Uzumaki

Warning: Not for the faint of heart. Skip this one if you don't enjoy horror.

Overall Rating: A

Summary: A three volume horror seinen manga by Junji Ito, which is set in the small Japanese town of Kurôzu-cho and follows high school student Kirie Goshima. In the first volume, Kirie finds out that her boyfriend, Shuichi ,is worried about his father, who has begun a strange obsession about spirals. He has begun to collect anything he can find with a spiral pattern, and his obsession goes so far that he stops going to work and instead simply stares at his collection. The situation becomes even more disturbing when Shuichi's father begins making spirals with his own body, and eventually kills himself by contorting his entire body into a spiral.

After his death, Shuichi's father is cremated, and the smoke from his ashes form a spiral in the sky. Understandably, all of this drives Shuichi's mother insane, and she develops a phobia of spirals. She is hospitalized, and Shuichi, scared of what she do if she finds out, has the doctors remove anatomical diagrams of the ear which (of course) contains a spiral. Unfortunately, she realizes that her cochlea is a spiral, and stabs herself with a pair of scissors. This causes her to suffer from vertigo until she dies. Her ashes also form a spiral when she is cremated, and this is only the beginning.

Soon, things intensify: a lighthouse throws out spiral beams at dusk; babies are born, only to sprout spiral-capped mushroom-shaped appendages from their stomachs, and people begin turning into snails. Can this infestation of spirals be stopped, or will it swallow Kirie and Shuichi as well?

My friend Mark recommended this manga to me, and so I borrowed all three volumes from him. Junji Ito does an amazing job of using traditional manga settings and scenarios and making them creepy by adding in spirals and horror elements. For example, in one scene Kirie is at school and things seem normal until a kid who is known for being slow shows up with traits similar to a snail. Over a few days he becomes more and more snail-like until his transformation is complete. At first the other kids bully him as they would normally, but as the transformation continues they bullying becomes more vicious, but the bullies also become scared of the creature. I won't give away what happens next, but it's both creepy and awesome. If you enjoy a really interesting horror plot that builds its creepiness until the very end, then you will probably enjoy "Uzumaki".

Ponyo

Summary: The newest movie from Hiyao Miyazaki's Studio Ghibli, Ponyo centers around a goldfish named Ponyo (who has a face like a human) and a five-year-old boy named Sōsuke. Curious by nature, Ponyo ends up stranded on the shore where Sōsuke rescues her. The two immediately like each other, and Sōsuke names the goldfish Ponyo, and promises to protect her forever. Unfortunately, Ponyo's father is temperamental and magical (though apparently he used to be a human?) He orders wave spirits to return her to him (he refers to her as "Brunhilde"), and tries to convince her to stay with him where it's safe. Sōsuke is super sad that Ponyo has left, and worries about whether she's okay.

In order to be with Sōsuke, Ponyo uses her magic to transform into a human, but this causes an imbalance in the world. Now Ponyo and Sōsuke have to go on an adventure to restore balance, and save the world.

I think we can all agree that Miyazaki films are ridiculously cute. For example, Ponyo is obsessed with ham. Adorable. If you don't like cute stories that are magical, and appropriate for children then you shouldn't see Ponyo. Also, I'm pretty sure you don't have a soul. You might want to have that looked at.

Seriously though, the plot of Ponyo is a bit strange, but the characters are wonderful and immediately lovable. It's like "The Little Mermaid" with 5-year-old kids and a nursing home for of sweet old grandmas. If you like Miyazaki films like "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Kiki's Delivery Service" then run super fast to the movie theater to see "Ponyo". It's not Miyazaki's best film, but it's still fantastic (in multiple senses of the word). After you catch your breath, buy a ticket, and then enjoy!

Blank Slate

Overall Rating: B+
Summary: Created by Aya Kanno, this action/suspense shonen ai series is very interesting, if nothing else because it's a lot darker than most shojo. In fact, Blank Slate has little in common with most series under the Shojo Beat imprint, with little to no focus on romantic relationships, love triangles or other typical shojo tropes.

The series follows Zen, an incredibly beautiful and infamous criminal, whose memory has been wiped. Supposedly, Zen is  the "worst criminal in history", and has killed a large number of people. He is hunted by the police, bounty hunters, and pretty much anyone else with a reason to want Zen captured/dead (which is apparently 99.9% of everyone).

However, from Zen's point of view, he just woke up one day with an urge to destroy and kill. As he describes it, those two words have consumed him since he woke up, and so he has done just that.  While the main character in the series is most certainly Zen, the manga has a secondary storyline about how people who meet Zen change because of his actions.

