Register a SA Forums Account here!
JOINING THE SA FORUMS WILL REMOVE THIS BIG AD, THE ANNOYING UNDERLINED ADS, AND STUPID INTERSTITIAL ADS!!!

You can: log in, read the tech support FAQ, or request your lost password. This dumb message (and those ads) will appear on every screen until you register! Get rid of this crap by registering your own SA Forums Account and joining roughly 150,000 Goons, for the one-time price of $9.95! We charge money because it costs us money per month for bills, and since we don't believe in showing ads to our users, we try to make the money back through forum registrations.
 
  • Post
  • Reply
Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
There's a new chapter of Maoyuu Maou Yuusha that is jam-packed with action and politics! And of course discussion of Demon Queen's rack, but definitely not the focus. In just a single chapter there's so much progress and endearing dialogue, it's great. The artwork has drastically improved since the early chapters, too. It continues to be a really fantastic series.

I also think they made it a point to make Demon Queen's giant boobs as unappealing as possible this chapter, which is odd for the artist to do since that's like, their entire MO, but it's appreciated that the chapter (mostly) avoids absurd fanservice and focuses on story instead.

It also seems like we're heading for a plot twist where this fantasy world is actually based on some sort of hyperfuturistic technological system since Magician has just started to discuss the Milky Way and galaxy clusters and such, which is odd to say the least in a fantasy setting.

Archer and Hero's shenanigans were greatly appreciated levity after such a dire few chapters, too.

It also seems the series has passed into the hands of a different scanlation group, so hopefully new chapters will start showing up much faster, since I believe they're like 8-12 chapters behind at this point?

Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 12:00 on May 10, 2014

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Jackard
Oct 28, 2007

We Have A Bow And We Wish To Use It
Glad they are back on track, it's a neat series.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
There's also a new chapter of Hinamatsuri too! And this one might be the best chapter of the whole series, even though the entire series is really really good. Need to have read the rest of Hinamatsuri to really get the emotional impact of it though. :3:

Been thinking of some new stuff to put in a fourth sampler. I've got a few in mind, some not-so-significant series but still stuff I enjoyed.

DrSunshine
Mar 23, 2009

Did I just say that out loud~~?!!!
Hello BSS! I rarely post here, but this is a recommendation that I feel I am duty-bound to make:

Sumire 16-Sai!



It's about a cute, energetic high school girl who goes around the school helping students solve their daily problems. ...

Except she happens to be a puppet controlled by a middle-aged ventriloquist of whom everybody (except the teachers and principal) are plainly aware! It's the very epitome of a premise that makes you go "What the hell?! Why am I reading this?!" except that by the end, when it stirs your feelings and plucks at the heartstrings, you wonder "-- and why is it so good?!"

Lurdiak
Feb 26, 2006

I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do.


Yeah I think this is one of those situations where I'll never be able to get past the premise to give it a chance.

a kitten
Aug 5, 2006

Oh the premise is obviously ludicrous, it's also funny as all hell.

Soylentbits
Apr 2, 2007

im worried that theyre setting her up to be jotaros future wife or something.

a kitten posted:

Oh the premise is obviously ludicrous, it's also funny as all hell.

To be fair that's a really skeevy sounding premise. I read it and it is a cute series despite itself but I totally understand where he's coming from. You might need a different thread for it.

The natural follow up to a high quality manga thread. Weird but good manga.

Because nobody is going to see a high school girl ventriloquist doll manga without immediately questioning its existence.

Chinaman7000
Nov 28, 2003

It's a funny and enjoyable story. A pleasant surprise for the weird and honestly dumb premise.

Mulva
Sep 13, 2011
It's about time for my once per decade ban for being a consistently terrible poster.

Soylentbits posted:

Because nobody is going to see a high school girl ventriloquist doll manga without immediately questioning its existence.

The reaction to the story is basically the story in itself. You think it's going to be this creepy thing, but it's actually super dedicated and sweet about it all....while being weird. It's a series that managed to find a way to make it organic and natural for high school girls to legitimately become friends with a middle aged man wielding a puppet, and you can't help but go "....yeah, I get it".

