I already mentioned that I had the most uncomfortable viewing experience for Weathering with You but I possibly had the most “authentic” viewing experience for Lelouch of the Re;surrection. I say “authentic” because it was sort of the worst seats in the house but there were be no set up that could be envisioned as more Code Geass that I could think of. First of all the music in the room was just a tad too loud. They raised the volume to counteract a potentially noisy crowd but it mostly only made the crowd louder to compensate. To the right of me was a vaping CC who pretty much smoked her little device the whole movie. Behind me were a row of rowdy fujoshi. They had seen the movie before (a fact they mentioned several times) so they mostly just shouted various comments at the screen with an emphasis on anything hot or to do with their fan fiction. It was not full MST3K but it was a fairly wordy unwanted commentary track.

Overall I still experienced the movie fairly well it just was probably the best encapsulation of the Code Geass fandom in a single solitary moment. If anything I probably would have enjoyed a little more had they not been there but such is sometimes the price of going to a live screening.

By the way, there are going to be some MAJOR spoilers for the Code Geass and the compilation movies but truth be told you should not have anything to do with this movie if you have not seen those.

It has been a year since the death of Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia. The world has mostly moved on except for C.C. who wanders the earth with the empty husk of Lelouch. But on a goodwill visit, Nunnally is kidnapped by some new Geass users who have sinister plans for her. Key members of the old gang try to save her but they might need a tactical genius to pull this off. It seems like a little thing like even death won’t stop Lelouch from trying to protect his little sister.

Before we begin it is very important to note that this movie assumes you have seen the Code Geass compilation movies. The movies make a bunch of minor and major changes including saving a major character that died in the original. They also don’t make a note of it so it may be jarring to see this person walking around without comment if you have only seen the TV series. Truth be told the character does not do that much in the film but it still is worth noting.

I am distinctly of two minds about this movie. Overall as some popcorn-munching action movie fun, I think Lelouch of the Re;surrection is fairly enjoyable and surprisingly captures a lot of the appeal of the original TV series. That said this movie is immensely unnecessary and I would even argue dulls some of the power the ending that the TV series had. Code Geass as a whole was a mess but its ending was bold and possibly one of its best parts. This movie feels like a Your Mileage May Vary sort of addition. One thing you cannot argue about it it was filled with fan service of all stripes.

Code Geass is a show where Kallen’s ass and Suzaku’s bare chest are on the screen enough to practically get their own listing in the cast. That sort of fanservice should not be a surprise. It is pretty much a hallmark of the series. But there is also clearly a lot of the more subtle sorts of fan service as well. They throw in a bunch of characters just so the audience can cheer even if they don’t do much in the end. There are also some scenes whose entire purpose is not to move the plot forward but to be a bit of pandering to various fandoms. None of it utterly derails the movie but it does feel like the main purpose of the movie in the end.

And that is the main thrust of the post in the end. When it all comes down to it the purpose of this movie is not properly wrap up the original story, or expand the universe, or correct mistakes of the show. This is just an attempt to give the people what they want. It just does so in a rather base way. It all just has a very junk food feeling of pandering. It tastes sweet but it is ultimately empty calories.

As acid-tongued as that statement was I did enjoy the movie for what it was. It feels very authentic to the original series. The new villains have some cool powers that take some decent strategy to defeat. Code Geass has always been this series that is far smarter than pure mindless action but overall not quite actually a smart show. It is smarter than it needs to be without requiring too much mental processing. As long as you realize that it is a fun show. Even the way they bring back Lelouch feels like it works in the context of the universe.

The problem, in the end, is it all just seems to be more effort than it is worth to continue a story that probably ended at just the right place the first time. I had a decent time watching the movie and if anyone said they enjoyed or even really liked the movie I get it. The problem for me is that in reflection it seemed to devalue the original ending even though is doing a fairly competent job overall. I’m not one of those people who thinks a misbegotten sequel ruins the original. I can separate those things in my mind. This is why I still love Eureka Seven despite AO being a sin against man and god. I just realize that they are some people who need to be warned about such things because it will ruin both the new and the old in one fell swoop.

So should you watch Lelouch of the Re;surrection? The question is do you think the series ended perfectly? If your answer is yes then you might want to avoid this at all costs. Otherwise, it is fairly well-executed if utterly empty. If the original series was a Twinkie: tasty but devoid of any real nutrition than the movie is deep-fried Twinkie. It doubles down on all of that. So the real question is does that sound tasty or utterly disgusting?

Yoshiyuki Tomino is a treasure. More precisely he might be one of those cursed treasures whose tremendous powers come at a terrible cost but in the anime industry that is just being extremely on-brand. The clearest example of the demon sword that Tomino has become is his last TV series Gundam Reconguista in G. I know it is slightly controversial to say but there are some cool things about the show. It has some amazing mecha designs, memorable characters, interesting setting concepts, and even some engaging and clever themes. But I also have to say that Gundam Reconguista in G is a hot mess. The characters go through unexplained Tomino mood swings and allegiance changes on the drop of a hat, the world-building is random and spotty to the point where it seems deliberately obtuse, the pacing could generously be called messy, and it always feels like it is the first draft of something that need three more drafts to be functional. It has distinctly earned its reputation despite having some really good points in its favor. I enjoyed it but it is undoubtedly the durian of the Gundam series.

