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Column by Scott Green

Manga Spotlight:
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service
By Eiji Otsuka and Housui Yamazaki
Volume 1

Released by Dark Horse Manga

Though The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is far from the first post-death problem solving concept, the manga intriguingly positions itself for an approach which suggests few preconceived notions. The supernatural mortuary-procedural treats the matter of violent and unhappy deaths with a balance of reverence and irreverence. Simultaneously, extravagantly damaged human corpses are grotesque attractions and these bodies present people with histories. There's soulfulness and humanity in the revealed sad circumstances, but The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service investigating the grim events maintain a non-dire, lively attitude. This brand of natural, well constructed contradiction is firmly demonstrated in the manga's cast, whose quirky smarts gives the work a snappy currentness.

The manga starts when a group of students at a Buddhist university without clear post-grad career paths begin an endeavor that starts as the Kurogasi Volunteer Service and is parlayed into a business enterprise. Their clients are dead bodies who need assistance before progressing into the next life. As one would imagine, the business model is hugely unconventional. Karmic payments arranged for from beyond the grave make up the more ethical means of profit.

The staff is similarly unique. In theory the point of view character Kuro Karatsu is the formal Buddhist priest who would be able to perform rites for the dead (and possibly communicate with them). Despite his monastic shaved head, he isn't the most zealous student, tending to forget his sutras and crossing himself during prayers. Ao Sasaki, a well dressed young woman handles the business and IT side of the operation (not an unentertaining character, but the least exciting case of subverted expectations in the group). With feathered hair, dark shades, a goatee, leather jacket and skull ring, Makoto Numata looks like a gangster, but he's the team's dowser. Keiko Makino styles herself too cutely, but she's an experience embalmer. Yuji Yata is a regular looking if sullen younger student, but he "channels" foul mouthed "aliens" into his sock puppets.

From beginning to end, the path the of manga's stories are either perfectly predictable or unpredictable. Consequently, the operative mode is a procedural rather than mystery. Because the work isn't a mystery, it doesn't have the mental participation draw that a solvable problem might, but at the same time, the momentum of the work is involving. An exploration of how trouble shooting the problems of the dead is actually done fits the characters and their circumstances well. The inventiveness of young people building off old traditions to create their own model of business and ethics gives the work a spirited dynamic energy. As much as the work is about the construction of the brutal set pieces, it is about interesting people doing interesting things.

Given that the subject matter is literally morbid, the tone has little choice but to be gruesome. Fortunately writer Eiji Otsuka was involved. With this, Madara and MPD Psycho (to be released at a later date by Dark Horse), disturbing presentation of the deceased human bodies seems to be Otsuka's speciality. In his collaboration with Housui Yamazaki, large spectacle visual sickness is effectively balanced with smaller, barbed sights. Discovering naked, mutilated forms, brains spilling out open craniums and dripping eyes on a page of manga makes for an immediate attention grabbing tableau. At the same time, smaller, imaginable details, like cracked finger nails, or near toothless gums latch onto the mind with disturbing staying power.

The illustration of the manga, and particularly the character work leaves a sense of informality. Taken as a whole, the art in the manga offers little doubt of Yamazaki's technical ability. The rotten wood and moss in a forest scene look physically touchable. While objects and backgrounds are detailed and exact, the people aren't just simplified. They are captured with asymmetry and false body size ratios that make their appearance a bit off. Despite clean lines bodies often look stunted and angles look uneven. This isn't radically off-putting the way Taiyo Matsumoto design might be, but it does introduce a bit of fuzziness to the look. The character of the illustration as a whole suggests that this was a conscious choice, and it serves to make the feel of the manga a bit looser.

Though The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service features a inter-story continuity and it is not repetitive, the structure is sufficiently case-based that there isn't a narrative momentum beyond each particular particular cases. It works like a mystery or horror anthology and like most mystery collections, there are few elements that make further exploration imperative. You read the next Sherlock Holmes work because you enjoy the characters and the construction of the cases, not because you expect the next to build on the previous. This series features novel characters and circumstances, but the impulse to follow-up one enjoyable volume of the manga with another is to a lesser degree than many manga works that are released in North America. Despite being thoroughly enjoyable... Despite featuring few flaws... The first volume should be appointment reading for horror fans, but at the same time, it seems like the second should be sought as connivence allows.

