Manga Madness Presents: The Sci Fi Parade.

Man has gone to the moon and returned. Even as I type out this statement a machine built on Earth trudges about on the surface of Mars. Doing our bidding, We live in the Space Age. But no...live is not the correct term. Not yet.

No, we crawl in the Space Age. In an era when Man's achievements and drive have finally unlocked the final frontier we still indulge ourselves in traditions and rituals that should have by all means been eradicated by now. War, poverty, greed still rule this world. Crushing humanity's dreams under its heel. We are two worlds now. One striving ever outwards, striving to attain humanity's place in the stars and then there is the other. The world created from the collective memories, fears and nightmares of two millenia of human conflict and misunderstanding. The anchored world. The world that shuns change, shuns novelty, shuns anything that might break the patterns and shatter the illusions of control. Which is a damn shame considering it is already 2012. And by Arthur C Clarke's schedule, we are way behind.

Mankind has been infatuated with Space for a long time. It was the pioneers of Science Fiction who first kindled the dreams of space travel in our hearts. Sci Fi as a genre exploded and solidified in the glory years of space exploration and has been on the wane since then. But it is the prediction of this humble reviewer of manga that Sci Fi is about to come back in a big way. After all like I said, its 2012 already. So in preparation of the resurgent wave of Science Fiction, I shall be presenting to you some absolutely not to be missed Manga set firmly in the realm of Science Fiction.

And we begin this awesome compilation with...

Planetes.

Ominous

Euro Comics: Freaks delight!

French comics inspired by the manga style have constantly impressed me in the past. Having a rich comic book tradition has created in the country a fertile ground for budding young artists who are emerging and presenting some very impressive work. I have already written about Dreamland another French comic in the manga style I really like. And here I am with another one for you.

This one, is the real deal.

Tada!

Freaks Squeele is Harry Potter given a shot of epinephrine.

Pages of Madness

Something wicked, this way comes.

Fair warning dear readers, this one is not for the faint of the heart. Content wise its really far out. And those of you who consider themselves Peter Pan fanboys might wanna give this a pass. But on the other hand, if you, like me, were drawn into the mythos of Peter Pan, yet could tell something was off in the story and are hooked to reading something twisted... Then boy do I have a story for you!
Wendy is an experimental manga from the get go. And it is for mature eyes only. Under-age readers you'd best wait a while.

Bambi and her Pink Gun

A page from out of pulp for a change.

I came across this manga recently and cursed the manifold fates that had kept me away from a gem such as this for so long. Bambi and her Pink Gun is almost not a manga. The artwork is distinctly un-manga-like and shifts closer to the Paul Pope style, the story is bizarre and erratic. Few explanations and fewer conclusions. But there is a chase to the manga, a pace inherent within these pages that drives along at breakneck speeds.

Crashing from one adventure straight through onward into the next, Bambi is a sixteen year old girl with devastating instincts and a bad attitude. She is out on a mission see, and no one is getting in the way.

Cyborg 009! No school like the old school!

Cyborg 009 is a name that should ring familiar to many manga/anime fans across the country. A long time ago, when I was considerably younger, I was enthralled by the anime for Cyborg 009 when it was aired on television. I was of course new to anime in general so many of the things that caught my eye were the standard anime styling and fluid action. But there was something to the story and the characters in this cartoon were surprisingly tragic for, you know, a cartoon.

Manga Must Reads : Welcome to the Celestial Zone.

Let us sit back for a moment and move away from our general trend of going after manga that are experimental in their scope or revolutionary in their design. Instead, let us choose something straight from the record book of the classic. Ladies and gentlemen for your reading pleasure, The Celestial Zone.

MONDAY MANGA: Blast from the Past!

The number of manga's with a black guy as a protagonist are few enough that they can be counted on your fingers. This is not due to any outward bias, in all probability a mangaka suffer from the same prejudices that mire the rest of us men. But those few manga heroes that do break the mold and venture through are bound by none of the tropes and stereotypes that bind and chain down the Hollywood black hero. Creating something unique and worthy of study. And most importantly, something that is all out bizarre fun.

The man with no name aint even a thang!

Men of Strategy

Not often will you come across comics of this style. Even in manga, this particular type of manga is rare. I have encountered very few of its ilk, and have greedily sought out other works which I might consider similar. The reason for my vagueness shall be made clear, for this style of manga that I am talking of is not really an existing genre. The artwork is unique, in its duplication of the real world. Not a manga of handsome heroes then. Come on, take a walk down any street. How many movie star beautiful people will you see out there?