So with any of these Gundam compilation movies, there is always a faint glimmer of hope that this could be the second draft to clean up a messy TV series. The original Gundam movies did a lot to streamline the somewhat messy and bloated TV series. Past that point, the compilation movies are a mixed bag with far too many of them feeling like a sloppy clip show more than a properly curated affair. The problem is usually they just show the best parts of the TV series without any of the proper connective tissue to have any of it make sense. They often wind up chopping out the important little parts without trimming enough of the filler fat.

The thing is Gundam Reconguista in G feels like a series that MIGHT be saved with some proper editing. There are a whole bunch of somewhat useless storylines that could be trimmed or remixed into something far more viable while adding in some new informative scenes to flesh out things that seemed to come out of nowhere. Assuming this would happen is utter foolishness but this series would also benefit much more than others so it seemed like something to check out just in case.

So all that in the first half said it is still a bit hard to see how much Gundam Reconguista in G can do to improve on the original TV series. There are distinct improvements made on the original TV series. So you can see where effort is being made to clean up a series than needed some spit and polish. On the other hand, some of the unstructured parts of the story are still in there without any real improvement. Also, the opening few episodes move along rather quickly. It is the later meandering middle episodes that need the most work and editing. That would be the true litmus test of how much of an improvement these movies will turn out to be.

The biggest help without a doubt is just these little cuts where people have a Newtype moment and you hear what they are thinking. In most series, it could be easily criticized as being a lazy case of telling and not showing what characters are thinking. There is a fairly strong case for that still being true but considering how often the characters in the show have extremely muddled motivations this feels like a godsend. Bellri most of all is greatly improved by just having a little insight into what he is thinking. His actions towards Aida and his staying on the Megafauna make MUCH more sense with just a little insight into his thought processes. It makes clear a lot that has to be picked up by inference and knowing how Tomnio logic works otherwise.

That said there is still a good deal of terminology, politics, and history that is either said in passing conversation, obliquely, or with side material that continues to go without any real explanation. Kuntala are still an unexplained term, the politics of the Regild Century are often only decipherable with a wiki, and some plot points are extremely subtle and other times just plain sloppy. I get the difference between the Capital Army and the Capital Guard but it would be far too easy to mistake the two or not realize the importance of the division. Also when Cumpa Rusita lets the gang go and run off in the G-Self it is supposed to be obvious that he is doing this as part of a calculated sinister political move. The problem is before this point so many officials let Bellri, Aida, and friends run around without restraint it is easy to assume this is another case of an adult just refusing to take responsibility for them. Some improved editing might have been able to make this fact a little clearer.

I have to say it was AMAZINGLY odd that they used the original opening for the movie. I love “Blazing” by Garnidelia but that opening animation looks like a place holder opening that you use until you can get the real opening done. If they felt a need to have an opening then this would have been the perfect time to put a nice bit of original animation in the movie. I know they try to make these compilation movies on the cheap but it feels like another major missed opportunity.

Also if they could just take out that whole part where Bellri kills Dellensen it would be extremely useful. It weirdly makes Bellri seem psychopathic and is swept under the rug later on in a way that makes it all pointless. If Tomino is looking to do some trimming he should start there.

Does this movie turn straw into gold? No. It would take some real miracle work to fix Gundam Reconguista in G. Could it redeem the show in the eyes of anyone who hated the original TV series? Nope. The fixes are not anywhere near enough. The only real audience for this movie is for people who found there was something worth digging for in the original and maybe just want a little help finding some of the hidden treasures buried within. Still, I feel the next two films of the five will be very telling if any of this is worth anything. That is the part of the story that needs the most work and could benefit the most from a smart bit of editing.

The crazy Tomino and I can wait to see the next movie and everyone else can just spend their time a little more productively with the rest of the Gundam franchise if they so choose.

The Rose of Versailles (ベルサイユのばら)
by Riyoko Ikeda

July 2015 will probably be remembered as the summer when anime and manga dreams came true. Sort of. The month before has been the E3 where the The Last Guardian was saved, Final Fantasy VII got a remake, and Shenmue III was going to get made via a kickstarter. The Anime Expo 2015 did the same thing for the otaku community. While the impossible dream of getting the Legend of the Galactic Heroes anime and novels would normally be enough to make the announcements go into the realm of the fantastic the manga lineup was no slouch. The most surprising news was probably the fact that Udon was going to release the original The Rose of Versailles manga from the 70s.

The Rose of Versailles was always one of those manga that everyone asked for but never really expected. When the Right Stuf licensed the anime the reaction (beyond being slack-jawed) usually was, “It would be nice if we could also get the manga but this is more than good enough.” So when Udon of all people unveiled their little SDCC it made a mad sort sense given the events that had occurred in the last few weeks. I don’t think a year and a half ago most people who have guessed:

A. Anyone would license such an old shojo manga.
B. Anyone could get such a tricky prestigious shojo manga.
C. That it would have ever been from someone like Udon.

