What The Cluck?

 

It has been a dry season at my local library (but isn’t it always?).  A while aback, I saw Volume 1 of Shu Sakuratani’s Rooster Fighter on the shelves…and immediately dismissed it as more goofy, isekai random Japanese nonsense.  You know, like Reincarnated As The Dungeon’s Only Vending Machine or So I’m A Spider, So What?

                                      

But an exceptionally dry spell without any really new manga on the shelves and a boring couple of weeks had left me desperate for something new to review.  Really needed to stretch those creative muscles.

 

And, surprisingly, this manga did NOT suck.

 

The back of the manga espoused it as “one ordinary but heroic rooster is mankind’s only defense against giant monsters-beware his cock-a-doodle-doo!”.

 

I did not make that up: The aforementioned cock-a-doodle-doo is actually his finishing move, a crow that resonates with the bodies of his opponents and makes them explode.

 

Granted, it is just as comedic as the premise and the blurb make it sound, but it’s more than that.  The rooster, Keiji, is pretty much every Gritty 90’s Anti-Hero trope rolled into a tiny, feathered package.  He is, for lack of a better term, a man’s man who claims to not like kids, hates to see women cry, and beds a different one in pretty much every town.  The characters he encounters have deep, emotional backstories.  And he is even on a quest for vengeance against the monster that ate his beloved little sister.

 

Imagine if someone like Jotaro Kujo was a rooster.  Seriously, even the artwork is all gritty and realistic.

 

If I had to describe it, Rooster Fighter is a battle/horror comic much like Jojo, but with more comedy to it, from physical comedy to funny faces to our running gag of Japanese-style humor that I’ve talked so much about.  The demons are bizarrely humanoid and born from the everyday stresses of average people (for the most part).  Many of the characters can exhibit strange and bizarre personality traits (even Keiji, who often walks the line of Comically Serious).  And then we have the humor of a tiny ordinary rooster, not even two feet tall, running around on the skins of demons to peck at them once or twice before finishing them off with a sonic, shattering cock-a-doodle-doo.

 

Despite its premise, it is far south of the sliding scale of dumber comedy manga like Bobobo-bo-bobobo, or just another dumb isekai.  Not much is explained, but not much needs to.  There is occasional graphic violence and adult themes, but, at the end of the day, it’s just a goofy, fun romp.

 

That being said, while I will keep my eyes open for it when I go to the bookstore from now on, I doubt that I will be actually making a purchase of this series any time soon.

 

PS: I have recently begun following newly-released manga from Shonen Jump, albeit translated and released on their website every Sunday.

 

Do you people want to see me reviewing some of those?

 

Wait a second-I already have, back when I posted my review of Candy Flurry last year.  So I guess I will go ahead and do that, if I happen to run into another dry spell and find myself desperate for material to review.

 

Not like anyone really reads this blog, anyway…

 

(sigh)

 

Is Radio Even Still A Thing?

 

Okay, first of all, Happy New Year.  2023, baby.

 

Who’da thunk it?

 

This year, having learned my lesson from 2022, I tried to wait until early morning of New Year's Day to post this, so as not to have it accidentally count as a "last year" post again.  But then came family dinner, which took up the entire day (plus the Nuzlocke I was doing).  So that explains why you are getting this fresh new content on January 2nd.

 

But at least it does count towards 2023.

 

And now on to your scheduled first manga blog post of the year.  Two for two.

 

Now, Masaaki Nakayama hasn’t exactly written a ton of manga, but boy-do those few he has written stay with you!

 

I could liken his work to that of Junji Ito, in a way.  Many creatures, human (oid) and otherwise wind up being distorted to an unnerving effect in both Nakayama’s and Ito’s works.  And very few things from either of their manga ever really get a concrete and satisfying explanation.  But, for better or for worse, Nakayama apparently doesn’t share Ito’s medical background, which allows him to really give us the creepily-realistic details that he does.

 

Not that that’s a bad thing, mind you.  Such lack of fine detail can often add to the unnatural-ness of whatever we’re seeing.

 

Nakayama also operates on a dark variation of the “Japanese humor” that I’ve talked so much about before on this blog; Rather than having someone do something goofy out of nowhere during a serious scene to break the tension (or vice-versa), Nakayama often has something horrifying or just plain weird and out-of-place appear out of nowhere in order to create horror.

 

It’s almost like the manga equivalent of a Jump Scare-again, like Ito, in that Ito often leaves the horrific images that his stories are always building up to on opposite pages, so that it’s up to the reader to turn the page of their own will and willingly invite the horrific image into their eyes and brains.

