Official Manga Thread

Discussion in 'Whatever' started by dxxe, Feb 19, 2013.

  1. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    OK, so nobody mentioned that Leiji Matsumoto never finished his original run of Space Pirate Captain Harlock. I got to the 'end' of the three book set and the story never reaches a final battle with the Mazon enemy, which was a tad disappointing. This fact is not mentioned in any of Seven Seas promotion or any recent reviews of the manga series, but i did find one mention of it on an old blog about Harlock. Still, I think I would of bought the set anyway if I'd known, but it would of been nice to have a heads-up that it doesn't end properly before I read it.

    It was certainly a fascinating ride through some influential 1970's Manga. The way Matsumoto clearly enjoys drawing the ship 'Arcadia', the scenery and technology far more than the characters was fascinating. Not to say his characters are badly drawn, but you can plainly see far more effort has gone into drawing their surroundings than the crew themselves. Its a much slower and contemplative story compared to modern manga, which in many ways I enjoyed after I got used to the style. It kind of reminded me of Star Trek, where the ship is a main character in itself, and there's lots of zipping about in space having the occasional showdown with aliens or strange anomalies guided by a captain that the crew trust and respect.

    It had a mature and fairly serious vibe most of the time but also occasionally some of the crew provide humour and running gags to lighten the mood. Overall it was a pretty masterful piece of story telling, with some unique aliens/planets and energetically drawn space battles. I would recommend it to anyone interested in vintage manga but warn them the story doesn't have a proper ending, so don't expect one, just enjoy it for its retro charm and nostalgic space-opera stylings.
     
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  2. mondocoyote

    mondocoyote Comment King

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    I haven't read Captain Harlock, but I just finished the Seven Seas' Battleship Yamato last night. Seems like not completing stories is Matsumoto's thing..
     
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  3. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Really?! ... i'm thinking of buying that one as well. I was assuming it was because he started working on the anime version and got too busy to finish the manga version, but i don't really know. A bit like the animated Nausicaa (and other films) delayed Miyazaki finishing his manga version for 9 years or so ...
     
  4. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Dead Dead Demon's Vol. 10 dropped recently, my favourite current manga. I was under the impression that 10 would be the last book but its going to be 11 volumes at least, which is fine with me.

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  5. skaldavsatanssol

    skaldavsatanssol Toy Prince

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    You have probably already watched it but I have to say that Space Battleship Yamato’s original anime is essential. One of my favourite shows of all time.
     
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  6. ungawa222

    ungawa222 Mini Boss

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    I have what might be a deep-cut question for someone with knowledge of Shotaro Ishinomori's manga depictions of Kamen Rider.
    Medicom released this toy of KR a couple years ago as a fest exclusive:

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    ...under the heading "Original version Kamen Rider, setting picture color". The translated verbiage from the release announcement includes this line:
    "Here, Medicom Toy's "Toei Retro Soft Vinyl Collection EX Original Edition Kamen Rider" is now available as a "setting picture color" following the "frontispiece color" and "reco jacket color"!"

    If anyone here could clue me in (hopefully with some pics!) to the specific comic(s) and record jacket(s) in/on which this color scheme appears, I'd be most grateful. Been unable to locate on my own.
    Thanqs in advahnce!
     
  7. shincartoon

    shincartoon Toy Prince

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    Here you go.
    It just means original color concept
    https://twitter.com/otakuindustry/status/1032196824243744768/photo/2
    [​IMG]
     
  8. ungawa222

    ungawa222 Mini Boss

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    WOW- ask and ye shall receive!! Thank you, @shincartoon!! 8) That was a much quicker (and more definitive) response than I expected. Really appreciate it; this image is probably gonna be my desktop for a spell. :D I love this color version, and finally scored the toy a few weeks back, so was more curious than ever about its origin.
     
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  9. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Just another heads-up .... Seven Seas are going to be publishing the original manga soon in a nice hardback collection.

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  10. ungawa222

    ungawa222 Mini Boss

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    NICE!! Thanks for that, moog!!
     
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  11. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Grabbed these two recent drops. Naoki Urasawa is an amazing mangaka, his drawing style is so distinctive. And I'm grateful to read Fist of the North Star in such beautiful books, this new translation is great.

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    Last edited: Oct 16, 2021
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  12. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Just got two in the mail. This beautiful hardback from D+Q, which collects 1967 to 1968. Glad this one arrived undamaged, unlike the first volume. This is the second volume of a planned seven.

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    And this enjoyably weird one from Q Hayashida. I would of preferred it in a bigger format, but its still nicely printed for its size.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2021
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  13. bryce_r

    bryce_r Die-Cast

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    To Your Eternity is really good.Volume 1 is flawless. I was drawn to it after reading A Silent Voice.
     