That summer of 2015 was interesting as most of the titles I mentioned had some major hiccup that changed the way people saw that string of miracles. The Last Guardian was sort of good but it sort of got overwhelmed by expectations thanks to years of dreams so it mostly exists in this limbo state between a dream come true and an utter disappointment. Shenmue III got really bad reviews but everything I have heard seems to say that it deserved every thumbs down it got. Final Fantasy VII has taken a long time to come out and since it is now being released in parts it has yet to be seen how the final product will be especially since there have been some major changes in the first part. It seemed like everyone of those wishes was made on a monkey’s paw. Not every wish ended in disaster but no one really got exactly what they wanted.

The Rose of Versailles manga seemed to have been a wish made on the same cursed monkey’s paw. As delayed as the Final Fantasy VII remake was at least there was occasional news updates even if they were few and far between. Udon seemed to just license The Rose of Versailles and then completely forget about the series. The was some speculation that Udon had just bit off more than they could chew and the license and they were just waiting for the license to lapse. But then beyond all odd Udon actually released the manga and it was in a super amazing premium format that lived up to most expectations and often exceeded them.  It was a long wait but it was very much worth it.

Marie Antoinette has just been wed to Louis XVI. While she has a certain amount of glamour around her she also has a good deal of enemies in France as well. So she is assigned a bodyguard named Oscar François de Jarjeyes. Oscar turns out to be a most unusual woman. Born a woman but raised like a man by her father she reluctantly becomes the steward for the naive young princess. As the focus of the story shifts towards Oscar she begins to see how the class struggle in France that is poised to lead towards a very bloody revolution.

The Rose of Versailles is one of the foundations of shojo manga and manga as a whole. Every member of CLAMP said that the first manga they ever bought was either Candy Candy or The Rose of Versailles (and then they usually said the second series they bought was the other one.) It is a series that influenced a generation of manga artists and still influences people today. The fact that a series that is 43 years old can still regularly inspire people today should be reason enough to give it a look.

But it is more than just a historical footnote or a homework assignment for manga scholars. It is a tale of romance, adventure, action, romance, politics, and philosophy all in an exciting historical setting. Be it duels, courtly intrigue, deadly conspiracies, or bloody protests there is always something interesting going on in the power keg that in France on the razors edge before revolution. But at the same time it is a detailed character examination of several nobles, soldiers, and peasants whose lives are interlocked.

Oscar can sell the series just on her own. She is an icon for a reason. She is a tremulously courageous woman who fights, plans, and loves on an epic level. Oscar is pretty much a near perfect blueprint of how to write a fanatic female character. But she is not a perfect character filled with nothing but virtues disguised as flaws. She has realistic moments of weakness, arrogance, ignorance, and temptation. In other words a full character.

Plus you can see Duc d’Orléans, one of the most dastardly villains in all of manga. That and his sidekick, Duke Evil Mustache.

In many ways the anime is a slightly tighter version of the manga. The manga really starts as Marie Antoinette ‘s story but when Oscar was so wildly successful they made the bodyguard the central character. If you just watched the anime you would have assumed that Oscar is the main protagonists from the beginning. Apparently Riyoko Ikeda really loved the character of Rosalie Lamorlière and was going to have her be a central character. The readers of the original manga did not share this sentiment and she is mostly shuffled off into a minor role. The anime makes this transition happen a bit more fluidly. These might seem like reasons not to read the manga but I really fascinating to see the story in its raw form.

The Rose of Versailles is a vital classic that is a very important key to understanding manga history as well as just a moving historical epic. Plus if this does well we might be able to get more classic shojo as well. And that would be perfect.

– Alain

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Blue Period (ブルーピリオド)
by Tsubasa Yamaguchi

Late in high school, Yatora Yaguchi finds a passion for painting that puts him on a new, and sometimes arduous, path as he strives to develop his art skills and pursues admission for the prestigious (and affordable) Tokyo University of the Arts.

From the first volume, Blue Period tackles the myth of talent head on. When Yatora initially strikes up a conversation at art club with a senior he admires, she pushes back on her “being talented” and lays out all the ways in which she has worked and spent her free time for years to be able to create her vision. This moment is a catalyst for Yatora to get to the hard work of being an artist.

And work he does! Having little interest in art before, Yatora finds himself learning basic technique while simultaneously producing huge volumes of work just to keep pace with peers who have been at it for much longer. But being a novice isn’t necessarily a detriment, and those around him prove to be valuable resources, reasonably-harsh critics, and sometimes great inspiration.

Yatora at first struggles with getting his mother on board for art school, and throughout the series many characters deal with varying degrees of support. As Yatora goes to extra classes and his friend circle expands, he grows as an artist and learns to talk about his determination to pursue art seriously.