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The Beautiful People...Beautiful people...aaaaAAA

Humans are many, and not all get to be pretty. The main protagonist of this manga looks a beggar monk. And not a handsome young man clad in a beggar monks clothes, no. An actual beggar monk. It deals with the warring states period in China's history. A time which is fascinating to me, it was the kind of conflict that breeds a lasting Empire. And it did. The story deals with the Qin (Pronounced Shin I think) Emperor, founder of the Qin dynasty. And it deals mostly with the time he was just another king amongst many. Ruler of the state of Qin. All the kingdoms of the time were at war with each other, competing for supremacy. However Qin revolutionized the war, and conquered one kingdom after the other.

Locust style

It deals with a fictional (Or possibly derived from folk tales) clan of martial artists/scholars. I say scholars cause thats pretty much what they are, some are scientists and yet deadly assassins, Inventors are also killers and the main protagonist is deadly in all arts of war, yet looks a Buddhist monk. These deadly skills however have been accrued for one reason only. To prevent war. They are the Clan of Bokk. And they have just agreed to aid the tiny city of Ryo from an invading army of the Zhao empire. The army sets up camp across the river from the city and begins to amass. With no standing army and only peasant conscripts to rely on, the King of Ryo is left clueless. The Bokk send one man to aid the city. Kakuri the Sage of War. But what can one man do against an entire army? Can sheer intellect and the power of strategy truly turn the tides in a war already lost? Well, you will have to read it to find out.

Click and be amazed. Also gasp, spoiler!!!

The arts style is monstrous in its detailing, reminding me in some panels of early Berserk. Some pages will simply hypnotize the reader with the level of detailing, as the mangaka strives to display war in all its glory. Nothing is spared to the imagination. Blood and gore, are clear and present although never used as a crutch. The storyline is topnotch and filled with quite a few twist and turn. And the manga itself runs short enough to be completely satisfying by the time it ends.

And I mean completely satisfied.

So indeed, lovers of stratagems and the many arts of war, brothers and sisters sworn to the Red God, manga lovers from all walks, and just anyone who likes comic books. Read Bokko, its a classic manga from start to finish. It will change some of your pre set notions about manga. History buffs will have gala time, and once you have read it. You will be searching for more manga of its type. Same ugly faces, realistic yet highly detailed art. Art you can get lost in, and a storyline that is tight and complete. You wont find many like it. Cause as I said before, its not really a genre. They are mostly historical, though some like in fantasy, others in horror. You will have to do some looking.

Who knows they might make a genre out of it soon.

Blame!Blame!Blame!

BLAME!

As in, the sound effect accompanied with the thought of a gun being fired off. Not blame. Today we go for an acknowledged classic. Tsutomu Nihei’s masterwork, Blame!. Although it ties into a whole lot of side stories and even a One shot or Two, I still like to consider the series itself as stand alone. Allows the story a lot of legroom, space to breathe. Leaves a whole lot of questions unanswered. And you know what? I kinda like it that way. Blame!, or Adventure seeker Killy in the Cyber Dungeon Quest if you prefer is a story told in stark monochromes. Not just in the color scheme. Which yes, indeed is monochrome.

The protagonist wakes up somewhere in an endless dungeon known only as 'The City'. Endless or at least so massive, so as to seem endless. A focus is granted to the story by means of a search, a quest if you may. Killy as our hero is known, is searching for someone. He has been searching for so long that perhaps he has even forgotten what it is he searches for. Yet he continues. His search is for Net Terminal Genes, a possibly extinct genetic marker that will allow humans access to the Netsphere again. In a world where most humanity has regressed to neo tribal structure his search is almost hopeless.

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This City itself is divided into compartments that are completely sealed from each other. These Megastructures house entire civilization remnants isolated from each other. The only weapon powerful enough to break through is Killy's Gravitational Beam Emitter, or the Gravity Gun as I like to call it. It is clear that the protagonist himself is not really human, being closer in fact to the Safeguard, the defense mechanism of the City itself who endlessly hunt Killy. The story is revealed at a breathtaking pace, the reader will surely be hooked until the final page is turned. For the story is made even more intriguing by the fact that it raises more questions with each answered one. The artwork is stark, high contrast is used to dizzying effect. Some of the panels are moving in their simplicity and directness. Others can strike a chord deep within by their subtle imagery. Either way you look at it, Blame! is a trip. It spirals at breakneck speed, sometimes even out of control but winds down to an exhilarating climax. One you will have to read yourself to find out.

Oh special mention is the level of sophistication provided by the mangaka to the Sci Fi world inhabited by Killy. From the weaponry, to the uber powerful Gravity Gun, to the all encompassing, all consuming AI, to the Netsphere to the very concept of Net Terminal Genes. Also many of the minor characters Killy meets along the way are well developed enough to be called major characters of the series in their own right. A feat only someone of Tsutomou Neihei could have accomplished. The Sci Fi world created here is rich and diverse and scarily believable. It is not hard to imagine a future existing as provided for in the manga. A bleak future to be sure, but a future all the same.

