It’s hard to know what to say when someone like Akira Toriyama passes away. Toriyama was a living legend whose work and creativity changed the industry forever. His contributions to the anime and video game fields were revolutionary. His manga and their anime adaptation created a blueprint for modern Shonen and Comedy series that is still closely followed to this day, while also being one of a kind. His artwork and style also permeated the Dragon Quest series (one of the first major Role-Playing Game series in Japan aimed at Japanese audiences) and many other video games. His influence on video games can still be felt even after his passing in the upcoming Sand Land and Dragon Ball Sparkling Zero video games.
His friendship and work also influenced and was influenced by creators far and wide. He befriended so many important creators including Hisashi Eguchi, Rumiko Takashi, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Eiichiro Oda, Yusuke Murata and Masashi Kishimoto (just to name a few). His influence was even felt in unexpected areas and people such as martial arts and comedy actor Jackie Chan, Dreamworks director Pierre Perifel, Steven Universe Producer Ian Jones-Quartey, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki. Despite the large differences in style Araki was so deeply interested in Toriyama’s work and structure that he analyzed it closely in his book Manga in Theory and Practice; examining in detail why Dragon Ball was such a successful series.
While I could continue at length to share about how important Toriyama’s was to so many other people, I want to focus this tribute on the effect Toriyama’s work had on me and many others of my generation. I first experienced Toriyama’s stories while helping my father go through comics in his closet. There I found an issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump that featured an early Dragon Ball story. While it was in Japanese and I was probably too young to grasp it, it was fascinating to me. It wasn’t long until I sought out Dragon Ball at my local library (Mansfield Public Library) and at local bookstores.
Despite being a “boys,” adventure title and having some raunchy elements I didn’t fully understand, Dragon Ball still greatly appealed to me. Its sense of fun and adventure, with Goku’s innocent enthusiasm and Bulma’s more worldly knowledge immediately stood out to me. Dragon Ball was a journey into Toriyama’s world of creativity and fun; a world that fascinated me. This also drove me to seek out his other major series, Dr. Slump, a manga filled with all sorts of humor, fun, and wacky parodies.
Much to my delight I also found that my local video store stocked VHS copies of Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies and the Dragon Ball TV series. For some context, this was at a time long before Dragon Ball aired on TV, and was especially surprising considering the availability of anime within rural Connecticut. I rented these tapes (along with Sherlock Hound, Tut Boy King, and Godzilla films) a lot and they became a core part of my viewing experience and in me developing an interest in anime.
Moving forward a few years, as a teenager Dragon Ball Z was a staple of my television viewing experience. While I was in Junior High DBZ was one of the flagship shows of Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. This block featured shows aimed at teenagers and included many important anime and animated series. I would often come home from school in the afternoon and put on Toonami so that I could see Dragon Ball Z and the other series airing. While I always preferred the original Dragon Ball to the violence found in this later incarnation, DBZ still holds a special place in my heart. DBZ was a show that I would (and will continue to) talk excitedly with my friends about; a shared world we would explore together. Years after seeing it on TV I still can recall many key moments from the show, have seen many of the series movies, collected the cards, played many of the Dragon Ball video games, and even followed the new Dragon Ball Super sequel show.
After Toriyama’s passing I was initially concerned that I wouldn’t have enough personal thoughts on his works to warrant a tribute. As I reflected more and more on my memories and experiences while writing this piece though, I quickly came to realize just how interictal Toriyama was to my anime and manga experience. His works, especially Dragon Ball, pushed me to seek out not only more of his comics, but also to explore all sorts of anime and manga. While I have had many influential experiences that made me the fan and scholar I am today, Toriyama played a huge role in opening my eyes to the world of manga and anime, and remains a vital part of my reading experience. To this day works such as MangaOTheater, continue to entertain and fascinate me, and I probably will continue to be a fan of Toriyama’s works for the rest of my life. Despite all that Akira Toriyama has done I realize upon reflection that it is this love and fascination for anime and manga that he shared with the world that may be his biggest legacy.
Death on the Nile: This year has been the year of Poirot for me. 2023 saw me read a variety of the Poirot novels, see the new Branagh films, and watch the television series starring David Suchet. Of all the many excellent books I have read in the series thus far, I feel that Death on the Nile is my personal favourite.
Death on the Nile has Poirot travelling on a steam boat down the Nile river along with a number of eccentric and suspicious characters including: Linnet Doyle a newly married heiress, her husband Simon who is described as a simple but handsome man, and Jacqueline de Bellefort, Linnet’s former friend who was previously engaged to Simon, as well as a number of other eccentric and suspicious figures. Things are complicated by Jacqueline who is seeking out revenge on Linnet for stealing her fiance, and has been following her and her husband around the world while carrying two deadly pistols. Things go from bad to worse though when mysterious murders start happening aboard the vessel.
Death on the Nile carries with it all of Christie’s signature story elements. It involves a complicated murder that Poirot must solve, multiple suspicious characters who aren’t what they seem, a classy restrained style, a travelogue featuring historical settings, and even a bit of humour and pathos. Both the mystery and its payoff are cleverly done providing clues to the reader while also not being obvious. Poriot is also in great form uncovering hidden truths and secrets, and piecing them together to give a clear picture of the murder and the various people aboard the ship.
While I would highly recommend reading a lot of Poirot novels, if you only plan on reading one or are just starting then this would be the one I would recommend.
Comet in Moominland: Comet in Moominland is a brilliant children’s book. Filled with whimsy, creative ideas, and a bit of surrealism it is an offbeat story that immediately grabbed my attention as an excellent read.
Comet in Moominland stars Moomin troll and his pal Sniff as they seek to discover the mystery of a comet which is heading towards their home. On their way to learn more about the comet they meet a variety of strange characters including Moomin’s friend the wanderer Snufkin, the Snork Maiden a colour changing creature resembling Moomin, her serious brother the Snork, the Hemulens obsessive creatures more interested in their hobbies than anything else going on around them, and Mr.Muskrat a self proclaimed philosopher.
Reading through this story was a blast, and like any good book each chapter had me wanting to read on and find out what happens next. While the main narrative is never forgotten often the story would go on unexpected odd and enjoyable detours. This was complemented well by the adorably strange and obsessive cast who often would get into trouble or strange situations. Even though the cast is terrified of the comet, many of the characters take time to search for treasure, go to shops to look for curios, go to dances, and enjoy themselves.
Despite being the first and only Moomin book I have read, I can already tell that the world featured in the series is filled with delightful wonder and that I will be revisiting it frequently in 2024.
Best manga of the year:
A Bride’s Story: A Bride’s Story is the best manga I had the pleasure of reading this year. As an avid manga reader who has read tons of manga, including many incredible titles I do not make this statement lightly. A Bride’s Tale stands out as one of my all time personal favourite manga series, because each element is so masterfully employed. The plot, characters, and art are all top notch and work together to create an incredible reading experience.
A Bride’s Story takes place in Central Asia during the 19th century and follows Amira, a young bride who comes from a nomadic family in the mountains. It follows her experiences joining a local village and her relationship with her much younger husband Karluk. This series also covers the experiences of those in the town, especially the women and girls living there, and Henry Smith, an English anthropologist studying the community.
A Bride’s Story more than lives up to its interesting premise. Its story moves between themes of drama, romance, comedy, and action with ease. What really stands out though about the story are the characters and the historical designs it uses. A Bride’s Story is effective because it balances Karluk and Amira’s relationship and story with the stories of other character’s. Each character is given their time to shine and is given an interesting and sometimes complex personality. Each character plays a role in the story and community they live in which adds to their intrigue. This depth of character allows them to stand out as unique.
Another major part of this manga is the setting and cultural aspects. Mori makes great pains to ensure that the geography, food, culture, events, and clothing is not only historically accurate with the period, but also a prominent part of the story. Nothing about the setting of this series is incidental. Unlike most manga, the setting is just as important if not more so than any other element.
Mori’s art also stands out as outstanding. Her style is not only reflective of the setting and story, but also stands out in its own right as beautiful and detailed. Aspects missing from other manga series such as backgrounds, perspective, cultural details, anatomy and fashion, and varied panelling are all on full display in A Bride’s Story. Mori also clearly draws from cinematic technique with her use of movement, bringing life to a Bride’s Story and reminded me of the techniques used to convey action by other great manga artists like Tezuka and Urusawa.
I could go on and on praising this series, but ultimately what it comes down to is that A Bride’s Story is a masterpiece. It is well deserving of its many and multi-national awards, and I feel it was the best manga I read this year!
Showa: A History: It is hard for me to emphasise just how monumental this series is. Showa is a masterpiece that covers the personal and the historical, and brings them together in an accessible way to talk frankly about a difficult period of Japanese history.
In these books Mizuki chronicles the history of Japan during World War II while also adding in his own experiences growing up, and being drafted during the war. Why this book works so well is its honesty about the period (something rarely found in Japanese depictions of the war) and its emphasis on contrasts. Mizuki gives an honest depiction of his personal and family experiences growing up during war time, and his personal thoughts on Japan and its involvement in World War II. This is monumental because talking about the war and Japan’s issues during it is still something that is highly discouraged within the country.
Contrast is another impressive element that Mizuki uses both in his art and storytelling. Mizuki switches seamlessly between a realistic artstyle and one more resembling his work in Kitaro. He also includes his character Rat Man as the narrator, despite the narration often having a serious tone. He likes to move from historical events into his own personal story and back and vice versa, blending each in order to create content and a cohesive narrative. Doing this is no easy task, and shows just how versatile and invested Mizuki is.
Showa: A history is one of those special types of series that seem nearly perfect because they are clearly a product of the creators personal passion, interests, and experiences.
Horror manga:
Mao: Mao is an excellent series that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. I find it really strange that it still hasn’t gotten an anime adaptation and has been so overlooked in the Western market, despite its similarities to Takahashi’s other works.
Mao features Nanoka, a middle schooler who finds a gate that takes her back to the 1920’s where she meets the powerful and aloof exorcist Mao, and his assistant Otoya. She soon discovers that her parent’s mysterious death, her recent superhuman abilities, and Mao’s curse are all connected to each other. It turns out that both have been cursed by a powerful cat demon, and they both gradually learn about each other and exorcists from Mao’s past.
One of the reasons why Mao’s lack of popularity puzzles me is the recent influx of translated Takahashi material. While Mao was being published in the United States, the Urusei Yatsura’s manga, the original anime including the movies and the OVA, and the new anime series have all been released, and have been popular and successful. Also Takahashi’s collection of newer short stories Came the Mirror was also released recently and received positive attention.
