Old Boy Volume 1

by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi

Rarely does a first volume explode out of the gates like Old Boy. From the opening pages we are sucked into the cool and mysterious story of ... what IS his name?

Our story opens as Old Boy, as we'll call him, is broken out of a mysterious apartment/prison where is has been held for ten years. But who are the Mafioso looking guys who broke him out?... and more importantly, why? Old Boy soon discovers that keeping himself in shape while incarcerated was a good idea, as he handles a group of young punks who try to rob him with relative ease. Taking enough money from them for a decent meal, he meets the beautiful young Eri, who is kind enough to give him shelter for the night. Old Boy needs to get his life back together, but there is something about revenge that can keep a man so preoccupied.

Any attempt to put down Old Boy Volume 1 mid-read should be made at your own risk. This is a fast-paced and fascinating story, told partially in flashbacks, revealing bits and pieces one juicy morsel at a time. Some things the reader finds out that Old Boy doesn't know, and Old Boy certainly hasn't revealed all his cards yet, too.

The style of Old Boy is very crisp and new. Unlike some manga where every character looks the same, where the hero is the tall handsome blonde guy, and the villain is the tall handsome dark-haired guy, Old Boy's look is more unique and ambiguous. Every character has a distinct look, (the title character, especially), yet looks don't tell us immediately who is a bad gu, and who is a good guy, which makes sense for this twisted story. Old Boy himself is cool, but not too handsome, and definitely rough around the edges. Nobuaki Minegishi's art is detailed yet smooth. The drawings are angular and tense. The several scenes of cityscapes are incredibly intricate, and give a real sense of the size of Tokyo, how big the buildings are, and how far the sprawl goes. This is a nice contrast to the claustrophobic nature of the little room Old Boy was stuck in for those ten long years.

This manga was the inspiration for the awesome Chan-wook Park movie of the same name released in 2003, but read the manga first, before watching the movie...the twists are worth the wait.

This manga is intended for mature readers. Old Boy is an intense and breathtaking debut, and should make out to be a sensational series. Old Boy Volume 2 is released on September 27, 2006. Look here for more reviews on future releases of Old Boy.

A McD's toy worth picking up...(but now you gotta find it!)...and UPDATE!

You may have remembered seeing the Happy Meal toys linked to the Pirates of the Carribean II movie release a month or so ago at McDonald's. (Now don't try and tell us you don't keep an eye on Happy Meal toys!)

Most of the toys are plastic pirate related toys, but two are plush dolls, one of Jack Sparrow, and the other of a skeleton pirate.

These two dolls seemed a little...different...from the rest, and for good reason. According to the latest issue of Giant Robot, they were designed by UGLYDOLL designers, David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim. we thought we recognized them from somewhere.

UPDATE!

We just confirmed with Uglydoll that this was NOT designed byDavid Horvath and Sun-Min Kim! (Thanks for the tip, TommyGreen.) Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it's nice to get paid, too.

Lullabies from Hell: Retribution Part 1

by Hideshi Hino

What evil lurks in the hearts of men? Hideshi Hino knows, and it seems this evil has leaked from his heart to his brain and fingertips, as this first English release by Dark Horse is dripping with the hideous heebie-jeebies. Where Scary Book is a bit more fun, Lullabies from Hell feels like getting strapped into a Disneyland ride where every cute animatronic robot is spurting blood out its eyes and is trying to kill you. The ride ends when the rickety cart carrying you spills into a gaping hole to Hell.
If Hideshi Hino wasn’t a successful horror manga writer, he surely would be a successful mental institution patient. His imagery is uniquely cute and creepy at the same time. Many of the realities he creates feel like a parallel world, just on the other side of this one (like in the story “Train of Terror”), but very dark and very wicked.

The opening story, “Lullaby from Hell” is the real test of whether or not you are ready to enter Hino’s heinous world. In this story a horror manga writer (Hino himself?) tells his sad life story. As can be expected, as a poor young lad, the writer gets little love and support from his delirious mother and his violent father. What he receives is mostly abuse and punches. As the writer gets older he finds he isn’t as well-adjusted as he initially thought, but he has something better than a stable disposition… The ending of Lullaby from Hell comes from out of nowhere, and will take any and all readers by surprise.

The remaining three stories are also extreme tales of horror. Hino understands the limitless nature of the manga genre, and in takes advantage of this in the oddly green-themed tale “Unusual Fetus – My Baby”. What starts as a traditional told-around-the-campfire tale turns into a frantic story of survival in “Train of Terror”. The regrettable and repulsive tale “Zoroku’s Strange Disease” tugs at your heart-strings while sticking a finger down your throat.

Lullabies from Hell is definitely not for everyone (especially younger readers), and if you are not familiar with J-horror, it might be a little much as a jumping-off point, (The Scary Book series might be a better introduction). But for those who like to laugh at children when they fall down and car accidents, Lullabies from Hell will be a perfect macabre match.

Japanese Graphics Now!