Manga Madness and the Big Cats.

Woah trippy. I hope this isnt yaoi.

Far away, across mists of time and space. Perhaps in a different world or simply in a different time there exists a land of golden Savannah. It is flanked by a dense forest, but its plains are vast and glow with the warmth of the sun. Proud are the lions who call this place their home. Humans and cats alike. Welcome to the Land of Lions, home to a proud warrior race. A lion is fierce and strong and defiant till the last, few can look a lion straight in the eye and hold its predator's gaze. Fewer still can walk away to tell the tale.

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I smell yaoi... -_-

Cassandra Jean's delightful fantasy webocomic/webmanga series caught my eye quite a while back actually. However on finding only three chapters available I simply filed it away as interesting in my memory and moved on. I recently rediscovered this gem and was greatly pleased to find stoic progress in the storyline. The story itself is the tale of the Knight Errant retold in the artist's own delightful mystical cloud. The lions are tall and strong, their hair golden and air proud. The Panthers who are their neighbors are dark haired with a thirst for knowledge. And surrounding these nations are other animal kingdoms. Gators and Crows, Oxes and Jackals and many more. The narrative follows Faris, First Knight of the Lions and his companions. They seek the Cup of the Gods to heal their king. Sound familiar?

Indeed good sirs and ladies it should. A tale of the round table is redrawn and reborn. However as I often say it is in the telling of tales that true magic lives. And in this telling Cassandra Jean excels. The neo tribal style and innate psychedelia of her art shines out, does wonders for the telling. Allowing for a vivid narrative with a deep flow. Although not proper manga this particular series is comic book brilliance and deserves to be recognized as such. You will be hooked, you will be wanting for more. And at the end of the day, that is what makes a true manga.

YAY no yaoi! (So far)

It is a combination of many things that make this comic worth your time. Its the tribal take on humanity's many conflicts, it is the simple tale of a Knight Errant made rich and complex by the sheer variety in characters possible. There are even Snails in the this land, short in stature and bad at fighting yet excellent at music. Inadvertently the mangaka has given birth to vast world limited only by the reader's imagination. For we know nothing of the Falcons or the Rhinos and the mysterious Tigers with their tattooed faces. We know nothing of the spirits that guide our heroes.

We know not what lies beyond the land of Crows? And we have yet to see the Ocean.

Oh and its not a scanlation, Land of Lions is a webcomic and is available in ebook format on Amazon.com. So those of us lacking a pirate's black hearted soul may rest easy. A great series, highly recommended to all Otakus. Land of Lions and everything else by Cassandra Jean, find it, read it, buy it.

The death and life of Anime Con 2011

From CALF Short Films

The second animation convention organized by The Japan Foundation was held at Marwah Studios, in the heart of Film City, Noida. Of course, where this is anime aplenty and the promise of manga and much more, Comic Addicts were bound to be present in force. 

My initial taste of the Anime-Con felt bitter, for I was expecting a slightly better infrastructure to be in place. Events were even as I arrived getting delayed and pushed back. The events that were occurring seemed to be competing for an audience that was mostly disinterested. I suppose the venue being in Noida took away a chunk of the anime fans from far parts of Delhi and Gurgaon. Add to that the rainy weather and it is understandable if many of the diehards chose to stay in.

Not.

Why are they still calling themselves diehards? An anime con touches down in your city, and you miss out on it? Poor form Otaku-wannabes. Poor form indeed! Genshiken a recently founded anime appreciation club was present, nice to see. Although the much publicized Gaming Arena was a damp squib, with one console, one TV and a perpetual line coiled around it. The workshops were useful, however imparting knowledge at a festival has always put me off. I want anime and manga around me and I want it in the bucket loads. Where is the cosplay? Where are the comics? Where is everybody? My spirits by this time were sinking fast. They sunk further when the hyper expensive bento available at the Ai cafe proved to be another disappointment.

Relenting to the energy that seemed nearly palpable in the very air around us, I too was about to write off Anime Con as a badly mashed together festival sorely lacking in its target audience, all in all a poor excuse for me making the two hour trip from Gurgaon to Noida. However at that moment something caught my eye,

Mon... Err.. Tuesday Manga Madness: The Bare Neccesities III

Lets talk about Akira.

It was once upon a time (quite a while ago) when I was going through the inexhaustible information that is the internet, that I came across a particular poster. It was not something out of this world. Looked like a standard Sci-fi poster to me. But something about it caught my eye. Perhaps it was the slick looking bike that instantly attracted my vision, or perhaps it was the mysterious Capsule logo on the back of the protagonists jacket. Or maybe was it the cracked road underneath hinting possibly at an apocalypse.