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  14. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Nothing better than discovering a new mangaka you really like and then investigating their other work. Both of these sound interesting.
     
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  15. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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    On 15 November, 2021, the Year of Our Lorb...

    Yes, pretty much all of Fantagraphics' in-stock rectangles are available for 40% off (with free ship!) today, but I thought I'd take a minute to highlight some tasty manga titles that might be worth your time and dollar to zero in on ---

    Some (semi)hidden gems:

    A 10-year-old deluxo edition from Press-Pop:
    Tank Tankuro: Prewar Works 1934-1935 by Gajo Sakamoto

    Couple of Breakdown Press releases that you won't find at a better price on US shores:
    Fukushima Devil Fish by Susumu Katsumata
    Red Red Rock by Hayashi Seiichi

    A few goodies from Fanta themselves:
    Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano
    Dementia 21 by Shintaro Kago
    and
    Otherworld Barbara by Moto Hagio
    which I haven't read, so can't really speak to.​

    The discount won't show up until you check your cart. Sale ends when midnight strikes in Seattle, WA.*

    Do it. You know you want to.


    *Unless, of course, they extend it, heh. They've done it before...
     
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  16. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Some interesting stuff there. I can recommend 'Nijigahara Holograph', its a nice hardback and is very well written, but not the most straightforward story. Kinda like David Lynch if he was a mangaka. A rewarding read for those who don't want to be spoon fed.
     
  17. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Recently grabbed these two that Viz published this year ... Rumiko Takahashi's Mermaid Saga. It's great to read some Yokai based Rumiko, and equally nice that it's just two books to complete the story. Wonderful stuff.

    Viz always do a lovely job on their deluxe paperbacks. These are satin cover stock with varnish details and the paper is nice and thick with quality printing and translation.

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  18. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    I have mixed feelings about this one. I bought it without seeing the contents because i'm really enjoying these classic collections from Seven Seas. When i got it home i realised the art style is quite crude a lot of the time, which is fine because its quite old, but the print reproduction is pretty bad on the fine-lines in a lot of the stories. A blogger said this hardback's print quality is an improvement over the out of print TokyoPop books, but i find it lacking. It looks like the original artwork/plates have not been used for a long time. Also, flicking through it i can see some pretty bad misogyny which is never a good thing (obviously). I will have to see how i feel after i've read it, but on first impressions its a bit of a disappointment.

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  19. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    I dropped into my local Forbidden Planet today, hopefully for some pre-crimbo manga, and wasn't disappointed. This Seven Seas hardback finally dropped, and its a beast, 857 pages of nicely printed Shotaro Ishinomori. Classic manga in a heavy book you could knock a villain out with.

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    Viz hardback, they've done this series proud. The definitive English translation ...

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  20. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    No.5 Vol.2 dropped (Viz paperback), and i got into it much more than the first book. It was a touch more coherent, not by much, but enough to hold my interest and keep me buying the series. Judging it on the artwork alone, its a very unique and trippy manga that follows its own rules. It definitely has a dreamlike quality, influenced by Moebius for sure.

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. eleggua

    eleggua Toy Prince

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    Do you see a Kamen Rider influence/inspiration on Yamomark’s toys?
     
  22. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Yep, for sure. Especially his older stuff.

    'I take characters from Super Sentai or Kamen Rider, mix different aspects, and create my own unique character.'

    https://sqdblstr.wordpress.com/portfolio/yamomark-interview/
     
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  23. eleggua

    eleggua Toy Prince

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    Thanx so much for this illuminating article. Confirms other suppositions, too.
    Noticed he’s wearing what appears to be a baseball-themed wristwatch. Elegab is (also?) a baseball fan, info from another sqdblstr interview.

    Fun!
    “Yamobazooka was a dying gecko that was found by a bug collector and turned into a cyborg. He uses the bazooka to catch other insects and reptiles to eat. Mushroom Soup Man suddenly appeared from a boiling pot of mushroom soup. He catches misbehaving children and eats them. ”
     
  24. The Moog

    The Moog Die-Cast

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    Just finished the recent Vol.4, which was action packed and very entertaining. Urasawa vividly takes you back in time to a rainy 1964 Tokyo. A barely hidden government secret mission. A scumbag reporter on the scent and a massive Kaiju hiding in the waters just off the coast. The way he weaves it all together amidst the ordinary struggles of an orphan and her friends (and surviving siblings) is masterful. The pacing of the story, and the accomplished artwork make this manga a perfect example of the heights the art-form can reach. This stuff is the real deal ...

    [​IMG]
     
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  25. toothaction

    toothaction Team Tsubu Staff Member

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