Reading List
-Removed Buddha (completed)
-Added Daigo of Fire Company M
-Removed Devilman (completed)
-Removed Emma (completed)
-Removed ES: Eternal Sabbath (completed)
-Added Happy Mania
-Added Himizu
-Added Rookies
-Removed Spicy Pink (completed)
-Added Usagi Drop
Incomplete List
-Added Moyashimon
Spicy Pink Vol. 1 (Wataru Yoshizumi, Chorus/Josei)
The author of this series is probably most well known for her prior magical girl series, Ultra Maniac. I like to think that series is fondly remembered as the manga whose dim but lovable heroine who favors her education over romance. I bring this up because Spicy Pink feels like a thematic continuation of the earlier series. I mean, the protagonists even share the same name. Here, Sakura has a successful career as shojo mangaka but is currently single. In fact she’s only had one serious relationship. This series charters her decision to move forward emotionally, by dating a young plastic surgeon named Iku.
It isn’t really that simple though. Sakura is faced with three options at this point in her life. She could remain an independent working woman but her career requires her to really put herself out there, free for all to admire or criticize. She doesn’t receive the general acceptance and immediate warmth that she does from having a boyfriend. However, she may choose between two men, her new boyfriend and her previous partner, who has recently expressed interest in starting over with her. She decides to reject the advances of her former boyfriend and to accept her new relationship. And just when things seemed to be going smoothly, the author pulls the rug out from under us with the volume’s haunting final scene.
The last scene here involves the new couple returning to Iku’s home. There they find Iku’s previous girlfriend waiting for him. Now it isn’t entirely spelled out but it seemed clear to me that the surgeon has coldly rejected her and she is obsessed with him. I liked this scene a lot because it works as a double edged sword, undercutting both Sakura’s decision to reject her previous boyfriend and her decision to get intimately involved with any one because she could end up like Iku’s ex.
There’s one aspect of this manga that some might find troubling but I think is kind of brilliant. Any one who knows anything about what goes on behind the scenes in the manga industry has heard about situations where the editors would literally hold their mangaka captive until they finish the required pages. At one point in this volume, Yoshizumi seems to go out of her way to dispel this as being nothing more than a myth. However, she is also careful enough to show how editors control Sakura’s own manga narratives. So while it is possible to think of Sakura and Yoshizumi’s manga as examples of personal expression, it’s not like we can take them entirely at face value.
Bakuman Ch. 1 (Takeshi Obata, Weekly Shonen Jump/Shonen)
I really enjoyed this chapter. It essentially sets up the young male wants to be a great mangaka premise. Initially, the story’s protagonist, Mashiro, is against the idea of becoming a manga artist when confronted by class genius Tamaki because he only wants to lead a normal student to office worker life. At first the plot seems to favor this decision. Although Mashiro comes across as passionless and unmotivated, to the point where he can’t build up the energy to approach the girl he likes, there’s no denying that he makes a good role model for his fellow students. There’s also the fact that Tamaki is only really motivated by his dream of international fame and fortune.
Mashiro’s uncle was a mangaka and is responsible for giving Mashiro the impression that becoming a mangaka is like becoming a gambler. Again, risky situations are not what Mashiro wants to get involved in. While his uncle ultimately ends up in a very unpleasant situation, what stands out about him is the scene where he pleasantly recalls a secret friendship with a girl that never became anything more.
What convinces Mashiro to take a chance on becoming a mangaka artist is the discovery that his crush has a similarly unusual dream. So after all of their dreams are brought out in the open, the scene becomes a typical “coming together” affair. I don’t want to spoil what happens next, but let’s just say the feeling of togetherness gets taken to an unappealing level. In the end, it’s money and girls that motivate our heroes to enter the mangaka field.
Saijou no Meii Ch. 1 (Takashi Hashiguchi, Shonen Sunday/Shonen)
I’m not familiar with this author’s manga but I’m up for any semi-serious manga that revolves around normal careers. In this case, the young protagonist wants to become the most skilled surgeon. Not a lot happens in this chapter, plot wise. Something about how the protagonist and his friend go fishing together, the friend develops a sudden condition in his heart and nearly dies, protagonist saves the day. We’re left off knowing that the protagonist will be an adult from the next chapter onward.
Unfortunately the plot wasn’t what I found most telling about this chapter. Before I go in to details I want to clarify that I do want to read more of this series. Maybe it’s just me but I didn’t care for the glorification of the protagonist. Right off the bat we’re told that the field he wants to enter (children surgery) is extremely difficult and not proportionally appreciated in Japan. I guess that’s fine, because he isn’t in it for the money or even the women. He’s just passionate about the medical field. Later we’re even informed that his natural talents suit his chosen career path perfectly. However, the author does poke fun at this aspect of the story. On the fishing trip, the protagonist catches a huge legendary fish with almost no effort at all. I suppose the payoff comes when it’s time for him to save the day, as it was an incredibly tense situation. Still, the ‘accept young male gratification or no more surgeons for you’ tone is pretty annoying.
