Hyper Japan 2011

Yesterday was the final day of Hyper Japan. The organisation was a bit better than on Saturday when they sold more tickets than they should. Like MCMExpo, Hyper Japan has its fair share of cosplayers, though participants were obviously restricted to Japanese-based characters. However it isn't a manga or comic con, though inevitably there were sections dedicated to anime sub-culture.

There were stalls set up to cater and promote all sorts of Japanese culture like sake drinking, sushi (including lessons), fashion, music as well as the latest in toilet tech and massage chairs. My body is also swarming with healthy bacteria after consuming endless amount of free Yakult... Nintendo, Konami and Namco Bandai has also set up demo areas to show off the latest video games including Dark Souls, the sequel to the fiendishly difficult Demon's Souls on PS3 and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater on 3DS.

Charity raffles were also set up to raise money for victims of the Japan quake and tsunami. An exhibition of photographs of the quake and tsunami's aftermath was on show, as were various items found during the clean up operation. Tears were shed.

We managed to find time to attend the lolita fashion showcase, Square Enix cosplay battle and a performance by Gothic lolita J-pop idol Kanon Wakeshima.

Lulu from Final Fantasy X

Lolita fashion showcase

Rosa from Final Fantasy IV

Square-Enix cosplayers

More pictures here.

MCM Expo London Comic Con 2011

On Saturday I attended by first ever MCM Expo London Comic Con at London Excel. Before you asked, no, I wasn't a cosplayer - but I do admit part of my motivation for waking up at 6am in order to get to East London before 9am was largely due to wanting to photograph cosplayers.

Me and Jenni got there about 15 mins before the gates open. Half an hour later, Motoko, our twitter pal, arrived advance tickets in hand. We joined the queue at one of the North Event halls which resembles a massive hanger. It took us about 30 minutes before we got in - but not before being handed a 'swag bag'. Mine contained a .hack/SIGN DVD, complete with an action figurine of Mimiru.

The halls were awashed with stalls selling both licensed and unlicensed merchandises. Comic books, mangas, films, plush toys, retro video games, action figures etc - it was a geek's paradise. Nintendo, Tecmo Koei, Gamespot UK, Warner Brothers Games, THQ, Capcom and Atari had booths set up to showcase upcoming new video games such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Dynasty Warriors whatever, Gears of War 3, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition (just how many times can Capcom re-release this game?) and a couple more. Creative Assembly also hosted a Q&A session regarding the history of the Total War series as did Square-Enix/Eidos for the upcoming Deus Ex: Human Revolution video game.

Unsurprisingly the event was awash with cosplayers. I have to admit that I found myself admiring the dedication of many of these cosplayers. The attention to detail on their costumes - most of the time home made, were simply mind blowing. Not only that, but many of the cosplayers were in character as well. The 501st Legion UK Garrison is worth a mention due to their authentic-looking Star Wars costumes. I was very impressed by the cosplay quality of Iron Man, Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile, Ghost from Call of Duty and the apes from The Planet of the Apes. Even the Duke made an appearance!

The highlight of the day was the Futurama cast panel. I have been following the Futurama series since the inception and it was a joy to see and hear Billy West (Philip J Fry, Professor Fransworth, Zapp Brannigan, Dr. Zoidberg), Phil Lamarr (Hermes Conrad, Preacherbot), Lauren Tom (Amy Wong, Inez Wong) and Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroker, Morbo, Lrrr, Calculon) talk about the voice production and how some of the voices of the characters they play came to be. Richard Nixon's Head 'aroo', for example was inspired by Billy West's childhood experience from watching Nixon debate with John F. Kennedy where he (Billy West) feared Nixon would turn into a wear wolf.

We also caught the panel of Simon's Cat, where the creator of Simon Tofield explained the inspiration that led him to create this popular cartoon series. A Q&A session with Craig Busch (of  The Lion Man TV series) was followed by a preview of his new reality TV wildlife series surrounding the conservation of wildlife in Africa.

