Story of Saiunkoku Volume 7

May 6, 2012 by 2 Comments

Story of Saiunkoku Volume 7 by Sai Yukino and Kairi Yura

One of the things that struck me while reading this latest volume of Story of Saiunkoku is how skilled the creators of this manga are at ratcheting up the dramatic tension. A long storyline centered on the travails and hazing of new bureaucrats in a historic fantasy country resembling China doesn’t seem like it would be a great setting for swashbuckling action and extremes of emotion, but that’s one of the things that Story of Saiunkoku does so well. Shurei and Eigetsu continue to suffer a workload that goes way beyond the norm for new civil servants in their positions, as they are singled out for being female and young respectively. Their uncomplaining attitude towards their unfair situation is beginning to win them allies, as some of their colleagues admit that having female civil servants around might be a good thing, and one of their fellow rookies even takes time out of his own schedule to help them out. I knew that something crazy was going to happen by the end of the volume when I saw that Shurei’s surrogate mother/brothel owner/crimeboss Kocho acting docile and subservient to an official that had targeted Shurei. I knew that Kocho was going to act in Shurei’s best interests and force a confrontation, and that’s what ended up happening.

One of the nice things about Story of Saiunkoku is that each volume seems to be able to cram in an incredible amount of intrigue and personal development in each volume. With such a large cast, it is impossible for every character to be featured in each volume, but the manga does take the time to focus on character development. I was happy to see that uptight directionally challenged Koyu got his chance in the spotlight in this volume, as he wonders exactly what his place is in his adopted family of the Hong clan. He struggles a bit to understand the attitude of his adopted father (Shurei’s uncle) but then realizes exactly how much he is valued and cared for.

There were plenty of great moments in this volume. Kocho was heroic as only a crime boss/madam can be. Eigetsu’s drunken violent alter ego Yogetsu came out to smack down his and Shurei’s enemies. Shurei and the Emperor Ryuki had a great scene towards the end of the volume where she commented to him that he used her as bait to draw out some hidden plots and said “Thank you for treating me as an official in your government.” Sometimes after a series gets past the five volume mark, I start to experience a bit of fatigue if the story isn’t truly engaging. That’s never a problem with Story of Saiunkoku, which always seems to balance just the right amounts of humor, excitement, and character growth in each volume.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Basara Volumes 11 and 12 by Yumi Tamura

April 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

Getting back into my great reread of Basara, I’m going to tackle Volumes 11 and 12, where Sarasa finds herself in a very unpleasant prison in Hokkaido. When she discovers Hayato’s ship abandoned with curse markings that include splashed blood and voodoo dolls, she’s dismayed that he’s gone missing. Her concern for Hayato is taken over with her excitement when she discovers that the Red King is still alive “So I can kill him…with my own two hands!” Sarasa promptly decides to visit the Kazuno people who kidnapped her friend, hoping to get him back and recruit more allies she can use in her battle against the Red King. The Kazuno have an elaborate set of traps which Sarasa wins through with her usual resilience and personal integrity, but it isn’t enough to prevent her from being thrown into a horrible prison with Ageha and Asagi. One of the prison guards looks suspiciously like Shuri, and it turns out that the self proclaimed “King of the Northern Seas” aka “Wind Owl” is Shuri’s cousin.

When Ageha is away from Sarasa being secretive and snarky it is easy to forget just how much he cares for Sarasa and his role as Tatara. As soon as they wind up in prison he makes protecting Sarasa’s secret his first priority, offering up his body as a distraction so no one will suspect that Tatara is a girl. Sarasa is overcome with emotion at Ageha’s sacrifice and wonders if there’s anything she can do to make things better. Ageha tells her that he knew she was the child of destiny the first time he saw her in the desert, and if she can focus on rebuilding their country he’ll be happy. Even Asagi is now on watch to protect Sarasa in prison, but when she’s used as a canary in a prison mine, she’s taken away by the “King of the Northern Seas.” Seeing Sarasa and Ageha endure a horrible situation together after being parted for so long showed the strength of their relationship, and as horrible as Asagi would like to think he is, he’s gradually being changed just by being exposed to Tatara as well.

