and making everything far more innocent. Nowadays it's popular with directors and actors for its dark qualities, but that doesn't always translate to being loved by the audience. Nevertheless, it has a more satisfying ending than All's Well (which many now think came after Measure), and is a rich read, filled with excellent dialogue and prose.

Hana To Yume 2009-24

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:17:44 GMT

The final Hana To Yume of 2009! Well, in publishing terms, at least. Japanese magazines date 4-6 weeks in advance.

Cover goes to Love So Life.

Color pages for Gakuen Alice (2), Nice To Meet You Kamisama, and Kaizoku to Ningyo.

There's a separate volume with this, which has 4 manga one-shots. It has a cover by the artist of Love Sick, which ended recently.

Breakdown:
Gakuen Alice 123
Seiyuu Kaa! 10
Nice to Meet You, Kamisama 34
Love So Life 18
Berry Berry 11
Shine!! Vitamin school dormitory boys☆ (an 8-page debut)
Monochrome Kids 16
Akatsuki no Yona 7
Kaizoku to Ningyo 8
Oresama Teacher 42
Hana to Akuma 41
鎌田ギュウ乳販売店 (gag comic)
Kyou Mo Ashita Mo 32
Isshi Ni Neyou No 14

Extra Volume (seems to be Xmas oriented):
Guard Girl (by the Love Sick author)
Santa Street
Doll Trunk
Prince and Cake

It's getting harder to figure out what's off, what's on hiatus, and what's simply an irregular series. Kaizoku no Ningyo was off for over half a year, but now seems to be back. Skip Beat! is still on break, as is Hoshi Wa Utau. Jiu Jiu may be over and it's simply not noted on the Japanese site I use for this. Tadaima na Uta seems to be irregular now. Of course, it's the holiday issue, so who knows...

Manga the week of 11/25

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:31:03 GMT

As an FYI, Black Jack 8 (Shonen, Akita Shoten, since 1974) shipped everywhere last week EXCEPT Midtown Comics. Even I got it. And yes, it gets recced too.

Midtown doesn't have it this week either, but we do have...

BANDAI:
Lucky Star Vol. 3. Shonen. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Shonen Ace since 2004.
Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally Vol. 3. Shonen. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Comp Ace since 2006.

BLU:
Tea for Two Vol. 3. Yaoi. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Ciel since 2003.
Madness Vol. 1. Yaoi. Gentosha, serialized in Lynx since 2004.
Junjo Romantica Vol. 11. Yaoi. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Ciel since 2002.

DARK HORSE:
Berserk Vol. 32. Seinen. Hakusensha, serialized in Young Animal since 1989.

DC/CMX:
The Name of the Flower Vol. 3. Shoujo. Hakusenaha, serialized in LaLa DX since 2005.
The Lizard Prince Vol. 1. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in LaLa since 2003.

FANFARE/PONENT MON:
A Distant Neighborhood Vol. 2 (Final Volume). Seinen. Shogakukan, serialized in Big Comic since 1998.

ICARUS:
Their porn anthology.

TOKYOPOP:
Your & My Secret Vol. 5. Shoujo-ish. Mag Garden, serialized in Comic Blade Avarus since 2002.
This Ugly Yet Beautiful World Vol. 1. Seinen. Hakusensha, serialized in Young Animal since 2004.
Takeru - Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil Vol. 3. Shoujo-ish. Mag Garden, serialized in Comic Blade Zebel since 2005.
Me & My Brothers Vol. 10. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in LaLa since 2004.
Maria Holic Vol. 2. Seinen. Media Factory, serialized in Comic Alive since 2006.
Lagoon Engine Vol. 6. Shoujo. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Asuka since 2002.
Future Diary Vol. 4. Shonen. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Shonen Ace since 2006.
DNAngel Vol. 13. Shoujo. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Asuka since 1997.
.hack//ALCOR. Whatever.

Recs? The second volume of A Distant Neighborhood. My yaoi friends say Junjo Romantica is good. CMX's shoujo titles are always worth a read.

Also, two anti-recs. Maria Holic is hateful, and Lucky Star is boring and badly edited/translated/laid out/etc. The anime certainly improved on the manga there.

Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:47:40 GMT

Antony and Cleopatra is notable in many ways. It's generally considered the last in a long string of impossibly magnificent tragedies (Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and now Antony and Cleopatra); of course, this leaves out the lesser but interesting Troilus and Cressida (written between Hamlet and Othello) and the later but problematic Coriolanus and Timon of Athens.

It's also an unashamed love story, with the two protagonists simply dominating any scene they happen to be in. True, Romeo and Juliet did this as well, but those two were not as confident and beloved as A&C are (at least at first). Moreover, the scope of A&C is much larger, with power politics playing just as large a role. And considering the depth of feeling of the two lovers, that says a lot for Octavius Caesar.

Technically this COULD be called a sequel to Julius Caesar; after all, Antony and Octavius are both in the former play. But really, there's not all that much referring back to the old play here. It's enough to deal with Cleopatra and what she brings to the table. There's also a lot of gender politics here. Rome is explicitly male, Egypt female. This leads to the main conflict, which is that Antony has let Cleopatra 'feminise' him, making him soft and an unworthy leader. I dunno about making him girlier, but the Romans have a bit of a point about his leadership getting worse once he's met Cleopatra. It doesn't help that he tends to overcompensate so hard that he actually undermines himself in both directions.

