Explore every episode of the podcast We Appreciate Manga
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 136 - Petshop of Horrors: Flowers and Detective | 31 Dec 2023 | 00:45:54 | |
Is this the final episode of ‘We Appreciate Manga’? I guess we will have to see… Either way James has an announcement to make but first we give a quick review of Godzilla minus one and talk about side chapters of Petshop of Horrors. Skip chapter summaries @ 15:01
Intro music courtesy of Liam Bradbury Outro music courtesy of Rifti Beats - Youtube
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
136: Petshop of Horrors: Flowers and Detective By Akino Matsuri Translation by Tomoharu Iwo and James Lucas Jones Lettering by Nunu Ngien
In the additional chapters, young Chris Orcot treks out into the labyrinthine back rooms of the petshop to find out Q-Chan’s human form. Unlike the rest of the Pets in Count D’s shop, who appear as human to Chris, Q-Chan only appears as a Wolperdinger, a horned rabbit like creature with wings. As Chris explores the hidden rooms, he meets a grim looking figure who obliges him but unfortunately for Chris, the remedy he acquires has no such desired effect on Q-Chan.
Another chapter shows a Totetsu (a mixed goat and tiger creature) by the name of T-Chan. T-Chan is looking down in the dumps before Leon finds out that it is because he is in love with one of D’s new pets. Leon and the gang help him pluck up the courage but because of T-Chan’s proclivity to eat the one he loves it results in T-Chan being rejected. It becomes a bonding experience for both Leon and T-chan.
The Flowers and detective chapters feature the police detective Leon Orcot, D does not trust Leon enough to take care of pets so he gifts him a gatolatto plant. The plant grows well thanks to Leon’s appreciation and care but eventually Leon is wounded from a gunshot and is hospitalized. On his miraculous recovery he asks D to water his plant for him, only to be told that the flower has already bloomed and withered to death in his place. Was it really the plant that saved Leon? D has given people stranger things.
Part two, has D playing matchmaker only for Leon to interfere and end up winning the affection of beautiful creatures. What Leon does not realise is that he is being used to pollinate women. Like a honey bee!
Part three includes a strange kimono arriving at the pet shop. With the Kimono’s colour representing Sakura (cherry blossom) but being made from the blood of insects. And in the last chapter that we speak of today, we see Chris sent on an errand but D and Leon spy on him using cameras and disguises, very much like the Reality TV show ‘Old Enough!’ (a.k.a. its literal translation ‘My First Errand’) Afterwards they spend the night gazing at the full moon and D tells Chris of the rabbit in the moon, and the princess whose kingdom has become extinct. Chris tells D that maybe the rabbit princess is still on the moon and is just hiding.
Topics:
· Thoughts on Godzilla Minus One and Hollywood. · Pareidolia, do you see a rabbit, a woman, or a man when you look at the moon? · The future of the We Appreciate Manga Podcast.
Historical, scientific, and cultural references:
· The cherry blossom looking dye in one story is often used as a food colouring can trigger allergies, look for anything labelled carminic acid, carmine or cochineal on red coloured foods. · Unlike the west Chinese and Asians countries tend to say there is a rabbit in the moon, not a man in the moon. Some when they look at a full moon, say the image is a silhouette of a rabbit hunched over and is mixing herbs, creating an elixir for immortality. (Personally, I like to think that its churning butter but some Japanese may say it is pounding rice cake mixture - J) Depending on the sun’s position and your position on the earth if you were to Look at the dark spots of the moon you will find that the sea of fertility and the sea of nectar are the tips of its ears.
Osamu Tezuka retells the origin story in the first volume of his 1972-1983 manga ‘Buddha’ where an old man asks three animals to help him find food. One of the three animals then dives into fire and gives its life so that the old man does not starve. Because of its sacrifice it is then honoured by the God Indra and immortalised by having its image drawn on the moon.
· Chang’e the Chinese moon goddess is a figure that dates to Zhou Dynasty, and having had poems written about her during the Tang Dynasty.
· The rabbit princess or moon princess also has similarities to princess Kaguya, the main character who appears in ‘The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter’ a late 9th of 10 century story with no attributed author. Sailor Moon is also based on this character and because of the tale’s use of space travel, it is considered an early form of science fiction.
· The story of the shamanistic princess Himeko is not necessarily pre-historic as Will states but certainly an ancient Japanese one, having dated back to years between 220 and 270 (Yayoi period). As a legendary figure Himeko appears in the first volume of Osamu Tezuka’s ‘Phoenix’ and the Yoshiki Okamoto (Buroson) manga ‘Lord’.
· Utsuro – Bune (Hollow Boat) is a legendary account of an unidentified object arriving on the shores of the Hitachi province of Japan in 1803.
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| 135 - Petshop of Horrors vol. 10 | 24 Dec 2023 | 00:37:51 | |
Author Matsuri closes out the final chapters and leaves no stone unturned, Chris speaks, Q-Chan shows off their human form and a climatic meeting with D’s father finally happens. In a clever way, Matsuri switches from an episodic structure to a serial form, bringing the narrative home!
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
135: Petshop of Horrors vol. 10 By Akino Matsuri Translation by Tomoharu Iwo and James Lucas Jones Lettering by Nunu Ngien
The story advances to its conclusion when Chris Orcot’s extended family arrive. Chris knowing that he is adopted by his aunty and uncle forgives them and his cousins, but in a moment of crisis he learns to speak up and call for them, Chris’ voice is heard by his cousins and he is taken home, even if the pets at the shop did not want Chris to leave them, Chris makes his own decision to live in peace with his real family. When Chris looks back at what he had with D in the pet shop he finds they no longer resemble the humanoids he once had a relationship with, they truly seem like animals now.
Afterwards D mysteriously leaves and closes shop upon getting heat from the FBI. Agent Vesca Howell teams up with Chris’ older brother, the detective Leon Orcot to track D down. The two share what they know about D before they go their separate ways. Afterwards D appears to Leon and leads him to a high-rise penthouse to discuss things over tea and sweets. But Leon is not fooled since the imposter is Count D, the father of the missing D. Although this raises many questions as to why he looks like he in his twenties and is the spitting image of his son. Leon however falls for Count D’s trap. And like in previous chapters, Leon must once again fight in the wilderness of a mythological dreamscape.
Meanwhile Agent Howell confronts the real D and loses the fight to apprehend him. D realises that Howell is only after his lookalike father and so he takes him to Count D. Both agent Howell and D arrive in time to help save Leon. It is at this point that D’s personal pet, Q-chan transforms into his human form, revealing himself to be D’s grandfather. Just in time for the existential crisis that is Count D’s plan to spread a virus that causes human extinction. However, Count D is shot dead and Howell dies in the confrontation, The OG Count, Grandfather D takes his son’s remains so that he can reincarnate him and Leon takes a leap of faith with D to safely escape the tower. Soon afterwards, D parts ways with Leon.
Eventually after twenty years pass, the pet shop is re-opened and mysterious deaths occur. Detective Orcot makes his way there to meet D, but this is not a reunion, in fact this is a meeting between the adult Chris Orcot and D’s son, the reincarnated Count D who died twenty years ago.
Topics:
· Aino Matsuri’s switch from an episodic style of storytelling to a serial one. · Chris’ dilemma · Chris’ unrealistic form of mutism. · Is Count D human or not? · The Misanthropic villain.
· The final chapter relies heavily on specific tropes so to create a feel of finality. The Tower itself is symbolic, appearing as a Tarot card after the Devil card. The Tower is almost always depicted having been struck by lightning or facing some sort of explosion or fire at the top. It represents, divination, to reach heaven and God and to experience a great revelation but one with an arduous cost. In many stories it is the protagonist’s greatest challenge before they confront the truth that waits for them above, and usually by defeating the villain above it causes the tower to collapse, this is symbolic of a return to status quo, to humble and “ground” the heroes but also render the challenge of ever climbing it again to be mute. Also, like the biblical “Tower of Babel” anyone who attempts to climb or build it always comes to a misunderstanding when they meet someone at the top.
· Another symbolic scene is Leon becoming trapped in the forest, like “Jonah and the whale” Leon must face penance/consequence for his lack of faith and suspicion of D, it is a purgatory and womb like state that once he escapes from, he gets more purpose. It is also a traumatic instance of being isolated from society and one’s tribe and in such stories those who survive the proverbial whale get a chance to better themselves or do better in the next life.
Historical, scientific, and cultural references:
· The Mountains of Kunlun China is specifically a belt of mountains that stetches through the centre and around parts of China, from the Tibetan plateau to the Tarim Basin, bordering on the Gobi Desert. It has mythical properties and is analogous to the Greek’s Mount Olympus and the Tower of Babel, in that many creationist stories revolve around the mountains, which are deemed as the birthplace of China as a nation.
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| 126 - Petshop of Horrors vol. 1 | 21 Oct 2023 | 00:42:05 | |
It is horror season on our book club podcast, so it is horror manga time! Today’s manga is about a pet shop in Chinatown, where the mysterious manager sells mythical creatures and cryptids for pets, but the people who get their pets here cannot help but see these creatures as more human than animal; a mistake that will lead them to their downfall! Skip plot summary @ 7:05
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
126: Petshop of Horrors By Akino Matsuri Translation by Tomoharu Iwo and James Lucas Jones Lettering by Nunu Ngien
Synopsis:
In the heart of L.A.'s chinatown rests a pet shop owned by the mysterious Count D. The grandson to Count D, (who we shall just call D for now) is a mysterious, somewhat effeminate, and eccentric person who acts as the store manager whilst the count is away on business. When the wealthier clientele ask for exotic and rare pets D takes them to the back and sells them cryptids and strange supernatural, sometimes mythological creatures that resemble humans. But before he sells them D has them sign a contract with specific clauses. Something more akin to rules that if broken have dire consequences that D himself refuses to be liable for, but D will on occasion offer advice to those who are troubled enough to have broken them.
Often the rules come in threes, with one mostly telling owners only to feed their pets with fresh water and vegetables, but a rule that almost always occurs tells them to never show their pets to anyone.
Each chapter tells a tale about the owners that sometimes revolves around a moral. Such as the husband and wife who buy what D claims to be a rabbit, which then replaces their dead daughter. Only for their parents to repeat the same behaviour that led to their daughter's demise.
After numerous episodes of owners losing control of their so-called pets; it sparks an investigation from the detective, Leon Orcolt, whom suspects D of using the petshop as a front for drug or human trafficking but Little does the detective know about the surreal nature of the monsters inside the shop.
· Petshop of Horror being a Josei manga, not shojo, implies it is a story for women and not young girls (perhaps young adult, teen audience) Tokyopop publishing gave it 13+ age rating.
· Originally published 1996 in Japan and 2003 in English by Tokyopop, although today Tokyopop is known for its Disney Licenses and manga aimed at young girls, the publishers have not been the same since losing the License to Kodansha manga in 2008, with Kodansha seizing control of their English publication instead of outsourcing it through Tokyopop.
· The spin offs/sequels to the manga include shin petshop (2005), Passage-Hen (2013) and Ark Adrift (2018) It had a short 4-episode anime adaptation in 1999 by the Production studio Madhouse. At the time of this podcast episode being uploaded, Petshop of Horrors: Ark Adrift is still being made, with Akino Matsuri having worked continuously on the franchise from its inception.
· Episodic stories only work when focused on character, but you can also have the recurring character fit into a basic monomyth like template and just have your recurring character take a base role. In this case D is almost always the supernatural aide or the sage role. As the pets he gives are guised in being remedial to the episodic character's problems but are in fact tests of character.
· Episodic plots tend to have a gimmick in this case, it is the pet which acts as a monster of the week plot.
· Female power fantasy aimed at a more adult audience tends to have men be servents to the female protagonist and the male figure is an extension of the woman's power and influence. The woman is defined by her cabality, or lack of cabality to romantically love such a character whilst maintaining power and influence. At the time of the manga's release the Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner movie, The Bodyguard (1992) was popular. That movie is also like the relationship dynamic seen in Chapter 4 with Dreizhein (a.k.a. Dora-Chan) and Karen. At first Karen feels disrespected and being overly protected by Dreizhen she feels her identity and independency as a mature woman is threatened, Dreizhein is a sexual threat since he is an overprotective man. In such stories the woman learns to accept the man, love him, and trust him, whilst at the same time another suitor betrays her trust. And as often the case, the mythical protector is unable to or at least struggles to love the woman back as it creates fear in the man that it will diminish his ability as a bodyguard. Sometime, in love stories targeted to males, the male figure is only around long enough that so the woman can learn something about herself and the male then goes on to new adventures. Petshop of Horrors has a more fairy tale approach. By having the man become a literal doberman dog by the end of the story the male figure loses their sexuality, it is as if the woman has tamed the man, but only after eliminating all her threats. The bodyguard is no longer seen as a sexual threat and the woman remains virginal for the time being, or at the very least remains motherly to her new pet who has saved her life.
· The store manager has his own animal companion named Q-Chan. Q-Chan is a Wolperdinger (written as Valvertinger in the 2003 English Tokyopop translation). This animal is from German folklore and is a hybrid of a squirrel or rabbit combined with horns and wings. Interestingly Q-Chan looks more like Moogles (or Mogs) from the Final Fantasy videogames, due to having bat like wings. An American version of this creature is the jackelope, a jackrabbit with antelope horns, and unlike deer, antelope do not shed their horns. Hunters and Taxidermists have made ornamental Jackelopes and Wolperdinger. So just because you see one stuffed and on the shelf of a pub does not make them real.
· One of the pets is a reference to Medusa of Greek myth, Medusa was cursed for her vanity, when the jealous goddess Athena decided to make it so that Medusa’s gaze could turn people into stone. One interpretation could say she was cursed with good looks prior to this, as to not blame Medusa since in myth she did not accept the advances of the god Poseidon. Now Medusa is seen as a feminist symbol of female rage. Her head is used as an apotropaic symbol (a magical charm to ward off threats) especially on the accessories by Versace.
· Alice is named after the protagonist of Lewis Carol's “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Notable for entering a surreal world by chasing a white rabbit.
· Dreizhein (Dora-Chan) has his ears clipped and explains this is standard procedure for those who serve the military (he never explains more than that). There is a history with Doberman dogs being cosmetically altered, having their tails surgically shortened and their ears cut. It is thought that the ears would help them hear better but due the illegality of doing this there has not been a thorough study.
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| 036 - Sundome vol. 7 | 25 Jan 2020 | 01:05:50 | |
More ero themes on the penultimate volume. Kurumi becomes sexually aggresive but gets modest when she has a cold. We talk condoms, be them femidoms or glow in the dark and why it's important to have a test run with them. Skip synopsis: @ 13:11
036: Sundome vol. 7
By Kazuto Okada Translation by Christine Schilling (now Christine Dashiell) With Lettering by Abigail Blackman
Topics:
Synopsis:
During their date at the summer festival, Hideo Aiba is separated from Kurumi as she goes to the ladies’ toilets. When alone Hideo meets the older man in Kurumi’s life, Hideo proudly confesses that he drinks Kurumi’s pee and the older man responds by saying it is the reverse case for himself. When Kurumi returns, she sees that Hideo is made to feel uncomfortable and Kurumi makes it clear that the man ought to not bully Hideo. Hideo and Kurumi meet with the rest of the roman club whilst the older man watches on, the man is not alone. A woman arrives at his side and sheds a tear when she sees Kurumi is happy with friends. The next day, Hideo decides to stay over at Kurumi’s and act as her personal pet. He’s ordered to be a good boy and stay seated within his cardboard box. Although once Kurumi leaves him alone, he needs to pee, but he can’t disobey and leave his box. He chooses to wet himself and although nervous at first, Kurumi is able to forgive him and give him a wash.
Katsun takes sick and ends up in hospital. The Roman club makes an effort to visit him although Hideo is apprehensive in taking Kurumi there. On their way back Kurumi thanks Hideo for arranging a holiday with her, as they part, he steals a kiss from her. It becomes their first kiss together. Hideo is surprised that instead of punishing him for being forward, she blushes and kisses him back. Hideo goes through some penance, as Kurumi makes it clear that he can’t touch her until Katsun is out of hospital or else she’ll refuse to speak to him. Katsun eventually does recover but the one who is most glad is Hideo, who stayed up all night praying at the shrine. Katsun himself plans to lose his virginity to Kyouko when he buys condoms, this sparks interest in Hideo, who ends up buying himself his first condoms.
It’s on a camping trip that the Roman Club decide to go UFO spotting, amongst other things. That night Katsun finds out that Kyouko is a Roman Club assassin, on a mission to break Katsun’s vow of celibacy. Both Kyuoko and Katsun discuss their circumstances and resolve that no matter what happens with Katsun’s virginity, his intelligence will be enough to get him into university. Whereas Kyouko would prefer to full fill her mission to so gain roman club privileges. Yet their love making session is completely interrupted when they spot a UFO. It’s a little oddly shaped, but it’ll do. Besides, they don’t know it was Hideo’s glow in the dark condom, too baggy on Hideo, a jerk off session with Kurumi sent it flying in the air.
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| 035 - Sundome vol. 6 | 17 Jan 2020 | 00:54:18 | |
For a lewd ecchi style manga we get a really artsy first chapter a la french cinema and tasteful panty shots. We also talk about how people do the come-on a.k.a. invitation attack method! And why girlfriends have the bath water too high a temperature! Skip synopsis @ 11:53
Sundome vol. 6
By Kazuto Okada Translation by Christine Schilling With Lettering by Abigail Blackman
Topics:
(It’s a custom to wear a yukata)
Synopsis:
Hideo Aiba spends all his summer holiday pining over Kurumi Sahana, He arrives early on his return back to school in he hopes that he is the first to see Kurumi. His plans don’t work out when the roman club members put him into a trap hole. At the end of the school day Aiba gives Kurumi a ride home but when their bike crashes both Hideo and Kurumi are sent flying. Both gain no injury but for a moment Kurumi was spellbound, her eyes were closed before she fell, when she opened her eyes, she could see that she was flying, if only for a moment. From this point on Kurumi gets a car ride home but she leaves her bag behind.
