I’m not a big fan of Shonen manga. I read it in the course of my day to day but I kind of stay away from it. But I don’t shy away from it by any means. I heard about Cross Game from Ed Sizemore, I believe, and decided to just cover it for the MMF. I had heard Mitsuru Adachi from his work on Touch (which I still haven’t gotten through) so I thought “it’s another baseball manga from Adachi!?” The phrase One Trick Pony came up, I can tell you. But the good news news is that I don’t feel of what I’ve read of Adachi that he’s in danger of being stale.

I found myself liking what I was reading by something I thought of after getting through the first part of volume 1. It was this: there are people with degrees of potential. There are the people who seem to burn bright but are cut down, the people who take a while to burn bright and the ones who seem to burn bright but really are dull on second glance. It’s been said that I give too much away in my reviews so in an attempt to not completely spoil everything I will censor some of my review. You have been warned.

Ko Kitamura, in his third year of Junior High (seriously, I don’t get school ages in Japan/US), and works at his family’s sports equipment shop. He is friends with the Tsukishima family who run a local baseball batting centre, specifically Wakaba and to a lesser degree Aoba. He and Wakaba are the same age with Aoba being a year younger. Because of them being extremely close and friendly, people assume that Wakaba and Ko make a good couple. Ko and Aoba don’t get on but they are not hostile with each other. Life is good with Ko and the Tsukishima’s

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

. We then see as Ko and the Tsukishima’s grow up together and they enter high school. Ko is an excellent batter and Aoba is a great pitcher. Wakaba states that Ko could be really good. Aoba doesn’t believe her, per se.

Now I’m going to stop “plot-ising” here. The main thing that has me ordering the second volume of this series is the fact that Adachi completely gets the idea of the impermanence of life. People go about their life not knowing what could be around the corner. But they treat each day as best they can. I can’t tell you why but when the story is joyful, the author knows where to break and tell a joke, or give you something to feel light and good. But when things are bad, oh Lord, it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

On page 187-189, I’ve been there. Not specifically that situation, but the feeling of being lost and not knowing what to “do”. But life goes on. Horribly, painfully, it goes on. Where Adachi gets it right is that people cope with loss as best they can. We know they are hurting. But they try their best to meet each day.

The artwork is amazing. When the boys and Aoba play baseball, there’s a fluidity to the proceedings that is really buzzing. I know when they throw things, that they (the baseballs) are travelling fast. Unfortunately when they talk about scores and runs, I still don’t understand baseball. Oh well. The tranquillity of the scenes of daily life is really amazing. I could really feel that summer heat belting down on me. I found myself looking at all the details in the backgrounds to see if I could peer around covers and over buildings!

The characters are lovely, with the main leads getting the most development but the background ones are good too. Daiki Nakanishi, who is friends with Ko, serves as baseman ( I do know what everyone in baseball does, I just don’t know about scoring in baseball). Senda, a shortstop on the high school team, is an eejit. There, I’ve said it. Other than the Tsukishima sisters there aren’t that many female characters but towards the end of the omnibus things do improve at that end. Ko especially, I feel for. He’s not trying to be a great baseball player but he can’t help it. And it’s the Tsukishima sisters that make him want to be better, if only on a sub-consisous level.

All in all, I love this series. I can’t recommend this enough to people. The back of the book states “[the] story will change your perception of what shonen manga can be.” Yeah, that sounds about right in my case.

Oh, boy. I am looking forward to this. I don’t think I’ve been this excited about an anime or manga since I read A Drunken Dream. Boy meets girl in school. Girl wants to be a boy. Boy wants to be a girl. It’s not played for laughs. Lordy, I can feel the hope on the streets with this title. Please, please, watch this. Convince Japan to make more of this stuff. Wandering Son starts simulcasting January 13th from Crunchyroll

From the wiki entry on it: In an island casino called the Howard Resort, Rio Rollins is a popular casino dealer with an uncanny ability to bring good luck to gamblers just by walking past them, earning her the nickname “The Goddess of Winning”. Mint Clark, a young child, comes to the Howard Resort with her grandfather and encounters Rio, and the two become the best of friends.

However, Rio’s life suddenly changes when she obtains one of the 13 legendary cards called “Gates”, and gets involved in a tournament for the title of “Most Valuable Casino Dealer” (MVCD). With her reputation on the line, Rio must compete against the world’s top gamblers to become MVCD.