 

I think I might have seen some pictures from [Nakayama’s] earlier work Fuan No Tane (Seeds of Anxiety) online before, but I think PTSD Radio is/was the first manga of his that I’ve actually picked up and read.

 

Going by the tropes page for Fuan No Tane, said book was basically a collection of occasionally-related nonsensical ghost stories with little to no explanations and a ton of creepy shock value.

 

PTSD Radio is only mildly better in that regard.

 

We cut between POVs so fast that this reader was practically given whiplash, but there are a few loose threads that seem to tie together.

 

Chifuyu and Keita used to date, until a supernatural hair-pulling thing started to place a strain on their relationship.  Elsewhere and elsewhen, a little girl that we can assume to be a young Chifuyu is forced to have her head shaved by the traditions of her small rural village.  Her late mother also has her head shaved when she passes, which the village elders attribute to the appeasement of their god, Ogushi-sama.  In his name, people’s heads are shaved upon death (and apparently at other points in their lives) and their hair offered up in sealed boxes covered with talismans.

 

There are also crows that are connected to Ogushi-sama, as well.

 

The horror in these tales comes not only from the hideously distorted features and the seemingly random cosmic horror-like world that the characters live in, but also, as in his previous work, from the fear of being watched by or followed by something that you cannot see or understand.

 

So, naturally, in addition to the hair motif, there is also a serious eye motif going on throughout the work.  Eyes for watching, you see.  Eyes where they shouldn’t be, eyes NOT being where they should be, too many eyes, etc.

 

Each chapter is only a few pages long, which also does not help with overall story cohesion.  The book that I picked up from my local library was an omnibus containing Volumes 1 and 2 out of the 4 that there are, so one can hope for a concrete ending that ties everything all together, but I personally would not hold my breath.

 

If I happened to see the next and final volume omnibus available on my library shelves, I might pick it up just for the sake of trying to figure out what the heck is going on, but that’s it.  One can only stare at unsettling images for so long before you either get so creeped out by them that you never want to see them again, or else you get used to them and they lose their power.

 

But this is still only the first post of the new year, so, with luck, the next 8 series that I intend to review for this blog in 2023 will be of higher storytelling quality.

 

 

 

Well, as promised, just in time for Halloween, here comes my review of Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki, her latest English-translated release here in the US for no doubt decades by this point.

 

To start off, I would like to discuss the packaging that the book came in.  I can't remember if the back cover was all that special (and can't check), but the front cover was quite artfully done.  As you see above, a distorted, doll-like face grins up at us from a sea of innocent pink roses.  It is almost too on-the-nose in that regard; that is pretty much what you're getting when you pull back the cover.  Initially, I had been expecting a thick hardcover book, more along the lines of a Junji Ito collection.  I got a small and thin paperback.

 

The book does begin with a table of contents but also, strangely, a set of introductions and profiles of the characters we would meet going forward.

 

Only 12 hours later do I realize that this "collection" is indeed a collection: a sampling of short stories from various horror series that the author has done in her lifetime.  And these people are her various recurring protagonists and villains of said multiple series.

Anyway this collection contains stand-alones from Inuki's Presents, Bukita-Kun, Big Sis Sasori, The Haunted Examination Room, Fulfilled Wishes and The Mysterious Tatari-Chan.

 

Each selection had its own subtitle, the title of the story from each series, but I had forgotten my notebook when I left for the bookstore last night, and had to take my initial review notes down on my phone.

Thankfully, the free Amazon preview I just found just happened to contain the title page, including the subtitles, in their entirety.

"The Birthday Present" from Presents: There’s an old saying that it’s not the passage of time that makes you older on your birthday; it’s the “extra years” hidden inside your presents.  Is that why Mayuko’s old classmate Kurumi, who has never gotten any presents, has remained a child all these years, while Mayuko has grown old?

 

"Lolita" from Bukita-Kun: Little Marimo wants to grow up and become an adult.  When she encounters teen Bukita, she finds a way to get her wish, but it may wind up being more than she can handle…

 

"The Sasori Doll" from Big Sis Sasori: When bullied little sister Sanagi prays to Santa for a doll that her mean eponymous sister cannot break, both horror and warm fuzzies are found inside her stocking the next day.