Hideo can’t help but feel another man in Kurumi’s life is making things worse for her and for him but after dwelling on it, he decides to return Kurumi’s bag at her home, and when meeting her he draws her a warm bubble bath. Hideo chooses to stay at Kurumi’s whilst she takes her bath alone, but Kurumi invites him into the bathroom. She has a sore bump which Hideo kisses better. When he goes down on her for more, he ends up burning his eyes out due to the soapy water. Yes, Hideo just had to catch a peek!
The roman club including Hideo and Kurumi are sent on another ghost hunting activity. This time it leads them to the old ruins of a hospital, the Ex-president of the club and Yatsu are forced to spend the night in the hospitals most haunted room, the red room, and Kyouko and Kurumi find nurses uniforms to wear and tease Hideo and Katsu with. Eventually a loud booming voice scares the club members out by booming the “Get Out”. Kurumi and Hideo find a place to hide and spend the night together. At Sunrise it becomes clear whose voice it was at that night. Looking at the camera the club members set up it becomes clear that the ex-prez took advantage of Yatsu whilst he was sleeping.
Hideo and Kurumi are crestfallen when the rainy weather prevents them from enjoying the fireworks festival. But they do somehow manage to open a vent and light sparklers in the bathroom, which also triggers the alighting of Hideo’s firework package. Hideo quickly puts Kurumi into the bathtub and shields her from the sparks. Their date is put on halt when Kurumi’s guardian arrives. Hideo choosing not to go home, instead hides and feels powerless. Once the man leaves, Kurumi finds that Hideo has resorted to self-harm, popping his earlier attained blister red raw.
Kurumi bandages up Hideo and Hideo begins to cry, tears of happiness as if the pain from before has now gone thanks to Kurumi. Kurumi tells him that she loves him and with the bandages covering his eyes, Hideo can’t see that Kurumi is crying too. Katsu and Kyouko’s relationship also develop too, as during one ghost hunting night, Katsu gets a stomach ulcer from the sexual tension. And once again the ex-prez is up to his pervy antics. Even with a chastity belt on to protect the sleeping Yatsu, the ex-prez somehow gets his hands caught in it, surprisingly Yatsu can sleep right through it.
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| 034 - Sundome vol. 5 | 10 Jan 2020 | 00:55:58 | |
Is it okay to be called daddy? Healthy kink or just plain creepy? How about mommy? We talk about it and more on our review of this (very lewd) coming of age comedy. Skip synopsis @ 10:03 email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
Sundome vol. 5 By Kazuto Okada English Translation: Christine Schilling English Lettering: Abigail Blackman
Topics:
Note how the love interest, Kurumi, seems to be escaping her problems and masking her issues with sex. Meanwhile the sex scenes are used as filler or as the main action set piece.
Synopsis:
Hideo Aiba sees that Kurumi has a cold and hopes that it will pass away from her and over to him. As expected, Hideo gets sick and luckily Kurumi is over it. The roman’s club ex-president visits Hideo and is all too excited to give him suppositories in order to make Hideo feel better, yet the ex-president, being the pervert that he is, gets kicked out. When Kurumi visits Hideo she nurses him. She finds the suppositories and puts one inside Hideo, bringing him a new sexual experience.
Another time, another day, Hideo takes the ex-president to the hospital and ends up encountering Kurumi there. She asks him why he is there but Hideo senses anger in her voice and cowardly runs away from her. He can’t help but think of her, even at his workplace, Kurumi arrives to return his bag that he left behind and it seems she is not angry and is as affectionate to Hideo as ever. But Hideo can’t help but have nightmares about Kurumi whilst at that hospital.
Eventually, the ex-president and Yatsu get suspicious of Kyouko and Kurumi since, Hideo and Katsu always spend time with them when they divide into groups. This is not a good thing due to the club rules being to remain virgins and that club alumni will send an “assassin” to test the boys. To remedy this issue the two, decide on another activity. To play at night during after-school hours, Yatsu and the ex-president spend time alone with the girls whilst Hideo and Katsu dress as Shinigami so to find and scare them. Unfortunately, it only takes less than 2 minutes for Kurumi and Kyouko to be scared out, not by the Shinigami costumes but by the perverts that are Yatsu and the ex-president.
When Hideo’s mother finds Kurumi’s underwear in his room, she demands answers. In an act of defiance Hideo runs away from home. It’s only when Hideo stays the night at Katsu’s He finds that Katsu is stashing away a soiled photo of Kyouko.
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| 033 - Sundome vol. 4 | 04 Jan 2020 | 00:58:05 | |
EXPLICIT CONTENT BTW! A lot of firsts begin to happen, such as getting your first job and bringing your date home to the parents. Originally recorded on 03/12/2019 hence all the xmas talk, ho ho ho! Skip synop: @ 13:00 email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
Sundome vol. 4
By Kazuto Okada Translation by Christine Schilling Lettering by Rob Flores
Topics:
Sex scene recount:
Pop culture references/Product Placement:
Synopsis:
For the first time ever, Hideo Aiba brings a girl home, specifically Kurumi Sahana, who has come to pick up a recorded video tape of a special she missed on TV. Kurumi makes such a good impression on his family that Hideo’s mother offers her own Yukata as a gift to Kurumi. However, Hideo is taken back by finding out that Kurumi is an orphan. Later on, he apologises for his dad having asked about it only for Kurumi to claim that she was lying. Hideo takes umbrage with her lie and in turn Kurumi apologises to him, albeit she is surprised by how quick Hideo reverts back to his submissive self.
Eventually Hideo and Kurumi ditch school to go on a date. Afterwards Kurumi asks Hideo to take her to “Namino flower” someday.
When Kurumi gets hit by a car, he finds that Kurumi is inside with her guardian of sorts. The man with the distinct shoes. The man takes Kurumi and Hideo out for dinner and whilst alone with the man, Hideo takes the chance to explain his sexual relationship with Kurumi. The man is calm and unfazed by this. Hideo is emasculated by this man’s presence and although he wishes to pay for his part in Kurumi’s and his own meal, he sadly can’t afford to.
Hideo decides to work part time at a convenience store. The roman club believe he is seeing a sophomore girl behind their back. But they soon learn about it his workplace and treat it like as their new hang out! Kurumi is proud of Hideo, so much that she gives him her panties and goes full on commando. But when a peeping tom lurks around the shop this causes Hideo to defend the demure qualities of Kurumi and confront the perv.
Hideo saves up enough money to pay back for the meal and buy Kurumi a gift. But the roman club impose on Hideo and force him to treat them to a karaoke night together, in the end Hideo can only afford so much but he does get a gift from Kurumi. With help from a Gatchapon vending machine he buys Kurumi a capsule that, oddly and conveniently contains panties.
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| 032 - Sundome vol. 3 | 21 Dec 2019 | 00:59:08 | |
Poor Kyoko! We ask ourselves if it's ever cool or attractive to be a virgin and talk about why boys can be so cruel to girls, especially when it comes to sex, not for the faint hearted! contact: WeAppreciateManga@gmail.com Sundome vol. 3 (Yen Press)
By Kazuto Okada Translation by Christine Schilling Lettering by Roberto M. Flores
Topics:
Synopsis:
Rumours of Kurumi Sahana spread around the school and she is assaulted by one jealous schoolgirl. Kurumi becomes absent from school and Hideo Aiba begins to set the record straight on the rumours. He meets with the leader of the music club whom is able to trick Hideo into thinking Kurumi is in the same room as them, having sex. Of course, it being a trick, the boy simply has a talent for miming, and calls it an air-blow job. It was how he was able to fool his girlfriend who spread the rumours. He even goes so far to suggest settling things with Hideo through an air-fight. Hideo visits Kurumi afterwards and she tells him that she’ll return to school tomorrow. All would be well for Hideo but he finds a pair of men’s shoes at her home. Hideo assumes it’s a deterrent for burglars and thinks no more of it.
After school, Katsun takes Kyouko home by his bike and Hideo takes Kurumi home on his. Kurumi notices that Hideo has become more stronger, this is because Hideo wanted to exercise so to alleviate the sexual frustration from their relationship but now, he does so because he wants to be able to carry Kurumi.
Kyouko’s ex-boyfriend arrives at the Roman club house and makes it clear that he wants to spend time with her. Kyouko is happy to ditch her karaoke plans and join him but it becomes all too clear to her that she is being used for sex and nothing else. When she returns to the club house, she finds that the boys have left without her. Kurumi stayed behind in case she returned and Kyouko finds solace in having Kurumi as a friend.
The rest of the club happen to walk by the ex-boyfriend of Kyuoko and overhear his disrespectful conversation about her. Katsun, the one who is always quick to call Kyouko a moron is the first person to defend her honour. After the geeks get a beating, they deduce Kyuoko and Kurumi are available and regroup for Kareoke with them.
When Kurumi falls sick again Hideo manages to look after her and shows initiative by cleaning up after her and carrying her. One evening, whilst leaving Kurumi’s home, Hideo bumps into an older boy and almost gets in to a fight until a much older man comes to save Hideo. Hideo recognises the shoes are the same ones he found in Kurumi’s home. After this hideo is no longer sexually aroused by Kurumi and is found in the library researching on erectile disfunction. The Roman club attempt to solve Hideo’s problem, including the well-endowed Kyouko who sadly fails to excite Hideo much to her own dismay. When alone with Hideo, Kurumi finally succeeds in getting rid of Hideo’s anxiety and arouses him once again.
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| 031 - Sundome vol. 2 | 07 Dec 2019 | 00:45:14 | |
Kazuto Okada relies too much on the saucy cheesecake spectacle of panty shots and cleavage when in reality he shines with comedy. skip the synopsis @ minute 9:00 contact: WeAppreciateManga@gmail.com Sundome vol. 2
By: Kazuto Okada Translation by: Christine Schilling Lettering by: Roberto Flores
Topics:
Further reading: The Art of Censorship in Post-war Japan ( by Kirsten Cather)
Synopsis (and first impression): Hideo runs errands for the sick Kurumi only to almost get ran over whilst crossing the road. Soaked by the crush water bottles he was carrying, Kurumi lets him into her apartment, where apparently, she lives alone. Since his pants are wet, Kurumi let’s Hideo wear her gym pants which ends up giving him an erection.
The next day Hideo sees that Kurumi is wearing those same gym shorts, hot and bothered by this distraction he gets his arse kicked by his gym teacher. The alumnus of the Roman Club (a.k.a. an Old-Boy) visits the club members and helps them in strength training at the dome. He also wears a mask to protect his identity, it’s straight up a gimp mask.
The Oldboy has been monitoring the club members, and when Kurumi is cryptic and asks him if his connections have given information on her, he responds by saying “in a way yes”.
Throughout her exploits, Kurumi is able to tease and seduce Hideo. She says to him that she was once a boy in order to get him to stop masturbating but later retracts her statement. During a Roman club sleep together, she touches Hideo, Hideo feels guilty but she lies to him, and tells him that it was a wet dream, “an act of god” and that he couldn’t help it. The terms of the relationship are clear. Hideo can’t touch himself to the point of orgasm unless Kurumi tells him to.
Where ever Kurumi is a spy, sent by the Old-boy’s to test the Roman club’s strict policy of no sex or girlfriends, is something that remains a mystery.
(Although this was a disappointing volume, the page flow is good considering how much dialogue there is and how it’s not an action manga. Moments of physical comedy prove to be Kazuto’s best, such as the drop kick to the ex-president being a good example. – James)
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com
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| 030 - Sundome vol. 1 | 30 Nov 2019 | 01:01:07 | |
James and Will talk about Incels, what it feels like for a woman to challenge (or belittle you) as a man and also clavicle sucking! Skip synopsis @12:56
Sundome vol. 1
By Kazuto Okada Translation: Christine Schilling Lettering: Rob Flores
Topics
Synopsis
Hideo Aiba’s sexual desires awaken when he meets the new girl in class, Kurumi Sahana. The first of many struggles begin when she puts her table up to his. Aiba gets paranoid when trying not to bring attention to his erection. He decides to quit his geeky school club, the roman club, whose only rule requires that members be virgins. However, Aiba is promoted to club president since the previous leader is kicked out for allegedly losing his virginity. Soon Kurumi decides to join their club, being the first girl to join the club, the boys seem apprehensive. Except for Aiba who is willing to go through masochistic feats in order to humour Kurumi.
The school’s martial arts club invades the roman club’s territory as their own. Kurumi wagers a battle between the two clubs. If Aiba can last long enough in an arm lock then they’ll keep the club room and have Kurumi but also the martial artist will serve to protect the boys. Kurumi prevents Aiba from tapping out, by being close to him during the wrestling, she traps his hand from under her crotch. Poor Aiba can’t hide his erection whilst he gets his arm broken.
Through the following days, Kurumi tests Aiba, who is willing to go to dangerous lengths to get her number but he is fortunately safe with the protection of the martial arts club. Another girl, Kyouko, gets jealous of Kurumi and steals a voodoo doll from the roman club but ends up enjoying her time with the roman club so much that she makes herself a member. When Kurumi falls ill, Aiba can’t help but blame himself and think that in someway her distance is a way of punishing him.
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com | |||
| 029 - Twilight: The Graphic Novel vol. 2 | 16 Nov 2019 | 01:07:52 | |
We look into the boundaries and sexual tension that all good relationships have, how vampires are born and why Stephenie Meyer's vampires are valid! Subscribe as our romance season begins. Contact: weappreciatemanga@gmail.com skip synopsis @8:41
Twilight: The graphic Novel - volume 2
Art: Young Kim Story/writer: Stephanie Meyer Inking: Ashley Marie Witter Background Assistant: Haya C
Topics:
· The cat and mouse chase. (Plot holes = How did James know where Bella’s mother lived?) · The Cullen family and the backstory of the characters, Carlyle, Edward and Alice · Stephenie Meyer’s take on the vampire lore (are they vampires?) · How to be born or become a vampire. · The boundaries/sexual tension that the Bella and Edward relationship has. No killing, No turning etc.
Synopsis + first impression:
Bella, having fallen for the vampire Edward Cullen, sets out to be introduced to Edward’s family/covern. Bella is greeted warmly by them and she deduces that the matriarch, Esme, respects her lack of prejudice and abundance of courage to have appeared. Bella learns about the history of the Cullens, Dr. Carlyle is the patriarch of the family. Edward was the first to be sired by Carlyle, then Esme, Rosalie was sired afterwards and then Rosalie saved Emmet from a bear attack by having Carlyle turn him. The other two, Jasper and Alice were already turned when they met the Cullens. These two have powers as strong as Edward’s senses. Jasper can control the mood of those around him, and Alice has visions of the future. Jasper came from an abusive family and would be found by Alice yet Alice has no memory of her past life or how she was turned, she found the Cullens all by herself.
Edward shows Bella to his room and they both tease each other about the dangers of a being in a relationship with a vampire as well as the horror clichés. Bella has never felt more so safe than with Edward. She is invited to a game of baseball with the Cullens, having the use of a thunderstorm as cover. The game is stopped as soon as Alice gets a vision of vampires interrupting their play. The Cullens do their best to protect Bella and decide to leave immediately in pairs of two.
One to return Bella home, the others to go back to the Cullen House with this new vampire gang. Unfortunately, James, the leader of this gang, senses that Bella is human and outwardly threatens her, a cat and mouse game begins. Laurent, the vampire who seemed to be the leader, tells the Cullens that he will back down, This leaves just the two , Victoria and James to hunt Bella.
Bella confronts her father, Charlie. Telling him that she is packing her bags and leaving Forks immediately. She tells him the same words that her mother and his ex-wife told him upon leaving. This upsets Bella but she does this in order to protect Charlie.
Jasper and Alice protect Bella as the rest of the Cullens try and pre-emptively attack. Alice reveals her visions as drawings to Bella. One is of a ballet studio and the other, her mother’s home. When Bella receives a call from her mother’s phone, she finds James’ voice on the other end. He demands that she escapes the Cullens and go to the ballet Studio. Bella gives in to the demands and on her arrival, she finds that James has a camcorder hooked up to a TV. The TV showing video of Bella’s mom, a mere decoy but Bella falls for it. James is a bully and a sadist, he wishes to record Bella’s death but not before he confesses that he turned Alice upon failing to kill her, Alice is now too strong of a vampire for James to kill but James has a sense of entitlement. He claims that since he can’t have Alice’s life, he will take Bella’s instead.
Bella loses consciousness. When she wakes, she finds that her body is in pain due to the venom from James’ bite. Edward sucks out the venom and prevents Bella from becoming a vampire. James is killed by Emmet and Jasper, Alice watches video of James’ confession. Alice had visions before she turned but had no memory of her past life due to her mental state and imprisonment.
In the hospital, Bella and Edward have a long talk about their relationship. Bella wanted to be turned into a vampire so that she could live forever with him but Edward denies her. Upon her recovery he takes her to prom and as they watch the sun set the question lingers. What if Edward turned Bella into a vampire? And could he do so without killing her? Could he grant Bella’s wish?
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com | |||
| 028 - Twilight: The Graphic Novel vol. 1 | 25 Oct 2019 | 01:05:28 | |
Yes, they made a Twilight manga and it's pretty good! James is joined with new host Will! They talk about Stephenie Meyer's urban fantasy success and how such a cultural touchstone informed their own relationships at the time. Skip synopsis @ 15:33
Twilight: The Graphic Novel
Art by: Young Kim Assistants: Haya C and Ashley Marie Witter Story/writer: Stephenie Meyer
Topics
· Bella’s dad, Charlie (Why does Bella refer to him by name?) · Sex / vampire theme or metaphor: (Bella and Edward first see each other in the Dining room then they formally meet in biology class) · Kim Young’s reliance on copy and pasting photos, using photoshop. Mid-tones are filtered. · The drip feed clues to him being a vampire. 1.) Old fashioned name 2.) Cold to touch 3.) Changing Eye Colour 4.) Car Crash scene · The adrenaline rush of love. Why does Fear = sexy (or for that matter cute = tasty/hungry)
Real talk
Edwards flirtation with Bella, keeping secrets and yo-yoing between friendly and mean.