This is a busy play, and hard to stage in many ways. First of all, there's the two lads. You DO have to allow Antony and Cleopatra to be over the top and histrionic - they're written that way. But the play isn't just about them, and it's hard to find a balance when the balance is meant to teeter to begin with. Cleopatra is also a very difficult role, and has broken many capable actresses. And worst of all, the pageantry. This play can be taken over by victory parades and gorgeous scenery, especially since it has TONS of different locations. This was very popular in Restoration and Victorian performances. It also dragged the play on for far too long. And, as always, when given a choice between Shakespeare's dialogue and spectacle, spectacle won every time.

Antony's also pretty different from the tragic heroes that come before him. Like Coriolanus (which I'm currently reading), Antony is not given to long soliloquies where he ponders his cursed fate. He doesn't think before he speaks at all. And in his attempted suicide, which is so pathetic it almost verges on comedy, the words 'tragic hero' start to make you raise an eyebrow. Not that Macbeth, or Lear, were any more likeable. Hell, even Hamlet could be a horrible SOB when in the right mood.

Still, in the end, the epicness overcomes the problems. Yes, it may be another Shakespeare play better suited for the page than the stage, but it's still pretty damn awesome. And it also has the Shaped Like Itself scene, which is as funny as the best of Shakespeare's comedies:

Lepidus: What manner o' thing is your crocodile?
Antony: It is shap'd, sir, like itself, and it is as broad as it hath breadth; it is just as high as it is, and moves with its own organs. It lives by that which nourisheth it, and the elements once out of it, it transmigrates.
Lepidus: What color is it of?
Antony: Of its own color too.
Lepidus: 'Tis a strange serpent.
Antony: 'Tis so. And the tears of it are wet.

Manga the week of 11/18

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:24:00 GMT

At last a fairly small week. Yay!

BANDAI:
Gurren Lagann Vol. 3. Seinen. Mediaworks, serialized in Dengeki Daioh since 2007.

DC/CMX:
Jihai Vol. 3 (Final Volume). Shoujo. Enterbrain, serialized in Comic B'S-Log since 2006.

VIZ:
Pluto Vol. 6. Seinen. Shogakukan, serialized in Big Comic Original since 2004.
Oishinbo Vol. 6 (Rice). Seinen. Shogakukan, serialized in Big Comic Spirits since 1984.
Kekkaishi Vol. 19. Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 2004.
Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 21. Shonen. Square Enix, serialized in Shonen Gangan since 2001.
Case Closed Vol. 32. Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 1996.

Recs? Pluto. Oishinbo. There we go. Easy this week, huh?

Slightly less good cartoon news

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:59:45 GMT

The new cartoons won't be restored. Costs too much. Bah. Oh well, at least they're good prints and uncut.

Classic Cartoon news

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:43:56 GMT

At last, some good news from Jerry Beck and the gang at Warner Brothers.

There will be 2 single-disc Looney Tunes DVDs out in April, with 15 restored cartoons each. These will be character-based, one featuring Bugs Bunny, the other Daffy Duck. Cartoons will include Hare We Go (Bugs and Christopher Columbus discover America); The Fair-Haired Hare (Bugs and Yosemite Sam have to share a plot of land equally); and Tick Tock Tuckered (Porky and Daffy try to get some sleep, but tiny things keep them awake all night). There will be no repeats from the Golden Collections. After this, we'll get more single-disc releases in the future, all character-based; no one-shots for now.

The fight continues for a proper remastered and uncut Ton and Jerry with no issues or missing cartoons; no actual news as of yet.

There will be future Disney Treasures sets with cartoons (this year only featured the Zorro TV show).

Popeye's 1940s color cartoons are currently having restoration problems - WB wants to release them, but the prints are utterly crappy and in these current economic times, they can't afford to pay for the huge restoration.

Getting classic Mighty Mouse cartoons - and possibly Betty Boop - depends on our buying the 1980s Ralph Bakshi MM collection.

Universal's cartoons (Woody Woodpecker, etc.) are on hold because of low sales.

No news regarding Famous Studios, Columbia, UPA, or the Gene Deitch Tom and Jerries.

There will be a Saturday Morning Cartoons - the 1980s set. The 1970s set will also have a Volume 3, it did much better than the 1960s sets.

That's it! Better news than we've had for a while!

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:00:31 GMT

Henry V is probably Shakespeare's most popular history, especially today now that the love of Falstaff has dimmed a bit. The combination of the 1944 Laurence Olivier movie and the 1989 Kenneth Branagh movies make it a play many are likely to have seen, and it's very good at stirring the emotions. In fact, is it a bit too good? As this is also Shakespeare's most controversial and criticized history.

There's lots of reasons for this. First of all, at the time, there was the killing off of Falstaff. Henry IV Parts 1 and 2 were incredibly popular, and the end of Part 2, even though it featured Hal renouncing Falstaff, seemed to indicate that they would be back soon. True, there was The Merry Wives of Windsor about this time as well, but since Hal and Falstaff seemed so intertwined, no one was expecting anything less than "Henry IV Part 3", only with a new king.

But Shakespeare had already given signs that he was a bit sick of the Falstaff gang. (I will go into more details when I get to Part 2 of Henry IV.) What's more, the plot was shaping up in such a way that it would be very difficult to use Falstaff. If he reformed, he'd be dull, but if he didn't, how would be be near the King at all? Pistol took his place for most of the comic scenes in Henry V, along with the Welsh captain Fluellen, who was allowed to have most of the jokes *and* be a competent soldier. Falstaff, meanwhile, died offstage. And by the end of the play, Bardolph and Nym were dead, and Pistol mentioned Mistress Quickly dying of syphilis. Really, this is almost Shakespeare kicking his audience in the teeth.