Manga Spotlight: Emma
Volume 1
By Kaoru Mori

Released by CMX

The Victorian romance Emma is completely distinct from Jane Austen's like named novel. Mori's story is that of a young woman employed as the maid for retired governess Kelly Stowner. William Jones, an heir to merchant gentry, spies Emma while visiting his former governess, and there after begins engineering his path to not-quite subtly cross with Emma's. William's Indian friend Hakim Atawari similarly becomes enamored with Emma, but begins displaying his affection more flamboyantly.

Strict class divides, phrased as a world of "two Englands" puts friction into the story. However, Emma is a lightly plotted work. A sense of mortality is what gives the manga heart. Stowner's age and history underscore the limited opportunities and transience of life. Emma's relationship with the older woman emphasizes a need to fit marriage and security into the blind rush of events. The notion of time slipping that pervades even the mundane moments of the manga give it a sense of gravity. There's a sweet melancholy in its balance between an unrushed pace and thought to the passing of time.

To call Mori's illustration "easy on the eyes" is an understatement. The graceful detail of the work makes reading Emma an aesthetically pleasing experience. Small, cumulative details like the width of glass and the interrupted patterns of a held curtain never crowd the word. Mori's minimalist, but distinctive faces draw attention and create the space that allows her to fill the attire and background with the period establishing details. Effective use of tones rounds the work and gives it a body that brings the experience to life.

The whole maid business, or more specifically, industry, in anime and manga might be unfairly tarring Emma. To the degree that it is, as a male, the implicit assumption that the trappings of subservience are appealing to men is at least a bit offensive.
Kaoru Mori is a rare female creator in the genre of seinen older teen/young adult male oriented Japanese comics, so perhaps her perspective deviates from the norm.
In an interview with Anime News Network, Mori suggested "I don't think Emma is closely related to the recent maid trend."
In Japan, the fascination with subservient domestics in frilly aprons has reached epidemic proportions. Read the "Maid Wars" entries in Patrick Macias' An Eternal Thought in the Mind of Godzilla. Seeing Emma as a purely isolated occurrence in a culture that was busy building "maid cafŽs", where young women greet customers as "master" is a difficult conceit to completely accept. Maybe Mori's fascination with Victorian culture was the sole factor that lead her to create Emma, but when the work began its serialization in Monthly Comic Beam, it entered a social atmosphere already looking to fantasize about molding women into idealized Victorian maids.

Mori is vocal about her fascination with 19th century England and proclaims her desire to capture the time and place accurately. The characters are designed to act like 19th century residents of England, and watching the characters play out their relationship on that stage is compelling.

Emma's demure heroine has a quiet strength and beauty appropriate for the period. However, Emma is not the only work dealing in maids. Though Emma is a purer exercise, it is still muddied by the crowd. In order for the work to be enjoyable in its own right, it needs to be compartmentalized from current sexual politics. The strength of its characters are presented in terms that do romanticize a framework that, at best doesn't fit the modern world, at worst is unhealthy. Besides the aprons and caps, the heroine's endearing qualities in the opening chapters of the work are her meekness, and a vision problem that showcases her in cute and sentimental terms.

The kind of anatomical lowest common denominator crowd pleaser shots common in anime and manga are largely absent. The fan service at work is all psychological. In it's own context the manga features strong female characters. In a wider context, runs the danger of becoming demonstration of retrograde ideals.

To really enjoy Emma, its implications need to be excluded. The guiltless enjoyment becomes inversely proportional to the degree of cultural fascination with its demonstrated ideal. Given that North America is free of maid cafes, Emma is largely free to be enjoyed as a distinctive relationship manga that is attractively illustrated.

Upcoming Dark Horse Releases

AKIRA CLUB
Written and art by Katsuhiro Otomo.
Katsuhiro Otomo's epic manga, Akira, is considered by many to be the finest work of graphic fiction ever created, a work of astonishing power and visionary scope, and possessing a level of illustration skill unmatched in the annals of the medium. Now available for the first time in an English-language edition, Akira Club is an essential companion to Akira, a dazzling collection of Otomo's mind-blowing visions, including over one hundred title-page illustrations created for the original serialization but not included with the published collections of Akira. The book also features rarely seen alternate art, preliminary drawings, production sketches, and a variety of Akira posters, advertisements, and products, all accompanied by fascinating commentary by the artist himself. No Akira enthusiast, manga fan, or devotee of fantasy and science-fiction illustration should be without Akira Club.
256 pages, $29.95, in stores on March 7.

