This week's question comes from Shizuouka prefecture and asks "What's an essential thing you have to have when drawing manga (aside from drawing materials)?
Fire Rabbit!! (Aya Hirakawa): I suppose my digital camera and smartphone filled with reference pictures.
Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin Misshitsu (Kyouichi Nanatsuki): Coffee. I love mocha beans.
Souboutei Kowasubeshi (Kazuhiro Fujita): So I can't say white out huh....I can still draw without a pen and ink, but...White out is essential.
Imouto Rireki (Kei Nishimura): Melon Bread.
Anonatsu 1959 (Ashibi Fukui): Just about every day when I'm working I drink a Diet Soda, boiled water and Protein.
Amano Megumi ha Suki Darake! (Nekoguchi): Libido and deadlines.
Kimi ha 008 (Syun Matsuena): Bravery and Faith!
Maoujo de Oyasumi (Kagiji Kumanomata): I need a heater for my ankles and below or I just can't remain seated.
Gopun go no Sekai (Hiroshi Fukuda): Motivation. (Lol).
Aozakura Bouei Daigakkou Monogatari (Hikaru Nikaido): Gauze to hold back the flames in my right hand. (Tendonitis).
Komi-san wa Komusho Desu. (Tomohito Oda): I put on music while I work but then I lose my concentration and immediately shut it off!
Detective Conan (Gosho Aoyama): Green Tea (Lol).
Sokyuu no Ariadne (Norihiro Yagi): Chocolate. (Especially during the storyboard phase.)
Undine ha Kyou mo Koi wo Suru ka? (Shinya Misu): I need to have movies and dramas playing! I work even harder when I'm emotionally moved!
RYOKO (Kaito Mitsuhashi): I've always got music playing.
Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san (Aiko Koyama): Coffee.
Daiku no Hatou (Michiteru Kusaba): Coffee, I guess?
Be Blues! (Motoyuki Tanaka): Music! I can't bear working in silence!
Tonikaku Cawaii (Kenjiro Hata): Uber eats.
Yuugami-kun ni ha Tomodachi ga inai (Jun Sakurai): In winter I cling steadfastly to a blanket.
Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ (Mizuki Kuriyama): Tape on my fingers, a wet compress, Radio or the radio app radiko and of course deadlines.
switch (Atsushi Namikiri): As long as I have materials, I can draw.
Hatsukoi Zombie (Ryou Minenami): The Radio or variety shows. Essentially anything that can help manage my nervousness is essential.
Chrono Magia: Infinity Gear (Homura Kawamoto/Hikaru Muno): Desks that face each other.
Youkai Giga (Satsuki Satou): A 1.21 Jigowatt electrical current.
Tokaichi Hitoribocchi nouen (Yuuji Yokoyama): Autosuggestion that makes me feel like I'm a genius.
A lot of people really like that coffee huh? Not surprising, I suppose --though I don't touch the stuff myself. Also did Satou just make a Back to the Future reference with their answer? I'm pretty sure they did. Though the answers I most identify with here are the ones that say they need to have sound on while they work. Even now as I type this I too have a bit of music playing --I just can't deal with silence!! Though Hata --Hata I get that feel. The most important thing you need while working is food! Though...aren't you married? I hope your wife doesn't mind you spending so much money on take out.
Probably the only surprising thing we get out of Souboutei this week is the return of the siblings, Takoha and Rokuro. I was thinking Fujita was going to keep them out of the picture until it was time for them to be big damn heroes, but having this small reminder they're still around is good too. We also get a tiny timeline as seen above that explains why big bro Seiichi is younger than his younger sister Makoto formally known as Kaerikuro. (Takoha calls her that still, but Makoto is easier to spell, so I'm going with that name.) Well...I say it's an explanation, but it more or less confirms what we already speculated --time traveling weirdness is a part of the Souboutei's makeup. Makoto got tossed into the Taisho era (To be specific, 1920) met Zanka in the Showa (1932 to be exact) while Seiichi came right to the present. It's not clear how Zanka and Makoto ended up in the current period, but Seiichi has a very good way of dealing with this --don't think about it. I guess it really isn't all that important in the scheme of things, and I doubt that Fujita is really going to let it slide, but we do hav to keep the story moving. On that note, Seiichi and Makoto really are a cute pair of siblings. Though we don't have a lot of time to dwell on that.
And now the not surprising in the least part of the chapter --though it gets it's point across. You don't mess with Sakamaki's house. Tanks? Soldiers? heavy machinery? They all are nothing in the presence of a man who's home is under threat and has aliens to back him up. Sakamaki has lived on his reputation so far in the story, so seeing him in action is both horrifying and...kind of cool? Shounen manga live on these mass shows of power from the villain to establish dominance. We might root for the heroes, but it's the villains that make them who they are --who change the rules of the story through their actions. Through unknown means, Sakamaki takes everyone present, compresses them into a little ball and tosses them aside declaring that the Souboutei will not be destroyed. (Great reverse title drop there, guy.) Although Shino has been the one enacting violence and acting as the villain-in-charge, this chapter establishes one thing: Sakamaki is the head of the house and as long as that's the case the souboutei isn't going anywhere.
Leave it to snow to bring out inner beauty. Sugiyama's artwork for Xeno has to me always been an acquired taste when it comes to it's human subjects, but his use of frames and drawing BG artwork has always been top notch. The blizzard as Xeno, Ayla and Aya make their way to the center of the AI network is spellbinding. The color page that accompanies this chapter is on twitter here and it too shows the best side of snow. As for the chapter itself --we're arriving upon the end of this case and rather quickly at that. It's a chapter where if you blink for a second you'll miss something.
