Toradora!, Vol. 7

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By Yuyuko Takemiya and Zekkyo. Released in Japan by ASCII Media Works, serialization ongoing in the magazine Dengeki Daioh. Released in North America by Seven Seas.

I’ve frequently heard companies asked why they don’t get closer to Japanese release dates, and why they think ‘caught up with Japan’ means still being one or two volumes behind. Well, Toradora! is an excellent answer in and of itself. Here is a series where we are definitively caught up. The manga came out in Japan in February, and SS has it out at the end of June. That’s an amazing turnaround. But Volume 6 came out in February 2014, and given that the 8th volume is not remotely close to being out in Japan, we could be looking at Fall 2016 to resolve the plot points this volume introduces. It’s hard to keep a fanbase with 16-month breaks between releases. Especially with the anime long done, and the light novels all fan translated – and also done.

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And this is a shame, as the manga adaptation is really excellent. We resolve the tortuous cliffhanger from last time, with Taiga’s father being the worst man ever. I was particularly happy that my critique of Minori from last volume was called out… by Minori herself, who admitted she didn’t tell Ryuuji about Taiga’s father as she was jealous that she wasn’t Taiga’s first choice for comfort. (The OT3, always strong on this title, was particularly strong here, particularly given the results of the footrace to be King of the School). As for Taiga’s dad, his end seems oddly fitting – after we realize what he’s really like, he’s simply forgotten about.

The rest of the book begins to adapt the 6th light novel, meaning we’re finally past the halfway mark of the series. The strong, confident woman on the cover would be Kanou, the queen of the school and class president, who I’m sure we’ll get to know better soon, but for the moment seems to be a bit cold and harsh. The other mysterious boy on the cover is, surprise, Kitamura, who has a complete breakdown on learning Kanou is transferring overseas in a week, and it leads him to pointlessly “rebel” by dyeing his hair blond. Kitamura has shown occasional hidden depths throughout the series, but this is the first time we’re really seeing what makes him tick – unsurprisingly, like the rest of the cast, he has a lot of internalized issues he avoids.

As for the rest of the volume, it’s exactly what you would want from Toradora!. There’s a lot of hysterical comedy, much of it involving Ami. There’s many heartwarming and tearjerking moments, such as seeing Taiga beat herself up when she realized that Kitamura is suffering and she hadn’t seen it. There’s also a reminder that our lead couple are in fact still supposed to be in love with other people – the rumor that Taiga and Kitamura are dating both angers and delights her, and Ryuuji and Minori have never felt closer. Not that anyone suspects this title will end – whenever it does end, possibly in 12 years time – with anyone but Ryuuji and Taiga. For a title that is theoretically a harem manga, it’s the sort of harem manga you could happily introduce to your parents, so to speak. Pickup this volume and remind yourself why it’s great.

Fragments of Horror

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By Junji Ito. Released in Japan by Asahi Shinbunsha, serialized in the magazines Nemuki+ and Shinkan. Released in North America by Viz.

I’ve never read Junji Ito before this volume, believe it or not. I used to say it’s because I don’t like horror, but I think we know that’s pretty much a lie. The truth is that I like horror if I can find an in, such as the characters and humor (Kurosagi CDS), the promise of a happy ending for these sweet kids (Higurashi), and seeing a well-crafted cast be horrible to each other (Umineko). So I never really thought about reading Uzumaki and Gyo. Reading this, though, I can see the appeal – the stories are not so much scary as unnerving, and while I didn’t feel particularly frightened as I read the book, I got more unnerved as I went along, and it sticks with you long after you put it down.