MCM Expo was a great fun first experience. I do have a number of complaints. First, the acoustics at the MCM Expo Theatre was horrible. You could hardly hear a thing, and even the cast of Futurama had trouble hearing themselves. Then there's the money spinning machinery. £15 for a ticket to obtain a single autograph from the stars? Plain ridiculous.

Check out my photographs of the day here.

Cannon God Exaxxion review

During the recent revival of my interest in mangas (it comes and goes every few years) I started reading Cannon God Exaxxion (whatever), and let me warn you: It is a god awful manga series. No, it wasn't because of the self-censorship (though I kinda wished it was).

The truly awful things about Cannon God Exaxxion that I can personally think of while typing this are the series is filled with cliché characters, a plot that seems to be written by a Star Trek fanatic and awful (and I do mean awful) mecha designs. I hated it. While Gunsmith Cats had a tolerable plot, a cast of interesting and likeable characters as well as detailed art, Cannon God Exaxxion had all the opposite. It is like the perfect example of how not to write a mecha-based manga. Characters are two-dimensional and dialogues are corny and cheesy.

Coupled with a churlish storyline that seems to advertise that "collateral damage" is okay and foreigners are bad people who weasel their way into any societies; these says more about the author's political standing than anything. And while ecchi mangas like Ikkitousen or Tenjo Tengi can get away with juvenile fan service, the gratuitous nonsensical sexual scenes weren't as funny when superimposed to the supposedly serious storyline.

So while I admire Kenichi Sonada's attempt to interject some deep pseudo-social commentary into the storyline, failed badly he did. Unlike Ghost in the Shell where I would re-read it many times to understand the plot and gain a better understanding, here I found myself not caring if the reluctant hero achieved inner-peace with his morally ambiguity self. I just wanted to get to the end and see if the invading aliens do eventually murder his psychopathic grandfather and his cohort of immature but well endowed sex slaves. Except I didn't, because continuing would be a waste of my money and more importantly, my time.

Mecha fans should stay pleased with Neon Genesis Evangelion, Full Metal Panic and other generic mecha mangas. Do avoid, instead go read some of Sonada's better works like Gunsmith Cats Burst.

Manga Review: Gunsmith Cats: Revised Edition

Gunsmith Cats was originally published by Dark Horse comic in nine separate volumes. It was printed on quality paper and for most part was a very well received series. The only drawback was Dark Horse policy of flipping the art to conform with western's expectation of left-to-right reading. Recently they have decided to re-issue the series to coincide with the recent release of Kenichi Sonoda's Gunsmith Cats: Burst, this time as an omnibus over four volumes. Crucially it is the first Dark Horse version to retain the original Japanese right-to-left format. This review pertains to the first volume of which contains the first 2 1/2 tankoban of the original print.

Created by Kenichi Sonoda in 1991, Gunsmith Cats has since spawned several anime episodes and is considered a huge success and a sequel series (Burst). Gunsmith Cats consists of several storyline often told over a span of several volumes. The manga's title is based on the gunshop owned and run by two bounty hunters - 18 year old Rally and her 'business partner', the 17-year old bomb specialist Minnie May. Rally, whose penchant for classic cars is matched by her skills in firearms is most often thought to be the main protagonist of the series. May, whose interest includes all things explosive as well as sleeping around, I have always thought as Rally's kiddie sidekick though her storyline does eventually develops.

The thickness of the volume one is a whooping 3.8cm over a whooping 464 pages (not including bonus interviews and other stuff). That is thick and at first I was sceptical with the idea of having such a large volume. Fortunately the binding quality seems to be of the highest standard and I did not witness any pages falling off, yet. On a truly negative side, all the detail gained from the right-to-left format is immediately countered by the fact that the revised edition is shipped in a smaller format! Measuring 18.3 x 13.2 cm, the book is now in DVD size packaging format, just slightly larger than most paperbacks. This is in contrast to the usual Dark Horse manga size of 20.6 x 14.8 cm (the same size used for the new edition Ghost in the Shell), in which the old version was based on.