There’s also a fascinating (and if I was in high school in Japan, practical) look into how each of the major art colleges of Japan admit students, their costs, and what they prioritize. Plus, the series also starkly shows that it isn’t cheap to be an art student, even if your tuition is paid for: Art supplies are a killer. All of this arms Yatora with tools to know where he wants to go and how he is going to achieve it.

One of my favorite parts of each volume are the breakdowns of different art techniques. The lessons on composition really stand out to me as spot on. They’re so good that the reader could learn either to use the techniques in your work as an artist or to better discuss and “read” art as a viewer. These portions also serve to further distance the story from the myth of talent, as teachers in particular pull back the curtain to show how works of art are calculated, and not just created.

We are still early in Yatora’s journey as an artist and hopeful student, but Blue Period lovingly and accurately captures the creative energy and self-doubt that comes with being an artist, along with the realities of pursuing art as a path in life.

-Kate

Learn more!
Buy it!
The anime premieres Oct. 9 on Netflix!

Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

“You give yourself a little breathing room. But that breathing room is only the thinnest barrier between you and the dangerous maelstrom of reality.”

At the start of Our Dreams at Dusk, Tasuku is reeling from believing he has been outed as gay in his high school. As he stares over the edge of a guardrail, contemplating suicide, a mysterious incident distracts him and leads him to a meeting house of sorts. It’s there he finds a new group of people whose lives and stories bring him a new perspective on himself and the world.

The 4-book series goes on to explore various queer identities, the successes and struggles of Tasuku and those he meets, and the incredible power of finding a community.

The series also touts some abstract and thematic imagery highlighting emotions and moments. Although I was at first wondering if there was a supernatural or magical realism element to the story (and I imagine you might wonder the same after reading just the first chapter), I came to see it more as an artistic choice than a literal one.

One of my favorite pieces of this story is the age range of the characters who gather at the meeting house. It highlights how self-discovery and -acceptance can come at any age, and showed deep empathy for everyone on their own journeys without a roadmap or a right time to finish.

Our Dreams at Dusk is a coming-of-age story that is ageless. It is a beautifully drawn series about people coming together to support one another which manages to be hopeful without shying away from difficult conversations and the pain we all sometimes inflict or endure.

“Even if we get hurt, we have the power to stand up. When we hurt someone, we have the heart to reflect on that.”

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-Kate

Snow White with the Red Hair by Sorata Akiduki

Over the last year or so, I’ve been rediscovering my passion for Snow White with the Red Hair. Some of you may recall that I absolutely loved the anime and its cast. The manga extends far beyond the anime (and that’s saying something when, as of this writing, the English release is still about 10 books behind the Japanese).

Shirayuki is a self-possessed young woman who made a life for herself as a herbalist in the kingdom of Tanbarun. When she is ordered to become the concubine of the prince, Shirayuki instead decides to leave her home for the neighboring country of Clarines. In no time at all, she is working in the castle of Clarines as a court herbalist swiftly taking on new challenges, and falling in love with a very different prince than the one she left behind.

Despite the title, Snow with the Red Hair is not really a fairy-tale retelling, and the title is only vaguely related to the series’ initial meeting between the main cast. Beyond that, Snow White with the Red Hair becomes about the intertwined lives of Shirayuki and Prince Zen as they pursue their goals, grow as people and a couple, and the people, politics, and machinations of the kingdom around them.

Prince Zen is the second prince of Clarines and ripe to start taking on real responsibilities in the vast kingdom. Zen is down-to-earth, enjoys a little mischief, and chafes at the royal title but also wants to do what is right for the people of Clarines. In the mix is a lovable cast of side characters including the unflappable swordswoman Kiki, the earnest aide Mitsuhide, the aloof messenger Obi, the enigmatic first prince Izana, and the list goes on and on.

The love story at the center of Snow White with the Red Hair is incredibly satisfying and stands up to being a long series without adding in too much overwrought drama. Firstly, Shirayuki and Zen are quick to say they have feelings for the other and want to figure out what that means for them. Second, manga-ka Sorata Akiduki is masterful at creating swoony moments and slow builds. Third, Shirayuki and Zen have major stories outside of their romance that are just as interesting. (Fourth, possibly for me only, is that I am somehow able to 100% believe in Shirayuki and Zen’s love while simultaneously rooting for Obi.)

The story of Clarines goes further and becomes more grandiose than I would have imagined. Two years have passed in the series as of vol. 16 and so much has happened. Shirayuki and Zen have experienced adventures, setbacks, balls, political manipulation, victories, loss, friendship, separation, joy, doubt, love, and so much growth in their lives. Those around them have had similar trajectories and the world just keeps opening up further.

Snow White with the Red Hair boasts strong characters, heartfelt romance, a balance of drama and humor, and a well-crafted world to set it all in. Picking up the manga a few years after the anime has made me even more of a fan of Shirayuki, Zen, Obi and the rest of the gang, and I look forward to every volume to see where the story takes them next.

