Monday, November 23, 2015
Manga Monday: There's even competition in the school lunch game
Misunderstandings abound, and a few new characters are added to the mix as well in The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 2.
Note: The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School! Volume 2 is part of an ongoing series. For the review of Volume 1 click here. Otherwise, read on!
Monday, November 16, 2015
Manga Monday: A school club has never been more essential to student life
The school club has long been an important part of the Japanese high school experience, but perhaps it's never been more important than for the girls of Megurigaoka Academy Private High School in School-Live! Volume 1.
The founding principles of the School Living Club are really pretty simple: to best utilize the facilities of the school, it is imperative that the members live their entire lives in the school.
It's not the largest of clubs; in fact, besides the faculty adviser Megumi Sakura, there's only three members right now. But they're the most earnest, devoted members a club could wish for.
Yuri Wakasa is the club president. She is in charge of all of the club activities, and plans the practical aspects of the club's adventures. She's also oftentimes found on the school roof, helping with the gardens that the Agriculture Club have there.
Kurumi Ebisuzawa is the tough girl of the group. She's the one who plows through obstacles, and makes sure that all of Ri-san's plans turn out as expected. She's never too far away from her shovel, so perhaps she likes to help out the Agriculture Club as well.
Which brings us to Yuki Takeya, the heart of the club. No matter what problems the School Living Club faces, from rainy days to possible ghosts, Yuki's smile is what gets her clubmates through the day.
While a club based solely on the school in which it takes place might seem dull, there's always something to do in this remarkably well-provisioned and self-sufficient school. And as the girls grow closer, they've made a pact to graduate together, no matter what.
Highs: Even though the girls and their teacher each fill a very traditional role in a schoolgirl manga, even in this first volume they each have enough personality to draw the reader in immediately.
Lows: It's still odd that a school would allow a group of students to live in a classroom though.
Verdict: A very cute manga that has more depth than it seems at first glance.
Further Reading: My Neighbor Seki, The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School!, Cromartie High School
The founding principles of the School Living Club are really pretty simple: to best utilize the facilities of the school, it is imperative that the members live their entire lives in the school.
It's not the largest of clubs; in fact, besides the faculty adviser Megumi Sakura, there's only three members right now. But they're the most earnest, devoted members a club could wish for.
Yuri Wakasa is the club president. She is in charge of all of the club activities, and plans the practical aspects of the club's adventures. She's also oftentimes found on the school roof, helping with the gardens that the Agriculture Club have there.
Kurumi Ebisuzawa is the tough girl of the group. She's the one who plows through obstacles, and makes sure that all of Ri-san's plans turn out as expected. She's never too far away from her shovel, so perhaps she likes to help out the Agriculture Club as well.
Which brings us to Yuki Takeya, the heart of the club. No matter what problems the School Living Club faces, from rainy days to possible ghosts, Yuki's smile is what gets her clubmates through the day.
While a club based solely on the school in which it takes place might seem dull, there's always something to do in this remarkably well-provisioned and self-sufficient school. And as the girls grow closer, they've made a pact to graduate together, no matter what.
Highs: Even though the girls and their teacher each fill a very traditional role in a schoolgirl manga, even in this first volume they each have enough personality to draw the reader in immediately.
Lows: It's still odd that a school would allow a group of students to live in a classroom though.
Verdict: A very cute manga that has more depth than it seems at first glance.
Further Reading: My Neighbor Seki, The Devil is a Part-Timer! High School!, Cromartie High School
Monday, November 9, 2015
Manga Monday: A heartfelt farewell to a longtime friend
Monday, November 2, 2015
Manga Monday: A new neighbor appears
Monday, October 19, 2015
Manga Monday: Are we finally finding out where everybody stands?
Monday, September 28, 2015
Manga Monday: Santa-related shenanigans for Seki
Even the holidays are inspiration for the ever-distracted Seki in My Neighbor Seki Volume 4.
Note: My Neighbor Seki Volume 4 is part of an ongoing series. Check out the review for Volume 1 here, and Volume 3 here. Otherwise, read on!
Thursday, September 24, 2015
The sympathetic side of murderous Japanese spirits
Bookstore shelves are packed with books drawing from Western folklore. Elves, fairies, sprites, even selkies have found their way into books recently, especially ones targeting the ever-growing young adult market.
Part of writing young adult, it seems, is to not expect too much outside knowledge of the reader going in. It's assumed that readers know about European fantasy creatures, since that's what most of the fairy tales and Disney movies they've grown up on focus on. But once a piece of another culture's folklore hits the public knowledge, it's fair game.
Enter Okiku, and The Girl from the Well. Okiku was introduced to most Western audiences in the 2002 movie 'The Ring,' but there's much more to her than popping out of old VHS tapes. In the intervening years, Okiku has moved on from haunting the well where she was killed. She's made it her passion to exact revenge on those who have hurt children, and she has left a trail of gruesome, unsolved murders in her wake.
But one day, while drifting around looking for a new victim, she comes across Tarquin. Tark is, in many ways, just an ordinary 15 year old boy. He and his father have just moved, and he's having some of the normal problems fitting in to his new school. He's quiet by nature, so it's hard to get him to come out of his shell.
And, well, accidentally summoning a flock of headless birds in the cafeteria might not make him homecoming king either.