Truly appalling however is the decision by the publisher to print on lower quality paper. Unlike the magazine quality glossy white paper with high contrast ink you get in the original Dark Horse edition, the paper used here is equivalent to papers used on normal budget manga releases often favoured by TOKYOPOP and Viz Media. This isn't a huge problem considering the price and weight, but when compared to the original release and the quality usually associated with Dark Horse publications, it can be disappointing. As far as quality is concern the new revised edition compared to the old editions is one step forwards (non-flipped) but two steps backwards (smaller size and low quality paper). Fan service, like in the original version, are not censored so at least be thankful of that. Sound effects are also unedited.

So is this the definitive version of the manga series? Maybe - especially if you are truly concerned over the flipped images on the original Dark Horse versions. To me I never really thought of it as a huge problem and even today continue to enjoy reading the manga in its flipped format. Maybe I am just not as anal about it as other people and considering that the original version was printed on a larger format as well as better paper, I believe I have the better collection. But even then the revised edition should be considered a bargain as you will be able to enjoy the whole nine volumes for probably less than half it would be if purchasing the original nine volumes. Especially if you have yet to read Gunsmith Cats, in which case I wholeheartedly recommend the new revised edition (the old edition is out of print for years now).

Now if only Dark Horse would re-release the original edition in its large format, quality paper and unflip it then we wouldn't have this problem. Until then each version has their own drawbacks so decide on what you prefer - none-flipped or quality.

UK manga fans can order the first volume of Gunsmith Cats: Revised Edition here. Americans as usual are more accustomed to benefit from a better deal here.

Manga Review: Death Note

Death Note is quite the manga series. It isn't one of the most popular manga series to ever crossed both sides of Japan since Love Hina for nothing. The franchise even got the attention of the non-manga reading demographic, for example, the Chinese government.

The story begins with two simple beings, Ryuk, a Shinigami who is bored by the lack of social life in his world deliberately drops a death notebook; that when written with the name of a person while having the image of their face in mind, the person would die of a heart attack. The notebook is picked up by ace student Yagami Light. Like Ryuk, Light also happens to be bored with life in the human world. However unlike Ryuk's penchant for using the notebook as an entertainment purpose, Light view on the notebook as godsend - a purpose to cleanse the human world of sinners and create an utopia.

The 12 volumes of Death Note are split into two main arcs. Within those are minor arcs that takes about a volume each to complete. So even if you pick up any volume to read you will find some fascinating storyline within. The correct way however is to start numerically and to begin with the manga series first, if you want to make sense of anything (do avoid the awful life action adaptation). The first arc concerns the battle between Light and an ace detective known as L. As the authorities closes in on Light, he must use the advantage of the notebook to deflect attention of him and eliminate L. The second arc is slightly similar to the first where Light, now an adult and a high ranking officer, has to battle with L's predecessor. In my opinion the second arc is the weakest of the Death Note story.

The characters are well designed. Despite marketed as such (VIZ publishes Death Note under their Shonen Jump Advanced label), the protagonist (?!) isn't your typical average Shonen stereotype. For one he is an evil sociopath with fascist tendencies. Despite that you will find that rooting for him is an almost guilty-less pleasure. L is an equally mad nerd with a holier than thou persona who is a similar personality to Light. The two very much make up both sides of the same coin. As the series progress new characters are introduced including two new Shinigamis who play important roles in Light's quest.

The localisation by VIZ is above average, though a times some of the dialogue isn't as well conveyed as well as those fan-translation version. You will be pleased to know that they have gone further than most publishers (like TOKYOPOP) and translated the sound effects, though Death Note being a non-action manga contains very few sound effects in the first place. It is nice to find that the official translator did not attempt to personalise the manga by inserting witty slang into it (though I found Ryuk's "humans are a riot" comments out of place). You will be pleased that I have not found any evidence of censorship either. There are however no colour pages within, but this isn't surprising considering the release is in the cheaper tankōbon format.


