- Last OnlineAug 19, 2019 3:27 PM
- GenderMale
- BirthdayJun 17, 1990
- LocationMilwaukee, Wisconsin
- JoinedJul 11, 2010
RSS Feeds
|
![]()
Jun 30, 2013
Battle Angel Alita is the kind of manga that has a fan base that isn't necessarily huge, but seems to be incredibly avid about the book. This makes sense, as it is the kind of cult classic that isn't quite cult, but still remains classic. The book is an excellent sci-fi story with a very distinct art style and intriguing world. It is also one of the early stories that could be classified as cyberpunk.
The manga is about Alita, a cyborg who is discovered by Dr. Ido in the junkyard with no memory of her past. It follows her as she lives her life and
...
discovers who she is, going from place to place and doing all sorts of incredible things. It is violent and often sexual, with sometimes unnecessarily exposed breasts as fan service rather than the panty shots of modern anime. Blood and gore splatters throughout, with eyeballs falling out of sockets and brains being eaten and kept in all sorts of places that brains don't belong. Though somewhat gratuitous, this all makes sense within the context of the story, which is set in a dystopian future in a place full of deranged and violent cyborgs known as the Scrapyard.
This is a book that is very much a product of the 90s. It looks and feels like most manga and anime to come out of that time does. The art is interesting because it is so stylized, while remaining true to anime form. The story itself starts out rather dull, but picks up pace as the series goes on leading to some high energy sequences and a satisfactory conclusion.
Although I enjoyed the book, it is not the kind of thing I feel needs to be read by everyone. I do not think I would be any less of a fan of the medium had I not read it, and after finishing, I did not find myself incredibly compelled to read the sequel/reboot (Battle Angel Alita: Last Order). This being said, it is a good read if you enjoy cyborgs and blood sprays, and I can see why so many people are so enraptured with this manga.
tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all
![]()
Jun 16, 2013
The Shinsengumi is a fairly common topic for anime and manga. They appear in stories ranging in style from the comedy Gintama to the shonen samurai action series Rurouni Kenshin. The real life special police force that existed during the final days of the Shogunate is indeed quite fascinating; their talent was renowned and, despite having lost their war, it is difficult to not paint them in the very least a remarkable light.
Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker follows Tetsunosuke Ichimura as he struggles with the concepts of revenge, killing, and friendship after joining the Shinsengumi in order to become stronger and avenge the brutal murder of his
...
parents. To my understanding, it is impressively historically accurate, with Tetsunosuke and his brother, Tatsunosuke, being the only fictional characters to appear, and all major events having more or less gone down as they do depicted in the book. The story asks many questions, and the character development because of this is excellent. This is complimented by the often gorgeous art, which typically remains detailed while not becoming confusing.
However, the book is clearly written by a girl in her late teens to early 20s. The character designs lean almost exclusively towards bishounen or chibi. Situations often cater to the yaoi fandom at unnecessary times. The story (even ignoring the historical fiction aspects) is rather predictable. The pacing also leaves something to be desired, though it is interesting to see how Nanae Chrono becomes better at panel layouts as she goes on.
All in all, Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker is incredibly entertaining. Despite its flaws, it is an incredibly good read, especially for those interested in Japanese culture and history. This being said, if one generally unfamiliar with Japanese culture, this book may seem somewhat confusing and inaccessible.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 13, 2013
Trigun is, without question, an anime classic. It has endearing characters, and intriguing storyline, and interesting world, and a wonderful ascetic. It is a show that I recommend to anyone as they start their journey into anime fandom, and it is an excellent example of what anime can be, even without today’s animation standards. Trigun Maximum, however, is one of the very few times that I enjoyed the adaption better than the original.