Brainamp
Sep 4, 2011

More Zen than Zenyatta

Soylentbits posted:

The natural follow up to a high quality manga thread. Weird but good manga.

Because nobody is going to see a high school girl ventriloquist doll manga without immediately questioning its existence.

Too late, already got one.

boner confessor
Apr 25, 2013

by R. Guyovich
Wow, Sumire was really good.

I think that it's about identity, and how we construct it. Sumire exists in this weird world where at first glance she's obviously a puppet controlled by an old man, but the more you get to know 'her' the more you accept her as her stated identity rather than as an entirely synthetic puppet person. Sakura is the same, a woman acting out a hard male teen delinquent when she clearly is not who her puppet himself claims to be. Sumire is the combination of puppet and puppeteer, which might cause one to question why the old man can't get rid of the puppet and just let his charming high school girl persona spring forth.

If you think of yourself as a life sized puppet, who is pulling your strings? Who is speaking through you?

DrSunshine
Mar 23, 2009

Did I just say that out loud~~?!!!

Popular Thug Drink posted:

Wow, Sumire was really good.

I think that it's about identity, and how we construct it. Sumire exists in this weird world where at first glance she's obviously a puppet controlled by an old man, but the more you get to know 'her' the more you accept her as her stated identity rather than as an entirely synthetic puppet person. Sakura is the same, a woman acting out a hard male teen delinquent when she clearly is not who her puppet himself claims to be. Sumire is the combination of puppet and puppeteer, which might cause one to question why the old man can't get rid of the puppet and just let his charming high school girl persona spring forth.

If you think of yourself as a life sized puppet, who is pulling your strings? Who is speaking through you?


Yeah, I think this gets at the heart of what the manga is about. You can really see what you said about "the more you get to know 'her' the more you accept her as her stated identity", in the moments when the puppet loses the mouth-lines and doll-eyes and turns into a regular person. That's what's happening when people start to accept Sumire as a "real" person. What's really great is how that plays into the ending where the old man is allowed to express himself honestly in their reunion panel.

SylvainMustach
Dec 12, 2007

Superior Trash Talk!
I didn't see this thread before, but saw some things posted in the "Post one picture to make someone read manga", or whatever it's called, thread in ADTRW. I'm incredibly new to Manga as a medium, save for some Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon when I was younger. I've always been a big comic book fan (haven't posted here but have a big collection that I'll likely have to thin out sometime) but I just never picked up any manga (largely due to misconceptions about it's audience and/or the difficulty I thought would come in reading it traditionally).

That thread lead me to pick up both Attack on Titan and I Am The Hero. If anyone's dragging their feet about either title, I cannot recommend them more. I haven't come close to finishing or catching up to either, but I'll throw in that as a huge fan of horror in other mediums, I found both of these titles to be extremely satisfying.

I will say that I didn't expect Titan to be as dark and angry as it has been. It's also legitimately creepy and features far more death than I was expecting.

I would also suggest, although it's been finished for a very long time, Naoki Urasawa's Monster. It's a great psychological thriller about a Japanese doctor in a recently unified Germany (not long after the wall came down) who is on the run from the Law while trying to find the sociopath whose life he saved when he was a child. It's some dark, heavy and sometimes very melodramatic stuff. It feels a little long sometimes but I've found it to be very rewarding.



I'm definitely going to give Suicide Island and Onepunch-Man a try based on the descriptions in this thread so thanks for that.

Senor Candle
Nov 5, 2008
I think it's worth mentioning that Monster is getting a new printing that will start coming out pretty soon. I've been reading a lot of stuff from Vertical recently and it's all fantastic. Book of Human Insects and MW by Tezuka are wonderfully dark and complex. I'm half-way through Helter-Skelter by Kyoko Okazaki. It's about a young idol who gets 99% of her body completely replaced/altered through plastic surgery and her complete breakdown once her body starts deteriorating. Drawn and Quarterly is also putting out some killer stuff. Anything by Shigeru Mizuki is gold, but my favorites have been NonNonBa and Showa: History of Japan. A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi is an interesting autobiographical look in the life of a manga artist during the age where manga became something that wasn't just for kids!