And then there's Essex. I haven't mentioned the Earl in some time, but it's hard to avoid him here. The epilogue to this play is basically a giant paean to Essex's campaigns, comparing his wars against the Irish to Henry V. Of course, a few months later, Essex would return from Ireland defeated. And then conspire to assassinate the Queen. Shakespeare's plays have had their awkward timely references (Richard II is another good example, and almost as controversial), but even in Henry VIII his patronage wasn't THIS obvious.

In modern times, Henry V has also been rather awkward. One of the bigger reasons is one that we've come across many times before - Shakespeare rarely likes to let his character's motivations be obvious and one-sided, always preferring to draw subtle shades of grey to black and white. Of course, here he's doing so in a play whose plot demands black and white. Is Henry an awesome warrior king, restoring England to her rightful glory? Or is he a hypocrite and chessmaster, using his subjects for his own ends? Well, yeah. Certainly fans of Hal were already irritated with him after his throwing off Falstaff in IV-2, and he does a few things here that raise an eyebrow (the tennis balls are hardly a good reason for war, although you can argue he wanted a random excuse; he also tries to bribe divine vengeance).

Modern productions have occasionally chosen to add darkness to several scenes - Bardolph's execution, for instance - which I think fits in very much with the tendency of Henry IV plays to have serious, melancholy Falstaffs these days. Many are simply uncomfortable with the idea of comedy in the History plays, feeling that it makes light of the wars and death that surround them. (What these people make of Hamlet, which is frequently hilarious, is best left for another time.)

In the end, I think Henry V works best on stage or screen, when you can let yourself get carried away by its fervor. On the page, with only cold words to analyse, Henry is a lot less easy to like.

Manga the week of 11/11

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 23:59:03 GMT

Yes, it comes out on Wednesday. Veteran's Day is only a semi-holiday. And there's quite a bit of it again.

801 MEDIA:
Dog x Cat Vol. 1. Yaoi. Core Magazine, serialized in Drap since 2007.
Love Skit. Yaoi. Libre Shuppan, serialization unknown, 2006.

DARK HORSE:
Oh My Goddess Vol. 13 (unflipped). Seinen. Kodansha, serialized in Afternoon since 1988.

DC/CMX:
Deka Kyoshi Vol. 1. Softbank/Flex title.

DEL REY:
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Vol. 24. Shonen. Kodansha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2003.

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING:
Blue Sheep Reverie Vol. 2. Yaoi. Nihon Bungeisha, serialized in Karen since 2006.
Ciao Ciao Bambino. Yaoi. Core Magazine, serialization unknown, 2005.
Devil Inside. Yaoi. Shinshokan, serialization unknown, 2003.
Great Place High School Student Council Vol. 1. Yaoi. Houbunsha, serialization unknown, 2008.
Millennium Prime Minister Vol. 2. Whatever Wings Is. Shinshokan, serialized in Wings since 1998.
Train Train Vol. 3 (Final Volume). Whatever Wings Is. Shinshokan, serialized in Wings since 2002.

GO! COMI:
Ultimate Venus Vol. 5. Shoujo. Akita Shoten, serialized in Princess since 2006.

UDON:
Swans in Space Vol. 1. Kodomo. Poplar, serialized in Comic Bunbun since 2006.

VIZ:
Flame of Recca Vol. 33 (Final Volume). Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 1995.
Hayate the Combat Butler Vol. 13. Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 2005.
Ikigami The Ultimate Limit Vol. 3. Seinen. Shogakukan, serialized in Big Comic Spirits since 2005.
Inu Yasha VIZBIG Edition Vol. 1. Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 1996.
Inu Yasha Vol. 42. Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 1996.
Jormungand Vol. 1. Seinen. Shogakukan, serialized in Sunday Gene-X since 2006.
Record of a Fallen Vampire Vol. 7. Shonen. Square Enix, serialized in Shonen Gangan since 2003.
Switch Vol. 11. Shonen. Square Enix, serialized in GFantasy since 2002.
Yakitate Japan Vol. 20. Shonen. Shogakukan, serialized in Shonen Sunday since 2002.

YEN:
Cat Paradise Vol. 2. Shonen. Akita Shoten, serialized in Champion Red since 2006.
Crimson Shell. Shonen. Square Enix, serialized in GFantasy since 2005.
GA - Geijutsuka Art Design Class Vol. 2. Seinen. Houbunsha, serialized in Manga Time Kirara Carat since 2006.
Higurashi When They Cry Vol. 5. Shonen. Square Enix, serialized in GFantasy since 2005.
Ichiroh! Vol. 2. Seinen. Houbunsha, serialized in Manga Time Kirara since 2007.
Sundome Vol. 6. Seinen. Akita Shoten, serialized in Young Champion since 2006.

That's a lotta manga. Recs? Flame of Recca finally ends, a loooong series. For those who never read Inu Yasha, the VIZBIG edition is bigger and unflipped. I really enjoy Hayate the Combat Butler. Jormungand should appeal to Black Lagoon fans. GA is cute 4-koma. And I'm enjoying seeing how they kill 'em all again in Higurashi, which starts the Curse Killing arc with this volume.

Hana To Yume 2009-23

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:44:54 GMT

Cover goes to Oresama Teacher.

Color pages for Seiyuu Kaa! (2), Love So Life, Monochrome Kids, and Akatsuki no Yona.