The first chapter of volume 1 introduces a bounty hunter who is out to take down his number one target, and "control Zen's future" (by which he mostly means kill him). Yet, after pretending to become Zen's partner to get close to him, he ends up being the one who is controlled by Zen, and even sides with Zen in the end.

The first volume ends with the introduction of someone who knows about Zen's past, and gives some hints to what's coming in this suspenseful series.

I saw "Blank Slate" on the shelf at Borders a couple of times before reading a blurb about it on http://www.boingboing.net. After hearing a little more about the series, I decided to pick up the first volume and check it out. It's definitely not what I would expect from Shojo Beat, but the obvious shonen ai vibes seem to be the primary reason it's on the imprint. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and am excited about seeing the series develop. My only complaint (and why I didn't give it an A) is that it took awhile before Kanno gives you the juiciest plot hooks. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book, and am excited about checking out the next volume.

Read the first 19 pages of the first volume!

Ghostbusters - Ghost Busted

Overall Rating: B+
Summary: An anthology of Ghostbusters stories set after the first two films written by Nathan Johnson and Matt Yamashita with art by Maximo V. Lorenzo, Hanzo Steinbach, Chrissy Delk, Michael Shelfer, and Nate Watson. If I were to categorize this book, it would be comedy/supernatural shonen.

The stories feature the Ghostbusters in six stories, with different characters taking center stage in each one. In one story, the gang is called in to help out a haunted Broadway production. Shortly thereafter, the director, stage manager, and star quit. As a result, Egon ends up replacing the star, Peter is the new director, and Ray is the stage manager. Needless to say, this leads to hilarity and hijinks. 

In another one of the stories, Ray learns that being a Ghostbuster can be pretty mundane at times. Meanwhile, Egon receives a mysterious call from his college mentor, who failed Egon after Egon began focusing on the paranormal. All of these stories build into the main plot, which involves an old enemy, and a group of anti-ghostbusters.

Apparently, this manga series leads into an upcoming videogame.

Who ya gonna call? GHOSTBUSTERS! I came across this in Chapel Hill Comics a few weeks back, and was confused/amused/excited about it. Yes, that's right, it's a manga version of the Ghostbusters that Tokyopop put out. I really, really didn't know what to expect with this one, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the writing. It felt like the Ghostbusters, and was a really fun read. The only major drawback is the number of artists. With the artist chnging almost every chapter, it was really jarring, and made it hard to get a sense of style for the characters. That being said, there were enough common elements, that it wasn't too bad.

If you were a fan of the movies, then I definitely recommend checking this one out.

Rozen Maiden (Volumes 1 - 4) - Manga Review

Overall Rating: B+

Synopsis: Jun is a teenage boy whose parents have left Japan for business and left his sister, Nori, in charge. When we first encounter Jun, we discover that he has decided to stay in his room indefinitely, refusing to go to school despite his sister's pleading. He spends all of his time ordering items on the internet and returning them before their policy expires for a full refund.

One item, with only the choice "Will you wind? Or not wind?" and mysterious instructions produces a case with an incredibly life-like and haughty little girl doll named Shinku. When a strange attack forces them to bond, Jun begins to learn of the strange symbiotic relationship he has entered with his "Rozen Maiden" and once others begin to appear, the strange story behind their creation begins to unfold.

Rozen Maiden has a lot of elements that seem very strange at first, but slowly get explained over time. And the relationship between the main character, Jun, and his sister, Nori, is very endearing. The dolls are ridiculously cute in their lolita way, and each of them has a different personality.

As more dolls become part of the story, the reader learns more about the reason behind the dolls existence, how there are only seven of them, why they must battle each other to become 'Alice' - but even four books in, you still don't have all the details, and it keeps you hooked.

The character design for this book is great. The dolls are drawn lavishly, each with their own style of clothing. The only thing I occasionally have difficulty with is understanding is when the artist/creator resorts to an over-the-top stylization of the characters as a one-take reaction. For example, Nori and one of the dolls, Shinku, are discussing what type of doll Shinku is, and Nori takes a second and then screams that she's so cute. Instead of this being a full-sized panel, Nori and the doll will be shown in a much simplified style, almost stick figures with a few characteristics of each of them, shown in a very small panel.

I know this is a regular thing in manga, but it does happen a lot in Rozen Maiden so just be prepared for it.

I have also watched the first disc of the anime (which I will review later) but I feel like it presents the story of the dolls in a way that is much more easily understood.