Hakkesshu
Nov 4, 2009


Senor Candle posted:

I think it's worth mentioning that Monster is getting a new printing that will start coming out pretty soon.

This is awesome, thanks for mentioning it. I started collecting Monster, but fell off for a while and when I finally went back to it everything was out of print and super expensive. This is perfect.

Senor Candle
Nov 5, 2008

Hakkesshu posted:

This is awesome, thanks for mentioning it. I started collecting Monster, but fell off for a while and when I finally went back to it everything was out of print and super expensive. This is perfect.

I'm pretty sure they are going to be omni editions? They were in last months previews.

Hakkesshu
Nov 4, 2009


Senor Candle posted:

I'm pretty sure they are going to be omni editions? They were in last months previews.

Oh yeah, I know, I'm not far enough into it to where it'll be a massive loss. I'm just glad it's available again.

Senor Candle
Nov 5, 2008
YEAH! I'm getting Showa History of Japan Vol 2 tonight and also my copy of Ode to Kirihito Vol 1 just came in. Everyone buy Showa it's so good!

Favorabilis Solitud
May 18, 2006
And that's the way it was.
I wouldn't call Dr. Slump high quality but its great! It reads more like a collection of newspaper comics but with a sick sense of humor.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
If you've not read Koe no Kotachi(A Silent Voice in english) yet, I highly suggest picking it up now. Recent events in the series have taken things in a surprising direction, and it's some absolutely fantastic drama.

There are some scenes in the manga that will literally make you :stonk:, and there's one particular moment that had me shouting out "HOLY poo poo!".

It's an incredibly good series. Wow. It is a very, very, very brutal series, but it is so very good, and I believe the author's first work, which is insane for a debut.

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.
Oh man, has the next chapter been released already!?

I loving love that series. It's kind of weird at times, having grown up in US deaf culture, but once you get over the culture difference it's compelling as gently caress.

Edit:

:stare:

Ok, holy poo poo, I did not see that coming.

Captain Bravo fucked around with this message at 04:47 on Jul 3, 2014

Squidster
Oct 7, 2008

✋😢Life's just better with Ominous Gloves🤗🧤
Immortal Hounds

Welcome to a world without death. A utopia without disease, addictions, or fear of injury. Any human being who receives a fatal wound resets to their default healthy state. Got a cold? Die and be healed. Hungover? Physician, headshot thyself.

But not everyone gets to share this utopia. A handful of people, called Vectors, suffer from Resurrection Deficiency Syndrome - they only die once. And RDS is infectious and spreading. To combat this, the Japanese government has scrambled a special police force to hunt and exterminate these plagued individuals. They're just too dangerous to be allowed to live. There's a conspiracy supporting the Vectors, and mysterious individuals known as Escape Artists help them infiltrate Japanese society, and cover their inevitably bloody exits when their covers are blown.


Pictured: a Tuesday.

Immortal Hounds is a unique blend of ultra-violent romance. Characters are cut apart, sliced to ribbons and blown into chunks - and then pop right back up with a wry grin. But at its heart, its a Romeo and Juliet story of the cold-eyed warrior who protects Vectors, and the driven detective who hunts them. Their murderous rivalry and complete incompatibility make for some drat fine drama.


I love the fantastical - and yet oddly familiar - worldbuilding, the gallows humour and the incredible action sequences in the comic. But for all its action, it has a core of human melodrama that tugs. One thing I enjoy is that there is no audience-avatar in this story; everyone simply accepts that this topsy-turvey world is the way it's always been. And holy poo poo, the art and the action are incredible.



Read it at Batoto!

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty

Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 03:32 on Jul 28, 2014

Senor Candle
Nov 5, 2008
Pretty sure I already ordered a copy of Immortal Hounds, I'll check it out when it comes.

EDIT: Maybe not? I'm gonna have to look through some previews to find what I was thinking of.