Taschen is know for their high-end art books covering just about every aspect of art, especially, but also travel, pop culture and other visually stimulating topics.

They have a handful of Japan related books, including books about living in Japan and making manga. Definately worth a look...

Furigana Machine

You can't always trust a machine...and if there were good machine translations of Japanese to English, we'd be living under a bridge.

That being said, this is kinda cool.

Furigana maker

It doesn't look beautiful, but it adds furigana (hiragana pronunciation) above all the kanji on a website. It isn't always accurate, but gives you a reading.

Scary Book Volume 1: Reflections

Kazuo Umezo, the “Stephen King” of Japanese manga has a unique and engaging style unlike the “traditional modern” look we associate with Japanese manga and anime. These books are rereleases from original classic Japanese horror books, now for the first time in English. The cherub-cheeked characters reminded me of children from old Chinese public health posters. They seem to hark from a more innocent time, which makes the sinister images that much more unsettling. (It turns out these stories were originally published in 2003.) Umezu’s drawing style is unique, and like some traditional Japanese dolls, it is disarming in its seemingly innocent surface.

Scary Book Volume I contains two complete stories, but the title story, "Reflections” takes up over 3/4 of the whole book. “Reflections” tells the tale of Emi, a doll-faced beauty of a young girl who grows up in a house known as the “Mirror Mansion”, named for its giant mirror, a mirror Emi has been gazing into for years. But as time goes on Emi starts getting the paranoid feeling that she is being watched. One night Emi searches for the source of the paranoia, and finds it staring back at her in the reflection in the mirror. And her reflection is not happy with her…
Emi’s reflection has built up resentment for her vanity, and a crack in the mirror seems to allow the reflection to escape from the mirror, and into the real world. Her reflection takes over Emi’s life, and is always one step ahead of Emi while she attempts to replace the real girl, leaving Emi without a home, friends, or family.

It is at this time we are introduced to Emi’s love-stricken classmate, Wakatano, and his younger sister, Mitsuko. The brother and sister are constantly bickering for Emi’s attention, and they seem to be the only people that acknowledge the real Emi’s existence. Their competitive nature escalates to violent levels as they try to help and distract Emi. Wakatano and Mitsuko are a kind of comic relief, and their gestures and actions recall the humorous violence of comics and cartoons of previous generations. This brother and sister are probably the most bizarre pair of characters seen in comics, and their introduction in this story gives the reader an insight to Umezu’s way-out way of thinking.

The creepiness in “Reflections” comes from extreme contrasts of beautiful versus ugly, and vanity versus humility, in a world that is more than a bit off-center. Its frantic nature keeps the reader’s blood pumping and the story’s pages turning.

“Demon of Vengeance” is also a story of conflict, a good versus evil tale. However, the story is a more of a fast-paced downward spiral. Just when you think things can’t get worse for our hero, Muso Kondo, another gate to Hell seems to open up and a whole new world of pain it introduced.
Like some of the other Dark Horse manga we have looked at (ex. Lone Wolf and Cub and Samurai Executioner), “Demon of Vengeance” is a revenge tale set in the days of the samurai. A vassal of shogun Uda is assigned to protect the shogun’s son, Mitsutada, during a raid on Uda Castle. Muso's son, Shogo, accompanies him on the mission. Food is scarce and tempers short as the spoiled Mitsutada harasses the young, but stoic, Shogo (who might remind the reader of another quiet but steel-eyed youngster, Daigoro from Lone Wolf and Cub). Muso tries to be patient with Mitsutada, but a father can watch only so much abuse of his son, and one day he snaps...

This is actually a tale of double revenge, as the shogun dedicates his life to making Muso’s and Shogo's lives a living hell, after what happened to his son. In turn, Muso does everything he can to destroy the shogun and free his son. Powerful Uda makes things harder and harder for Muso in some rather gruesome scenes, and although usually in samurai stories good defeats evil, we must remember this isn’t a samurai story, it’s a horror story, and the surprising ending is sure to shock and satisfy.

If Volume I is any indication of the rest of the Scary Books, then this will certainly be an exciting series.

American Reporter Discovers the Ge-Sen.

We usually just post about Japanese books, movies and other media. Yet, couldn't resist taking a page from Anne Ishii's blog at Vertical, and learn about modern Japanese culture from a reporter who sounds like he still probably has jet-lag.

From Newsweek...an unfortunately titled article "Zeon Attack"

"Japan's game arcades are far more extravagant and addictive than those in America. Is that a good thing for a country with a youth employment problem?"

Extravagant? Sure, compared to American ones, but hardly all that big a deal. I haven't seen a new arcade in Japan for over 10 years. The lack of youth motivation I fear has little to do with the lure of the game center.

"You may have seen "Gundam Wing" during a failed run a few years ago on the Cartoon Network. In Japan, it practically passes for religion, with conventions, extensive toy lines and libraries of manga comic books. Now it's spawned a popular, networked, multiplayer arcade game."

Those otaku sure are funny! They pray to Mobile Suit Gundam!