Trigun Maximum is a continuation of the original Trigun manga that was cut short. It follows the further adventures of Vash the Stampede, Nicholas D. Wolfwood, and the Bernadelli Insurance girls as they
...
travel across the planet Gunsmoke and attempt to stop Knives from destroying the human race, 2 years after the events of the end of the first Trigun manga. It expands the Trigun universe to some very interesting places, but at the same time offers ridiculousness on a scale that’s often unnecessary. As much as I enjoyed the amount of backstory certain characters got, I was often annoyed with plot devices or twists that just seemed lazy, rather than creative.
The disjointed narrative combined with the art often made the book hard to understand. I found myself questioning what was going on at pretty much every fight scene and most chapter changes (and often in the middle of a chapter, when the scene would change almost randomly). The art is often gorgeous, but I had some trouble telling characters apart and making out what was happening in the midst of the incredibly detailed fights.
Despite all of this, Trigun Maximum was an enjoyable series and an interesting expansion of the story. The manga is completely separate from the anime, so it is something that every Trigun fan would enjoy. I do, however, feel as though I would much rather see an animated adaption of Maximum, rather than read a story that obviously needs to be moving.
tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 9, 2013
I read this manga because I had seen so many people raving about how incredible it is, how touching and poignant. I do not particularly agree with that statement, though I do not disagree either. It is certainly not the best single volume work I’ve ever read, but it had a clear and emotional message that, having dealt with both my own and many other’s depression for years, can thoroughly appreciate.
Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan is about a suicidal young woman who meets an inmate on death row and slowly learns to appreciate life. It is an adaptation of a Korean novel called Maundy Thursday
...
by Gong Ji-Young. The story is a little predictable, though the ending is still quite emotional. The art is interesting; the watercolors are beautiful, and the interior art is rather different from what one expects in a dramatic romance manga (but reminded me a bit of the work of Junji Ito, had he gone in a much different direction). The story is short, a single, 8 chapter long volume, that can be easily appreciated to its fullest in an hour or less.
Although I do not quite agree with the sheer amount of praise this story is getting, it is worth reading. It is a touching and emotional story that forces its audience to ask some questions that one might not ask on a daily basis. Definitely worth checking out if you have some free time.
tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
Jun 9, 2013
Naoki Urasawa is one of the modern greats of manga. This is not an arguable statement. Everything he writes is intriguing, entertaining, and suspenseful. All of Urasawa’s work that I have read feels like a natural evolution of Tezuka’s seinen stories, and Monster is no exception.
Monster follows Dr. Kenzo Tenma, a gifted Japanese brain surgeon living in Germany, as he flees from the police and attempts to find Johan and fix the mistake he had made years prior when he saved Johan’s life on the operating table. This plunges him into a world of mystery, political intrigue, and murder. The book forces the
...
reader to ask themselves several questions. What if the right thing to do isn’t always the right thing to do? What makes a person a monster? What does it mean to be wanted or unwanted, and how does that affect a child? All this and more as the story unravels and more questions are asked and answered.
The story itself is told extraordinarily well. The pace is excellent, with very few lulls in story and natural breaks where they need to be. It is tightly woven, with no noticeable plot holes and plenty of foreshadowing and metaphor. The resolution is satisfying, putting each character where they should be in a believable way, while not leaving me hungry for more. As always, Urasawa’s art is gorgeous. The amount of facial expression he is able to get onto each character all while keeping each distinct is astounding. Urasawa is one of few mangaka I know of who can draw a face so simply but so accurately that I have absolutely no question as to the person’s ethnic background. Japanese characters look Japanese, German characters look German, Turkish characters look Turkish, etc.
Although I preferred 20th Century Boys, the only other lengthy Urasawa manga I have read, to Monster, it is an excellent book and is one of the stories that truly lets the art form shine. There are some similarities between the two works, common elements and Urasawa’s particular style of storytelling and withholding of information, but this is to be expected. Monster will draw you in and make you read all 162 chapters as fast as you possibly can.
tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 27, 2013
Osamu Tezuka is known in Japan as Manga no Kamisama, or the God of Manga, for a reason. He has written works in every genre, for every age, seemingly for every mood or situation one can find oneself in. I have personally read very little Tezuka that I was not instantly engrossed with. Unfortunately, Unico is one such book.