There are major issues on discussion with morality with Death Note. There are times when Light (when he loses his memory a third through the series), seems like a genuine good guy who refuses to even succumb to the method that L prescribes (who is willing to let others die in order to obtain evidence). But when he regains his god-like power, he immediately transform into a mass murderer. When Light's intricate plan to subvert the police becomes apparent and his attempt and failure to control Amane Misa, a celebrity who also happens to own a death notebook; it is far obvious to anyone that Light is a pathetic Angel of Death whose agenda to clean the world is often sidetracked by his thirst for more power.

Death Note isn't the most mature manga to have left Japan. It is a Shonen manga after all whose target demographic is still the teen market. But it is still an amazing thriller to read with extremely smart writing, wonderful plot and great artistic design by Obata Takeshi. At 12 volumes, it isn't too expensive to own either and makes up for a good light reading during weekends. While crafted in a way to provide a thrilling read, Death Note's obvious draw isn't as obvious as what was printed on the sheets of paper. Like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Appleseed, Ghost in the Shell, Deus Vitae and other equivalent mangas, Ohba Tsugumi challenge the reader to raise moral and ethical questions in the Death Note world that is parallel to our real world.

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Thanks to Amazon UK for despatching our order through a next day courier service despite us opting for the free super saver delivery (normally delivered 2nd class by Royal Mail posties taking 3-4 days). This goodwill is very much in contrast to the CWU and Adam Crozier for mucking about.

Manga Review: Bleach

So about a month ago I finally got down to reading Bleach, the manga. My sister has been raving about it this shonen manga all the time so I bought the first two volumes from Borders some 1 1/2 year ago. I just never summoned the interest to pick it up since. In fact I have even played the game first before attempting to make sense of the plot. Well I finally started reading it last month and it got me hooked.

The story revolves around a teenager known as Ichigo Kurosaki, who happens to be able to see ghosts and other supernatural beings. One day he met Rukia Kuchiki, a shinigami who happens to be wondering through his room looking for a hollow (a corrupted soul). After kicking her, much to her shock, she lost her powers. The power is transferred to Ichigo and thus he is recruited by Rukia to take over her place temporarily. The manga series is still on going and has reached 30 volumes so far. It involves four major arcs, the first being Ichigo's discovery of his power in his home town. The second, the Soul Society arc where Ichigo goes of to the Soul Society in order save Rukia, is slightly longer. When I mean slightly long I mean it spawned 11 volumes (13 volumes if you include the moment from when Rukia is captured).

The formula is simplistic - Ichigo is strong, but often over-estimate his opponents. Often he would find himself defeated only to return stronger after harnessing his inner strength again. It is like Dragon Ball series I suppose, and for most of it Son Goku and Ichigo more often than not, shares the same ability of determination as well as having the desire to help his friends. His sidekick, Rukia, is comparable to Bulma too, though I find Rukia actually more useful than merely a comedy sidekick.

The thing I like about Bleach is while predictable, the characters are likeable. Even the villains. The supporting casts aren't your average filler characters. Everyone has a background that is thoroughly explore (which explains why the Soul Society arc went on for so long, as it not only focuses on the rescuer's attempt, but also on an internal conflict within Soul Society). In fact I can't remember a manga series where the main character isn't on the front cover after just one volume.

I am happy to finally pick the book up and read it. It has a fascinating storyline that explores the destiny of not only the protagonist, but his fellow friends acceptance to fate as well as their enemies. The writer Kubo Tite has a real knack of writing up good story laced with appropriate humour, as well as drawing great art with clean lines. It may have taken me years to join the party, but it is still truly recommended.

Death Note

Death Note. No doubt you have all heard about it, if not shame on you. It is one of the more intelligent mangas to have ever left Japan that spawned two DS video games, two life action films and anime series. After reading it through my notebook for like the sixth time, we think it would be better of to just order the official mangas as we really do think that the auteur deserve their due. Also Jennifer hates reading comics on LCDs. So maybe this will get her hook too.

I've already read the fan translated version of it and found it so good, that six months later we decided that it is best to order the official translated books (book 4-12, we already have the first official three overpriced books from a comic store) published by VIZ media, from Amazon UK. It is far far cheaper than the prices that the high street stores wanted (double the VIZ listed American price) anyway. Early birthday present. ^^

Damn posties.

