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Breaking Down Character Armor (Erza Scarlet - FAIRY TAIL)
This entry is a fan request from an earlier entry on what characters I should cover next.
“If I don’t wear my armor, I won’t feel secure.”
In life, things aren’t always certain. Many obstacles are thrown our way, sometimes without warning. We often put up a barrier to protect ourselves from all kinds of harm. In Hiro Mashima’s FAIRY TAIL, there is one character who embraces protection both physically and mentally. The lovely and extremely popular Erza Scarlet is a character who specializes in wearing different types of armor to defeat her enemies. Her dependence on armor reflects how people put up “character armor” to fight against perceived threats and slowly harm themselves in the process.
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Happy International Women’s Day With A Mikasa Ackerman Teaser!
March 8, 2012 marks International Women’s Day! To celebrate, I want to briefly promote another headstrong female that North American readers will be seeing later this year: Mikasa Ackerman, the lead female of the smash-hit manga, Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin), by Hajime Isayama.
Mikasa is a character who’s driven by her dark past to fight for her adoptive brother (and main character), Eren Jaeger. Mikasa is considered to be a prodigy in the series as she excels in combat. The character is portrayed to be a kick-ass woman who remains calm and efficient in the heat of battle. She truly is a character that doesn’t take crap from anyone and is willing to question authority. Fans have also argued that Mikasa really acts on her actions unlike most female leads.
If you love female characters like Olivier Mira Armstrong, you will love Mikasa. She’s up there on the list of tough female characters. Need more proof? Here’s Mikasa showcasing her desire to protect Eren and her friend, Armin, from ANYONE, even the army that she fights for.
Kodansha Comics will be releasing the first volume of Attack on Titan on June 2012. You can pre-order Attack on Titan at Amazon.
Dare I say Mikasa is the antithesis to the wimpy shonen girl?
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The 2011 Great Manga Holiday Gift Guide!
It’s that time of year once again. The season of giving. Time to find out who’s been naughty or nice. Thankfully, there are a variety of manga series that appeal to folks who’ve been good all year or just a bit bad. In collaboration with the 2011 Great Manga Gift Guides, it’s time to present Manga Therapy’s 2011 Great Manga Holiday Gift Guide!
Here are a few manga titles that I feel make great gifts for readers.
Blue Exorcist (Volume 1-5+) by Kazue Kato, VIZ Media
Does it make sense that I have to start off with one of the hottest shonen titles in 2011? Blue Exorcist is a manga that continues the dominance of female mangaka writing shonen manga. The characterization is very well-done and the plot is original. Also, girls will fall in love with Rin and Yukio Okumura.
Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Box Set (Volumes 1-27) by Hiromu Arakawa, VIZ Media
Hiromu Arakawa’s grand masterpiece in one box set. Do I really need to say anymore? FMA is arguably one of the most epic manga series ever written. This series has everything you want in a shonen manga. From start to finish, you will enjoy the journey of the Elric brothers as they show off the power & perseverance of humanity.
Drifters Volume 1 by Kohta Hirano, Dark Horse Comics
Time travel? Check. Historical figures? Check. Lots of violent fighting to stop evil? Check. Drifters is an interesting title that highlights how cruel people can be. Plus, it’s from the same guy who did Hellsing. The main villain also looks like a Nazgul from Lord of the Rings.
The Drops of God Volume 1 by Tadashi Agi & Shu Okimoto, Vertical Inc.
This is for those who want to read a manga title that doesn’t focus on violence & sex. This international phenomenon has impacted reality in many ways and has received much press attention from popular media outlets. If you’re a wine enthusiast, you will LOVE this manga. For anyone else, it’s a nice change of pace from the usual manga you see everyday.
‘A Bride’s Story’ Volumes 1-2 by Kaoru Mori, Yen Press
A title that has won critical acclaim in both Japan & America. The story focuses on a young lady named Amira, who marries a younger boy named Karluk in the Middle East. The artwork is gorgeous and realistic. This is a cute and fascinating title that takes a look at the structure of family and marriage.
20th Century Boys (Volumes 1-15+) by Naoki Urasawa, VIZ Media
One of the most suspenseful manga I have ever read, period. The Eisner Award-nominated 20th Century Boys is a title full of mystery and intrigue. If you want a title that throws crazy plot twists and you love crazy cult figures, then this is your book.
Sailor Moon (Volumes 1-2+) by Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Comics
This is the female role model that all the little girls should look up to. All I can say is that it’s a good title to show to young teenage female readers interested in manga. It’s also a great history lesson for them as well as they get a chance to read one of the most influential shojou manga out there.
Princess Knight Volume 1 by Osamu Tezuka, Vertical Inc.