The one-shot is from a newbie, Hio Izumi. This is her debut in Hana, she's had stuff in The Hana before.

Breakdown:
Seiyuu Kaa! 9
Gakuen Alice 122
Love So Life 17
Oresama Teacher 41
Berry Berry 10
月刊なかとば (gag comic)
Monochrome Kids 15
Nice To Meet You, Kamisama 33
Hana To Akuma 40
Hoshi Wa Utau 44
Akatsuki no Yona 6
鎌田ギュウ乳販売店 (gag comic)
Kyou Mo Ashita Mo 31
Isshi Ni Neyou No 13
Black Cat And My Master (one-shot)
幸福ローン (short manga)

Skip Beat!, Jiu Jiu, and Tadaima na Uta are off this issue.

YANKEES WIN!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:09:40 GMT

27!!!

New DMP licences

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:00:58 GMT

It's Yaoi-Con, so there's a pile of new yaoi licenses from Digital Manga Publishing. They are all 1 volume unless noted.

Double Cast. Yaoi. Shinshokan, serialized in Dear+ since 2007.
Koyoi wa Kimi to Chi no Kiss wo. Yaoi. Shinshokan, serialized in Dear+ since 2008.
Café Latte Rhapsody. Yaoi. Libre Shuppan, serialized in Magazine Be x Boy since 2008.
Ayashi no Kimi no Koiwazurai. Yaoi. Libre Shuppan, serialized in Magazine Be x Boy since 2008.
Koi suru Boukun. Yaoi, 6+ volumes. Kaiousha, serialized in Gush since 2005.
Soba ni Oitene. Yaoi. Libre Shuppan, serialized in Magazine Be x Boy since 2005.
Seven Days. Yaoi, 2 volumes. Taiyo Tosho, serialized in Craft since 2007.
Koukyuu no Arika. Yaoi. Taiyo Tosho, serialized in HertZ since 2007.
Doushitemo Furetakunai. Yaoi. Taiyo Tosho, serialized in Craft since 2008.
Spiral of Sand. Yaoi. Taiyo Tosho, serialized in HertZ since 2005.
Kizuna (Deluxe Edition). Yaoi, 11 volumes. Libre Shuppan, serialized in Magazine Be x Boy since 1992.
Cho Maniac ni Aishite. Yaoi. Libre Shuppan, serialized in Magazine Be x Boy since 2008.

Good times for yaoi fans.

The smallest worm will turn, being trodden on.

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:09:39 GMT

Henry VI, Part 3 has always had a few basic problems to overcome. It's the third part in a trilogy, so is very rarely performed on its own. It's one of Shakespeare's earliest plays, and many scholars suggest that it was co-written. Modern critics tend to focus on the fact that his prose and verse is still in development and ignore the actual plot and characterization. And like all the history plays, it steals shamelessly from other sources.

Sorry, scrap that history in the last sentence. Like all Shakespeare's other PLAYS.

It really has to be said, mostly as everyone does, Shakespeare stole. Constantly, from almost everything. There's not a critical edition that I haven't read that doesn't go on for pages about his 'sources', be they Holinshed's Chronicles, Boccaccio's Decameron, Plutarch's Lives, or what have you. This does not, of course, stop these from being some of the greatest plays in the world. Shakespeare took his varied sources and simply made magic.

Admittedly this isn't among his top plays, but it's still a very good read. Its main problem - again - is the King. Generally critics have been fairly harsh on Henry VI in these three plays. The ones who sympathize most tend to be those who admire his religious views, and his tendency to believe that God will provide and His will is absolute. Unfortunately, to those who want a more active King, this leads them to want to beat him to death with staplers. The country really begins to fall apart in this play, culminating in Henry's murder by Richard of Gloucester, and it's hard these days to take it the way Elizabethans did, as God's revenge for the events of Richard II.

Speaking of Richard, this is pretty much where the future Richard III comes into prominence. In fact, it's not so much character development as character turning on a dime. In Act III, Scene ii, he announces to the audience "Hi, I'm the villain!", and his ability to get his way even as others detest him and asides to the audience are in full force here. The only thing missing is his sense of humor and the sheer FORCE of personality. You never actually like him here, whereas one of the key points of Richard III is that you admire him despite his evil. (As a note, a lot of Richard III performances add the killing of Henry as some sort of flashback, to remind the audience how we got here).

And then there's Margaret, who also has her decline and fall here, although unlike Henry she is still around for Richard III. Basically, all of Shakespeare's future strong female roles, be they heroines or villains, owe a lot to Margaret. She keeps railing at Henry to get a backbone, she leads armies, she gleefully taunts York (and he rails against her, in one of Shakespeare's most famous rants). Just as her rages are powerful, so is her grieving when Prince Edward is stabbed, and she almost becomes an inhuman force of nature by the next play. But we'll leave that for Richard III.

As I said, this gets short shrift, like all the other Henry VIs, and he has written better histories. On the whole, though, this trilogy has proved to be much better than I'd expected, and an excellent example of Shakespeare's genius being evident right at the start of his career.

I Hate You More Than Anyone 8

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:11:28 GMT

Spoilers abound!

The main 'plot' of this, Banri Hidaka's first major manga series, was almost wrapped up by mid-Volume 6. Sure, Senko and Honjo still needed to resolve, but there was clear evidence that if the manga had been only a mild hit, it could have ended there, even with us not knowing about Maki's past.

