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Picture of a book: Space Trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet / Perelandra / That Hideous Strength
Picture of a book: Dune
Picture of a book: 20th Century Boys
Picture of a book: Blade of the Immortal, Volume 1: Blood of a Thousand
Picture of a book: Blame!, Vol. 1
Picture of a book: Trigun Maximum Volume 1: Hero Returns
Picture of a book: GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka, Vol. 1
Picture of a book: Mushishi, Vol. 1
Picture of a book: Vagabond, Vol. 1

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Picture of a book: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1
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Neon Genesis Evangelion, Vol. 1

Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Hideaki Anno
When Shinji Ikari's estranged father arranges a meeting with him, it's not the heartfelt meeting he was hoping for. Gendo wants Shinji to pilot the Evangelion, the only machine capable of battling the monstrous angels descending to earth. Can Shinji defeat the angels and his most fearsome enemy, his desire for his father's approval?My manga self-education continues with Neon Genesis Evangelion. Reading this right on the heels of Getter Robo Devolution provides a nice contrast. Whereas GRD felt a lot more violent, this one felt more like the beginnings of a family drama that just happens to feature violence. Any man whose father is an "alpha male" can relate to Shinji. He doesn't know how to please his father but still wants his approval. Shinji has his coming of age moment inside the Evangelion but his father is still a distant prick. The art is softer than that of GRB, which fits in with its more sensitive subject matter. The battle scenes were clear and the characters were expressive. The designs of the EVA and the angels were memorable. I'm not prepared to call them iconic just yet but I still have thirteen or so more volumes to read. I'm really curious about the future of the series. There's a little sexual tension teased between Shinji and Captain Katsuragi. We'll see where that goes.I enjoyed this volume quite a bit. Hopefully the used bookstore has the rest of them. I'm getting the hang of this reading right to left business. Four out of five stars.
Picture of a book: PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001
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PLUTO: Urasawa x Tezuka, Volume 001

Takashi Nagasaki, Makoto Tezuka, Naoki Urasawa
I haven't actually been a huge booster of the works of Osamu Tezuka. Beyond a hard-won affection for his \ Buddha\ , I haven't come to take much enjoyment from the other books of his I've sampled. Phoenix, Adolf, Blackjack. They just haven't won me over. I think I may be too far divorced from the period of his innovation to view the works as fresh. They are so deeply products of their times that they appear quaint and stilted—to me at least (I've spoken before of my trouble with attempting to escape my biases). As the comics form has evolved and storytelling grown into using a more mature set of tools, I find myself unable to appreciate Tezuka as story. As artifact, sure. As an archaeological window into the development of the form, yes. But I do not find myself able to dive into his stories for the sake of those stories—I've always got to have an ulterior motive, usually one associated with academic appreciation.Because of this, giving Pluto a chance was a hard sell for me. I didn't know enough about Astroboy to be a fan or otherwise. I couldn't even be ambivalent. I was strictly apathetic. I had so little interest in the character or in a reimagining of one of his more famous episodes that even the promise of Naoki Urasawa's stellar storytelling chops wouldn't lure me out. It wasn't until I was bored at the library one day and happened to find the first volume on a shelf that the scales tipped.And now I wish that Urasawa would adapt all of Tezuka's works.As is spoken of near ad infinitum, one of science fiction's greatest conceits is the ability, through its speculative technologies, to engage the mind in such a way that contemporary issues are seen in new light. 1984 could prompt its audience to reevaluate the pervasive role of the government in shackling liberty for the sake of security. Gattaca could help alert its audience to the value of the natural individual in the face of the future's promise of a better genetics. The Time Machine could prompt its audience to remember to value literature in the face of emerging mass entertainment options. And Invasion of the Body Snatchers could alert its audience to the insidious creep of subtle ideological evolutions, whether in the face of communist utopianism or crass commercialism.It's a common enough use of the genre that one might even consider it boring to talk about. After all, it's been done over and again. What Urasawa does with Pluto, however, is of another level and to a-whole-nother magnitude. Rather than simply engage the mind through