On top of that, Mao’s tone and plot involving demon slaying is very similar to Inuyasha, one of her most popular series in the United States. Like Inuyasha Mao also combines shonen action with supernatural horror blending the two together. It also contains top notch art which is expressive and reflects the tonal mood, and that highlights the contrast between time periods effectively. You would think all these factors would make this series popular or at least a minor cult hit. For some reason though this hasn’t been the case, and I rarely see Mao mentioned by anyone. This is a shame as I have really enjoyed this series and feel it deserves praise.
If you are a fan of Takahashi’s other works you really owe it to yourself to read this hidden gem of a series.
GeGeGe no Kitarō The Great Tanuki War: Shigeru Mizuki is one of those authors like Osamu Tezuka or Rumiko Takahashi that you can count on to always have interesting and weird stories. The Great Tanuki War is probably the weirdest manga I have read this year, but is well worth reading.
The Great Tanuki War finds Japan faced with a crisis as 800 Tanuki (Racoon Dog) warriors emerge angered by the creation of a dam. It turns out though that they also have ulterior motives, and want to claim Japan for their own with the use of a giant moon like egg. This distressing move gets the attention of Kitaro a half yokai (a Japanese supernatural entity) half human boy who is trying to bring peace among the two groups, who decides along with eyeball father and the turncoat coward Ratman to help the humans save Japan, despite the country’s ungrateful prime minister.
The Great Tanuki War is a one of a kind story filled with strange references to Japanese mythology. Its entire premise is based upon the stories of Tanuki who use their bellies as drums and live underground, and the giant spirits they employ to conquer Japan. The artstyle for this story also draws strongly from traditional Japanese Yokai art effectively creating a sense of strangeness to it. What is most strange, however, is the storyline. In it Kitaro uses a number of his strange powers, has his father act as his eye, and is reincarnated after being melted. The story’s conflict between the Tanuki and Japanese people is equally strange and interesting, and contains a lot of political satire regarding the government and its ineffective response. If you like weird stories or stories focused on Japanese mythology then this and other Kitaro stories should be at the top of your reading list!
Shonen:
Demon Slayer: As someone who has been reading manga for years it is often hard to impress me. Despite my Oldtaku crankiness I did try to give some of the newer big shonen series a try. While many that I read this year failed to impress me, I did surprisingly really enjoy Justu Kaisen and my pick for this category, Demon Slayer. While Demon Slayer does follow some of the hallmarks of the shonen genre it stands out thanks to its setting and execution, and was an enjoyable read.
Demon Slayer stars Tanjiro Kamado, a boy living in Japan during the Taishō Period (1912-1926). He returns home one day to find his family slaughtered by a powerful demon, and his surviving sister transforms into a demon herself. This experience drives Tanjiro to seek vengeance against the demon responsible, and to become a demon slayer. This series follows his training and quest to help his sister return to being a human, and help others who have suffered at the hands of demons.
Despite having a power system, and journey involving friendship and training Demon Slayer sets itself apart from other Shonen manga thanks to its protagonists and constant sense of danger. Tanjiro is not depicted as the typical plucky and bit naive or dense heroes, but rather as a caring voice of reason for his friends and as someone who cares deeply even for the demons he slays. His strength comes from his personal conviction and determination to help others. His friends likewise are unusual including the cowardly Zenitsu Agatsuma who fights best while asleep or knocked out, and Inosuke Hashibira a wild and brash boy raised by boars. These characters fall outside of the usual Shonen style of character design, as do many of the other Demon Slayers, especially the strong Hashira leaders of the Slayers.
Another aspect that makes Demon Slayer different from most shonen series is the stakes it presents. Characters in Demon Slayer often get hurt or even die including major characters. Despite their powerful breathing techniques and magic swords, slayer’s are often depicted at a disadvantage from the power, immortality, and healing powers that demon’s possess. Slayer’s often rely on demons’ weakness to sunlight or the removal of their heads in order to win battles, often at great cost.
Despite many characters only being given limited story time they make a big impression. Character deaths including the deaths of demons are often depicted as bitter and tragic, and have a major impact on Tanjiro and other characters. This differs strongly from most shonen stories where the heroes winning a battle is almost always seen as triumphant and assured by the end.
The difference this manga has from a typical shonen makes it more appealing and easier for me as a reader to invest in its characters and story. While far from perfect Demon Slayer weaves an interesting tale with unique elements that make it stand out from most shonen manga.
Comedy:
Doraemon: One of the few titles that I have had to read online, Doraemon is strangely absent in the United States. Despite its immense popularity in Japan there has never been a physical English translated manga release in the States. This is a real shame as Doraemon is absolutely worthy of its reputation as a great manga for kids.
Doraemon stars Nobita, a kid who is kind, but also lazy, poor at school, and bad at sports. One day he is approached by his relative from the future who sends him Doraemon, an earless cat robot designed to help Nobita avoid a tragic fate through the use of gadgets brought from the future. In many stories Nobita’s experiences with Doraemon’s devices often backfires as he often becomes arrogant or lazy, or has a friend or family member accidentally stumble upon the device leading to chaos and trouble by the end of each short story.
Despite its age Doraemon is still a delight to read. Fujiko Fujio, the pen name of each of Doraemon’s two creators, brings countless imagination to each vignette along with a small amount of snappy cynicism that feels similar to that found in Peanuts. Each story is fast paced and fun, and often involves weird devices such as time machines, flying propeller hats, and lips that only lie. While the characters are stock they work well together, and it is fun to see how they will react in specific situations. I also like how characters are not always good or bad with the lead sometimes acting poorly, and the series having some stories that make you feel sorry for the antagonists.
I love Doraemon, and really wish that it would be translated into English in a physical form. If it was you can be sure I would be one of the first to pre-order it and suggest friends do the same.
Shojo:
Princess Knight: While I didn’t read a whole lot of Shojo this year (2023), Princess Knight is not only one of the most memorable Shojo manga works I did get to read, but also left a strong impression on me. Osamu Tezuka’s seminal Shojo series, Princess Knight, helped to define the genre and changed it forever.
Princess Knight is a fairy tale featuring Sapphire, a princess who is accidentally given the heart of a brave prince and a beautiful princess at birth by the peppy angel Tink. Opposing her is the wicked Duke Duralumin and his evil henchman Lord Nylon. Duralumin wants to use the kingdom’s misogynistic law to put his own childish son Plastic in charge. On top of that she also has to face a witch and a goddess of love who both want to take away Saphire’s love interest Prince Franz.
Princess Knight is a remarkable story that weaves together themes of action, romance, identity, and feminism together with Tezuka’s own eccentricities to create a truly revolutionary story. Because of Princess Knight many women working in the Shojo genre were able to publish works highlighting their own experiences and feminist themes. Princess Knight stands on its own though as a unique and fantastical story filled with all sorts of fun twists and turns, constantly refusing to sit still and coming up with new surprises. Some highlights of the story for me included the women’s revolt at the castle, an anaemia ridden Sapphire entering into a knight’s contest, and the witch’s daughter Hectate being disinterested in marrying a prince or getting a princess’s heart despite her mother’s objections, and helping Franz to escape. Princess Knight is a really interesting manga that combines all sorts of interesting themes and scenes with Tezuka’s caricaturist art style to create one of the most memorable Shojo experiences.
Drama:
Emma: It was really hard for me to decide if I was going to pick Emma or A Bride’s Tale to be my manga of the year. While I eventually went with A Bride’s Tale due to its interesting setting, Emma is also very much worth reading. It has a lot of the elements you would expect from Mori such as excellent artwork, a focus on maids and historical culture, and engaging characters and story.
Emma focuses on Emma, a Victorian maid, and her relationship with William Jones, a wealthy high end merchant. Despite their class differences the two fall in love, and have to contend with the struggles of the British social class system. They are helped and hindered by a variety of people including William’s best friend and gaudy Indian prince Hakim, Williams disapproving father and approving siblings, and Eleanor Willaim’s an arranged aristocratic finance for William.
Mori’s passion and interests once again shine through in this story. Mori’s love for maids, Victorian fashion, detailed artwork, and romance are all highlighted in this title. Emma clearly also draws inspiration from Victorian class dramas and romance stories, especially those of Jane Austin and the Bronte sisters. Her work also stands alone though as distinctly impressive. Emma is an excellent series and well worth reading, especially if you are a fan of Austen and/or romance stories.
Seinen:
Furari: If you have never read a Jiro Taniguchi manga before, reading this manga will probably surprise you. Whether that surprise would be a good one or not though would largely depend on your interest in slow, relaxing, reflective, and philosophical stories. While most manga do not emphasise these elements, if you enjoy them then this manga will be a treat.
Furari features the story of a man similar to the historical figure Inō Tadataka, a famous middle aged mapmaker who lived in 19th century Edo (Tokyo). Most of the Furari consists of his daily life within the city and his meditations on his work and the world.
Like many of Taniguchi’s works Furari is more about self reflection and character study than it is about a major conflict and issues to resolve. It is also a more abstract work that reflects upon the beauty and structure of the world, rather than having a complex storyline. The book often seems to travel from place to place like its lead, and focuses on his experiences and feelings just as much as what is occurring around him. This type of story-telling suits Taniguchi’s realistic and detailed style, giving it a feel that is rarely explored in other works. While very different from most other manga I am very thankful that I got a chance to read this book this year, and am waiting with baited breath to read Taniguchi’s next translated book (The Solitary Gourmet) in 2024.
Science Fiction:
Memories of Emanon: Emenom is not what many people probably think of when they think of Science Fiction. It doesn’t feature space, and isn’t really about the future or scientific discovery. Emanon is instead more of a thought experiment questioning the nature of existence and the world around us.
Emanon follows the experiences of a young looking woman who in reality is a being that has existed and evolved since the earth’s inception, and remembers all of her experiences in detail. Unlike most people she does not ever forget things, and every time she gives birth her memory is transferred into a new body. The series follows her wanderings with stories about her experiences and the experiences of people who have met with her.
Emanon is a fascinating work because it manages to tackle an interesting and complex concept, while also feeling down to earth. Emanon tries to interact like other people, and is cautious about telling her story. She isn’t someone who acts substantially different from the average person, and Emanon’s story is more interested in her feelings and exploration than a grand narrative about her exploits. At the same time though as a reader you do get a real sense of the weight that her memories cause her, and her personal struggles with being unable to forget things and having to carry billions of years worth of memories. This is reflected in her offhand remarks about past experiences, her wandering loneliness, and her refusal to take a proper name (Emanon is no name spelled backwards). These contrasts work well making her seem more realistic, while also reflecting the sort of thought experiments Science Fiction is known for.