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-Kate

Blue Period (ブルーピリオド)
by Tsubasa Yamaguchi

Late in high school, Yatora Yaguchi finds a passion for painting that puts him on a new, and sometimes arduous, path as he strives to develop his art skills and pursues admission for the prestigious (and affordable) Tokyo University of the Arts.

From the first volume, Blue Period tackles the myth of talent head on. When Yatora initially strikes up a conversation at art club with a senior he admires, she pushes back on her “being talented” and lays out all the ways in which she has worked and spent her free time for years to be able to create her vision. This moment is a catalyst for Yatora to get to the hard work of being an artist.

And work he does! Having little interest in art before, Yatora finds himself learning basic technique while simultaneously producing huge volumes of work just to keep pace with peers who have been at it for much longer. But being a novice isn’t necessarily a detriment, and those around him prove to be valuable resources, reasonably-harsh critics, and sometimes great inspiration.

Yatora at first struggles with getting his mother on board for art school, and throughout the series many characters deal with varying degrees of support. As Yatora goes to extra classes and his friend circle expands, he grows as an artist and learns to talk about his determination to pursue art seriously.

There’s also a fascinating (and if I was in high school in Japan, practical) look into how each of the major art colleges of Japan admit students, their costs, and what they prioritize. Plus, the series also starkly shows that it isn’t cheap to be an art student, even if your tuition is paid for: Art supplies are a killer. All of this arms Yatora with tools to know where he wants to go and how he is going to achieve it.

One of my favorite parts of each volume are the breakdowns of different art techniques. The lessons on composition really stand out to me as spot on. They’re so good that the reader could learn either to use the techniques in your work as an artist or to better discuss and “read” art as a viewer. These portions also serve to further distance the story from the myth of talent, as teachers in particular pull back the curtain to show how works of art are calculated, and not just created.

We are still early in Yatora’s journey as an artist and hopeful student, but Blue Period lovingly and accurately captures the creative energy and self-doubt that comes with being an artist, along with the realities of pursuing art as a path in life.

-Kate

Learn more!
Buy it!
The anime premieres Oct. 9 on Netflix!

Our Dreams at Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani

“You give yourself a little breathing room. But that breathing room is only the thinnest barrier between you and the dangerous maelstrom of reality.”

At the start of Our Dreams at Dusk, Tasuku is reeling from believing he has been outed as gay in his high school. As he stares over the edge of a guardrail, contemplating suicide, a mysterious incident distracts him and leads him to a meeting house of sorts. It’s there he finds a new group of people whose lives and stories bring him a new perspective on himself and the world.

The 4-book series goes on to explore various queer identities, the successes and struggles of Tasuku and those he meets, and the incredible power of finding a community.

The series also touts some abstract and thematic imagery highlighting emotions and moments. Although I was at first wondering if there was a supernatural or magical realism element to the story (and I imagine you might wonder the same after reading just the first chapter), I came to see it more as an artistic choice than a literal one.

One of my favorite pieces of this story is the age range of the characters who gather at the meeting house. It highlights how self-discovery and -acceptance can come at any age, and showed deep empathy for everyone on their own journeys without a roadmap or a right time to finish.

Our Dreams at Dusk is a coming-of-age story that is ageless. It is a beautifully drawn series about people coming together to support one another which manages to be hopeful without shying away from difficult conversations and the pain we all sometimes inflict or endure.

“Even if we get hurt, we have the power to stand up. When we hurt someone, we have the heart to reflect on that.”

• Learn more!
• Get it!

-Kate

Snow White with the Red Hair by Sorata Akiduki

Over the last year or so, I’ve been rediscovering my passion for Snow White with the Red Hair. Some of you may recall that I absolutely loved the anime and its cast. The manga extends far beyond the anime (and that’s saying something when, as of this writing, the English release is still about 10 books behind the Japanese).

Shirayuki is a self-possessed young woman who made a life for herself as a herbalist in the kingdom of Tanbarun. When she is ordered to become the concubine of the prince, Shirayuki instead decides to leave her home for the neighboring country of Clarines. In no time at all, she is working in the castle of Clarines as a court herbalist swiftly taking on new challenges, and falling in love with a very different prince than the one she left behind.

Despite the title, Snow with the Red Hair is not really a fairy-tale retelling, and the title is only vaguely related to the series’ initial meeting between the main cast. Beyond that, Snow White with the Red Hair becomes about the intertwined lives of Shirayuki and Prince Zen as they pursue their goals, grow as people and a couple, and the people, politics, and machinations of the kingdom around them.

Prince Zen is the second prince of Clarines and ripe to start taking on real responsibilities in the vast kingdom. Zen is down-to-earth, enjoys a little mischief, and chafes at the royal title but also wants to do what is right for the people of Clarines. In the mix is a lovable cast of side characters including the unflappable swordswoman Kiki, the earnest aide Mitsuhide, the aloof messenger Obi, the enigmatic first prince Izana, and the list goes on and on.