However, it was popular, so Banri introduced Maki's half-brother, Saki, and we begin the major plot complication that infests Volumes 6-10 of this 13-volume series. It's to her credit that she knows when to use the typical shoujo tropes (Maki breaking up with Kazuha to protect her), and when to toss them away (the breakup lasts about a chapter and a half).

More importantly, she starts firing off most of her backstory guns here. Grumpy Maki and his family issues, attending middle school with young Honjo and meeting Mizushima (who really is Shigure from Fruits Basket, at least in the past. The two mangaka are friends, and it wouldn't surprise me if one work influenced the other. And yes, this one came first.)

Oh, and there's Azumi, whose story forms half of this volume and most of the next. Hope you like flashbacks!

I should note that despite all the angst this manga is still filled to the brim with hilarious moments. Banri never lets a serious angsty moment go by without undercutting it a few moments later, and it's to the benefit of the series as a whole. Some of the jokes are broad (Kazuha thinking she's accidentally decapitated Maki), and some are so tiny I had to read it twice to get it (Kazuya hitting Chizuru in an Osaka comedy style, offhandedly, while listening to Honjo's black humor). And there's tons of meta. ("What was that smile on the last page?!? He never smiled like that before!?!")

There are, of course, some faults. As always, Banri Hidaka's sense of pacing tends to flit (her side columns paint her as a bit of a ditz, and it doesn't surprise me in the least), and much of the time you either feel things are moving glacially, or else duck as the kitchen sink is being thrown at you. If you don't like cartoon violence in your shoujo (things like throwing your best friend out of a window, or decapitating your boyfriend), you're reading the wrong artist, as those are in VB Rose too. And while I don't think you NEED to know about her past Akiyoshi Family series to enjoy this, anymore than you need to have read this to enjoy VB Rose, the constant mentions of them can be aggravating (It's rough telling North American readers to read the comics about the other siblings when they're unlikely to ever be licensed).

Oh, and for those waiting for Kazuha to grow a pair (so to speak) and move forward in her relationship with Maki, this is your volume. (Sorry, Senko and Honjo fans, you'll have to wait for Vol. 11 and 12 for their story to really hit overdrive. Though they get a FANTASTIC moment here.)

Manga the week of 11/4

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:04:36 GMT

My icon has never been more appropriate. Viz hates us.

BANDAI:
Lucky Star Vol. 2. Shonen. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Comp Ace since 2004.
Gundam00F Vol. 1. Shonen. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Gundam A since 2008.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Vol. 6. Shoujo. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Asuka since 2006.

DC/CMX:
King of Cards Vol. 8. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Bessatsu Hana to Yume since 1998.
Fire Investigator Nanase Vol. 3. Seinen. Shinchosha, serialized in Comic Bunch since 2006.

DEL REY:
xxxHOLIC Official Guide. Kodansha.
Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle Vol. 23. Shonen. Kodansha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2003.
Papillon Vol. 4. Shoujo. Kodansha, serialized in Bessatsu Friend since 2006.
Mahou Sensei Negima Vol. 24. Shonen. Kodansha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2003.
Minima Vol. 4 (Final Volume). Shoujo. Kodansha, serialized in Bessatsu Friend since 2006.
Kamichama Karin-chu Vol. 6. Shoujo. Kodansha, serialized in Nakayoshi since 2006.
Fairy Tail Vol. 8. Shonen. Kodansha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2006.
Air Gear Vol. 14. Shonen. Kodansha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine since 2002.

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING:
Selfish Mr. Mermaid Vol. 2 (Final Volume). Yaoi. Libre Shuppan, serialization unknown, 2006.
La Satanica. Yaoi. Core Magazine, serialization unknown, 2007.

SEVEN SEAS:
Dance in the Vampire Bund Vol. 5. Seinen. Media Factory, serialized in Comic Flapper since 2006.

VIZ:
We Were There Vol. 7. Shoujo. Shogakukan, serialized in Bessatsu Comic since 2002.
Wāq Wāq Vol. 2. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2002.
Vampire Knight Vol. 8. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in LaLa since 2005.
Ultimate Muscle Vol. 24. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in V-Jump since 1998.
Shonen Jump.
Shaman King Vol. 25. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1998.
S.A. Vol. 13. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume since 2003.
Rosario + Vampire Vol. 10 (Final Volume). Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Monthly Shonen Jump since 2004.
Prince of Tennis Vol. 34. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1999.
Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 13. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in LaLa since 2003.
Otomen Vol. 4. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Bessatsu Hana to Yume since 2006.
Nana Vol. 19. Shoujo/Josei. Shueisha, serialized in Cookie since 2000.
Love Com Vol. 15. Shoujo. Shueisha, serialized in Bessatsu Margaret since 2001.
Kurohime Vol. 14. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Jump Square since 2000.
Kaze Hikaru Vol. 15. Josei. Shogakukan, serialized in Flowers since 1997.
Honey Hunt Vol. 3. Shoujo/Josei. Shogakukan, serialized in Cheese! since 2007.
Hikaru No Go Vol. 17. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1998.
High School Debut Vol. 12. Shoujo. Shueisha, serialized in Bessatsu Margaret since 2003.
Haruka Beyond the Stream of Time Vol. 6. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in LaLa since 2000.
Gintama Vol. 15. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2004.
Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Kaiden Vol. 9 (Final Volume?). Shoujo. Shogakukan, serialized in Shoujo Comic since 2003.
D.Gray-Man Vol. 15. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2004.
Claymore Vol. 15. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Jump Square since 2001.
B.O.D.Y. Vol. 7. Shoujo. Shueisha, serialized in Bessatsu Margaret since 2004.
Black Bird Vol. 2. Shoujo. Shogakukan, serialized in Bessatsu Comic since 2007.
Beast Master Vol. 1. Shoujo. Shogakukan, serialized in Bessatsu Comic since 2007.