It is PRISON BREAK TIME in Volume 12! One of the ways that Tamura is such a pro in the way she presents this sprawling adventure with a large cast is that each character gets a moment that provides some insight into their personality, motivations, or relationships. When Shuri’s cousin discovers that Tatara is a woman, he immediately starts groping her, leading her to reflect that the terror she’s experiencing “reminds me of all the terror that women go through…reminds me that I’m a woman…even while I’m trying to live as a man!” Ageha rescues her, but not before they’re doused with icy water, and Sarasa takes care of him tenderly. Sarasa is beginning to wonder if Shuri is the Red King after her encounter with Wind Owl, but the ever sneaky Asagi assures her that they look nothing alike. Sarasa manages to find Hayato, and he undergoes his own trial as he fights against the drugs he’s been dosed with to warn Sarasa about the dangers that lie ahead in the prison. Asagi spends most of his time in prison commenting about how much he dislikes the events he’s experienced. One of my favorite moments occurred when Sarasa was distracted after learning the histories of the prison guards. She’s distracted and lost in her own thoughts, so Ageha promptly sweeps her off her feet and gives her a dramatic kiss before asking her what she needs as a leader. As always it is a combination of Sarasa’s confidence and insight and the help of her friends that lead her out of the prison. Old Kaku turns out to have been the only successful escapee from the prison, and he, Nakajin, and Asagi’s spy Muratake work to help as well. After the political intrigue and tropical idyll everyone experienced in Okinawa, the prison in the North provides a great contrast to the earlier story arc. This volume ends on a cliffhanger (literally) and I haven’t read these middle volumes of Basara recently at all, so I’m eagerly looking forward to the next volume!

Kimi Ni Todoke Volumes 12 and 13

April 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

I’m very fond of this series, but I tend to read it in patches. It is the 12th volume and Sawako and Kazehaya are only just to the stage of awkward hand-holding and meeting each other’s family! No one could accuse Kimi Ni Todoke of moving too fast, but there’s something about the slow development of this awkward romance that is very endearing. School is out for the summer, and Sawako isn’t entirely sure how she’s supposed to get in touch with Kazehaya because as she confesses to her girlfriends Chizu and Ayane “In general, I don’t know what to do in a relationship.” They point out to her that if she’s in a relationship it would be normal for them to spend time with each other, hold hands, and kiss, leaving Sawako instantly overwhelmed. She just cannot process the idea of actually having a boyfriend. Kazehaya and Sawako do homework together for their summer classes. Later, they walk out together and there is an scene showing the shadow of Sawako’s hand reaching out towards Kazehaya, capturing the agony of making the first move. Kazehaya accidentally jostles her and then takes her hand, and as they are walking together as boyfriend and girlfriend, they run into Sawako’s mother. What follows is a simultaneously awkward and adorable round of introductions, as the new couple takes turns giving Sawako’s Mom all the details about Kazehaya and their relationship. They end up going to Sawako’s house for dinner and her father’s reaction to Kazehaya’s presence is a blank rictus of shock, made more comical by the way his glasses go completely white. Kimi Ni Todoke is really great at capturing all these embarrassing moments of teenagerhood while telling a very sweet story. Sawako’s parents welcome Kazekaya because they see how happy she’s become recently. The next story in this volume gives some great background on Ayane and Chizu’s friendship, as it shows how they became unlikely best friends.

As summer vacation progresses, it is Sawako’s turn to meet Kazehaya’s family. It is fun to see how excited she is. Kazehaya and his mom have the type of relationship where they mock apologize for each other as soon as they have an audience. Sawako is excited to see Kazehaya’s little brother and when she meets Kazehaya’s father she is overcome with the thought of seeing “Kazehaya-kun in the future!” Kazehaya’s sporty dad quizzes Sawako on her eating and exercise habits, makes the pronouncement that she needs to eat more and gruffly insists that she eat his favorite ice cream. Other notable episodes in this book include Chizu’s massive arm wrestling competition on the beach, and the beginning of the obligatory in most shoujo manga school trip chapters. Overall dipping back into this series reminded me of the things that Kimi Ni Todoke always seems to do right – sympathetic but quirky characters going thorough first love with plenty of awkwardness and funny moments.

Review copies provided by the publisher

Dengeki Daisy Volume 9

April 5, 2012 by 1 Comment

Dengeki Daisy Volume 9 by Kyousuke Motomi

This volume marks a turning point in this series. Orphaned high school student Teru and hacker/janitor Kurosaki have been defining their relationship by dancing around the truth. At first, he hid the fact that he was Daisy, Teru’s confident and protector that was reachable by cell phone. Then, Teru found out Daisy’s identity and proceeded to pretend that she was still ignorant. Then Kurosaki knew that Teru knew who he was, but he wasn’t going to tell her that he knew she knew. Teru found out the details of Kuosaki’s past and the burden of his guilt, and he promptly took off, thinking that he was protecting her by avoiding her. In this volume, they finally have a conversation with each other with no secrets or pretense designed to protect each other from the emotions they are both feeling, and the payoff is big for the readers. Of course, they don’t get to this confrontation without some drama and slightly twisted antics.