I know exactly what I’m letting myself in for here. I don’t care. I must balance high stuff like Hourou Musuko with Rio. Just roll with me on this one. Rio – Rainbow Gate! is streaming right now on Crunchyroll.

Boy finds girl. Boy likes girl. Girl needs to protected from shadowy forces. Boy offers to protect girl. Girl turns out to be a Dragon Girl. Who knew? Dragon Crisis will start simulcasting on Crunchyroll from the 11th January

OK, guy rescues baby, finds out he’s the pick to protect the child, who happens to the son of the demon king. Oni will love this. Yeah, this is going to be goooood. Beelzebub is currently streaming in North America and Europe from Crunchyroll

And that’s your lot. What do you think? Would you add something to that? Take something away? Tweet us or leave a comment!

When you discuss One Piece, people like to fact-drop that it has been running since 1997, is watched and beloved by millions of Japanese people, has sold bajillions of copies of the manga and of course, that, in the words of Bill Nighy, “abomination” that shall not be named…

Does any of this have anything to do with One Piece?

Nope, not really.

The story is pretty simple: Gold Roger, the King Of The Pirates, upon his execution decrees that anyone can find the loot he amassed, it’s all in One Piece. OK, skip forward a few years and the young rapscallion, Monkey D. Luffy, decides it’s the pirate life for him and joins up with “Red Haired” Shanks and his crew. After eating the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit, he gains the ability to stretch his body to fantastic lengths. The downside is that he cannot go near water as he will drown. Setting out on his own, he gathers his own pirate crew including Navigator Nami, legendary swordsman Zolo, wise-cracking cook Sanji and the cowardly inventor Usopp with the intention to becoming the next King of the Pirates. Together they set sail for the Grand Line, the vast ocean that makes up the bulk of the world of One Piece and seek their fortune.

I have, on occasion, stated my personal tastes in regards to Shonen fighting shows and manga. I am not a big fan of them. I like Hokuto no Ken (AKA Fist of The North Star) as I saw some of the old Manga UK dubs of it back in the day. But I can’t get into Dragonball and can’t into Bleach (trust me, three DVD’s of it are currently defeating me into not reviewing them) so when I learned of One Piece, I was of a mind to dismiss it as well. Add to that, the fact that my tastes, as I’ve gotten older, have started to veer into a more mature and analytical (at least, I hope they are) phase. Things like the Translucent Girl by Dark Horse or Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service take my fancy. Childish things like One Piece do not. Or, they didn’t until recently. For you see, One Piece has changed these ideas I had, somewhat.

Following a recommendation to read volumes 8-11, which comprise the teaser, main and wrap-up for the Arlong Park story-arc, I had to wait some time for these volumes to come in my local bookshop, as the local library didn’t stock much Shonen Jump titles, much less One Piece. But eventually, I did receive the volumes requested. I have to say that unlike most titles I dive into mid-way I didn’t feel left out all that much and for a shonen fighting manga, that’s a welcome thing.

First up, One Piece features some of the most frantic action set pieces I’ve ever read. People fly on wire-fu, stuff explodes and the action flows mercilessly against an open vista of the sea. Luffy is by far the reason to watch people fight in this story. The way Oda draws Luffy, it almost seems like he’s flying. Sanji and Zolo have their moments but at the heart of it their physicality is grounded in the real world so they don’t jump from four floors and hit the ground running. As per the rules of Shonen fighting stories, the villains are literally, huge. If Don Krieg was a real person, he’d be fourteen feet high. And be ten feet wide. You see my point? The real world never factors in for One Piece. There doesn’t seem to be a blood bank anywhere around so God only knows how they replace the amount of blood each of them loses in the fights they get into. They even make it a point with Zolo fighting the Fishmen of Arlong Park that his friends didn’t know if he could continue fighting with all the blood he’d lost recently! Oda is be commended that all this happens and never once do I feel that any of the characters, big or small, feel out of place. Having Nami stand next to Captain Arlong means you see how small she is next to him but we’re not talking ant-size.