Unico is a book intended for children. It is short and simple, full of moral lessons and a surprising amount of heartbreak. It is one of Tezuka’s more cartoony books, with plenty of small gags and a focus on the cutesy. It is not, in any way,
...
a bad book, but it does not contain the charm and depth that is normally found in Tezuka’s work. Each of the nine chapters stands alone, and I often found myself bored with them. All the stories were quite cute, but they were also extremely repetitive and shallow.
The biggest problem I had was not with the story, but the printing. Words were often somewhat buried into the center of the book, making me have to crack the spine much further than should have been necessary. The layout, though, is otherwise clever and very different from what one normally sees in any sort of graphic novel. This being said, I was also extremely disappointed in the end, or lack thereof, of the book. One more chapter would have closed the story up nicely, making a far more satisfying work.
Unico is a tad boring and rather shallow. It is not a perfect representation of Tezuka’s genius. It is, however, a wonderful book for children or for someone looking for something a little lighter. A good introduction for younger audiences to Tezuka’s work.
For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 19, 2013
The third movie in the Rebuild of Evangelion quartet does not disappoint. Being the penultimate film does not cause it to flounder in any way, as is common in series longer than 3 installments. The fourth film is set up nicely while providing an exciting and well made story.
The animation, as with the previous 2 films, is gorgeous. Even if you are not a fan of the Evangelion series, you should watch these films just to appreciate how beautiful they are. One of my favorite things about these, which occurs again here, is how animation is to its fullest extent in ways live action could
...
never do. Besides the intense and stylized fights and the fantastic creatures and scenery, the animation changes, getting choppier and more frantic as the walls of reality break down. I have seen similar techniques used in fight scenes in Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood and Casshern Sins, but I believe it is most impressive in the Rebuild of Evangelion series.
I’m afraid I can’t comment on the voice acting, as I watched the film in Japanese. The previous two films’ English cast has been astounding, and from what I could gather, it is the same in their native tongue.
The film is not perfect, though. It takes a while to set up and I often found myself questioning what exactly was going on. This is something one comes to expect from Evangelion, though, despite the reassurances that this new movie series would be more “accessible.”
For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 19, 2013
I love a story that will make me think. I love to question reality, even the reality of a fictional universe. If I need to watch or read something several times to understand it, then it is almost a guarantee that it will go in my closet full of wonderfully strange and complicated things. Velveteen & Mandala is not such a thing. It had the potential to be, but the presentation or lack of information and sheer intense strangeness of the story muddles this up.
The art is different, to say the least. It is very sketchy, while remaining quite detailed. I think this adds to
...
the story considerably, almost speaking to state of the title character’s minds. This being said, I am not familiar with Jiro Matsumoto’s work, and as such don’t know if this is intentional or a fluke. I was able to see the emotions on every character’s face quite plainly, though, from the variety of annoyances that cross Velveteen to the sheer emptiness of Mandala’s head, everything is quite clear.
The book itself does not know what it wants to be. It jumps from a cute black comedy focusing on the relationship between two mentally disturbed girls to disgusting rape/scat porn with the change of a chapter. This is interesting when handled well, but this was not handled well. Everything seems to come together in the end, but is too scattered in the beginning for that to really matter. I believe that Matsumoto had a concept in mind and just did not know where to start or how to get his points across.
Velveteen & Mandala is not nearly everything it could be. I was thoroughly intrigued by the world the characters lived in, but I feel as though it required a considerably larger amount of thought and story before it would have been able to reach its full potential.
For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 19, 2013
No Longer Human is a tale of despair. It is not heartwarming. There is not a happy ending. It is about the slow descent of a man who breaks and falls. Usamara Furuya updates Osamu Dazai’s novel for modern audiences and does an excellent job in the process. In the afterword of the final volume, Furuya claims that he was not able to truly capture the despair of the original, but I feel as though he has, at the very least, come quite close.
