Manga Preview: Yakitate!! Japan

By Takashi Hashiguchi

To be released by Viz September 2006

Presumably, for most Americans, bread making competitions are a late night curiosity on the Food Network, not unlike "breaking" on ESPN. The events feature magnificent sculptures of bread, judged for appearance and taste and generally some seasonal theme. In Japan, it's known from Yakitate!! Japan, a series popular enough to inspire a real line of packaged bread products.

The competition sells itself in that it is fascinating to watch people pouring their entire physical and mental being into something strange almost beyond comprehension. Even compared to Iron Chef, it's less artificially ritualized, more specialized, and more divorced from a conventional understanding of the culinary arts. Even if you don't know cooking beyond a microwave, there's some media informed conception of what a finely prepared meal looks like. The results of bread making are certainly impressive, but as a medium, the general understanding extends little beyond the sandwich shop.

Yakitate!! Japan does this bizarro fascination two better. It employs the kind of hero that's too enthusiastic not to root for. Second, it uses bread as a knowingly overstated metaphor for the interaction of world cultures. The hero produces a mini-sculpture of Mount Fuji. The judge bites in and has a vision of a Sikh men illuminated by star bursts as the vision holds up a ladle. The judge has an urge for curry, and is astounded that despite the unconventional shape, the bread is naan. The hero objects. Insisting that bread is his creation, designed to go with one of his favorite Japanese dishes, curry. Others point out that curry isn't a "Japanese dish", illustrating, as with many like heroes, his passion is only matched by his goofy ignorance.

Despite the unusual subject of bread-making, Yakitate Japan is sports manga to the core. It features an earnest to a fault, regular guy with a discovered passion and a special trait that lends itself to the endeavor. In this case, it's warm hands. Kazuma has the "Hands of the Sun", unnaturally warms hands that effects the fermentation of bread. Raised by grandparents who hate bread thanks to it's association with the post World War II occupation of Japan, Kazuma dreams of creating the perfect Ja-Pan (a play on the word for break) that will encourage the Japanese to appreciate bread as much as they appreciate rice.

As aspect of these sports manga is that though they are often exceedingly exaggerated, they go into detail explaining the depicted competition, especially if it is something unfamiliar like American football (Eyeshield 21) or basketball (Slam Dunk). Not only does follow a sense of procedure, it goes regularly goes into exposition mode, explaining the facts and history of bread.

The competition stems from Pantasia, a sort of juggernaut bakery chain that has its bakers compete for jobs and position. The concept is patently ridiculous, and the characters are stock (the rougher, sneakier friends/rival; the intense, cold eyed rival; the cute girl with mysterious connect)ion. But, they're performing something fascinating and they're engaging. Whether the charm is from determination, goofy vigor, ne'er-do-well guts, or cuteness, the mange draws the reader into investing in these characters.
Looking for entertainment manga, that's more than enough. And, isn't putting the familiar into the unfamiliar that sports are about? You take the set you've grown affection for and put them into situations where they're tried. In a vacuum, there aren't many sports that are exciting to watch. There are fans with a love for the endeavor, but unless it the championship, apart from enthusiasts, for the most part, if you're not rooting for the home team there's little to engage.

Manga Spotlight: Lullabies From Hell


Volume 1


By Hideshi Hino

Released by Dark Horse Manga

Anyone interested in the human mind could have a field day with Lullabies from Hell. The collected stories aren't graphically Hino's most sickening works, not to say they aren't nauseating, but they reflect an antisocial mind set that's truly jarring. Hino takes human life as it is generally accepted and presents this state as a fragile moment before mind and body begin to decay. Then, like a child hiding a jarred formaldehyde soaked dissected animal, he preserves the rotting state in his stories. Though he features cases of horrible shunning and self inflicted doom, united picture is not so much a condemnation of humanity so much as leveling the species with the entropy of the world.

The metamorphosises of Hino's stories drain the gentler things out of life. With varying degrees of semi-scientific explanations, cursed individuals are stripped of form or mind. They aren't morality tales, and he isn't presenting them as speculation of the hidden rules of life. Implications are more frightening than the specifics case, for whom Hino seems to show affection or pity. They're the most disturbing thing you've seen of nature in it's rooting state, magnified and repeated.

Hino opens the collections using himself in a cryptkeeper role. Looking out with his bulging eyes, through cracked teeth he relates a semi-autobiographical story of his childhood and goes on to express how he utilizes his manga as a sort of voodoo-doll surrogate to inflict suffering on the world. While spooky in its own right, this segment isn't purely in keeping with factors or the arbitrary tone of the rest of the series.