Figure Review: Ikki Tousen's Ryomou Shimei Blue Nurse version

Ikki Tousen isn't exactly the best manga ever drawn, not even close. In fact the English translation (Battle Vixens) is pretty poor. The anime is much better in that respect and is what I would recommend getting into, at least until TOKYOPOP set things right by ordering a complete retranslation. The plot deserves better than pretentious wise-crack rapper dialogue.

Yuji Shiozaki (the creator and manga writer) does seem to have very little imagination when it comes to female character design. They differ only in hair style and all tend to have massive boobs and exploding shirts... But he does know his female form.

One of the few characters that interest me is the Toushi known as Ryomou Shimei (呂蒙 子明) - the girl with a fetish for weird fashion and less than orthodox combat methods. If there was ever a figurine to own it would be Shimei's. Personally I have always found her to be one of the much better character design from the series (she is based on the Three Kingdoms Lu Meng). Shimei specialises in grappling moves, which is particularly effective given her weapon of choice - the handcuffs.


Unfortunately 99% of all Ikki Tousen related figures, including those of Ryomou Shimei, sucks - so I never had an opportunity to even consider getting one. Just because the manga is well known for its excessive ecchi content and fan service does not mean we want to have figurines with boobs and other kinky materials displayed in the living room!


Wani Book's Ryomou Shimei Blue Nurse version figure, sculptured by Yasuhiro Utajima, is by far one of two figurines based on the franchise that have caught my eyes (the other being the cheerful Sonsaku Hakufu, but I didn't fancy the pose). And with good reasons too. No exploding clothes makes this a very conservative 1/7 scale PVC figure which we can proudly display on our Cargo manga bookcase without upsetting too many guests.


The build quality isn't perfect. The knee caps are weirdly boxy and the hair isn't as detailed as my Jingai Makyo Ignis figurine. But then again Shimei only cost 4800 yen (this was a gift though). I do like the small details such as the cross on her chest (though the less than perfect paint almost ruined it). Utajima's sculpture of her facial expression pretty much captures her personality. The katana isn't as lovely as I would have preferred, though I did find the tsuka hilt to be pretty detailed.


Because of the pose, the crotch is well hidden - much to the relief of the household and guests. Speaking of poses, I love how Utajima decided to have Shimei kneeling in a battle ready position. It is far more ideal than most of the perverted poses offered on other Ikki Tousen figurines (for example this Ryofu Housen figure, which while accurately depicting Shiozaki's Ikki Tousen volume three cover, isn't something you would want on your mantelpiece.). Those who find this disappointing should not fret. Because the skirt is removable you will be able to instantly peek at underwear at your leisure.


The nurse outfit wasn't what I would have preferred. Instead I would rather have her in her trademark French maid outfit, but even then a nurse costume does highlight her penchant for bondage wares. The only thing original are her boots, eye patch, hair colour, mole, the aforementioned cross and her demur look. I kinda wished they would at least include her hand-cuffs, at the very least. On the positive side the costume isn't battle damaged.


There are currently two versions of this figure - the blue version reviewed here, and a limited edition black version coming out over the next few months. Personally I would recommend the blue version. The black uniform is pretty cool, but they also changed her hair to grey for it, which unacceptably deviates from the manga, though I do think that black would probably do better in hiding any imperfections.


Likes:
- Classic fighting pose
- Non exploding costume
- OK build quality (for the price)

Gripes:
- Lack of detail, especially in the hair
- Not in her French maid costume
- Poor paint quality (especially knee-caps)

This figure was obtained from NeonMartian.com, a Swindon based site specialising in Japanese toys and figurines. Thanks Steve.

Manga review: Battle Club

Last weekend I finished reading the first three volume of Battle Club, the new and on-going manga series by Yuji Shiozaki of Ikki Tousen (Battle Vixens) fame. The books are published in trade paperback style and is available from most good comic stores in London, as well as traditional stores like Borders, Foyles, Books etc. and Waterstones. Nothing much to add except that the scans are none-flipped/mirrored, meaning you read them from right to left.