The art is fairly typical for a manga of this sort, though I feel as though Furuya’s talents shine the best as
...
we escape into the head of Yozo Oba, the main character. The clean line style of the rest of the manga is replaced with smudged darkness, doing much to portray Oba’s state of mind. I was also quite pleased with Furuya’s depiction of nudity and sex. Even in situations that are at least somewhat pornographic, every woman is drawn to an appropriate and realistic scale. This, I feel, helped me take the book seriously; had Furuya chosen to depict women as impossibly curvaceous and busty it would have taken away from much of the point of the manga.
The story is intriguing, to say the least. No Longer Human is about a man who does not know what he is, and this is depicted and far better than many things I have seen dealing with the same topic. The book gets very dark, possibly even triggering to people with problems involving rape or suicide, but it is handled frankly, without glamorizing or focusing on the acts beyond what is necessary. These are obviously major plot points and as such are brought up fairly often, but in a very “real” way. I read the Vertical Inc translation and was never taken out of the story by strange syntax or awkward translations. In fact, I finish all three volumes in about an hour and a half, with no breaks between.
No Longer Human is a story that sucks you in and keeps you in, all the while provoking oneself to ask what it means to be human. It is something of a cautionary tale, ending with a sense of urgency that one must in some way find oneself to avoid falling. This is a book I would recommend, but not if you are looking for a light or happy tale.
For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
![]()
May 19, 2013
Akira is arguably one of the most influential manga ever created. It turned Otomo into one of the gods of manga, even though he never again penned of a similar scale. It is his opus, as it rightly should be. The landmark film adaption, one of the most important anime ever released and one of the films responsible for the popularity of anime in America, is an achievement, to say the least. What one does not typically realize, though, is that, while the 2 hour adaption does remain true to the original for the most part, it covers less than 2 volumes of the manga
...
before more or less fast forwarding to the end. It is actually laughable to think that Hollywood thought they could turn this masterpiece into a live-action, star studded film trilogy set in Manhattan.
The book’s art is gorgeous. Otomo has a very distinct style that not only makes his work very recognizable but also contains incredible amounts of detail. I never questioned the emotion on the character’s faces, and I recall particularly a moment in a fight between Kaneda and an overpowered Tetsuo in which their fear was almost tangible. The wide shots of Neo-Tokyo and the Great Tokyo Empire are incredible. Each and every panel is full of things that make the world of Akira so real that I felt as though I could have boarded a plane and taken pictures of the place.
Katsuhiro Otomo has directed two feature animated films, as well as a number of shorts. Akira and Steamboy both contain the impeccable eye for composition that Otomo displays in Akira. The book plays out like a movie, the panel layout directing the eye smoothly through the story in a way that is more cinematic than a large amount of actual cinema. There are no true breaks in the story, with the exception of natural lulls and scene changes. As I was reading, I often wondered how the manga was split up when it was published originally or reprinted by Marvel in the late 80s.
The story itself is intriguing. The writing is clever and well done, all of the dialogue serving to not only further the story but to give us more of a sense of each character’s personality. It does, at times, get a bit confusing. There is a lot happening all at once, and some of the similarities between character names can cause some difficulty in the beginning. But the tale of psychic teenagers and children and the immanent destruction of the world around us or society as we know it is played out quite well. Often the scale of things seems ridiculous when one takes a step back, but it is so well written that it completely works within the book.
Akira is one of the most important manga ever written. It is a piece that no one should miss. If you are fortunate enough to pick up all 6 volumes at once (an act I would highly recommend), I can almost guarantee you will finish the entire thing in a day. The book is, however, deeply steeped in Japanese culture and post-WW2 ideology. This can take away from it somewhat if you are unfamiliar/unwilling to try to understand. That being said, if you have not read this book, you are doing a great disservice to yourself.
For more of my reviews, go to tuesdaysdusk.tumblr.com/tagged/review
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all
|