The love story at the center of Snow White with the Red Hair is incredibly satisfying and stands up to being a long series without adding in too much overwrought drama. Firstly, Shirayuki and Zen are quick to say they have feelings for the other and want to figure out what that means for them. Second, manga-ka Sorata Akiduki is masterful at creating swoony moments and slow builds. Third, Shirayuki and Zen have major stories outside of their romance that are just as interesting. (Fourth, possibly for me only, is that I am somehow able to 100% believe in Shirayuki and Zen’s love while simultaneously rooting for Obi.)

The story of Clarines goes further and becomes more grandiose than I would have imagined. Two years have passed in the series as of vol. 16 and so much has happened. Shirayuki and Zen have experienced adventures, setbacks, balls, political manipulation, victories, loss, friendship, separation, joy, doubt, love, and so much growth in their lives. Those around them have had similar trajectories and the world just keeps opening up further.

Snow White with the Red Hair boasts strong characters, heartfelt romance, a balance of drama and humor, and a well-crafted world to set it all in. Picking up the manga a few years after the anime has made me even more of a fan of Shirayuki, Zen, Obi and the rest of the gang, and I look forward to every volume to see where the story takes them next.

• Free preview!
• Get it!
• Learn more!

-Kate

A special bonus episode. We’re sorry.

Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara

After nuclear disaster strikes, the world is recast as a place where water is a highly sought resource controlled by would-be rulers who use brutality and violence to reign over small oases and enslave those who can’t fight back. Across the devastated landscape, survival is uncertain, betrayal is routine, and the creed of the land is might makes right.

Kenshiro is justice in this savage, unjust world.

Kenshiro is the inheritor of the assassination martial art known as Hokuto Shinken and he unleashes its pressure points-based technique to swiftly kill those who prey on the innocent. Kenshiro is grieving the loss of his abducted fiance Yuria; he sees her in the many people trying to simply live their lives in the barren wasteland. Despite his often stoic nature, his tears flow and his anger flares often in service to those he protects. And as Kenshiro learns where his “brothers” of the Hokuto Shinken school reside, he follows a blood-soaked path to set the world right.

At this point, most fans of anime and manga have probably heard of Fist of the North Star through its killer opening or the various memes even if they haven’t actually watched or read the real thing. So why talk about it now? The editions VIZ is currently releasing—hardcover (physical release, I’m getting it digitally), gorgeous full-color and 2-color art pages included—are something I couldn’t have imagined licensed for U.S. release even five years ago. So this makes it a great time to read this classic to see how much influence it had on shonen and seinen manga like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Berserk, from the incredibly detailed art style to the fight sequences to the special techniques.

(Kate’s special disclaimer: Is Fist of the North Star for everyone? No. It is brutal, gory, glorifies killing, and depicts all woman as childlike and naive no matter their age. Clearly, I recognize these things about Fist of the North Star but I also find its pulpy, absurd story and characters compelling and compulsively readable.)

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-Kate

My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files by Natsumi Ito

It is no secret that I love a good detective, but My Dear Detective seems custom made with me in mind. Our titular detective turns out to be a slightly older woman in 1930s Japan with a bishonen assistant, so really was there any doubt I was going to be reading this?

Mitsuko is the first woman detective at the agency she works at. She faces competition and sexism from colleagues, clients, and the police but her boss supports her (after all she closes the most cases!) and believes they can change things for the better. When Mitsuko inadvertently solves a case with high-society university student Saku, he suddenly decides he wants to be her partner and become a detective himself.

Mitsuko and Saku have a good rapport; while she shows him the ropes and teaches technique, he pulls his weight being able to spot certain things thanks to his high-class background. The series questions a lot of gender norms and societal rules, weaving these topics into not only Mitsuko’s character and history but also through the cases and clients they meet.

The mysteries are starting to ramp up as the first volume ends and I’m excited to see how the story continues. It is wonderful to have a new chapter about a lady detective to look forward to each week!

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-Kate

The Men Who Created Gundam
by Hideki Ohwada, Hajime Yatate, and Yoshiyuki Tomino

The Men Who Created Gundam is a definitely 100% accurate, not exaggerated in any way, portrayal of the creation of Mobile Suit Gundam and its rise to cultural phenomenon.

Told through a series of vignettes, The Men Who Created Gundam gives us glimpses into the defining moments of Gundam’s beginning and takes us through the 1981 festival that kicked off the premiere of the 1st movie. Unsurprisingly, it was no mean feat to bring this series to life at the time. Yoshiyuki Tomino worked tirelessly to recruit first Yoshikazu Yashuhiko (who set the defining look for the series) and then many others whose desires to create something new, dark, dramatic, and beautiful aligned with his. All the while the cast and crew were dealing precariously with sponsors’ demands, money, health crises, and finite time. So turn back the clock to 1978 and get ready to learn just what a brilliant, manipulative, pervy, trash-talking, visionary Tomino is.

In addition to its hyperbolic depiction of Gundam’s history, the book includes non-fiction prose sections which delve into greater detail about things like like Tomino’s Gundam cancelation announcement in Animec magazine and the rise of Gunpla.

