More than ever, more than ever, Beat’s Bizarre Adventure gives three writers the opportunity to recommend some of their favourite books and series from Japan, Korea and elsewhere from other countries. This week there will be the magical girl, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and of course sparkle.
Magical girl dandelion
Author/Artist: Kaeru Mizuho
Translation: Meia Maki
Lettering: Finn K.
Publisher: That is
One of the more interesting developments in the Magical Girls genre over the past 15 years is the integration of obvious horror elements. Puella Magi Madoka Magica may be the most obvious starting point, but there are also series like Wonder Egg Priority and Ghost Reaper Girl (see directly from HP Lovecraft). Of course, the story of a magical girl from the past can be dramatic. Do you remember how the Sailor Moon cast dies in the first arc? Needless to say, monsters. Some artists realized this and decided to build it further.
This is where the magical girl, Tampopon, by Frog Mizuho, comes in. War between monsters and butterfly magical girl soldiers is furious. High school student Tampo Ohanami discovers that a magical girl can “bloom”; But there’s a problem. Her best friend since childhood is the devil of shade. She will protect her as much as he can, but it is not his advantage that his best friend becomes a magical girl.
Mizuho setup presents a unique scenario. How does the magical girl and the monster she is supposed to fight become friends? Shade is a ruthless battle with other demons, and his motivation for why he helps him after the dandelion becomes a dandelion remains a mystery. What’s more, the more Dandelion learns from her glacial veteran mentor, Penny, the darker her world becomes. Being a magical girl may seem like an epic adventure to the onlookers, but with the magical girl’s dandelion, the interests were never high. But through it, Dandelion maintains her belief that good can win over the darkness. That everyone can be saved.
Visually, this is one of the most confident debut series in recent years. Mizuho draws like an old professional. They have energetic action scenes and fun monster design tricks. The ability to manipulate shadows and pass through them allows you to play with negative spaces and dark marble textures. The depiction of elements of the magical girl, such as the flower petals that appear when the peony uses her powers and the dandelion uses her magic, is always delicate and complicated. However, the series is not shy either due to violence or eerie imagery.
Only nine chapters are out, but the magical girl dandelion is off to a solid start. It is visually interesting and the story offers some interesting possibilities. But in it, this is a manga that believes that whatever is possible, no matter how dark you get. – D. Morris
Tony Takezaki’s Neon Genesis Evangelion
Author/Artist: Tony Takezaki
Translation: Labaamen, HC Language Solutions
Editor/English adaptation: Carl Gustav Horn
Lettering/Touch Up: John Clark
Publisher: Dark Horse
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of the things that every anime fan should watch, no matter what. It is definitely an important task in the overall history of anime. But it’s also very fun to take piss out of the story and characters. There’s a lot to work with!
Tony Takezaki (Genocyber) peers under Evangelion’s skirt and goes to town, analyzing the edited language, character manners and “hidden meanings” throughout the show. He also enjoys other works that shaped it. From the fun redesigns of the Eva Unit and Angel to top jokes about fanservice, and the more annoyed Asuka slips into the German accent, the more annoyed her, the more love there’s a lot of love in this short gag comic collection.
Some criticize Evangelion for being overstated, especially in the second half. (The first half is very entertaining in itself.) This book helps to dispel that. Because no matter how serious the show is, Anno is always open to fun things. It’s Tony Takezaki’s Neon Genesis Evangelion: the opportunity to laugh at a classic series featuring your favorite characters no matter what genre they are in.
Check this out!
Jo~ha~kyuu~! ♡ – Derrick Crow
Lost in fantasy
Author: Kizian
Platform: Web Comics
This Manhua follows a 16-year-old girl named Eugenie Lin, whose troublesome divorce of her parents leads to life with her father and his new wife and son. Unloved, unwanted Eugenie stumbles in a tattoo shop, where she meets an 18-year-old boy named Shen Huang. Eugenie thought she had seen him last, but it turns out they went to the same school and were in the same class. Plus, Juan is now her new seatmate. Eugenie doesn’t know what to do with him. It appears he is in late arrears, and there are rumors that he has been left out of school after beating half of his final sheetmates. But he also appears to be studying and health conscious. As Eugenie discovers Juan’s past, the two slowly begin to get to know each other.
Rost in Reverie has some of the best art I’ve seen. Here we are talking about something serious and spectacular. The best way I can explain it is “slim”. The characters’ eyes are really beautiful, and the way the artists blend the colors is almost like a gem. The series also has a good mix of millet art for humorous moments and dramatic close-ups when Eugenie and Juan are together.
From a story and character perspective, the series does not reinvent the wheel. The love interest of the cheerful female protagonist and the mystical man is a trop we have seen many times. But I always like to have a bit of a twist. Juan is not a “bad boy.” As we saw later in Manhua, he is consistently ranked at the top of his grades. And Eugenie is not the shy, quiet protagonist we usually see in this premised story. She’s frankly saying that (one of the first things she noticed about Juan is loud, his ass). I also love how the story takes place in a modern environment that brings about a more natural interaction between Eugenie and Juan.
Anyone who wants to read High School Romance Manhua should check out their love with fantasies. It was also used in a live-action drama series in 2023. I haven’t seen it yet, but I look forward to doing so after Manhua is over. – Hilary Leon
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