#matt treyvaud

[spockvarietyhour]

Currently reading.

[thegirlwiththelantern]

Home Office Romance

Title: Home Office Romance Author: Peter Wilson Translator: Matt Treyvaud Letterer: Sara Linsley Editor: Maggie Le Genre: Romance, Slice-of-Life Synopsis: Nokoru has been working brutal overtime at a demanding job when the pandemic lockdown finally gives him the chance to telework from home. This new situation (and the time he saves on his commute) lets him rediscover old passions and new…

[the-final-sentence]

Lately, though, rather than taking the offering out to the garden, she seems content with leaving it on top of the chest of drawers in the living room.

Natsume Soseki, from "The Cat's Grave" trans. Matt Treyvaud

[jigokuyeah]

Matt Alt, co-author of Yokai Attack: the Japanese Monster Survival Guide, Japandemonium Illustrated: the Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien, posted this announcement on the Yokai Attack Facebook group:

Big news: there's a new yokai book available in English. "An Introduction to Yokai Culture" by Professor Kazuhiko Komatsu of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies. Hiroko and I translated, with editing by Matt Treyvaud - the same trio who brought you "Japandemonium Illustrated" (and in fact the two projects overlapped to some degree.) "An Introduction to Yokai Culture" is not a cheap book -- I hear the list price is $39 -- but it's also an important one for several reasons. For one thing, it is the first college-level text on yokai studies by a Japanese professor available in English. And for another, it goes into great detail on many yokai-related topics that haven't yet received a lot of attention abroad, such as ijin (outsiders) and tsukimono (animal-spirit possessions). It is a roadmap for how folklore studies developed in Japan, and a key work for anyone truly interested in taking their study of yokai to the next level. At the moment it seems to only be available through Kinokuniya (a friend spotted a stack at their San Francisco branch), but it should be available through other channels soon. I just wanted to post for those interested enough to call over for an early copy. http://www.jpic.or.jp/japanlibrary/en/books/001813.html

[brainbuffering]

12 Days of Manga 2022

Day 10: Top 3 Favourite Completed Manga 

(These aren’t necessarily series that ended THIS year, but they are series that I personally completed this year!)

1) Sweat and Soap by Kintetsu Yamada from Kodansha (T: Matt Treyvaud L: Sara Linsly E: Kristin Osani)

[ID: English Cover of Sweat and Soap Vol 11. A goofy shot of the entire wedding party for Asako and Natori‘s wedding. Asako wears a white lace dress and Koutaro wears a matching white suit.]

“In an office romance, there's a fine line between sexy and awkward... and that line is where Asako -- a woman who sweats copiusly -- met Koutarou -- a perfume developer who can't get enough of Asako's, er, scent. Don't miss a romcom manga like no other!

Asako's living her dream, working at the toiletry maker Lilia Drop. Little do her coworkers know, the reason she loves the company so much is that she's ashamed of her body odor, and their soap is the only thing that does the trick. So when the company's lead product developer, a perfuming genius, approaches her in the lobby and wonders what "that smell" is, she's terrified... but could it be... that he likes it? And, even more surprising to Asako... does she like him?

The hilarious ups and downs of an office romance at a personal care products company are the subject of this sexy, strange romp.

Sweat and Soap combines the odd-couple chemistry of Wotakoi, the "too real!" workplace comedy of Aggretsuko, and a heavy dollop of office steaminess!”

Sweat & Soap is yet another one of those manga that appears on everyone’s lists and actually deserves to be there. Which, if you want to be all 2013 Hipster about it, is incredibly frustrating but from every other perspective it is delightful and wonderful that a series that focusses on clear communication is so popular! If you’re looking for a series that deal with how kink negotation can be applied to every day life then this is one I can whole heartedly recomend! 

Because that’s what Sweat & Soap comes down to: communication. Whilst Yamada admits the series began as simply them wanting to write about a big breasted office lady who got easily flustred (and honestly: valid) it quickly became something far more meaningful and stand out. Anytime I thought that a scene was a little off or that consent wasn’t clearly given it was talked about by the characters in an open and honest fashion!

When Ichise was introduced, i was worried it was going to decend into some sort of rival love triangle where both girls were out to get eachother; but rather what happened was a mature look at missed-out-love from her perspective, and clear boundry setting from Asako and Natori. It would be unreasonable for Asako to ask Natori to never speak to his work friend again, but it is not unreasonable for her to ask him to be less physically affectionate with her. He might see her like a little sister, but that doesn’t mean she is his little sister. 