conceptual challenges, he affects the heart. And by working upon the seat of the emotional mind, he draws out a kind of empathy for non-humans who straddle the cole between personhood and non-personhood.Pluto is foremost the story of the murders of several robotic AIs. These artificial intelligences struggle with balancing their self-awareness with the shackles of their programming. In a way, Urasawa may even be trying to tackle, in some remedial way, questions of liberty vs determinism—something all those with any interest in metaphysics must come up against at one point or another. From another angle, these robots' lives spell out the same conflict that MT Anderson homes in on in his wonderful Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: the question of liberty and property; how can those who rally behind freedom, democracy, and liberty keep sentient beings as property.1Where Urasawa excels so ably is in making his robotic characters so human, so other-than-human, and so worthy of compassion in either case. There are moments for several of these robots (whose narrative destiny, set in stone fifty years ago by Tezuka himself, is to be destroyed) at which the average reader may very well need to take a moment to regain composure. We are never not aware of these characters' non-human status and the fact that they are creations of man, but all the same they become valuable recipients of our cares and well-wishes.And it is through that marvelous narrative inducement toward empathy that Urasawa sells his point home. He requires the reader to consider the what-ifs of his scenario. Ignoring plausibility for a moment, he not only raises the question of artificial personhood but also gives the reader a reason to care about that question. Adam Hines attempted something similar in Duncan the Wonder Dog, by actually giving personhood to animals; but as much as I laud Duncan as probably the pre-eminent work of comics fiction, I believe Urasawa pulls this particular thing off much more adeptly.2 It's difficult to balance the humanity and inhumanity of these characters in a way that makes them both comfortable and alien, but Urasawa succeeds. Pluto, against odds, is neither too heady nor too treacle nor even too plot-driven. And for a book structured as a detective thriller, that's some achievement.The story Urasawa is adapting (Tezuka's "The Greatest Robot on Earth") features the seven most advanced robots in the world falling one by one to a new challenger, a mighty robot named Pluto. Rather than push Atom (adapted from Astroboy) to the narrative center, Urasawa tells much of the story through Gesicht, a Europol detective robot and one of the seven most powerful AIs on earth. (Urasawa, to lesser degree, moves the narrative around between the remainder of the other six robots.) Gesicht is investigating this string of robot-related murders. As the number of murders mounts, Gesicht draws closer and closer to discovering Pluto's identity—all while trying to reign in an apparent fault in his robotic memory.Pluto is only eight volumes long and is therefore much more tightly plotted than either Monster (18 vols.) or 20th Century Boys (22 vols. and a short sequel). It's a good read and gives the reader opportunity to think about a number of fascinating subjects, all while carrying on a murder mystery/thriller. For a series that (at its most basic and dumbed down) is a book about a series of robot fights, Urasawa wisely shows very little actual robot-on-robot combat. He knows what's interesting and fighting robots is not quite that. Pluto is an investigation of emergent technologies, an investigation of the toll of contemporary international policies, and an investigation of the nature of the soul.Notes1. "These robots' lives spell out the same conflict that MT Anderson homes in on in his wonderful Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: the question of liberty and property; how can those who rally behind freedom, democracy, and liberty keep sentient beings as property."In one sense the question may be offensive, since with black people there is no question to their sentience and full personhood—while the question is still up in the air as regards the artificial intelligence. Still, within the scope of Anderson's work (taking place during the American revolutionary escapades), the same question is very much at stake for the people alive in that particular historical pericope.2. "As I laud Duncan as probably the pre-eminent work of comics fiction, I believe Urasawa pulls this off much more adeptly." Much of this is probably directly owed to the fact that we can much more easily imagine machines with self-aware intelligence and the capacity to communicate than we can mere animals._____________________[Review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]
Picture of a book: Cowboy Bebop, Vol. 2
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Cowboy Bebop, Vol. 2

Yutaka Nanten