"Welcome to the arcades of Tokyo. In Asia and particularly Japan, video game rooms not only live, but thrive."

Is that why the popular Sega Worlds and other arcades that had admission charges in the early 90s now have free admission, and still are mostly empty?

"The modern arcade is an exotic, sensory-overload, nearly impenetrable to foreigners. "

If he can't get in an arcade, imagine him trying to find his way into a pachinko parlor.

"It is not just a palace of entertainment, but a collection of obsessive subcultures."

starting to see a pattern here....

"Kazuki and Mizuki, two high school sophomores at a Shibuya arcade, told us they play purikura about once a week to capture "memories." "

I wonder what their high score is.

"Dancing games popular in the United States, like Dance Dance Revolution, appear passé."

DDR came from the USA? Did he read the NAME of the game? It's called Dance Dance Revolution! And it's the ONLY game I see people still playing regularly in Japan.

"Players compete against each other on networked terminals in virtual baseball, soccer, tennis, mah-jong and horseracing, each with their own fanatical followings."

...yes....definately seeing a pattern....

"We talked to one college-age player, Maseki, who had an iPod stuffed in his shirt pocket and a Kirin beer in his hand. He said he plays about twice a month at about $3 a game, though the stack of character cards in his hand betrays a deeper addiction."

...there it is again. This poor young man is so addicted, he LIES about it!

"Adults want Japanese kids to leave the arcades, go to work and save the country. But they're too busy saving the world, one Gundam battle at a time."

So often I hear Japanese adults bemoan "If only it wasn't for those arcades! Our children would be working and saving our country!"


The real question is, why do reputable magazines rely on people who know very little to do reports from other countries, when there are thousands of talented and able-bodied writers who live in these countries, and can give an educated perspective? It's one thing to want to report on the sensations of a first-timer, and there certainly is a place for that, but a story on game arcades done after a walk down the street in Shibuya is borderline irresponsible, especially when the reporters wants to peg every player as "obsessive" or "fanatical".

UPDATE: Brad Stone's next article on Japan: "Robot Love:
Japan is obsessed with machines that have arms, legs and head and say 'hello.'"
Opening line: "Robots are everywhere in Japan. " and then a little later, "...the Japanese are obsessed with bipedal humanoids..." oh brother...

Outlet

Like some of the best Japanese movies, Randy Taguchi’s Outlet dances around several different literary genres, without committing itself to any one. It starts out like a mystery novel, as our protagonist, Yuki Asakura, learns that her estranged brother was found dead and rotting in his apartment. Was it murder, suicide, or natural causes? Or was it something else? As the only anchor in her unstable family, Yuki has to deal with taking care of the clean up and making arrangements for her brother’s funeral. The stress of the situation coupled with some bizarre statements made by the funeral director and corpse clean-up service man (in a scene that reads like something out of a Chuck Palahniuk novel), cause Yuki to have a break with reality. She starts hallucinating scenes with her brother, and it is here our detective mystery starts to flow into spiritual fantasy and psychological horror.

Yuki is forced to start seeing her old psychology professor for counseling, despite the fact their relationship ten years prior wasn’t strictly student/teacher. The two return to their old habits almost immediately, and Yuki begins to wonder if there isn’t more meaning to her sexual appetite and power over men. And why does she suddenly start to smell "death” on people she meets? Could her brother’s death and her animal attraction somehow be related? Do hallucinations always seem this real?

Outlet is unlike anything out there today. Though it is set in Japan, the ideas and themes are very universal. Outlet was translated by Glynne Walley, and it is one of the best translations of a Japanese novel this reviewer has read. Sometimes in translated fiction the dialogue can sound awkward if the translator tries to do too direct a translation. That issue never comes up in what ends up as a very smooth and fluid read. Even with some of the ethereal and metaphysical themes, the language is clear and the images easy to create in the reader’s mind.

Though, not every image is one that one might want to imagine again. In places Outlet can be stimulating and revolting at the same time. The nature of the journey Yuki finds herself on requires her to mentally hit rock bottom before she can complete it. This leads to a series of dream-like sequences, where both the reader and Yuki are not sure if the experiences are real, hallucinations or dreams. Sometimes these experiences are pleasant, but often there are horrific elements involved. It isn’t hard to see why Randy Taguchi’s first novel was a best seller in her native Japan (Randy is a nickname). It also no mystery why PDI favorite Ryu Murakami, author of Coin Locker Babies, called Outlet, “ the most stunning novel I’ve read in the last decade.” The story is unique, the approaches to sexuality and spirituality are new, and the writing is spellbinding.

August is the time for ghosts...chilling tales relieve summer heat

From Pink Tentacle

Every August, Zenshoan temple in Tokyo opens the doors to its Yurei-ga Gallery, a private collection of Edo-period ghost scrolls. The 50 silk paintings, most of which date back 150 to 200 years, depict a variety of apparitions from the forlorn to the ghastly.

You can read the rest of the English article here, and a gallery of the scrolls is here.