This series encapulates all that the phrase “Adult Romance” should. There’s sex, yes, but there’s also trying to figure out an appropriate work-life-balance, what to look for when moving into a new flat (advice I actualy used when moving out recently, so thanks for that on Yamada-sensei!) and how to get your girlfriend’s beloved family cat to actually play with you!!!!   

I know I am going to be recomending this series for years to come, and I eagerly await to see if any of Yamada’s other work gets translated into English! Come on Kodansha, you like money, don’t you???

2) Tokyo Mew Mew by Reiko Yoshida and Mia Ikumi from Kodansha (T: Elina Curran L: AndWorld Design)

[ID: English Edition of Vol 3 of the Tokyo MewMew Omnibus. Ichigo wears a straawberry themed wedding dress and veil that is pushed back past her cat ears. She carris a bouquet of flowers, and sits in a ring of pink and yellow stars. The background is light pink with a pattern of baby pink strawberries.]

“Ichigo is out on a date with her 'crush' when suddenly she's involved in an odd incident in which her DNA is merged with the DNA of an almost extinct wildcat. When four other girls' DNA is merged with the DNA of four other almost extinct animals, it's apparent that they're part of a much bigger plan. Ichigo and her friends have been chosen to become a part of a secret project called the 'Mew Project'. Their mission: To protect the planet from aliens who are using animals to attack humans!”

I first read this series way back in year 9 of school, but I don’t think I ever got beyond volume 2 or 3? So when the anime was announced I decided to re-read the whole series. And what a lot of fun it has been!

It’s been fun to revisit this time in manga, and it reminded me of my love of Action Shoujo! It’s so quintessentially magical girl, but doesn’t have some of the more yikes tropes that have me hesitating to recommend Sailor Moon or Cardcaptor Sakura to children. (CLAMP... why? Why all the student-teacher relationships?!)

Sure, Quiche -- sorry: Kish -- is a major creep when it comes to declaring his undying love for Ichigo but he is the villain! If you’re going to have someone disrespect boundries, it should be painted as acts of criminality and evil!

And like all good Magical Girl shows, the focus remains on the power of female friendship and how they can raise eachother up! Just a group of lesbians supporting their bisexual leader as she fumbles her way through teen romance.

I’ll admit I felt the ending was a little rushed in places, which meant that some of the scenes that should have had huge emotional impact were brushed over too quickly. I’m hopeful though that the new anime will fix that problem and allow things to progresss at an appropriate pace. I think they’ve done a good job so far in adapting it, and another 12 episodes should be all it needs! 

My biggest gripe with the series is how Kodansha localised the names so inconsistently, sometimes choosing to translate the characters’ names into their appropriate food related topics and sometimes not. But it appears that the fandom itself cannot decide what version to use so at least there’s consistency in the inconsistency. These decisions often come from above, specifically from the Japanese Team, so I don’t hold Curran responsible, but it’s still something worth noting in my opinion. If I ever find my TokyoPop versions I’ll be sure to do a comparison!

At only 7 Volumes across 3 Omnibus Editions, this is absolutely worth investing in if you’re looking for some old school magical girl fun! Be that as someone new to the genre, or a vetran looking to relive the glory days before everything was Pretty Cure.

Now come on Sentai, do every little girl a favour and dub this series into English!!!

On the topic of the anime... given Ikumi-sensei’s passing this year, i felt very emotional reading her thoughts on getting to see the orignal anime under production. She was so excited to see eveything made, and got the seiyuu to write up little messages as their characters for all the readers. It’s so sad that she never got to see the fans’ reaction to the reboot. I suppose it’s a reminder to cherish the moments we have together, and may her memory be a blessing to us all.

3) BL Metamorphosis by Kaori Tsurutani from SevenSeas (T: Jocelyne Allen L: Ray Steeves E: Jenn Grunigen)

[ID: English Cover for Vol 5 of BL Metamorphosis. Ichinoi (an elderly woman) and Urara (a teenage girl) sit on a japanese verander drinking tea in the sunshine. There are plants growing all around them. Ichinoi looks u at the sky, and Urara looks groggily in a similar direction.]

