This week's question comes from "The final Granny" in Tokyo --"What is the biggest thing you remember from your rookie days (specifically before your first serialization)?
Be Blues! (Motoyuki Tanaka): How tough it was to draw a oneshot on a weekly schedule.
Yuugami-kun ni wa Tomodachi ga inai (Jun Sakurai/Finale): It's been seven years since I started in Sunday Super! I've learned a lot from my first serialization. I'll be diligent in my efforts from here on in too!
Komi-san ha Komyusho desu (Tomohito Oda): The room I lived in back at the time was super cold in the winter...Nowadays it's quite warm.
Yuko sae Tatakaeba (Sei Fukui): The first time I attended a Shougi match in Sendagaya!!
Amano Megumi ha Suki darake! (Nekoguchi): When I went on a trip to Okinawa with Fujita and his group.
MAO (Rumiko Takahashi): When I finished my storyboards and got treated to steak from time to time --it was so tasty!
Maiko-san chi no Makanai-san. (Aiko Koyama): My part time job.
Hoankan Evans no Uso ~Dead or Love~ (Mizuki Kuriyama): It's not much different than now, but back then I used to hang my head while sitting late night in family restaurants.
Tonikaku Cawaii (Kenjiro Hata): Back when I was an assistant --Kumeta-sensei was ahead of everyone else, and we ended up working silently as a result.
Aozakura Bouei daigakkou monogatari (Hikaru Nikaido) That my editor was really pretty.
Souboutei Kowasubeshi (Kazuhiro Fujita): We didn't have an air conditioner and it got really hot from time to time. I gotta apologize to my two assistants...
Maoujo de Oyasumi (Kagiji Kumanomata): When the artist I was an assistant for before got me a bear shaped cake for my birthday.
Fire Rabbit!! (Aya Hirakawa): The first time I saw a manga I draw serialized in a magazine. I was overjoyed to see my lines written and a logo for my work.
Detective Conan: Zero's Tea Time (Takahiro Arai): When my name was misspelled on my debut work.
Kimi wa 008 (Syun Matsuena): Working so late into the night that I lost consciousness...I guess?
Ponkotsu-chan Kenshochuu (Tsubasa Fukuchi): When I first step foot into the Sunday editorial department, I felt like my world had been connected to theirs.
Sokyuu no Ariadne (Nobuhiro Yagi): When both my first assistant and I were completely worn down body and soul.
Daiku no Hatou (Michiteru Kusaba): I was poor...
Undine wa kyou mo koi wo suru ka? (Shinya Misu): When I went to the award ceremony for the rookie prize gripping a small daruma doll.
Gopun go no Sekai (Hiroshi Fukuda): When I went to Disney Land with Fujita-sensei and his friends! (Lol) I had such a good time!
switch (Atsushi Namikiri): When my my scary senpai were kind assistants and taught me how to work.
Chrono Magia: Infinity gear (Hikaru Muno/Homura Kawamoto): When we decided to make our debut together.
RYOKO (Kaito Mitsuhashi): When I gathered everything together and pressed further and further ahead, concentrating as hard as I could.
Zettai Karen Children (Takashi Shiina): I was young so If I put my mind to it I could sleep 26 hours straight. Nowadays I don't love my Futon as much.
Anonatsu 1959 (Ashibi Fukui): When I first left Osaka and traveled to live on my own.
Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin Misshitsu (Kyouichi Nanatsuki) When my first manuscripts I won took the "Manuscript award" and became manga.
Youkai Giga (Satsuki Satou): When my mood became that of Peach Pie.
Tokaichi Hitoribocchi Nouen (Yuuji Yokoyama): When I became the secretary for a manga artist and was so bad at my job that I got fired in half a year.
As expected with a question like this --a lot of the answers were fairly personal. Interesting that it's also the last time Sakurai will have to answer a question like this for a while --yup, as you know Yuugami's final chapter runs this week, and I've made an exception to cover it on the blog once again! Most of these are pretty straight forward, though Fujita making sure his assistants are taken care of continues to support this notion I have that he's team Sunday Dad, haha. A few won awards and got where they are which is also inspiring --never give up on your dreams! Though there are a few people here I hope have been able to get better schedules so they don't wear themselves down...