Character is a big thing in One Piece. Luffy has this cheerful, devil-may-care attitude to life that I like. Never does he see the bad in people he considers his friends. Only the people who oppose him in his quest to be King of the Pirates feel his sharp tongue and even sharper fists and feet. He seems to be the eternal optimist in all of his dealings with the world. If his friend is having trouble, he is there right alongside. If a nefarious creature threatens to derail Luffy’s plans, then it’s time to bring out the big guns. It’s all or nothing with him. Sanji is a loner who cooks like a pro, fights like a sailor (no pun intended) and smokes like a trooper. In short, he is the scoundrel. Also he’s in love with Nami. Completely. Utterly. Moving on, Zolo I’m not so sure about. I’ve not read enough of him in the volumes covered other than he’s a Wolverine-I’m-the-best-at-what-I-can-do sort of bloke. Nami is excellent and I really like her character over everyone except Luffy. She has her reasons for joining Luffy in his insane plans. You find out some of them in this arc but not all of them. She really is a sweetie at heart but she knows how to keep the lads in line. If we were to apply a Star Wars veneer to the proceedings, then Luffy is Luke, Zolo and Sanji are Obi-Wan and Han and Nami is Princess Leia. Usopp is not Chewie. Because Chewie ain’t no coward.

The villains are the usual fare of insanely muscled behemoths with ideas about ruling the seas, world, blah, blah, blah. If I sound dismissive, please believe me, I’m not. It’s just this kind of character development is a stock rather than cliché of shonen fighting tales and frankly, I for one, would be put out if the villains weren’t set up like this. Don Krieg, as I’ve stated before, is a man mountain. That neck, it’s just friggin’ huge. Also the villains are villains in every sense of the word. Arlong is a fishman who honours the promises he gives but only to the letter of them not the spirit in which they were given. He, figuratively, screws Nami over and does it with a smile.

One aspect of the story is a vibe of people dying all the time but only for the right reasons for themselves. Pirates go to the gallows without a whimper, parents die to protect their children. Luffy standing his ground against foes who have blooded him. The main theme I pick up from, at least with these volumes, is stand your ground. Even when all around you have given up. You standing up will inspire people. It’s a nice theme. I’m glad that there are artists and writers who still have this kind of ability in them.

All in all, One Piece is a good, strong title. Worthy of being in your MAL manga lists. Strong writing, a wealth of material to sample and devour, great artwork. Another good series from VIZ. Word of warning for parents: contains some smoking, violence and blood.

Will I go on with the series? At present I’m unable to, given my country’s finances. So when things do pick, I will keep up as best I can. For now, I’m happy with my 4 volumes and if I need an immediate fix, there’s always the animated series from Funimation.

Want to help support us? Shop through Amazon? If you’re interested in picking up One Piece, try the volumes I read. Every order gives us a little slice of the pie.

Direct Download

Anywho if you need to contact me with hints, questions, comments, requests for reviews and anything else then drop me a line @:

• eeeperschoice- at -gmail.com
• Also at GoogleTalk Voicemail @ eeeperschoice- at -gmail.com

Please note that all images (excluding Show Artwork included in the mp3) unless otherwise stated are the respective copyright and trademark of their respective owners and licensers. No copyright infringement is meant or implied.

News

CPM will re-release four titles with reduced prices on January 30: Black Jack DVD Collection 1 ($29.95), Ichi The Killer: Episode Zero ($14.95), Time Bokan ($9.95), and Hammerboy ($9.95).

Satoshi Kon’s next film Paprika is screening at 10 a.m. at Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex in downtown Los Angeles through Sunday. This screening makes the film eligible to be nominated for an Oscar.I’ve checked out the ANN page on Paprika. It’s as good a synopsis as there is on the film so far.(P.S.: I know I was late with this news clip but I was too F***in’ tired to edit it out!)

ADV Films has officially announced their license to SGT Frog, which includes merchandise and gaming rights as well as other areas (everything but the manga). Separately, Diamond Distributors has relayed that ADV has announced that Volume 1, which is listed in the December Previews for a February release, has been rescheduled for later in 2007.

A new trailer for Makoto Shinkai‘s upcoming Byousoku 5 Centimeter movie trilogy is now online. The films will be released next spring in Japan.

The official site for Gonzo’s Master of Epic anime series is now online. The show premieres next January in Japan.

With grateful thanks to the ANN

Reviews

Densha Otoko

DNAngel

Kimagure Orange Road

As I said before Animeigo did a fantastic job. Here’s the web page
for their liner notes on the TV series. Animeigo regularly bleed for their customers and so many of us ignore the fact that back in the day they were the ADV and Funimation of their day. They just announced their next license here.

Eriko Hara‘s(Hikaru) ANN page

Hiromi Tsuru‘s(Madoka) ANN page

Tohru Furuya‘s(Kyosuke) ANN page

Finally here’s some images from KOR (Please note ALL images taken from Kimagure Orange Road are for review purposes only and no copyright has been taken away from the owners or implied)

Madoka. The Heroine of the story.I think..