“In this heartwarming and award-winning manga originally known as Metamorphose no Engawa, an elderly woman and a high school girl develop a beautiful friendship through their shared passion for Boys' Love.

Ichinoi, a seventy-five-year-old woman living a peaceful life, unwittingly buys a boys' love manga one day, and is fascinated by what she finds inside. When she returns to the bookstore to buy the next volume, the high school girl working there-Urara, a seasoned BL fan-notices a budding fangirl when she sees one. When Urara offers to help Ichinoi explore this whole new world of fiction, the two dive into the BL fandom together, and form an unlikely friendship along the way.” 

Age Gap Romances are OUT! Age Gap Friendships are IN!

BL Metamophosis was a wonderful slow paced read, perfect at 5 volumes. It was great to see Ichinoi and Urara form such a strong bond between them, not just because intergenerational friendships are so uncommon in media but also because it proved that it’s never too late to start a new hobby and make new friends! The pair learn a lot from eachother, there’s mutual value in their relationship and the story is much more than some cliched message about how “there’s value in youth and in age”. 

Urara learns to become more confident in herself and in the things she loves due to Ichinoi’s encouragement, and Ichinoi learns that just because she’s only got a few more years left to live doesn’t mean that she has to just keep still. I was especially moved by seeing her reflecting on her past regrets, and seeing them through Urara’s fresh eyes and being determined to no longer live like that. She might be much older now than before, but if she wants to go to the top of Tokyo Tower than she will!

I will also have to say, as someone with varaious chronic conditions and mental health problems, Ichinoi’s determination to fight to stay alive until the final volume of her favourite manga is published was incredibly relateable!

As much as I would love to know how Urara is getting on at school and what her life plans are (is she going to try to make more BL Comics?) I’m very content with how the series eneded. It gave closure to everyone’s arcs, whilst giving it a realistically happy ending. Nothing felt out of place.

This is absolutely a manga I would recommend to anyone, whether they be Urara’s age of Ichinoi’s! I’d also consider it a great starter manga given how short it is, and whilst perhaps an understanding of BL tropes is helpful I don’t think it’s needed as Ichinoi is being introduced to the genre along with the reader. If anything, I’d be really interested to know what someone who doesn’t know anything about BL thinks of the series! 

[portmanteaurian]

i might take 2020 off from bookblogging idk. i like having a record of what i’ve read but i’m also very lazy? i may just skip doing the little microreviews in hte post. BUT FOR NOW i remain committed and thus:

Mask of Shadows, Linsey Miller. This was fun! Sort of Tamora Pierce meets Suzanne Collins, with a genderfluid protagonist which is something I don’t know if I’ve ever seen in YA. Have started the sequel, am looking forward to getting further in it.

Girls of Storm and Shadow by Natasha Ngan. Man, YA authors love the word ‘Shadow’ huh? Anyway this was decent. Into the recent spate of specifically revolution-minded queer YA, and while this series is maybe not my fav example it’s still by no means bad. I dug how this book really engages with the fact that the characters are carrying deep trauma from the events of the previous one.

Automatic Eve by Rokuro Inui (trans. Matt Treyvaud). This was interesting? One of very few books this year I’ve read by (I believe) a straight dude, and you can tell it’s by a straight dude which is at times annoying. But the plot is really intricately constructed -- starting with what seem to be disconnected vignettes before pulling things together in a very satisfying way. The titular Eve is a really interesting character, I think, but I wish that like...anything in the book was from her perspective (though I understand why the author chose not to do so).

[ianlynam]

Announcing the first-ever print issue of the occasionally-publishing web journal Néojaponisme — NJP#1: Shōwa Tokyo — 128 pages of brand new content about retro Tokyo past and present. With the 2020 Summer Olympics around the corner and Tokyo in midst of overtourism mayhem, we editors of Néojaponisme (W. David Marx, Ian Lynam, and Matt Treyvaud) and our favorite contributors wrote tens of thousands of words of new content to celebrate the older Tokyo of the Shōwa Era (1926-1989): what lives on (the Toden Arakawa Line), what is at risk of extinction (the kissaten), and what’s been lost forever (the dance hall Furorida). Production is all ready to go, so we’ll hit start with our Japanese printers as soon as the Kickstarter campaign comes to a successful end. We’ve wanted to make a print issue ever since we started Néojaponisme in 2007, but the timing has never been better. The Internet is a very different place now, and print has become a better fit with our kind of content. We want NJP#1 to be something you buy, read, enjoy, save, pull off the shelf once in a while as a reference. And by virtue of being a physical object with limited distribution, print will deliver our writing to the suitably sized, highly targeted audience we aimed for at the beginning. But the most important reason is that we will offer a guide to many special places in Tokyo that we don’t want to be sucked into the overtourism vortex. These are tips just for you, dear reader. URL in bio.⬆️👀👀👀 (at Tokyo, Japan) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4tWEnJBKtC/?igshid=xanwwz18wf41