Synopsis
Isabella Swan (or Bella) arrives from Phoenix Arizona to the small north west American town of Forks/. On arrival she is not use to the cold rain. Her dad, Charlie, greets her and buys her a second hand Chevy for a homecoming present.
At her new School many people befriend Bella. Eric, Jessica, Angela and Mike, all curious strangers but Bella’s curiosity is stoked by the attractive group at one lunch room table. The Cullens, a family of adopted individuals, all beautiful looking. One of them, Edward Cullen makes eye contact with Bella. When it comes to her biology class, Bella sits next to the empty seat beside Edward, she senses that he is incredibly tense and as soon as the bell rings he darts out. Bella discovers from Mike that he is acting strangely and when she goes to the school office, she finds him complaining and wanting to switch class. Bella doesn’t see Edward within two weeks but the next time she sees him in Biology class he becomes more polite and strikes a conversation with her, Bella is suspicious of his behaviour.
The next day, Bella is saved from a car crash. Edward should not have been able to save her from across the road but he does, and when Bella confronts him on this, he denies it, saying he was already beside her. They maintain a distance from each other but eventually Edward befriends Bella whilst maintaining his secrets, and his mystery.
On a day out with her friends, Bella meets Jacob, the son of Billy Black, the original owner of her Chevy. He is younger than Bella but is far taller than her. When Bella expresses her disappointment at not inviting the Cullens, Jacob tells her about the myths that surround his tribe and the Cullens. Bella researches these myths and accusations. She avoids eating with her friends to go book shopping but whilst lost in town, Bella is surrounded by a gang of men, Luckily Edward finds her and she quickly gets in his car. Edward takes her to dinner and Bella confesses that she knows he is a vampire. A relationship blooms between the two, Mike is jealous but the rest of her friends are surprised. Edward takes her to the woods and shows Bella what happens when he stands within the bright sunlight. He dispels the myth that he burns and shows her that his skin sparkles and shimmers. Bella is in awe of his beauty but Edward protests such compliments, after all he is a vampire and to love Bella is like a Lion were to love a lamb. As a test the two kiss each other. The day finally turns to night.
Pop culture references/Product Placement:
· 1953 Chevrolet pick-up truck (in the film adaptation it’s an older model) (good plot device as it established Jacob and the fact that she was able to move in to Forks so quickly) · Spider-man and Batman (at one point in the story Bella can’t help but compare him to the iconic superheroes whilst figuring out the reason for his powers, one hero is DC, Batman created by Bob Kane with writer Bill Finger the other being Marvel’s Spider-man, created by Steve Ditko and writer, Stan Lee)
Subscribe for part 2!
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com | |||
| 027 - Junji Ito's Dissolving Classroom | 18 Oct 2019 | 01:06:52 | |
The horror Mangaka returns to the genre with this gross out gory social commentary of cancel culture and body dysmorphia. Listen to the start for the chance to win your own copy of Dissolving Classroom, skip to minute 19:25 if you want to ignore the synopsis.
Junji Ito’s Dissolving Classroom (a.k.a. Yokai Kyoshitsu)
By Junji Ito Translation by Melissa Tanaka
Published in the Japanese Motto! Magazine in 2015, and in English in 2017 by Vertical Comics.
Talking about the following stories/chapters:
Dissolving Classroom Dissolving Beauty Dissolving Apartment Chizumi in love Interview with the Devil
Topics:
· ‘Dissolving Classroom’ and the concluding chapter, ‘Interview with the Devil’ being a commentary on cancel culture and the need for celebrities to apologise in today’s culture for fear of fan backlash. Ariana Grande, we’re looking at you! · ‘Dissolving Beauty’ being a commentary on body dysmorphia and anorexia in an age of social media. · Did the last chapter have a downer ending?
Synopsis:
Dissolving Classrom –
The new boy in class, Yuuma Azawa, is known for his overly apologetic behaviour and becomes a target for bullies because of it. Keiko Arisu befriends him out of pity but is quickly stalked and harassed by a creepy girl on her way home. The girl demands to suck out and feast upon her brains. In an attempt to flee, Keio gets ran over crossing the road.
As Keiko recovers in hospital, Yuuma apologises for his sister, Chizumi, the girl who scared and chased Keiko into the road. Yuuma visits her in hospital and it becomes apparent that keiko is feeling the soothing effects of his apologies, as if her mind and body, not just her worries, were melting away. Behind Yuuma’s back, Keiko finds his home in order to speak to Chizumi and befriend her.
Chizumi explains that her brother doesn’t apologise for her sake but for himself, he is addicted to apologising and has become a devil worshipper. Keiko is scared away when Chizumi reveals the decrepit heads of her dead parents, their brains having been melted away.
Chizumi believes the heads were fake but she is still left unsettled when a flu like sickness grips her parents and herself. On her return to school she finds that her class has become sick as well. Keiko goes to protect Yuuma from his bullies but finds that the bullies all physically melt in front of her. Chizumi arrives in the middle of a devastating attack on the school, everyone is melting away into goo. She explains to Keiko that Yuuma has the power to melt people via his apologies and Chizumi herself loves to drink and lick up what’s left of them. Keiko flees from the siblings and survives.
Chizumi in love –
As the two siblings settle in a new place to live, Chizumi falls in love with a young boy of the same age, Tomohito, who is quickly stalked by Chizumi. Tomohito’s parents melt away due to Yuuma’s apologising but with a bit of luck, and through help of the spirits of those who were melted, Tomohito is able to escape Yuuma and Chizumi.
Interview with the Devil –
Eventually a journalist called Hamaoka is able to track down the siblings and bring a paralysed Keiko to meet with Yuuma. Keiko can’t walk but is able to manage some speech. Upon seeing Yuuma she is unsettled and starts to scream. Chizumi is surprised to see that Keiko is alive, considering any girl that Yuuma dates, tends to have their face physically melt whenever he compliments their looks.
Yuuma burns the remains of his dead parents and flees town with Chizumi. Tomohito is found dead which makes Keiko the only survivor of the Dissolving incident. Hamaoka explains that Keiko developed psychic powers from her brain damage and is able to know where Yuuma is, he puts her hand on a map and her finger guides the way. Eventually Hamaoka manages to set up a press conference for Yuuma and Chizumi with plans to live stream it. To Keiko’s horror, Hamaoka brings her to watch. Yuuma doesn’t actually confess but apologises for the murders towards everyone at the conference and the world. As for what happened to the people who watched it and where the Aizawa siblings are now, well that will be left to your imagination.
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com | |||
| 125 - Goodbye, Eri | 14 Oct 2023 | 00:46:20 | |
Steven, James and Will group up to talk about the latest one-shot manga from Tatsuki Fujimoto. Most famous for Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto flexes his storytelling muscles by occasional doing shorter stories. Perhaps this is the key to him being a good storyteller overall. In 'Goodbye, Eri' we get a meditation on how stories are powerful and reality defining. Fujimoto also experiments with a meta-narrative as we see the main character Yuta make his own story up through the course of the pages. Skip synopsis @ 6:46
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
125: Goodbye, Eri By Tatsuki Fujimoto Translation by Amanda Healy Lettering by Snir Aharon
Synopsis:
The story starts with 12 years old Yuta receiving a smart phone for his birthday. His mom makes a request towards him, that he must use his smartphone to record her through her sickness, so that he may have something to remember her by when she is gone. The days go by and his mom's health declines as Yuta keeps a cool detachment towards his assignment. But in her last moments, Yuta breaks, running away from the hospital and choosing not to film his mom's final moments. As he runs away, the hospital behind him blows up like an action movie setpiece.
Yuta edited his video footage of his mom into a short film, and after presenting it to his school he gets a class clown reputation and is condemned for mocking his mother. Feeling suicidal, Yuta goes to the hospital his mother died in and thinks of jumping off the roof. He is in terrupted by a school mate, a girl who after seeing the film thinks highly of Yuta's talents and considers the film as something awe inspiring, Eri. Eri decides to show her film collection off to Yuta and school him on how to make a good movie. After a lot of movie watching, the two decide to make one togeather with Eri playing as a terminally ill vampire.
The lines between the two narratives begin to blur, Eri does become terminally ill, just like Yuta's mother and the planned story of the film. But Yuta again gets cold feet, and instead of going to school and facing Eri he hides in his room all day. Yuta's father speaks to him, he reveals that he recorded his mom's final moments and decides to show Yuta the video. In the video, unlike Yuta's film, where we saw a saintly and good mother, we see a side of her that was narcissistic, ungreatful, unloving and abusive. Only wanting Yuta to film her as part of a documentary she wanted to produce, in the hopes that she would survive her illness. Yuta's dad, tells him that he has a gift. That he can choose how to remember someone and portray the goodness in people.
Yuta finishes the film, and it proves a sucess with his school, moving them to tears. But years go by and Yuta dissastified with his film ceaselessly re edits and re cuts it. A much older and once again suicidal Yuta, returns to Eri's den / make-shift theatre after losing his wife and child in a car crash. A familiar voice speaks to him and Yuta finally gets some satisfaction. He finds a way to film a new ending but first he has to say goodbye to Eri.
Topics:
· Zoe thorogood's 'It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth' and meta-narrative storytelling. · Fujimoto and dominant women. · Similarities to 'Sundome' and 'Your Lie in April'.
· Fujimoto's way of dividing panels to convey the passage of time. · Foreshadowing the ending, the unreliable narrator. · the message, the importancee in story telling, andd how it shapes reality or becomes and how it can be a coping mechanism towards making sense and understanding a senseless world. sometimes escapism. e.g. neil gaiman's death.
· Who out of our hosts is the most like Eri or Yuta? · Character pastime activity as an excuse to find love and or a driving force for character
Cultural References:
· David fincher's 'Fight Club' (1996), based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuck.
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| 026 - Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freakshow | Shoujo Tsubaki | 11 Oct 2019 | 01:06:22 | |
Too horrific that Steven couldn’t even finish reading it! We talk about Maruo’s work that would eventually become adapted into a controversial anime.
026: Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freakshow | Shoujo Tsubaki (1984)
By Suehiro Maruo Translation by Yoko Umezawa and Laura Lindgren (Blast Books 1992)
Some context:
Maruo is known for his ‘Ero-Guro’ (erotic grotesque nonsense). The genre is nothing new, it’s heavily inspired by shungo prints, a prime example being Hokusai’s ‘Dream of the fisherman’s wife’. In turn the UK artist Aubrey Beardsley who illustrated Oscar wilde’s Salome during the Victorian era is an early example of the genre. H.R. Giger is a massive influence on ‘ero-guro’, his iconic Alien being an interplay between sex and violence as a film series.
Topics:
· James’ interpretation of events and ending: 1. Magician loves Midori by creating respite from the horror through his illusions. He gives her the opportunity to leave to Tokyo by faking his death. But because Midori makes the choice not to leave without him, this causes the magician to punish her in hopes of scaring her off. She isn’t physically able to kill them so she finds herself alone in the world. To escape one horror, she has to endure the horror of another, the horror of loneliness. 2. Magician, like the rest of the freaks despises Midori for her beauty and innocence and chooses to torment her. 3. Magician is but a figment of Midori’s imagination. Midori is actually a contortionist whose act is to fit inside a glass jar. When an insect crawls inside her ear it begins to munch on her brain causing her to hallucinate and make her fantasies more real to her. Where ever Masamitsu is real or not is besides the point.
· Is the author, Suehiro Maruo, being obscene and deplorable by creating this manga? And are people who enjoy this story contemptable? · Steven’s objection at Maruo’s take on child abuse and the threat of paedophilia in stories. · “Comfort Women”; Maruo’s imagery is evocative of the great depression and post - world war japan and the very real horrors of that era. The main character, Midori, could be viewed as a “comfort woman”, the name given to victims of World War II sex trafficking. For more on the subject just follow the link [Here].
· Film adaptation by Hiroshi Harada was released in 1992 · A 2016 live-action film adaptation was notably tame compared to the source material but otherwise contained beautiful production design. To tie-in with the release of the 2016 film, café ‘Holy’ in Shibuya made a menu in order to promote it.
Culture Reference:
Oculolinctus, also known as Gankyū namé purei “eyeball licking play” an ero-guro trope that Suehiro made popular. A widespread myth came about when reports of Japanese students were adopting this as a craze.
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| 025 - Katsuhiro Otomo's Domu: A Child's Dream | 04 Oct 2019 | 01:04:52 | |
Domu: A Child’s Dream By Katsuhiro Otomo
Way before Stranger Things and before the masterpiece of the Akira anime, there was the psychic horror of 'A Child's Dream' Skip synopsis @ 14:00
Topics:
· The cinematic act Structure · How Otomo creates a sense of fear · Otomo’s aesthetic and attitudes towards gentrification
Notable Product Placement/Pop Culture reference:
· Beeper/pager (patented in 1949 by Alfred J. Gross) · The English translation references GhostBusters (1984 movie)
Synopsis:
Inspector Yamagawa starts an investigation after an alarming rate of deaths occur at the Tsutsumi housing complex. He meets the landlord who tells him of the suspicious types, the drunk Yoshikawa who is still unemployed after a leg injury, Mrs. Tezuka, a mentally unstable woman in apartment 783 who walks around at night pushing the pram of her dead child. A gigantic man with a mind of a child, nicknamed Little Yo, he was accused of child molestation. Then there’s Shojiro a.k.a old sho, an old senile man who sits outside. We also learn about Tsutomu Sasaki, an underachieving student who still lives with his parents. Yamagawa sends two policemen to patrol at night but one goes missing, his gun is never found. Eventually Yamagawa arrives alone at the complex and confronts the killer. Knowing that the killer is collecting trophies, Yamagawa gives him his pager. The killer is petty and breaks the pager using his psychic powers. Yamagawa runs after the psychic killer. He runs up the tower of apartments and hears the killer prying into his mind. Taunting him on every doubt and teasing him. When Yamagawa makes his way to the roof he finds the door is already open and he hesitates to step forward. There he sees Old Cho playing with the gun as if it were a toy.
One morning later, a new kid on the block arrives, her name is Etsuko, during her arrival Old Cho causes a baby to fall from the tower block. The child is saved by Etsuko and having read old cho’s thoughts she tells him off. Etsuko quickly makes friends with the residents but having an affinity for outsiders she chooses to play with Yoshikawa’s son, the lonely Hiroshi and Little Yo. As the sun falls Etsuko quickly makes her way to the shop, during this time Tsutomu Sasaki spends the knife choosing to craft model planes instead of study.
Cho takes control of Tsutomu and forces him to confront Etsuko on the elevator, failing to kill her with his craft knife, Tsutomu turns the blade onto himself and cuts through his own neck. Etsuko is hospitalised across the street. After seeing Yamagawa’s ghost, inspector Takayama brings a shaman to the housing complex but the shaman becomes overwhelmed by what she feels, unbeknownst to Takayama, Etsuko is making an attempt on empowering Old Cho from her bed window but is easily distracted by her mother.
At night, Yoshikawa is caught under control by Cho and is given the policeman’s gun so to kill Etsuko. Little Yo and Hiroshi do there best to hold him off and protect her whilst she hunts down Old Cho. It becomes clear that Cho struggles to fight her, he decides to create a gas explosion all around the housing complex. Etsuko smashes out the windows but fails to stop one explosion.
She almost kills Old Cho but he flees amongst the fire brigade. The building collapses and the stressed-out Etsuko loses her friends within the chaos. She endures an emotional breakdown and kills a fireman in the process. Cho soon disappears and Etsuko returns to her mother. Inspector Takayama has the chance to question Old Cho, but visions of Yamagawa’s ghost pre-empt him. Takayami decides to set him free and watch him from a safe distance, specifically Old Cho’s usual place, the bench by the play area. He watches Old Cho but no one can see that Etsuko is there sat on the swing doing the same. No one except for Old Cho. With a look from Etsuko the killer’s walking stick explodes and the old man finally dies. There is no sign of Etsuko, it’s as if she was never there that day.
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com | |||
| 024 - X-Day vol. 2 | 20 Sep 2019 | 00:51:58 | |
Suicidal schoolkids (one with PTSD) meet online with their teacher and plan to blow up their school. In short, Steve finds the plot doesn't gel with Rika's emotional arc, but Rika sleeps with Ryo! Can finding love stop someone from causing terrorism? X-Day (vol. 2) (X-Day of her and the others / Kanajo tachi no x-day)
By Setsuna Mizushiro Translation by Lisa Blank
Synopsis:
Rika’s plans seemingly come to fruition, the school blows up in an explosion of fire, sending debris everywhere as Rika watches on. Amongst the rubble she finds Kako begging for help. Rika, being responsible for the explosion is cruel and refuses to aid Kako.
X-day was all a dream and Rika wakes up in the bed of Kako’s boyfriend. She goes home ashamed and upset. She logs in to the chat room to contact her friends and feel better. Mr. Money notices that Rika is upset but the next morning he tells Jangalien, that despite his feelings for Rika, he is afraid of women. In another room Polaris is riddled with anxiety as the class vote her to be the swimming anchor.
Later, they conspire to blow up the school, Rika holds Mr. Money’s hand, however he flinches, knocking Rika’s bag and spilling the school journals. Rika accidentally takes Mr. Money’s journal home with her. She calls but gets no answer, then uses the address in his journal to go find him. She finds him at home living with a violent and abusive mother.