It feels like this would have been a way better story fro chapter 100 rather than 103, but here we are. Evans's friends want to throw him a surprise Birthday party, and it's increasingly difficult to keep the sheriff from finding out what they're up to. That being said it's also really clear that Evans expects a huge celebration, but won't actually say that. Which makes sense of course, but since the characters are typically unwilling to express what they want it's even funnier this time when everything that can go wrong for Evan's birthday celebration does go wrong, and he's left wondering if Ted being held captive, and a gunman barking orders at him is part of some kind of weird anti-birthday ritual. In short, he's sure they're just messing with him. I gotta say though, how could Ted not realize that his boss is actually unaware of his life being in danger? I suppose that's part of the audacity of Evans --being this good at your job means that most people can't fathom that perhaps sometimes you don't know what you're doing, hah. I don't think Kuriyama is thinking that deeply --rather it's just elements of the story linking together in an obvious way as this obvious setup would suggest. Evans does what the gunman holding Ted tells him because he thinks there's a surprise party involved, until Ted calls everyone out by singing Happy Birthday as loudly as he can. It's an audacious tactic but hey it works! The bad guy is captured and the party goes off without a hitch and Evans being none the wiser. Again it's all pretty play-by-play, but refuge in it's audacity saves it from being a complete retread.
I wouldn't have thought the chapter would end this way but in another way I suppose it was all leading up to this moment. Here I thought Fujita would find some way to reform the errant sister and they'd all go on to face Sakamaki together but instead this is her swan song. That's not to say her little sisters are okay with making an enemy out of their older sis --and it's here that the Fujita sentiment comes in. (I know I sound a little bit dismissive, but I mean that endearingly.) She --the older sister Kikuyo has been taken over by the house and the younger siblings realizing they have a job to do make the difficult decision to take her out. It might sound kind of harsh but I actually like how matter of fact they are about the whole situation --it's them or the evil house. Do or die, and there's no time for sentiment.
Though one of the bigger highlights this week is Dr. Auguste making the discovery that the monsters of the Souboutei didn't check their handiwork --Rokuro is down but not out! With some medical treatment he might still survive! Things are taking a turn for the better with this development --that and the sisters getting their eyes back, but with Fujita one has to earn their happy endings --and we're not at the finish line yet.
It feels good to be right --I've been saying Ponkotsu might be a little better with more characters, and this week's chapter was indeed improved by the apperance of Yumesaki's family. To the point that Mito isn't even necessary to move the plot along. (He only appears on the last page!) If the series can pull off more chapters like this I might be completely won over yet. I say this as if I wasn't already 100% in when Fukuchi's name came up, hah. Though no, like Evans it's a fairly simple idea --this time around Yumesaki's power is to cause things to grow larger. Yumesaki hoping to do an investigation without relying on Mito tries it on various things but instead causes either herself or her family members to grow larger resulting in hilarity as she tries not to alert her parents to her abilities, and wreck the house. This week's chapter has felt the most "Fukuchi" out of the entire series so it's no surprise that it's been my favorite so far. He's always had an innate sense of silliness even in series like Saike that have a far more serious tone, so to see him embrace that side moreso than the rom-com one that he has in the last few chapters was a real treat. Not only that, it shows that Yumesaki can function on her own as a character even without Mito --though I wonder if the opposite is true? I just hope Fukuchi keeps this up as I'd like to enjoy the series on a level moreso than "It's my favorite author."
Reappearing in the blog for the last time is Yuugami! Although he's been away from the blog for a while, I felt like it would be proper to give him a fond farewell here. To the surprise of probably very few, the finale of this series is very low key. If you came into this installment hoping for some huge revelation, then you'll be disappointed but I do think the summation of Yuugami's character and the series themes were particularly well handled. Yes, that is Yuugami delivering Pizzas above, hah and to Chihiro's surprise he even gave up baseball a year after graduation. I love that Chihiro discovers this from her friends as they order Pizza and watch baseball, and it's Yuugami who delivers it while warning her of how many calories the food has. Sakurai's sense of comedic timing is still pretty incredible, hah. Interestingly, even his family hasn't seen him much as when Chihiro mentions to his little sister (who she's still on good terms with) that she saw him Yuko asks how he's doing. It really is Yuugami-like to just not keep up communication doesn't it?