[nomadicism]

What is the corect order to watch the anime Yamato that you have talk about? And same with Lotgh (about the order if theres more than one adaptation), also, you know where can someone find the novels on english?? After reading a lot of your posts on both animes I'm really curious to know more about them :)

Hello, thank you for the Ask!

I’m so glad that you are curious about Yamato and LotGH! (◕ᴗ◕✿)

In reverse order:

I. Legend of the Galactic Heroes

[ 銀河英雄伝説  Ginga Eiyū Densetsu ] by Yoshiki Tanaka [ 田中 芳樹 Tanaka Yoshiki ]

Novels: Originally published between 1982 – 1987. Volumes 1-8 of the 10 volume novel series are available in English, published by Viz Media through their Haikasoru imprint. The translations of the novels are by Daniel Huddleston (vol. 1-3, and 7), Tyran Grillo (vol. 4-6), and Matt Treyvaud (vol. 8). Presumably the 9th and 10th volumes will be translated and released in the coming year. They can be purchased at RightStuf Anime, Amazon, Barnes & Noble all carry them. Amazon also has a Kindle version available, and of course used copies for sale as well. The Gaiden (Side Stories) novels have not been translated and released in English yet.

Anime, recently released: LotGH: Die Neue These is the remake (maybe qualifies as reboot?) of original series and there are quite a few differences (so far) if you were to compare them episode by episode. It is streaming in Japanese with English subtitles on CrunchyRoll and Funimation. Funimation also has the English dub. I strongly recommend watching this first, it’s only 12 episodes (first season as it were). If you love it enough that you can’t wait for more, then dive into the original. The BD/DVD of Season 1 is available for pre-order on RightStuf and Funimation.

Anime OG Run: Three films, the main OVA series, and two OVA side story series. HIDIVE is streaming all of these in Japanese with English subtitles. HIDIVE organizes them together under “Legend of the Galactic Heroes” with Season One being the 110 episodes that comprise the main OVA series, and “Season Two” (also called LotGH: Gaiden) being the combination of the two OVA side story series with 52 episodes, and Movie 1, Movie 2, and Movie 3 are the films titled “LotGH: My Conquest is the Sea of Stars”, “LotGH: Overture to a New War”, and “LotGH: Golden Wings”. Worth noting that Golden Wings was released before Overture to a New War, HIDIVE has them ordered chronologically.

Note: on the chance anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the term, ‘OVA’ refers to ‘Original Video Animation’ (called OAV in the U.S.) and indicates that the series was direct-to-video, rather than a television series. In the early days of “Finally we’re getting officially licensed and translated anime in the U.S.!” (e.g. early 90s), most of the anime brought over during that time were OVAs. OVAs are generally higher quality and more adult than anime made for broadcast.

II. LotGH Watch Order

Good luck! You won’t go wrong just watching the entire main OVA series all the way through…all 110 episodes! BUT, the films and the Gaiden OVAs take place before and during the main OVA series.

Hardcore LotGH fans might recommend differently, but you could probably watch in the following order:

The first film—My Conquest is the Sea of Stars—is a prelude to the main OVA series. (Movie 1 on HIDIVE)

The third film—Overture to a New War—or—first two episodes of the main OVA series. This film is a remake of the first two episodes and connects with the first film. (Movie 2 on HIDIVE)

Episodes 1-54 of the main OVA series.

The second film—Golden Wings. (Movie 3 on HIDIVE)

Episodes 55-110 of the main OVA series.

Episodes 1-52 of the two Gaiden OVA series as ordered on HIDIVE (called Season Two).