The next day Jangalien doesn’t go to class and instead buries his dead pet, Polaris skips her class to help him. Soon Jangalien’s stalker shows up to visit, Polaris pushes her out, and the well-meaning stalker falls down the apartment steps. Both Polaris and Jangalien flee the crime scene. They spend the afternoon at an amusement park before hiding at a hotel. With Polaris full of hopelessness, Jangalien prevents her from jumping off the hotel roof and the two embrace each other.
Ryo calls Rika, he tells her he has the house to himself but rejects Ryo. Rika starts to worry about Mr. Money, she leaves her place to go and meet him. Once there she confronts Mr. Money’s mother. He tells her that unhappy people do terrible things, and so Rika and Mr. Money spend the night together. The next day Jangalien is informed by the school chancellor, the father of his stalker, that she is well and has only sustained a mild concussion. Jangalien confesses to the chancellor that he has no feelings for his daughter and wishes to be left alone. Jangalien thinks it best he resigns due to his relationship with Polaris. In the meantime, the chancellor delays such action so not to cause harm to the school’s reputation. The next time Rika meets up with Polaris, Jangalien and Mr. Money they decide to light fireworks from the school roof, postponing their plan to collect gun powder and to bomb the school.
In Rika’s dreams, she sees Kako and Ryo on the school roof, she runs past through them, forward and goes for the high jump, a record-breaking jump over the bar. She lands safely in bed with Mr. Money. X-Day has been delayed, at least for now.
Topics: · The delay of X-Day (Using the fireworks as a cathartic release of celebration instead of blowing up the school) · Rika sleeps with Ryo. · Mr. Money and his abusive mother. · The “stalker” of the story being a plot device. · Is X-Day a coming of age story?
Instagram – weappreciatemanga.co.uk Twitter - @RealJamesFitton Website – Weappreciatemanga.com Email – Weappreciatemanga@gmail.com | |||
| 023 - X-Day vol. 1 | 13 Sep 2019 | 01:00:02 | |
Suicidal teens plan to blow up their school. EXPLICIT CONTENT
023: X-Day vol 1 (X-Day of her and the others / kanojo tachi no X-Day)
Art + Story/writer: Setona Mizushiro English Translation by: Shirley Kubo and Lisa Blank
Helplines:
UK SAMARITANS: 116 123
JAPAN: 03-5774-0992
USA SUICIDE PREVENTION: 1-800-273-8255
Synopsis:
Rika has begun her senior year of high and she is stressed out. She has lost her boyfriend along with her passion for track and field to the young Kako. Looking for a distraction she enters the chatroom of her high school website but becomes apprehensive when her words of jest are taken seriously. She finds herself in a conspiracy to destroy the school with Polaris, who is not seeing any sarcasm on the matter. Polaris decides to give out clues on where the others can find her next chatroom.
Following the clues, Rika determines that Polaris is referring to a constellation, she finds Polaris’ chatroom along with Mr. Money and Jangalien. Rika is given a warm welcome, especially by Polaris. She does however stay up all night, laughing and enjoying the time with them. Before they go to bed, they decide to give their phone details to one and another.
The next day, Rika receives a suicidal message from Polaris. She spots Polaris on the roof and messages Jangalien and Mr. Money before she runs up there. When Rika meets Polaris she finds her excuses to be minute but endless. Her favourite band breaking up, the watched that she loved broke, a fight with her dad, a girl laughing at her, the rush hour train etc etc.
Rika asks herself how can such small things hurt so much yet she understands Polaris and decides to jump off with her.
Jangalien and Mr Money arrive and interrupt the girls. Soon after they meet outside school hours to plot the school’s destruction. Although they reveal their true identities, they still refer to each other by their usernames, Rika’s username is 11. They each decide to get gunpowder by purchasing fireworks. They all have personal problems, Rika ends up developing feelings for Mr. Money, conscious that he’ll be a good distraction from her ex-boyfriend, Ryo, who is now showing abusive behaviour in the form of accidental text messages and blaming her for the break up. But Mr. Money is showing signs of post traumatic stress.
And Jangalien is the science teacher, his problem is the school chancellor’s daughter, who won’t leave him alone amidst false accusations that she’s engaged to him.
Rika sees that the gym teacher has a new favourite for track and field, the same girl who Ryo is dating. Rika turns to Mr. Money for comfort but feels rejected and blames herself for it. On the train home she meets her ex-boyfriend and the two confront each other about their feelings. Rika thinks of Mr. Money, but only for a fleeting moment as she kisses Ryo. Hoping to win Ryo’s love back from Kako.
Topics: · Romance · Polaris’ suicide attempt · Loss · Abusive relationships, manipulation and grooming tactics.
Pop culture references:
· Lolligoth and the Yami Kawaii aesthetic (Polaris) See Refinery 29's Yami Kawaii video for more: · Text Messages (SMS vs Email in japan) · Chatrooms + websites
Product Placement:
Marlboro cigarettes p29 Apple Laptop p59 | |||
| 022 - Battle Royale vol. 15 | 31 Aug 2019 | 00:52:58 | |
EXPLICIT CONTENT! The final volume to Battle Royale! We finished recording this run in October 2018. Listen as we recount the tropes used, the differences between the source material and the goal of the authors. Skip the synopsis @ minute 12:00 022: Battle Royale vol. 15 Art: Masayuki Taguchi Story: Koushun Takami Translation by Keith Giffen · Kiriyama’s death · Kawada’s betrayal · The authors …and their intentions with the book and handling violence
Differences between the Japanese and English translation:
(Note: the English Vol 1 was released in 2003, same year the Japanese vol 9 came out, both the English and Japanese runs ended in 2006)
'"It's a good story that Takami is telling", Giffen said. "What I do is go in and make bad scenes that much worse. I loved the movie of Battle Royale, and also love the manga. I just wanted to do it right. I wanted to do justice to it, and I knew I couldn't get away with doing a straight translation, because it would be horrifyingly bad."' – Keith Giffen
§ There isn't a reality TV show aspect § Sakura doesn't make any bets prior to the program § Izumi was at the reef before Kiriyama and the rest arrived. This means Kiriyama would have flipped the coin on meeting Kazumi and way before the others arrived. It also means there was no allusion to rape what-so-ever. § Originally Niida makes up excuses for his actions and isn't as psychotic as he is in the English version.
Basically, Keith Geifen makes it a lot darker than the comic needs to be.
Differences between other adaptations:
· Yonemi Kamon is an original character that replaces, Kinpatsu Sakamochi in the novel and Kitano in the movie. · In the movie, Kazuo Kiriyama is one of two transfer students, the other is Shogo Kawada. They are specially selected to take part in the Battle Royale program and have no prior relationship to the other students. · In the novel Soma is setting the campfires to cause confusion, until Kiriyama tracks her down and kills her. Then Kiriyama continues setting the smoke signals. · Kiriyama decides to take part in the Battle Royale before his gang arrives, having killed Izumi kanai before they arrive.
Pop culture references:
· “A star is born kiddies” Mirroring Soma’s line, a reference to the film ‘A Star is Born’.
· “News flash, Oz is a slum, the white knight’s a retard and the seven dwarfs gang rape pixies” – Shojo Kawada 1.) Frank L Baum’s The Wizard of Oz (Judy Garland movie, is Keith a fan?) 2.) White Knight: Medieval trope that is derived from myths of courtship and valour. It’s a very respectable title but common usage can be derogatory as of 2010. First records of anyone having the white knight title is the Fitzgibbon and Fitzgerald family of Ireland. Fitz-suffix meaning they were either raised by or were illegitimate sons (bastards). Modern culture shows we’ve given such titles to sports heroes. 3 lions are worn by the English soccer team, not soldiers! And Russian hockey player Evgeni 'Geno' Malkin is nicknamed ‘white knight’ according to Wikipedia.
3.) Snow White and the Seven dwarfs (Brothers Grimm story, famously Disney’s first feature length movie)
· Kawada calls Nanahara “Pollyanna” once again. 3x now!!! Based on the titular character of Eleanor H. Porter's novel.
Product placement:
· 7-Up (Soda-pop drink owned by Pepsi outside the U.S.) · Coca Cola (world famous caffeinated Soda-pop drink, originally marketed as an elixir) · SuperTrapp (motorcycles and gear retailer)
Notable Tropes:
· Tsundere (Takako Chigusa) · Playing Possum (Frogboy with the Kevlar vest) · Chi energy powers (Sugimura) · Femme Fatale (Mistuko Soma) · The determinator/implacable man (Kazuo Kiriyama) · The stoic (Kiriyama and Kawada) · Mind vs Heart paradigm a.k.a. the tin woodsman and scarecrow thesis (Nanahara and Kawada)
For a more comprehensive list visit the TV Tropes website.
Synopsis:
Mere days ago, 42 school students were marooned on an island, given random weapons and ordered to kill each other in a brutal game of death. Now only 4 remain… but that’s still 3 too many.
Nanahara, Noriko and Kawada team up to defeat Kazuo Kiriyama, the most dangerous competitor of the students. Nanahara makes the killing shot, as he watches Kiriyama die, Nanahara expresses regret and wishes that he could have saved him. Kiriyama’s final words being “I can feel again”.
Kawada takes Noriko and Nanahara to the end of the island by the edge of the cliff. He pulls his gun on both of them and wins the game.
He is escorted off the island by boat, he is not given any aid or chance to clean himself before Mr. Kamon enters the cabin to question him. Kamon suspects Kawada for faking the death of Noriko and Nanahara, his evidence to support this suspicion is that documents about the explosive collars and the chosen class were hacked into before the game began. he tells Kawada that helicopters are flooding the island with poison as they speak and pulls a gun on Kawada.
Mr. Kamon is distracted due to Nanahara’s ambush on the boat. Kawada kills Kamon with a pencil to the neck. He goes onto the upper deck where he finds Nanahara and Noriko have kept the guards subdued and tied down. When one guard breaks loose he attacks Kawada but Nanahara takes the bullet as Kawada shoots the guard’s hand off. Nanahara is protected by the Kevlar vest he took from Kiriyama. The 3 send the guards into a dingy and cut them loose.
As Kawada teaches Nanahara how to control the ship he succumbs to the sustained gunshot wound from Kiriyama. Kawada dies on the ship.
Both Noriko and Nanahara become wanted criminals during the Christmas holidays. They discover Kawada’s plan was to die in that game but rescue Shinji Mimura, in doing so they would declare war on the program. Mimura’s aunt is kind enough to secure a boat to the U.S. for Nanahara and Noriko but before they leave Nanahara spies on Miss Ryoko to see if she is safe and Noriko calls her mother. The two make their peace with the students they fought and start a new life in the U.S.
The End.
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| 021 - Battle Royale vol. 14 | 23 Aug 2019 | 00:56:05 | |
We talk about Kiriyama's synaesthesia and that car chase! Skip synopsis @ 11:00
021: Battle Royale vol. 15
Art by Masauki Taguchi Story by Koushun Takami Translation by Keith Giffen
Topics:
· Kiriyama has synaesthesia…And can choose to feel emotion, but prefers to distract himself and numb himself from the pain. “I hear Rubi crying, red face and crying red” · The Car chase · Taking out the windows · Dopey “Wire-Fu” · Kiriyama’s backstory
Pop culture references:
· Elvis · Pollyanna
Synopsis:
The penultimate volume involves Kawada, Nanahara and Noriko fighting for their lives against Kazuo Kiriyama, the one student who has killed the majority of the class.
After speaking about where they should flee to, the characters are soon alerted by Kiriyama’s presence once the announcement of Sugimura’s death is made. Kawada realises that Kiriyama will arrive at any second, following the smoke trail and bird signals meant for Sugimura. Kawada’s makeshift alarm is triggered and the chase begins.
The chase leads them using cars to rush through the island. Kawada is driving the heavier vehicle and decides to use it to ram into a head on collision with Kiriyama along with suppressive gunfire to take out his tires, a la a game of chicken. They use their remaining rounds of ammo to blow up Kiriyama’s car.
Kiriyama survives, having bailed out of the car before the crash and explosion. He finds another car and the chase continues, this time taking them through the site where Mimura died and finally to the site where Kiriyama first ambushed them.
Kawada uses this place to get hold of the shotgun. He uses it to get a surprise attack on Kiriyama, sending his car flying and shooting Kiriyama mid-air.
Noriko and Nanahara walk away from their car. Noriko spots something glistening in the sun as Nanahara speaks to Kawada. Kawada is shot. Kiriyama rises from a prone position with a damaged Kevlar vest showing under his torn shirt. Noriko shoots Kiriyama in the cheek with the gun she found, it shocks him, a sensation of bright colours has him feeling rage at Noriko. He remembers how his life was like before everything felt grey to him. A child prodigy, amazingly gifted with everything, including a kind and compassionate personality. Until a car crash gave him brain damage that is.
As Kiriyama retaliates Nanahara remembers the dart that Sugimura crafted for him and he uses this on Kiriyama to stop him once and for all. Sugimura’s spirit is with him through this moment. The spirit to protect the one you love.
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| 020 - Battle Royale vol. 13 | 23 Aug 2019 | 00:48:22 | |
Battle Royale vol. 13
Art by Masauki Taguchi Story by Koushun Takami Translation by Keith Giffen Talking about Kiriyama vs Soma! And bout our arguments with the opposite sex, plus stalkers! You can skip the synopsis @ minute 4:00 Topics:
· Kiriyama vs Soma (Soma’s death) · Keiko and Kawada’s argument (arguments with the opposite sex) · Stalkers
Pop culture references and idioms:
Natural Born Killers (A movie directed by Oliver Stone, starring woody Harrelson and Juliet Lewis. The story is by Quentin Tarantino and is considered a controversial movie.
(ICN Neural network medical journal) A phenomenon, whereby a personality change happens after transplant.
“One scoop of raisins in cornflakes”.
“I use to believe the brain was the most important organ” – Emo Phillips (comedian)
Synopsis:
The deadliest contestants, Kazuo Kiriyama and Mitsuko finally stand-off. Kiriyama throws glass at her, blinding her before he shoots her shoulder. Out of desperation she strips naked and resorts to goading him into rape, Kiriyama fails to be seduced by Soma’s beautiful looks and shows no signs of a sadistic joy.
Soma reverts to her child personality, she grabs a Gatchapon ring; an old gift from her father and begs for pity.
Soma is relieved as she watches Kiriyama lower his gun. The gun slips out of Kiriyama’s hand, he’s able to catch it with his other and blasts Soma point blank. Destroying her beautiful face. In her final moment she thinks of her real father, who was forced to leave her whilst she was young.
Kawada talks to Noriko and Nanahara about the former love of his live, Keiko. He reveals to them that he would have been the “kiriyama” of the last game, he was playing the game for Keiko and would kill for her.
Before this game, Keiko and Kawada witness a family being arrested whilst on a date. This prompts them to have another argument about Kawada’s cynicism, a reliance on logical explanation in spite of a lack of sympathy and sensitivity in comparison to Keiko. Keiko becomes upsets, she leaves kawada and takes Kawada’s gift with her, a bird call whistle. The same whistle he’s using now to call to Sugimura.
During their own Battle Royale, Kawada becomes an effective killer, He finds Keiko held captive at gunpoint by her stalker, Nakata. Nakata tells Kawada on the day of the argument that Keiko would run errands that evening, her eyes still red from crying. Kawada distracts Nakata, telling him the safety switch to his gun is on before he kills him and saves Keiko.
Keiko questions on how he is playing the game and raises the gun towards him. Kawada draws his gun at Keiko and retaliates. After Keiko is shot he senses the last contestant is behind him, and realises that Keiko was trying to protect him from her. The two trade shots resulting in Kawada being the only survivor of the game.
Through Kawada’s long and arduous recovery of losing his father and girlfriend he finds out a package was delivered to his home. It was Keiko’s bird call. Kawada uses the bird call for the sake of Sugimura after Noriko tells him not to feel guilty about Keiko’s death. He chooses to honour Keiko’s memory and the love she always had for him. Unbeknownst to Noriko, Nanahara and Kawada is that Kiriyama is drawn to the bird call.
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| 019 - Battle Royale vol. 12 | 16 Aug 2019 | 00:45:31 | |
Battle Royale vol. 12
Art: Masayuki Taguchi Story/writer: Koushun Takami
English Translation by Keith Giffen
WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT! Kiriyama is "Donald Trump with a semi-automatic" Real talk on the "flow", rolling with the punches and how it can save your life.
Topics:
· Sugimura’s mortality · Indirect dialogue as a story telling technique · Flow and how it can save your life.
Firsts:
Kiriyama has a conversation with a fellow competitor, not done since vol 2.
Pop culture references:
· “Donald Trump with a semi-automatic” Nanahara describing Kiriyama
· Serial Killers, Ted Bundy and Ed Gein
Synopsis:
Sugimura is in the middle of the fight for both his life and the woman he loves, Kayako. How can a man win against someone who is already dead on the inside? How do you fight someone who does not feel pity, remorse, frustration or fear? Sugimura must find answers to these questions if he is to defeat his enemy, Kazuo Kiriyama. A hard task when Kiriyama observes that Sugimura is having the flight or fight instinct kick in. An adrenaline rush has Sugimura vomit but the fight is evened out when Kayako threatens Kiriyama.
Sugimura harnesses the power of chi and enters a flow state, Kiriyama mimics Sugimura’s power and launches him into a tree. As the fight continues Sugimura is launched further, a brutal blow landed from behind. Kiriyama picks his gun up and attempts to kill Kayako only for gunfire to hail down on him. Sugimura literally allowed himself to go with the flow and roll with the punches, so that Kiriyama would launch him far enough to the machine gun that was previously dropped.
Kayako runs to Sugimura and in this moment, he confesses his love to her. Kiriyama creeps up on them. Sugimura is late to realise that Kiriyama acquired body armour before the fight.
Immediately Sugimura regrets confessing his love as Kayako chooses to die by his side. He watches her die and Sugimura dies soon after.
Later that day, Mitsuko Soma finds a house to wash herself and masturbates in the lounge. Kiriyama is in the neighbouring house and suturing a gunshot wound he sustained during Sugimura’s fight.