The artwork in this series is beautiful to look at, especially the watercolour images. Its style is on the more realistic side, but isn’t so realistic that it feels stiff or out of place. The art does a great job of representing the experiences and memories Emanon has. It also does an excellent job making her look unique, giving her a lanky body and freckles; while also avoiding making her seem over the top. This balance within the art helps to enhance the already unusual story, and makes Memories of Emanon one of the most unusual and interesting Science Fiction comics I have read this year.
Welcome to the first of what I hope will be many end of the year lists. Unlike most content creators who mainly highlight new material that came out this year I instead want to focus on what impacted me the most in 2023. While this end of year celebration will still start with a list of the best new manga and movies of the year, I will also be giving an overall look at what grabbed my attention the most during the year.
Please keep in mind this list is super subjective and based upon what I have personally experienced. This means that many favourites of others probably will be left out due to my personal tastes or due to me not having experienced them yet. I hope that you enjoy this fun year’s review for me.
Best new manga release:
Polar Bear Cafe: Yes, of all the new and exciting manga this year I chose the one featuring puns and bears. To be fair though this series is actually really smart, cute, and funny. Polar Bear Cafe features stories about Panda Bear, a lazy kid who works at a zoo, and his friend Polar Bear, a kind cafe owner who loves jokes. Each story is full of pun based humour and brought a smile to my face.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found the first volume of this series at Secret Headquarters (one of my favourite comic shops), because it features so many Japanese word gags that are very difficult to translate. Michelle Tymon and Seven Seas have done an incredible job though capturing the wonderful and fun puns of the title so that anyone can enjoy it. If you are going to read only one new title this year, make it this one.
Runners up:
Kaoru Mori scribbles 1 and 2: While I couldn’t with good conscience include this title as manga of the year due to it being a translation of Mori’s sketchbooks I do want to highlight how good and impactful this book is. Kaoru Mori is one of the best living manga artists of all time, a claim that is reinforced by these fantastic books. Her art covers all sorts of themes, but retains her own feel and exquisite design. One thing that stands out about her art style is the detail in which she works. Mori not only has clearly studied a variety of historical costuming, but also cares deeply about her characters and improving as an artist.
Another thing that stands out about this work is Mori’s own commentary. Through her comments we get a clear sense of who she is as a person and what her interests are, and how much she loves fashion and costuming. While this title doesn’t contain a narrative (at least in the traditional sense) it stands head and shoulders over many books released this year.
Nichijou: Nichijou is back! Its return was very much a happy surprise; especially during a year where good new manga was hard to find and so many great titles I was looking forward to were delayed. Though I also loved the creators’ other major series, City, I am so grateful for more new Nichijou volumes!
It’s hard to explain exactly what Nichijou is about. Although its title translates to, “Everyday Life,” this title couldn’t be further from the truth. Nichijou follows the experiences of a high school and town filled with strange characters and odd things happening. This manga includes slapstick comedy and all sorts of weird features including a robot embarrassed by her robotic features, a genius but childish kid professor, a boy with butler who rides a goat, a teacher determined to capture and prove that one of her student’s is a robot, a deer wrestling principle, and a bunch of strange high schoolers doing over the top things.
Trying to explain Nichijou is in effect like trying to explain the concept of absurdity. As a reader you can always count on something strange, unexpected, and amusing to happen. Because of this it is hard to explain why Nichijou is so funny without just summarising its stories. If you love random or slapstick comedy though this is a series you need to read.
While not entirely new, Nichijou is a great series I’m really glad has returned. I look forward to reading more of it and busting a gut again in June when its next volume comes out!
Akane-banashi: Akane-banashi was a pleasant surprise. While simple it provides a lot of what I love in manga, it has lots of passion, a great story, and information about interesting and unusual subject matter.
This series is all about a traditional form of Japanese storytelling. After her father is cruelly rejected at an exam to become a professional Rakugo storyteller by an arrogant master, his daughter Akane dedicates herself to becoming one in her father’s place. She practises tirelessly with her father’s former teacher, a master Rakugo storyteller named Shiguma and his three other students in hopes of growing her skills and getting revenge for her father. Through their guidance she learns what it takes to be a professional and share her skills on stage in a variety of settings.
Akane-banashi’s focus on storytelling helps bring to life the traditional art of Rakugoka, a Japanese storytelling tradition that involves a presenter playing all the roles of a story with minimal props. Not only is the subject very interesting, but Akane-banashi does a good job teaching about the process of becoming involved in Rakugoka and feelings that come with performing it. Akane learns fast that she has a lot to learn despite her inherent skill, and is pushed by her peers and fellow storytellers to grow and improve. It is also really interesting to read a shonen title that is so outside the norm and features a female lead. So many popular shonen manga series follow a formula, it is exciting to read a series that breaks this mould and takes a different approach.
The art in Akane-banashi also does a great job of conveying stories being told and visualising them without distracting from the telling and performance aspect. Its representation of the tellers embodying their characters brings a liveliness to the performance, and helps visually embody an oral art. Its character designs are also great, ranging from very traditional shonen designs, to unusual characters that stand out. All these features allow the art to visualise and substitute oral emphasis of the story which is impressive.
Akane-banashi is a pleasant surprise of a title that presents an interesting subject and backs that subject up with good art and storytelling. I couldn’t put down this series and can’t wait to read more of it next year!
Best new movie:
The Boy and the Heron: The Boy and the Heron is Miyazaki’s latest film, and one of his best. A combination of all sorts of things, my mind was blown when I stepped out of my IMAX screening of this brilliant movie.
The Boy in the Heron follows Mahito, a boy living during World War II. After his mother tragically passes away he and his father move to a large estate in the country owned by his mother’s younger sister Natsuko. Natsuko has married Mahito’s father and is expecting a child, something the Mahito is largely unsure about how to respond to. Things become strange though when a grey heron seems to beckon Mahito to an odd abandoned tower where his eccentric grand uncle disappeared mysteriously years ago.
As the film is new I don’t want to spoil or say too much about it, but what I can say is that besides lacking flying machines it may be the most “Miyazaki,” Miyazaki film I have seen. The story clearly carries his themes, style, and fluid tonal shifts that remind you strongly of his other works. I’m not sure if this is my favourite of his films, but without a doubt it stands out as the best film I have seen this year and somehow manages to top even the latest animated Spiderman film (which was my favourite movie of the year before seeing this film). Even the dub (an element that can be hit and miss with Ghibli films) was excellent with its cast being almost unrecognisable, especially Robert Pattison who plays the trouble-making Heron. I feel that this film should not only win best animated picture of the year, but also deserves to be nominated for best picture of the year.
Runners up:
Across the Spider-verse: Across the Spider-verse may just be the greatest superhero movie of all time. It somehow manages to equal or even surpass its previous outing. Across the Spider-verse has its teenage heroes Miles and Gwen faced with great personal adversity, and take on a multiverse filled with trouble and other spider people.
This film’s use of multiverse works so much better than so many other superhero films this year, because at its core is such a personal narrative. Spider-verse, despite its scope, is grounded in a story of family and fighting against personal loss. Unlike most superhero films this year, Spider-verse feels like it has real stakes that mean something, gives the heroes a personalised purpose, and makes the antagonist’s losses and feelings understandable. It also doesn’t hurt that the film looks amazing, is filled with comic book in-jokes, and continues to balance the seriousness and silliness effectively in a way that other films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor failed to do. A great film only topped by The Boy and the Heron, Spider-verse is a must see.
Asteroid City: Asteroid City is yet more evidence of the quirky genius of Wes Anderson. While I don’t believe in Auteur theory (films are expensive multi-faceted undertakings involving a variety of people) if there ever was a modern director who you might make me rethink my stance it would be Wes Anderson. You know a Wes Anderson film when you see it, and Asteroid City very much highlights many of his trademark elements.
One thing that stands out about this film is just how odd and almost surreal the plot is. The movie depicts the creation and production of an eclectic playwright’s retro-futurist play about a government run children’s science contest in a remote military camp within the desert. The play depicted also focuses on a family grappling with loss and an alien encounter. The movie also highlights the absurdity of the play’s narrative and quirky characters, and the people who play them.
Like many of Anderson’s works the tone of Asteroid City is one of dry comedy, eccentricity, and the human condition. It brings together so many different concepts and deliberately avoids clarifying how much of its dialogue and plot are people playing a role and what is actually a commentary by the actors themselves. This leads to a blending of meta commentary purposely muddling narrative to comedic and profound effect, and purposely highlighting artifice of the work rather than avoiding it. Another thing Asteroid City does that is unusual is have celebrities cast against type. Actors often play roles that you normally wouldn’t expect outside of an Anderson film.
Anderson is famous for his use of colour pallets, something this film also strongly emphasises. Asteroid City is very deliberate about its colour scheme employing bright blues and whites, and muted tan colours which give the film a distinctive and controlled sense of style. These colours pop out and also add to the unusualness and artificiality that he is going for.
While similar to many of Anderson’s other works, Asteroid City stands out as a unique experience unlike any other film that came out this year. It is a film that demands the attention of its viewers, but also rewards them for their interest. Asteroid City is a strange and wonderful film well worth seeing, especially if you like the other films of Wes Anderson.
The Old Way: Why is it that this film has been so ignored and maligned? The Old Way places Cage in an old fashioned revenge drama playing a former outlaw who is driven out of retirement when his wife is killed. In lesser hands this type of film could be cliche, but it is saved by two things, Cage’s performance and the inclusion of Ryan Kiera Armstrong who plays Cage’s character’s daughter.
The film’s handling of the pair’s struggles and mental illness sets it apart from the typical Western. Cage’s character Colton Briggs and his situation is portrayed primarily as tragic and flawed, not as badass or heroic. Cage does a great job portraying mental illness as something that is complex. Brigg’s toughness is shown as something that separates him from the world, not something to seek out or idolise. It is Brigg’s past cruelty that drives the antagonist Jimmy to be traumatised and to grow up to misguidedly trying to emulate Brigg’s violence. He and his gang then murder Brigg’s wife not only as revenge, but also as a way of getting him to come out of retirement so that they can kill him. While Brigg’s is driven by a focused purpose of revenge making him a deadly force to be reckoned with, is primarily portrayed as a tragic world weary figure that had a hand in his own suffering and created a cycle of violence that was the result of his previous callousness.
Brigg’s daughter likewise shares his inability to feel things, and feels like an outsider. While this allows her to overcome many things a neurotypical girl her age would struggle with, it also brings an awkwardness to her as she tries and often fails to model normative behaviour. Often she is unclear as to what emotion she should be feeling or what role she is expected to play in the world. Armstrong does an amazing job subverting typical tropes surrounding how young girls are portrayed in Western’s, giving her character a calculating hardedge of a personality.