BANYA: THE EXPLOSIVE DELIVERY MAN VOLUME 3
Written and art by Kim Young-Oh.
The cunning and intrepid Banya faces his greatest challenge yet! The unstoppable delivery man finds himself in the middle of a mysterious dispute at the heart of a sacred temple­trapped between devout warrior-priests and the vicious, ruthless Torren! But Banya pledges allegiance to no religion or country, only to the motto of the Gaya Desert Post Office: "Fast. Precise. Secure." Banya's certainly no stranger to mayhem, and he proudly asserts, ³There isn't a delivery I can't make!² This time, however, have he and his young cohort Kong bitten off more than they can chew? Kim Young-Oh's latest action-packed romp is filled with tense battles, horrific villains and monsters, and perfectly timed comedic moments.
184 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on March 14.

BERSERK VOLUME 16
Written and art by Kentaro Miuta.
240 pages, black and white, $13.95, in stores on March 28.

BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL #121
Written and art by Hiroaki Samura.
"The Sparrow Net," part 4 of 4.
32 pages, black and white, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 10

CRYING FREEMAN VOLUME 5
Written by Kazuo Koike, art by Ryoichi Ikegami.
Once a humble ceramics artist, the infamous assassin known as Crying Freeman has risen in power to become the head of the 108 Dragons, the most powerful criminal organization on earth. But power has its price, and there is no end to the number of rival groups gunning for 108 Dragons's turf -- and for Freeman's head. Faced with an army of kidnappers and a host of assassins, each more deadly than the last, how long can Freeman's luck hold out? Will the Dragons be torn apart by warring rivals or poisoned by betrayal from within? Will Freeman's sensitive, compassionate heart be the Dragons's redemption or their downfall? Can Freeman and his loved ones survive the painful realities that come with living in a world of vicious gangland warfare? All questions will be answered in this, the final volume of Crying Freeman!
384 pages, black and white, $14.95, in stores on March 14.

GHOST IN THE SHELL 1.5: HUMAN-ERROR PROCESSOR #4
Written and art by Shirow Masamune.
Top cybercrime agent Motoko Kusanagi has returned -- or has she? Well, whoever "Motoko" is -- or isn't -- she's back on the job with Batou, protecting a comatose key witness from assassination, a killing designed to end the investigation of a case involving lethally defective micro machines. But the bad guys don't only have little machines, they also have great big combat mecha perfectly capable of taking apart the hospital -- not to mention Matoko and Batou -- to terminate the target!
24 pages, $2.99, in stores on Jan. 17.

GUNSMITH CATS: BURST VOLUME 1
Written and art by Kenichi Sonoda.
Rally Vincent and Minnie-May Hopkins are two regular American girls. Regular American girls who own a gun shop, and might have dabbled in prostituion, respectively. And who happen to be a crack shot and an explosives expert, respectively.

These might be odd skills for American girls, but these two happen to be Chicago's top bounty hunters. Rally can shoot the trigger off a gun from a good distance, and May generally wreaks havoc with explosions and cuteness. And together, with some very useful friends and associates, they make up the Gunsmith Cats.

"Burst" finds our ladies back at work, back in action, and . . . back in trouble. Now presented in the favored Japanese, right-to-left fomat, Gunsmith Cats: "Burst" aims to please.
192 pages, black and white, $10.95, in stores on March 21.

ORION 2ND EDITION
Written and art by Shirow Masamune.
In the mighty Yamata Empire, magic and technology are one and the same. Now, the Empire is preparing its ultimate feat of psycho-science: the destruction of all the negative karma in the galaxy! But will this mystical purification be the salvation of humanity -- or the trigger of its ultimate destruction? Only one being can save the Empire from its folly: Susano, the God of Destruction. Wild, arrogant, and homicidal, Susano has come to teach the world the true nature of power!

Shirow Masamune, creator of Appleseed, Dominion, Intron Depot, and Ghost in the Shell, has earned a huge worldwide following with his unique, eclectic, and visually stunning blend of science-fiction and fantasy. Orion is Shirow at his wildest, and is now for the first time in America published in right-to-left reading format, as originally published in Japan. Plus a variety of great bonus features: art gallery, Orion glossary, and notes on the text composed by Shirow himself!
280 pages, black and white, $17.95, in stores on Feb. 14.

REIKO THE ZOMBIE SHOP VOLUME 6
Written and art by Rei Mikamoto.
192 pages, black and white, $12.95, in stores on March 14.