So I read volume two... and it was awesome! Yeah, I have no idea what else to say! This review is going to be me basically gushing over how awesome this manga series is... so... you've been warned. XPI was excited to get my hands on the next volume of Cowboy Bebop since I loved the first volume so much. It did NOT disappoint. Reading the chapters of this manga is like watching the individual episodes of the anime. It was great. It was fun, exciting, engaging, amazing! I loved how each chapter played out its own plot. The characters were amazing, including some of the new ones. The art style is just fantastic! Overall, I enjoyed ever aspect of this book!Nanten just keeps getting better and better! The art of this manga is so nice to look at. The characters have their own unique designs and the scenery is just astounding. You feel as if you are on a different planet! And the one who wrote the story, Hajime Yatate (I don't think I talked about them in my last review), did an excellent job again by taking the formula they used for the anime and adapted onto the manga and it flowed beautifully. Nothing seemed forced. It literally felt as if you were watching an actual Cowboy Bebop episode and I couldn't be happier.I already said how much I love Spike and the rest of the Bebop crew. In this volume, it's no different. They were all badass and lived up to my expectations. Even the new characters were great! Kazuki, a news reporter, though slightly... naive... she brought a lightness to the story that was necessary considering how dark this series can get sometimes. Linda Wise, a mentor to Faye, was fantastic! She was intelligent and kind. You can tell she really cared for Faye. The Killer... he was the butt of Ed's jokes and his end was hilarious! Finally, Allison was somewhat bland but because of her, we were able to get to see a softer side to Spike. Naturally, I enjoyed the new characters tremendously. However, no one can take the spot of my favorite character ever. That spot is reserved for Jet. God, he was so cute, amazing, epic, and wonderful in this manga! Made me laugh a few times, too! XDIf you decided, to read the first volume then I highly suggest you read this one as well. It's full of action, suspense, drama, and comedy! In fact, this volume was a bit more light-hearted tha the previous one but that doesn't mean it wasn't a great volume! It was awesome! Any Cowboy Bebop fan would LOVE to read this manga. Trust me. It is just THAT good!There's only one left... oh, no! I am not ready for this! I don't want this lovely manga to end! DX But, alas, there is but one left. Oh well... I am REALLY looking forward to seeing where this last volume is going to take me!I know it's going to be epic! >:3
Picture of a book: Battle Angel Alita
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Battle Angel Alita

Yukito Kishiro, Rachel Balzora Thorn
I know I'm not the only one who saw the trailer for the movie that will be coming out this year and knew I had to get my hands on the source material. I'm totally a newbie to graphic novels and manga. Aside from a brief obsession with Sailor Moon when I was a teenager, I'm woefully unfamiliar with all anime and under-read in all areas of manga. Picking up the Deluxe edition of Battle Angel Alita was sort of a leap of faith for me, but having read the first volume tonight I'm hopeful that this will end up an unexpectedly pleasant surprise for me this month! Volume 1, entitled Rusty Angel starts the reader off with a very, very soft introduction to the world as Alita is scavenged from a junkyard by a crafty repairman named Ido. This first volume seeks to introduce the readers only to the very surface of the world, the art style, and the characters. The scope of the world thus far remains centered around only what Alita is currently experiencing. She is a cypher through which the audience will continue to learn about the world.It makes for an extremely fast-paced read. It feels fresh and exciting, as there's really nothing to be confused by quite yet. The cover artwork for the volume definitely feels dated in comparison to some of the newer manga and comics I saw sitting on the shelf in the bookstore, but somehow it totally works here. It lends the story a gritty, retro feel that I'm totally into. There's a definite focus on introducing elements of the story through action as well, which I personally think is the best way of delivering information about the world. Through a number of battle scenes and their consequences, we the reader learn about Alita's capabilities, and the abilities of a number of other cybertronic characters that exist in the world. Technology is definitely key here, and I truly enjoyed some of the ways it is implemented in the various action sequences. Be wary though, this is definitely not for the faint of heart. There's a fair amount of gore in here, although frankly I think that's to be expected considering the title! My one qualm with this was that some of the dialogue felt a little stilted, especially in the second half, but otherwise I was totally invested.Can't wait to see where the story goes next!