I find it really sad that The Old Way was so overlooked, especially when it came out. When I went to see it at my local movie theatre the theatre was strangely empty, making the viewing experience more surreal and magical for me. It was a much better film than other films released at that time, and it still confuses me why hardly anyone went to see this film and why it was so maligned by the critics who did see it. I’m glad I get to share my thoughts on this hidden gem here, and hope more people will now go see this fantastic Western.
A Haunting in Venice: I will be honest and say that a lot of Kenneth Branagh’s films have been hit or miss for me. I adore many of his Shakespearean adaptations, but am not a big fan of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (which is a terrible name for this film), Thor, Cinderella, and Artemis Fowl. My experience with most of his Poirot Trilogy has also been hit or miss. I usually prefer the more straightforward and stately adaptations of David Suchet to Branagh’s more loose films. Many of Branagh’s previous adaptations of Poirot seemed awkwardly trapped between the slow and stylized tone of the Christie content, and the more bombastic style he is known for.
Thankfully this film dispenses with most of the pretexts of doing a faithful adaptation, instead opting for creating mostly original concepts. While it bears very little resemblance to the novel it is based upon (the Hallowe’en Party) this turns out to be a good thing. Branagh transforms the slow paced mystery of the book into an exciting old dark house style story where it becomes unclear if the things occurring align with a traditional murder narrative or are the result of supernatural forces. Setting the movie mostly within an old Italian villa and making major changes to the story that take advantage of the medium of film really helped it build tension effectively. These changes also made the mystery far more exciting, and allowed all the celebrity actors to give interesting performances that stood out. I ended up liking this film far more than I was expecting, and consider it one of the best mysteries of the year.
Godzilla Minus One: Godzilla Minus One delivers the goods. While I really enjoyed watching Shin-Godzilla this year, it really can’t compare to the quality of Godzilla Minus One. Minus One seems to get everything right, and is a fitting tribute that blows other recent outings of Godzilla out of the water.
The film stars Kōichi Shikishima, a kamikaze pilot who fakes engine trouble and abandons his duty of suicide near the ending of World War II, only to have the small island base he landed on be attacked brutally by Godzilla. When tasked with shooting the monster he freezes up with fear and is unable to shoot it allowing Godzilla to slaughter all but one of his comrades before disappearing into the night. As the war comes to a close Koichi is left with trauma and guilt, and returns home to find Tokyo in ruins and his parents dead. He ends up taking in Noriko, a woman who lost her family, and Akiko, the baby she rescued. Eventually they form a makeshift family together and start to re-build. Godzilla does not stay dormant for long though and it seems like no government is prepared or willing to help stop the monster from rampaging.
Godzilla Minus One has finally broken the curse that has plagued many Godzilla films since its inception. In most Godizlla films I just want to get to more monster action and/or cannot take the human elements seriously. This is not the case for Godzilla Minus One. Minus One has a complex plot where its lead is driven by a mixture of guilt over his past, and a genuine desire to do good. He tries his best, but you see him struggle in an authentic and at times messy way with all the trauma he is carrying. You want to see him succeed and really care about his fate, and the fate of his friends and family.
The film also does a great job making you care about the rest of the characters around Koichi. You really get to know and understand the feelings of the Koichi’s friends who all get good arcs and have distinct personalities. You really come to care about the makeshift family he forms, his neighbour who despite her initially misgivings cares for his household, and the crew of minesweepers Koichi works with.
Another thing Godzilla Minus One gets right about human parts of the plot is making it about community. While the film values patriotism, it views patriotism as the sacrifices of individuals and the coming together of the communities to solve problems, rather than unquestioning nationalism, militarism, and trusting corrupt governments. Like Spiderverse it understands that for conflicts to have stakes that the audience actually cares about, the story needs to personally invest the viewer in the story and characters, and to have them face real struggle together.
Godzilla Minus One also doesn’t skimp on Godzilla. Though Godzilla does appear a lot less then in some other Godzilla films every appearance of Godzilla carries a weight to it and brings terror. Godzilla in this film is a force to be reckoned with, a true monster bent on destroying cities, lives, and Koichi life. Godzilla is portrayed as a seemingly unstoppable force leaving death and destruction in their wake. Even at sea Godzilla is a menace ripping apart huge battleships like they were nothing, and being unphased by human attacks. Ultimately it becomes up to human ingenuity to fight Godzilla as the government is powerless and too corrupt to do anything despite Godzilla ravaging Tokyo, the United States is unwilling to do anything about Godzilla, and conventional force proves useless.
While the ending of Minus One doesn’t quite stick the landing for me, I still think that Godzilla Minus One is one of the best Godzilla films I have ever seen in years. It gets the human elements right, while also making Godzilla even more terrifying than in Shin Godzilla.
Historical manga has played an important role in Japanese history. Art in Japan has long reflected historical topics with many woodblock paintings, sculptures, hand scrolls, and tapestry depicting religion, important events, stories, and the culture of Japan. These subjects made their way into manga, with many of the comics coming out in World War II representing nationalism through the use of brave Samurai figures and depictions of the war effort. During the postwar period manga changed drastically, but the representation of history remained important. Books like Sazae-san helped depict the experiences of women during the post war periods and highlight the new attitudes and roles of Japanese women. Eventually this emphasis on history and the post war influence of Western cultures on Japan would lead to a massive increase in titles covering histories outside of Japan with books like Riyoko Ikeda’s Rose of Versailles, Masako Watanabe’s adaption of Heidi, and many works by Osamu Tezuka including Crime and Punishment and Princess Knight exploring history and historical settings from around the world.
The concept of biographical works as a manga began in the 70’s with and included Shigeru Mizuki’s biography of Adolf Hilter, two works based on the famous swordsman Mushashi, an autobiography by the famous manga creator duo Fujio Fujiko, and a work based on Cleopatra. The 1980’s though saw a huge expansion of the genre with a plethora of major cultural and historical figures getting manga biographies including: Osamu Tezuka, Napoleon, Hokusai, Date Masamune, King Don Pedro the first, Liu Bei, Adachi Mitsuru, and a number of pro-wrestlers (just to name a few). This boom in content continues to this day with many manga artists such as Kabi Nagata and Hilnama focusing on autobiographical works.
In the United States historical manga was an important part of manga history from the beginning. Titles like The Legend of Kamui and Lone Wolf and Cub were among the first major titles to be published in the United States, and were major early hits. Biographical titles took some time however, with Barefoot Gen being the only major and early biographical work to see publication. The United States saw a major boom of these works, however in the 2000’s with biographical works by Toshio Ban, Jorshiro Tatsumi, Moyoco Anno, and Hideo Azuma being published. The United States now has a steady stream of popular historical and biographical manga appearing regularly in bookstores.
1. A Bride’s Story: Kaoru Mori has a deep connection with historical based manga. Her first two titles Shirley and Emma are both Victorian era dramas starring maids. After these two series, however, Mori would take a surprising departure from England for her next work A Bride’s Story. While also a 19th drama, A Bride’s Story is set in Central Asia rather than the UK. The story focuses on Amira, a young woman who travels from her mountain town for an arranged marriage to Karluk, a much younger man. Many of the stories in A Bride’s Tale also focus on the lives and marriages of the various women Amira encounters.
Kaoru Mori is an expert when it comes to culture and setting. A Bride’s Story does an incredible job pulling the reader into the character’s world by making sure that every detail fits into the setting and time period. Her art and story highlight the customs, details, and culture of the period and they fit seamlessly into the story’s reflections on everyday life and feminist themes. Perhaps A Bride’s Story’s strongest element though is its characters. Amira and Karluk are both given believable personalities, while also standing out as engaging and detailed. This character detail though is not limited to the two leads as most of the cast is given vibrant characterization. Mori’s attention to setting and time period, along with her detailed and vibrant characters makes A Bride’s Story an engaging series to read.
2. Vagabond: Musashi Miyamoto is one of the most famous samurai of all time. Renowned for his prowess and the stories of his famed duels he has been the subject of a number of manga series and stories. Perhaps the most famous manga adaption of his life though is Takehiko Inoue’s Vagabond. Vagabond tells the epic story of Musashi’s life starting from how he became a wandering samurai, and then covering the many fights and trials he faced.
Vagabond is a biographical tale filled with detail. Like many of Inoue’s other comics it has a compelling story and meticulous art, and focuses on the struggles the characters face. Despite sometimes being slow paced, Vagabond always has a tense and violent atmosphere designed to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, even outside of the incredible fight scenes. Each battle Mushashi faces is not just one of survival, but also a clash of wills between him and his opponent. Despite Mushashi’s skill, his journey is set with struggles and mistakes, allowing the series to balance the larger than life nature of Mushashi with a compelling realism and challenge. This undying and unrelenting spirit combined with Inoue detailed art and epic yet relatable writing helps drive the reader forward, and makes the long length of this series a treat rather than a chore to read through.
3. My Alcoholic Escape from Reality: Kabi Nagata is well known from her autobiographical accounts. Her stories reflect her own struggles with mental health, sexuality and gender, and family life. Like her other works My Alcoholic Escape from Reality explores these topics, but adds the additional topic of alcoholism and how it effects her body. This book covers how Nagata’s drinking eventually leads to a diagnosis of pancreatitis, and to an extended stay in the hospital. It also explores her struggles after leaving the hospital maintaining a low alcohol and low-fat diet.
One thing that is fascinating about all of Kabi Nagata’s works is how candid they are. Nagata does not hide or sugar coat things, and gives a very honest look at her experiences and feelings. A large part of this book is composed of the challenges she faces trying to manage her life and alcohol intake, despite her ongoing mental health struggles. The other part of the book is dedicated to her trying to feel validated and comfortable with continuing to write in a memoir style, and overcoming the guilt she has about discussing her family so candidly. These two parts come together to show how her life causes and effects her dependency on alcohol. While different from some of her other books, My Alcoholic Escape from Reality continues to be a deeply real, emotional, and relatable text.
4. Buddha: Osamu Tezuka’s manga epic about the life and history of Siddhartha Gautama, and his spiritual journey towards enlightenment and becoming the Buddha is worth reading even if you aren’t a Buddhist. The story follows the Buddha’s journey from a privileged Prince, to a monk struggling to find a way towards helping others, to an enlightened being and teacher.
This title combines the prominent teachings and themes of Buddhism with the creative sensibilities of Tezuka. In addition to the Buddha Tezuka creates and draws from a variety of colorful characters to make his tale both meaningful and palatable to readers. His cast is engaging and helps to highlight the Buddhist themes of the interconnectedness of life and life’s shifting fragility. This series is also filled with “Tezukisms,” including moments of goofy comedy, Tezuka inserting himself into small roles in the story, and his signature style of art and character design. Buddha manages to effectively meshing Tezuka’s own art and storytelling style with the stories and traditional values of the Buddha and Buddhism.
