Category: Manga

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Oh My Goddess! Volume 1

Oh My Goddess! Volume 1 

By Kosuke Fujishima (Titan Books)
ISBN 1-84576-485-4

Oh My Goddess is a particularly fine example of a peculiarly Japanese genre of storytelling combining fantasy with loss of conformity and embarrassment. In this case nerdy science student Keiichi Morisato dials a wrong number one night and connects to the Goddess Technical Help Line. When the beautiful and powerful Belldandy materialises in his room, offering him one wish, he mockingly asks that she never leave him, effectively trapping her on Earth and unable to move too far from his physical proximity.

In a structured society like Japan there’s plenty of scope for comedy when a powerful female seemingly dotes on an average male, and much frivolity occurs as her inability to part from him increasingly disrupts his life. And of course there’s the whole supernatural powers running amok problem to consider as well. Think of it as a modern take on Bewitched or I Dream of Genie, especially as there’s a romance developing between them that both are incapable of admitting to.

Throw in the usual cast of friends, rivals, insane teachers and interfering entities and there’s plenty of light-hearted fun to be found in this bright and breezy manga classic.

© 2007 Kosuke Fujishima. All Rights Reserved.

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Havoc in Heaven

Havoc in Heaven 

By Tang Cheng & various

(Foreign Languages Press)  No ISBN

Although not strictly Graphic Novels, and certainly hard to find in many parts of the country, the picture books portraying Chinese tales and legends are always a rewarding read. If you have a local Chinatown it’s certainly worth a scout around, or perhaps you might try Googling.

This time out is a double oddity, in that Havoc in Heaven, another tale of Monkey, taken from Wu Cheng’en’s classic Journey to the West features full colour stills from an animated film of the same name, embedded with small blocks of English text in the manner of Rupert the Bear, rather than those wonderful black line drawings that drive western artists to tears of jealousy.

The irrepressible and wayward Monkey is the bane of the pious and stiff denizens of Heaven, whom he offends with his carousing and fighting and mischief. In an effort to control him, The Jade Emperor invites Monkey to join the Celestials and even gives him a job in the palace, but Monkey’s wayward nature cannot be tamed and the resultant chaos and combat shakes the heavens and rattles the gods themselves.

Spectacular, bright and irresistibly engaging, this colourful interpretation is an absolute delight, thanks to the beautiful illustrations of Yan Dingxian, Pu Jiaxiang, Lin Wenxiao, Lu Qing, Gao Yang and Fang Pengnian. Although these books are seldom out of print for long, it would be nice if some entrepreneur could pick up a British license for both the books and the film too.

© Foreign Languages Press BEIJING 1979

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Mark of the Succubus

Mark of the Succubus 

By Ashly Raiti & Irene Flores

(TokyoPop) ISBN 1-59816-266-7

Coming firmly from Buffy the Vampire Slayer territory, this book introduces us to Maeve, a beautiful if somewhat reluctant trainee succubus, sent from her own demon realm to Earth to hone her seducing and damning skills at Barlow High School. Naturally she feels lost, alone and a little confused at first, but soon sets her sights on the sharp but low-achieving Aiden and tries to live up to expectations. No help at all comes from his peculiar and obnoxious girl-friend who adds extra meaning to the phrase “from Hell”.

As you’d imagine, she quickly realises that the politics, intrigues and machinations of a modern secondary school are far trickier to survive than even the netherworld, but even so, a rival faction at home have a spy dogging her footsteps to make her life even more complicated…

This engaging spin on the school-days genre from two of the finalists in the “Rising Stars of Manga” competition is slick and witty whilst adhering to the expected conventions of a highly successful sub-strait of teen fiction. A word of caution for blokes though, this has a 13+ advisory, so if you’re looking for skin and cheap thrills you’d be better off with Red Sonja or Girls Aloud.

© 2005 Ashly Raiti & Irene Flores and TOKYOPOP Inc. All Rights Reserved

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Forbidden Dance

Forbidden Dance

By Hinako Ashihara

(TokyoPop) ISBN 1591823455

This is the charming, if eccentric, tale of Aya, a young girl who has seemingly lost the power to dance after an accident at a ballet contest. Her life finally turns around after she sees the boy Akira dance with the COOL ballet troupe. Revitalised, she makes joining COOL her life’s ambition, and nothing, not even the fact that COOL is an all-male company, is going to stop her.

Aimed at a young teen audience, Forbidden Dance is replete with the school angst and success pressure that dominates this branch of manga fiction, but the energy, power and enthusiasm of Hinako Ashihara’s story-telling elevates the tale above the crush of its peers. As Aya’s story progresses the ending is never a foregone conclusion and even the most jaded reader must wonder “what next?”

In a crowded and conservative market, it’s good to see quality story-telling in varied settings, and most fans would probably benefit from giving this book a chance.

© 2003 Hinako Ashihara. All Rights Reserved.