Monthly Archives: January 2010

V.B. Rose Volume 7

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By Banri Hidaka. Released in Japan by Hakusensha, serialized in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Tokyopop.

This review contains spoilers.

Those who’ve read my Twitter account or my Livejournal know that I’ve become an uber-fan of Banri Hidaka, author not only of this title but also CMX’s I Hate You More Than Anyone! and Tears of a Lamb, which also ran in Hana to Yume. However, as I am trying to be a real life blogger now, I will avoid using the word SQUEE! in this review. Mostly.

Volume 7 opens where Volume 6 left off, at Arisaka’s birthday party. Sadly, we find out he’s a lightweight when it comes to drinking, which puts the kibosh on any romance that might happen. But then, you knew that going in. Certain types of shoujo manga have to be read in a certain way. You can’t expect a fast pace. V.B. Rose ended up being 14 volumes total in Japan, and this is only the halfway point.

What this means is there’s a lot of wheel spinning in this volume. Ageha has no real experience at being in love, as her classmates point out. She’s having difficulty realizing whether this is love or admiration, as well as separating work from love (she is in love with her boss, after all). And Arisaka isn’t helping either, waffling as he’s still upset over his last breakup. It really doesn’t help that the ex-girlfriend is working with both of them, of course. Or is a deadpan whose emotions are impossible to read.

Actually, compared to Kazuha and Senko in IHYMTA!, Ageha is fairly sedate. At least most of her angst is internalized. By the way, for those who are unaware, much of Hidaka’s work is crossed over with each other, and there are multiple cameos. One of Ageha’s classmates, for example, was seen before in a short series she wrote in 1996. Luckily, she has gotten much better at making the cameos non-dependent. If you recognise Minatsu, then you get a bonus. If you don’t, it’s not a big deal.

Luckily, there is Nagare, who is determined to be the one thing driving the plot. And thank God, as he’s forcing Arisaka to stop being such a wuss. Nagare is clearly meant to be the closest thing this title has to a ‘villain’ character, but I can’t help but sympathize with him. He knows he’s already fallen into the ‘I see you like a little brother’ category, and that Ageha is falling for Arisaka fast. So he has to be blunter. And at least this time he’s actually confessing, as opposed to trying to undermine her relationship with Arisaka like last time. (OK, he still does that a bit.)

Hidaka’s art has also greatly improved from her earlier series, and her facial expressions are particularly a joy. Be it Ageha’s light blushes, Arisaka’s frustrated rage, or everyone else’s super-deformed grins, they’re just fun to look at. And, of course, we have the fashion. There’s less of that in this volume, but we do get a nice scene of them planning their next dress, and seeing how it’s coming along. As well as Ageha’s cute outfits. And as always, I love the eyes on Mamoru and Nagare. Hidaka seems to like ‘bedroom eye’ characters (The Honjo family in IHYMTA! are another example), and it appeals to me personally. I think it makes Mamoru sexier.

Overall, an excellent volume. Not much develops plot-wise, beyond explaining Kana and Nagare’s confession, but I expect that the latter will be what drives Volume 8.

One Piece Volume 24

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By Eiichiro Oda. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

Alabasta is finally over, and the crew sets off on new adventure. Therefore, as you would imagine, this is very much a transition book, setting the pieces for the arc that takes over the next 9 volumes or so. Of course, this being One Piece, there’s a ton of stuff happening through the book, so much you barely notice that it’s all introduction.

First and foremost, we have a stowaway on board, who asks to join their crew: Miss All-Sunday, aka Nico Robin. I’ll make no bones about it, I love Robin. She’s one of my favorite characters, and I like what she adds to the crew: stability. Everyone in the crew has a quirk. Either they’re all quirks (Luffy, Usopp, Chopper), or they’re sometimes serious but frequently fall into silly (Nami, Sanji, Zoro). The closest Robin ever gets to goofy is her morbid sense of humor; Oda has said in interviews that she’s the only member of the Straw Hat Pirates who has normal expressions. For a manga like this, which can sometimes risk being too over the top silly, she’s a nice balance.

I was very amused at how quickly she finagled her way into the crew. She seems to have analyzed them perfectly, and wins Usopp and Chopper over by using her powers for silly stuff; bribes Nami with some jewels; Sanji loves her because she is pretty and female; and Luffy is Luffy, so he was always going to accept her. This leaves Zoro, who is the exception and doesn’t trust her. To her credit, she knows she can’t do anything with him, so doesn’t try.

The reader, of course, knows that she’s OK because we saw the flashback with Alabasta’s King, where she talks about how she’s always had a dream and kept trying to achieve it even though she was constantly on the run from the world. Dreams have always been the primary focus of One Piece (I’m Gonna Be King Of The Pirates!), and hearing that she has a grand dream is basically Oda telling us that it’s OK to trust her.

Dreams are a particular focus of this volume, as the crew, searching for a way to get to a sky island, wind up in a place called Jaya, surrounded by dismal pirates who don’t put any stock in dreams, and go on about how the real world demands focus. Bellamy, a particularly annoying pirate captain, even calls the One Piece a legend that only losers would pursue. Of course, this is balanced out by others, notably a huge bare-chested pirate with several missing teeth, who gets a full 2-page spread when he notes that “people’s dreams never end”. Gosh, I wonder if he’s important later on?

I presume, reading One Piece 24, that I am preaching to the converted. No one is going to try a series by reading the 24th volume, though this isn’t too bad a volume for a newbie to pick up. You get the basics of everyone’s personality, even if there aren’t any fights (in fact, a major moment in the book is when Luffy and Zoro choose NOT to fight). What’s not to like? The art can be a problem for some people. This is not really a series populated by pretty boys. Many, many goofy faces and goofy expressions on pretty faces exist here. Also, Robin’s one flaw is that, as the normal one, she gets stuck with the exposition much of the time, although Oda tries to balance it out a bit. And of course Viz translates Zoro as Zolo, for legal reasons. Yes, I know some people who refuse to read any of One Piece by Viz for this reason.

In any case, it’s a terrific volume, as always, and if you’re a One Piece fan you should definitely pick it up. Speaking of which, this month marks the start of Viz’s ‘One Piece catchup’, so Volume 25-28 are also available now. I’ll be reviewing them later.

Also, Robin has a great hat. I like hats.