5. A Drifting Life: When thinking about what I would put into this category A Drifting Life was the first work that came to mind. A Drifting Life covers the life and work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, a leading figure in the Gekiga movement. It primarily covers his beginnings getting into manga writing, and establishing a style and partnerships with others.
A Drifting Life is an incredibly important book in understanding not only Tatsumi and his influences on manga, but also in the development of the modern manga industry as a whole. It explores in detail the industry’s origins and how it moved from short 4 panel gag strips to longer stories aimed first at children and eventually expanding to include a more adult audience. This work also shows Tatsumi’s own journey from High School comics fan and submitter to a full-fledged manga artist, and his work and struggles along the way finding his own style and voice through his work. A Drifting Life highlights the real emotions, struggles, and environments Tatsumi experienced, and gives detailed context of how his cinematic and gritty story telling style evolved alongside his friends. A Drifting Life is an essential read for those looking to learn more about Tatusmi, the Gegika movement, and manga history.
6. The Osamu Tezuka Story: When it comes to manga creators, no creator has had the same impact and influence on the industry as Osamu Tezuka. Nicknamed, “the God of Comics,” Tezuka and his work have had an impact in almost every facet and genre of manga. His work also helped to create the post war manga and anime industry that we know of today. This biography was created by Tezuka’s assistant Toshio Ban shortly after Tezuka’s passing, and tries to encapsulate the life of Tezuka and his major works, exploring the influence he has had on manga and how the industry influenced his own works.
While trying to cover Tezuka and all that he has done is nearly impossible, this 900-page biography comes about as close as any work can to covering Tezuka’s life and contributions. Somehow it manages this monumental task while also reflecting Tezuka’s own art style and being an accessible read. While a positive representation of Tezuka, this book by no means glosses over his struggles and faults. It puts a lot of effort not only in showing Tezuka at his peak such as with Astro-Boy and Black Jack, but also his struggles to adapt with the changing tastes of the market, the cut throat and low paying nature of manga industry, and his own personal issues. While there are some major omissions in this work like Tezuka’s family life and his love for nature and environmental work, Ban clearly did his best to accurately portray Tezuka, the manga industry, and how the world around Tezuka effected and was effected by his works.
7. Disappearance Diary: Disappearance Diary chronicles the life of Hideo Azuma, a man struggling with depression and alcoholism. The book chronicles his experiences leaving everything behind including his home, job, and family to live on the street. It also covers his struggles with depression, and how these struggles lead to alcoholism and health problems.
One thing that is so remarkable about this work is the tonal disconnect between Azuma’s experiences with depression, homelessness, and alcoholism, and his art style. Despite its dark subject matter, Azuma’s art remains cute and upbeat, purposefully contrasting the story’s tone. This makes Azuma’s work and dark subject matter far easier to digest as a reader. In a way it also feels like this art style allows Azuma to talk about the difficult aspects of his life more candidly.
Another aspect that this work explores is the contrast between Japan’s cultural expectations, and the realities of those struggling with mental illness. This autobiography shows that Japan doesn’t support those with mental health issues or those who are homeless properly. While leaving everything behind Azuma frequently has to deal with the challenges of trying to survive while struggling with depression. Instead of support though, at one point he is picked up by the police who suspect him of being a murderer just for being homeless, and at another point is woken up by loud firecrackers. In many ways this book is designed as Azuma puts it to have, “…a positive outlook on life, and so it has been made with as much realism removed as possible.” Despite his removal of realism though, this book is well worth reading and does a number of times give an unflinchingly real view of what it is like dealing with struggles of poverty, homelessness, and mental health and the lack of support for these issues.
8. Showa: A History of Japan: Showa: A History is a highly unusual work that blends autobiography with historical background. Showa focuses on the history of Japan before, during, and after World War II. It also covers the early life of its creator Shigeru Mizuki, and his misadventures growing up during war time.
While I was highly tempted to place Mizuki’s Onward to Our Noble Death’s (which is also an incredible book in its own right) on this list, I found this book’s combination of biography and history fascinating. Showa is incredible because it works to bring together contrasts. It intertwines Mizuki’s own story into the story of the war bringing both together into a singular narrative. It presents his character Rat Man as a narrator, but also contains real accounts of his life. Its art also brings together contrast, and combines photorealism with Mizuki’s more caricatured style. Another stand out element of this series is that it focuses directly on World War II, and often depicts the war and Japanese military in a negative light. Even many years after the war it is rare to see Japanese works that talk about World War II so candidly. Mizuki does not shy away from commenting on the brutality of war and the mistakes he felt Japan made as a nation. This contrast in story, art, and tone and the honesty in which it is written makes Showa stand out as important not only from a historical angle, but also as a look at one of Japan’s most accomplished manga creator’s life and influence.
9. Me and the Devil Blues: Sometimes a legend can be more impactful and important than, “the truth.” This is the case with the story of Robert Johnson a famous Blues musician who was said to have sold his soul for his incredible musical talent. This manga tells this legend, before branching out to cover Johnson’s further adventures as he runs from the Devil who is now hunting him down.
The first thing that stands out about Me and the Devil Blues is its art. As some other reviewers have pointed out, the art is so effective in this series that it invokes feelings. These emotions and the Blues music are both represented visually in a way that very few other works have been able to do, and are essential parts of Johnson’s story. Another factor that is remarkable about this book is how it balances over the top themes of violence and sexuality with realistic depictions of race, language, and culture. Incredibly Akira Hiramoto is able to depict the rural south of the 20-30’s, despite existing so far outside of that cultural background. While far from realistic (especially when Johnson meets Clyde Barrow) Me and the Devil Blues does feel like a compelling legend that blends fact and fiction.
10. Barefoot Gen: It would have been negligent of me to not include this classic autobiographical manga on this list. While there are many important works focused on World War II, I couldn’t think of a more fitting autobiography set in the period then Barefoot Gen. Barefoot Gen focuses on Gen Nakaoka, a boy living in Hiroshima during the war. Gen’s life is tough with the war causing shortages of vital materials including food, and his father’s resistance to military propaganda branding the family as traitors. Things get much worse though when the atomic bomb is dropped causing mass horror and suffering.
Barefoot Gen stands out for a variety of reasons. First off is that it depicts the real and human effects of the war from a civilian perspective. Barefoot Gen doesn’t hold back when depicting brutality caused by the bomb, and the effect it and the war proceeding the bombing has on family and community. Despite being somewhat fictionalized, its accounts of forced patriotism, the horrors of war, the suffering of the everyday citizen, and a child’s perspective all ring true. While Barefoot Gen is a very difficult and frightening read, its depictions of family and community is powerful without being naïve or corny or downplaying the struggles Gen, his family, and his community face.
With the passing of this living legend I feel it is only fair that I talk about the enormous influence Leiji Matsumoto has had on me. I first encountered Leji Matsumoto’s work during my first year of college, where I was introduced to it in my college’s Anime club. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to many of his great classics while in Anime club including: Space Captain Harlock, Gun Frontier, Galaxy Express 999, Endless Odyssey, and Space Battleship Yamato. Experiencing these incredible series changed my view of on anime and my life.
While I was already a major anime fan before seeing these shows, Matsumoto’s work had a lasting and major impact on me. It showed me just how much depth and heart an anime series could have, and what constituted a timeless masterpiece. Despite their age many of his series spoke to me in a way that no series had ever done before. They presented larger than life figures and journey’s dedicated to finding better ways of living. They also involved grappling with important real world issues such as: discrimination, the effects of war, how we deal with adversity, what it means to be human, and how we interact with technology. These themes reflected my own personal challenges during college including my struggles to find my own way in life, and my journey to embrace who I was as a person. Matsumoto helped to pave the way for me to grow, and to reflect on myself. His works continue to have a profound influence on me, pushing me to make my dreams a reality and reflect upon the world around me.
Another important thing that comes to mind when thinking about Matsumoto and his influence on me is his boundless imagination. Like many masters of manga and anime such as Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, Rumiko Takahashi, and Moto Hagio (just to name a few) his works not only continues to be relevant, but are also a lot of fun to watch and read, and filled with creativity. Whether it is the epic battles of space pirates trying to defend earth, a boy trying to find himself through a journey thru space on a flying train, a spaghetti western, or a movie set to the music Draft Punk, Matsumoto’s works reflect his personal experiences, views, and most importantly his dreams. They also have specific design traits and story-telling styles that are immediately recognizable and shares a world structure, while also standing alone and apart as unique experiences.
The loss of Leiji Matsumoto is for me a huge one. Despite it being very unlikely that we would have ever met, I still wish I could have had the chance to just to shake his hand and tell him how much his works meant to me. His creations are incredibly important, and will remain a major part of my life that will never be forgotten. Despite him being gone, his works will live on not as a legacy of his achievements but as a timeless reminder of the power dreams can have on people, the future, and animation as a whole.
Food and drink plays an important role in many societies, and Japan is no exception. Japan has a long and complex history surrounding food and drink, and has had manga titles covering everything from snacks and fast food to gourmet food such as sushi and sake. Strangely though these themes weren’t a major topic of manga until the 1970’s when titles such as Totsugeki Ramen, Cake Cake Cake, Kitchen Kenpo, and Ajihei the Cook were released. These series set the groundwork for a variety of major themes found in cooking manga, and helped pave the way for the food and drink based manga explosion during the 80’s.
Food and drink themed manga sadly hasn’t been as big of a hit in the United States as in Japan. While some series have done alright many haven’t been nearly as successful in the States. This isn’t a reflection on the quality of manga that has been published within the United States so much as it is a lack of consumer interest in food and drink manga. While most food and drink titles have been considered niche there have been a few titles that have had mainstream success in the States such as Food Wars! and What did you eat yesterday? These successes along with the success of the Light Novel series Restaurants to Another World have helped encourage U.S. publishers to continue the release of culinary manga.
1. Food wars!: Food Wars! Is probably the most popular and best known cooking manga within the United States. It focuses on Soma Yukihira, a teenager who works with his father Joichiro at a small, but gourmet family style restaurant. When Soma’s father decides to close up shop and travel the world again, he enrolls Soma into the elite Tōtsuki Culinary Academy. At this school Soma is faced with intense cooking battles in order to survive the academy’s strict classes and exams, and to prove his medal against other expert chefs.
