Otherside Picnic, Vol. 1

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By Iori Miyazawa and shirakaba. Released in Japan by Hayakawa Publishing. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann.

This is the third in J-Novel Club’s line of “sci-fi yuri”, and it’s arguably the least sci-fi of the lot. In fact, I’d argue it’s more straight up horror with elements of folklore, though there are lots of explanations for what’s going on in scientific terms, and even a “works cited” at the end. As with the author’s previous book, Side-by-Side Dreamers, I think this book would be more for the horror fan than the yuri fan. That said, the relationship between the two leads is one of the main reasons to get the book. It’s told in first-person POV, and does a good job of sublimating its “I am attracted to this woman” vibe beneath a general “she is pretty while I am so plain” mindset. But it’s the plot that brings them together, as they’re relying on each other while exploring – and later, trapped – in another world which has very lethal dangers to both of them. The dangers are the reason I called the book horror – this book is TERRIFYING at times.

Sorawo is our main heroine and narrator. She presents herself as being your typical introvert with a normal past, which turns out to be mind-bogglingly far from reality, but we don’t find out about that till the end. She likes to explore abandoned areas, and one day found an entrance to another world. After a couple of brief minute-long explorations, she decides to investigate for real – and ends up about to drown in a marshland. She’s saved by Toriko, who appears to be Sorawo’s opposite, but again, appearances can be deceiving. She’s in this other world looking for her friend/mentor/crush, who disappeared a while back. They decide to team up and try to find her, and also learn more about this world and its monsters, which are seemingly based on Japanese urban legends… something Sorawo is very familiar with.

I will state here that there was one aspect of the book I wasn’t too fond of. The concept of the brilliant scientist/doctor/genius who looks like an elementary schoolgirl has been done to death in Japanese media, and I don’t think we needed it here. Honestly, Kozakura would have worked exactly the same without that aspect of her character, functioning as “mission control” and later brought in, much to her dismay, to the actual otherside world. It was hard not to think of her as Hakase from Nichijou. Other than that, though, this ended up being a ball to read, though I will state those who dislike horror imagery may want to give it a pass. There’s lots of images and phrasing designed to scare, and it works. Sorawo also grows greatly throughout the book, forced to examine her own personality and realize her shortcomings. Toriko doesn’t fare as well, as we get no POV of her, but the good news is that for once this is not the first and only book in the series, and there are two more to date. Which is good, as the book ends with everyone still trapped, and I’d like to see how/if they get out.

If you enjoyed Last and First Idol and Side-by-Side Dreamers, there’s no reason not to immediately get this book. For those new to the “genre”, I’d recommend it for thrills and great dialogue and imagery.

Restaurant to Another World, Vol. 3

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By Junpei Inuzuka and Katsumi Enami. Released in Japan as “Isekai Shokudou” by Shufunotomosha. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Elliot Ryouga. Adapted by Jude Wetherell.

We’re introduced to the third main cast member from the anime here. Kuro (who calls herself Black in her inner monologue, but they mean the same thing anyway) is an ancient legend now living, literally, on the moon because in her true form she causes people to drop dead around her. Fortunately, she can suppress it when she turns into an elf girl and can enter the restaurant, where she falls in love with the chicken curry and stays to become the restaurant’s second waitress. That said, much like the first two books, the staff don’t get much focus at all. The emphasis i\s on the diners – some old friends, some new – and the food they’re eating. We jump around a lot more here, sometimes confusingly (one chapter ends with an ancient warrior going to see his late lover, who seems to have the same name as our sweets-loving princess), but if you love reading about food, this remains the light novel for you.

Indeed, sometimes the novel seems to actively avoid any conflict at all. The first and second volumes had a few arguments (usually about food), but there’s none of that here, as they’ve learned to simply avoid the people they know would cause friction. It’s especially obvious with Kuro, who once has an ancient Elven priestess come for food and completely not notice her, despite mentioning her fearsome and terrifying past earlier in the book. It was a bit frustrating to me till the end, when it became apparent that – much like her power of “death” – Kuro seems to be making it so that she’s unnoticed by all but the strongest folks – and they’re not saying anything. She was asked by “Red” – the dragon we’ve seen earlier – to essentially be security for the restaurant in case someone tries to kidnap the owner and take him back to the other world. So far she’s done her job very well, but it can lead to a certain… I want something exciting to happen, dammit!