The remaining contestants, Noriko, Nanahara and Kawada stay together and brace themselves for what’s to come. Kawada draws a Rorschach test consisting of Kanji symbols and philosophises on the nature of evil. He deduces that Soma became sick and would laugh at the test but Kiriyama is different, a sociopath that does not laugh. He hopes that the gunshots he heard was a fight between Soma and Kiriyama. But he also believes that Kiriyama will kill Soma and Sugimura.
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| 018 - Battle Royale vol. 11 | 16 Aug 2019 | 00:45:16 | |
Battle Royale vol. 11
By Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi With English translation by Keith Giffen
WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT!
It starts looking like Rocky with a slice of Dragonball in here.
Topics:
· The art work and use of tone.
· The pacing of the entire volume (like Stallone’s Rocky)
· Kiriyama vs Sugimura
· Kayako’s broken family life.
Pop culture references:
· Dragonball z – Kayako mentions it when describing the energy she emits, “Chi energy”
Synopsis:
The announcement of 7 students recently killed during the program motivates Sugimura to find and protect Kayako. Between his martial arts classes, Sugimura would watch Kayako perform her flower arranging and it was during this time he found her attractive. Only later did he develop loving feelings towards her, when he took a stray kitten into class. Sugimura struggled to take care of the kitten until Kayako noticed, she helped him nurse the kitten and gave him advice. Kayako herself reveals that she was afraid of him, due to hearing the noise from his martial arts class, one room above her flower arranging class. Seeing his sensitive and compassionate side had changed that.
Now Kayako is a victim of the Battle Royale as is Sugimura and although he successfully finds Kayako it is obvious that she is frightened. In a display of trust, Sugimura throws down his gear and weapons. He tells her about the cat, the name he gave it, which was in her honour and the books he read so to help it, as she suggested. Kayako puts down her gun and the two team up.
Sugimura tells Kayako about their fellow students, Kawada’s plan to escape their prison island and the need to join him and his group with Noriko and Nanahara. Sugimura also talks about the dangers they face. About his encounters with Mitsuko Soma and Kazuo Kiriyama as well as the skills he has to protect her. And although Sugimura does have skill, he lacks resolve.
He speaks of one occasion where during a gym class, the judo teacher would bully him and demand a demonstration since he was not Sugimura’s personal sensei. The class could see that Sugimura did not have the resolve to fight back. And when one of the intelligent students humiliates the teacher, this vexes him enough to pick on more students. Including the mild mannered Kiriyama, who not only had the resolve and disregard to fight back but did so with the help from only reading a manual. Sugimura does not tell what happened next so not to frighten Kayako, although it became school rumour. Kiriyama went for the eye and went on to mutilate and cripple this teacher in front of the class.
Kayako demonstrates her ability to harness taichigong energy, long thought to be the stuff of fiction and martial art myth. She remains trustful to Sugimura even if Sugimura has never explained why he’s risking his life for her. Sugimura reasons that it would be best to confess his feelings for her sooner than later. The moment is wasted however as Kayako spots Kiriyama on the offensive.
Sugimura and Kiriyama begin their fight to the death. Sugiumura uses his dart to disarm Kiriyama of his guns and goes for the chi powered strike he used in their first encounter. This time it fails, as Kiriyama uses his own chi to blast Sugimura’s hand away.
Kiriyama becomes offensive, getting an eye poke on Sugimura’s right. Sugimura starts to anticipate the next moves and counter attacks. Kiriyama responds by being defensive. Which sends Sugimura into a panic and gets his fingers inexplicably cut off. During Sugimura’s wandering thoughts Kiriyama picked up the dart. He throws it at Sugimura’s good eye.
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| 017 - Battle Royale vol. 10 | 09 Aug 2019 | 00:54:48 | |
017: Battle Royale vol. 10
By Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi With English translation by Keith Giffen
Schoolkids are forced to fight to the death until only one survives. 35 down, 6 to go!
Skip to the synopsis @14:20 contact us at WeAppreciateManga@gmail.com
Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury Podcast created by Jim Fitton and Steven Gorton.
Topics:
· Stream of conscious narrative done right! · Lighthouse aftermath · Nanahara’s Reunion · Mental illness (PTSD, suicide, survivor guilt, schizophrenia)
Pop culture references:
· Demon on TV in the style of Go Nagai / Toshio Maeda · Dungeons and Dragons Sourcebook 2 (monster manual) D&D fan
Adaptation differences:
In the manga Inada worships the “Trinity” (Peliphon, Meodius and Lucien) most likely derived from ‘Dungeons and Dragons’. In the original novel she is Monotheistic, and worships Ahura Mazda (derived from ancient Iranian religion Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism, derived from Avestan word for wisdom)
Synopsis:
The most optimistic of the student contestants, Shuya Nanahara is nursed back to health by Utsumi’s gang of girls. When a bowl of soup meant for Nanahara is poisoned it breeds mistrust in them, resulting in a massacre. Nanahara survives by being locked in the upstairs bedroom of the lighthouse. The girl who is responsible for the poisoning is Yuko Sakaki.
None understand Yuko Sakaki more so than her parents. At home her mother looks at her photo album, the father is watching TV in the hope of seeing his daughter survive. When a horror movie appears on TV he switches it off. A force of habit due to Yuko’s nervous nature and belief in the devil. Her parents have had to deal with Yuko’s trauma of seeing boys fight in her class, knowing that she is now in a genocidal program has forced their denial to turn to grief.
With 9 contestants left, Nanahara makes his way downstairs and confronts the paranoid and frightened Yuko Sakaki. She runs off upstairs to escape Nanahara, stopping to fire at him. Whilst at the top the recoil of her gun causes her to fall. Nanahara rescues Sakaki before she experiences an epithany. Having believed that Nanahara was a demon, she realises that her inner demons, her paranoia, have caused her to hurt the ones she loves. She jumps from the lighthouse, choosing suicide.
After giving the recently passed girls at the lighthouse their dues, Nanahara leaves to search for Noriko and Kawada. He meets Izuno Inada, he can’t save her, she is delirious and is playing the game on her own private terms. Nanahara manages to flee but Inada’s paranoid schizophrenia has her now worshipping a god.
Nanahara travels through the woods and recalls all the people he has seen die. His survivor guilt takes its toll when he comes across the bodies of Keita Ijima, Yutaka and Mimura. He learns of the fight with Kiriyama, the microphones in the collars, the bomb that was made and the confidence that Yutaka gained in the end.
When Nanahara finally meets Noriko and Kawada he sees that the 3 of them are all they have to rely on. Noriko who so loves Nanahara has drawn a sketch of him in his absence. Meanwhile Izuno Inada has stripped down to her underwear and has made a sigil for her god, a deluded belief that it will protect her from all harm and bestow divination on her. Waiting for her prayers to be answered, Kazuo Kiriyama comes forth and provides a bullet to her thoughts.
35 down, 6 to go.
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| 124 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time vol. 2 | 07 Oct 2023 | 00:37:23 | |
James and Steven discuss the concluding adult arc of the manga, breaking it down using Joseph Campbell’s monomyth template. And even speak of the bonus skull kid chapters, which separate from the full story also acts as a good rendition of the hero’s journey formula. Skip synopsis @ 5:14
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
124: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time vol. 2 Story and Art by Akira Himekawa Based upon the work of Yoshiaki Koizuma, Tôru Ôsawa, Kensuke Tanabe, Yusuke Nakano and Shigeru Miyamoto Translation by Jon Werry and Steven Brown Lettering by John Hunt
Synopsis:
Previously the young Link used the Ocarina of Time gifted to him by Zelda to unlock the temple of time. In doing so he sees the legendary master sword, and just like Arthurian legend, Link is worthy to wield it, although there is a twist in that Link is only worthy to wield it as an adult, hence forth he falls under a sleepy spell within the sanctum of the temple only to awake as an adult. Raul (or Rauru depending on the translation you read) greets him. Raul is the spirit of the sagely owl that has watched over the young Link and appears to him in spirit as an elderly man. He tells Link that the world is a harsh place now since Ganondorf rules but hope exists so long as Link finds the remaining six sages who can banish Ganondorf.
On this quest Link revisits places he travelled to as a child all whilst being tracked down by the sentient shadow of Ganondorf. He finds that the children of the Kokiri forest do not age nor do they recognise Link. The baby dragon he once fostered has become the beastly creature Volvagia, an agent of evil. The young girls he met are now women looking for suitors but one thing is different. Sheik, a mysterious man who helps Link turns out to be the one who is working for Ganondorf and so seemingly betrays Link.
Through being captured Link can find the final sage and free her mind from Twinrova, the soothsaying witch who works for Ganondorf. This brings Twinrova out from the shadows and Sheik shows their true allegiance by attacking the witch. We learn that Sheik is cloaked in a magical spell and is in fact the princess Zelda in disguise. After Zelda reveals herself to Link Gandorf captures Zelda. And so, the final battle between Link and Ganondorf commences, but this time Link has the sages on his side.
In the end Link puts an end to Ganandorf's reign. But heroes are not needed in peace time and Zelda decides to deal with the consequences alone. Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his childhood, back to the moment before he touched the master sword and before he first met Zelda. Although Link may not look it, he has changed, branded by the experience it is now with a younger Zelda that he may find a better way to save Hyrule.
Topics:
· The symbolism and archetypes of Zelda. · The refusal of the call, how it is often ignored in some stories and how it is a player’s choice in terms of videogames. · women representing the final test for boyhood to manhood, winning the boon of love. And what it means to be an adult. · the skull kid chapters and the monomyth... the forest is the belly of the beast, the heart of hell. Whilst skull kid is what link may become but he is also the supernatural aid to link. link must prove his worth to his tribe. · The time travel aspect, the refusal to return.
· Setting up the stakes in the adult arc later rather than earlier, and the effects that has on a plot. · Why the volvagia fight is not set up very well, relying on flashback. · OsamuTezuka's ideology is used by Akira Himekawa. This being that any single image in a manga must be striking and be able to stand on its own, this is true but it can be negated if the page itself does not stand on its own. The page must have panels that flow cohesively and be easy to read or else the images look ugly and clash no matter how good a single panel is.
Differences and references to the game:
· The Baga tree is an original character to the manga. · The fairy Goddess does not make an appearance in the manga. · In the game Link never rides Epona as a small pony, where as in the manga he does. · The Skull Kid gets his mask from Link as he does in the game however in the manga the mask is home made and cut from the wood of the Deku tree. Unlike the game where Link (in a side quest of course) becomes a vendor for the mask merchant. · The chapter that involves Link and a disguised Zelda playing in the Hyrulean square is filled with easter egg sightings of references to the game, be it the Bombchus and the mask shop. · Unlike the videogame, Ganondorf appears aged during the climax as he fights adult Link. His hair is no longer red and short but thin, long, and white. · Link never wears an ear ring in the videogame, however the promotional illustrations by Yusuke Nakano shows him wearing an ear ring, the manga elaborates on this as a gift from Impa. Ear rings was also fashionable amongst young men and boys in the 1990’s. · The sword technique that Link uses to defeat the shadow is the spin attack. In the game Link has two version of this attack, one being accessible only as an adult.
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| 016 - Battle Royale vol. 9 | 09 Aug 2019 | 00:44:14 | |
016: Battle Royale vol. 9
By Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi With English translation by Keith Giffen
Someone plays dead and schoolkids drop like flies.
Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury Podcast created by Jim Fitton and Steven Gorton.
Topics :
· Who is Kayako? · Kazuo Kiriyama · Narrative storytelling technique in this volume, a stream of consciousness a la James Joyce’s Ullyses.
Pop culture references:
Superman / Krypton (Sugimura suspects that “Froggy” has body armour)
Synopsis:
The program continues when Sugimura finds the dead body of Hirono via his tracking device. He continues to look for Kayako only to encounter Yoshitori Oda, a.k.a. Frogboy. Kiriyama breaks up the two, he fires at Yoshi and scares off Sugimura. Yoshi plays dead thanks to the use of his body armour. He cries out in the hopes that Kiriyama can come close enough so that he can make a surprise attack. Kiriyama isn’t fooled. With his machine gun he evasively ducks down and disembowels Yoshi from his groin.
Having previously survived an encounter with Kazuo Kiriyama, Shuya Nanahara is guided by a vision of his recently departed friends. He shortly wakes up realising he’s been nursed by Yukio Utsumi. Utsumi has set up a group of 6 girls with plans to defeat the program. Chisato Matsui, Haruka Tanizawa, Yuka Sakaki, and Satomi Noda. They have taken fort at the island’s light house. However, one girl, Yuko Sakaki, is scared of Nanahara, she is paranoid and deluded enough to believe him to be the devil incarnate. Utsumi locks Nanahara in the bedroom with the promise that she’ll free him once he gains all of the girl’s trust.
Sakaki poisons Nanahara’s food but her go awry when the boisterous Yuka insists on serving the food and tries some for herself. Yuka dies prompting the group into a panic. Satomi takes dominance and holds every one hostage whilst demanding the killer to reveal them self. The cook, Chisato, eventually gets a gun and holds up Satomi only for Satomi to shoot her. In defense of Chisato and the others, Utsumi retaliates and the entire gunfight ends with only one survivor, the person who incidentally started it, Sakaki.
Nanahara breaks out of the bedroom having injured his arm, believing that it is Kiriyama who is responsible for the gunfight.
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| 015 - Battle Royale vol. 8 | 09 Aug 2019 | 00:46:35 | |
015: Battle Royale vol. 8 By Koushun Takami and Masayuki Takaguchi
School kids are forced to kill each other until only one survives! We talk about rape and child abuse on this episode. For your convenience we’ve provided the following helplines:
UK SAMARITANS: 116 123
JAPAN: 03-5774-0992
USA SUICIDE PREVENTION: 1-800-273-8255
USA NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT HOTLINE 800 - 656 - HOPE (4673)
We talk about the following topics on this episode:
· NOTE* TRIGGER WARNING – rape + child abuse (as we talk about Mitsuko Souma) · Jamie Walton’s work on the Wayne Foundation, a non-profit organisation made to protect the young from sex exploitation. You can listen to her interview with Kevin Smith on his following podcast. And you can visit the Wayne Foundation website if you want to see more. · Using expressionism and surrealism in manga to appropriately censor, but also horrify. · The optimistic characters in Battle Royale, are they realistic or unreal? · Opposites attract and the femme fatale trope.
POP CULTURE REFERENCES: “A star is born” A 1937 film, Esther Blodgett is the titular star, who falls for a self-destructive man. Remade with Judy garland and once again in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and another time in 2018 with Lady Gaga.
The following is a plot synopsis of Volume 8:
Since the Battle Royale program began the majority of students have been killed. The strongest competitors being Kazuo Kiriyama and Mitsuko Soma. Soma encounters Hiroki Sugimura who is fully aware of Soma having killed his best friend, Takako Chigusa. Soma fails to seduce Sugimura and instead toys with his peaceful and pacifistic nature, buying enough time to distract Sugimura and flee.
Soma’s next encounter involves two boys, Tadakatsu Hatagami and YuichiroTakiguchi. Despite one being an anime geek and the other a sports lover, the two boys are best friends and have developed a trusting relationship throughout the Battle Royale. Soma’s plan is to divide these two whilst she’s caught in their custody. Yuichiro is the more trusting of the two and whilst Katsu naps, he loosens her cuffs and in turn Soma develops a genuine sense of intimacy with the charming Yuichiro.
Katsu wakes from his nap and decides to switch places with Yuichiro so to watch over Soma. She quickly plays on Katsu’s jealousy of Yuichiro and eventually she works up the sexual tension to get his guard down. She lures him into having sex and before she can get out a hidden razor blade, a cat jumps out of the bushes foiling her attempt. She doesn’t kill Katsu, but merely cuts his cheek.
Yuichiro wakes up confused, Katsu tells the truth but Soma tells Yuichiro that she was raped. In a demand for trust, Yuichiro asks for his gun back and Katsu is willing to give it, that’s until he spots Soma glancing at her sickle. Katsu does not hesitate and fires his gun at Soma. Yuichiro gets in the way of the bullet. This makes Katsu distraught and Soma uses this moment to grab the sickle and kill Katsu.
Soma switches her behaviour from killing Yuichiro to feeling guilty about his bullet wound. The guilt overwhelms her and in an act of pity she promptly rapes him. Yuichiro is bewildered and in pain yet he notices something about Soma’s mood swings and the look in her eyes. There are two Mitsuko Soma’s. A past trauma she endured has resulted in her having split personalities. Soma, or the cold and calculating Soma, eventually kills Yuichiro and proceeds to her next target.
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| 014 - Battle Royale vol. 7 | 09 Aug 2019 | 00:47:36 | |
014: Battle Royale Vol. 7 All about trust issues and having fake friends. Mimura fights Kiriyama. You can contact us at WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury Podcast created by Jim Fitton and Steven Gorton.
TOPICS: · Kiriyama vs Mimura · The arcade fight. · Coke being synonymous for Cola. · Trust issues, and times we were sold out by fake friends.