Food Wars! Draws a lot of its inspiration from the over the top cooking contest series before it such as Iron Wok Jan, Mr. Ajikko, Yakitate!! Japan, and Chūka Ichiban! Like its predecessors it contains exciting cooking clashes where chefs have over the top contests to determine who is a better cook. To take things one step further though, Food Wars! presents meals as orgasmicly delicious, and tries to express food tastes through the use of visual language. Food Wars! uses a shonen style of art that allows both the meals as well as the characters to shine through as unique and attention getting. This series is perfect for those looking for a hit manga that is loud and exciting, and that has over the top shonen food battles.
2. What Did You Eat Yesterday?: What Did You Eat Yesterday? presents food as a means of coming together, and sharing experiences. This series features Shiro and Kenji, a middle aged gay couple as they explore their life, their contrasting personalities, and enjoyment of meals as a couple.
Food in this work is a means of bringing both men together despite their wildly different personalities, and helps them with the shared struggles they face as gay men within a heteronormative society. Somehow Shiro and Kenji form a relationship and stay together despite their extreme differences in personality, and this togetherness is implied to be largely based around them sharing meals with one another. This series is great because it presents a complexity within Shiro and Kenji’s relationship that is honest, while also presenting the food cooked by Shiro as more than just a delicious meal. For Shiro, cooking food is a means of expression of his inner and closed off feelings, sharing them with his outgoing partner Kenji. Those looking for a manga highlighting not only food, but also a realistic and meaningful relationship story will find a lot to enjoy with this series.
3. The Drops of God: The Drops of God is a manga focused on wine and wine tasting. When Shizuku Kanzaki estranged father Yutaka Kanzaki passes away he and famous wine critic Issei Tomine are placed in a contest to see which one can inherit Yutaka’s estate and famous wine collection. To win, Issei and Shizuku must compete in a multi-stage contest where they do a blind taste test of one of Yutaka’s thirteen favourite wines, in order to figure out what the wine is.
The Drops of Gods is famous for its accurate and educational portrayal of wine. Its content is so educational in fact that it has been featured in the New York Times the Dining and Wine section. One of the major reasons for this is that the writer Tadashi Agi stated that he wanted the wine to be the main character. Though the contest is exciting, Agi places his strongest emphasis on wine and the mood and flavors it evokes. Though it was not very popular as a print manga in the states and was sadly discontinued in its physical form, it continues to be a popular downloaded title and has appeared multiple times on the New York Times Best Selling manga list.
4. Yakitate Japan: When most people think of Japanese food, bread is typically not the first thing that comes to mind. Yakitate Japan, however, is all about Japanese breads and bread making. It features Kazuma Azuma who dreams of creating a signature bread that can represent all of Japan. His passion for baking and his special warming hands allows him to go to Tokyo to pursue his dream at the famous Pantasia bread shop. Along his journey he meets many other bakers with similar dreams to his own, and works hard to learn from them and grow as a baker.
Yakitate Japan is a great manga because it does an excellent job balancing its educational aspects with a fun and light hearted shonen feel. The series teaches a lot about different styles of bread, while also having a silly fun time with its wacky characters, over the top contests, and the character’s wild reactions. The art style of Yakitate Japan also helps to emphasize its goofiness by including all sorts of odd characters including ones with: afros, who wear clown outfits, and who are samurai (just to name a few), while still giving them a competitive drive to create excellent bread. Behind all the silliness and competition though Yakitate Japan provides a fun and informative style that is an enjoyable read.
5. Oishinbo: A true classic, Oishinbo has had a huge impact on the development of food manga. Oishinbo involves Shirō Yamaoka, a newspaper food critic who is put in charge of discovering the “ultimate menu,” along with his assistant Yūko Kurita. When not out seeking the best foods Shiro usually is found lazing around or squabbling with his estranged father Yūzan Kaibara, a famous gourmet and artist.
Oishinbo is a series dedicated to the cuisine of Japan. Starting in 1983 and lasting until 2014 this series has provided many stories about the food and culinary traditions of Japan. Oishinbo has covered all sorts of Japanese food and drinks in depth, looking not only at how food is made, but also how food is sourced. Another element Oishinbo does excellently is its use of a unique design. Oishinbo has a distinct appearance that makes it immediately stand out to the reader, but not in a way that detracts or distracts from its story. While Oishinbo sadly has only been released in the states in “a-la-cart,” compilations, those looking to learn more about the Japanese food and drink industry will still find a lot of great content in these books.
6. Silver Spoon: While most series focus on how food is made, Silver Spoon instead is centered on the source of food. Silver Spoon follows Yuugo Hachiken, a high-schooler who goes to an Agricultural High School to avoid his strict father. He quickly finds though that his high school experience is going to be more difficult than he anticipated and that he has a lot to learn due to his lack of farming background.
Despite being created by Hiromu Arakawa and featuring her signature style of art, Silver Spoon is a very different work from her previous action series like Fullmetal Alchemist. Despite its differences, Silver Spoon was a huge hit in Japan because of Arakawa’s experience growing up on a dairy farm. Through this experience she was able to create interesting and amusing characters based on real people she knew, and to base the stories’ farming practices on her personal familiarity with them. Arakawa’s personal investment in Silver Spoon allows it to not only be a great look at how food is farmed, but also a fun and engaging read.
7. Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles: Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles is a story designed primarily around informing the reader about ramen. Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles features Koizumi, a quiet and standoffish girl with a passion for Ramen. Koizumi classmate Yū Ōsawa quickly becomes obsessed with her despite Koizumi’s antisocial behavior, and soon Yu’s own friends and classmates end up getting involved in the joy of eating ramen along with Koizumi.
The plot of this series is primarily a vehicle for learning about ramen. Koizumi’s love for all kinds of ramen is delightful, and is really helpful in teaching about how ramen is made, how and where it is eaten, and the many variants of ramen that exist. This is especially informative for those outside of Japan who are curious about diving into the subject, and learning not only about the soup but the cultural context attached to it. The fun plot of this series helps to convey and make its detailed information more accessible and fun to read.
8. Toriko: While Food Wars presents a shonen plot involving cooking real foods, Toriko is all about creating meals out of fantastical creatures. Toriko is a series all about searching in a wild and dangerous world for fierce and fantastic foods to make, while also preserving and protecting that world’s balance. Its title character Toriko has superhuman strength and powerful abilities which he uses to hunt for dangerous and exotic ingredients so that he can create the ultimate full course meal.
Toriko is a series that combines big bombastic action with mouthwatering delicious food. It presents a world full of strange and wonderful (and often dangerous) animals and plants that are used to create delicious looking dishes, but also stresses the importance of protecting natural resources from exploitation. A lot of the fun reading this series is just seeing what new challenges Toriko and his friend Komatsu will face on their quest, and what sort of meals they will make after overcoming these challenges. Filled with a colorful and creative world, tons of action, and incredible fantasy dishes, Toriko is thrilling and fun read.
9. Sweetness and Lightning: Not all stories about food need to be about gourmet cooking. Sweetness and Lightning is not about standing apart from the rest as a top level chef, but rather about how food can bring us together. After his wife dies, single parent and teacher Kōhei struggles to get his young daughter good and nutritious food. This all changes when he runs into his student Kotori at a family restaurant, and she helps by teaching him how to cook. Together Kohei and his daughter Tsumugi come to form a bond with Kotori connected by a love for cooking and shared need for company.
Sweetness and Lightning focuses on being heartwarming, and themes of coming together through cooking and eating. Despite Kotori missing her mother who is often away doing a cooking show, and Tsumugi and Kohei’s family loss they are able to join together and support each other. Food is something to be cherished and shared in this series, and a means of helping people connect with one another. This unique and heartwarming outlook helps to make this series stand out among other food and drink based titles.
10. The Solitary Gourmet: In the Solitary Gourmet food is a means of personal reflection. Its plot focuses on Gorō, a traveling private trader who goes throughout Japan to a variety of restaurants. At these restaurants he enjoys exploring the food and atmosphere that they have to offer. A man of taste and strong preferences, The Solitary Gourmet follows Goro’s experiences eating and enjoying food.
Like many of Jiro Taniguchi works, the solitary gourmet has a relaxing pace and focuses on character development. Despite only illustrating this series, his influence is very strongly felt throughout the manga. The series is not about eating at fancy and premier restaurants, but rather the exploration of small and cheaper places off the beaten track and how Goro enjoys his meals. It is a celebration of the joy of eating, and centered around self-reflection that is emphasized rather than a journey to find the “best meal.” While the Solitary Gourmet is not currently published (as of this blog’s publication), it is planned to be published in July of 2023 and offers an important and differing view of food and drink.
Japanese art has a long and historical connection with horror. The Yūrei-zu works of the 19th century helped capture images of ghosts and monsters from stories dating back to the Edo era, and were strongly influenced by the works of master artist Katsushika Hokusai. These images made their way into manga, and became especially popular in the rental manga markets of the 50’s with creators like Shigeru Mizuki and Kazuo Umezu having a major impact on the genre. This rental manga movement led many alternative comics’ creators to create more extreme and surreal forms of horror such as Hideshi Hino, but it wouldn’t be until the 1980’s with magazines like Halloween that horror would become a mainstream genre of manga.
While horror manga has always been published by US companies, it hasn’t receive much mainstream attention until recently. Thanks to the popularity of Junji Ito’s horror manga the genre has seen a major renaissance in the United States. Ito’s works have brought a mainstream interest in horror manga, and have contributed to the publication and republishing of many more horror works. Despite his enormous body of work and the popularity of his manga, this list will continue highlight the work of a variety of important horror creators published in the United States.
1. Dorohedoro: Dorohedoro is a strange tale of magic, revenge, and class conflict. Dorohedoro’s world is divided between demons living in the underworlds of hell, the humans who are forced to live in a lawless hellhole, and the elite sorcerers living in their own glitzy but chaotic world. Dorohedoro follows the journey of Caiman and his friend Nikaido as they seek to know why Caiman was given the head of a humanoid lizard and why his past memories were erased. Things are further complicated as a gang of elite sorcerers led by their boss En end up not only having to deal with Caiman who is immune to their magic, but also the opposing Cross-Eyes gang.
Dorohedoro combines the creepy aspects of weird magic users run amok a with action story highlight themes of class and revenge. The violent anarchy of the story creates a world where the fear of violence is very real, even for the ruling class of sorcerers. This violent and chaotic world is emphasized with art that is detailed and at times abstract emphasizing both the gritty violence and the surreal magic of the story. Dorohedoro is a unique treat for those looking for a horror work outside the norm.
2. Uzamaki: When talking about horror manga especially in the United States Junji Ito is the first creator that comes to mind. A genius Ito pours all his considerable skills to create terror in his work Uzamaki. Designed specifically to give nightmares this story explores Kurouzu-cho a town that is being consumed by spirals. As these spirals continue to grow more frequent and alarming Kirie and Shuich both explore and attempt to escape being swallowed up by them.
