Archive for 'manga' Category
2007.10.26
VIZ Media Has a Blog
A little over a year ago I pitched an idea to my CEO here at VIZ Media. “Hey,” I said, “We should have a blog so we can communicate better with our fans!” I thought the pitch went well but because of the nature of my job (I’m already quite busy!) I never had time to push the initiative.
Fast forward to this past week. VIZ Media has just officially launched its blog which is called, cleverly, VIZBlog. There’s not much there yet, but it’s pretty funny stuff. Very informal. I love Urian Brown’s Godzilla post!
I’m really happy they’ve built out this blog but, and I hope my co-workers who worked on this really hard don’t take it personally, it’s going to have problems going forward. Comments look like a disaster (they’re published inline!), the template has most irritating Flash (automatic turn off for most blog readers) and the scaling and layout is, frankly, awkward. That being said I believe this is still a work in progress so I will go talk to a few people and at least give some feedback. They could also make it a little more obvious from the front page on how to get to the blog.
And regardless, if you’re a fan of manga, anime and particularly VIZ Media, check it out regularly!
(Disclosure: I am currently an employee of VIZ Media.)
1 Comment | Catergorized: anime geek manga work2007.08.28
Tezuka in the House
Tonight the Asian Art Museum held an event for their corporate sponsors. Jonny and I made our way over and enjoyed the art of Osamu Tezuka and Taiso Yoshitoshi. Tezuka is best known in America for Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion (originally called Jungle Emperor by Tezuka). Yoshitoshi I had never heard of and was desperately impressed with. Though his work is over a century old it looks so much like stylized manga, almost a blend of Japanese and some American techniques. His line work is phenomenal, and much of his work was woodblock printing. For a brilliant overview with loads of pictures please visit Sinister Designs (less sinister than you’d think!).
Of course I can’t ever have a night out where some idiot doesn’t spoil the mood. I was walking through the Tezuka gallery when three well dressed and sophisticated looking people -a man and two women- walked by me. I over hear one of the women say, “Well, it’s no Road Runner or Bugs Bunny.” Her friends got a laugh out of that. The description mentioned the character travelled from Taiwan to Syria. The other lady said with an air of disbelief, “When I was a girl I didn’t even know where Syria or Taiwan was. How can this be real?”
Ladies, and your gentleman friend, I suggest that perhaps Asian art is not for you. Why were you even there? Did you expect to see some bland Saturday morning cartoons? It’s one thing to not like certain kinds of art. Everyone knows I’m no fan of most “modern” art. Still, there’s critically making fun of something and being simply rude and ignorant.
Oh well. I think I’ll have to head back and see if they have some prints of some of the Yoshitoshi pieces. It’s been a long time since I liked something so much I’d consider buying a print. In fact the last time I can think of was back in 2002 when I saw Bouguereau’s The Broken Pitcher.
No Comments | Catergorized: life manga san francisco2007.08.22
A Nation of Non-Readers
One in four adults read no books at all in the past year, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll released Tuesday. Of those who did read, women and older people were most avid, and religious works and popular fiction were the top choices.
I know a lot of people are surprised that I’m always reading something, especially many of my coworkers, but the thought that one in four Americans haven’t read anything in the past year makes me sad. That many prefer watching movies or cruising the intertubes comes as no surprise to me. I do the same thing. Yet I still manage to read a good haul of books in a year.
I used to regularly “review” the books I’ve read on this site and perhaps I should continue with that trend. I’m currently reading Neal Stephenson’s mammoth Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and System of the World). I’m on the last book. Yes, it’s slow progress at times but so-o worth it. Even when I don’t have a “real” book in hand I am fortunate to work for a company that publishes Japanese manga, and I’ll frequently rip through the latest Death Note, Bleach, Monster and more. If you ever ask what I’m reading and I say, Nothing, then you will know that I’ve been kidnapped by aliens and been replaced by a doppleganger while I’m off helping the aliens save the universe.
I’ve nothing against TV, movies, video games, and the web. I do all of these things, too. Yet I still read. I’d love to say that only stupid people don’t read books, but I know that’s a generalization. Instead I’ll just say that most people who don’t read are stupid. Non-readers probably don’t deserve to participate in the civilized world. I just don’t get not reading.
I’ll stop ranting and encourage to you go pick up a book and read it. What are you reading anyways?
8 Comments | Catergorized: books grrr manga thoughts2007.06.07
Manga: The Complete Guide
Congratulations to my friend Jason Thompson on completing and publishing Manga: The Complete Guide. I know he’s been working on (and stressing about) this project for a long time and it’s wonderful that he’s completed it. I’m looking forward to picking it up and reading his sometimes dry wit and humor shine through.
He also spoke tonight at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum for the Marvel of Manga exhibition opening featuring manga legend Osamu Tezuka who created Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion. He also created one of the most interesting twists on a Hitler theme, Adolf.
Congrats, Jason!
1 Comment | Catergorized: anime books friends manga2006.07.24
MSM Covering Otaku?