What makes up the core of this finale isn't a whole tour of "What's everyone doing now"? Rather, it's several moments of Yuugami inviting Chihiro to hang out with him. Yes, hold on to your seats, he is inviting her. Though the caveat is he's not exactly giving her a choice of places to go --it's always Rakugo, and at random times. Poor Chihiro is so bespotted that she just continues to accept these invitations, but it does give her further insight into the man who is Yuugami. One thing I have enjoyed about this series (I'm sure I've mentioned it) is that Yuugami's constant avoidance of friendly interactions isn't treated as a problem to solve but rather a unique quirk of his personality that others at first don't understand but come around on as the series progresses. Chihiro's character could have been reduced to simply apologizing or explaining Yuugami but because he's portrayed as not just a problem but a guy who has a unique look on the world and isn't hesitant to explain it she's more like an ally than a plot device. Even in this chapter she's still learning about him and maybe because she's gotten so close is less hesitant to ask him questions --to talk to him. Despite this she's unsure as to why he's going out of his way to invite her to rakugo (and not give her any other options) until another friend suggests that despite his actions and words Yuugami might actually consider her a...friend?
As to why Yuugami gave up baseball, well...it's because he discovered something he wanted to do more than be on the field. He wants to make friends.....with an alien. Thus his dream is to be an astronaut! Never change Yuugami. Never change. Though hey it's a dream he was willing to share with her and no one else, so perhaps they are friends. I like how the chapter is framed around texts from Chihiro's friends all wondering the same thing --why her, why invite her out? Is he dating her? Just for kicks? What? After a while however, Chihiro just starts to enjoy the time with Yuugami even if she's not sure why he's doing it. Though eventually it comes to her during a Rakugo performance about the importance of making friends --Yuugami wanted her to hear this, to be a part of what he's into. Sure he's not into the idea of having a bunch of friends but he isn't against the idea of friendship itself. It's a great exploitation of the title and audience expectations, and I love it. Yuugami won't call Chihiro a friend in the end, but he does know he wants to continue doing more things with her so that's a win, and the end of the series. Jun Sakurai's unflinching dedication to friendlessness in the protagonist has conversely provided a view on friendship that I feel couldn't have been done in a story that wasn't dedicated to it's premise. It helps the artwork is charming and the characters all a lot of fun. Sadly there's no notice at the end of the chapter that Sakurai will be back in Sunday, and I hope that doesn't mean that they've decided to move on as I'd love to see them back in Sunday (any Sunday) after a good long rest. I do hope we'll meet again Sakurai! Take care.
RYOKO isn't dead yet! I admit that don't know (or keep up with) the number of chapters needed to fill a volume, so it could very well be that Mitsuhashi is just getting an extension to get a fifth volume of material out there (and after volume four's abysmal sales I wouldn't be surprised if five is the finale), but the tantalizing lure of a new arc does have me excited. From the looks of things we're going back to slice of life hunting for at least a little while so maybe my pessimism is unfounded?