The iconic poster

Either way I did what any sensible anime fan would do upon encountering such a poster - devote my meager resources to hunting down and watching the movie. Needless to say, my mind was blown.

Monday Manga Madness: The Bare Neccesities - II

All hail the Samurai, for his sword is swift and true. Countless tales have been written about the precision of the way of the sword. Countless romantic sagas, recording the brave deeds and the ideals of the Samurai. Tales abound of Bushido, the warrior's way. The code of conduct and chivalry by which ancient Japanese swordsmen lived, and died. But they are all tales, stories, fables...untrue.

Pick up any one of them, give it a long hard stare with a questioning eye and you will see it as a story and little more. Fitting and perhaps even grand to read, but in no way possible in the realities of life. And then there is Shigurui. Literal meaning Death throes. This aptly titled manga is truly one of the most underrated works out there. Not many know of it, even amongst those who do know of it, not many have managed to finish it. It takes a strong stomach to read through this manga. Surely not for the faint of heart.

Delinquint Soul Part 2

(Continued from part 1)



Beezlebub

Beezlebub is a delinquent manga with a twist. Oga, the brutishly strong student of a high school is one day trapped into making a contract with Beel. Beel being a baby demon, and the son of the King of Demons. Oga now has to look after Beel, and keep him safe until he grows up. At which point he will destroy the world.

Quite the twist isnt it?

However despite the apparently morbid tone of affairs this manga is nothing but a laugh riot. From chapter one it is clear that this is a comedy manga. And boy does it deliver. I found myself giggling nearly constantly as I read through chapter after chapter in my quest to find out for myself, what happened next to Oga on his adventures. The characters are not too deep, but then depth is not something you would want out this manga. They sure as hell are funny, newer stronger challenges are introduced to Oga who grows of course at typical shonen pace. Ranging from tough delinquents who wish to take a swipe at Oga's growing reputation, to Demons come out from hell wishing to take down the Baby Beel before he can fully mature.

All through Oga protects his ward and finds out that there might be benefits to allying himself with the prince of demons after all. Drawing on Beel's powers Oga can amplify his strength to even greater levels allowing him to wreak havoc and destruction to any foolish or unfortunate enough to get in his way.

A laugh riot with a magical twist. Delinquents and demons and a baby for good measure. This one is a must grab.

Further reading

Cromartie High School, a manga that essentially is a gag manga on Delinquency. It makes fun of the concept with an intensity that is hard to match. The protagonist an honor student forced to enroll in a high school famous for its delinquents adapts to life around him in a series of hilarious adventures.



Kyou Kara Ore Wa!

The title of the manga translates to “From today on, its my turn”. And that’s exactly what the manga is. Two students moving into a new town and a new school, greatly impressed by manga and stories of Banchos and Delinquents decide to become the greatest delinquents ever in their lives. From today onwards of course. Hoping to get an image that matches their heart's desires they both head to a barber to get some badass hairstyles. And that is how the saga of Itou and Mitsuhashi of Nan High begins. They meet at the barber shop, then again at school in class. And from there their wild adventures takes them off to dizzying heights. For despite the fact that neither of them knew a thing about being delinquents they were both naturally strong fighters. So when push actually comes to shove, they find out that on teaming up they are nigh unbeatable.

An uneasy friendship develops between the honorable Itou and the devilishly evil Mitsuhashi. And the two of them carve out a reputation for themselves in the entire town. Of course not before they have their fair share of pain, heartbreaks and challenges. When I found Beezlebub I was greatly amused and thought it would be hard for a comedy manga to top this. But Kyou Kara Ore Wa! Is exactly that. A manga so good at its core that it will have you hooked from the first chapter. It is a laughter bonanza. You will be laughing so hard that your stomach will hurt. With Mitsuhashi, the Devil contributing to most of the laughs. The characterization in this manga is surprisingly rich with an elegant balance between the comedy and the drama. Of course at its heart it is a comedy manga and that should not be forgotten. The art might turn off a few people but trust me on this, the art is not this series high point. Its the story and the never-ending laughs. This is a not a manga you ought to miss.

Or Lord Mitsuhashi is gonna get you.

Further reading

Angel Densetsu, the tragic tale of Seichirou Kitano born with the scariest face imaginable but a golden heart. A comedy manga that traces Kitano's attempts at becoming recognized by his fellow students as an equal and the hilarious ways in which they get freaked out by his every effort to approach them.

So as you can see, there is a lot of manga to be read. A lot of stories to be heard, a lot of art to be seen. So what are you still doing here?

Time's a wasting.