Viz, why do you hate freedom like this? Why all the first week? Geez.

New Negima and Fairy Tail are always fun. As for Viz, some not-quite-final volumes. Rosario + Vapire has a 2nd season of manga that's still running, and the FY sequel is on hiatus, not ended. New Ouran and Otomen are always welcome. Love Gintama. And I've heard good things about Beast Master, plus it's short.

LaLa 2009 December

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:13:49 GMT

It's the end of October, which means the year is over for LaLa, whose dates are always way ahead of actual sale date.

Cover goes to Vampire Knight.

Color pages for Ouran High School Host Club (2), フォークテイルのトナカイ (2), Chotto Edo Mate, and Mishounen Produce (2).

Breakdown:
Ouran High School Host Club 75
Maid-sama! 43
Vampire Knight 55
Faster Than A Kiss 30
Babysitters' School 2
フォークテイルのトナカイ (one-shot from the Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time author. Something Reindeer?)
Library Wars: Love & War 22
La Corda D'oro Special Chapter (16 pages)
Chotto Edo Matte 16
Junai Labyrinth 7
嫁姑教室 (gag comic)
Mishounen Produce 6
Ookami-heika no Hanayome 5
ゆめくらい (one-shot from Ken Saito, the Name of the Flower author)

Natsume's Book of Friends is off this month.

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:47:07 GMT

I've been going on for some time about scholars and critics arguing about which play was Shakespeare's first, for many and varied reasons. Having read all the contenders, I am prepared to side with those who argue that Henry VI, Part 2 was the first play to be primarily written by William Shakespeare (which means I also agree with those saying Part 1 was written last, as a prequel). This is especially odd, given that it's also probably the best of the three Henry VI plays.

There's a lot to like here, provided that you don't go to a play called Henry VI and expect to side with Henry VI. He's a weak king, historically, and the trouble with weak kings is that they tend to make weak characters. Richard II had similar problems, but his speeches, some of the most poetic in all of Shakespeare, helped make up for that. Henry VI doesn't have such luxury. His faith is nice to see, but it's not really enough.

However, we have a ton of other interesting characters. The Duke of York, for one, who gets his rebellion on in full force here. We also meet his two sons, Edward and Richard, who will both become far more important later. (It should be noted that Richard here is basically a young jerkass who happens to be deformed. He really doesn't become the fascinating study of machiavellian evil he would become until about halfway through Henry VI Part 3.)

Queen Margaret also comes into power here, and she is a piece of work, being Shakespeare's first major strong female role. Yes, she's not meant to be a likeable strong female role, but that doesn't stop actresses wanting to play Lady Macbeth either. Actually, it's rather surprising how little actress attention Queen Margaret has gotten, considering the strength of the role throughout both Part 2 and 3 and Richard III. Certainly she makes a nice contrast to Eleanor, who is almost the traditional dumb blonde here.

And then there's Jack Cade. You can't really discuss Part 2 without mentioning Cade, who rules all of Act 4 with the carnival-esque People's Rebellion. Possibly the most historically inaccurate part of a play filled with historical inaccuracies, but that's missing the point. The scenes of him and his men can be terrifying, with the mock trial and executions of fairly sympathetic Lords, and the heads up on pikes thrusting out towards the audience. It's even more interesting when you consider the possibility that this might have been a very early role for Will Kemp, who would go on to become Shakespeare's most popular comedic Fool.

Of course, if you're going to see this play these days, as with almost all historical performances of the trilogy, you're likely going to see an abridged combination of 2 or more of the Henry VI plays. The shows get cut, adapted, switched, rewritten, and otherwise stretched into shape so that the audience doesn't have to sit for 12 hours to see all 3 plays. So most likely you won't see this play on its own unless you actively search it out (You might see it as part of a trilogy done over months, but most people don't want to see a Part 2 by itself.) Still, it's a good 'un, and works much better on stage than it does on the page.

Retro LaLa 2001-12

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:49:02 GMT

What was in LaLa 8 years ago?

Cover goes to Haruka: Beyond the Streams of Time.

Color pages for Okojo-san (6), Omake no Kobayashi-kun (2), Millennium Snow, Omukae Desu, and Captive Hearts.