HIDIVE has their “Season Two” ordered a little differently as the two separate OVA Gaiden series are comprised of short stories that cover the early military careers of Reinhard and Yang. They are not ordered by release date, nor ordered relative to which series they were apart of, basically, the ordering on HIDIVE jumps back and forth between the two Gaiden series. It’s weird, but it makes sense.

The first arc���Spiral Labyrinth—of the second Gaiden series comes first, listed as ep 1-14. Then the first arc—The Silver White Valley—from the first Gaiden series comes next, listed as episodes 15-18. After that, the three middle arcs from the second Gaiden series—The Mutineer, The Duelist, and The Retriever—are listed as episodes 19-30. Following is the second arc of the first Gaiden series—Dreams of Morning, Songs of Night—listed as episodes 31-34, and then the final (fourth) arc of the first Gaiden series—A Hundred Billion Stars, a Hundred Billion Lights—listed as episodes 35-46. Finally, the final (fifth) arc of the second Gaiden series—The Third Tiamat Battle—listed as episodes 47-48, and the third arc of the first Gaiden series—Dishonor/Disgrace—is listed as episodes 50-52.

As they are side stories, they take place at different times relative to the narrative of the main OVA series. Personally, I think they are better to watch after finishing the main OVA series, but others may disagree.

III. Space Battleship Yamato / Star Blazers

[ 宇宙戦艦ヤマト Uchū Senkan Yamato ] by Leiji Matsumoto [ 松本 零士 Matsumoto Reiji ] and Yoshinobu Nishizaki [ 西崎 義展 Nishizaki Yoshinobu ]

I know very little about the original series (1974-1975) other than the basic facts easily found on Wikipedia. I have seen a handful of episodes from the original series, both Japanese and the English dubbed Star Blazers. The true fans of this series can be found on Tumblr and they can answer about the watch order for the original better than I. I can tell you that there were three TV series total for original, so the first run and then two sequel series in the 80s. Then there are several movies and an OVA. There was also a live action movie which I’ve heard good things about but have not seen.

When I post on Tumblr about SBY, it’s about the remakes that began in 2012. These are streaming online and available on BD/DVD (more further below).

Where/how to watch original series:

Amazon Prime Video has Star Blazer season 1 (this is the English dub of the 1974-1975 series), and you can find all three seasons of the English dub on YouTube (I can’t vouch for the quality or completeness). The three TV series (English dub) can be purchased on DVD. They are collected in three sets: Star Blazers The Quest for Iscandar, Star Blazers Comet Empire, and Star Blazers The Bolar Wars. I have no clue about the movies or where/how to watch the original series in Japanese.

The remakes: There are three so far, a TV series called Space Battleship Yamato 2199, a film called Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark [ 星巡る方舟 Hoshi-meguru Hakobune ]  and the chapter-film series Space Battleship Yamato 2202: Warriors of Love [ 愛の戦士たち Ai no Senshi-tachi ]. Funimation adds “Star Blazers” to the beginning of the titles for English-language recognition, while I use the shortest name possible when referring to them, so Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202, and Odyssey of the Celestial Ark (aka Ark of the Stars).

Where/How to watch 2199 and 2202: Both of the Yamato 2199 and Yamato 2202 series are streaming on Funimation in Japanese with English subtitles, and as English dubs. Yamato 2199 can be purchased in as two BD/DVD sets from RightStuf, Funimation, Amazon, etc. The first set of Yamato 2202 is available for pre-order from the same. The blu-ray of Odyssey of the Celestial Ark film is available to purchase on Amazon, it is an import from Japan. If you are in the U.S. then your blu-ray player can play it (unlike DVDs, the U.S. and Japan are in the same region for BDs). The Japanese blu-ray also has English subtitles.

IV. Yamato 2199 and 2202 Watch Order

The titles are conveniently chronological. 2199 comes before 2202. So watch Yamato 2199 first, and then move onto Yamato 2202. The Odyssey of the Celestial Ark film takes place before the end of the 2199 TV series. You do not need to watch it before watching 2202. The film can be stand-alone (though it is clearly setting up for 2202) and act as the pilot episode to the 2202 series. That doesn’t mean that its story is superfluous, it’s quite good and I love how it is structured.

I hope this helps! Enjoy!

[newsintheshell]

Wit Studio e Tow Ubukata insieme per il progetto “Moonrise”

Disponibile su Amazon il prologo dell’opera sci-fi.