There are plenty of fan service here, in the form of ecchi art. Even the author acknowledges them. It is harmless enough, although because the combat is now geared towards judo/wrestling (instead of traditional martial arts in Ikki Tousen), there are plenty more revealing upskirt/cameltoe shots than usual. Even the mangas are shrink wrap (Again, what is up with people? Violence are okay, but sights of nipples are not? Get a grip, we all have them!). It should be noted that Battle Club is not as violent as Ikki Tousen, and doesn't take itself seriously - at least not in the first three books. While graphic violence has gone down, the sights of nudity has increased. Fan service indeed Shiozaki-san.

The plot is far simpler than Ikki Tousen. In something not too dissimilar to Slam Dunk, the self-proclaimed protagonist of the book, lowerclassman Mokichi Saitou, decides that he needs to be the most feared man in his new school. Unfortunately for him, he also happens to be lame and was soon defeated and humiliated by a female member of a wrestling club. Determined to make a name of himself, he decides to join the female dominated club, and after a torturous entry test, he succeeded. Thus begins his adventure with the group of misfits that includes an old perverted codger and a sexy she-male.

The only problems I have with Battle Club is the excessive fan service (I don't mind them per se, but reading this on the Tube or bus is nigh impossible especially if you happened to be sitting beside a prude - plus you look like a perv in general) and the lack of character design variation. Hell, one of a new character introduced in book three even has an eye patch that mimics that of Ryomou Shimei of Ikkitousen. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate the characters as the books are published in grey scale. The only way to do so is by the uniforms they wear (even then it may be difficult especially during combat, as the female cast tends to loose 99% of their garments!) or the way their hair is tied.

Yuji Shiozaki is clearly well adept to drawing the female form, so do not be surprised by the plenty of panchira and nudity shots here. Male characters are mainly relegated as they hardly participate in battles. It is far too early to see whether Battle Club, among all the gratuitous fan service and comedy (there are cute references to other popular mangas such as Ranma 1/2 and Dragon Ball), will chart out a more serious plot like Ikkitousen did, or whether it would be like any other Shonen mangas out there where the lame protagonist eventually proves his worth and gets his girl (Slam Dunk, Love Hina etc.). But so far I have already found myself enjoying it far more than Shiozaki's previous work.

Also check out Air Gear - plenty of action but with minor bits of fan service.

Manga review: Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface

Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface is the second volume collection in Masamune Shiro's Ghost in the Shell series, based on eleven chapters of manga first serialised in Kodansha, Japan. The review is based on the Dark Horse Comics trade paperback edition A5 size, published in January 2005. Like the previous Ghost in the Shell manga adaptation, the localisation is wonderful, but suffers from the art being flipped/mirrored. Shame on the publisher for not doing what Tokyopop and Viz Media has been doing for years.

As with Ghost in the Shell and other Masamune's cyber-punk mangas such as Appleseed, GITS2: Man-Machine Interface is filled with a quisi-humanity plot and pseudo-intellectual narrative in a typical futuristic setting. Despite Masamune's warning/apologies that Man-Machine Interface isn't a direct sequel to Ghost in the Shell, I can't help but comparing this 'sequel' to the original classic. Truthfully, despite sharing the same protagonist and the same title, Man-Machine Interface is a far departure from GITS, both in terms of ary style as well as storyline. Perhaps Masamune or his publisher(s) felt that having it associated with a highly regarded graphic novel would help sell the book better. Who knows?

For those who are fans of the original GITS's excessive and graphic violent action scenes (like I am) would be very disappointed. Man-Machine Interface's plot centers around information warfare. This is in contrast to the episodic feel of cop vs baddies narrative of the original. In GITS2, one of Motoko's children from her fusion with the Puppeteer, from the first manga, continues the fight against the baddies - just not with brawn this time, but with geeky computer commands instead. In between these Cyberbrain warfares are more techno-babble talk and fan service in the form of Barbie style virtual nude ladies with plenty of crotch shots (even surpassing that of Ikkitousen). Yep, those infamous crotch shots from the first book has returned ten-fold, with a far far higher frequency this time round. The sequel also lacks the variety of fully developed characters from the first book, instead presenting only a couple of two-dimensional plot advancers (with the occasionally funny characters).