Till then, there’s just getting excited about the food. We get a few interesting variants here. Birthday Cake comes up to celebrate a child’s not-quite-coming-of-age-but-close-enough, and we see the Master preparing BBQ for a Japanese festival he’s participating in (we do not actually see the festival). The sake-steamed clams sounded amazing. And oh yes, right near the end as the legendary warrior is experiencing the wonder of croquettes, we find that the Master and his father (who we also see, as several of these chapters take place “in the past”) may not be as completely unrelated to the fantasy world as previously expected. I liked the idea, very appropriate for a book like this, that since the master was not able to use, say, magic or swordfighting in modern-day Japan, that he was taught how to be a marvelous chef instead. You pass down what you can to teach your children.

We’ve seen a plethora of food-related manga and novels recently, but this one remains in the top tier for both descriptions of delicious food and also giving you enough characterization and plot to keep coming back for more even though it’s still a bit thin. A yummy read.

Cats of the Louvre

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By Taiyo Matsumoto. Released in Japan as “Louvre no Neko” by Shogakukan, serialized in the magazine Big Comic Original. Released in North America by Viz Media. Translated by Michael Arias.

In the beginning there was Rohan at the Louvre, a one-volume collection published by Musée du Louvre Editions in an effort to publicize the famous museum. It was written by Hirohiko Araki, the author of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and I believe also serialized in Ultra Jump. Then we get Guardians of the Louvre, by the late Jiro Taniguchi, author of The Walking Man (he gets a cameo signing said manga at the end of this volume, which made me tear up.) Both of these were published here by NBM Publishing. And now we have Cats of the Louvre, by Taiuyo Matsumoto, author of Tekkon Kinkreet and Sunny. Each of these volumes, despite all being about the Louvre Museum, have also been books you can pick up and immediately know who drew it. They are all very distinctive artists. And this applies whether we are seeing cats, humans, or the odd cat-human hybrids that Matsumoto decides to use through the story, a choice I was not a big fan of at first but grew to like. Best of all, the plot is terrific.

The cat on the cover is the main protagonist, Snowbebe, a small white kitten who has remained small and a kitten for about six years now. He’s one of many cats that live secretly in the museum, helped out by the night watchmen who know they’re there but don’t say anything. There’s also Cecile, a middle-aged Louvre tour guide who dislikes large crowds and is therefore not at peace with her job. She sees Snowbebe during one of her guided tours, but then he vanishes. Talking about it with the night watchmen, Patrick and Marcel, she is asked – as Marcel has asked everyone for the decades he’s worked there – if she can hear the voices of the paintings. Turns out there’s a very good reason for this question, which ties in with his sister, who also disappeared looking at a painting – but unlike Snowbebe, she did not return. Can the cat really walk through paintings, and if so, which painting is the one Marcel’s sister went into?

This is the basic plot, but I’ve left out all the other cats who also inhabit the Louvre, many of whom have personalities of their own and one of whom is very unhappy with Snowbebe wandering through the museum and paintings when he pleases and getting them in trouble. Usually with a book like this you’d expect to empathize with Snowbebe’s innocent sense of wonder, but after a while you start to see the other cat’s point – it’s looking less like innocence and more like a refusal to grow up (you never age in paintings, which is why Snowbebe is still a kitten). I also liked the minor plotline with Cecile trying to find the correct painting Marcel remembered, and then trying to meet with her old teacher, who is restoring it – we hear that she was on the fast track to be a restorer as well, till her father died and she had to leave school. I do wonder if she might be enticed back to that side of the business, which seems far more her speed.

The plot and characters are very good, but I’d argue the art and mood of the book is the main reason to get it. Matsumoto’s quirky, “indie” art style fits the Louvre well, and there’s many times when I found myself having to go back and read the dialogue as I’d been concentrating too much on the images. This deluxe hardcover edition should be read by anyone who loves manga.

Also, the art opposite the title page has Snowbebe looking just like Kitten Kong from the Goodies, which I loved. Whole lotta cat…