For some reason I was thinking of Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, which is getting a reprint of some early volumes. I guess I just saw what looks like a dectective/policeman and made a connection.

Senor Candle fucked around with this message at 15:55 on Jul 3, 2014

Squidster
Oct 7, 2008

✋😢Life's just better with Ominous Gloves🤗🧤
I don't think Immortal Hounds has been licensed anywhere!

You might be thinking of Ajin, licensed by Viz, which has a bit of a similar premise. In Ajin, a bunch of immortal regenerating badasses appear in our world, and go around shooting a bunch of comically evil government dudes while being emotionless badasses. It's beautifully drawn, but every characters' motivation is a monotone "Get to the next action sequence."

Molrok
May 30, 2011

Captain Invictus lured me here and recomended that I read Qualia the Purple.

Oh boy, it really is quite heavy on the sci-fi and psychological themes while touching on metaphysics and yet it's easy to digest. The latest translated chapter (14) floored me on how awesome and terrifying the quantum Yandere has become.

I wonder if it ends with a irresistible force paradox since Gaku is pretty much going against an immovable object after becoming THE unstoppable force.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
After a long hiatus, I've whipped up another Sampler, part 4! I've read quite a few series in the meantime, so hopefully there's some good variety for folks in here.

Let's begin!


Yokohama Shopping Trip(Drama, Sci-fi, Seinen, Slice of Life) is one of the most happy and relaxing, yet melancholy series I've ever read, that follows the story of a humanoid android who runs a small cafe out in the boonies, and her everyday life as well as those around her. Mankind has precipitated some massive natural disaster which has wiped out the majority of humanity, and the remainder are living out their lives peacefully with what still remains. It's a super relaxing and laid-back series with a classic anime art style, the 80's-ish style I suppose. One of the most satisfying series I've yet seen, most definitely. Completed series, unlicensed(some-loving-how).


Vinland Saga(Action, Adventure, Historical, Seinen) is a story set in the age of Vikings, when they pillaged and took what they wanted. It follows Thorfinn, a young man whose history gradually unfolds as he kills his way across many battlefields alongside a bunch of plundering mercenaries. Has some of the best artwork you'll ever see in a manga, and the story is pretty great too! The characters are outstanding, especially Askeladd and another giant of a character you'll meet as the story progresses, you'll know him when you see him. An incredibly brutal, violent series, so be prepared for plenty of dismemberment and horrible acts of mercilessness. Some people have issues with one of the later arcs, but I personally enjoyed it, I think being able to read it all at once instead of waiting for each chapter helped a lot with that though.


Uwagaki(Comedy, Romance, Sci-fi, Seinen) follows a boy, a girl, and a mysterious, possibly extraterrestrial science teacher who, one day, decides to clone the girl in an experiment on romance. Hijinks ensue. This series surprised me with its brevity and sincerity, it's an adorable romance series that also does well with asking the question "what would you do if suddenly there was an exact copy of you?". At only 20 chapters long, it's not a lengthy read either, it's short and sweet. Completed series, unlicensed.


Thermae Romae(Comedy, Historical, Seinen) follows an ancient Roman bathhouse architect who, whenever he submerges himself in water, winds up in some sort of bath in modern-day Japan. He is bewildered by this as he cannot speak Japanese, but learns new ideas for his bathhouses every time. It's an exceptionally god drat silly and funny series.


Knights of Sidonia(Action, Adventure, horror, Romance, Sci-fi, Seinen) is a sci-fi series by a dude who just wants to draw the craziest sci-fi stuff he wants, all the time. The story follows the colony ship Sidonia, which has fled the solar system after a type of alien lifeform called the Gauna destroyed Earth. The Gauna are nearly indestructible and can reform their shapes at will to form almost anything they want, be it defense or weaponry, they are insanely dangerous. Humanity has long since transcended mere male/female and basic reproduction systems, opting for cloning, the ability to be unisex if you desire, and incubatorial schooling simply in the interests of surviving. A human can reach full maturity and brainpower within five years of cloning, which is needed since the Guardian Pilots die like flies against the Gauna. The characters are incredibly boring(until one is introduced much later in the series) and apparently this is the first series the author is making with characters he's trying to design to be more than just cardboard cutouts, and it shows. The story and character interactions are downright schizophrenic at times and weird gags and fanservice are thrown in at the most awkward times early on. Still, it improves drastically later on, and to be frank, the sci-fi art porn ought to keep folks happy until then. Dude draws some outstanding horrifying alien creatures and awesome mechanical men/spaceships and it's clear that he upgrades stuff on a whim just so he can draw new stuff. There's a lot I love about this series, but it's not perfect. That said, it does some stuff in some of the recent chapter that I never thought I'd see a series do, and it was pretty fantastic.