Even within GITS2, the quality of the artistic direction differs wildly. Masamune has decided that the coloured pages of GITS2 would consist of plenty of computer generated backgrounds. Some support characters are also computer rendered. While main characters are beutifully drawn, the 3D CG backgrounds are just hedious. Regardless, with the help of CG, there are more coloured pages in Man-Machine Interface than the first volume, which some may see as a bonus. To me this allowed me to appereciate the B&W pages even more. Masamune's talent for drawing in B&W is more pronounced here than ever especially in contrast to the fugly coloured pages.

Don't let that Ghost in the Shell title fool you. This isn't it.

Manga review: Ghost in the Shell: volume one, 2nd edition

I am a massive fan of Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell manga series (I am not a huge fan of the current Stand Alone Complex anime sub-series/spin-off, despite the better graphical style). Unfortunately the Volume One (issues one through eight) version that I have always read is the Titan Book/Dark Horse Comics published June 1997 UK first edition. Don't get me wrong, the adaptation is outstanding as it contains an excellent translation by Frederik Schoot and Toren Smith and lettering/retouch (effects) by Tom Orzechowski and Susie Lee, but then I saw this at the local comic book store today.

Recently (well, two years ago), Dark Horse Comics decided to reissue the volume, this time reprinted on much better quality paper and in the original Japanese A5 size. For most part the reissue is 99% exactly the same as the first edition. I won't attempt to explain the story itself, but much like William Gibson's novels, Ghost in the Shell can easily be overlooked as just another cyber punk manga. But like Gibson, beneath all the glitz, Shirow has laced the plot with subtle critique of human nature. It is a good story, but I rather not analysis Shirow's context on humanity, science and technology in this post. You just have to read it yourself, as this isn't your typical shonen manga.

The second edition, which retains the same left to right mirror localisation of the first, includes a couple of pages of previously 'lost' material and restored graphics. Translation has been re-done on a couple of previously censored pages. With this, an ugly 'explicit content' sticker thus don the front, reminding us how prude Americans can accept the extreme violent content on comics (actually everything, from TV series to video games) but unable to even glance at virtual lesbians having sex... Sadly the bonus comic book covers that were included at the back of the first edition were omitted in this version, so really, both editions has trade-offs one way or another. Regardless the second edition is the definitive English version as it does contain the previously censored content.

Paperback: 368 pages A5
Publisher: Dark Horse; 2nd Revision/Edition
ISBN: 1593072287

A review of Man-Machine Interface is forthcoming.

Manga Impressions: Love Hina & Ikki Tousen

Without a DS Lite now (temporary I hope), I wonder what do you do when you are bored, stuck on a public transport and have no access to any entertainment that can speed up time? I guess I could play games on my PDA, but nothing good or original has been released for the past two year. I probably could read the free evening papers, but usually there is nothing there that I haven't already read on the web. And I am hopeless at reading paperbacks on moving transport.

Anyway I was sooo bored I read two mangas today (I hate TV anime). Apparently there are plenty of manga adaptations of video games now. I saw Devil May Cry and Suikoden III in Borders, but decided to get Ikki Tousen vol. 1 and Love Hina vol. 1 instead. Both features, uhm, plenty of manga nudity, but nothing reaching hentai level fortunately. So they are alright. I particularly like Love Hina 's relationship between Keitaro and Naru. It is a typical Shonen manga. Kinda like Ranma 1/2, so this is a series I will most likely follow (the whole series available in Tokyopop trade paperback English is readily available in many good book stores).

Ikki Tousen (Battle Vixen) however has plenty of action, but lack any emotional substance (at least in the first volume, although according to fans it does touch on the deep history of China, Japan, three kingdoms, whatever etc.). Consider this blurb from TOKYOPOP:

Hakufu Sonsaku, a young girl blessed with a large chest but a small brain, lives in the country with her mother. She is a Toushi, and as such she has a burning desire to beat people up, but her mother has forbidden it. Yadda yadda yadda.