Lo studio di animazione Wit Studio, produttore di serie come The Ancient Magus' Bride, Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Dopo la pioggia e L’Attacco dei Giganti, ha annunciato di aver avviato una collaborazione con l’autore e sceneggiatore Tow Ubukata (Mardock Scramble, Psycho Pass 2, Soukyuu no Fanfer) per la realizzazione di un nuovo progetto, intitolato provvisoriamente “Moonrise”.

L’opera sarà ambientata in un futuro prossimo e le vicende si svolgeranno sia sulla Terra che sulla Luna. La storia seguirà Jack e Al, due uomini alle prese con la dura realtà dello spazio aperto. Un prologo sotto forma di romanzo, scritto da Ubukata e tradotto in inglese da Matt Treyvaud, è già disponibile su Amazon in versione digitale per Kindle, accessibile peraltro gratuitamente fino al 28 dicembre. 

George Wada, presidente e CEO di Wit Studio, ha confermato che il progetto comprenderà anche un lavoro d’animazione, prodotto in Giappone, ma che verrà condiviso con il resto del mondo. Wada ha anche anticipato che le sezioni ambientate nelle parti inesplorate della Luna saranno illustrate con un��inedita e innovativa tecnica di animazione.

SilenziO)))

[FONTE]

[recentanimenews]

Sweat and Soap, Vol. 1

By Kintetsu Yamada. Released in Japan by Kodansha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Morning. Released in North America by Kodansha Comics. Translated by Matt Treyvaud.

I will note right off the bat that the lead couple get together very fast in this manga – which makes sense, as the first chapter was written as a one-shot. It’s also a good thing, because if this had been a slow-burner I might have dropped it. There’s a weird consent thing going on at the start, where Asako, the heroine, is clearly uncomfortable with the attention of Kotaro, but also finds him immediately attractive and magnetic. He’s also doing his best to hold back while also begging her “let me smell you every day!”. Fortunately, there’s a better reason in this manga than the usual one you’d expect. Also fortunately, once the manga settles in beyond one chapter it becomes less about smelling this woman’s natural body odor and more about a shy and awkward woman navigating her first romance, with all the highs and lows that this entails. It ended up being quite a sweet read… especially as it does end up doubling back and talking about when things are appropriate and wne they aren’t. Mostly.

Asako has grown up sweating a lot, which caused her to be a bit of an outcast as a kid, and now as an adult she still has the same issues. As a result, she’s happy to be working at Liliadrop, makers of soaps, toiletries, and other bath products that help her get through her day. Then one day she runs into the chief product developer… who can smell her natural scent. And really likes it. Like, really REALLY likes it. To a somewhat inappropriate level. Of course, he’s also attracted to her as a shy, sweet girl. And so, after saving her from a subway creeper, they go back to her place and make love. Now she has to negotiate this new relationship in reverse, getting to know Kotaro and finding boundaries where he can feel free to smell her but perhaps not when it’s too embarrassing. That said, he’s very popular at the company, so she chooses to hide their relationship for now. A choice she may regret…

I really liked the two leads, which was a bit of a surprise given one of them is introduced by “I’m not going to hurt you, I just want a good sniff”. But Kotaro is merely socially inept, and when he realizes how uncomfortable he’s making Asako, he backs off… mostly. Well, somewhat. Fortunately for the reader, the artist is good at drawing embarrassment, and Asako is very cute. The best chapter is the one where they go on a date, and we see a) Kotaro trying to stop himself smelling her in public, and consequently getting more and more uncomfortable, and b) Asako thinking this means he’s having a horrible time. In the end, it’s about good communication, as always. The manga is not that explicit, but it’s worth noting that there are a couple of sex scenes here… including the morning after where we see blood on Asako’s bedsheets, something not normally seen in titles like these.

So yes, there is a bit of fetishism here for the natural body odor of a woman. But come for that, and stay for the attractive leads and their adorable if hella embarrassing romance.

By: Sean Gaffney

[fandompost]

Maison Ikkoku Collector's Edition Vol. #02 Manga Review

Maison Ikkoku Collector's Edition Vol. #02 Manga Review

Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition is a sincere reminder of times long past, and yet it welcomes us back with open arms

Check out the full article by Richard Gutierrez on The Fandom Post!

