Some of may already know, or figured out, that I am an avid fan of Japanese manga. I really wasn't planning on reviewing any manga on my blog when I started out because I figured that was the job of the actual manga bloggers out there. But, I started to see a few other book bloggers reviewing manga titles and realized, if they can do it, I HAVE to do it, too, or it'd be a crime against humanity!
So, if you head on over to the AMAZING Dark Side of the Covers blog hosted by BJ, then you'll see the guest post I did for her on manga. I mention a few titles that are sure to please and are good places to start when you know nothing about it, and want an easy way to transition...
Great post Cathy. Someone needs to spread the word that manga is every bit as good as western comics!
ReplyDelete@Lan: Thanks! I think regular book lovers need to know that manga is just as good as their beloved fiction, actually.
ReplyDeleteThat's true. I think I may be one of those people. It think it's the pictures that makes me feel a bit like I'm not really reading. Okay, I'm going to go for a trip to the library after NaNo and I'll grab a whole bunch of manga. Out of interest, is the anime similar to the manga of certain series or do the stories deviate? I'd like to try and pick up Naruto and maybe Bleach.
ReplyDelete@Lan: Almost all anime is pretty much an exact replica of its manga. You might see that some little scenes here and there are missing from manga to anime, and some might be inserted newly into the anime, but it's usually the same. The idea of animating manga is just to see it in color, moving and talking, etc.
ReplyDeleteI know with Naruto, the anime only changes small things a little for censoring purposes. Same with Bleach, but with Bleach, the beginning of the anime leaves out a lot of little cool things that are in those corresponding manga chapters. I get annoyed with that because I love those little things!
It's pretty much the same and you won't really notice the differences. Once the Bleach anime got to the Soul Society arc, they really kept everything almost exactly the same as the manga, except for the filler arcs. But, what I love about Bleach manga is seeing the beautiful artwork of Tite Kubo. The anime just approximates it, sometimes badly, but Kubo is a wonderful artist, so he gets extra points for giving the reader major EYE candy!
I was just curious, but how much of the Bleach anime have you seen? Is there an Australian English dub? That'd be very cool to hear that!
LOL. Nope no Australian English dub. Just the American one. I usually flip out when I hear an Australian accent of TV because I don't think we sound like that at all! Bleachwise, I've seen up to the bit where Ichigo rescues Rukia and they stop Aizen from turning Rukia into the portal thing. (my description is great isn't it?)I just don't have the time anymore to keep up with everything! Although, one thing I have to point out is the very unflattering way that other Asian races are drawn! Man the Chinese get such a beating in anime!
ReplyDeleteAw... I would have LOVED to hear my favorite characters sound like Aussies! That would have been HIGH-larious! At least you get to hear the American Bleach dubs, which I love. Johnny Yong Bosch, who does Ichigo's voice, is my fave. Love!
ReplyDeleteOkay, so it sounds like you've seen up thru the end of the Soul Society arc. That's really the best stuff in Bleach. The rest is still good, but not quite as good. Lots of new characters, though, neat ones, too. But, only a total addict would go with Bleach all the way (*points to self & blushes*).
I think all anime characters look gorgeous! But, mostly the Japanese characters do. The Americans don't usually look as attractive, lol. I can't remember seeing any Chinese, but, rest assured, if a character is not Japanese, they'll probably not look that great in anime & manga. Although, there is a gorgeous American in Mobile Suit Gundam 00. The non-Japanese in that anime are HOT, but that's because nobody is Japanese in it!
I'm hijacking this comments section a bit oh well! I'd keep watching but my younger brother used to get all the episodes and now that I've moved out of home I don't have the time to keep up with all the anime. Anime characters are certainly good looking. But the Japanese are pretty biased! Have you seen Hajime no Ippo? It's a boxing anime. They make all the Indonesian and Chinese fighters really brutish and dark compared to the Japanese who are slim and sharp featured. I don't remember any American's but they do seem to have an appreciation for Germans because all the German's I've seen are attractive as well. Now that we talk about it, I miss anime. If nothing else, there is just some incredible animation and imagination. Full Metal Alchemist is just a fantastic idea!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry about it--you're not hijacking anything! This is great to have discussion within my comments section.
ReplyDeleteI think the Japanese really have a xenophobic tendacy, and that's been part of their culture for a very long time. So, they have the tendency to be racist against non-Japanese sometimes, from what I've heard. As for liking Germans, well, they were allied with Germany during WWII, so that explains that, I think.
Have you seen the Hetalia anime? It's crazy because it's so Japanese-biased that it's kind of infuriating. Germany and Japan are these cool guys (countries are personified) who wouldn't hurt a fly. Sooo NOT historically accurate.
Anyway, I LOVE FMA! That's a great manga to read, and the newest anime adaptaption gets the manga so right. Gorgeous story, totally amazing in every way! I wish I could have recommended it for the guest manga post, but I didn't have room for it.
I just received a manga from Tor publishing yesterday. I know nothing about manga. I'll definitely pass it your way when I'm done.
ReplyDelete@Andrea: Okay! That sounds good.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say thanks again for the fantastic guest post, Cathy! I loved it, and I'll let you know when I pop my manga cherry... ;)
ReplyDelete@BJ: LOL! You're welcome, and I'd like to know about your manga-reading experiences, so that'd be great!
ReplyDelete