Otoyomegatari(Drama, Historical, Manga, Romance, Seinen) is set in the 19th century on the Silk Road. It's one of the most gorgeous series I've ever seen by far, with incredibly detailed, intricate designs on the embroidery in pretty much every page that has them. The characters are lovable and fun, and it can go from lighthearted to intense in the span of a few pages. Lots of drama, lots of :3:, and a smattering of good action. Really a top-notch historical-based series.


Hito Hitori Futari(Action, Seinen, Supernatural) is a thoughtful series set in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami and revolves around Riyon, a lazy soul who has been assigned to the physical world as a guardian spirit for being a delinquent in the afterlife. She tries to pick a person with a low life expectancy so she can hurry up and return back to the spirit world, but her plan backfires spectacularly and she winds up as the guardian spirit of the prime minister of Japan. It's an interesting story about forgiveness, forbidden knowledge, redemption, and love(not romance). The art style is not uguu at all, but it can get a bit dodgy at times. Also very little fanservice and the epilogue is fantastic. I love it when a good story can have a solid wrapup. Completed series, unlicensed.

Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Feb 20, 2015

RickVoid
Oct 21, 2010

Captain Invictus posted:


Knights of Sidonia(Action, Adventure, horror, Romance, Sci-fi, Seinen) is a sci-fi series by a dude who just wants to draw the craziest sci-fi stuff he wants, all the time. The story follows the colony ship Sidonia, which has fled the solar system after a type of alien lifeform called the Gauna destroyed Earth. The Gauna are nearly indestructible and can reform their shapes at will to form almost anything they want, be it defense or weaponry, they are insanely dangerous. Humanity has long since transcended mere male/female and basic reproduction systems, opting for cloning, the ability to be unisex if you desire, and incubatorial schooling simply in the interests of surviving. A human can reach full maturity and brainpower within five years of cloning, which is needed since the Guardian Pilots die like flies against the Gauna. The characters are incredibly boring(until one is introduced much later in the series) and apparently this is the first series the author is making with characters he's trying to design to be more than just cardboard cutouts, and it shows. The story and character interactions are downright schizophrenic at times and weird gags and fanservice are thrown in at the most awkward times early on. Still, it improves drastically later on, and to be frank, the sci-fi art porn ought to keep folks happy until then. Dude draws some outstanding horrifying alien creatures and awesome mechanical men/spaceships and it's clear that he upgrades stuff on a whim just so he can draw new stuff. There's a lot I love about this series, but it's not perfect. That said, it does some stuff in some of the recent chapter that I never thought I'd see a series do, and it was pretty fantastic.

The anime is up on Netflix, and it's really good. The series is drawn from the latter part of the manga, iirc.

cafel
Mar 29, 2010

This post is hurting the economy!

Captain Invictus posted:

After a long hiatus, I've whipped up another Sampler, part 4! I've read quite a few series in the meantime, so hopefully there's some good variety for folks in here.

Let's begin!


Yokohama Shopping Trip(Drama, Sci-fi, Seinen, Slice of Life) is one of the most happy and relaxing, yet melancholy series I've ever read, that follows the story of a humanoid android who runs a small cafe out in the boonies, and her everyday life as well as those around her. Mankind has precipitated some massive natural disaster which has wiped out the majority of humanity, and the remainder are living out their lives peacefully with what still remains. It's a super relaxing and laid-back series with a classic anime art style, the 80's-ish style I suppose. One of the most satisfying series I've yet seen, most definitely. Completed series.