[recentanimenews]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Sunset

By Yoshiki Tanaka. Released in Japan as “Ginga Eiyū Densetsu” by Tokuma Shoten. Released in North America by Haikasoru. Translated by Matt Treyvaud.

And so the Legend of the Galactic Heroes comes to a close. (There are five volumes of short story collections also out in Japan, but they don’t seem essential to the narrative.) The story ends because the two sides finally come together and try to negotiate a compromise between Empire and Federation – Parliamentary Democracy, which is presented as the best of both worlds, mostly. But you could also argue that the series is ending as the author is running out of characters to kill off. This is a doom-laden book, with a bunch of the main cast given their final moments. Some go out fighting, like von Schönkopf and Merkatz, nobly in battle. Some die like villains, taking out swathes of others as they succumb to a brain tumor (Rubinsky). Some appear to die almost because the author forgot to kill them off and they were running out of pages, like von Oberstein. Hell, even von Oberstein’s DOG, the one thing that made him vaguely human, is dying. And then there is Reinhard.

I’m not really spoiling anything by talking about these deaths, as the book is still written like a history textbook from the future, so frequently talks about “this was the last time he would visit this planet”, etc. That said, you’d have to be reading the series with very narrow vision not to realize that Reinhard wasn’t going to make it to the end of it. Honestly, he hasn’t been the same since the death of Yang Wen-Li, and he knows it. What’s more, it may be his fatal flaw that finally kills him off. No, not the disease that he’s had for ages that finally gets a name but might as well be “Love Story disease”. Instead it’s his leaping off to battle against Julian’s forces one last time, despite knowing that he’s running a fever and choosing to hide it from everyone. The end of the war means peace, which means no more battles, which means that Reinhard is pretty much going to be out of his depth – something he admits at his deathbed, as he notes Hilda will be a much better leader as she’s the politician.

There are several cool space battles, including one where Julian and company essentially storm Reinhard’s ship as if it were a boat to try to get to him and negotiate, and another where we see Annerose, Reinhard’s sister, protect Hilda from terrorists (don’t worry, she doesn’t die). But for the most part the best moments are the speeches and dialogues, as with most of this series. A lot of the book discusses von Oberstein, whose methods continue to sacrifice the few to save the many, but in the worst, least honorable way possible, to the point where other Admirals try to punch him. He’s an unpleasant person but a great character, and I wish his death had more impact – perhaps the anime improves on this. Oh yes, and Julian and Katerose hook up, though her lack of presence in the final big scenes reminds me that LOGH tries to give us some good female representation but struggles at it.

I’m very happy that we were able to get the entire series out here in North America. It’s a classic, though admittedly more known here for the epic 80s anime, and worth reading to see how authors who aren’t Leiji Matsumoto handle a Wagnerian space opera sort of story, albeit one with a dry historical filter. A noble finale.

By: Sean Gaffney

[recentanimenews]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Upheaval

By Yoshiki Tanaka. Released in Japan as “Ginga Eiyū Densetsu” by Tokuma Shoten. Released in North America by Haikasoru. Translated by Matt Treyvaud.

Yang Wen-Li may be dead but Legend of the Galactic Heroes goes on, even if Yang’s ghostly presence hangs over much of this volume. Julian is trying to do things the way he thinks Yang would have wanted to, even to the point of hearing Yang’s dialogue in his head. He’s still got revenge on his mind, but it has to take a backseat. Much to his frustration, the fight against the Empire also has to take a back seat – he has in mind now trying to get the Empire to become more of a parliamentary democracy, but that’s a long-term plan, and also unlikely to happen with Reinhard in power. So Iserlohn is placed in a bit of stasis this volume, with its most dramatic decision being that of letting the Empire’s fleet pass by unmolested so that it can attack von Reuentahl’s fleet, as the long-foreshadowed rebellion is finally upon us. Oh well, at least it looks like he might be getting a tsundere girlfriend soon.

The “rebellion” is interesting, as it’s a setup, von Reuentahl knows it’s a setup, and yet he goes along with it anyway, partly as he’s fairly sure he wouldn’t be believed if he denied it but partly because, without Yang there to be the noble enemy, there’s nothing really stopping von Reuentahl from attacking the next best military genius – Reinhard. Of course, the joke is on him, as for once Reinhard allows himself to take a back seat and let Mittermeier handle things. They go about as well as you could expect, which is to say very badly for von Reuentahl, who can’t even bleed to death quietly in his office without being presented with his newborn child, the product of yet another love affair. This leads to one of the most bittersweet moments in the series, as a dying von Reuentahl asks the child be raised by childless Mittermeier and his wife. I wish it hadn’t gone this far, but at least there’s some good coming from it. Oh yes, and Trunicht was finally killed. That was great, he deserved it.

