Posts

Stein's Gate volume 1 by Yomi Sarachi and published by Udon comics

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists. Today we are looking at "Stein's Gate" by Yomi Sarachi and published in the United States by Udon Comics. The volume I got is the first volume in a mini series. This is a book that tries very hard to be serious and not serious all at once. It is an odd set of contradiction... . Steins Gate is about time travel and the paradoxes that it creates. It is a very science based manga but it has such an odd concept and style that I am not sure how to feel about it. I hate the main character but I slightly like the main character. When you think everything is one thing, it suddenly becomes another. The only real comparison I can give this is like the Higurashi no Nako Koro Ni (when they cry Higurashi) anime. It is the same time frame constantly repeated in different ways but only the main character knows this. This would be a great book if it was just that but.. then th...

Grave of the Fireflies movie review produced by Studio Ghibli and published by Disney or Gkids

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics, unknown animation and underground artists. Today we are looking at an animated movie called "Grave of the Fireflies" created by Studio Ghibli and published in the United States by Disney or Gkids. The dvd that we are looking at is a relatively famous movie but it is one the lessor known Studio Ghibli films because of its content and adult theme. It was directed by Isao Takahata. Takahata-san is the other side of Studio Ghibli that most people do not talk about. Everyone knowns Miyazaki-san but Takahata-san is the one who made movies like Pom Poko, Only Yesterday, and My Neighbors the Yamadas. This movie is about two kids growing up during the final days of World War II. It is through the point of view of  Seita and focuses on him and his young sister  Setsuko. The focus of the movie is that the American bombers dropped incendiary bombs on their town and it makes them homeless and...

The Girl From The Other Side: Siuil, A Run by Nagabe and published by Seven Seas

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists. Today we are looking at "The Girl From The Other Side: Siuil, A Run" by Nagabe and published in the United States by Seven Seas. The volume I bought is the first book in a four part series. The story revolves around a little girl living with a demonic guardian who does everything to protect her. The little girl's name is Shiva and her guardian is simply known as "Teacher." It is a very detailed book and is a true work of art. It is breathtaking to see all the detail in even the smallest panels. It feels so eerie and gives off a very Tim Burton feeling. It is creepy yet it is innocent. This work of art goes to Nagabe and it is beyond beautiful! This work is breath taking and it shows how artistic something can be no matter the medium. Most mangas or comics depend on working to get the story across but this book can accomplish themes with littl...

A Silent Voice series by Yoshitoki Oima and published by Kodansha Comics

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists. Today we are looking at "A Silent Voice" by Yoshitoki Oima and published in the United States by Kodansha Comics. The volume I am reviewing is the entire seven book series. This story was so beautiful that it does not feel like to review just one book. The only words I can use to describe this is... master piece. There is a reason that this book was nominated for a Will Eisner award and its not even from the United States. This book will crush your heart and attempt to piece it back together. This is a very serious story and it focuses on two main concepts: bullying and disabilities. It is about two characters. The first character is  Shoko Nishimiya and she is deaf. The second character is  Shoya Ishida and he used to bully Shoko. Shoya bullied Shoko so badly that he started to get bullied and she eventually quits school because of him. That is the theme and ...

Patema Inverted movie review produced by Purple Cow Studios Japan and published by Gkids

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics, unknown animation and underground artists. Today we are looking at an animated movie called "Patema Inverted" created by Purple Cow Studios Japan and published in the United States by Gkids. The dvd that we are looking at is a relatively unknown movie by an unknown directed. It was directed by Yasuhiro Yoshiura. A movie by an unknown director was a very fresh feel because it was a pure work of art. There is nothing to compare it to since I have not seen his other works and his works only go back until the year 2000. Because of this amazingly development, we will use strictly his merits of story telling to judge this film. It is refreshing and delightful for me to be able to do this. This movie is about two completely different worlds. One world lives on the surface and one world lives under the ground. A scientific experiment flipped gravity for most of the world years ago and most of...

the Gods lie. by Kaori Ozaki and published by Vertical comics

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists. Today we are looking at "the Gods lie." by Kaori Ozaki and published in the United States by Vertical Comics. The volume I bought is the only volume in the whole series. This is a book about poverty and about growing up and experiencing life as an adult. It is a very touching book and deserves praise but keep in mind that it will strike a cord in you unless you are a heartless rich person who shuns commoners. The book dives into topics that most people would consider taboo like bad parenting, death and true poverty. It is a great read and it is a very thought out book and you will feel that the artist is trying to help change you as a human. It is not action based and focuses on realism and is set through the point of view of a child in middle school. the Gods lie. is written and drawn by Kaori Ozaki and it is done in a more 2010 type style. It is a book that...

Ancien and the Magic Tablet (Napping Princess) produced by Signal.MD and published by Gkids

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics, unknown animation and underground artists. Today we are looking at an animated movie called "Ancien and the Magic Tablet" created by Signal.MD and published in the United States by Gkids. The dvd that we are looking at has two names. It was published around the world as "Ancien and the Magic Tablet" but is known in the United States as "Napping Princess." The movie was directed by Kenji Kamiyama who is famous for his directing of the series Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East. He is also credited for working on legendary series and movies like Patlabor, Burn Up!, Hakkenden Legend of the Dog Warriors, Jin Roh, and Blood the Last Vampire. With that in mind, Kamiyama-san is an extremely impressive guy who comes with the resume of one of the legends. The story of Ancien and the Magic tablet revolves around a teenage girl who has constant dreams about ...

Summer Wars movie review by Madhouse and published by Funimation

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics, unknown animation and underground artists. Today we are looking at an animated movie called "Summer Wars" created by Mad House and published in the United States by Funimation. The dvd that we are looking at is an award winning movie and has been through numerous international film festivals. It was animated and created by Madhouse and brought to the United States by Funimation. The movie was directed by Mamoru Hosoda (the same one who directed Digimon the movie) and it shares so many themes with his previous works. It is about artificial intelligence running amok and they through in the story of old families and making things right. It is a great movie and it flows very well and it actually does not rely to much on music which is very unique. This movie is about a program that we use to run everything in the world from stop lights to water systems. It is accessible to everyone and ...

Millennium Actress movie review animated by Madhouse and published by Dreamworks

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics, unknown animation and underground artists. Today we are looking at an animated movie called "Millennium Actress" created by Madhouse and published in the United States by Dreamworks Studios. The dvd that we are looking at is an award winning movie and has been through numerous international film festivals. It was animated and created by Madhouse and was directed by the legendary Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika, Tokyo Godfathers). This movie has gotten so much international praise but so little American praise but that is just how we roll. We make the best movies and shun everything else because we can't recognize art properly. Luckily for America, the rest of the world saw this beauty for what it really is. This movie is about a young lady chasing for a specific love her entire life. It goes into her life as an actress and it bleeds between acting and reality at several point...

Dance til Tomorrow volume 1 by Naoki Yamamoto and published by Pulp Comics / Viz Media

Image
The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists. Today we are looking at "Dance til Tomorrow" by Naoki Yamamoto and published in the United States by Pulp Comics / Viz Comics. The volume I bought is the first volume in an ongoing series. It is a feisty comic that has some extremely adult situations and will draw you in faster than a tornado in Kansas. It is an adult comedy series about a guy who is black mailed constantly by a young lady because she over heard how much money he is inheriting if he follows his late grandfather's wishes and no one is supposed to know. Dance til Tomorrow is about Suekichi and his constant balance between his acting hobby and his real life. It goes into how stressful life can be when all you want to do is do what you love and things and people keep hindering that. It is not an action comic but is grounded in realism and is about how cruel and hilarious life can be. The art of t...