Choosing a Junji Ito work for this list was extremely hard. Ito’s works are all incredibly influential in the States, and most if not all of his works are masterful portrayals of nightmarish scenarios. Had I not limited these lists I could have easily filled up this list with his works alone. Uzamaki stands out though even among Ito’s other works as one of the most terror inducing stories ever told. Uzamaki presents a world where peoples own bodies betray them in sickening ways, with each instance of horror being more shocking and worse than the last. Ito’s artistic portrayal of body horror and obsession makes this book both hard to put down and so frightening that it is difficult to read. Uzamaki is perfect for those looking for horror manga that is both brilliant and will give them nightmares.
3. GeGeGe no Kitarō: GeGeGe no Kitarō is a series following the adventure of Kitarō the last boy of the Ghost Clan. Along with his friends including a floating eyeball, a rat man, a cat girl and other ghosts and monsters, Kitaro hopes to unite the worlds of humans and Japanese supernatural creatures. To do this he battles evil monsters that cause humans trouble, and work to bring peace between the two sides.
GeGeGe no Kitarō was created Shigeru Mizuki during the 1960’s for the rental manga market. Designed to appeal to children and adults alike this series is iconic in Japan, and helped create an interest in horror manga. While writing this series Mizuki drew a strong influence from traditional Japanese monster stories combining them with a fun horror comedy tone to deliver a manga that is just as much about fun as it is being scary and weird. Mizuki’s was also strongly influenced by the classic Japanese Yūrei-zu horror art style, mixing it with cute and comedic influences to create a unique blend. GeGeGe no Kitarō is an exciting and spooky read, and does a great job of combining often contrasting elements.
4. MW: MW is one of the darkest, and most screwed up works of legendary manga creator Osamu Tezuka. It focuses on the serial killer Michio Yuki who was driven mad due to the exposure to the secret chemical weapon MW. Opposing him is Father Garai a gay priest who is racked by guilt due to his involvement in raping Yuki when he was a teenager and Yuki was only a child, and due to his continued attraction to Yuki.
MW is one of Tezuka’s strangest and darkest stories. It is clear that Tezuka was consciously trying to distance himself from his earlier works and themes, creating a much darker tale designed for the adult Gekiga market. Tezuka did not hold back in this story filling it full of adult themes and elements. While MW is filled with violence, cruelty, and sex, but it’s most unique and interesting aspects are the contrasts between larger than life elements and humanistic struggles.
One way that MW really stands out in this depiction is in how it explores inner guilt (or lack thereof). Garai and Yuki couldn’t be more different as characters. Garai is driven to be complicit and unable to directly stop Yuki due to his own person guilt, whereas Yuki is entirely amoral, and eager and willing to hurt and use others for personal gain. Despite all of Garai’s attempts though he cannot untangle himself from Yuki’s cruelty and grasp, and is constantly ridden with guilt over his past and present actions and his continued attraction to Yuki. Tezuka’s MW is frightening and ingenious, because it explores the effects personal guilt has on a deeply flawed person and how that guilt can be exploited by monstrous people to do further harm.
5. The Promised Neverland: The Promised Neverland is a series that quickly goes from cute and charming to nightmarish. The Promised Neverland features children who are living at an orphanage. One night two of the oldest children Emma and Norman come to realize they are being raised so that demons can slaughter and eat them. Watching over them, the orphanage’s mother figure Isabella soon is revealed to be a menace whose main job is to prevent children from escaping. The series follows Emma, Ray and Norman as they try to plan out an escape from the demon’s and the orphanages cruel caretaker to journey into a dangerous and unfamiliar world.
The Promised Neverland brings up a variety of thought provoking questions for the leads to grapple with such as how to escape while being tracked and monitored closely, whether and how to save the rest of the orphans, and how to survive what lies outside the orphanage walls. It keeps ratcheting up the tension as the Emma, Norman, and Ray know they are being closely watched by Isabella who knows of their plan and is tracking them. Another thing this story does a great job with is making the children look and behave like children. This contrasts with the very adult decisions and planning they have to make putting them in even more jeopardy, and adding to the tension of the story. The Promise Neverland is an excellent horror series that revels in creating fear and tension.
6. The Drifting Classroom: The Drifting Classroom tries to answer the question of what children and their teacher would do if they ended up in desolate and deadly ruined world. The answer is predictably frightening as the adults lose their minds and become desperate and violent, while the students are forced to fend for themselves. The Drifting Classroom stars Sho a young boy who tries his best to connect the kids to their original world through a psychic link, and to bring order to the school so that it doesn’t fall into chaos.
The Drifting Classroom draws a lot of inspiration from survival and coming of age tales like Lord of the Flies. Things in the story constantly are going bad to worse as Sho tries to prevent disaster from striking. This is not easy though as many groups of kids are pushed by their worst instincts and fears to make dangerous, and often violent decisions in a bid to survive. The adults of the story are also no help, and not only are poor role models for the children but also become dangerous tyrants. On top of this the students also have to contend with an environment full of giant monsters and a deadly disease. Though this title was published originally in the 1970’s it still remains a frightening and effective horror title.
7. Parasyte: In Parasyte high schooler Shinichi Izumi ends up having an alien infest his right hand by accident. Things could be worse for him though as he soon comes to realize that other parasitic aliens have invaded earth and taken over the brains of their hosts. These other parasites use the bodies of humans as a disguise to feed on other humans, and try to blend in with human society. Luckily for Izumi, Migi the alien that took over his right hand is sentient, wants to protect both of them from harm, and doesn’t require human flesh to survive. Together with Migi’s alien powers Izumi must protect himself and others from the other vicious man eating aliens.
The aliens from Parasyte draws more from creatures like the Thing or face huggers than from humanoid or monstrous aliens. Despite their initial small wormlike appearance though these creatures are still depicted as thinking beings, despite lacking humanoid emotions. What is scary about these creatures though is that despite their intellect they act upon violent instinct trying to eliminate humans and valuing survival above all else. Because of this Shinichi quickly finds himself in danger as Migi attracts the attention of others of in his kind, forcing him and Migi to decide how to handle the threats these creatures pose. Parasyte is an interesting and thought provoking invasion story with plenty of body horror and gore thrown in the mix.
8. Pet Shop of Horrors: Pet Shop of Horrors is all about a pet shop selling odd humanoid creatures. Run by the mysterious and androgynous Count D the shop offers these creatures to people, but also warns their owners to follow three rules vital rules. Problems arrive though when the new owner ultimately fails to follow their contract, which results in chaos, and draws the attention of LAPD detective Leon Orcot who wants to know what is going on in the shop.
Pet Shop of Horrors is a collection of tales tied together through the framing device of Count D and Leon. Each of its short stories are masterfully woven together to create an anthology style comics drawing from a format that is similar to other horror anthologies like Creep Show or Tales of the Crypt. Another interesting element of Pet Shop of Horrors is its Josei manga (comics for adult women) art style, which gives it a surreal and flowing feel. This style also works really well with the characters, especially Count D giving him a both a mysterious and at times humorous quality. Pet Shop of Horrors is an interesting anthology with a strong sense of atmosphere and stylized story telling.
9. Mermaid Saga: While Takahashi is well known for her works in comedy many people don’t also realize how much of an impact she has had in the horror genre. While her works Inuyasha and Mao both contain horror elements, her most influential horror series Mermaid Saga is sadly often overlooked. Mermaid Saga contains stories featuring two immortals Yuta and Mana who travel together and encounter many instances of mermaids, monsters, and other immortals.
The stories in Mermaid Saga are set throughout different time periods and all link to mermaids whose flesh can either make people immortality or in most cases transform those who consume it into grotesque monsters. This series is full of violence and horror, but also has pathos as people (including the two leads) are often negatively effected by their encounters mermaids or dangerous immortals. What makes this series even more chilling though is that the antagonists have clear motives for their actions, giving them a sense a humanistic quality even when they are violent or cruel. This sense of humanity mixed with gore and violence creates an un-nerving and effective contradiction to this series. Although Mermaid Saga is extremely different from Takahashi’s other major works it remains a masterpiece of storytelling and art.
10. Hino Horror: Before Junji Ito became a huge hit in the United States, there was a major cult following of the works of Hideshi Hino. Hino’s works are well known for their tongue and cheek style, and their use of gore and surrealism. His stories in these collections contain Hino’s trademark themes of madness, dreamlike logic, and plenty of blood and guts.
Hino’s works are a prime example of the comics that came out of Garo magazine and the Japanese alternative comics movement. Hino’s works feature art and stories that are distinctly different in feel from the mainstream comics that came before (such as GeGeGe no Kitarō or The Drifting Classroom) or after. Hino likes to employ a nightmarish dream logic to his works making them stand out from most other creators. Another aspect that sets Hino apart is his attempts to get the reader to sympathize with the monstrous. Despite his works often being extremely gory and uncomfortable Hino still goes out of his way to make the reader feel for his characters. Hino’s strange tales and unusual art style made his works a cult hit in the United States, especially during the early period of manga publishing.
Science Fiction has had a major impact on manga since before World War 2. It wasn’t until the post war period, however, that Science Fiction became an important genre of manga. Starting with a trilogy of Science Fiction works by Osamu Tezuka, Science Fiction comics really began to take off with the creation of the Japanese Science Fiction Magazine S-F in 1960. This magazine and the creation of fan zines such as Uchūjin helped to fuel the Science Fiction works within Japan, and to make it a major genre within manga and anime. Science Fiction exploded in the 1970’s thanks to works such as Japan Sinks and Star Wars that made it a mainstay in popular culture. While in the late 80’s Science Fiction as a genre had a sharp decline within Japanese media, it would reappear once again as a popular theme in manga from the 2000’s and 2010’s.
Science Fiction manga has taken a number of forms but is often known for its use of major themes including: cyberpunk (stories involving technology), mecha (works involving giant robots), Tokusatsu (action stories with Japanese TV and movie based themes), Space Opera (action titles involving space and battles), Diesel punk and Steam punk (stories incorporating alternate advancements in technology), and Isekai (the traveling to other dimensions and worlds) works. What is similar throughout all Japanese Science Fiction manga however is a deep sense of creativity and a desire to tell engaging stories. Science Fiction manga continues to stand out as some of the most interesting works the Science Fiction genre has to offer.
1. Nausicaä: Nausicaä is one of the most important works of Science Fiction manga. Its setting establishes a world where a combination of giant destructive, “God Warriors,” devastating pollution, and constant conflict has nearly caused the extinction of all humans, with all remaining civilizations living within a dangerous post-apocalyptic world. The story of Nausicaä begins within the small and peaceful Valley of the Wind which is ruled by an old and ailing king, and his daughter Nausicaä a young woman who is attuned with nature and the giant insects who now roam the land. Things soon change though when the kingdom is invaded by Princess Kushana, a leader of the large Torumekian Empire, and Nausicaä and the Valley soon become tied up in the war, politics, conflicts, and schemes of other warring Kingdoms.
