April Manga Round Up

It's been a busy month and I haven't written a post in a while, but here is a review of what I've been reading over the past month.

Space Brothers #23 (宇宙兄弟)

The latest Space Brothers was out late March but it took me a while to get around to picking it up. Chuya Koyama again showing his love of American comedies with a cameo from Jim Carrey in a minor role. Mutta's relationship with Serika comes back into the foreground, but Hibito remains MIA.

Also recently announced is a new Space Brothers movie, Number Zero, which a pun on the family name of Mutta and Hibito, Namba. The animated movie is an original story that takes place before the start of the manga/anime series. The movie is dues in Japanese cinemas on August 9th.

Manga info at Morning Comics: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/31
Movie website: http://wwws.warnerbros.co.jp/uchukyodai-movie/

Billy Bat #14 (ビリーバット)

I won't spoil any of the mystery of Naoki Urasawa's (浦沢直樹) latest release of Billy Bat, but it's great to finally have some answers in a series that has only shown riddles up until now. Volume 14 wraps up the story of the malevolent Kiyoshi Kurusu (来栖清志) who has spent his life searching for the scroll that contains the answer to the riddle of Billy Bat. And new Kevin, Kevin Goodman, steps into his roll as the next author of the authentic Billy Bat as the empire of Walt Disney doppelganger Chuck Culkin begins to crumble.

Billy Bat at Morning Comics: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/55

Dead Dead Demons D-D-D-D-Destruction (デッドデッドデーモンズデデデデデストラクション)

A mouth full of a title, and the latest release from Inio Asano (浅野いにお) that's going to play havoc with my tags. It's been 5 months since the release of the final episode of Oyasumi Pun Pun. I've been waiting for news of Asano's next release, and the first episode was released on the Monday the 28th in Big Comic Spirits. Asano excels in telling coming of age stories of characters in emotionally charged situations. In Dead Dead Demons D-D-D-D-Destruction we are introduced to a group of junior high school girls. The twist to the story is the gigantic spaceship suspended above the city Section 9 style.

Follow Asano Inio on Twitter: https://twitter.com/asano_inio
Check out Big Comic Spirits: http://spi-net.jp/

1F (いちえふ)

1F is a reference to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This comic was written by Kazuto Tatsuta (竜田一人) and chronicles his experiences working at the crippled nuclear plant for 6 months, working on clean up and maintenance. I just picked this up today, so I'm looking forward to getting some inside knowledge on what work is currently being done to secure the plant.

Follow Kazuto Tatsuta on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TatsutaKazuto

You can check out more info at Morning Comics: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/320

Billy Bat #13

It's been a busy weekend for new releases. Billy Bat (ビリーバット) jumps between many time lines, many characters, conspiracy theories, and mysteries. Volume 13 focuses on Michael Jackson look-a-like 1980's Kevin Goodman, not to be confused with the original protagonist Kevin Yamagata. Although they are both key successors (or 後継者) to the Billy Bat saga.

There is also flashbacks to a conversation between Hilter and Einstein, fake moon landings, and the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake (which also appeared recently in Ghibli's Kaze Tachinu).

I always enjoy the suspense and mystery the Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹) weaves through his stories, so equal credit needs to be given to Takashi Nagasaki (長崎尚志) who has worked closely with Urasawa for many of my favourite series including Monster (モンスター), 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年), and Pluto (プルートウ).

Billy Bat: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/55

Billy Bat #12

The latest piece in the puzzle that is Naoki Urasawa's (浦沢直樹) Billy Bat takes us to New Jersey in 1981. A young artist who bears a striking resemblance to Michael Jackson is drawn into the web of Billy Bat.

After the recent events in volumes 10 and 11 it seemed like the story was slowly drawing toward a conclusion with a few clues to the origin of Billy Bat. Although the latest volume draws us closer to Disney-esque Chuck Culkin, and sheds light on the faked moon landings that appeared much earlier in the story. Volume 11 also marks the first appearance by Hitler, another historical figure chasing Billy Bat and the mysterious scroll with the power to alter history.

Although the previous volume hinted at the death of Kevin Yamagata, if 20th Century Boys and Monster have taught me nothing else it's 'don't expect that to be the last we see of Kevin Yamagata.' Now is the rise of a new artist to carry the torch of Billy Bat, Kevin Goodman.

Related Links:
Billy Bat's Morning Comics site: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/55

Billy Bat #11

The catch copy on the sleeve of the latest Billy Bat (ビリーバット) release says, "Will the scroll that controls time finally shed like on the true identity of Billy Bat?!" And since Naoki Urasawa's (浦沢直樹) manga are known for their multi-layered twists and turns I was a bit skeptical of the claim. And here I should also point out the excellent work of Takashi Nagasaki (長崎尚志) who writes a lot of the stories with Urasawa including the past series of Monster, 21st Century Boys, Master Keaton, and Pluto to just name a few.

I won't give anything away about the latest story line, but I finally feel like the puzzle is starting to be solved. After I was a bit frustrated with the previous volume, volume #11 steps up an delivers some answers. Einstein and Saint Frances Xavier pop in for some more flashback cameos and shed light onto the origins of the scroll that everyone is in a mad scramble trying to track down, and Billy Bat.

But as the story takes a small step toward it's conclusion, a new 1981 story line is introduced which references the space shuttle Columbia, and new Kevin. Could this be Kevin Yamagata's son? I guess we'll have to tune in same bat time, same bat channel. Until next time.

Billy Bat #10

One of the things I really enjoy about the story telling of Naoki Urasawa is the meticulous planning that goes into his story lines. So even though the main plot of Billy Bat doesn't progress too much in the latest volume, there are more multi-layered details added with another conspiracy filled story from 1924's Little Tokyo in Los Angeles.

Although this does leave me with a few problems. During the wait for each new volume, I tend to forget the interactions of each story, and the multitude of characters. And after reading several other of Urasawa's series; Monster and 20th Century boys, so of the minor characters tend to re-appear and blend together. Also, with multiple time lines; 1924 in one chapter, 1964 the next, if you're not paying attention, it's easy to lose track the intertwining threads.

But, the timing of the story telling is superb, with both the newly introduced story reaching an exciting climax, and Kevin perched in a precarious position as we wait the next volume. Hopefully the two stories resolve in the next volume as the story threads start to come together and move towards the climax.