Picture of a book: Akira, Vol. 1
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Akira, Vol. 1

Katsuhiro Otomo
\ Akira: And A Boy Shall Rule Them All... Badly. A Boy Whose Head Contains A Supernova\ 'Akira' and 'Lone Wolf and Cub' were among the first complete manga masterpieces to be published in English, and despite the mirror-imaging, were very similar to their original tankobon incarnations. Katsuhiro Otomo's SF-classic 'Akira' -- as well as it's equally brilliant predecessor, 'Domu' -- revolutionized Japanese comics. It introduced realistic, incredibly detailed artwork that merged a far more subtle manga stylization with European influences, incorporating aspects from the art of 'Metal Hurlant' regulars Moebius, Francois Schuiten, and Enki Bilal. The importance of 'Akira' is difficult to express, but it certainly rivals US contemporaries 'Watchmen' and 'The Dark Knight Returns', and it ran far longer than either title, giving it an epic scope and grandeur that exceeds both of those seminal works. If it was a decision between: Katsuhiro Otomo, 'Domu' and 'Akira'; Frank Miller, 'Batman: Year One' and 'Batman: The Dark Knight Returns'; or Alan Moore, 'V for Vendetta' and 'Watchmen'; I'd say that Otomo created the best and most influential works of the 1980's. That ignores some huge titles, like 'Love and Rockets' and 'Maus' and 'Raw' and 'Weirdo' and 'Yummy Fur' and 'The Incal' and 'Les Cites Obscures', etc... but I'll stand by it, with all due respect.All that hyperbole crosses without friction to the film adaptation... perhaps the best anime -- and animated -- film ever made. But Otomo wrote and directed his debut when he was only around half-way through the manga. The 6-volume, 2200+-page series is not just 'worth checking out' for fans of the anime, it's essential. The film contains less than 15% of the super-epic that inspired it, but the art, the characters, the basic plot, and the light-speed pacing will all be unmistakably familiar.On a Technical Note: While I prefer the original right-to-left orientation for translated manga, Kodansha is still using the Dark Horse translation that appeared before Japanese formatting surprised the hell out of US publishers by catching on. It's only as big a deal as you make it, in my opinion; obsessive-compulsive types are out of luck, but anyone who has recovered from the mind-blowing shock of confronting a left-handed doppelganger in the bathroom mirror will do just fine. My preference for R-to-L has to do with preserving the artist's original vision... does that sound right? Something like that, anyway. As far as accessibility, flipping the art is probably easier for weak western minds and eyeballs. I'd rather watch a film reflected in a mirror than I would one played in reverse.\ \ \ Domu: Otomo's Pre-Akira Masterpiece\ Otomo's first masterpiece is overshadowed by the grandeur of Akira, but both the art and the story display the full-range of his creative powers. In an apartment mega-complex with thousands of residents, the suicide rate has risen dramatically. An old man with terrifying psychic abilities has become senile, and is now indulging his deadly and selfish whims, manipulating the residents like puppets and sending some to their deaths. The families of the victims are baffled. The police investigating the deaths don't know what to make of it all, but as they follow the bizarre trail of clues, they get closer to a killer they're incapable of stopping. But when a little girl moves in with her family, the old man is suddenly confronted by someone determined to stop his malevolent games, a child with powers that might exceed his own. The town-sized apartment complex becomes a battlefield between two psychic juggernauts, and the old man's malicious games unleash a storm of telekinetic fury that threatens to kill hundreds of innocent people. Otomo was far ahead of his time, and his genius for graphic storytelling inspired an entire generation of young mangaka. Domu holds up remarkably well, and deserves to have a much wider audience; unbelievably, this is somehow out of print in North America. I don't know what the fuck Kodansha is thinking, but they need to publish a new edition and promote it. If you haven't read Domu, stop whatever you're doing and run blindly around the countryside screaming the title until someone finally tries to pacify you with a copy. If some asshole shows up with 'Appleseed', add projectile vomit and urine to the routine. Accept no substitutes. \ \ An Excellent Review of 'Domu: A Child's Dream' That Should Convince You Of Its Brilliance\ \ \ \ More Art-book Reviews\ \ \ \ More Comic-book Reviews\ \ \ \ More Novel Reviews\ \