Nausicaä is groundbreaking not only because of its commentary on human nature and preserving the environment, but also because it does so in such a complex way while not muddling its message. It is a series that reflects Miyazaki’s own views at the time, including his disdain for dualistic world views and human’s wastefulness combining both these themes into an engaging world. Miyazaki’s art is likewise up to the task of creating this unique world, and also is great at defining the story’s distinct characters. Nausicaä is a gorgeous, smart, and revolutionary work that all Science Fiction fans should read.
2. Metropolis: Once again it would be impossible to talk about important and groundbreaking manga without including a work by Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka’s Science Fiction Trilogy had a huge impact on Science Fiction manga and helped to influence many future Science Fiction titles. Perhaps his best known of this trio (at least in the United States) is Metropolis. Metropolis focuses on Michi, a super powered synthetic human created using artificial sunspots. These spots are created by the super criminal Duke Red who wants to use the child for his own evil plans. After their creator Dr. Laughton is murdered Michi ends up being protected from the Duke and his henchmen by two of Tezuka’s favorite characters Ken’ichi’ and his uncle Shunsaku Ban.
Metropolis is very representative of Tezuka’s early work. It features a number of themes including slapstick comedy, tragedy, fast paced action, human’s relationship to machines and with the natural world, and the unbounded imagination that characterise all of Tezuka’s manga. While many of these themes would be further explored in later works it is still mind blowing to see so many different themes played out in a comic primarily aimed at children. While only nominally related to the Lange film for which it is named (Tezuka claims to have only seen a single image from the movie before creating this comic), Metropolis did eventually become the influence for an excellent anime film based on Tezuka’s work bearing the same name.
3. Pluto: Pluto is another example of just how influential Osamu Tezuka was on manga creators. Pluto is an adaption of the Astro-Boy story, “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” a story about mysteriously robot murder, who is killing advanced robots and has even started killing humans, despite such an event only ever happening once before. What sets this adaption apart is that it focuses on a European police inspector robot Gesicht, rather than Astro-Boy and is presented as more of a murder mysterious than action story.
Adapting Tezuka in Japan is like adapting a classic writer within the United States. Thankfully Urasawa not only manages to meet the high expectations placed on him, but also adapts the story into something all his own and brilliant. Like Tezuka Urasawa explores the relationship between robots and humans, but does so in much more gritty way while focusing on conversations about discrimination and the fight for the rights of robots against prejudice. Urasawa also uses his own art style which is significantly different from Tezuka’s, allowing his version to further stand out as original and gritty. Urasawa was told that his idea for Pluto was, “too good to let anybody else do,” and after reading this incredible adaption I would absolutely agree with this statement.
4. Aria: When most people think of Science Fiction they tend to think of either stories exploring the human condition through the discovery of new places and peoples, the advancement and ethics of technology, and/or of action movies, TV shows and serials focusing on space. Aria is far removed from most of these themes though. Instead it focuses on the daily lives of gondolier pilots and trainees in Neon Venice, a terraformed city on Mars. Aria is quiet story that involves Akari, a young woman from Earth who is learning to gondolier through the beautiful mostly water city she works in.
Aria stands out because its Science Fiction elements are primarily used as a means to create beautiful and relaxing settings. Instead of focusing on conflict or trying to grapple with the unknown, Aria focuses on the passion of water pilots for their jobs, her silly sentient cat boss, and the beautiful city they work in. The series creator Kozue Amano stated that her goal for the series was, “to have readers find happiness in small things and to not focus on their failures.” Aria reflects this with its relaxed pace and positive out-look. Amano also found that writing Aria helped her focus on the small and beautiful elements of life, and that she wanted Aria to reflect these personal experiences she had. All these factors help Aria stand out as very different from other Science Fiction manga titles, and also as rewarding to read.
5. Akira: Akira can best be described as a masterpiece and epic. Its long and complex cyberpunk story develops and changes through its six volumes. Akira focuses on a group of teenagers living in post-apocalyptic Tokyo. This gang of youth including the group’s leader Kaneda and his friend Tetsuo soon become involved in a battle between the military, the government, and rebels opposing corruption. Things ended up at a breaking point though when Tetsuo is taken in by the military and discovers that he has powerful psychic powers which eventually wreaks havoc on the city.
Akira explores many themes in its narrative including the collapse of society, corruption, the damage caused by unchecked power, and children’s reaction to these issues. It also presents a cyberpunk world featuring a city on its last legs dealing with multiple crises. At the centre of these issues is a teen boy’s anger and struggle to deal with a power far beyond his or anyone else’s control. Akira’s art could likewise be seen as an important piece of this work’s genius, creating a crumbling futuristic atmosphere filled with complex characters. Character designs in Akira are distinct despite their realism, and have the ability to emote and in some cases even warp physical boundaries in order to reflect their mental state. While I have tried my best to briefly cover this series, it’s well worth checking out Akira to understand brilliance better.
6. Planetes: Not all Science Fiction needs to explore the far future, space adventures, and/or space civilizations. Some Science Fiction titles such as Space Brothers and this entry (Planetes) focus more on the scientific aspects of Science Fiction. Planetes follows Ai, a new comer to the eccentric space trash and debris removal unit. She quickly finds that despite this unit being seen as lowly and of less worthy of funding that it actually provides an essential service for other space divisions, and helps to prevent the damage and danger caused by the many objects clogging up space.
While a story based on Space garbage collectors might not be the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Science Fiction manga, Planetes has a compelling story which is complimented by its great art. Planetes is even more compelling, however, because it features a bunch of eccentric misfits and their relationships with one another. Planetes is just as much about characters’ interactions with each other as it is the missions and spends a lot of time on the quirks of each character, especially the series two lead Ai and Hachimaki. The excellent characters, compelling stories, well-crafted art, and an unusual yet realistic story all help to make Planetes stand out from other Science Fiction titles.
7. Space Captain Harlock: One of the leaders of the Science Fiction boom of the 80’s was creator Leji Matsumoto. Highly influenced both by World War II as well as American popular films and movies, Matsumoto moved to Tokyo and eventually found major success with his work in the Science Fiction Space Opera genre. Matsumoto’s most famous works during this period included Space Battle Ship Yamato, Galaxy Express 999, and Space Captain Harlock, his most successful of these works. Starring the brave and larger than life Captain Harlock and his crew of noble outlaws, Space Captain Harlock is about their fight to protect the earth against the invading Mazone aliens.
Despite being an outlaw Harlock is portrayed as a man seeking freedom, who is also deeply moral and willing to stand up for what is right even if it brands him as a criminal. Despite the earth’s government falling into corruption and apathy Harlock continues to protect it despite the danger it puts him in. Captain Harlock is a thrilling adventure series blending the swash buckling of pirate stories with space battles and alien menaces. Matsumoto’s art allows all of this series to feel exciting and breathtaking, and uses a caricatured style to bring Harlock and his eccentric crew to life. Matsumoto also brings in his experience and interest in planes and ships by incorporating this background into his spaceship designs and artwork. Space Captain Harlock is a fun over the top series with powerful messages at its core about the importance of freedom and moral responsibility.
8. They Were Eleven: Not all Science Fiction manga is aimed at a male audience. Many of the most important and influential Science Fiction comics were written by women, including influential Shojo writer Moto Hagio. Comics such Towards Terra, Aria, and They Were 11 have all had a huge impact on the writing of Science Fiction comics. They Were Eleven involves a group of ten different space cadets who are assigned to an old space ship as a final test for their program. Things don’t go as planned though as an eleventh member appears on the ship, and no one can figure out which member is an imposter. Things then go bad to worse when the ship faces some unexpected disasters.
They Were Elven is a series that focuses on the relationships between crew members, and the paranoia caused by the addition of an extra person. Each of the crew comes from a different places, has differing cultural backgrounds and personalities, and some members even have differing bodies and gender identities. Because each of these characters are so different and have a distinct personality it becomes easy to invest in their struggles, and to feel for them even when they make poor choices. In addition to the great story and characters Hagio’s art style is incredible. Her uses of distinct design allows for a full range of emotions allowing characters to be serious and dramatic looking, or more goofy and caricatured. Even though They Were Elven has not yet been reprinted (as of the writing of this piece) it should be available March of 2023, and is an essential Science Fiction title that I could not ignore.
9. Ghost in the Shell: Perhaps the most famous Science Fiction manga creator in the United States during the early 1990’s was Masamune Shirow. Shirow’s Science Fiction works helped to launch a major collaboration between Dark Horse and Studio Proteus, making them into one of the first major U.S. manga companies. The most famous of Shirow’s many works was Apple Seed, and Ghost in the Shell. Ghost in the Shell follows the adventures of Major Motoko Kusanagi, the head of the counter-cyber terrorist organization Public Security Section 9. In this first volume Kusanagi as well as others in her division are sent to deal with a cyber-criminal known as the Puppet Master who has been hacking into people’s cybernetic brains.
Those who are familiar with the Ghost in the Shell film might be shocked at just how different it is from the manga. The Ghost in the Shell manga is much less philosophical, and much more based in action and irreverent humour. It also has the Major flirting more, being more open about her sexuality, and being more far lighter hearted then in the film. One element that remains the same in both versions of Ghost in the Shell though is an intense attention to detail, especially within the artwork. Shirow is famous for his incredibly detailed pages that can be so intricate that they are almost overwhelming to look at. Despite some of this manga’s changes from the movie it is still a visually mesmerising experience, a huge influence on the American manga market, and helped to establish many of the interesting story elements that made the Ghost in the Shell movie such a huge hit.
10. Girls’ Last Tour: A recent, but worthy Science Fiction tale Girls’ Last Tour is delightfully quirky. It stars Chii-chan and Yuu, two girls who are exploring a mostly abandoned world ravaged by war. Despite both girls having very different personalities, they both must work together and develop close bonds as they explore a world that has been torn apart.
Girls’ Last Tour chronicles the lead’s journeys as they try to survive and explore what’s left of the world. This series differs from many post-apocalyptic stories because it involves the two leads going about their daily lives. Rarely does the series present conflict or violence, instead focusing on the lead’s need for survival within a mostly wrecked world. Despite being children, Chii-chan and Yuu need each other’s help and support to survive their journey through the eerie emptiness of the world around them. An excellent new Science Fiction title, Girl’s Last Tour has a feel all its own balancing its bleak atmosphere with the brightness of the two leads.
Secret House of Anime 