Can you be more forward than that? It seems more geared towards creating a market so young people can buy quality resin figures of sexy manga half nude ladies kicking about with their panties exposed. Already I am tempted to get this, but they just had to go fudge it up by sawing a quarter of her leg out! Can't wait to see what happens in the next few volumes. ;)

Death Note

A mate of mine introduced me to a manga series called Death Note. Apparently it has been taking the world by storm. Even my young sister is into it religiously. After reading the first volume I have to agree, there has been nothing like this before (at least not the books that I have read). The style of the drawing reminds me of those "hell vs heaven" mangas I read when I was in Malaysia (can't remember the author or name of the manga unfortunately). It is also intelligently written. Check it out.

Bleach DS Souten ni Kakeru Unmei / Bleach: The Blade of Fate review

Bleach DS is Japanese only game, but that shouldn't stop you from importing it if you are a fan of either:

1. Shonen Jump mangas
2. Saturday morning animes
3. Fighting games.

Me? I am a fan of Treasure. And that is good enough reason for me.

Treasure, the legendary developers from Japan, can always be trusted to push a system through its 2D limit and with Bleach DS they succeeded brilliantly. The sprites are wonderfully detailed and the 2D background is beautifully drawn. Sprites zooms in and out effortlessly. Characters are well designed and some of their special weapons will fill up the entire screen.

Bleach DS is a sort of the bastard child of Street Fighter II, King of Fighters, Guilty Gear and Soul Calibur. It is faster than Street Fighter II of course and the brilliant sword playing style of Soul Calibur is present. Button mashing over all the face button and shoulder buttons is a must but you can also touch the lower screen to execute special attacks and combos.



Although the game is in Japanese, it is fairly easy to start playing. You will need an English FAQ guide if you want to progress through the single player mode (and understand the story) but most are self-explanatory and a little trial and error won't harm. Get into the game quickly with the Arcade Mode or play the VS mode for CPU 2 Vs 2 or 1 Vs 3 for more frantic action.

Bleach DS also supports LAN multiplayer ad-hoc WiFi (single-cart download & multi-cart play) and Nintendo WiFi connection. Setting up online matches is pretty straight forward and won't take you long to setup random matches with good Japanese gamers. The dreaded friend code is needed if you want to organise matches with your mates (up to four players).

It isn't without its fault. The two field system needs getting used to and the card system
(which you can use in battles to increase your advantage) isn't really necessary. Gameplay can become repetitive and apart from cards and characters, there isn't much to unlock. Weapon upgrades for Ichigo would have been nice but there is nothing here, unlock wise, that equals the depth of say Mario Kart DS.



While this is the first proper fighting game for the console, Treasure has set a superb standard in 2D fighting, that other developers will find hard to emulate. And to do that on their first DS title and even more impressive - their first (update, second after the Japan only Yuu Yuu Hakusho) fighting game (Guardian Heroes and its GBA follow up are beat 'em up)!

Forget the rather uninspired (but fun) Jump Super Stars! or the unfortunate Guilty Gear: Dust Strikers, import this instead and be prepared for hours of fun.

8/10

Update: After two years SEGA has finally released this in the west as Bleach: The Blade of Fate.

Toys & Mangas

Toys

Angry Birds plush toy with built-in slingshot review
Chaos Gate Jingai Makyo's Ignis 1/7 PVC figure (Max Factory version)
Club Nintendo Mario Game Rack
Final Fantasy III trading art figures
Ikki Tousen's Ryomou Shimei 1/7 PVC figure (Blue Nurse version)
Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Ultra Detail figures by Medicom
Metal Gear 20th Anniversary Kubrick figures by Medicom
New Super Mario Bros. DX gashapons
Nintendo Famicom Controller keyholder

Manga

Battle Club: volume one
Bleach
Death Note: complete volume 1-12
Ghost in the Shell: volume one, second edition
Ghost in the Shell 2: Man/Machine Interface
Gunsmith Cats: revise edition volume one
Ikki Tousen / Battle Vixens
Love Hina