POP CULTURE REFERENCES: Ella Fitzegerald sings Gershwin “Deny yourself satisfaction in the act, yearn for more.” Geroge Gershwin – Blue rhapsody, and American in paris 1920’s to 30’s died before the age of 40
The following is a plot synopsis of Battle Royale vol. 7:
In the middle of their game of death, Shinji Mimura and Yutaka set out to bomb Mr. Kamon and the rest of their government sanctioned captors. Quickly they become distracted when they bump into Keita. Mimura finds it hard to trust Keita due to his petty and cowardly sensibilities. Mimura once beat Keita at an arcade game only to be left to fend for himself against bullies without Keita around to help him. Mimura decides not to allow Keita to follow them, firing his gun in order to threaten him. Keita begs Mimura, and failing that he turns on Yutaka. Keita berates and mocks Yutaka yet becomes scared and desperate when Mimura makes his decision final. As Keita approaches Mimura fires a second round, this time killing Keita. Yutaka is upset that Mimura would kill someone who is defenceless, Yutaka’s faith in Mimura is questioned and Mimura’s inability to trust others is addressed. Mimura apologises and explains that killing Keita was an accident, in a show of trust he gives his gun to Yutaka and tearfully submits to the mercy and forgiveness of him. Yutaka forgives Mimura and gives back the gun. Mimura’s catharsis does not last long when a hail of gunfire swarms the two of them. Mimura survives, leaving Yutaka dead. Mimura is disembowelled from the gunfire and thus he changes his plan to avenge Yutaka’s death before he himself dies. He succeeds in setting off the explosion in order to kill his pursuer and proudly announces how he came close to landing a coup de ’tat. He claims he would have succeeded if not for Kiriyama playing the game. This is enough to unnerve Mr. Kamon, who has been monitoring the game from the beginning yet failed to notice Mimura’s plan. Students across the island notice the explosion and remain in awe. Kiriyama survives the explosion by hiding in a nearby car and shoots at Mimura from behind, emptying his machine gun. Mimura aims for one last shot at Kiriyama , intercepting him before he can reload. Sadly, Mimura dies as Kiriyama switches to a handgun. The morning after, we see Sugimura craft darts for the recuperating Nanahara, both having survived an encounter with Kiriyama that previous night. Sugimura leaves the sleeping Nanahara to find Kayako.
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| 013 - Battle Royale vol. 6 | 27 Jul 2019 | 00:43:05 | |
013: Battle Royale vol. 6 On this episode we talk about the following topics: · Nanahara as a framing device (why is he everywhere!?)
· Kiriyama’s attack on the Nanahara gang
· Kiriyama vs Sugimura
· Nanahara’s philosophy – You win and we all lose, Kiriyama is a waste according to Nanahara and so raises the question if Kiriyama’s life would have any meaning if he survived or not.
· Life/Real talk – Yutaka and Mimura’s relationship stress
We now accept mail! Contact weappreciatemanga@gmail.com You can also find us online at our social media pages including Instagram, Facebook and our website. www.weappreciatemanga.com | |||
| 012 - Battle Royale vol. 5 | 26 Jul 2019 | 00:35:02 | |
012 Battle Royale vol. 5 The chapter begins with Yutaka in a street fight. Mimura saves him from the attack and the two become friends. When Mimura questions Yutaka he finds that his fight was made so to protect a stray dog from bullies. The two decide on working together to help the dog find a home. Fast forward to their Battle Royale and they are still working together. This time making a bomb with the intentions to attack their captors and escape the Battle Royale program. Since the game began Sho Tsukioka has been spying on Kiriyama. Sho is waiting until he is strong enough to win the end game. However, he struggles to keep up with Kiriyama since they are loitering in a soon to be no man’s land. Meanwhile Noriko wakes up from her fever dream. Hirono is dehydrated after being shot by Nori. Eventually she finds a well only to be pushed down it. Her attacker having played dead thanks to his body armour. Mimura appreciation: · Dale Carnegie's 'How to win friends and influence people' · Positive reinforcement and apologies. · Mimura can fight? We also talk about the importance of having a mental/psychological crutch for when times get tough. Product Placement in the manga includes Audi Volkswagon and Party/Helium Spray | |||
| 011 - Battle Royale vol. 4 | 19 Jul 2019 | 00:42:47 | |
010: Battle Royale Vol. 4 We apologise in advance for the foul language! Sound issues, so please give yourself a moment to adjust to the audio. The topics: · Are there women like Chigusa? The character is an example of the sexist “resting bitch face” trope. · The clever use of Flashbacks throughout ‘Battle Royale’ and how they are used to quickly build sympathy, especially with characters who we only spend a short time with. · Kaori’s mental illness. · Sugimura. · Kawada’s empathy skills. · Pop culture references - Bruce Lee -Sugimura’s nose tap and toy.
The following is a synopsis of the plot: As part of the Battle Royale, a young woman, Chigusa, is caught in a fight with the misogynistic Nida. His plan being to batter her into submission before he can rape and kill her. Chigusa, remembering something that her friend once said, gains the spirit to fight back and kill Nida. Not long after this she is shot by Mitsuko Soma. She lives long enough to see her friend, Sugimura and warn him about Soma. The two confess their love for each other. Meanwhile Noriko gets a fever from a bullet wound, this prompts Nanahara to take the risky option of carrying her to an infirmary, much to the chagrin of Kawada who prefers to wait it out. Nanahara hides Noriko as he tries to break up a gun fight between Kaori and Shimizu. Kaori is an avid fan of a pop idol known as Junya Kanzaki. Under complete stress, Kaori’s idol and ill-equipped totem no longer act as a coping mechanism, instead they fuel her paranoid schizophrenia. She shoots at Shimizu, scaring her off. Nanahara is saved by Kawada, who arrives in time to shoot and Kill Kaori. During this time Mimura finds out that the explosive collars that the students wear are bugged with microphones. He once again proceeds to hack into their oppressor’s system, this time with a USB device given to him at his uncle’s funeral. Kawada treats Noriko at the infirmary yet once given time to rest she starts to eavesdrop on Nanahara and Kawada. Both the young men count their amenities, Nanahara more so since he watched his best friend, Nobu, die. Noriko mourns the loss of Nobu when she hears that he had feelings for her. She watches the sunset and hopes her romantic feelings towards Nanahara are not in vain now that her life depends on it. | |||
| 010 - Battle Royale vol. 3 | 19 Jul 2019 | 00:41:05 | |
James’ audio is peaking in this episode, a reason for this, as well the foul language, is that the Battle Royale run of the podcast was the first recorded episodes. We talk about the following subjects: · Kawada, and the fact that he has the misfortune of being in two separate Battle Royales. · Mistuko Soma’s shocking practice of pimping her friends out to lecherous men, and what her motive may have been. · The toxic masculinity of Yoji, how he struggles with his sexuality alongside his girlfriend.
We hope that talking about such subjects would be a way of bringing context to a real-life trauma or abusive relationship. Our intention isn’t to trigger but to validate those very real feelings. In any case if the subjects we spoke about in this episode was upsetting please consider the following helplines which were accurate as of the date of the upload:
UNITED KINGDOM SAMARITANS: 116 123
JAPAN TELL LINE: 03-5774-0992
USA SUICIDE PREVENTION: 1-800-273-8255
The following is a synopsis: Minutes after the death of Yumiko and Yukiko, Kawada explains to Nanahara and Noriko how he has played the game previously, and that he is unfortunate to have this as his second run. He explains how easy it is for anyone to lose themselves in the game as he has done previously, but he also shares the sentiment that Yumiko and Yukiko died as heroes. Thus, establishing that being a hero and being alive are separate issues regardless of what is right and wrong. Yutaka Sato runs into Shinji Mimura, they team up together in the hopes of dismantling their collars. Mimura has set up a laptop with a phone connection in order to do this. He explains how his uncle taught him everything he knew, about basketball, women and hacking. Mr. Kamon and his soldiers are hearing the conversations that the students are having, in the process he raises a hypothetical bet on who would win the Battle Royale. The obvious being Kiriyama, the martial artist Sugimura, Soma and possibly Mimura. Meanwhile Yoshimi Yahagi meets her boyfriend and lover, Yoji. She is grateful that this is Yoji and not Soma, since Yahagi is bitter towards Soma due to being pimped out for sex. Yoji is not the first to have sex with Yahagi and so she is ashamed of that fact. Yoji himself, being young as he is, has a hard time reconciling with Yahagi’s past sexual experience. Yoji threatens Yahagi but she stands unafraid and eventually empathises with Yoji, knowing that he is afraid, she finds solace with Yoji killing her. Until Soma kills Yoji, Yahagi is enraged. Soma explains that she saved her from him and should be grateful. She explains that his behaviour was like all men. Yahagi protests but Soma does not care. She kills Yahagi with a shot to the head. Yutaka fantasises with the idea that Mimura could team up with Nanahara and Sugimura. The possibility is quickly stripped away when Mimura’s plan for the coup is hindered. His laptop connection is terminated. Mr. Kamon has intercepted the signal and decides to inform the authorities and see to Mimura’s Uncle. During this time Sugimura is racing through the island looking for someone, wishing he gets to them before someone else. Throughout the distance covered he hasn’t once killed anyone. | |||
| 009 - Battle Royale vol. 2 | 13 Jul 2019 | 01:08:33 | |
Schoolkids are forced to fight to the death until only one survives. Battle Royale is an explicit Manga, for adults only. Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury | |||
| 008 - Battle Royale vol. 1 | 13 Jul 2019 | 01:10:32 | |
Schoolkids are forced to fight to the death until only one survives. WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT THROUGHOUT | |||
| 007 - A Silent Voice vol. 7 | 28 Jun 2019 | 00:56:01 | |
The final volume of A SIlent Voice (a.k.a. Koe no Katachi) Author Yoshitoki Oima nails the landing on this poignant coming of age drama. | |||
| 123 - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time vol. 1 | 30 Sep 2023 | 00:35:31 | |
The seminal videogame was given the manga treatment in 1999, a lot has changed since then, yet it tells an ancient form of myth that permeates all cultures and spurs on our talk today.
Skip synopsis @ 6:52
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
123: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Story and Art by Akira Himekawa Based upon the work of Yoshiaki Koizuma, Tôru Ôsawa, Kensuke Tanabe, Yusuke Nakano and Shigeru Miyamoto Translation by John Werry, Honkyaku Center inc. and Steven “Stan!” Brown Lettering by John Hunt
A young boy by the name of Link lives in the elusive kokiri forest, he feels himself to be not like the other elf like inhabitants of his home. At a certain age the Kokiri receive a guardian fairy yet link is often bullied for not having one. It is only when the tribe leader and elder of the forest falls ill that he sends the fairy Navi to Link. Link heeds the call of Navi so to help the leader of his tribe, the great Deku tree.
Although Link defeats the monster residing within the Deku tree, he is unable to save the tree’s life. Before it withers, Link is given one of three sacred stones, the stone of
He is also told that the nightmares that plague him are visions of an impending doom and that an evil force has made its move by successfully attacking the Deku tree. Link is also told that he is born of Hylian parents, that he must go to his people and warn the princess of Hyrule, Princess Zelda. And so, Link is given a sword from his former bully, and carves a wooden shield from the remains of the Deku Tree before he sets out on his journey.
Zelda tends to enjoy the company of her subjects by disguising herself as a commoner. She finds Link and sees he is not accustomed to the hustle and bustle of a town square, but they depart when shady types seek out and try to harm the girl, in her haste she drops an ocarina. Eventually Link trespasses on royal grounds and discovers that the girl whom befriended him earlier is in fact Zelda. Link returns the Ocarina that Zelda left behind and she explains to Link how the ocarina is a valuable heirloom.
She tells Link of the nefarious Ganandorf, leader of the Gerudo, who she suspects of conspiracy against her father, the king. She sends Link on a journey to find other sacred stones. If Link succeeds then he will fulfil the prophecy of unlocking the temple of time, and with Zelda's help he will become the hero of time. She also explains the Triforce to Link, three magical relics that allows who ever touches them to recreate the world so that it reflects their heart, or their hatred. She believes this is what Ganondorf is seeking.
Link succeeds in acquiring the stones but on his return to Hyrule, his nightmares have come true. The Kingdom is being attacked on a stormy night. Zelda flees with her bodyguard on horseback. She throws the Ocarina at Link as she is being chased by Ganondorf, whom treats Link with disregard, not knowing the power Zelda has bestowed upon the young boy.
Context:
· According to official sources (Hyrule Historia), ‘Ocarina of Time’ is a prequel to ‘A Link to the Past’ and all previous games in the franchise before 1998. ‘Skyward Sword’ which was released in 2011 would replace Ocarina of Time as the new starting point in the franchise. Some games feature the same Link where as others are more so re-incarnations of Link as he appears in ‘Ocarina of Time’ an example of this is ‘Wind Waker’ where boys wear green when they come of age and the events of Ocarina of Time are mere legend. · The videogame crash of the 80’s is often described by the legendary anecdote that Atari buried thousands of unsold E.T. cartridges out in a New Mexico desert. On another note, the videogame cartridge was invented by Jerry Lawson for the channel F game console, before Atari’s console. · Nintendo’s revival of the videogame industry from 1983 to 1988 saw them dominate 80% of the market. Whilst in the UK videogames were more of a cottage industry, with Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64 and the Amiga from Amstrad being successful. BBC Micro from Acorn was an educational device made to teach computer literacy to children, albeit it had games, it was never made to compete with Nintendo. · Nintendo 64, stepping up to the Playstation (released 93/94) in 1996, shown 3D videogaming done right and with intellectual properties/brands that people notice and care about. Although in Japan Sony was neck and neck competing with Sega. Nintendo’s innovation came from its analogue controller and high spec hardware that had a slot for upgrading RAM. However, the weakness of the Nintendo 64 was down to the manufacturing cost of software. With the cartridge format being outdated for the time.
Topics:
· What Zelda meant to children in the 90’s and our history with the game.
· In the game Link is an avatar for us as players, but does the novel take the opportunity to flesh out the character and make him his own person?
· Link’s popularity with girl characters seems like a heavy male power fantasy then something that has anything worthwhile to say but there is a symbolic take to this too; before Link is ready to be perceived as a capable man, he serves these girls and their affection illustrates him being tested on his growth towards manhood. In other words, a chivalrous man is a heroic one is the perceived message. Link needs to be brave to be loved, and he needs to be loved to succeed. | |||
| 006 - A Silent Voice vol. 6 | 28 Jun 2019 | 00:52:22 | |
The darkest hour for our characters. Real talk; Depression. | |||
| 005 - A Silent Voice vol. 5 | 21 Jun 2019 | 00:55:55 | |
Real Talk: Suicide (some explicit language too) We talk about relationships and being "present" since Shoko dates Ishida but her thoughts are elsewhere. Self loathing perhaps? Synopsis skip @7:12 Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury | |||
| 004 - A Silent Voice vol. 4 | 21 Jun 2019 | 00:45:33 | |
Jim wonders if his love for the deaf character is rooted in a bias towards the disabled. Either way things get heavy in this story. Synopsis skip @ 6:04 Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury | |||
| 003 - A Silent Voice vol. 3 | 15 Jun 2019 | 00:52:25 | |
Having a reputation, overbearing friends and maybe pretend friends? This volume explores a lot. Also there's a love triangle! | |||
| 002 - A Silent Voice vol. 2 | 15 Jun 2019 | 00:51:01 | |
We switch perspective and learn more about Shoko. Author interview: For the first time James struggles to identify the gender of a new mysterious character, and wonders if such an issue is noteworthy for the episodes to come. James is also reminded of his own experience with bullying; especially the unique experience of being a target of bullying whilst having a sibling. We speak briefly about the character of Ishida’s mom and her confrontation with her suicidal son. And also about the difference between saying the word “cute” in English compared to Japanese and the “Dahme” aesthetic. | |||
| 001 - A Silent Voice vol. 1 | 08 Jun 2019 | 00:52:30 | |
001: A Silent Voice vol. 1 A suicidal schoolboy seeks forgiveness from the deaf girl he bullied. Skip synopsis to the mash and potatos @ 10.24 Theme Music: 'Electro Hype' by Liam Bradbury
Published by Kodansha. The poignant ‘A Silent Voice’ has been adapted into an animated movie in 2016 and is currently available on Netflix as of 2019. Its author, Yoshitoki Oima has been nominated for awards, including the 2016 Eisner Award and the 19th Tezuka Award. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/139236 The movie itself has received critical success; it has achieved a 94% fresh approval on the Rotten Tomatoes website. You can watch Chris Stuckmann’s review of it on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnm3Q-b6Xyw It’s one of few manga that includes a deaf/hard of hearing character with characters using sign language. Because of this we hope, once funding is adequate, to get our podcasts transcribed in the future. So please subscribe and support the podcast if you wish to make that a reality. The Manga is available on Comixology. https://www.comixology.com/A-Silent-Voice-Vol-1/digital-comic/271628 The story is about a young schoolboy, Shoya, who experiences guilt after he torments a deaf schoolgirl, Shoko Nishimiya. His first taste of becoming a lonely pariah causes him to stress about the future and now he seeks forgiveness from the same girl he tormented. Thematically, the manga tackles the subjects of alienation, miscommunication and bullying. Why do people bully? And more importantly what are the consequences of being bullied? James believes it’s a repulsion to a desperation, an overwhelming need to seek companionship and approval that we tend to admonish. Other times it a hierarchy, an exercise of dominance. Steven believes it can stem from fear. We tend to bully those who we do not understand, and we fear what we don’t understand. James also talks about what it means to be both a twin and to also be bullied. We’ll be continuing to read and talk about all 7 of the volumes in the following weeks. For those who don’t understand the “Hoichi the earless” reference. (The nickname given to Shoko Nishimiya) Here’s a video that better explains it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDX6urz-h08 Also, hair loss has been linked to stress, don’t be like Shoya, take it easy and unwind, at least once a day. "Hair Replacement Guide" 1 April 2000. | |||
| 122 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 7 | 15 Jul 2023 | 00:41:54 | |
Now that the first-generation arcs of Pokémon Adventures are over, James and Will talk about the all action finale. The brilliance of getting us to root for girls in what many consider to be a shonen manga. And we even talk about the Mewtwo versus Lance fight and Pikachu and friends versus Lance! Perhaps there is a bit too many people fighting Lance in this volume but overall, we get a satisfying conclusion. Skip plot summary @ 9:55
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
122: Pokémon Adventures vol. 7 Chapters 79 'Airing Out Aerodactyl' and 90 'The Legend' Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Annaliese Christman
Yellow's journey to reunite Pika the Pikachu with the Pokémon trainer Red finally comes to an end, but not before a climactic battle on a remote Island with the Elite Four.
