In today’s rapidly changing comic industry, two universal truths remain. The first is that Dog Man is the defining comic of our time. The second is that more people are reading manga and webtoons (also known as vertical scrolling comics) than ever before. That’s why we at The Comics Beat have decided to embark on a new adventure: Beat’s Bizarre Adventures. Every week, three writers will recommend their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and other countries. This week, we’ll be introducing forgotten magical girl classics, adult dramas about toxic female friendships, and of course, (The original editor of this introduction was killed by Death Note. We apologize for the inconvenience. — Management)
Alice Academy
Lyrics and composition: Higuchi Tachibana
Translated by Haruko Furukawa
Screenplay: Jennifer Keating
Editor: Lilian Diaz Pribir
Publisher: Tokyo Pop
I don’t usually read magical girl manga, so when a friend recommended I read Gakuen Alice I was hesitant, but to my surprise I really enjoyed it, and it remains one of my favorite manga published in the early 2000s.
Gakuen Alice tells the story of 10-year-old Sakura Mikan, who follows her best friend Imai Hotaru into a school for geniuses. It turns out that these “geniuses” are actually people with abilities unique to each individual, called Alice. Mikan even has her own unusual Alice. What starts out as a light-hearted story of elementary school students quickly gains depth as the dark secrets of Alice Academy are revealed.
Mikan starts out optimistic, clumsy, and a joker, qualities that may seem annoying to others. However, her optimism never fades, and these qualities evolve into courage, selflessness, and a mature love for those she cares about. Each of Gakuen Alice’s many characters grows in the same way: they are all children forced to deal with adult problems.
Tokyo Pop was only able to license Gakuen Alice up to volume 16 before it went out of print, and the series has remained dormant ever since, despite the publisher re-releasing it in 2012. Volume 16 is just under half the story, and it’s sad that fans who have been following the series since 2007 won’t get to see what happens next.
To all publishers reading this, please license Gakuen Alice. — Hilary Leung
In bed
Writer/Artist: Erika Sakurazawa
Translated by: Yukiko Nagimura
English screenplay: Marion Brown
Editor: Julie Taylor
Retouching & Lettering: Mona Lisa de Assisi
Publisher: Tokyo Pop
Two young women, one blonde and one brunette, are sitting in a bar in Tokyo when a man approaches, clearly trying to flirt with one of them. He offers to buy her a drink, but the blonde declines. When the man protests, the blonde explains that she and the brunette are a couple. The two kiss provocatively in front of the man.
Thus begins Between the Sheets, a one-volume manga written and illustrated by Erika Sakurazawa. The story follows two fashionable young club-hopping women, Saki, an outgoing blonde, and her quiet, dark-haired partner, Minako. Inseparable friends, they roam the clubs, seducing men or, in Saki’s case, hoping for a one-night stand. Of course, their kisses are meant to seduce potential suitors.
But Minako realizes her feelings for her friend may be deeper. As she watches her best friend start dating one boyfriend after another, she wishes she could be like her. Why can’t Saki see her true self and true feelings?
Sakurazawa’s book, first published in Japan in 1996, is a harsh look at unrequited emotion. What Minako considers love is clearly an obsession. Saki’s string of boyfriends never satisfies Minako. Sakurazawa captures the vast gulf between Minako’s inner world and the reality that surrounds her. She portrays Minako as a character who is distant from the other characters and who is almost always shorter than the people she falls in love with. This is a character who truly believes she is the only one who loves Saki, even as she destroys the lives of her friends.
Conversely, Saki doesn’t see Minako as a threat. She doesn’t realize that the boyfriend Minako is talking about doesn’t exist. What really makes this relationship different from other obsessive relationships is that Saki knows her friend’s feelings. Saki tells her she just wants to be friends. Of course, Minako doesn’t stop trying to convince Saki.
The book never gets dark (spoiler alert, it doesn’t end with murder), but it’s full of complicated emotions and complicated behavior. This is an adult manga in both senses of the word. Sakurazawa has no problem portraying two adults having consensual sex, and he has no problem creating believable young people whose urges and attractions destroy rather than strengthen their bonds with one another. — D. Morris
death note
Writer: Tsugumi Ohba
Artist: Obata Takeshi
Translated by Pookie Rolfe
Consultant: Alexis Kirsch
Publisher: VIZ
I wondered how long it would take to tell the story of Death Note, but it seems it won’t take that long. Death Note follows Light Yagami, a high school student who finds a notebook dropped by the Shinigami Ryuk. Light Yagami uses the notebook to kill various people by writing their names. Eventually, detective L gets on the case, and the series becomes a long chase between the two. At least at first. I won’t give away any spoilers about what happens next.
I know that everyone has their own reasons for disliking this manga, from the boring middle to the controversial ending. Some of the criticism is certainly valid. Death Note is by no means a perfect series. In fact, when this manga was released, my best friend and I had opposing opinions about the ending. I loved it, he hated it. I think this is a testament to a worthy story.
But I want to go into more detail about why I love this series. Death Note was important to me when I was younger. I was an avid manga and comic reader, and it came out around the time I discovered my love of writing. I found Death Note fascinating and intelligent, completely different from the fighting manga I was reading. It was one of the first manga I bought every time a new volume came out. I still have all the original books.
For a long time, I considered this my favorite manga series of all time, and I won’t deny that it had a huge impact on me and my friends growing up, but I guess I just don’t revere it as much anymore. That’s what happens when you grow up and are exposed to more art.
However, Obata Takeshi’s artwork in this series is as amazing as ever. His attention to detail, style, and use of Christian imagery captivated me from the beginning. I have read Obata’s other series, such as Hikaru no Go and Bakuman, and I still proudly declare him my favorite manga artist. He is truly amazing.
Anyone with an interest in manga should read Death Note at least once in their life. You might love it, you might hate it, or you might just think it’s “so-so.” But there’s a reason people still talk about it today. — Derrick Crow
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