Like Kazuo Umezu or Takashi Miike, Hino has a reputation has a horror auteur that almost trumps the renown of any specific work. He seems to be teasing his legends here, setting himself as an unhinged horror author in the vein of a Poe or Lovecraft. To some degree, this is somewhat of a put-on. The collection pursues themes with lucid construction. There is a notion that it reflects from his own personal concerns, but it isn't an uncontrolled expulsion of fears and it shows far more self knowledge than a work like Lovecraft's. More than the tweaked public persona of a Serling or Hitchcock introducing their works, this adopted persona, which doesn't even reflect his accepted biography (here and here) which is in it's own way disturbing.

Hino can illustrate cute and standardized figures. The fun occurs when these nuclear family templates give birth to monsters or step into Hino's more familiar world of squat, asymmetrical people. His normative state tends to feature floating offset jaws and eyes that look about ready to spring out, if not potato noses, frightening skin blemishes and landscapes of wrinkles. Besides the introduction, only one of the volume's three stories has the oozing sores and wiggling maggots of Hino at his most dreadful, but throughout, he presents the world as a freak show.

Anime Spotlight: Animation Runner Kuromi 2

Released by CPM

Animation Runner Kuromi is one of the smaller projects from Fruits Basket and Kodocha director Akitaro Daichi in which he lends his talents for staccato comic timing and emotionally real character to shorter, more off-beat works. This one offers animation fans a thumbnail of the animation process, and maybe offer animators their Office Space.

The title refers to a young woman who enthusiastically breaks into Japan's anime industry as the Production Desk Manager for Studio Petit. In the role, she facilitates the progress from animator's drawing, to the director's corrective process, to shipping the work off shore for the inbetween animation. In the second, this time 45 minute, Kuromi feature, the animation produced in the first work was cancelled after it's first season, but the studio president responded by signing his staff up for three series to produce contemporaneously.

This time around, the examination is more about balance when the schedule is crammed than artist wrangling. It's the pattern of overloading just about all professionals will recognize. A greasy producer (manager in other fields) is brought and soon efforts are directed at building up metrics and short term results at the expense of product quality. The only thing missing is the layoffs and attrition, the latter being debatable.

Unless you are involved with the animation industry, you'll likely learn something from the anime, but there's a work place universality to Kuromi 2. Daichi is capable of being overbearing and preachy, as he was in Grrl Power. Here, when the moment comes, the anime avoids some sort of mission statement. The series doesn't presume or present animation as some distinct enterprise. It realizes that its a business and some people involved aren't going to care about the craft

A unifying theme in Daichi works is a comfort with accepting people as people. He doesn't forgive harmful behavior, but at a demonstrated level he allows for the fact that doing the wrong thing may seem right to the person commit the act. (Again, except for Grrl Power for some reason). There's a human warmth, and in Kuromi he allows characters beyond outright hero's to have an internal logic.

Many of the characters appreciate and are passionate about the medium of animation. In the cases when they don't have the reverence, they still take pride in their work. They work with more enthusiasm when told that they have talent. Their dander is raised when their work is doubted. Some unsympathetic characters are redeemed and some aren't, but even the ones that aren't are people with their positive moments. At the end of the day the heels are people too, and in general, they aren't doing what they're doing out of malice.

Between the release of the first and second Kuromi features, the first storyline of one of Daichi's most popular works, Kodomo no Omocha or Kodocha, has been released in North America. Teamed with the same character designer, Hajime Watanabe, many of the techniques of Kodocha are taken from the middle-school/child star context to more mature, professional environments in Kuromi. Fans will be amused to see a jello-y company president very much in the style of Kodocha's jello-y school principal and a voice-of-the-director inserted mascot in the tradition of the Kodocha babbit. In addition to the stylistic similarities in the work, Kodocha and Kuromi both have run on the same contagious heart pounding beat, though in one the speed is a function of the energy of youth and emotional spikes, and in the other it's from the passion for the work and the stress of a pressure cooker situation.

As a window to the animation process Kuromi 2 is intriguing and informative, but even in conjuction with the first Kuromi, it's not a text book on the field. It's generally more procedural than technical, so no arguments about the gaps there. It seem potentially dated, more reflective of the cell progress than the, now not so new, digital scheme. The most bothersome gaps are in what it introduces. Questions seemed to get raised, then not answers. Specifically, the point of scheduling steps at the same time that shared the bottleneck of a single resource is discussed, but no resolved. Is pipelining possible? Even, how was the issue handled in this instance?