USAGI YOJIMBO #100

Written and art by Stan Sakai, with special guests Sergio Aragones, Guy Davis, Mark Evanier, Rick Geary, Frank Miller, Jamie S. Rich, Mike Richardson, Scott Shaw, Jeff Smith and Andi Watson.

Stan Sakai's biggest admirers -- who also happen to be some of the hottest names in comics -- come together to celebrate one hundred issues of Usagi Yojimbo at Dark Horse!

Featuring eight extra story pages for a total of 32, Usagi Yojimbo #100 is structured as a good-natured roast of both Usagi and Stan, kicking off with an opening by publisher Mike Richardson and artist Rick Geary before launching into unforgettable contributions from Frank Miller, Jeff Smith, Sergio Aragonés, Guy Davis, Mark Evanier, Scott Shaw, Jamie S. Rich, and Andi Watson -- not to mention Stan Sakai himself!

This extra-special issue is the ultimate introduction to the world of the rabbit ronin and his inimitable creator, a perfect entry point for anyone who ever wondered why the adventures of this long-eared hero have been among the most acclaimed all-ages comics for over two decades!

32 pages, black and white, $3.50, in stores on Jan. 31.

Del Rey Manga Acquisitions

Del Rey Manga has announced the acquisition of the manga LE CHEVALIER D'EON by Tou Ubukata and Kiriko Yumeji. The Japanese anime based on the title has already created tremendous buzz in both the U.S. and Japan. The release of this manga in the U.S. will be highly anticipated.

Keep reading below for a preview of this great new title:

Le Chevalier d'Eon: Volume 1

By Tou Ubukata and Kiriko Yumeji

This manga is based on the real-life story of 18th-century spy and French diplomat Charles de Beaumont. When Beaumont finds his sister dead in a coffin floating down the river Seine, he must use all his skills as Le Chevalier d'Eon to learn who killed her. Standing in his way is the mysterious cult, the Rose Cross, which is bent on summoning creatures of dark power, gargoyles, to bring down the monarchy and the Church.

(Del Rey Manga Original; 978-0-345-49622-5; June 26, 2007; $10.95; Ages 16+)

Upcoming From ADV

Saiyuki Complete Collection
ADV will be releasing the 50 episode Saiyuki Complete Collection thin pack on October 31st.

Based on the original 16th-century Chinese novel Xiyouji by Wu Cheng-En, Saiyuki first began to take shape with an animated version of the tale in the late 1960s. The current incarnation features a colorful cast of characters based on the popular manga by Kazuya Minekura and features the production work of TV Tokyo (Noir), Dentsu Inc. (Final Fantasy Unlimited) and Studio Pierrot (The Super Milk-chan Show, Naruto).

Synopsis: Once, demonkind and man lived together in harmony. But when a band of rogue demonic forces seeks to resurrect a diabolical monster, a dark spiritual energy begins to cover the land. Now, it's up to a renegade priest, a monkey king, a lecherous water sprite, and a sympathetic demon to stop the resurrection and return harmony to a dangerous land. Enter the world of Saiyuki! A unique universe of beauty and betrayal. Where sacred scrolls battle enchanted weaponry and where dragons can transform into jeeps. A land where four reluctant heroes are just as concerned about having a good time, a stiff drink, and a beautiful woman as they are about saving the world.

Saiyuki Complete Collection (SRP $99.98 DVD) is a thin-packed DVD-only release including all 50 episodes, presented in both English 2.0 and Japanese 2.0 with English subtitles.

Running Time: 1250 min.
SRP: $99.98

Paniponi Dash!: Lethal Lessons
The first volume of Paniponi Dash!, Lethal Lessons will be released on December 5th.

From studios Gansis and Shaft (Negima!?) and Director Akiyuki Shinobi (Petite Cossette) comes a hilarious new high school comedy that should appeal to fans of Excel Saga. Join Becky, the gang, and one really depressed bunny as they get themselves into all sorts of trouble on and around campus.

Synopsis: Good news? She's an MIT grad. Bad news? She's an 11-year-old MIT grad. So while Becky Miyamoto may be intellectually able, this MIT prodigy is painfully ill-equipped to deal with a group of temperamental teens, especially THIS group. There's the bitchy heather, the spazz, the angry nerd, the identical twins, the invisible girl, the freaky class president, the drama geek, the Nancy Drew, the gamer, the princess…whew! Add to that her pathetically-abused stuffed bunny buddy and idiotic aliens watching her every move and it's no wonder Becky's prone to crying fits, tirades, and flipping the class the bird. Don't miss the Grade-A comedy from the brains behind Negima!?—Paniponi Dash! It's a lesson in comedy that'll just kill you.