The breakdown:
Okojo-san 61. The 6 pages seem to be all color. The series is slice-of-life? No idea, really. Author currently writing Omiai Ikasaremakuri! for Silky.
Omake no Kobayashi-kun 44. About halfway through this series. Surprised it's never been licensed. Artist currently drawing Caramel Boy for LaLa.
Kare Kano 61. A little over halfway through this classic. Series released by Tokyopop. Artist is currently drawing Chotto Edo Made for LaLa.
Millennium Snow 5. Sad this series got suspended without a real ending. Oh well. Series released by Viz. Artist is currently drawing Ouran HSHC for LaLa.
Haruka: Beyond the Streams of Time 16. Artist is still pretty much drawing this, albeit more irregularly. Series released by Viz.
Haruka: Beyond the Streams of Time Special Chapter. See above.
Okojo-san 62. Also see above.
Venus in Love 31. Ah, girl-loves-boy, boy-loves-boy. It's a classic trope. Series released by CMX. Artist currently drawing Junai Labyrinth for LaLa.
Yakumo Tatsu 72. Again, this should be licensed, but isn't. Artist best known for Jyu-oh-sei and Demon Sacred. Currently drawing Vampir for Kodansha's Afternoon.
23:00 5. Almost done, this was a 1-volume story. Author best known for Beauty Is The Beast over here. Currently drawing Bozurabu! for LaLa.
Omukae Desu 19. Series released by CMX. Author is currently drawing Faster Than A Kiss for LaLa.
Kaguya Hime 86. GOD, I wish this would be licensed. Artist currently drawing Secret - Top Secret for Melody.
From Far Away Part 5, Chapter 16. Series was released by Viz. Author currently drawing Otogimoyou Ayanishiki Futatabi for Melody.
FunFun Factory 14. Seems almost like a Ribon or Ciao title, i.e. younger than LaLa's demographic. Artist currently drawing Docca for Mag Garden's Comic Blade.
Captive Hearts 22. Man, remember when Hino was unpopular? Series released by Viz. Currently drawing Vampire Knight for LaLa.
B.B. Joker. The chapters are unnumbered, this is 4/5 through the series. Artist just finished 4 Jigen in last month's LaLa.
The Recipe for Gertrude 8. Series released by CMX. Artist finished Two Flowers for the Dragon for LaLa about 4 months ago.
Superwrongman 4. Seems to be a gag series.

This actually seems pretty badass. Nice variety, lots of good titles, lots of licenses. Someone needs to pick up Kaguya Hime and The Other Kobayashi, though.

Retro Hana to Yume 1998-22

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:00:25 GMT

What was in Hana to Yume 11 years ago?

Cover goes to Tea Prince.
Color pages for Descendants of Darkness (2), Tea Prince, Shoujozame, and Kimi wa Bokura Taiyou da.

The breakdown:
Descendants of Darkness 20. Manga is licensed by Viz.
Shanimuni GO 4. Baby & Me, the author's previous series, is licensed by Viz.
Hana-Kimi 38. Manga is licensed by Viz.
Tea Prince 35. Author currently writing Orange Chocolate for Betsuhana.
あめのち晴れ (gag comic)
Angel Sanctuary 82. Manga is licensed by Viz.
I Hate You More Than Anyone! 23. Manga is licensed by CMX.
Shoujozame 'Japan Chapter' 1. This is about Vol. 9 of this Shinji Wada series.
高校天使 (gag comic)
Waraenai Riyuu 7. This was the author's longest series for Hakusensha, at 4 volumes.
Hiou Shirabyoushi 13. This series would go on to be 12 volumes.
Kimi wa Bokura Taiyou da 2. This was part of a collection of short stories. Author just started Fluffy Mix for Betsuhana.
Jun'ai Karen Kyousoukyoku 14. Author is currently drawing 1+1 for Betsuhana.
冷蔵庫物語 (gag comic)
技師室のペテンシ (one-shot). This would be collected in Short Sunzen Vol. 2, out from Tokyopop.

Tower of the Future, Fruits Basket, and Tokyo Crazy Paradise are on break.

As you can see, the front of the mag? Packed with licensed hits, bar Tea Prince (crappy) and Shanimuni GO (too long, no romance).

Manga the week of 10/28

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:01:40 GMT

Last week of the month has become Tokyopop blitz, and this week is no exception.

AURORA:
Queen of Ragtonia Vol. 1. Shoujo. Shodensha, serialized in Mugen Anthology Gensou Collection since 2007.

BLU:
Liberty Liberty!. Yaoi. Gentosha, serialization unknown, 2005.

DC/CMX:
I Hate You More Than Anyone Vol. 8. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume since 1998.
Apothecarius Argentum Vol. 8. Shoujo. Akita Shoten, serialized in Princess Gold since 2004.

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING:
Ludwig II Vol. 2. Shoujo. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Asuka since 1996.
Kurashina-sensei's Passion Vol. 1. Yaoi. Biblos, serialization unknown, 2004.

TOKYOPOP:
Zone-00 Vol. 2. Shoujo-ish. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Beans Ace since 2000.
Tsubasa: Those With Wings Vol. 3 (Final Volume). Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume since 1996.
Togainu No Chi Vol. 4. Yaoi-ish. Enterbrain, serialized in Comic B's-Log since 2006.
Shinobi Life Vol. 3. Shoujo. Akita Shoten, serialized in Princess since 2006.
Phantom Dream Vol. 4. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume Planet Zoukan since 1994.
Pet Shop Of Horrors Tokyo Vol. 6. Josei. Asahi Shinbunsha, serialized in Nemuki Zoukan since 2004.
NG Life Vol. 3. Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume since 2006.
Mikansei No. 1 Vol. 1. Shoujo. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Asuka since 2005.
Kyo Kara Maoh Vol. 4. Shoujo. Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in Asuka since 2005.
INVU Vol. 5. This is manwha, but it's so anticipated I thought I'd mention it.
Game x Rush Vol. 2 (Final Volume). Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume since 2005.
Bloody Kiss Vol. 2 (Final Volume). Shoujo. Hakusensha, serialized in Hana to Yume since 2006.
Aria Vol. 5. Shonen. Mag Garden, serialized in Comic Blade since 2002.

VIZ:
Gestalt Vol. 3. Shonen. Square Enix, serialized in GFantasy since 1995.
Dragon Ball Z VIZBIG Edition Vol. 5. Shonen. Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1984.