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-Kate

Urusei Yatsura by Rumiko Takahashi

I could have always made Urusei Yatsura a manga of the month. There was nothing stopping me. While Ranma is what really made me a hardcore anime fan it was Urusei Yatsura that solidified me as a Rumiko Takahashi fan. As one of my favorite manga of all time it has always been a simple choice. It was always a question of when more than if. I was just waiting for the right time and this just seems to be just the perfect moment. With the premium Viz rerelease of the manga coming out regularly and the new anime on TV this seems like the best time to talk about Rumiko Takahashi’s major break out hit.

Ataru Moroboshi is the unluckiest boy in the world and probably the most horny as well. These two qualities come to a head when he is chosen as Earth’s champion in a game of tag against alien invaders. When he catches the alien princess and saves Earth but accidently becomes engaged to the electric oni, Lum in the process. The town of Tomobiki soon becomes an vortex for aliens, monsters, and all sorts of other weirdness. Atatru is trying his best to get an alien girlfriend or two but his fiancé is determined to keep her “darling” in line.

For better or for worse Rumiko Takahashi’s later series always have a much tighter theme and flow. You have a fairly good idea what your going to get in any chapter of Inuyasha or Maison Ikkoku. But Urusei Yatsura feels much more like jazz in its freeform nature. One chapter could be a sexy comedy about aliens, the next is nothing more than a giant set up for a pun with folk creatures, and the next chapter a touching romantic interlude. The only main theme is that the Urusei Yatsura cast are horrible people who are very amusing when they are horrible to each other.

There are some classics of manga and anime which are amazing pieces of history that give the reader a far greater understanding and context for the medium as a whole but can feel like homework. They are rewarding in the end but you have to put in major effort truly digest them. Urusei Yatsura is a key foundation of modern shonen romance and comedy manga but it also just darn fun to read. It is simultaneously educational and entertaining.

Plus Shinobu is the best Rumiko Takahashi character ever. This is a fact. If you disagree you are just wrong.

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-Alain

Wandance by Coffee

Stories centering dance have a long history in manga especially when it comes to ballet, but Wandance takes us out of the formal theater and into the world of student led dance troupes highlighting hip-hop, house, breaking, and other styles and fusions of street dancing.

During his high school club fair, Kabo ignores the dance club presentation as it reminds him of an embarrassing episode in middle school. Later when he sees fellow 1st year student Wanda dancing by herself on the school grounds, the joy of dancing hits him. As Kabo and Wanda become friends, they realize neither of them is always comfortable communicating verbally. But dancing is a way to communicate, too.

The student led dance club is filled with dancers of all levels, but the best of the best are aiming to compete with other schools. Kabo is a novice and sticks out due to his tall stature and being one of the few (and currently only regularly attending) guys in the group. However, through a supportive club president, Wanda’s presence and partnership, and Kabo’s own self-determination he soon leaves behind his self-consciousness and embraces his love for dance.

Kabo is an earnest and sweet person so watching him gain self-confidence is really rewarding. I quickly became invested in Kabo and Wanda’s growth as dancers and their budding romance. The ease they feel with one another and their deep connection is beautifully depicted.

Manga-ka Coffee uses a fresh, frenetic line style that gives movement, energy, and a fast pace to the dance sequences. Plus, Wandance integrates plenty of dance theory, ways of approaching dance, and instructional sections into the story in a way that feels natural and helps you see each character more clearly. All of this for someone like me with zero dance knowledge has been illuminating.

Wandance is part coming-of-age manga and part sports manga, and doing both types of stories justice!

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-Kate

Kowloon Generic Romance by Jun Mayuzuki

While the story of Kowloon Generic Romance does take place in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City, it is anything but generic.

Real estate agents Kujirai and Kudou work side-by-side day in and day out at Wong Loi Realty Co. dealing with eccentric residents and maintaining the properties around the neighborhood. There’s more than a little sexual tension brimming between the two but Kujirai isn’t quite sure what to make of Kudou or her feelings for him.

Kowloon Walled City is a character itself. Based on the real area which was demolished in 1993, Mayuzuki brings the walled city back to life in vivid detail using a nostalgic 1980s art style. An immensely crowded place filled with shops, restaurants, apartments, vice, crime, and maze-like corridors, it is a place that has inspired endless curiosity. In the KGR version, the neighborhood is also dealing with two corporations trying to exert their influence on it. The walled city is a place where the past, present, and future collide.

From the start you’ll figure out that the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek as little details about the setting are just off. And by the end of volume one the story really starts to reveal itself. Honestly, I hope I have you intrigued because I don’t want to give away too much. As soon as I finished the first book, I wanted to read it again with the new information.

Part romance, part comedy, part science-fiction, part mystery, Kowloon Generic Romance blends so many things that it becomes hard to define but it all intertwines mirroring the walled city’s mesmerizing existence.

