In today’s ever-changing comics industry, there are two universal truths. First and foremost, Dogman is an iconic comic of our time. The second is that more people are reading comics and online comics (also known as vertical comics) than ever before. So we at The Comics Beat chose to embark on a new adventure: Bit’s Bizarre Adventure. Each week we ask three authors to recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. This week we have a forgotten magical girl classic, a coming-of-age drama about toxic female friendships, and of course, [The original editor of this introduction was killed by the Death Note. We apologize for any inconvenience. — Management]
Academy Alice
Writer/Artist: Higuchi tangerine
Translator: Furukawa Haruko
adapt: Jennifer Keating
edit: Lillian Diaz-Puzbill
Publisher: tokyo pop
I generally don’t like magical girl comics. So when a friend recommended me to read Academy AliceI’m not willing to give it a chance. But to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. It remains one of my favorite comics published in the early 2000s.
Academy Alice It tells the story of ten-year-old Mikan Sakura who follows her best friend Hotaru Imai to a school for gifted students. It turns out that these “geniuses” are actually people with Alice’s powers, each with unique abilities. McCann also has a rare Alice of her own. What begins as a light-hearted tale about elementary school students soon becomes much deeper as the dark secrets of Alice Academy are revealed.
McCann starts out optimistic, clumsy, and simple-minded, traits that others might find annoying. But without losing her optimism, these traits evolved into bravery, selflessness, and mature love for those she cared about. every Academy AliceMany of the characters also show just as much growth. They are children who are forced to deal with adult problems.
Tokyopop is only licensed for 16 volumes Academy Alice before it was shut down. Although the publisher relaunched it in 2012, the series has been dormant since then. Sixteen volumes is less than half the story, and it’s heartbreaking that fans who have followed the series since 2007 won’t be able to see what happens next.
This is my plea to all the publishers reading: For the love of God, please allow Academy Alice! — Liang Haoying
between sheets
Writer/Artist: Erica Sakurazawa
Translator: Nakamura Yukiko
English adaptation: Marion Brown
edit: Julie Taylor
Retouching and lettering: Mona Lisa de Assis
Publisher: tokyo pop
Two young women, one blonde, the other brunette, sit in a bar in Tokyo. A man approached them, apparently trying to pick one of them up. He offered to buy a drink. The blonde rejected him. When he protested, she said she and the brunette were a couple. They kiss provocatively in front of him.
That’s how it starts between sheetsa one-volume comic created and drawn by the author Erica Sakurazawa. The story follows two stylish, club-going young women: Saki, an outgoing blonde, and Minako, her quiet brunette other half. They were inseparable friends, playing tricks on guys in nightclubs or, in Saki’s case, hoping to score a one-night stand. Their kiss was, of course, an attempt to throw off any possible suitors.
But then Minako realizes that her feelings for her friend may be deeper. She watched her best friend go through a series of boyfriends and wished she could be them. Why can’t Saki see who she really is and how she really feels?
Sakurazawa’s book, first published in Japan in 1996, takes a hard look at the feelings of unrequited love. The love in Minako’s eyes is clearly an obsession. Saki’s string of boyfriends were never good enough for Minako. Sakurazawa captures the vast gulf between Minako’s inner world and the reality around her. She keeps herself at a distance from other characters and is almost always shorter than her crush. This is someone who truly believes she is the only one who loves Saki, even if she ruins her friends’ lives.
On the contrary, Saki sees Minako as no threat. It never occurred to her that the boyfriend Minako was talking about didn’t exist. What really sets her apart from other crush romances is that Saki knows how her friend feels. She told her that she just wanted to be friends with her. That certainly doesn’t stop Minako from trying to convince her otherwise.
The book never gets as dark as it could be (spoiler alert, it doesn’t end with murder), but there’s a lot of mixed emotions and complex action here. This is an adult comic in both senses of the word. Sakurazawa has no qualms about depicting consensual sex between two adults. She also effortlessly creates believable young men whose impulses and attractions destroy their bonds with each other rather than bring them closer. — D.Morris
death Note
writer: big thrush
artist: Obata Tsuyoshi
Translator: Puke Rolfe
consultant: Alexis Kirsch
Publisher: Visualization area
I wonder how long it will take me to discuss death Note. Obviously, not for long. death Note High school student Yue Yagami discovers the notebook of the same name dropped by Death Dragon. Light uses it to write the names of different people in a notebook to kill them. Eventually, Detective L takes over the case, and the entire series becomes a lengthy game of cat and mouse between the two. At least that’s how it started. I won’t spoil what happens next.
I know people have their reasons for not liking this comic, from the rough middle section to the controversial ending. Some of these criticisms are certainly valid; death Note By no means a perfect series. In fact, when the ending came out, my best friend and I had different opinions about the ending. I love it, he hates it. I think that’s a sign that a story has value.
But I want to talk a little more about why I love this series. death Note It was an important job for me as a young person. It was published at the height of my comics and comics reading, just as I was discovering my love for writing. i found death Note Engaging, intelligent, and very different from the battle comics I was reading. This was one of the first comics I bought every new volume as it was released. I still have all of those original books to this day.
For a long time I considered it my favorite comic series. I will never deny the profound impact it had on me and my friends growing up. But I guess I don’t hold it in such reverence anymore. It’s the art of growing up and getting exposed to more.
Obata TakeruStill, the artwork for this series is incredible. His sense of detail, style, and use of Christian imagery attracted me from the beginning. Have read Obata’s other series, including journey of light and FullI still proudly claim that he is my favorite cartoonist. He’s incredible.
Everyone who comes into contact with comics should read it death Note At least once in their lives. You might love it, you might hate it, you might think it’s just “meh.” But there’s a reason people are still talking about it today. — Derek Crow
Follow Beat’s Bizarre Adventures for weekly comic and webcomic recommendations!