Recs? I HATE YOU MORE THAN ANYONE! OR ELSE! Also, ARIA! Shinobi Life is very good as well.

Hana To Yume 2009-22

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:39:35 GMT

Cover goes to Monochrome Kids.

Color pages for Berry Berry (2), Oresama Teacher, Dancing Girl!, and Kyou Mo Ashita Mo.

Love Sick ends this issue; it will be 3 volumes total.

Breakdown:
Berry Berry 9
Monochrome Kids 14
Oresama Teacher 40
月刊なかとば (gag comic)
Skip Beat! 148
Seiyuu Kaa! 8
Dancing Girl! 4
Nice To Meet You, Kamisama 32
Hana To Akuma 39
Hoshi Wa Utau 43
Kyou Mo Ashita Mo 30
鎌田ギュウ乳販売店 (gag comic)
Love Sick 18 (final)
Senzoku 4

Love So Life, Gakuen Alice, Akatsuki no Yona, Isshi Ni Neyou No, Jiu Jiu and Tadaima na Uta are off this week. Senzoku and Dancing Girl! are irregular.

I'll woo you like a soldier, at arms' end, and love you 'gainst the force of nature!

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:37:36 GMT

As I've been re-reading Shakespeare, I've enjoyed every play I've read. Some I find more 'interesting' than 'good', but each one has been, all told, well worth the read.

I knew we'd have to break that streak somehow. and it ends today, as I discuss The Two Gentlemen of Verona, a play where the best character in the whole thing is the dog. And no, I'm not exaggerating for comic effect.

Certainly the play has been very popular. Like many of Shakespeare's broad comedies, it tends to work well on stage, provided the players play up the farce of the thing. It's prominent in the movie Shakespeare In Love, as a running gag (noting, as I said, the dog as the best thing in it). It's grown less popular as we've hit modern times and That Ending is less excusable, but that's true of a lot of Shakespeare's other comedies too.

As I've read critical editions of Shakespeare's Comedies, written by various editors, I've seen about 6 or 7 different arguments about the order in which Shakespeare's comedies were written. Critics tend to think Measure for Measure came before All's Well That Ends Well these days, and likewise that The Merry Wives Of Windsor was written after Henry IV and V. And then there's Shrew, Errors, LLL and Two Gentlemen, all of which vie for the title of 'Shakespeare's earliest comedy'.

They vie for that title as whichever play is the earliest gets to have the all-purpose 'he was still learning the craft' excuse, the same one given to Henry VI and Titus Andronicus. Having now read all four of them (I'll get to Shrew and Errors later, I promise), I'd argue that Shrew and Two Gentlemen should be placed as the earliest comedies, with Errors and LLL a few years after the fact. Mostly due to endings.

Errors is very tightly plotted, with an ending that can only be described as 'crafted'. And while LLL has an open, unsatisfying ending, it's very clear that that's deliberate on the part of the playwright. Shrew and Two Gentlemen, however, look to the past more than the future, and thus have characteristics of most of the pre-Shakespeare comedies. In particular, the rampant misogyny.

Those who defend Two Gentlemen tend to note it's very in tune with the Elizabethan idea of male friendship, and the trials and tribulations it goes through when love of another woman comes between it by necessity. Most men of that time held that marriage was nowhere NEAR as strong a bond as that of two male best friends (needless to say two female best friends also didn't measure up). Now to be fair, when many marriages of the time were arranged, this might have a kernel of truth to it. Still, by Jacobean times arranged marriage in Britain was being seen as passe. (Note, btw, this is the same sexism I discussed last week with the Sonnets).

But the main problems with the play are a) the plotting (loose and awkward, a far cry from the comedic farce of Errors); b) the characters (absolutely paper thin, albeit archetypes he would use later on with far more success - Julia is the inspiration for all his other women dressed as men); and c) That Ending.

For those unaware, in the final act of Two Gentlemen, our "hero" Proteus - who has really behaved like a cad throughout the play - has just rescued the girl he's besotted with, Silvia, from bandits in the forest. This is while he is accompanied by his 'page', who is Julia, his first love, who he threw over like a rag when he saw Silvia. Proteus professes his burning passion for Silvia, who is in love with his best friend Valentine. She rejects him. He then grabs her and basically forces her to the ground, saying the quote in the header, which is to say "I am going to rape you." He is then stopped by Valentine, fortuitously showing up at the last second.

So far so mediocre. It's jarring, but no more so than any other Shakespeare "comedy" with Elizabethan values. After Proteus is stopped, Valentine points out what he's doing... and Proteus apologizes instantly. And then... Valentine offers him Silvia (?!?!). Before Proteus can accept, Julia faints, revealing her true identity. Then the Duke and the rest of the cast show up, all is explained, and Proteus realizes that he loves Julia after all (?!?!?!). Happy ending for all! By the way, the amount of lines Silvia has after Proteus threatens her with rape, and while she is offered up by her true love to her attempted rapist? Zero.

Of all the crappy moral endings Shakespeare wrote (Shrew, Much Ado, All's Well, M4M), this one may be the most head-bashingly frustrating. Yes, I get that it's about male bonding, Will, and true, Silvia was not exactly the most forward girl anyway, but... AIGH. And as you'd expect, modern productions have turned this ending into high tragic drama, with ambiguous endings noting everyone's living unhappily after all, usually with implications that Proteus and Valentine are gay.

To be fair, however, the parts with the dog *are* very funny.