 

"Lovesickness" from The Haunted Examination Room: The serious Dr. Kanawa narrates for us a case involving a bullied young girl taking refuge in her delusions of a fictional romance.  And, as it turns out, the perfect man does exist only within her heart…literally…

 

"Happiness Hidden in the Dark" from Fulfilled Wishes: In a fantasy kingdom, a blind princess has everything that she could wish for, except sight.  She learns of a demon-summoning ritual that can grant her wish, but she soon learns to be careful what she wishes for…

 

"Friends at the Smiling Gate" from The Mysterious Tatari-Chan: When bully boy Noroi sticks a worse-than-usual “Kick Me” sign on the back of shy Tatari, it unleashes the fury of an angry mob on the hunt for a scapegoat.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong: Inuki’s works in this book do qualify as horror.  But, so far, it’s sort of a Goosebumps meets Junji Ito meets Kazuo Umezu thing, with a shoujo manga twist.

 

The stories are all centered around children, a la R. L. Stine, but that doesn’t make them any less unsettling.  The cruelty and selfishness of children is on full display here, and played for all the creepiness it is worth.  The artwork is reminiscent of Umezu: decidedly unsettling, particularly with it all being printed on stark white paper with stark black ink.  And Ito’s influence can be seen in how it is often the darknesses and madnesses lying deep within ordinary people that winds up doing them in.  Wishes are twisted in this series.  The cruel and the greedy are always punished in these stories, so you readers should probably be prepared for a definite preponderance of Downer Endings.

 

But this is fair, as it really plays into the “horror” aspect of tragedy, by definition.

 

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, there are two great tragedies in this world.  One is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it.

 

And don’t get me wrong: the artwork is definitely unsettling, but I am glad to report that it was nowhere near enough to ever make me stop reading or want to slam the book shut and look away.  (Kind of hard to slam a paperback shut.)  That is often the problem I’ve had with Junji Ito-due to his extreme attention to detail, his artwork can often be a little TOO unsettling for my tastes, no matter how good the writing is.  And while there is thankfully very little graphic blood and gore, that only helps to make it stand out even more when it does show up.

 

There are also short descriptions of the origins of each story posted beforehand, as well as several horror-related Top 5 lists that help give us a deeper insight into the author.  And they do add something to our understanding of the works.

 

But, finally, there is one thing I don’t 100% understand.  The child-friendly descriptions and “getting to know the author” stuff, plus the simplistic notes before each one that explain how to use the Japanese honorifics within (which all seasoned fans of anime and manga already know) seem to point to the series being targeted towards children.  But there is blood, mentions of adult situations, and plenty of creepy imagery that they might find too disturbing.  The labels on the back of the book say Ages 16+, so that’s another wrinkle to it.

 

But, as an adult who has literally just turned 34, I’d say that this work is definitely worth reading, for those who can handle it.

 

And, as R. L. Stine would say, have a scary day, everyone!

 

(And a scary rest of the year.  Good night, Seattle, we love you!)

 

(References.)

Status Updates

 What's up, dear readers?

Now, I know it's been almost two months since my last posting, but, rest assured, there's a reason for that.

As some of you may know, I try to average nine series or stand-alones a year to review.  And true: I haven't been to the bookstore or the library very much recently, due to my own life schedule getting in the way, but there's an actual intended reason why I haven't posted in so long.

You see, I am a frequent customer on Amazon, just like everyone else on the planet.  And sometimes Amazon's algorithms will recommend things.  Sometimes they are crap, sometimes they aren't.  And I was given the recommendation that I may be interested in something called "Be Very Afraid of Kanako Inuki".

Yeah, I've never really heard of her, either.  Apparently she's the queen of Japanese horror manga over across the pond, or something.

Well, anyway, she was the writer/artist behind this one horror manga I saw one time at Borders (feels like so long ago, doesn't it?) called School Zone.  Her art style in that was quite creepy, and it looks like that trend will continue with this upcoming book when it releases here in the U.S. on Oct. 4.

Now, I was only a kid, maybe in middle school or high school, when I first saw the English version of her School Zone manga in the stores, but I remember it being highly unsettling, mainly due to its creepy and distorted art style.  And, while I may have grown up a lot since then, I definitely still have a thing about body horror.  I much more prefer my horror to have roots in disturbing ideas, rather than images.  I mean, I can read and enjoy the synopses and tropes of Junji Ito, but I just can't bring myself to actually read his stuff because of all the disturbing pictures.

I can remember having once owned copies of his Tomie books and Volume One of Gyo, but that was, again, a long time ago, and I believe that I have only become more sensitive since then.

 

But my main point here is that, due to the release date coming so close to my October birthday, and the recommendation from Amazon, I fully intend to attempt to soldier on and read this comic in the stores on release day, in the hopes of getting a good review written for all you readers out there.

 

Although, now that I write this, I realize that, for all I know, the comic may come to our shores all shrink-wrapped shut and sealed tight due to "concerns for our children", which also keep us from reading all the good ecchi stuff.