Otoyomegatari(Drama, Historical, Manga, Romance, Seinen) is set in the 19th century on the Silk Road. It's one of the most gorgeous series I've ever seen by far, with incredibly detailed, intricate designs on the embroidery in pretty much every page that has them. The characters are lovable and fun, and it can go from lighthearted to intense in the span of a few pages. Lots of drama, lots of :3:, and a smattering of good action. Really a top-notch historical-based series.

These together are probably the two most beautiful and visually evocative series I've ever read. I highly recommend both. Otoyomegatari is probably an easy read for anyone, but Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou has a very, very sedate and relaxed tone that you might have to prepare yourself for if you're normally into more frenetic stuff. I've taken the time to track down physical copies of both series, which is rather rare for me. They're that pretty.

quote:


Vinland Saga(Action, Adventure, Historical, Seinen) is a story set in the age of Vikings, when they pillaged and took what they wanted. It follows Thorfinn, a young man whose history gradually unfolds as he kills his way across many battlefields alongside a bunch of plundering mercenaries. Has some of the best artwork you'll ever see in a manga, and the story is pretty great too! The characters are outstanding, especially Askeladd and another giant of a character you'll meet as the story progresses, you'll know him when you see him. An incredibly brutal, violent series, so be prepared for plenty of dismemberment and horrible acts of mercilessness. Some people have issues with one of the later arcs, but I personally enjoyed it, I think being able to read it all at once instead of waiting for each chapter helped a lot with that though.

Don't let the brutally violent beginning put you off, this is one of the most genuinely thoughtful series being put out today. While you're at it check out Planetes, a previously completed series by the mangaka, for something very different, but equally thoughtful.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty

RickVoid posted:

The anime is up on Netflix, and it's really good. The series is drawn from the latter part of the manga, iirc.

From what I hear, the anime hasn't introduced the best character yet, so it's still not halfway yet.

Zero_Tactility
Nov 25, 2007

Look into my eyes.

cafel posted:

Don't let the brutally violent beginning put you off, this is one of the most genuinely thoughtful series being put out today.
Yes, absolutely. Vinland Saga will provide plenty of graphic, Viking Age violence up front if that's your thing, but it is significantly reduced later on and largely serves as groundwork for a really excellent character arc later on. This is one of my favorite ongoing series.

cafel posted:

While you're at it check out Planetes, a previously completed series by the mangaka, for something very different, but equally thoughtful.
Also a great recommendation. If you like space but want less pew-pew space opera and more coping with the existential dread that the endless cosmos can induce, Planetes is right up your alley.

Makoto Yukimura is one of my favorite mangakas working today.

Zero_Tactility fucked around with this message at 08:01 on Jul 28, 2014

Captain Bravo
Feb 16, 2011

An Emergency Shitpost
has been deployed...

...but experts warn it is
just a drop in the ocean.

Zero_Tactility posted:

Yes, absolutely. Vinland Saga will provide plenty of graphic, Viking Age violence up front if that's your thing, but it is significantly reduced later on and largely serves as groundwork for a really excellent character arc later on. This is one of my favorite ongoing series.

Is Vinland Saga the series where One of the characters goes pacifist, and when a warband attacks his town, stoically gets the poo poo beat out of him in order to save the other townsfolk?

Andrast
Apr 21, 2010


Captain Bravo posted:

Is Vinland Saga the series where One of the characters goes pacifist, and when a warband attacks his town, stoically gets the poo poo beat out of him in order to save the other townsfolk?

Yes.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
Another full volume of I Am A Hero's been translated, and man, we're going full blown Fortress of the Apocalypse with the designs.

Another Person
Oct 21, 2010
since you linked this in the GB thread, I decided to give it a shot and read I Am A Hero. All of it that is available.

Thoughts: I enjoyed the plot up to now. I love the characterisation of the main character, although I am far more attached to the second one as she seems to be better characterised. I figured out what it was going to be roughly 2 chapters in, I don't know why or how, but it just seemed obvious that it was going there. Probably something to do with shotguns. To anyone who is reading the first volume and having a hard time making sense of it, stick it out, it is worth it.