A gem that would help set the tone for shoujo manga. You can’t help but admire Princess Sapphire and her determination to be a hero to others. This is another influential title that I feel young female manga readers HAVE to read.
The Book of Human Insects by Osamu Tezuka, Vertical Inc.
An intense, thought-provoking story where you see how certain people can be very manipulative towards others. The main protagonist isn’t someone you can actually root for. This title is recommended for those who love complex characters in their stories.
This is just a small sample of what I would recommend. What other manga titles do you think would make great gifts for readers? Post in the comments section below and let me know what you would give!
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New York Comic-Con 2011 Adventure Log!
On October 13-16, 2011, the East Coast’s biggest pop culture convention landed upon New York City once again with an infusion of comic book artists, celebrities, video game developers, and of course, a LARGE number of cosplayers. New York Comic-Con 2011 managed to draw an attendance of 105,000 over the span of 4 days. A lot of things happened, so get ready for a somewhat extensive recap.
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Psychology of the Planets Starring The Sailor Scouts (Sailor Moon)
“GWOtaku: Sept 14, 10:45 AM. A day after release Sailor Moon Volume 1 jumps up to #46 on Amazon’s list of top-selling books…mercy!”
It looks like the manga blogosphere & fans have been enthusiastic with the return of Naoko Takeuchi’s influential & groundbreaking shoujo manga classic, Sailor Moon, to North American manga shelves after years in limbo. With the return of our favorite Sailor Scouts (or Sailor Senshi if you would like to call them that), I wondered about the actual planets the girls represent and if the planets’ psychology reflected the girls’ personalities. Let’s take a look at our magical heroines, shall we?
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Remembering Sailor Moon From My Childhood
MOON CRYSTAL POWER! MAKE-UP!
Everyone in the manga world knows that Naoko Takeuchi’s famous series, Sailor Moon, is making a triumphant return to the United States. Kodansha Comics will be releasing enhanced versions of the Sailor Moon manga and the prequel series CODENAME: SAILOR V this September.
This series actually brings a small tear to my eye, since I grew up with both Dragon Ball Z & Sailor Moon before they made it big in the States. Sailor Moon was first released in 1992 in Japan. Around the time, I was introduced to the first Sailor Moon series and also part of the Sailor Moon R series. A friend and his sister both were into anime since they rented Chinese-dubbed anime from Chinatown, so I frequently went to his place to watch. It’s funny because I got into DBZ while my younger sister was into Sailor Moon. We even made fanfiction stories in which both series collided.
When Sailor Moon finally made it to the States in 1997 on TV, I decided to give the English version a try one weekday morning. My first impression was “Wow, the voices sure sound funny!”. At the time, I was mostly used to watching Chinese-dubbed anime. Never would I have thought that Sailor Moon (and also DBZ) would engrave themselves into American pop culture.
Watching episodes of Sailor Moon also made me develop a crush on Makoto Kino, also known as Sailor Jupiter. Honestly, I don’t even know why I liked her in the first place. Was it because she was the first tomboy cartoon character I seen? Or maybe because she was a tall girl? Yeah, Rei Hino (Sailor Mars) was supposed to get the guys bothered. But, to me, it was Sailor Jupiter. She was the start of my love for “tough girls”, alongside Chun-Li of Street Fighter since SFII was insanely popular around the time Sailor Moon began airing in Japan. Seeing cute girls kick ass became quite the fascination for me.
Also, Tuxedo Mask. Oh man. A guy coming in like that to save the day. It was kind of badass to me. I didn’t care too much about the relationship between Mamoru Chiba & Usagi Tsukino, but I liked how he made his appearances to save the Sailor Senshi when they’re getting their butts kicked by monsters. That developed another fascination with roses. Roses are filled with thorns and you have to be cautious when dealing with such beauty.
Sailor Moon will definitely be on my to-watch manga list for this Fall. This was part of my early childhood and it is wonderful to see a new generation of female readers see the series that truly revolutionized the “magical girl” genre.
So, for the haters out there, under the name on the Moon, I WILL PUNISH YOU!
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One Piece, Kodansha Comics, Ayako, & Much More (Holiday Anime & Manga Day at Kinokuniya Recap)
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of hosting “Holiday Anime & Manga Day” at Kinokuniya Bookstore. It was the first anime/manga event that I have truly hosted. I have taken part in panels for Samurai Beat Radio there, but not hosting an entire day’s worth. I have to say it was quite a learning experience and lots of fun with introducing the guests, announcements, entertainment, & raffles.
