Manga Monday (2)

Here we go again. This week I'm just going to do a "currently reading" and "looking forward to" because I don't have time for a full review of a series I've finished. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle next week?

Currently Reading: Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days by Fumino Hayashi (based on the original story by Gainax and Khara)

I haven't actually watched or read the original Neon Genesis Evangelion, which makes me kinda feel like a poser when I read this series. Also, I'm kinda reading it backwards (read vol 6, then 5, looking for the others XD). BUT THAT'S OKAY. The actual series involves really big robots called "Angels." Or something. I'm a little unclear. But they bond with children/teenagers, who control them, and fight and the usual thing. Sorry, I've always been a Gundam girl. ;)

This series, though, is kind of a collection short/side stories about the main NGE characters. The fifth volume is one story, set before the main events of NGE, and the sixth volume is a series of shorts about the MCs AFTER the main events of NGE. I'm not sure what is in the other volumes.

The stories are extremely well written, though! Even though I don't know the characters or the world, I'm immediately drawn in to their issues, emotions, relationships, and lives. The robots aren't featured, btw. This is one of those series that I just randomly picked up at a bargain and was pleasantly surprised.

Looking Forward To: Black Butler by Yana Toboso

I don't know much about this series, but it's one of those series that's been around for a while in Japan and is just now being published in NA, but is already popular with otaku everywhere. The art looks delicious, the story involves a prat and a butler with special powers (and an assassin maid?). Yep, I'm interested.

Manga Monday

Hello, and WELCOME to the first post in my new (and completely unoriginal, I'm sure) Manga Monday!

I read a lot, but I also read a lot of manga, which I never really get a chance to review or talk about anywhere. So, from now on, that's what Mondays are for. :) I'm excited. It will be kinda similar to the "In My Mailbox" or "What Are You Reading" memes, only exclusively for manga. So, without further ado!!!

Finished Series Spotlight: Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa

Story:

I finished this a few months ago, but I haven't finished anything since then so here you go.

This series is definitely on my top five mangas ever, and possibly the best I've read. It's about two young brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who messed up their bodies in an alchemical experiment and are trying to find a way to, well, fix their mistakes, even though they know they're guilty of meddling with fate, God, and the universe. XD

The world is really fantastic, there are several different countries, and all of them use some form of "alchemy" which is a scientific process that seems kind of like magic, but works by the law of equivalent exchange: You can't get something without giving something of equal value. The main country is a militarized state, responsible for genocide and various other bad deeds. There's military plots, creatures called Homunculi, searches for eternal life, brotherly bonds, not-brotherly bonds, "automail" which is like awesome prosthetic limbs, tiny pandas, serial killers, and lots of other awesome stuff.

Writing:

The writing is complex and has a lot of moods, which I like. By that I mean sometimes it's tragic, sometimes it's hilarious and goofy, and sometimes it hits epic-mode. There's a lot of variety.

Art:

Arakawa's art is one of my favorite I've ever experienced. It's beautiful and versatile, but really simplistic and clear-cut, if you know what I mean.

Currently Reading: Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino

If I believed in guilty pleasures, this would be one. This series has angst, vampires, and a ridiculous love triangle: all of which I normally loathe and mock. This series is definitely a page-turner, but uneven in writing quality. The art is pretty good, but I keep comparing it to Trinity Blood, which is infinitely superior. ^_^

Looking Ahead To: Axis Powers Hetalia vol. 1 by Hidekaz Himaruya

This series is a "what if" scenario: What if the nations of the world were turned into human beings, and their wars and relations with each other trivialized to the human beings' day to day experiences with each other. I've watched the anime, which is hilarious, but I always like manga more than anime (anime "flattens" out the art...if you don't know what I'm talking about, that's okay, I'm crazy) so I'm really excited for this to come out in English. It's actually a web-comic that's been published, so it's possible the art could be sub-par.

Plotless, hilarious, and extremely irreverent.