Happy 2019 Sunday hopefuls! It's a new year (though Sunday's been in the new year for a few weeks now.) and with it new series, new authors, and of course new blog entries! Let's go!
On the cover this week is Kaitou Kid posing rather menacingly for his movie in a few months, along with the new series Ano Natsu 1959. No lie this cover looks awesome, and I'd love to have a text free version at some point. We'll probably get it as Aoyama gets all the artbooks. (Though to be fair he deserves them as his art is always a pleasure to behold.)
This week's question comes from Aichi and asks "What do people say when they meet you for the first time?"
Ano Natsu 1959 (Ashibi Fukui): A slightly different Baseball manga begins. I hope you'll enjoy it.
Detective Conan (Gosho Aoyama): I was thinking you'd be harder to get along with. (laughs)
Eiga Touken Ranbu (Rokurou Ogaki): Touken Ranbu the movie is awesome! I hope you enjoy my manga version of the movie!
Amano Megumi ha Suki darake (Nekoguchi): "You're surprisingly normal" What's 'surprising' supposed to mean here, huh?
Maoujo de oyasumi (Kagiji Kumanomata): What does "Kumanomata" mean?! (TN- Bear Crotch. For the record, it's pretty clear that this isn't the author's actual name.)
Be Blues (Motoyuki Tanaka): I can't really think of anything.
Fire Rabbit!! (Aya Hirakawa): Diligent.
Komi-san wa komyusho desu (Tomohito Oda): Do you play sports? You have really wide shoulders.
Daiku no Hatou (Michiteru Kusaba): So you're not really a tangerine...
Imouto Rireki (Kei Nishimura): "You're so thin....(Thin-ish.)"
Kimi ha 008 (Syun Matsuena): You're nuts.
Tonikaku Cawaii (Kenjiro Hata): "Whaaat? You're really in your 40's?!" Is what they said.
Amanojack no Kyuujitsu (Ugebeso Hatsumaru): I wanted to draw a story about a classmate's fresh look on a day off.
Gopun go no sekai (Hiroshi Fukuda): You have a strong expression....are you an elite sorta person?
switch (Atsushi Namikiri): You look sunburned. Did you go somewhere this summer?
Sokyuu no Ariadne (Nobuhiro Yagi): I got into an argument with someone in regard to whether I do or do not look like someone who was born where I was born.
Yuugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga inai (Jun Sakurai): "But you look so gentle...." Is what I was told right after I stood in for an for a elementary school class.
Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san (Aiko Koyama): "You look like you know a lot."
Hatsukoi Zombie (Ryou Minenami): I've been told lots of times that I have an arrogant stride.
Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ (Mizuki Kuriyama): Is that your real name? Is what they asked.
Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou Monogatari (Hikaru Nikaido): Are you having fun? (I was having a great time.)
Souboutei Kowasubeshi (Kazuhiro Fujita): "You look well!!" It sounds like I'm an uncle that they haven't seen in a long time.
Marry Grave (Hidenori Yamaji): You have a great voice~
Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin Misshitsu (Kyouichi Nanatsuki): I'm a fan of "Kenji" and "Sprigan".
Zettai Karen Children (Takashi Shiina): I don't know "Ghost Sweeper Mikami" and "Zettai Karen Children", but I do know "Conan".
Memesis (Takuya Yagyuu): I've been told by a lot of people that I'm tons of fun! Not that this is true!
Chrono Magia Infinity gear (Homura Kawamoto): 80% of the time I'm told that I'm different from what people imagined.
Youkai Giga (Satsuki Sato): "Pleased to meet you".
Tokachi Hitoribocchi Nouen (Yuuji Yokoyama): "You're easy to talk to" and "You have a sketchy aura"
Everyone pretty much stayed on topic, so it was a little less interesting than most weeks, but man Shiina, that's gotta hurt a bit, hah. I'd really like to hear Yamaji's voice, and for Minenami....what does an arrogant stride look like...