Kyosuke. Our Hero. Poor unlucky bas*&!d

A quiet moment between Hikaru and Kyosuke. It can’t last.

Told ya.

Kyosuke getting the job at ABCD from Master. Good Times. Good Times…..

Promos This Week:

• R5 Central
• Ninja Consultant
• Weekly Anime Review(WARP)
• Fast Karate For The Gentleman
• Anime World Order

I’m going on a short break to recharge the batteries so the next show won’t be out for two weeks. But on the next show I’ll be reviewing two manga titles, Infinite Ryvius based on the series by SUNRISE and Legal Drug by CLAMP and the truly awesome OVA series Giant Robo! Chuala Boola or what!?! Eh, eh!?! Ah, I don’t know why I bother…

Download audio file (ECP_show_08.mp3)

Direct Download

Anywho if you need to contact me with hints, questions, comments, requests for reviews and anything else then drop me a line @:

• eeeperschoice- at -gmail.com
• Also at GoogleTalk Voicemail @ eeeperschoice- at -gmail.com

Please note that all images (excluding Show Artwork included in the mp3) unless otherwise stated are the respective copyright and trademark of their respective owners and licensers. No copyright infringement is meant or implied.

Links:

• Tanoshimi page on Basilisk
• Basilisk on the ANN

• Wikipedia entry on the actual Yakuza
• Neat overview on the Kinji Fukasaku classic Yakuza Papers
• Sega’s offical page on Yakuza

• ANN page on Legend of the Dragon Kings
• Wikipedia entry for Legend of the Dragon Kings

Promos This Week:

• R5 Central
• Ninja Consultant
• Otaku Generation
• Shadow Falls Podcast

Next week I’ll be reviewing the manga Densha Otoko by Hitori Nakano, the TV series Kimagure Orange Road and the anime D.N.Angel.

Download audio file (ECP_show_07.mp3)

Direct Download

Anywho if you need to contact me with hints, questions, comments, requests for reviews and anything else then drop me a line @:

• eeeperschoice- at -gmail.com
• Also at GoogleTalk Voicemail @ eeeperschoice- at -gmail.com

Please note that all images (excluding Show Artwork included in the mp3) unless otherwise stated are the respective copyright and trademark of their respective owners and licensers. No copyright infringement is meant or implied.

High School girls is any clueless male’s gateway into understanding school life for girls. Despite the fact that the characters are Japanese I’d say that there’s a universal truth for all girls who’ve ever been to high school to view here. And that frightens me. All I can say is that I always thought guys had it worse then girls in school.

Links:

• High School Girls ANN page
• High School Girls Anime on the ANN
• Wiki page of listing of high schools in Japan(completely random reasons I included
  this link)

This is an old title from 1991/1995 and Eeep was incorrect when he said he saw the whole thing back in ’91. Duh, the second part wasn’t even made by then. So he probably seen it in 1996. Loser. Incidently Megumi Hayashibara was the voice of Pai in this. Eeep didn’t know that until he went researching this title. Also buried in the ANN page on the second OAV is the fact that Wendee Lee was a voice on the show.

• 3X3 Eyes ANN page
• King Records page on 3X3 Eyes soundtrack
• ANN page for 3X3 eyes second part OVA
• Wikipedia page on 3X3 Eyes
• ANN page on 3X3 eyes creator Yuzo Takada

Sister Princess was one of those titles that Eeep wishes he’d rented rather than bought. If you’ve put off by the Moe-like leanings of this show don’t be. Wataru never so much as showed planning permission let alone an erection around his ‘sisters’. And a good thing to or Eeeper would have run a mile. It’s not a harem show nor slice-of-life. The game apparently allowed you to score with one of your sisters. But I think the producers wanted to make this title more main-stream but just couldn’t decide on the format and so you got a mish-mash of things. Not great nor bad, merely functional.

• ANN page on Sister Princess
• Wikipedia entry for Sister Princess both the anime and the game/s(!?!)
• MediaWorks offical page for the Sister Princess franchise

Promos This Week:

• R5 Central
• Ninja Consultant
• Jeepneyfied With Mishi!
• Otaku Generation
• Shadow Falls Podcast

Nest week I’ll be reviewing the manga Basilisk by Futaro Yamada, the OVA series Sohryuden – Legend of the Dragon Kings and a secret title(read in this: Eeep hasn’t yet figured out what title he’s reviewing)
Download audio file (ECP_show_06.mp3)