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In an afterword, Ito talks about the fact that he hadn’t done a short story collection in a while, and feels the first one was rather weak. I’m inclined to agree with him, it’s the weakest in the book. In fact, the book almost succeeds in having each story be better than the previous one, though I think its peak for sheer disturbing is Blackbird, the tale of an injured hiker and the creature who helps him survive. And I will admit, there is some grotesque humor to be found here as well, from the woman who loves the house she’s boarding in – literally – to the entirely of Magami Nanakuse, which seems to combine grotesque horror and stand-up comedy in a way I can’t quite explain. Those expecting your typical American slasher story… or even Japanese titles like Ringu… are going to be startled, as this isn’t much like those.

It helps that Ito’s style of drawing faces and expressions hearkens back to a 1980s style rather than the more modern or cute manga styles we see today. Actually, a lot of his work reminded me of Makoto Kobayashi, author of What’s Michael and Club 9, who also enjoyed drawing long-faced, highly expressive men and women doing very, very silly things. I can also see fans of Furuya Usumaru liking this as well – the cover art is very reminiscent of one of his “Short Cuts” collages.

It’s hard to review a short story anthology without giving everything away, but I will note there were a few stories that went more for the melancholy than the creepy. Gentle Goodbye was sweet and sad, and makes you wonder what a world where this is possible would be like. It also has the most likeable viewpoint character of the series. And Whispering Woman was sad in a different, more sinister way, as we see someone desperately trying to deal with an abusive relationship, with tragic results. But really, the best thing to say about this collection is that I think even non-horror fans would get something out of it, though I’d certainly keep it away from young children (there’s also some nudity here, mostly in the story Wooden Spirit). Ito is a master, this book shows you why.

Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 1

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By Sui Ishida. Released in Japan by Shueisha, serialized in the magazine Weekly Young Jump. Released in North America by Viz.

I am highly amused at the cover art for the first volume of this series, designed to draw in readers. It shows our hero, Kaneki, posing artfully on a chair, shirt untucked and collar undone, a hand to his head, a glowing red eye sdtaring at the reader, and a small fake-looking smile on his face. It is a look that says “Ladies, I am undead and hot. Please read my story.” It does not bear any resemblance whatsoever to Kaneki in this entire first volume, who from the moment he is attacked by a ghoul is in a state of panic, hunger or guilt. But then seeing him crying and creaming on the cover wouldn’t give the manga the right image. And while I think it’s a decent start, this manga does seem to be more about looking cool than plot and characters.

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The premise is simple and easy to understand. Our hero is a bit of a nerd with a crush on a gorgeous girl who reads the same erudite horror novels he does. On their first date, however, he discovers she is a ghoul out to kill him and eat his flesh. Fortuitously, she is killed by a passing act of God – or possibly some I-beams to the head – and he survives, albeit on the brink of death. The doctor, wanting to save his life and having a convenient corpse handy, replaces some of his organs with those of the ghoul. Thus when he wakes he finds himself a hybrid, not human or ghoul… but still craving the taste of human flesh.

There is some horror here, rest assured, but I’d say it’s far more of a thriller than a horror series, like most of the current zombie genre. I will admit to one pleasant surprise in this first volume. We see a young woman with her hair draped over one eye, who was giving our hero and his love interest/ghoul the stink-eye early on. I was fairly certain he would end up being rescued by her, and that she would turn out to be a ghoul hunter or somesuch, showing him their dark organization and asking if he wants to destroy ghouls with them. Totally wrong, in fact. In fact, Touka is also a ghoul, and the dark organization she belongs to is basically a ghoul halfway house, dedicated to allowing them to live relatively safely without becoming serial killers, like Kaneki’s crush turned out to be. She also (supposedly) wants nothing to do with Kaneki. I’m sure that will change.

This is a solid first volume. The villains we do meet are nicely nasty, and it’s nice to see a damsel in distress be male for once. That said, I didn’t really find much here that would make me want to read past the first volume. If I’m going to be reading horror, I’d like a bit more humor – this is a Very Serious title – or a bit more complexity, a la Umineko. But for those who enjoy zombies – pardon me, ghouls – and action thrillers with seemingly high body counts, you’ll get a kick out of Tokyo Ghoul.