By the time this is released, the first of two special Conan episodes --both an hour each would have aired. This is an advert for the second one that will be out Saturday January 12th. These episodes correspond to the 1000th chapter which feels like it was oh-so-long ago. Above is also a comment from Shinichi's VA Kappei Yamaguchi, as well as a confirmation that a special showing of the anime for something called "Kaitou Kid's Jewel Night". I'm not sure if it's a new specific episode or reshowings, but fans can enjoy Kid's exploits on the big screen in February --right before the newest movie in the franchise opens in April. Although I'm not Kid's biggest fan, I can acknowledge how he's a big deal, and fans can't get enough of him. I'd go to something like this if I were in Japan in all honesty if only because I would love to meet more Conan fans in real life.
On the subject of things I'm not a major fan of but are coming out soon --Mai Kuraki is celebrating twenty years of being a singer with a new single that will contain two songs being used the aforementioned Conan special. She's is undoubtedly the biggest contributor to the Conan music scene and while I can't say her music is to my tastes, it's clear she and Conan are a duo that Japan can't get enough of. I say this, but after hearing the ending theme on this week's special I did somewhat like it. In any case, if you're interested in these songs then they'll be out March 20th for purchase.
Ashibi Fukui is a name that fans of Sunday should know --they've had two series in Gessan and several oneshots in super, gessan, and weekly sunday. Not only that, Fukuki was an assistant to Makoto Raiku when he was drawing Gash Bell for a year (leading up to the final chapter.). So Fukui has been around the block a bit before coming out with this manga about what seems to be time traveling baseball. Is this twist enough to take on the juggernaut that runs in the same magazine (though right now it's on hiatus, admittedly) Major? I will say Fukui has an interesting POV from the get go, as the first page opens up with how Japan's love of baseball has for more for 100 years passed from parent to child. That suggests to me more of an "Adachian ™ approach to the game in comparison to Major which is more about the sport itself. What do I mean? Read on.
I can say from the break that I really like Fukui's artwork. It's very....old fashioned while having a contemporary flair. Like the main character Natsu Haigou has this very slim build like many characters nowadays but the way pages are paneled with picture-in-picture views and straightforward composition harken back to something a little older. (Maybe early 90s?) Fukui's age (and even gender) aren't readily apparent, but their first series was in 2009, so it may be that they're just heavily influenced by older series. Though yes, Natsu (creative namedrop) is the grandson of the ever famous Masaya Haigou who 60 years ago took Homiya High school to the koshen for the first time.
Natsu turns down interviews and is a humble kind of guy --despite being the grandson of Masaya, he doesn't take the credit for his teams victories, and is fiercely loyal to his Grandpa. He lights up immediately when he hears his sickly grandfather was awake enough to watch his game on TV and that kind of reaction and familial closeness is really nice in a manga like this. Natsu just needs one more victory, just one more step before he too steps upon the Japanese baseball mecca that is Koshien.
We also find out that Masaya lost a brother in Manchuria as a child and it's what really lead him to baseball in the first place --being able to learn and think for oneself for the best results is important to him. A lesson that Natsu has taken to heart and such makes him Masaya's beloved grandson. I definitely get the idea that family is the central theme of this work. Not that it isn't in other works, but Fukui's focus on it here is intriguing. Not only that, but neighborhood links --everyone sees Natsu off from his family to everyone in the neighborhood giving off this quaint atmosphere that I admittedly kind of miss in modern media.
All this cheering and bravado is definitely in the family though --everyone wants to see the Haigo family once again take on the koushien. Not just that of course --it's been 59 years since the Homiya high school has been able to recapture that former glory, There's a lot riding on Natsu's shoulders in this game, and even though the story has been light on many details thus far, the personality of Natsu and the closeness of everyone around him makes it easy to want to see him succeed. To me that really is the strength of this first chapter. It eases us into the world the series takes place in and endears us to the characters without too much data dumping or long spiels of text. One of the series Fukui drew before this one was a boxing manga and his knowledge of body movement and expressiveness serves him well here. Each pitch Natsu throws looks like he puts his full body into it.
Of course with him playing the legendary game that'll take him to koushien in the first chapter, things can't possibly be that easy. Just as Natsu has really come into his own and realizes just how much he wants to play Baseball, something strange happens....it begins raining and lightning dances in the skies....and suddenly everything goes black. He can still hear the game but can't see anything.
