manga recommendation

[mvrdrk]

If you haven't checked out Mushishi, you should. The first volume is out in English and it's quite promising in it's own way. It puts me strongly in mind of Ima Ichiko's work.

Oh yes, and you all do know that the 1st 12 Kingdoms novel is out? Turns out the author was a Buddhist studies major ... which explains why some of the information in the novels was so detailed. link to interview

Comments

[mangaroo.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard anything about the quality of the 12K translation. Have you?

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

Reports I've seen have been generally positive. I'm actually thinking about getting the English translation, partly because I want to see how they handled the postscript and partly because I think my kids will enjoy it.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

More to the point, does your local Kino have Mushishi in Japanese? It does sound promising but manga IME lose a great part of their promise to the straitjacket givens of English.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

They have to have it. I'll go look this week.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

If you have time, yes, I'd love a copy.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

The bookstore has volumes 1-8 in Japanese. I've picked up vol 1 for you to look at and you can decide from there. I'll get it in the mail to you tomorrow ('cause if I don't, I'll lose this one too ...)

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much! I look forward to it.

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

I've heard good things about Mushihi; now with your recc added to the pile I may have to check it out!

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

Hundred Ghosts is in some ways better but not available in English.

Mushishi is the same as Hundred Ghosts in that it is a view of how the supernatural intersects with the human that's distinctly Japanese/non-western. Not horror a la western notions of evil, but a twilight zone kind of weird intersecting of worlds with sometimes strange consequences.

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

I've recently read translations of Uzumaki and Gyo and really enjoyed them. (There is a short comic that accompanied Gyo that had to do with a section of mountain with mysterious people shaped holes in the side of it. Freakiest story I've read yet.) I like how there doesn't have to be a rationale or explanation for why things happen. They just happened and they're wierd and you either accept that or you don't.

Western horror tends to overanalyze wierd happenings. There HAS to be a backstory and it HAS to be explained by the end of the story or your reader is unhappy. IMO, not all mysteries need to be resolved and the Western explanations all tend to fall along the same lines anyways; a human died and their death has left a mark.

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

There's an anime for Mushishi, too (still fansub only, I think). It's quite gorgeous. I've only seen an episode or two, but it was very interesting.

[mvrdrk.livejournal.com]

LOL! No time for anime!! Do you want a copy of Mushishi in Japanese, as long as I'm headed to Kino's to look for copies?

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the offer! But I think I've got too much to read right now (English AND Japanese).

Good luck finding what you're looking for!

[paleaswater.livejournal.com]

oh, I'm definitely going to check this out.