What is this? Could it be? The main stream media (CBS, in this case) is covering anime and manga in a positive way. Of course they still have to wonder, at the end, if it’s just for nerds. It is, but not for long.
2 Comments | Catergorized: anime manga2006.04.21
Manga Under Attack
Leave it to small-minded people (irresposible parents and small town politicians) to try and censor manga at a public library. Not only did the parent fail to monitor her child from checking out a book that was clearly in the adult section, but the politician is accusing the book of having content it apparently does not contain.
The 2004 trade paperback, written by Paul Gravett and published by Harper Design, is a history of Japanese comics, and includes, in several chapters, discussion of adult comics that depict sex and violence. The violence was apparently not an issue, nor was the fact that the reproductions of panels that feature sexual situations were, as far as we could tell, all R-rated and treated in a serious, scholarly way. Postmus’ statement and the local newspaper coverage made much of the fact that the book contains “sex with animals,” but we couldn’t find it; we must not have looked as hard.
Yeehaw. Let’s go back to the Comics Code where the most controversial thing anyone will read is the Family Circus. Blah.
No Comments | Catergorized: manga rights2006.03.26
Halflings in Fiction
Why is it halflings in fiction always have to choose one half or the other? I’m reading Inu Yasha at work and the title character is a half demon, half human. The question seems to come up often which side he’ll choose. Maybe this changes with time (I’m only on volume seven) but it does beg the question: why does he have to choose either?
I think it would be far more interesting to develop a character who is trying to integrate both halves into a unique whole, making himself something more. Maybe at the beginning of the story he doesn’t even realize this is a possibility, and he’s being pulled back and forth by the people around him that care about him to be one or the other.
The process on integrating two aspects of a self, especially two parts that are at extreme odds, makes for a more interesting and realistic story. If you have to choose one or the other you might as well flip a coin. What’s the point? But integrating these conflicting halves eliminates an either/or choice and we have to follow the process.
Are there any stories like this out there?
4 Comments | Catergorized: manga writing2005.06.22
Playing Go at VIZ
So a few people at VIZ are interested in the game Go. I think this is partly because we’re putting out the books Hikaru no Go, which is about (extremely simplified) a boy named Hikaru who learns how to play the game. It’s a good read, and has caused something of a sensation in Japan.
So, with some anxiety and anticipation, I went to lunch with a woman named Courtney and we played a teaching game to refresh her on the rules and, frankly, to get my brain working into the game again. I haven’t played, not even on the computer, since Todd and I played a couple years ago. As more people get interested we might even have enough people for a tournament. Nice!
2 Comments | Catergorized: friends games manga2005.04.15
Quis Custodiet Ipsos Custodes?
WatchmenI decided to reread Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s classic graphic novel Watchmen after reading various reports on The Movie Blog that a movie version might actually be progressing. I loved the book then and I love it now, and reading it over again brings out subtle details I’ve not noticed before.
For those of you not in the know, Watchmen revolves around a group of ex-superheroes who are being killed one by one. A few of them band together to figure out who is doing it and why. While the plot isn’t terribly complex, the beauty of the story is the rich detail and characters. In fact if it weren’t for the graceful storytelling the book would be rather boring and the almost sublime, morally challenging payoff at the end would have little meaning.
My only complaint about the book is the pirate story told in the background. I know it has a purpose and is, by itself, an interesting story and an important plot device but this time around I skipped reading it. Otherwise the story has been a great read and I’m glad I went into it again. I think I might reread several more of my old graphic novels now…
3 Comments | Catergorized: manga2005.04.08
Sexy Violent Sin City
A Few Sin City Movie PostersI went and saw the movie version of Sin City last night. Amazing. It was remarkably true to the excellent graphic novels by Frank Miller. If you’re a fan of his stylistic noir stories and original imagery then you will love this adaption. It’s been a long time since I’ve read all the novels but it looks like they created vignettes of several stories and put them all into the movie. The casting was brilliant, too, and really no one deserves top billing or the most credit as an actor because everyone did a great job. I have to say, though, that Elijah Wood was the biggest surprise for me playing the angelic cannibal Kevin. Brrr… creepy.
If you are not familiar with the graphic novels I must warn you that this movie is not for everyone. It can be gritty, has scenes with extreme violence, and has more thongs than I could count. The girls in Old Town are often topless or wearing see through tops. Not, of course, that I minded! Keep in mind that this is a genre movie, and if you don’t know the particular elements of film noir, pulp detective novels, and anti-hero stories this is probably not the movie for you.
All of that aside, I loved the movie. I am really looking forward to when it comes out on DVD and watching all of the extras because you can tell tons of work and effort went into translating this revered graphic novel to the screen as faithfully as possible, down to scenes being rendered shot for shot and pose for pose. Meanwhile I’ll have to go back to the books themselves sometime and reread them; there’s so much I’ve forgotten and it’s been at least ten years since I last read them.
No Comments | Catergorized: manga movies