He finds a doorway and steps into the outside where a girl informs him that his school has lost the game. Considering his team was winning this should be impossible...but the scoreboard he sees tells no lies. His school lost and he, along with us aren't sure of what just happened. It's a...weird place for the first chapter to end. It's probably to create hype but this first chapter while strong in many places has a somewhat odd pacing issue. It's not a dealbreaker as I am interested in seeing where Fukui is going to take this series, but yeah normally we at least know the hook of the work by the time the first chapter has ended, and I can't really say that's the case here. Still, I like this Adachi-ish take on sports where the sport is a fulcrum towards something greater than playing the sport for the competition itself like many sports series tend to be. That alone has got me intrigued and anticipating the next chapter.
Speaking of series with unusual beginnings, we move right along to the second chapter of Fire Rabbit!! Which seemingly has two unrelated narratives at the core of it's premise, but by the time this chapter concludes, these narratives have combined in a way I doubt anyone could have predicted. Picking up from the first chapter, one of our protagonists is in a pretty hot situation, while the other has just arrived on the scene. The stakes are pretty high at this early point of serialization --with the dual narratives. It feels as if Hirakawa is implying that the only way for these both to work out is for one to end. Fair nuff, but what is the cost of ending a narrative?
Itsuki to the rescue! Mahiro's insistence to do things on his own right before he is saved by Itsuki is like an affirmation of what the series "theme" might be. of course it's too early to say for sure, but considering the events of the chapter, I want to believe that this is Hirakawa's "truth".
Gotta gush again over the artwork --it really is spellbinding how Arakawa depicts fire, as well as Itsuki's Fire Force (no relation to the manga of the same name in Shounen Magazine.) Though even with the calvary here, Itsuki is on the sixth floor and surrounded by flames. He can't possibly save himself and Mahiro. The two narratives have met and there can be only one....
And so, the choice is on Mahiro. Itsuki dies in the fire leaving Mahiro alive to regret, and the rest of Fire Rabbit to mourn. It's all really sudden --just like a raging fire. It feels like chapter one and two are actually one long chapter --somewhat reminiscent of Ano Natsu 1959. I have to wonder if this is going to become a new thing with the Sunday serials? Hmm. Though yes, it feels like for Fire Rabbit at least that the series has ended before it really could begin.
Or has it? Looking at the only memento of Itsuki he has, Mahiro thinks back on things when suddenly, a ghost of the past (non Christmas variety) appears. Itsuki's glad to see Mahiro's alive even though he isn't of this plane anymore! Now unlike Ano Natsu, it's a little easier to tell where things are heading after this point, but I seriously doubt anyone saw this coming. There's one more chapter of obligatory coverage left, but it feels like the next chapter is going to be the actual "start". I have no doubt that Hirakawa will deliver, so it's more of a "how" than an "if".
The last Conan chapter for a while is sadly lacking in lasting content, so if you were hoping we'd get a lead on another case down the line you might be a smidgen disappointed. We did get a callback to an earlier chapter from Ran who quoted Heiji's mother in regards to the importance of life, but yeah not really anything from the last chapter. It's a shame as I was intrigued by Ai's connection to Sera. Though we do get a bit of amusing back and forth with Sera this week as she tries to get Conan to slip up and prove he's more than what he appears which at the very least gives an inkling of a confrontation coming down the road.....I suppose the real issue here is while this ending might be fine if Conan were running weekly like it's Sunday brethren that'd be slightly less frustrating, but getting cases like these and then having to wait months for more is a drag. At least it's only four weeks this time, so we'll get more Conan soon enough and Aoyama has revealed that the next case will be a longer one with possible Amuro involvement, but yeah. It's a tough time being a (mainline) Conan manga fan.