Lorelei cuts the arm of Green only to find it was a trick Ditto in disguise, her real arm, being hidden in her jacket. The Ditto confines and arrests Lorelei and her Pokémon Jynx. Sabrina is not too happy to find that was she handicapped and partnered to a secret ditto throughout the fight, but it worked non the less. One down, three to go.
Agatha's haunter is tricked into attacking the severed body of an Arbok, which can still move even without its head. Blue can counter attack it, in turn Agatha flees as it was the last of her Pokémon. That is two down and two to go.
And Bruce, no longer influenced by Agatha's spell accepts defeat from Red graciously. Afterwards Red seeks out Pika once Bill tells him that Pika is on the island with Yellow. Now Lance is the last one left standing.
Blaine uses Mewtwo to fight Lance but having a psychic link with Mewtwo means he becomes unconscuous during the fight. Mewtwo is also unique as a pokémon since they become weaker with every passing second once out of the master ball and their culture tank. Because of this Mewtwo is not able to defeat Lance and instead retreats it's special master ball not only to protect its own life but the life of Blaine aswell. This leaves Yellow to a showdown within the heart of an active volcano, where she learns that Lance has the same powers as her. Lance also learns of Yellow too by reading Pika's mind. Both Yellow and Lance are from Viridian Forest as is their Pokémon and both have the same powers to heal and read the thoughts of Pokémon.
From Learning how Mewtwo fought previously, Yellow uses Pika's surf move to lure Lance to the lava and generate a whirlpool to trap him. Once Lance is gone, she is helped by her Pokémon and exits the mouth of the volcano. But the recess from battle is short as Lance rises from the volcano with a bubble shield formed by his Gyrados. Yellow gets her hand broken by the Gyrados' bubble beam attack, which is invisible in the bright light of the sun. However Yellow retaliates by having her caterpie form a string net, her Omanyte wets the net and and her Raticate uses it to sense any bubbles that hit it. Pika charges the wet net with ellectricity, making sure to counter attack Lance and trapping him inside it. Once Yellow senses an opening she has her Doduo attack Lance. Sadly, Doduo and the rest of her Pokémon are not strong enough to defeat Lance's. It is at this point another Viridian Pokémon user arrives to assist. Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket, but in doing so he loses his gym badge to Lance. With Lance having all badges his master plan is active and the island becomes the altar to which it will summon a legendary dragon Pokémon. One that Lance plans to capture and use to conquer the world. In Lance's eagerness he does not realise how weak and worn out from battle his Pokémon are. In the end the powers that he summons becomes a double edged sword for Lance. Yellow's Pokémon have evolved and so she makes her last stand.
Topics:
· The climax and battles of the Yellow arc. · Giving context as to why Yellow Caballero is revealed to be a girl later in the manga. · How too many twists can spoil the drama if they zig zag back and forth between similar scenes, often a common flaw in shonen battle manga. · Giovanni and his son.
References and Trivia:
· Although Lugia looks like a dragon it is in fact the highest Pokémon on the hierarchy of the Legendary bird Pokémon. It is a flying and psychic type. Lugia is also original to the second Pokémon movie (Pokémon 2000) having made their first appearance in that movie. Lugia’s place in the wider franchise came as a surprise to writer and creator Takeshi Shudo, according to this ‘Did You Know Gaming’ video, and Dr. Lava’s blog.
· Arbok’s body being able to move without its head is a real-life phenomenon seen with snakes. Like chickens, snakes and most reptiles have a pre-programmed nervous system that works in response to shock. Especially a shock induced by beheading, according to an article from National Geographic snakes can recover from this, albeit with permanent brain damage. There is also this video of a decapitated snake still being able to bite.
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| 121 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 6 | 08 Jul 2023 | 00:35:24 | |
Coming close to the end of the yellow arc, we finally get answers to long standing questions and see an old character return in time for the final battle. Skip plot summary @ 4:25
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121: Pokémon Adventures vol. 6 Chapters 66 'Punching Poliwrath' and 78 'Victim of Venusaur' Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Wayne Truman
Red has disappeared and it is up to his Pikachu (nicknamed Pika in the manga) with the help of Yellow Caballero to find him. In the search for Red they to team up with Pokémon experts and members of the Rocket gang, this leads them to encounter with Bruno, Lorelei, Agatha and Lance, a.k.a. the Elite Four.
Sabrina of Team Rocket uses her psychic "spoons of fate" trick to decide on how to best the four. The spoons bend towards the best partner, Koga teams up with Blue, Sabrina with Green, Lt. Surge teams up with Bill and Yellow with Blaine.
Blue wants to fight Agatha due to the history they share, but paralyzed by her Gengar it is Koga who defeats her in a Arbok versus Arbok fight after having a Golbat versus Golbat fight! Koga revives Blue by hiding a paralyzed heal in one of his shuriken shaped Pokéballs. Agatha has the last laugh by trapping them in a maze of fallen stalactites and having a Gengar shadow them as she lays unconscious.
Lorelei fights Green and Sabrina, making magical voodoo like dolls from ice. Lorelei has the two ladies stuck together in cuffs of ice. As a tactician Lorelei knocks out Green first but Sabrina attacks her cloyster which hides the dolls. Lorelei tells Sabrina that it is useless since all Cloyster must do is shield itself and withdraw. Good thing Sabrina is not trying to steal back the dolls through force. Instead, she uses her venomoth to leech out the life of the Cloyster, much to Lorelei's surprise.
Bill and Lt. Surge find themself fighting on the back of a wild Onyx; Yellow and Blaine notice them through a one-sided mirror, a strange barrier that makes it hopeless for them to help. At this moment Red appears in time to rematch with Bruno, and although Blaine, Yellow and Pikachu can see Red, the barrier prevents Red as well as Lt. Surge and Bill from Seeing them. On top of this, Electrode's self-destruct move has caused a torrent of water to seep into the cave, one that threatens to drown Blaine, Yellow and Pikachu. We also discover what Yellow is hiding under that straw hat!
Topics:
· The opening battle with Red and Bruno, Pikachu's trauma. · Each of the battles between shown through the volumes. · The idea of a Pokédex from 1996 in a modern age of Wikipedia and online search engines. · Religious references and censorship in regards to manga and videogames.
References:
· Misty's use of Starmie as a guiding light /emergency flare is an allusion to the Christian Bible, where three kings (in some translations "three wise men") used a star to guide them to the birthplace of their messiah.
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| 120 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 5 | 01 Jul 2023 | 00:36:53 | |
Does Pikachu have a stand? The manga has a unique take on how and why Pikachu can surf. Did you know you could teach Pikachu to surf? Sip plot summary @ 6:40 We also talk about the inconsistent looks of Blaine the fire Pokémon gym leader.
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
120: Pokémon Adventures vol. 5 Chapters 53 to 65, ‘Can't Catch Caterpie’ and ‘Karate Machomp’ Story by Hidenori Kusaka Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Wayne Truman
With the disappearance of trainer Red it is now Yellow Caballero’s job to team up with Pikachu and find him. Along the way Red's rival, Blue, teaches Yellow the ways of a Pokémon trainer before they head off on their journey. Soon Yellow has a short run in with members of a fractured team Rocket and eventually Yellow traces Red's previous steps to a hidden Tentacool nest within the ocean, a pocket of air holds the treasure of evolutionary stones and Yellow finds that three of the stones have already been taken.
Meanwhile an old ally of Red and Yellow's is the young Lady, trainer Green. She breaks in to Bill's house (the man who invented the Pokémon to PC transport system, remember?) and tries to find records of Red's Pokémon use, both Bill and Green learn that Red took out an Eevee, but before they learn anymore, they become attacked by Bruno of the elite four. With the use of Green's Blastoise they learn that the fight has been a distraction from the danger that Yellow is in.
Lance, the dragon pokemon expert and member of the elite four attacks Vermillion city whilst Yellow is at a surfing competition. Pikachu is almost abducted by Lance but uses the substitute move and learns how to surf, overpowering Lance which causes him to flee. After learning of Lance's manifesto of destroying humans for the benefit of Pokémon. Yellow asks Pikachu if siding with humans is something they want to do. Of course, Pikachu agrees to side with humans, because Pikachu is cool like that.
The Elite Four have spread out individually to make their attack. Bruno attacks Pewter city, Agatha attacks Cerulean city and Lorelei attacks Celadon city. Lance's whereabouts are unknown but Yellow teams up with Blaine to check out Cerise Island and see if Lance is there. Blaine intentionally gets to the island before Yellow and teams up with Blue at the shore. Once they travel inside the caves the two are ambushed, not by Lance but by the triad leaders of the Rocket gang. Lt. Surge, Sabrina and Koga! Yellow has yet to arrive.
Topics:
· Why Yellow Caballero works as a character!
· The “enemy mine” trope that James refers to pre-dates Star Trek, James talks about the third season finale of Voyager titled “Scorpion” where the crew need the help of an enemy in order to navigate Borg territory. The actual trope namer/codifier could be the 1985 Dennis Quad movie ‘Enemy Mine’ adapted from a Barry Longyear novella. That story also involves a war between humans and an alien race.
· A mention to Red's Poliwhirl evolving in previous chapters brings cohesion to an otherwise bizarre quest for Yellow. Poliwhirl is unique to the manga as Red's first Pokémon, where as in the anime and the Dengeki Pikachu (Electric Tale of Pikachu) manga it is Pikachu who is the first Pokémon that our hero owns. The reasoning behind this is that the lead creative designer of the '96 game, Satoshi Tajiri, considers Poliwhirl to be his favorite Pokémon. Which is unsurprising since Red is based on Satoshi Tajiri.
· The surfing Pikachu is a hidden feature in a few of the games in the series. When certain criteria are met, such as acquiring HM03 for example, you can teach Pikachu surf. There is also a hidden surfing Pikachu mini-game in Pokémon Yellow Edition.
Differences and Comparisons to other Media:
· Lance of the Elite Four has the name "Wataru" in his native Japanese appearance. Possibly derived from the word "Watatsumi", an ocean deity of Japanese creationist myth. In German translations he is given the name Siegfried, named after the dragon slaying hero of norse myth, mostly famous due to Wagner's Nebelunglied Opera. (Which you would have heard of if you watched the movie 'Apocalypse Now'). In English translations he is named after a weapon that medieval knights used.
· In this manga Blaine has it as a disguise but in the anime, he prefers to wear a short-sleeved shirt with hair on his sides sans the usual shades that cover the eyes. This is how Blaine was illustrated and looked like in the manual and early concept art. Blaine also has hair in the anime but will wear a wig and shades to disguise himself. In the '96 Gameboy game and later appearances on the trading cards he is fully bald and wears shades, like his first appearance in the manga. According to... Blaine's design is recycled from unused pixel art of what was supposed to be the president and head scientist/researcher of Silph co. The theory was that you would have a Pokémon battle with this character but it may have been scrapped since the goal was to save them, since when you first meet them, they are a hostage during Rocket's takeover of the Silph building, thus defeating the purpose of seeing them in battle graphics. On top of this, Blaine's original design has a military motif and may have been too much like Lt. Surge. In other words Blaine's disguise in the manga is a nod to his scrapped design. The Obsessive Gamer on Youtube has a video which goes in to better detail.
Blaine was a unique gym leader in that he would have his gym members battle you if you got his Pokémon trivia questions wrong and so he would test the players intelligence. In the anime he would test Ash by speaking in riddles.
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| 119 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 4 | 24 Jun 2023 | 00:52:21 | |
James and Will talk about volume 4 of the Pokémon Adventures manga. Including the new and original “Yellow” who is perhaps the first gender neutral looking character we have seen in an otherwise shonen manga. Skip summary of the plot @ 5:15
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119: Pokémon Adventures vol. 4 Chapters 41 to 52, ‘Ponyta Tale’ and ‘Growing out of Gengar’ Story by Hidenori Kusaka Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Wayne Truman
Two years have passed since the events of Volume 3 and the protagonist Red is now missing. A concerned Misty contacts Professor Oak and their talk is interrupted by Red’s Pikachu, a bruised, bloody Pokémon dragging its feet as it enters Oak’s place. A new and mysterious protagonist arrives to pick the Pikachu up and take it with them as they journey to find Red. Much to Oak’s dismay.
Red was last seen after he was invited to Battle with Bruno of the Elite Four. A group of Pokémon trainers who are stronger than the Pokémon gym leaders. It is not long until Lorelei of the Elite Four tracks down the Pikachu it’s new trainer. The trainer proudly states their name as Amarillo, the Spanish word for Yellow. Lorelei also learns that Yellow has telepathic powers towards Pokémon, a sort of Pokémon whisperer that can heal Pokémon with a touch and express great empathy for them, even seeing through them.
Eventually Yellow escapes Lorelei and along the journey meets Red’s friends, whom only want to see Pika (Red’s Pikachu) be reunited with its owner. Albeit they do not have faith in Yellow. Questioning if Yellow is fit for being Red’s substitute. During such a conversation, Pika hears that Red is nearby and tracks his old trainer’s scent. In a twist of fate, Pika falls for an imposter Red. A “Super Nerd” who works for the Elite Four. Desperate, friends of Red and Pokémon gym leaders call Blaine for help. Yellow with the help of the gym leaders defeats the nerd but in doing so a Gastly Pokémon appears to spirit the nerd away. Blue appears and makes a decisive strike that ends the Gastly. Blue tells everyone that the ghostly gas Pokémon most likely belongs to Agatha of the Elite Four. He also tells them of his previous encounter with Agatha and how he found the strength to fight a ghost Pokémon. Blue even criticises Yellow for saving a Caterpie (caterpillar Pokémon) during the battle with the super nerd. Saying that Red could have saved it without putting his own life at risk. Blue decides to take Yellow with him and train but not before Yellow is gifted two new Pokémon for protection. Brock’s Graveller and Misty’s Omanyte.
Topics:
· A criticism of volume 4 is how the villains are perhaps too mysterious for their own good. Their motives remain hidden and not having any context for their behaviour we do not know what they are willing to do to achieve their goal. This does not make an entertaining read since by making the villain mysterious you risk making the stakes too vague to understand. It is not enough to know what characters fight for, we also need to know why. Understandably the villains are trying to cover up something but we do not know what as of this volume.
· Writing mystery is a good way to entice readers and keep them stuck to the story. But Hidenori reveals information too soon, making the sense of mystery trite.
· Yellow as a character is first time we see a gender-neutral looking hero in the franchise. Although addressed as male by others in the story, there is no signifier or trait to tell us that they are male, they also lack traits that tell us there are female. The straw hat and tunic add to this warm, innocent and naïve appearance of a child, a contrast to someone like Lorelei who has a more mature and effeminate appearance since she wears high heels and glasses that comb away her thick hair.
· The origins of Game Freak from fanzine to game design company and Ken Sugimori’s journey from mangaka to designer. For more information on the history of Game Freak and Pokémon creator Satoshi Tajiri there is the article, The Ultimate Game Freak - TIME and Dr. Lava’s twitter as well as their amazing blog on Nintendo History.
Differences and Comparisons to other Media:
· The Super Nerd appeared as a trainer class enemy in the original ‘96 game, having a personality between the Pokémon maniac and the Scientist. They are really Geeks who specialise in Poison and Electric Pokémon. They usually have Voltorbs that do the self-destruct move, which in and of itself seems like a commentary on nerd culture. From the original Japanese text their name translates to “Science-man” with the in-game scientist class having a name that translates to “rouge researcher”
· The Elite Four are the last bosses of the original ’96 game and called the Pokémon masters in some cannon. In the anime Lorelei was named Prima, this was so that she would have the same syllables as her original Japanese name, Kanna, which is written using the Kanji for the word cold and/or dread The name Loreilei comes from a slate rock located on the Rhine River at Sankt Goarshausen in Germany, believed to have been haunted by a siren that lured sailors to their death. The etymology behind the name has the words Lurein and the Celtic word Lei, which means murmuring, or whispering rock. Agatha may have possibly got her name from Agatha Christie, the famous murder mystery writer and creator of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. Agatha’s Japanese name is Kikuko, and is spelt using the kanji for devil, demon or ghost. Bruno, the fighting type Pokémon master gets his name from the words brawn and brute, his Japanese name, Shiba, is derived from the word, “Shibaku”, which means “to strike” | |||
| 118 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 3 | 17 Jun 2023 | 00:52:39 | |
In volume 3 of the Pokémon manga we see many plot points start to resolve towards a satisfying climax, friends from unlikely places come together to fight the Rocket Gang and Red faces off against Mewtwo!
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118: Pokémon Adventures vol. 3 Chapters 28 to 40, ‘Peace of Mime’ and ‘A Charizard… and a Champion’ Story by Hidenori Kusaka Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Wayne Truman
Continuing from the last chapter, Red’s Pikachu uses the substitute move that makes the doppelganger Pikachu break through the barrier, meanwhile Gary’s Golduck uses a psychic power to find a Mr.Mime responsible for the barrier and so they defeat it.
Both Pokémon trainers, Green, Red and Blue head to the Silph building to fight Team Rocket, but the three are separated and trapped, Koga fights Gary using a Grimer disguised as armor, Red is trapped in an electrified room, powered by a captured Zapdos, he fights Lt. Surge who has special electric proof underwear. Green fights Sabrina under an illusionary veil and uses her Horsea’s smoke screen to black it out, whilst using her scope to see through to Sabrina. Red uses his Ivysaur’s Razor leaves to cut Lt.Surge’s suit before cutting the cables attached to Zapdos. Surge is electrocuted by calling forth Zapdos’ Thunder Shock. Koga is defeated with the Help of Red but Sabrina proves to be a challenge for Green; since Sabrina has personal psychic powers, she is able to predict Green’s thoughts and actions. But eventually Sabrina is defeated by the song of Green’s Jigglypuff.
