With Keisuke Itagaki’s Baki the Grappler scheduled to be released sometime in August, I thought it was time. Time to bring back this feature I did a while ago. (See past MD-i Manga Tours…now:
- Cash Boy, God Says!, Heart Break Club
- How to Create a God, Love me, my Knight, The Watch Cats of Ginza
- Fire-Hot Aunt, Lemon Angel, Kasane no Tao
You see, for better or worse, we’ll be getting to know Media Do a lot. That’s because they’re working with JP publishers to bring over some manga. So that means someone’s gotta cover them. And well, I downloaded a bunch of free manga when they initially began…might as well share if they’re any good!
Trigger by Yuji Takemura & Toshiyuki Itakura (Serialized in 2011 in Manga Sunday)
So, what would happen if you started an argument with a person that led to said person assaulting you? Well, normally, both would be in serious trouble, especially the aggressor. However, in Trigger, the person who started the argument would be in dire trouble. Well, how dire?
How about getting shot to death?
The premise of Trigger is an extremely nuclear version of Psycho-Pass: Japan is now a monarchy. Due to a bunch of problems with the government, long, hard-fought battles eventually led the country to be ruled by one person. That person then suggested a way to eliminate crime — kill the instigator of evil. This led to the formation of Trigger, where a select few can invoke the shoot to kill law. The person we start with, however, basically kills whoever because they’re annoying, rude, or imposing. Oy vey!!!
There is some odd fascination with this work, but that’s only because there’s no way this type of world can continue much longer. Literally everyone is awful. There are zero people to root for. In a way that makes it fascinating, and in others, not so much. This at least can say it got my attention, but only for me to see what, if any, ray of hope shifts this crazy story.
The translation of this seems fine, but at the same time, also tiresome too. Also, I hate skipping panels or words, but I got to this part and flipped the page really fast:
Anyways, Trigger is a work I’d read the first volume of, and nothing more unless multiple viewpoints are established. And is actually interesting.
Kyoko Shimazu Author’s Edition (Omoide no Omelette, Serialized in 1996 in Bessatsu You)
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Kyoko Shimazu, and yet, also things wrong with Kyoko Shimazu. Content wise, it’s pretty slice of lifeish. You have Shoko simply taking her daughter to the countryside to visit her mom, and for this chapter, it revolves around rice omelettes. Shoko unfortunately compares her mom to her mother-in-law, which then delves a bit into Shoko’s past and what’s changed with her growing up and now married.
So yes, it’s very quaint.
The good news is it looks great, even for something from over two decades ago. The bad news is your mileage will vary. For me the chapter was ok, but nothing spectacular as I discover how Shoko actually is. Also food manga really is a thing back in the 90’s…
Probably the unfortunate part is the translation. It overall is functional, but some parts are dry, or confusing like this one:
All in all, I’m not really sure I can recommend this, except to those who might be in need for a josei manga. If so, this could be a good read.
La Magnifique Grande Scène by Cuvie (Kenrantaru Grande Scene, Serialized in 2013 in Champion Red, ongoing)
La Magnifique Grande Scène begins by introducing a girl who’s mesmerized by a ballet performance. In fact, the girl was so inspired that she begged her parents to let her enroll in a class.
Would you be surprised that she learns it’s not as fun as she thinks it is?
Well, ok, doing ballet can be fun, but for Kanade, her training isn’t. As Kanade continues to think about Risa’s performance on stage — from how Risa moved to how she looked — it doesn’t compare to her lackadaisical movements as she attempts to learn the basics of ballet. At one point, she even essentially lashes out at how she’s being taught. However, while it seems like she doesn’t like her teacher, Kanade herself knows she has much to work on. That’s why Risa jumping in to teach her might just be the turning point for Kanade — for good and bad!
This is by far one of the best manga I’ve read so far from Media Do’s catalog — and well, I’m the one that loved Sae Maki. Since starting this feature, this is a no-doubt best, and that’s because of how clean it is. You jump from page to page because it’s all about the ballet, the text isn’t obtuse and is mostly meaningful, and the art is gorgeous. From Kanade’s pleading to Risa’s determination, the expressions of all the characters so far move the story along. Now, what that story is, it can go many places. For now, based on the summary it’s going to focus on Kanade. I do hope it can explore other characters too.
So what I’m saying is, you should definitely read the free version of this (go to your local digital retailer), or grab a volume.