Miyazaki Swerve

According to nausicaa.net, contrary to pre-show promotion Hayao Miyazaki only spoke abstractly about future work in his Children's Day interview on the Japanese TBS network's NEWS23. More was said about his current attitude towards film making than his next project. Nausicaa.net also points out Spirited Away, The Cat Returns, Howl's Moving Castle and Tales on Earthsea were all announced December 13th during the distributor Toho's annual conference. Ghibli World has the interview video here

Upcoming Otomo Animation

Anime News Service reports Katsuhiro Otomo's (Akira, Steamboy) 1996 manga work "SOS! Tokyo Metro Explorers" will be released this winter. The official description is "Original comic strip concept: Katsuhiro Otomo 3DCG by the staff of ""Steamboy"" The tale of a boy who searchs for the hidden mystries of subterranean Tokyo." According to new information, Steamboy director Takagi Shinji will direct, head picture continuity and production on the series. Murai Sadayuki (Cowboy Bebop, Millenium Actress, Perfect Blue, Steamboy) will provide script. Shuichi Ohara (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) will handle Character Designs and Drawing Direction. CG Direction by Masashi Kokubo (Blood The Last Vampire), Art Direction by Junichi Taniguchi (Sailor Moon R Movie), Sound Direction by Keiichi Momose (Steamboy, Ergo Proxy), Animation Production by Sunrise

Gundam SEED Movie

Gunota reports, at Sony Music Anime Fes' 06, Sunrise announced the first original Gundam movie (as opposed to compilation) since F91 15 years ago. The movie will follow the Gundam SEEDs series, and feature the characters Shinn Asuka, Cagalli Yula Atha, Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zara, and Kira Yamato. Mitsuo Fukuda will be the director.

Toynami Voltron Review

Figures.com has taken an indepth look at Toynami's release of the GoLion Voltron here

Powerpuff Girls Anime Trailer

A trailer of the Toei Powerpuff Girls Z is online here. The series will air on Japanese TV starting July 1st.

Production IG to Adapt Fantasy Novel

Anime News Service reports Production I.G (Ghost in the Shell) has announced that the studio will adapt Uehashi Naoko and Futatsugi Saki's award winning juvenile fantasy novel Seirei No Moribito into a 26 episode TV anime, The official site is online at www.moribito.com

ADV To Dub Tactics

Anime on DVD reports that FUNimation has indicated that ADV Films has be contracted to produce the English dub Manga Entertainment's release of Tactics. The series, from the creator of Mystical Detective Loki Ragnorok follows a Japanese folklorist who employs oni/goblins to solve supernatural problems. ADV has announced that they held the license to Tactics, but their deal with its Japanese rights holder fell through.

Dark Horse Manga Re-Release Plans

Anime on DVD reports Dark Horse announced at the Anime Central convention that they plan to re-release Gunsmith Cats across four volumes in the original right to left printing format. Masamune Shirow's manga will similar be re-release in this original layout.

New Coyote Ragtime

AnimeNation points out, he official homepage for the upcoming sci-fi/action anime TV series Coyote Ragtime Show now hosts a new, second 1:30 Windows Media trailer available for online viewing or direct download.

Japan Eying New Child Pornography Law

ComiPress points out an Akia Angels concerning a proposed law targeting manga, anime and video games perceived to be tied to an increase in sex crimes. The act would outlaw the depict sexual acts involving characters perceived to be under the age of 18. Creators have expressed concerns about that the law does not set specific criteria about what may not be depicted.

Matsumoto Talks Manga, The Internet, and World Audience

ComiPress links to Nikkei PC Online's coverage of manga creator Leiji Matsumoto ("Galaxy Express 999," "Space Cruiser Yamato" etc)'s comments on the effects of piracy on manga and animation, and how the proliferation of personal computers and the internet has influenced the creative process as the chair of the Copyright Board of the Japan Cartoonists Association and the Association of Copyright for Computer Software (ACCS). Comipress' English version is here

TOKYOPOP Rejects OEL in Favor of "World Manga"

Anime News Network has posted a report concern how Tokyopop is moving away from the labels "OEL" and "World Manga" to describe its properties created by non-Japanese artists. Susan Hale of Tokyopop explained that OEL is innapropriate because many of their titles originate from non-anglophone creators, for example Yonen Buzz, which was originally published in German.

In an interview for the upcoming issue of Protoculture Addicts, Tokyopop Editorial Director, Jeremy Ross, explains, "The fact that manga fans have largely stopped using the term Ameri-manga (which has negative connotations) and are referring to it as OEL for Original English Language (which is at least neutral) and more recently, global manga (this more respectful and accurate term surfaced on www.pseudome.net, among other places) is but one indicator of the growing respect for our manga creators.

IWGP To Continue

Digital Manga Publishing has solicited the delayed fourth volume of urban/teen detective story Ikebukuro West Gate Park for an August 29th release.

Super Techno Arts Talks Missing Shows

An Anime on DVD forum user posted the follow response from Super Techno Arts concerning their release of violent ninja anime Shadow.

To be honest, there has been a legal issue over Shadow among its original Japanese investors. Some of them actually filed a lawsuit against another in Tokyo. We can do nothing but wait and see about this until they solve the problem.