The book is not all doom and gloom, though it is mostly serious as always. After being verbally attacked for the massacre that happened about 7 books ago, Reinhard is in a mood and feeling depressed, and asks Hilda to stay the night with him. We don’t see the love scene that follows (though it’s made clear that they’re both dorky ignorant virgins, so it can’t have been that breathtaking), but we do get the aftermath, with Hilda fleeing back home saying “WTF have I done?” and Reinhard immediately showing up to propose. This whole section is actually very funny, and it’s nice to see Reinhard as a lover is about 1/100th as successful as Reinhard the military genius. That said, Hilda is “lucky” enough to get pregnant after this one-night stand, so after taking care of his little rebellion Reinhard proposes again, and this time Hilda accepts. Like most LOGH romances, this has been both obvious and incredibly slow burning, so is very satisfying to finally see.

The main story ends with the 10th and final volume next time. (There are more books with additional stories, but it’s not clear if those will be licensed.) With its huge cast getting smaller and smaller, what fresh new deaths await/ Or can we finally achieve peace?

By: Sean Gaffney

[recentanimenews]

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Desolation

By Yoshiki Tanaka. Released in Japan as “Ginga Eiyū Densetsu” by Tokuma Shoten. Released in North America by Haikasoru. Translated by Matt Treyvaud.

Before we discuss the events of the second half of the book (which I will spoil out of necessity), let’s talk about the fairly normal first half. Reinhard is headed with his entire fleet towards Iserlohn, and Yang and company are doing their level best to try to at least slow them down. There are a few more times when we see Yang being the master tactician and manipulator that he is, and a lot of the Empire’s finest being hotheads when they shouldn’t be. The stage is set for Reinhard and Yang to negotiate terms. We even get one last debate, in Yang’s head, about the need for democracy vs. a dictatorship. Yang is well aware that Reinhard is a kinder, gentler dictator, and that forcing democracy is likely to make people far more unhappy than they would be under the Emperor’s hand. But it’s notable that the Empire only seems the better option because of these circumstances, and we’ve also seen Reinhard’s petulant side as well. Plus he’s STILL not married. What of the future?

But in amongst this, you’re getting the foreshadowing. LOGH is many things, but subtle it ain’t, so we get several scenes showing us the Church setting Yang up to be assassinated (using a character I had honestly forgotten about – this cast is too damn big) and setting the audience up to expect another near escape like Yang had a couple of books ago. But then we get things like “this was the last time the two would ever speak”, and you start to realize what’s going to happen. And then it does. Yang is killed on his way to the peace talks. Not even in a pitched gun battle or anything, but shot in the leg and slowly bleeding to death. Given that it’s a series about the horrors of war, among other things, it seems fitting, but everyone agrees this was not the way that Yang should have died (Frederica’s dream of the death of Yang as an 85-year-old grandfather is possibly the most heartbreaking thing in a heartbreaking book.)

As you can imagine, the rest of the book deals with the fallout from this. Iserlohn is devastated, of course, and many of their allies flee. The cause is kept alive, with Frederica on the political side and Julian on the military side, but both agree they’re only doing this because they know it’s what Yang would do; Frederica’s saying that she’d be happy to let democracy go hang if it meant getting her husband back is chilling. And the ominous foreshadowing is not done yet. Mittermeier and von Reuentahl also get a “they would never speak again” foreshadowing, and I suspect the latter is going to turn on Reinhard soon, or at least be made to seem like he is. And Reinhard spends much of the book in bed with a high fever… not the first time this has happened. He’s been ill QUITE a bit, which is another reason he’s being pressured to marry. With the Republic in tatters, is the Empire far behind?

There’s two more books in the main series, and lots more to resolve. It’s hard not to leave this book feeling depressed, though, and I will admit that most of the reason I read this was to read about Yang Wen-Li. Like his family and allies, I’ll continue to read the books, but also like them, I’m not looking forward to it nearly as much. A well-written equivalent of a drive-by gangland killing.

By: Sean Gaffney