When I saw it confirmed to be zombies, I groaned, but stuck with it since you seem to believe it is great. Happy I did, as it seems to be very enjoyable despite being based on a very tired and worn out fiction trope. They work it well, and that is probably all due to the characterisation. They make the main protagonists very likeable by giving them very obvious traits, strengths and weaknesses, emphasis on the weakness. Hideo is lucky to be alive. He acknowledges that fact due to him happening to have his gun when it all went down. He is not someone who just adapts to this. He can't kill. He can't break tradition and societal conditioning. He knows he has broken the law times over, even one he seems to hold in utmost, the firearm and sword control one, reciting it on every chance. These little features are ones I feel most other zombie and apocalyptic fictions try to put into their work, however, they cease to be an issue once you get past the opening. That effort goes a long way in investing me into the action of Hideo.

I enjoy how it is being more realistic in human reaction towards this sort of scenario. People are holding onto comforts and characteristics, like a trip to the springs, or their discomfort with breaking from their past shut-in lifestyle. They remember their lovers and hold them in some esteem, even if they know they are dead. They realise they are killers and that if things were to resolve they are in a legally grey area. They have real opinions and thoughts, and I appreciate that. It humanises the characters and grounds, a nice break from the typical hero who goes from couch potato to green beret in a day with nothing more than an empty regard for their past lives. It does not take itself too seriously however and that behooves it, as I have seen one too many crappy zombie movies which are too serious in tone. They need to be slightly lighthearted otherwise the ridiculousness of the situation just gets too much and the fiction is broken. The humour breaks the tension, further humanises the characters and also reminds the reader not to take it all to seriously.

I say I enjoy the characterisation, however, there elements to it I dislike. It is very misogynistic for what seems like little reason, and while that is usually portrayed in a negative light, our protagonist has yet to truly redeem himself for his actions. He spent most of the first volume openly being a pig, then slowly tapered it off over the next two or three, and while that is a welcome change, I still think he needs a mea culpa to truly be a likeable character, on par with Hiromi. Unless it already happened and missed or forgot it, in which case, disregard my complaint.

I seriously dislike the internet and chan aspects of it. Every time the work switches perspectives over to chan posters, I kind of sigh inside. Not only are these characters ones who don't get enough development for me to care about them much, but the development they do get makes them so immensely unlikeable on so many grounds. I know we are not supposed to like them and in the case of the mall they even serve as antagonists, but wow has it been a long time since I was so uninvested in the motives of the antagonist. They are portrayed in such a negative light that not only do I want to see them die, I know they will die. People that lovely just do not get to live, and it is proven true time and again, even in this. As such, the tension of them is kind of destroyed by my meta approach in reading. That fault is entirely my own though, I am just an idiot like that. Also, I refuse to believe that if this were to genuinely happen that any of these idiots would survive.

The rants. What is the deal with the rants? They are very weird. It seems like it is just the author taking out frustrations with the industry in the first volume, however, I know nothing of their backstory to really be able to be able to say that. They ultimately end up being entertaining in some fashion or other, but wow are they weird for the first and second volume. The ones after that, like the ghost one, actually proved to be hilarious, so they made their ground up there.


All in all, good stuff, one for me to bookmark and check in on every few months.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
The rants are because Hideo is actually crazy. Like, crazy-in-the-head crazy. This is proved by him blowing up at his girlfriend and then it reverting back to her just sitting there watching TV because that entire blowup was in his head and he didn't realize it. Same with the discussion with his coworkers that turned out to be made up.

I highly suggest you check out some of the other recommendations, as many are close to if not as good as I Am A Hero. Some are even better, like Nausicaa, which is probably the best manga ever made.

Captain Invictus fucked around with this message at 21:29 on Aug 27, 2014

Another Person
Oct 21, 2010
Oh, I intend to read some more of them. I have the free time necessary to do so since I sleep at the weirdest times.