The first panel was the “Unofficial One Piece Podcast” panel. This was very, very informative. I started following One Piece very recently & I find the series to be insanely funny. I think the one thing they stressed about the series which I thought was very apparent, was the theme of “family”. Everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates accepts each other unconditionally, despite all their differences. In some ways, it reminds me of the Yorozuya in Gintama. If you haven’t followed One Piece yet, please do so. Just flat-out funny, charming, and great.
The next panel was probably the one panel that a lot of people were waiting for (& tweeted about), the Kodansha Comics launch event. Associate Publisher Dallas Middaugh appeared in front of an anxious audience. He addressed the current situation with Kodansha USA & unveiled upcoming titles for Summer 2011. A full list of the titles can be read here.
I have to say I was impressed with what they have in store for manga fans, though the CLAMP titles (Tsubasa & xxxHolic) still being under Del Rey Manga intrigues me. One title I’m ESPECIALLY happy about is Bloody Monday. That’s one title I was wondering whether it would be brought over here and now I got my wish.
I was also impressed with fans bringing up titles that Dallas forgot to mention during the presentation. Nice to see fans care about Kodansha USA & supporting them.
Kodansha USA rewarded fans for coming by doing a raffle where they gave away 4 Air Gear posters, 2 sets of the Ghost in the Shell manga (Volumes 1 & 2), and 1 Sayonara! Zetsubou Sensei towel. Great, great start for Kodansha USA.
The next panel was “Translating Tezuka” with translator, Mari Morimoto. As many manga fans know, her resume is very noteworthy. Mari discussed her latest project, Osamu Tezuka’s “Ayako”. I have to say Ayako is very, very interesting. It makes me wonder about the difficulties of living in Japan, post World War II (the setting for the story). Another thing is the title character, Ayako, is an EXTREMELY flawed character. Just literally almost everything about her is not perfect (maybe except her physical appearance). It provides some good psychological curiosity on how someone like her would be able to fit in society today.
Also, one thing I would like to note from this panel. At the end of the panel, Mari spoke about Kodansha USA possibly bringing over their Weekly Morning manga magazine to the States. I can’t verify the truth of her statement, but this is something I feel is interesting to share with you guys.
Uncle Yo & Chris Troy took the stage next. Funny how this was Uncle Yo’s first time performing at Kinokuniya. A lot of fans enjoyed what he had to say. He made a few jokes that were outside of anime, manga, and video games. The best joke he made was how insane people are now on C-SPAN instead of being locked up in mental asylums.
Last, but not least, animator/artist Jose Velasco presented his new short animated film, Calypso Agency.
Yes, everyone gathered around like that & watched the film through his laptop due to technical difficulties with the television at the store. All I can say is that the film looked AMAZING and it shows that non-Japanese animators can make some great anime. Also, congratulations to Jose for winning the 12th TBS Digicon 6 Singapore Golden Prize in Asia for “Calypso Agency”.
There was another main raffle where many people won more prizes, courtesy of New York Anime Festival. Overall, I had a fun time hosting and I also promoted my blog as well. Someone said that I’m the heir apparent to Peter Tatara, the Programming Director for NYAF. He usually hosts the Kinokuniya events, but couldn’t make it because of the Singapore Comic Convention 2010. I still have a ways to go, though I wouldn’t mind hosting another anime/manga event again in the future.
Special thanks to Comic Book Resources (Brigid Alverson, in particular) for promoting the event & getting my name out there.
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Manga Therapy Hosts “Holiday Anime & Manga Day” at Kinokuniya Bookstore, NYC
To everyone living in the Tri-State area, I would like to announce that I will be hosting Holiday Anime & Manga Day at Kinokuniya Bookstore this Sunday, December 12. Though it’s more like I’m hosting for Samurai Beat Radio than Manga Therapy.
In any case, a lot will be planned for this day-long event. I am extremely looking forward to the One Piece Podcast panel, the Kodansha Comics announcements, and Mari Morimoto’s (who I know personally) panel. I’m planning to check out Osamu Tezuka’s “Ayako” soon. Reading the Wiki synopsis got me interested. Vertical, Inc. already has a sample of the book up on their website, which you can view here.
So, if you’re around the area and a huge anime/manga fan, come on by, say hi, and enjoy what looks to be a day packed with anime/manga fun for everyone! See you guys there!
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Agito/Akito Wanijima (Air Gear)
Dissociative identity disorder galore! Ride the Bloody Road as we take a look into the crazy mind(s) of Agito/Akito Wanjima, the Fang King of the Bloody Road. He’s one of the most popular characters from the series, Air Gear, due to his effeminate looks and psychotic behavior. Agito/Akito is currently part of the team, Kogarasumaru, which seeks to reach the top of the Air Treck world. He is also the strongest member of the group despite having an average build.