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-Kate

A Sign of Affection by Suu Morishita

“Ever since you showed up and widened my world it feels like even my breath is a different color. I want this to be love. I choose love.“

Cute and fashionable Yuki has made her college debut. She is spreading her wings, expanding her world, making new friends, and, when she has a chance encounter with friend of a friend Itsuomi on the train, falling in love for the first time. Itsuomi loves to travel, learn new languages, and has a generally curious nature. With a little encouragement, Yuki decides pursue Itsuomi and put in the effort to get to know him. And Itsuomi finds himself more interested in somewhere (someone) closer to home than he ever has before.

Yuki is a Deaf character who uses a hearing aid. The manga incorporates many different forms of communication: sign language, speech, lip reading, writing, and texting. Each way is portrayed in a specific way. There’s also notes from Morishita about the way they’ve depicted sign language, the different forms of sign, and real-life details about living without hearing.

The romance in A Sign of Affection is the swoony, stomach butterflies kind. Every time Yuki and Itsuomi have a close moment, the pages illuminate; the intimate moments are stretched out and indulged in. This is my favorite current romance manga and winter is the perfect time to pick up this cozy love story!

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-Kate

Skip and Loafer by Misaki Takamatsu

Mitsumi has moved from a small town to Tokyo to live with her aunt and start a new chapter of her school life. She has grand ambitions of becoming a public servant (and mayor of her hometown someday)! Only come to find out, she is a bit less astute than one might imagine. She get hopelessly lost on the first day of school, pukes on a teacher after her opening ceremonies speech, but befriends a handsome slacker along the way and thus her new school life full of missteps begins.

I honestly picked up Skip and Loafer because the girl’s face on the cover made me laugh (and sums up the character perfectly btw). It just got better from there. The series balances the things you expect from a school comedy (navigating friendships, low-stakes misunderstandings, budding romance) with a willingness to show how flawed everyone is. Mitsumi has the classic can-do, nothings-gonna-get-me-down attitude of a shojo lead (despite running in a seinen magazine), but all her intelligence is in book smarts. In contrast, she lacks self-awareness, making for a protagonist who feels normal but not average. That robustness of character extends to every member of the cast and is what makes Skip and Loafer comedy gold while also being incredibly endearing.

It has been sometime since a school life story really captured me, but Takamatsu has given the genre a fresh twist with a heroine who is earnest and well-intentioned but also an overconfident blockhead.

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-Kate

Heavenly Delusion by Masakazu Ishiguro

Heavenly Delusion introduces us to a devastated Japan. After “The Collapse,” modern civilization as we know it was destroyed and much of the population perished. I was pulled in by the intriguing, mysterious dystopian landscape which they let wash over you instead of trying to frontload the story with a lot of explanation.

Tokio and other kids are part of a facility that completely encloses them from the hellish outside world. One day she gets a strange message and her friend makes a prediction that someone with Tokio’s face will come to rescue her. The children in this facility come off as ordinary teens going to school, joking around, and awakening to new feelings. But other things are odd, there are secrets here; off limits areas, a lack of information, and you get the distinct feeling that some of them know more than others.

In a parallel story, Kiruko and Maru are wanderers of the dystopian wasteland seeking two people Kiruko carries photos of and the nebulous “heaven,” the final words of a friend. Kiruko is supposed to be Maru’s bodyguard on this journey but their rapport is more of that of friends or siblings, and Maru does his fair share of defending against threats. Their easy manner contrasts nicely as they encounter survivors, monsters, and their own internal struggles along their perilous journey.

What has happened to the world? Who is Kiruko? Why do Maru and Tokio have the same face? Where did the monsters come from? When will this rescue occur? How does Maru know how to fight the monsters? Heavenly Delusion leaves me contemplating so many questions after each chapter I read. The story has layers upon layers, both in terms of the plot and the interior lives of the characters that keeps me turning the pages.

Heavenly Delusion feels like a classic sci-fi story with the added bonus of Ishiguro’s off-kilter characters.

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-Kate

Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card by CLAMP

The first Cardcaptor Sakura manga debuted in 1996 and quickly became a high bar in the magical girl genre which is still beloved all these years later.

Despite CLAMP’s evolving art style, the current of which is much more clean and simplified, they were able to return to an earlier form embracing the chibi faces, asides, screentones, and many other staples of their 90s manga which allows this new Cardcaptor Sakura story to feel seamless. The only thing that points to a different era is a more decompressed storytelling as Clear Card surpasses the length of the original CCS stories.

In Clear Card, Sakura is making her middle school debut! As the school year opens, Syaoran returns from Hong Kong to join Sakura and their friends. Sakura is excited by all the new possibilities of the future, but soon she is having strange dreams of a cloaked figure and the Clow Cards mysteriously turn clear.

It probably goes without saying, but you should definitely read the original CCS to follow along with Clear Card. Although there are new characters and a lot of new developments, the core cast and their relationships are still at the center of this story. I don’t think I would have been quite so moved by seeing Sakura and Syaoran meet again without knowing the history.

As the series progresses and they start to unravel why the Clow Cards have evolved, this becomes a story about adolescence. Sakura is growing and changing, her magic powers are as well, and the path ahead is one of her own making.

CLAMP came back to one of their iconic series after two decades away and it feels perfectly aligned.

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-Kate