It's the final chapter of Imouto Rireki's obligatory coverage and the first time it's running it's ordinary (short) length. It's still a little longer than I was expecting at thirteen pages (Only a page shy of Evans.) This chapter too kind of goes against the norm --the first two were about a misunderstanding between brother and sister awkwardly bringing them together, while this one is more about how far apart they are. The premise is pretty simple, simple enough to be summed up in a sentence. 'Ikumi treats her brother like trash, but her brother's friends with some cordiality.' The most interesting part was the back and forth between older bro and his friend, --one who believes Ikumi is an angel, and the other who knows how cruel she can be. In the end she brings them drinks...seemingly, but pours one for the friend and for herself only. It's only then that he realizes that Sakutaro might be onto something, haha. Thus that's it for the obligatory series coverage. I'll reveal here that I'm actually not going to be adding much of anything to weekly coverage even if I really enjoyed the first three chapters of something simply because I want this blog to be a place where people can read about different facets of Sunday rather than the same things every week. So while I did enjoy Rireki's premiere, it'll be relegated to color pages and interesting chapters only after this, as will any other new series.
Next up is a popular franchise in Japan --Tokuten Ranbu. Above is a lineup of the characters in the series as portrayed by actors. I'm not too familiar with it myself, but the movie will premere January 18th in Japan. What I do know is it's a popular cell phone game (clearly so if they've managed to get a movie.) where famous swords are depicted as very attractive men. While Sunday is no stranger to promoting movies, there's a reason why this has been a featured topic in this issue....
And that's because Rokuro (Shinobi no) Ogaki is drawing a manga version of the movie! Though the thing is, the manga assumes you're already rather familiar with the franchise which as I said, I am not. In all fairness movie, anime, and manga adaptions are more like rewards for people who have supported the work up until this point than a real "jumping-in-point" for new viewers. (Not that it's impossible, but it's usually rather difficult.) so my coverage is mainly for those who miss Ogaki's stunning artwork and character designs than for Tokuten Ranbu itself.
Above this awesome two page spread is Oda Nobunaga at Honnouji where Akechi Mitsuhide betrays him. Seems like history as usual until giant sword wielding demons appear and it's up to the sword boys (as they've affectionately been called) to put a stop to them as seen above. The characters all appear in grand fashion and with Ogaki's artwork it's quite the spectacle.
And yeah the first chapter of the three part serialization really is just the swords gathering together to protect their lord. From what I'm reading they're a type of God who revers to themselves as "things" rather than people....yeah I do think some familiarity with the franchise will be necessary to really get the full mileage out of this but at the very least it looks amazing. As it's short and I really like Ogaki I'll probably cover everything though it'll be at a glance like this.
A short oneshot by Ugebeso who had appeared in Sunday before --a surprise one at that. I wonder if it's really okay for them to keep springing oneshots like this... And it's a pretty cute, simple story that runs a short six pages. Basically a boy and a girl have one relationship in class but out on a date their dynamics change almost completely. She seems to totally dislike him, but when they have to head out together to buy things outside of class she seems to crush on him and even be a little bit of a tsundere. Though once school is in session she's right back to where she started. It's nothing major but a little break from the other series while kind of keeping with Sunday's sort of modius operandi.
This week's Sunday diary is from Yuu Watase who is the author of "Arata: The Legend" which while on hiatus now was a popular series running in the magazine. Watase is currently redrawing the series in a "remixed" edition, with hopes that it'll return once she's caught up. She admits herself in this that she feels like a kid who's been out sick from class for an extended time and poking her face in now makes her feel like she's looking at the rest of the school from the health room. The rest of the entry talks about her approach to drawing the remix and how she wonders if people are enjoying some of the changes or reading the story for a second time. She does say she's working ever so steadily to eventually bring the series back to the main magazine before long and asks that everyone just be a little more patient. So this is good news for those who want more Arata and wonder if it'll return to the magazine.
And that's it for the features section of issue #6! Next time we have a new series by Shinya Misu called "Undine of the Desert World" in English parlance but "Undine wa Kyou mo Koi wo suruka?!" (Will Undine fall in love today too?) along with center color pages for switch, Five minutes and Zettai Karen Children which will also have a "huge announcement". I have a feeling we might just get a better idea of when we may see an ending for the series, maybe. Also Birdmen will be in for it's monthly visit, and with a heavy heart I have to say that Marry Grave will be ending. Where one series ends another begins in Sunday, and issue #7 is no exception. I hope you'll be there for it and the 2nd anniversary of my humble little blog as well! See you then.
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