The problem started when he was very young. Before his mother married his father, she was a shrine maiden who spent her days putting spirits to rest with her sister back in Japan. Later on, during a visit back to the shrine, and exorcism went terribly wrong and the only way to keep the malicious spirit from destroying the town that the shrine protects was to bind it to her young son.
The trauma and guilt from that night broke Yoko, and after a few instances of trying to kill Tark and the spirit trapped within him, she's been committed to a mental hospital.
Tark's father has been doing his best, trying to balance a demanding job, a mad wife, and a son who understandably has a few issues.
And the binding left Tark with tattoo-like symbols covering his arms, hips, and chest, without a mother, and a history of bizarre, alienating events surrounding him.
It's no wonder Okiku notices him, and takes an interest.
We also get to know Tark's cousin Callie. A teacher's aide at the school he's now attending, they were close when Tark was young, and she feels a bit of a motherly responsibility for her young family member. She knows that he's been having a hard time, especially since they've moved closer to his mother's hospital and there's been a bit more interaction with her, and she wants to do whatever she can to help Tark out.
And perhaps figure out what's going on with the strange spirits that have been following him.
For as he's growing up, and becoming a less 'pure' vessel, the binding symbols his mother used to shut away the evil spirit have begun to fade. The strange occurrences have become more frequent, and if that spirit escapes, it won't end well for anyone involved.
The Girl from the Well doesn't read like a traditional Stephen King horror novel. Like many Japanese novels, it's much more contemplative and slow-building than that. Most of the bad reviews on Goodreads seem to be coming from people who are expecting a different sort of book. This isn't a hack-and-slash, bloody horror novel. Rather, the creepiness builds as the story progresses and the reader becomes invested in the characters. The tone of the novel rather than graphic imagery is what will keep the reader up at night, either to finish the book or wondering what that shadow behind them in the mirror is.
Highs: This is a great starter book for people who aren't too familiar with Japanese folklore, since The Ring was so popular, and can easily spark an interest in other books with Japanese settings.
Lows: Once again the father is clueless - bordering on neglectful - and mostly ignored throughout the book.
Verdict: A wonderfully creepy young adult horror novel with a distinct East Asian flavor.
Further Reading: The Suffering, Another, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Part of writing young adult, it seems, is to not expect too much outside knowledge of the reader going in. It's assumed that readers know about European fantasy creatures, since that's what most of the fairy tales and Disney movies they've grown up on focus on. But once a piece of another culture's folklore hits the public knowledge, it's fair game.
Enter Okiku, and The Girl from the Well. Okiku was introduced to most Western audiences in the 2002 movie 'The Ring,' but there's much more to her than popping out of old VHS tapes. In the intervening years, Okiku has moved on from haunting the well where she was killed. She's made it her passion to exact revenge on those who have hurt children, and she has left a trail of gruesome, unsolved murders in her wake.
But one day, while drifting around looking for a new victim, she comes across Tarquin. Tark is, in many ways, just an ordinary 15 year old boy. He and his father have just moved, and he's having some of the normal problems fitting in to his new school. He's quiet by nature, so it's hard to get him to come out of his shell.
And, well, accidentally summoning a flock of headless birds in the cafeteria might not make him homecoming king either.
The problem started when he was very young. Before his mother married his father, she was a shrine maiden who spent her days putting spirits to rest with her sister back in Japan. Later on, during a visit back to the shrine, and exorcism went terribly wrong and the only way to keep the malicious spirit from destroying the town that the shrine protects was to bind it to her young son.
The trauma and guilt from that night broke Yoko, and after a few instances of trying to kill Tark and the spirit trapped within him, she's been committed to a mental hospital.
Tark's father has been doing his best, trying to balance a demanding job, a mad wife, and a son who understandably has a few issues.
And the binding left Tark with tattoo-like symbols covering his arms, hips, and chest, without a mother, and a history of bizarre, alienating events surrounding him.
It's no wonder Okiku notices him, and takes an interest.
We also get to know Tark's cousin Callie. A teacher's aide at the school he's now attending, they were close when Tark was young, and she feels a bit of a motherly responsibility for her young family member. She knows that he's been having a hard time, especially since they've moved closer to his mother's hospital and there's been a bit more interaction with her, and she wants to do whatever she can to help Tark out.
And perhaps figure out what's going on with the strange spirits that have been following him.
For as he's growing up, and becoming a less 'pure' vessel, the binding symbols his mother used to shut away the evil spirit have begun to fade. The strange occurrences have become more frequent, and if that spirit escapes, it won't end well for anyone involved.
The Girl from the Well doesn't read like a traditional Stephen King horror novel. Like many Japanese novels, it's much more contemplative and slow-building than that. Most of the bad reviews on Goodreads seem to be coming from people who are expecting a different sort of book. This isn't a hack-and-slash, bloody horror novel. Rather, the creepiness builds as the story progresses and the reader becomes invested in the characters. The tone of the novel rather than graphic imagery is what will keep the reader up at night, either to finish the book or wondering what that shadow behind them in the mirror is.
Highs: This is a great starter book for people who aren't too familiar with Japanese folklore, since The Ring was so popular, and can easily spark an interest in other books with Japanese settings.
Lows: Once again the father is clueless - bordering on neglectful - and mostly ignored throughout the book.
Verdict: A wonderfully creepy young adult horror novel with a distinct East Asian flavor.
Further Reading: The Suffering, Another, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
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