From last time, Xeno was called out by a "Faceless Devil" who had captured Baron and as the single hint he has in regard to his past he just can't have that. Baron seems oddly glib about being kidnapped, oddly enough. It wouldn't surprise me if he has some culpability in this as well....Xeno on the other hand is interested in finding out who it was who called him out here, and while short-statured Aya is the real brain behind the machines, she has no idea who it was who called him. These machines are like her children, and she would never want to bring harm to them, so it's likely she has nothing to do with the gruesome murders...and while she didn't call Xeno out she wants his help in stopping this night from becoming any more tragic than it already is, and has the control needed to stop the machines. Unfortunately for them the "Faceless Devil" has other plans and upon coming into his territory Xeno and the ladies are attacked! Though that's when things get awesome --Xeno and Aya already changed hands so he has the control chip, and he's already figured out the identity of their faceless opponent. The machines disabled and his identity revealed, Xeno declares this game over --but is it really? Next issue has the answers.
Now I wouldn't go as far as calling RYOKO progressive --it's just a shounen manga, and any attributes or accolades I give it would sound hyperbolic and hypocritical since the "rescue" arc has been done in media in the past and will continue to be done for years to come. However! I do derive some pleasure from being able to say that at least in recent memory I can't think of a female fronted rescue arc where the men are the ones who need rescuing and not only that sport a female villain (as far as we know) to boot! Rere and Ryoko are off to save the latter's little brother and Zen as this next chapter in the series begins. The lady above --Ubume seems to have enough gravitas to cause Kogarashi to back off slightly, and knows about the territory he's in. Now the story does seem to be taking a somewhat predictable turn --Ubume bears more than a passing resemblance to Ryoko's missing mother, and is conveniently located in an area she's never been. I'd say my "ending soon" radar is tingling and it's rarely wrong --except for Saike that went on nearly three volumes longer than my prediction, but there is still a lot Mitsuhashi could do with this, maybe. It also is interesting to note that Ubume doesn't seem phased by Kogarashii bringing in Ryousuke and Zen --if she were really Ryoko's mom, I'd think she'd recognize her son, and Kogarashi describes Ryoko as very similar to her as well --it's a stretch but I'd imagine she'd be interested in what her daughter is doing...so there's a glimmer of hope that the final bout still has some time ahead of it.
The forest in the distance is where Ryoko and Rere need to go to save the boys. Something that occured to me as well is that RYOKO didn't receive a color page for it's new volume release --which isn't a terrible sign, but not a good one either. A volume release color page is somewhat like the editorial staff vouching for something they think will sell well. Now it may have just been that RYOKO only recently returned so they felt like one wasn't needed right now....but I really don't want to see this series head into the twilight quietly. Granted with Hatsukoi Zombie and Yuugami both ending soon perhaps Ryoko will be fine. For now at least both within the series and out our favorite sword wielding schoolgirl has her work cut out for her.
And the love games begin! Evans and Pheebs continue to have clearly forgot why they're here (to stop a con man) and instead indulge in their desires to be loved and love. I'll give Pheebs this much, she at least is only dedicated to one man --even if the extent of which she is dedicated is borderline obsession. Meanwhile we've got Evans who's down to date anyone who's willing. Even with Levin telling Evans and Pheebs not to get attached to anyone, they go there and do exactly that. Ah, you might have known Evans for a while Levin but did you really know him? This just feels like it shouldn't have been a surprise for someone who brags at almost every chance they can about how Evans is a product of their tutelage. Though I will say this --Evans does show concern for Pheebs being hit on by guys, even if she can take care of herself. It's kind of sweet in a backhanded way.
And it wouldn't be much of a shindig without good old Jealousy would it? When the proprietor of the party shows up and hits on a thoroughly unimpressed Pheobe, Evans comes out a swingin' in the name of the law. I should note that the potion he's hocking is supposed to work when one places the picture of their admired in a bottle filled with the solution. Pheebs thinks it's bunk but then she and Evans are hooked together and she's a believer, hah. Though the problem is they're not supposed to grow attached to anyone....meaning this chance might just end up being wasted like so much fake love potion.
Still they have to keep in close quarters which means pretending that they don't, don't like each other (It makes more sense than it sounds, trust me), and going along with this great but awful scenario of being a quasi couple that Levin takes credit for as the chapter ends. Kuriyama just really knows the characters and it shows oh-so well through the interactions in this chapter. That being said, I wonder if we'll see an adjustment of the status quo when all is said and done?
Kuro's apparently a teacher now?! This week's Youkai Giga sees the young yokai watching Kuro and Minoru approach the former in hopes she can learn something from him so that she can watch over her own master. I really like this idea of seeing Seiji's story reenacted by a different pair --just with Kuro watching over them. Their story was told in glimpses and flashbacks, so I'm hoping that Yokai Giga will stick around long enough for this second yokai/human child pair to grow up and have a relationship like Kuro and Seiji. Though other highlights in this chapter are Kuro and Makoto talking about Seiji's crush in elementary school? For one thing while I know Makoto can see Kuro, I didn't know she could gossip with it, hah. Though yes, Kuro's now teaching another yokai --or well, it's likely it will be starting now. I'm looking forward to seeing more of this new yokai's backstory and how she and her master met --as well as what her reasons are for wanting to protect him (When it doesn't seem like he's aware of her existence...?)
And that's it for the editorial for this week! As usual if you want the news, please read up on twitter here. Until next week's editorial, take care and have a great Sunday(s)!
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