After escaping the ordeal that was the Lost forest, Ryousuke says he wants Sushi! While RYOKO isn't unfamiliar with making the mundane supernatural (In fact that's arguably the series's premise), it's great how a staple food of Japanese diets elicits a huge "whoa" response from Ryoko and her father. Though hey they have a bit of free time now that everyone isn't in peril, so why not go track down some fish for sushi? It's also a return to why I like Ryoko (the character) so much. Sure it would be easy to write her as a stoic badass, and in response to how women are written in media (with a focus on shounen manga) it might even feel required. I'm not at all suggesting that female stoic badass characters are bad in any way, or that there are too many. No, in fact I'd argue the opposite! Though my point is does every female protagonist have to be one? Ryoko can be that stoic badass in the tradition of Shounen manga, but she is at her core a 15-16 year old girl who wants a family and is interested in (a?) boy. Some might see those traits as weaknesses and I don't see why they have to be --if the character is written compellingly then their interests are what we root for. Rather than wanting our interests to become theirs. A story isn't written personally for the audience, rather, the audience finds something personal in it to take away. I won't disagree that the author has some responsibility in this transaction, but I do think sometimes we heap way more on them that can be reasonably be expected. Whew, I kind of got off topic there...though the chapter itself is pretty cute. To hunt fish the gang needs to be properly outfitted in swimwear, and Ryoko has outgrown her swimsuit from elementary school prompting Rere to get her another....but Ryoko is reluctant to let anyone see her in the ones she picks out. Anyone? Who else is around aside from...ah. Oh Ryoko, you bashful lass you. That being said, I do think we need to see more of her and Zen hanging out together if Mitsuhashi's blatant ambitions are to succeed.
Since her brief break-up with Xeno, Ayla's been understandably reluctant speak up. That all ends with this chapter where she has an uncharacteristic outburst. To be fair there's quite a bit of strain what with the deaths occurring around them, and a sleeper agent in their midst causing them. This week is mostly investigation and introductions --a slowdown from the weeks before it, though Xeno does point out that if Kai is the one who built this ship, there must be a trick --a mechanism that facilitates murder. When the group is trapped by someone in a room in the ship, (a double locked room?!) One of the soldiers decides that he has had enough of Xeno and wants to take his chances looking for a way out over his dead body. That plus their cavalier attitude towards the oncoming rebellion is what pushes Ayla over the edge --as soldiers they should know what the cost of life is, how many people could die if the rebellion happens. As someone who took a life --only one she can't ever forget that feeling. By finally releasing those pent up emotions, not only can she heal but Xeno can comfort her properly which is what he begins to do by the time this chapter ends. Of course it's in his own way --telling her that they have work to do, but as his assistant he knows she can help him. A siren goes off indicating there isn't much time left, and while not much actually happened this week I'm glad we got this chapter if only because Ayla's character development was due and this delivered in a very subtle but effective way.
This week's Youkai Giga features the Gyuki which can have different appearances depending on it's geographical location. These different types can eat different things, but they share some defining characteristics --mostly that they are cruel creatures and eat humans.
So with an intro like that, what does Satou do in their rendition of this youkai? Looks kind of cute doesn't it? Well...in this week's chapter a girl finds the Gyuki in a cave where she tries to get friendly with it, wondering why it has been chained up in a cave. As mentioned, the Gyuki is pretty hostile and wonders if she's come to kill it since unless it eats humans it'll die. Though it is nice enough to point out that the mushroom she's about to eat is poisonous so she'd die too. The girl seems determined to have Gyuki listen to her problems as she demands it ask her why she's here --she's a pretty young lady so she'd have no reason to travel to a cave unless she's having problems right? Gyuki hazards a few domestic guesses and she gets upset that it'd think she'd come all this way over fighting with her parents or breaking up with someone. (Spoiler, it's the latter thing.) Though Gyuki does say she's got to be an okay person to come and feed a starving monster --not many people like that still exist in those times. The girl decides that she'll free the Gyuki but it does warn her --it will kill and eat humans once it's free. The girl admits she's been fooled before but to live a life without believing in anyone is too much for her and she lets the youkai go.....ending the chapter. It's...huh. Honestly? I kind of like that it ends here without a clear conclusion. Does the Gyuki eat her and keep it's promise? Or does the girl's words reach it and it mends it's ways? We'll never know. (Maybe.). Satou has maintained that Youkai/human relationships are complex things and this one case isn't going to suddenly change that.
And that's it for the editorial! Slightly more words than usual admittedly, but I appreciate you for sticking around and reading a few of them! Until the next week of Sunday, have a good one.
Really really sad to see Yugami go, but on the plus side, the English scans have been picking up the pace.
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