My take on Hideo is not that he is crazy, but rather that he was a severely depressed individual with some very repressed feelings due to his upbringing and lifestyle. As such, I interpreted his rant scenes more as escapism than insanity. He is not hallucinating, but daydreaming and thinking of what he wants to do if he could. The weird people who appear when he is doing this are physical representations of his conscious for editorial reasons. Having a two sided conversation with yourself might not translate well in visual print media, so characterising his conscious physically might make it more clear. That is just my interpretation though, and I just happen to hate 'is crazy' as a plot device. It feels lazy and handwave-y when there are better, noticeable explanations available. My backup for this is because this thing that Hideo does where he is either hallucinating and crazy or just escaping is toned down to almost not being present after a few volumes. It makes far less sense for someone to suddenly not be crazy than it does for someone to become less escapist and depressive when the stress inducing elements of life causing it are removed.

Once again though, that is just my take and I usually go down this path when the possibility of insanity is available in media with a depressive character. Escapism just usually makes more sense. It is pretty unreasonable for me to do this, but it almost always feels better, and makes more sense from a character perspective.

I was more wondering about the topic of the rants, particularly the manga ones. They feel less about Hideo and more about the author, and they felt angst-y. It was really weird.

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
Well, Hideo is a manga artist himself, so some self-projection will no doubt leak through from the author. :v:

The hallucinations only seem to happen when he's alone, and Kengo Hanazawa, based on his other works, is better than unexplainedly throwing in weird monster-things as representations of stress. It's possible that Hideo has some kind of neurological disorder, but with how mental issues are handled in Japan, it's never been diagnosed since Japan is infamous for its lack of treatment/caring for mental health and disabilities.

Also keep in mind that, while there's been over 150 chapters, only a short period of time has passed in-series, and he hasn't really had a whole lot of alone time to really freak out. When his mind is allowed to wander seems to be when it gets all weird and crazy stuff starts happening in his head, but when he's focusing on something like survival, that stuff takes a back seat.

Another Person
Oct 21, 2010
Very true, and I was thinking of that as I was typing. However, his freakouts were very frequent and short spaced at the beginning. It seemed daily. To go from 200mph to 0mph is pretty unlikely, or, it feels to me. Incidentally, aren't times when you are alone the most likely to be having an internal monologue (e; or dialogue, which would make more sense in this case) and considering your chances in life? I find that to be the case with me - alone is the only time I really have to consider my choices in life properly. As such, them only appearing when alone as a manifestation of his concious just makes more sense to me. Again though, this is just me, I can't really speak for the authors intent or the perspective of other readers. And I would not really call them unexpected, we are basically introduced to the character with this hanging over him, and they always appear under the same conditions. That feels fairly well reasoned and explained to me.

Basically, I want to say this is depression based escapism, but I will not be too disappointed if it turns out not to be the case. When it comes to sanity, I always want to stick towards the less erratic and fringe states that are so heavily overused in media. Regardless though, crazy or depressed, I will be sticking to this one.

Thanks for the introduction Cap!

Adbot
ADBOT LOVES YOU

Captain Invictus
Apr 5, 2005

Try reading some manga!


Clever Betty
It's very possible that when (volumes 1-2)he has to literally decapitate his girlfriend he snapped out of it for a while. There's this reaction in the face of overwhelming despair where your brain chemicals can go absolutely haywire(I have had this happen) and sometimes you can get a period of...uneasy calm and clarity, where your thoughts are oddly at ease because you're in such shock that your mind just kinda blanks out, is the best way I can describe it. It's possible that he had that and was coming back down off it when he was in the woods before he met Hiromi, and then after that he's not really had a chance to "settle" in the short time period since.

I dunno, it's all speculation, it could equally be that Hideo was initially planned to have serious issues before Kengo Hanazawa decided to take the story in a different direction and focus on that rather than Hideo's mental issues.

But yeah, feel free to post reactions to other stuff. If you like conjecture, I'd love to see you take on Qualia the Purple. Hell, live-react to me on Steam if you do, that's always hilarious

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • Post
  • Reply