Manga Updates
- Posted by Johanna on July 9, 2006 at 9:41 am
- Category: Manga News
I caught up on some manga series this weekend. I’m still greatly enjoying Hikaru no Go (book 7 is the newest). I’m still intrigued by Hot Gimmick (book 11), although I don’t like feeling I have to defend it to those who see it as more political statement than teen soap opera, so maybe it’s a good thing that the next book, 12, is the last. I should have stopped reading Sgt. Frog about four books ago (this one is book 11; it also ends with 12, I believe).
July 9, 2006 at 1:35 pm
Sorry to hear you’re not enjoying Sgt. Frog anymore. I’m pretty sure it’s still being published in Japan, though. If I’m deciphering the page correctly, volume 13 comes out in Japan on July 26th, so it’ll be awhile before we see it translated here. Personally, I can’t wait for additional volumes to be released. Watching the anime fansubs has increased my appetite for all things Keroro!
July 9, 2006 at 2:13 pm
It just seems like the same things over and over, and I only get about half the jokes because I’m not into anime and can’t keep track of all the characters at this point.
I might enjoy the cartoons better, come to think of it.
July 9, 2006 at 2:50 pm
Yeah, the basic setup is pretty much always the same, but I enjoy the absurd variations of the theme.
The anime might actually be more off-putting: There seem to be even more anime in-jokes and cultural references that go over my head. But I find it interesting to see how they adapt and expand the short manga chapters to fill an entire 22-minute episode.
And don’t forget: There’s a handy character relationship diagram in the front of every book!
July 9, 2006 at 5:55 pm
I used to love Cromartie High School, but with the latest volume it feels really tired. And there’s 12 more to go! It’s not that it’s not well done, it’s that the jokes and setups are so familiar by now I can usually guess before the last page reveal.
July 10, 2006 at 10:05 am
I’m still digging Sgt. Frog (and I actually just re-read them all now that 11 is out, resolving the cliff-hanger at the end of 10). But Hikaru no Go is all-around a better comic.
July 10, 2006 at 10:07 am
Oh, and speaking of manga that I should have stopped reading about four books ago, I think I’m done with Prince of Tennis–unlike Whistle, I find I just don’t really care about whether the protagonist and his tennis team win or lose.
July 10, 2006 at 10:31 am
John: The diagram doesn’t help much with distinguishing all the similar cute-looking girls and/or frogs. :)
Dan: Yeah, that’s the problem with formula work: how to keep it fresh without becoming something else entirely.
Joshua: I WISH I had the time to reread favorite series! This week was a particularly bad one, with everything I liked seeming to come out at once.
June 30, 2007 at 2:44 am
I have to agree with your feelings on Hikaru no Go. It’s become one of the highlights for me when Shonen Jump arrives.
I hope you’re wrong about Sgt. Frog though. I got the first volume and absolutely loved it. I know have 2-10, but just haven’t had a chance to read it. I just finished a marathon reading of Dragon Voice, and I’m planning on catching up on Ghost Hunt next.
But, these discussions have made me really think what series I would want to go back and read, and they aren’t as many as I thought. Saiyuki, Bleach, Dragon Voice, and everything by Akino Matsuri, I know I would reread (and have found myself doing so), but there are so many others I enjoyed the first time through, but I just don’t see myself really wanting a second read through.