On Sci-Fi Harry, a creapy series about a bullied outcast who used his psychic power to get revenge on bullies, with consequences.

We still definitely want to release the US version of Sci-Fi Harry but hasn't received a good response from its original Japanese producer yet. He's been too busy for the production of other new titles in Japan for the past couple of months. But we'll forward your message to him to accelerate the Sci-Fi Harry project.

Want More Death Note?

The Shonen Jump Reader's Journal blog reports that the Japanese version of the Jump anothology lists that Death Note will be adapted to a novel and will be released on August 1, to be written by Nishio Ishin.

Game News

The Magic Box has posted screenshots of Bandai Namco/GrassHopper's Blood+ One Night Kiss, based on the anime tv series extension to Blood the Last Vampire here

The King of Fighters 4 episode anime shorts will be included with the release of King of Fighters 2006.

MTV has a rundown of the anime based games that Bandai-Namco will be showcasing at the E3 tradeshow here

Evangelion Producer Interviewed

Anime News Network points out that Mainichi News has posted an English interview Evangelion producer Toshimichi Otsuki here. Related articles here and here

Monkey Punch Coming to Metrocon

Anime News Network reports Lupin III creator Monkey Punch will be a guest of honor at Metrocon, June 2-4 in Tampa, FL

Dark Horse Talks August Mail Premiere

Mail I delivers one of Japan's hottest up-and-coming new artists, Housui Yamazaki, in his American debut

Private detective Reiji Akiba has a theory about those awkward moments and weird coincidences we all encounter in life. They are actually encounters with the dead—their way of sending us a message. But you may not want to open such strange mail from beyond—not unless you can see the ghostly attachment, like Akiba can. And not unless you carry a gun that can kill what isn't alive, like Akiba's aptly named Kagutsuchi, "the tool between God and earth" . . . digging a divine grave to lay to rest the evil dead.

Volume 1 of Mail opens with a model's photo shoot at what was a lovely riverside. However, when the negatives in the darkroom reveal more than just a pretty face, it's time for the magazine to hire Akiba. He will soon discover the answers lie not so peacefully in the basement of a shunned house.

Mail was recently made into a live-action Japanese horror movie starring Chiaki Kuriyama—"Go-Go Yubari" from Kill Bill. Each volume comes shrink-wrapped and carries an 18+ content advisory.

Mail I features story and art by Housui Yamazaki. It arrives on sale August 16 with a retail price of $10.95.

Cover Image: http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=13-752

TOKYOPOP Announces Two Kids' Publishing Programs

TOKYOPOP announced the launch of two revolutionary children's publishing programs: Manga Chapters for 6-9

year olds and Manga Readers for 8-12 year olds. Comprising tales that

encourage exploration and imagination, TOKYOPOP's highly entertaining

Manga Chapters and Manga Readers make reading fun while promoting

language and literacy skills.

Launching in September of 2006, Manga Chapters combine two immensely

popular formats: chapter books for children who are beginning to

read-and manga, the fastest-growing category in the publishing industry.

These 96-page books, competitively priced at $4.99, contain simple yet

engaging storylines, liberally dosed with spot illustrations and manga

that boost reading comprehension while visually engaging the reader.

Debut titles in the Manga Chapters program include: The Grosse

Adventures: The Good, The Bad & The Gassy, created by Annie Auerbach,

the author of more than 90 books for children (including the New York

Times best-seller Bob's Egg Hunt), and from Eisner Award-Nominee Alex de

Campi, Agent Boo: The Littlest Agent-the perfect sci-fi series for young

girls and boys.

Manga Readers, the next level of books in TOKYOPOP's kids' manga

program, are designed for mid-grade readers and modestly priced at

$5.99. This new, innovative line features youth-oriented stories, in an

easy-to-digest 96-page format-a perfect follow-up to Manga Chapters.

Scheduled for release in July 2006 are three diverse titles: Alex de

Campi's Kat & Mouse, a tale of two girls who use science and math to

solve mysteries; Josh Elder's Mail Order Ninja, which chronicles the

adventure of a boy and his new ninja companion, and from Eisner

Award-winner Keith Giffen and comic veteran Shannon Denton (X-Men and

Spider-Man), Zapt!-the story of a 12-year-old who tries to squeeze in

his duties as an intergalactic policeman between homework and chores.

Original Power Rangers Villian Passes Away

Machiko Soga, best known to American audiences as the Power Rangers villian known as Rita Repulsa in the English adapation died at age 68. The Daily Mainichi reports police received an emergency call from an employee of an antique shop which Soga operates, in Kunitachi, western Tokyo, on Sunday reporting that she had failed to come to work.

Bernard Rants Cartoon Network's Live Action Move

Cartoon Brew points out Pierre Bernard from the Conan O'Brien recently ranted about the advent of live action on Cartoon Network, You-Tubed here