 

In that case, then, I may be off the hook.

 

PS: I don't know about the rest of you, but that link I posted back in May/June/something for the translation of Koisuru One Piece is no longer working on my phone.

 

Thankfully, though, I just tested it, and it does seem to be working just fine on my laptop.  Disappointing, but I shall make do.

 

Just A...Quick Lick?

 

Saya Namekawa, bullied by some of the other girls in her middle school, has resolved over the summer to become a badass delinquent that nobody will mess with.  Resolved to, sure, but she still hasn't quite gotten the hang of it.  Sure, she does talk in a 4Kids-dubbed Joey Wheeler tough guy accent (no doubt a speech pattern hard-translated from the Japanese), but she's always trying (and failing) to act like a delinquent to get people's attention, however positive or negative that may be.

 

Whatever side of the spectrum it falls on, this new persona puts her at odds with the serious-minded class rep Tojo.  Funnily enough, however, Tojo not-so-subtly hides a distinctly perverted side that seems to only come out around Namekawa.

 

This leads to our heroine ending nearly every short chapter being comically molested and licked all over by Tojo, one way or another.  (All kept PG-13, for better or for worse.  Not even any undie-flashes or shirt-lifting!  But at least the vagueness is there, so us pervs can theoretically imagine anything we like.)

 

The series is basically a very readable fusion of the Japanese-style humor that I have mentioned once or twice already on this blog, as well as tasteful ecchi.  There’s almost no story; it’s a gag manga.  I will say that would probably work against it for any serious readers hoping to get invested.

 

Another interesting thing about Namekawa-san Won’t Take A Licking is that our two protagonists’ antics also seem to awaken lesbianism in many passersby who happen to witness them together, most notably a pair of visiting underclassmen girls and Namekawa’s other friend, the pet-keeper Inukai, who quickly gains a desire to add Namekawa to her collection.

 

That is, cage her up, teach her tricks and order her around.

 

So there's likely going to be escalating levels of both silliness and perviness.  Fingers crossed.

 

Don't Let The Name Fool You

 

 

Yes, dear readers, Shuzo Oshimi, the master of pervy, adolescent hormone-addled psychological horror, the man behind Flowers of Evil, Inside Mari and Happiness (the vampire manga) is at it again.

 

(Though, thankfully, this time, despite its title, he has not yet gone and warped Alice In Wonderland...yet...)

 

Long story short, the bespectacled Yo is crushing on Yui.  Also in the mix is popular boy Kei.  Given that this is an Oshimi manga, it should come as a surprise to no one that Kei teaches Yo how to masturbate (albeit thankfully not in graphic, depicted detail).  Yo later witnesses Yui confessing her love to Kei, as well as a kiss.  This triggers one of the few lust-induced nosebleeds I’ve seen in a manga that was not played for comedy.  Then Kei suddenly moves away to Hokkaido soon after, without any warning.  Years later, our protagonists are now in high school, although Yo and Yui’s relationship has become strained.  He still wants to date her, though.  On the day of first entry, a new girl appears in class who uses male honorifics and talks crudely, who hits on Yo.  It is then revealed that this new girl is their old friend Kei, returned to their hometown apparently “done with being a guy”.  There is also a scene where Kei kisses Yo in the (male) bathroom and Yo runs away.

 

The flirtatious Kei invites Yo over to her house (where she lives alone) in order to help her unpack.  Yui is also invited to this little “reunion party”, though she does openly lament the loss of the male Kei that she kissed those few years ago.  This does not turn out to be a deterrent to Kei kissing her again.  Yo promptly breaks it up and Yui runs off after Kei now turns her attention to Yo and kisses him.  The volume ends with Yo running out of the house after Yui.

 

Well, technically that’s a lie: the story of the volume ends there, but we are also treated to a brief autobiographical omake, wherein Oshimi tells us the story of his own sexual awakening and his own concepts of manliness and what it means to be a man.

 

I will admit, I had initially only picked up the title because not only were there slim pickings on my local B&N shelves, but also because it had "Alice" in the title.  (My own hang-ups and masochistic self-sabotage after the Tim Burton live-action disaster being a subject for another time.) 

I have said before that I support the rights of everyone to find love and to be who they are, and I stand by that.  And at least this is a relatively-positive (by some definition of the word) exposure of the transgender/agender/genderfluid/something-or-other experience and lifestyle.

(Actually, as of Vol. 1, Kei only says that he is "done being a guy, but is not necessarily interested in being a girl", whatever the glittery hell that means.  But I support his decisions and his rights to be so; but I just hope that it doesn't all come to a too-horrific end for any of them.)