The fight is resolved when the Rocket gang flees the chaos of the Silph building and all the good Gym leaders join forces to surround them. Sabrina returns for one last final round but with Red’s Ivysaur having evolved into Venusaur this results in all three of the starter Pokémon at their full power joining forces, combining water, fire, and earth to defeat the legendary bird Pokémon and Sabrina.
In chapters 34 and 35, the incredibly destructive clone of Mew, Mewtwo, is on the loose. Red intends to capture Mewtwo but is helped by Blaine, the man who helped create Mewtwo and is bonded by DNA with the Monster. Red is told that if it feels outnumbered it will create tornados, in a one-on-one fight however Mewtwo is just as strong and capable of throwing down physically. Blaine breaks through the tornado and weakens Mewtwo but it costs Blaine an injury towards himself. Red seemingly goes against Blaine’s advice and unleashes all his Pokémon on Mewtwo. Mewtwo summons another tornado. But the battle ends with Pikachu entering the eye of the storm, concealing a cheeky gift that is key to Mewtwo’s capture. Afterwards, Red gets the final badge from Giovanni, and avenges all the Pokémon that was hurt by the Rocket gang.
Concluding the volume, we have a mini-tournament arc where the trainers enter the Pokémon League, Red and Blue settle their differences and show each other how they have grown. But not before a mysterious figure from the past settles the score mid-tournament and Green is given a chance for redemption. And that concludes the first plot arc of Pokémon Adventures.
Differences and Comparisons to other Media:
· Although the Pokémon Golduck and Psyduck can use select psychic moves they are not in fact Psychic Pokémon, they are often believed to be a double elemental type of water and psychic but, they are just a water type. A reason why people believe this is due to other media such as the anime, trading card game and the manga showing them capable of using psychic power.
· Like the Anime series and the videogame, Sabrina is not just a user of Psychic Pokémon but she also has Psychic powers of her own.
· In the source material (the 1996 Pokémon Gameboy game) Sabrina uses a Venomoth in battle, although it has a psychic move it is only a poison and bug type. A possible reason as to why she uses this Pokémon could be to demonstrate the common “macabre moth motif” Adding to a theme of connecting to sprits of the deceased, with the moth being a symbol for the after-life and the transformation between death and rebirth. The “death’s head” moth has added to this aesthetic/motif thanks to Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker referencing it in their works ‘The Sphinx’ and ‘Dracula’, A moth also appears in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ by Thomas Harris. According to Kristen. M Stanton of Uniguide, The Japanese use moths to depict wandering spirits.
· The Gym badges that Red collects are milestones for progress within the original 1996 videogame. And as mentioned in the manga, holding a badge result in Pokémon of a certain level obeying your commands as well as boosting their stats and allowing them to learn moves from hidden machines depending on the badge itself. Only by collecting all badges can the highest level and legendary Pokémon obey you.
· Mewtwo made his first appearance in the anime alongside Mew through the first shot of the anime opening, a shot that would be imitated in the first movie as he flees Giovanni and flies in the air. He would make his canonical appearance in episode 63. Where Giovanni has him cloaked in a mysterious armor and uses him to fight trainers competing for his gym badge. Gary, a.k.a. Blue loses to Giovanni because of Mewtwo. Ash does not battle Mewtwo or Giovanni for reasons that are explained in the tie in movie. Instead, Giovanni allows Team Rocket’s Jessie and James to take over as gym leaders only to have Ash defeat them for the badge. Where as in the manga, our hero defeats Giovanni after capturing Mewtwo.
· Mew does not speak in his first appearance of the anime (episode 63) nor the game, he would however be shown later to speak telepathically in the first movie and throughout his appearances in the Super Smash Bros. Videogames, specifically the sequel to the original, Super Smash Bros: Melee
References:
· The quote from “the Greek” that Gary mentions is “Give me a long enough lever and I can move the world.” This is from the great mathematician, engineer, physicist, and philosopher Archimedes, in context the quote is a boast showing off one’s understanding of physics. On another note, Archimedes once discovered how to measure the volume of an object and determine its composition by learning about water displacement. Legend says he was taking a bath at the time and cried “Eureka” taking to the streets naked in excitement at the discovery.
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| 117 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 2 | 10 Jun 2023 | 01:03:33 | |
Will and James talk about volume 2 of today’s manga and address how the satanic panic spread to Pokémon.
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117: Pokémon Adventures vol. 2 Chapters 15 to 27, ‘Wartotle Wars’ and ‘Kalling Kadabra’ Story by Hidenori Kusaka Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Wayne Truman
The Pokémon trainer Red is witness to his Bulbasaur evolving into an Ivysaur after fighting a Mankey (basically an angry monkey monster). Red encounters the feminine Pokémon trainer Green who tricks him into buying counterfeit items. On their second encounter he manages to get his money back and learns that her Wartotle is the evolved Squirtle that she stole from Proffesor Oak. But Green gets the last laugh because she manages to steal Red’s two Gym Leader badges. (That is what Red gets for showing off)
Once Red realizes what happened to his badges, he finds out that the Rocket gang is chasing after Green, in response he infiltrates the gang’s HQ under a casino (sometimes depicted as a pachinko parlour) there he disguises himself as a member. Red learns of Mew’s incomplete clone, the powerful psychic bio-weapon Mewtwo and that Green has a data disk on Mew that Rocket is after. Red helps green fight Rocket and with the help of her Trickster Pokémon, Ditto, who can mimic the appearance of any Pokémon, she manages to defeat Rocket and as a favour to Red, gives back the badges she took.
Not long after this we see Red fossil hunting as he cuts through a route with a man named Giovanni, the gym leader of Viridian City. Red does not know that Giovanni is spying on Red. Upon determining that Red is not a threat to him the two then part ways and Giovanni gives Red a Fossil.
After numerous adventures including being stranded in the safari zone with no Pokémon and almost drowning before being saved by Misty. Red ends up having to save the Fire Pokémon expert Blaine from the Rocket gang. Blaine is a researcher who worked on cloning Mew for the Rocket gang but has changed face and is now out to stop them. Blaine learns that Red has a fossil and so he sends him on Rapidash back to his lab. There Red figures out how to use Blaine’s fossil machine to bring life to an extinct Pokémon. And so Red acquires an Aerodactyl and uses it to save Blaine from the Rocket gang. Causing the gang to retreat.
In some way to go anywhere means to go forward and to go far means to return. Red returns to Pallet Town to meet Professor Oak once again, only this time it is an imposter. And no, we will not spoil the identity of the imposter on this podcast.
The volume ends with all the Rocket gang members having captured all three legendary bird Pokémon, Koga has the ice bird Articuno, Sabrina has the fire bird Moltress and Lt. Surge has the electric Pokémon Zapdos. The final battle between the Rocket gang and the trainers will take place in Saffron City. In the meantime, a psychic barrier has been put up on Saffron City until then.
A Little Context:
· Satanic panic of the 80’s saw a resurgence with Pokémon, the franchise was accused of teaching kids about the occult according to theists. This is due to many things. One is that Kadabra (Sabina’s Pokémon) looking suspiciously like Baphomet, a humanoid goat person, with the star on his head indicating a pentagram). · But some people have used more outlandish excuses to convince others that Pokémon is a way for the Devil to take control of kids, (note that that the prior link is the full video of which only a small fraction was heard on this episode) albeit the argument is more against Capitalism being aimed at children if anything.
· kids had seizures whilst watching an episode of the Pokémon anime. This did in fact happen, although not due to some unexplained magic phenomena. The seizures occurred because there was one specific scene in what is considered a “banned episode” of the anime known as “Electric Soldier Porygon” where because of the flashing lights on screen it induced a seizure in those who had photo-sensitive epilepsy. A positive of this episode is that it helped create awareness of the condition with it now being standard practice not to have scenes like this in TV, at least not without disclaimers.
· Did the Pope (John Paul II) actually give Pokémon his blessing? According to a new York Times article the response to the first movie coming out had the Vatican denounce the controversy, Sat2000, a satellite TV station run by the Vatican said “The trading-card and computer game is “full of inventive imagination,” The game did not have “any harmful moral side effects” and was based on “ties of intense friendship”. Sat2000 also said the game told simple stories which allowed children “to enter directly into the story” through role-playing adventures. Also, according to Father Jeffrey V. Romans, his blog states that “oftentimes, these fears and crazes come from a lack of knowledge about a subject or a couple of pieces of sensationalized journalism. Don't fall into the devil's trap! Let's all endeavor to take a close look at these types of subjects before forming a fiery, ironclad opinion”. | |||
| 134 - Petshop of Horrors vol. 9 | 17 Dec 2023 | 00:40:05 | |
Listen with discretion and care since on today’s episode we speak about intergenerational trauma, modern slavery, and human trafficking. Pretty intense stuff for a fantasy manga but Akino Matsuri is an expert anthologist when it comes to episodic storytelling. Skip plot summaries @ 7:17
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
134: Petshop of Horrors vol. 9 By Akino Matsuri Translation by Tomoharu Iwo and James Lucas Jones Lettering by Nunu Ngien
Dreams: A young woman pines over D, having recognised him from her dreams. D tries to find one of his supernatural pets for her but fails upon realizing that she already has such a spiritual companion. A Phoenix has given Monica the chance to constantly reincarnate herself and move to the next life if she fails to achieve her wish in one life. Her wish to win the heart of D. Monica’s dreams are in fact flashbacks to a past life where she had met one of D’s ancestors. D begins to feel sorry for Monica and decides to date her, he regretfully informs her that he cannot love someone who is human albeit very cryptic as to his reasons why.
In the end Monica decides to take a plane home but D sees the plane blow up in a fatal accident. The Phoenix appears to D once more and claims that she will no longer be reincarnated. The reason being that D did have feelings for her, thus Monica’s wish came true, even if he chose not to pursue a relationship and her life was cut short after it.
Desire: A criminal working his way into the ranks of an organisation needs to acquire a pet tiger from D so that he can be king of the concrete jungle that is China town. The man sends a little girl, Xiao Hua, as a mediator so that she can butter up D with gifts to win the man’s approval. However, the Xiao Hua notices a hanging wall scroll painting in D’s tea room, and in that painting is a tiger. The tiger only appears in the painting upon greeting its master. Learning that Xiao Hua is destined to own the tiger, D gives Xiao Hua the painting. Afterwards D learns of Xiao Hua’s lifeless body appearing in a back alley. D takes it upon himself to find justice for her and retrieve the painting. A fight ensues as D intrudes into the triad’s house but D has a trick under his sleeve that turns the tables on Xiao Hua’s killer.
Death: A mother comes to the pet shop after the death of her daughter’s pet, she buys a new one only for it to be mysteriously killed. As D investigates the deaths of the pets, he finds a family that has inter-generational trauma and the making of a serial killer.
Desperation: D and Chris are abducted by a woman who, mourning the loss of her dead lover, intends to exact revenge on the police detective Leon Orcot. T-Chan, the Totetsu is shot in the struggle to prevent D and Chris from being taken. However, their captor does not know that she is pregnant.
Topics:
· The Power dynamic we see in the ‘Desire’ chapter implies that Xiao Hua is a child slave who may have arrived in the U.S. due to human trafficking. At the time of this podcast episode being published, Modern slavery and human trafficking seems to be more prevalent in the U.K. according to this Vice article by Amandas Ong and the BBC. · If you are a witness to human trafficking and modern slavery you can use this website and the “stop app” to report it and gain support. Please be aware that this no substitute for contacting the police, and if possible, one should contact the police, be it 911 (or 999 for U.K.) otherwise use the following website as a second choice and download their app, if for some reason you are afraid of contacting the police. https://www.stopthetraffik.org/
· The International Salvation Army is a charity organisation that also intends to abolish slavery and human trafficking, they can provide resources such as housing and protection for those in need. https://www.salvationarmy.org/isjc/MSHTR
· It is guaranteed that 1 in 3 serial killers have abused animals, with it being the same chance as a coin toss in finding 2 in 3 killers being animal abusers. As an experiment feel free to research it yourself. Hopefully three serial killers have already came to mind and it will come as no surprise that one of them hurt animals. In fact, there was a true-crime documentary inspired by the phenomena that exemplifies this trope, Netflix’s ‘Don’t F**k with Cats’. As of 2016 the Unites State’s FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) added animal abuse cases to its National Incident-Based Reporting System. John Thompson of the national sheriff’s association said animal abuse is not just a crime that harms animals but to people as well, claiming it “a crime against society,” and “By paying attention to [these crimes], we are benefiting all of society.” · But there is also another factor that facilitates the development of serial killers, that being child abuse. In his 1989 book Serial Killers, Joel Norris describes the cycles of violence as generational: “Parents who abuse their children, physically as well as psychologically, instil in them an almost instinctive reliance upon violence as a first resort to any challenge.” For a good article on the matter there is ‘From Abused Child to Serial Killer: Investigating Nature vs Nurture in Methods of Murder’ written by Nicola Davies for Psychiatry Advisor.
Historical, scientific, and cultural references:
· The mythical Phoenix goes by the name Ho-oh in Japanese and Feng Huang in Chinese, since the Yuan Dynasty the name Feng Huang is gender neutral, as it combines the word for both female and male Phoenix. They have Chinese origins. · The Tiger is an endangered animal according to the ICUN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) red list of threatened species. Multiple subspecies of the tiger is also considered extinct.
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| 116 - Pokémon Adventures vol. 1 | 03 Jun 2023 | 01:01:13 | |
Having played the original Gameboy videogame 23 years ago, Will and James take a trip down memory lane and decide to read up on its popular manga adaptation. Does it make us want to play the game or does it make us want to read more manga? Now that is the question!
Skip plot summary @ 10:11
Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
116: Pokémon Adventures vol. 1 Chapters 1 to 14, ‘A Glimpse of the Glow’ and ‘That Awful Arbok!’ Story by Hidenori Kusaka Art by Mato English Translation by Kaori Inoue Lettering and touch up by Wayne Truman
Pokémon depicts a world of creatures known as Pocket Monsters, a.k.a. the titular Pokémon. Some use Pokémon as pets, others for fights, and if you are like the Rocket gang, you use them for labour and genetic experimentation. But the story starts with a boy named Red who is a trainer and catcher of Pokémon, and upon hearing a commotion in the woods, secretly follows the Rocket gang as they hunt the legendary Mew. A Pokémon of great mystery. Red encounters a trainer like himself, Blue, who teaches Red that they are both not ready to catch a Pokémon as strong as Mew.
This prompts Red to visit Proffessor Oak, a Pokémon researcher who can help Red become a better trainer. However, Red makes the mistake of releasing all the monsters in Oak’s lab and so he helps Oak find and capture the escaped monsters. In turn Oak gives Red a Pokémon, the grass type Bulbasaur upon seeing red demonstrate good knowledge in harnessing Bulbasaur’s talents. Oak also gives Red a Pokedex, an electronic encyclopaedia that is used to log the existence of Pokémon, the same gadget that Blue also has, which is no surprise since Red learns that Blue is Oak’s grandson. It’s in their second encounter that Red stops Blue from capturing a Kangiskhan, Red remembers Oak’s advice that to be a good trainer takes heart, not just brute strength and power. He then heals a wounded Pokémon that is hidden within Kangiskhan’s pouch, then goes on his separate path away from Bluem by this point Blue shows a lack of humility whereas Red is the compassionate of the two.
It is on his quest as Oak’s protégé that Red learns of a Pikachu terrorising a town, he captures and tames the electric mouse type that is the Pikachu as well as reunite many other characters with their Pokémon. When Red reaches Lavender Town he learns of Blue having entered a haunted tower but never having come out. Red investigates and finds Blue possessed by a Gastly, a ghost type monster resembling a purple ball of gas. Red defeats the Gastly by having Bulbasaur using the bulb on its back as a vacuum sack, sucking up Gastly and spitting him out as a devastating beam that blasts through the tower walls.
Afterwards Red and Blue make their way up the tower only to be attacked by the Ninja Koga and his venomous Pokémon. Red recognises Koga as a Rocket gang leader he fought on Mt. Moon and Koga reveals that the tower is a secret base for the Rocket gang.
A Little Context:
Pokemon was first released on the Gameboy in February 1996 in Japan, in the following years it would see multiple editions released with a special Pikachu Edition (Pokemon: Yellow) released in Japan within the fall of 1998 and finally released for English speaking countries between the fall of 1999 and the summer of 2000. Pokemon: Yellow would be a tie in with the anime spin-off and coinciding with the release of the franchise’s first Theatrical release, unoriginally called Pokemon: The First Movie, but affectionately given the subtitle Mewtwo vs. Mew in Marketing. The games would get a sequel during this time so western audiences could see new Pokemon within the movie, Including Marill who was bizarrely named “Pikablu” by fans.
The Gameboy and the Gameboy Color was a must have toy because it had Pokemon as the dominating app for it. And for many American and European children it was the first anime they grew up watching, thus their first experience with Japanese culture, albeit having undergone heavy localisation by 4Kids entertainment.
Differences from other Media:
· Like the game, Pikachu is caught near Viridian City, unlike the TV Anime where Oak gives away his newly caught Pikachu. Dengeki Pikachu follows the plot of the anime however Pikachu is captured upon invading the main character’s home and eating it’s the electrical wiring. · Brock is more representative of his game counterpart, a stoic man and gym leader who does not join the main character on his quest. · Ninja Koga is the main Rocket antagonist within the first chapters, where as in the TV Anime series it was original characters, Jessie and James (whom are named after the American outlaw, whilst in Japan they are named after rival samurai). · It takes a “Pokéflute” to wake a Snorlax, however in this manga it took the smell of a Bulbasaur drenched in honey to do the trick. · Gastly is a far more malicious being in this manga compared to the TV Anime show. It retreats once the sun rises in the show but in the manga, Red uses his Bulbasaur to defeat it.
References:
· The introduction to the character Bill is inspired by the 1958 movie, ‘The Fly’ (remade in 1986) Based on a short story by James Lagelaan.
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