I would definitely suggest picking up this manga, especially if you're into the lolita or goth lolita style. I'm excited to find out more of the story of the dolls, how Jun will learn to deal with his feelings of isolation from his class, and just get to see more awesomely designed dolls.

Rozen Maiden Book 6 comes out in the U.S. October 2007.

Azumanga Daioh - Anime Review

Rating: A+++

Synopsis: Six girls attend high school together in this hilarious and cute slice-of-life anime. The plots are all character-driven, maintaining a balance of mundane and wacky, despite the low-key ambitions of the series. We begin the series with the first day of High School and follow the girls through to their graduation.

Words fail me in describing Kiyohiko Azuma's Azumanga Daioh, but I will do my darndest. Even though this is a slice-of-life style anime, there's plenty to watch and like as we follow these six girls through sports days, culture fests, and summer vacations. The characters grow on you within the first couple of episodes, and from there you're hooked.

There is dramatic tension in the show, but it's caused by things like "Will Sakaki be able to pet the kitty?" Osaka's tendency to daydream or say strange non-sequitirs provides a great deal of surrealistic entertainment. Chiyo-chan's dilemma as a ten year-old high schooler gives the show tons of great scenes (such as the first time she ventures out at night to buy a new eraser, and runs from streetlight to streetlight in terror).

There is an entire episode dedicated to fan service, and instead of some sort of racy panty-shot laden episode, we get spoonfuls of cuteness as the class runs their Cute Cafe. With Chiyo-chan in her penguin suit, this episode will about kill you, as all you can manage to do is whisper "kawaii!"

Main Character Guide (from left to right in image above):

• (Yomi) Koyomi Mizuhara - Yomi is the voice of reason and most normal girl in the group. She wears glasses, is very athletic and smart, but is always concerned about her weight. She acts as the main restrainer on Tomo's schemes.


• (Osaka) Ayumu Kasuga - A girl transferred to the high school from Osaka. She is given the nickname "Osaka" despite the fact that her dreamy, barely lucid style of thinking is very different from the stereotypical Osakan. A lot her daydreams and thoughts give the series its surrealness.


• (Chiyo-chan) Chiyo Mihama - Chiyo's a prodigy advanced five grades to high school at 10. Ridiculously cute, Chiyo-chan attempts to fit in with her new older friends.


• (Sakaki) Sakaki - Sakaki is a tall quiet girl who is good at school and sports without trying. Unfortunately, the one thing she desires most, a pet cat, is the one thing she can't seem to make happen (cats hate her, her mother is allergic). Her tallness and quietness give her a reputation for being "cool".


• (Kagura) Kagura - Kagura is a very hard-working athlete who joins the girls in their second year. She spends a lot of time training, and though she sees Sakaki's innate athletic talent as competition, she usually ends up competing with Tomo.


• (Tomo) Tomo Takono - Tomo is the school's self-proclaimed "wildcat", competitive and energetic. Tomo is incredibly impulsive and can be obnoxious at times, but her actions tend to be a catalyst for the show.

This is my favorite anime right now, and that is the highest recommendation I can possibly give. As soon as I sent back the Netflix discs, I made plans to buy my own. If you haven't seen any Azumanga Daioh, then get to it!

Millenium Actress - Animated Movie

Rating: B+
Synopsis: 2001 Japanese animated film. Directed by Satoshi Kon (pronounced "Cone"), animated by Studio Madhouse. A documentary director interviews a former actress, Chiyoko, about her heydays in film during WWII. Millenium Actress has the immersive ephemereal feel that Kon is an expert at.

Millenium Actress gives me that vivid meta-feeling I get when watching Charlie Kaufman's films (Adaptation especially). The story follows two documentary makers as they interview actress-turned-hermit Chiyoko and slowly become recurring characters in her stories from the past. Fiction and reality become so intertwined that it becomes difficult to tell which is which, but the recurring plotline is recognizable, and is expertly given a new twist each time it appears.

I really enjoyed Millenium Actress. The animation is beautiful, and the various WWII film stories manage to incorporate fairy tales, science fiction, and historical dramas into the plot seamlessly. I watched this movie recently in order to gear up for Kon's new film Paprika opening in the U.S. later in May. It can be a bit difficult to grasp some of the things going on in Millenium Actress, so watch it with an alert mind (be careful, Nick fell asleep during the movie, but that's mostly his fault).

Beautiful, award-winning, with a compelling story (and it's #14 on IMDB's Top 50 Animated Films) - you should totally netflix it.
Millenium Actress Trailer (Quicktime)