Battle of Wits Promo Material

Twitch and KF Cinema point out that a series of character posters for Battle of Wits, the live action adaptation of the manga Bokko, have gone online here

Battle of Wits Character Poster: Andy Lau
Battle of Wits Character Poster: Anh Sung Ki
Battle of Wits Character Poster: Fan Bingbing
Battle of Wits Character Poster: Choi Shi Won
Battle of Wits Character Poster: Nicholas Wu
Battle of Wits Character Poster: Wang Zhiwen

Battle of Wits Poster

Battle of Wits Teaser

The story follows warrior sent by his clan lead the defense of a town against overwhelming odds.

A fan translation of Bokko (put together from the French release) can be found online.

FUNimation Sends Cease and Desist to Fan Translators

Anime on DVD reports FUNimation has sent cease and desist letters to fans producing and distributing non-commercial translations of the anime XXXholic TV, Ragnarok The Animation, Mushishi, Suzuka, Sakura Taisen: Le Nouveau Paris and ATASHIn'CHI

XXXholic is CLAMP's art nouveau take on horror anthology story telling

Ragnarok adapts the hit Korean fantasy massively multiplayer online game

Mushishi is a strange work of speculative fiction about a newly discovered form of life

Atashin'chi is slice of life family comedy

New Evangelion Game

AnimeNation reports Secret of Evangelion for the Playstation 2 will be released December 21st in Japan.

The original story game will be an alternate retelling of the end of the Evangelion story staring NERV investigator Kenzaki Kyouya and Kaga Hitomi, a research scientist involved in the creation of the Evangelion dummy plug system. Famitsu Magazine hosts screenshots from the upcoming game.

Anime Fantasy Adaptations

From Anime News Service

An anime adaptation of Australian fantasy writer, Emily Rodda's Deltora Quest is scheduled for January 2007.

Confirmed staff include direction and series composition by Hongo Mitsuru (IGPX), Chara Design by Hiroyuki Nishimura, Screenplay by Oketani Arawa, Reiko Yoshida and Natsuko Takahashi, Monster Design by Junya Ishigaki, Prop Design by Hideki Takahashi and Masato Sawada, Art Direction by Masaru Sato, Music by Ko Otani and Animation Production by OLM.

Piers Anthony mentioned in an e-mail this newsletter will be adapted into an anime work.

"It seems to be an American company supervising the Anime and I don't know how they are doing it. In fact I don't know the company; the contract is obscure, at least to my eyes. So I am simply waiting to see what results."

Ergo Proxy Site Launched

Geneon has launched a site to promote their November 21st release of Ergo Proxy at www.ergoproxydvd.com. The sci-fi work anime was written by Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, Samurai Champloo) and directed by Shukou Murase (Witch Hunter Robin).

Tekkon Kinkreet Trailer

For those who like their anime distinctive, a streaming trailer for Mind Game producers Studio 4C's adaptation of Taiyo Matsumoto's Tekkon Kinkreet aka Black and White can be seen online

Ikimashou.net has it YouTubed here

Naruto Picks Up Quill Award

VIZ Media has announced that Shonen Jump NARUTO Vol. 7 has won the 2006 Quill Award for Best Graphic Novel, a first for any manga.

The Quills Award is an initiative launched with the combined support of Reed Business Information and NBC, and is designed to act as an industry qualified "consumers choice" program to honor excellence in writing and publishing, recognizing the creators of great literature, and promoting reading and literacy initiatives. The Quill Awards celebrates the best books of the year in nineteen popular categories, ranging from romance to biography to graphic novels. The winners were announced at the Quill Awards Ceremony last night in New York City.

Release Date For Super Gals Season 2

The Right Stuf International has announced that the company will be releasing a thinpak set of Super Gals! season 2 on December 19th for $49.99. The first season of the series was released by ADV Films, who opted not to license the second season. The original manga is being released by CMX.

The series follows the kogal teen maverick daughter of a family of police officers who entertainly deals with social and personal drama.

New American Kaiju Tribute Site

As part of their American GODZILLA '94 project AMerican Kaiju has launched a "GODZILLA '94 Artist's Tribute". The content already showcases the designs and storyboards of Ricardo Delgado
and David Russell for this abandoned-but-not-forgotten Tri-Star/Jan DeBont production.

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