Teru is determined to track Kurosaki down. She hears all about his past from his colleagues and comes up with a devious plan. She’s going to tell Kurosaki that she’s going to meet the evil hacker Akira in order to discover his location. She knows that if Kurosaki thinks she’s threatened, he will come to save her. Kurosaki meets her at a beach and when he realizes that she’s tricked him he turns around to walk away. Teru keeps him around by making him angry. She starts reading Daisy’s most mushy messages, goading Kurosaki into a confrontation. They finally hash things out and talk, without all the secrets that have been serving as emotional armor. Teru shows herself to be much wiser than her years in the way she deals with Kurosaki. She knows that his guilt is so overwhelming that he wouldn’t be comforted if she tells him that she forgives him, so instead she tells him “thank you.”

So many shoujo series end up spinning out a central conflict between a romantic couple for many volumes, where not much really happens in terms of character growth until the very end. At nine volumes Dengeki Daisy isn’t a short series any more, but it feels like the characters are genuinely changing and moving forward in a way that makes this series seem fresh. Not only does the relationship between Teru and Kurosaki change slightly after their conversation on the beach, they are shown dealing with the aftermath in various ways. Teru doesn’t want to give up her texting relationship with Daisy, but Kurosaki can’t keep playing the role anymore. They have to carve out new ways of communicating with each other, but it seems like they are moving forward with a stronger foundation. Of course, there’s plenty of evil corporate spy antics going on in the background to keep things exciting. This was a very satisfying volume of Dengeki Daisy, and this series continues to be one of my current favorites.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

A Devil and Her Love Song Volume 2

April 2, 2012 by 1 Comment

I enjoyed the first volume of A Devil and Her Love Song, and was curious to see if the next volume lived up to the potential of the first one. Though there were some rough spots, I found myself still intrigued by this new shoujo manga.

Maria and Yusuke go to visit their classmate Tomoyo, who has been staying home from school. I was amused to see that Tomoyo, who goes out of her way to be bland and agreeable to everyone at school, is actually a closet goth. They just stay for a visit and don’t confront Tomoyo about her coming back to school, but Maria forces the issue when she shows up at Tomoyo’s house then next morning. She goads Tomoyo into saying what she really feels, then comments “That angry look isn’t flattering on you…but it isn’t half bad.” When Tomoyo goes back to school she finally speaks out and defends Maria against the group of popular girls who have been bullying her. Shin stops Maria from reacting when the situation in the classroom gets out of hand and Yusuke goes to confront their teacher about his hypocritical ways. Instead, the teacher decides to set Maria up as a scapegoat to cover for his lack of discipline in the classroom. He decides that Maria will be leading the class choral performance, and she has to scramble to put something together when she’s ostracized by her classmates. Yusuke is singled out as an ally of Maria’s and he says that he likes her in front of the class. Maria isn’t sure if he genuinely likes her, or if he’s trying to protect her. She pushes him away, telling him that if he defends her “it’s suffocating.”

Maria attempts to pull together a choral performance despite the fact that the entire class isn’t cooperating. It is fun to see the random friendship that she’s developed with Tomoyo, as they always seem to wind up in a corner of the school discussing the day’s events. Yusuke hovers around, determined to help. Yusuke drags Shin into the choral performance too, since he can play the piano. The class grows more and more tense, provoking even more of a confrontation between Maria’s allies and the classmates who have decided to hate her. Maria’s habit of blurting out whatever she’s thinking forces all of these conflicts into the open. Someone more socialized might put their head down and attempt to ignore everything, but Maria comments on what everybody is doing, making everyone confront their behavior and reactions. Things are getting pretty bad at school, so it is easy to see why Maria’s gotten kicked out of school so many times before. But the small core group of friends that she’s developing is something new for her, and she’s actually trying to engage with other people in a way she doesn’t quite seem capable of. This series continues to be very promising, I’m just hoping that there is more Shin in the next volume, since this one was more centered on Maria and Yusuke.

Review copy provided by the publisher

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