Hige vs. Otaku

Director: Shukou Murase
Production: Geneon Entertainment, Inc.
Fansubs by Anime Jiyuu

It’s amazing what a bit of slap-on can do for a girl.

Lil’s blue eye shadow is something of an obsession for me in Ergo Proxy. From those initial screenshots to the subsequent trailer, my greedy little eye for the aesthetic was impressed and impatient for a better example. And with this I get a thirty minute sized one, Lil-avec-makeup in abundance. Seriously, though, my love for it extends purely to the fact that it gives her face a depth and shape unseen in most animation, and apart from simply looking damn cool it reflects certain guarded characteristics of Lil herself (ala Geum-Ja, of ‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’). Who knew such a small thing could go so far? Yet the eye shadow acts as quite a nice starting point for Ergo Proxy’s presentation, which makes quite an impression with its restraint and sheer macabre beauty.

Visually, Ergo Proxy is just arresting on very account. A darkly lush colour palate and robust sense of design, it initially gives the impression of cyber punk films like ‘Blade Runner’ and similar irk. But Ergo Proxy somehow avoids the murky, congestive feeling of those now-atypical dystopian visions and presents us with a cleaner, somewhat unique but still accessible city setting of Romdeau.

The highly technological locales are comprehensive and effortlessly utilised; avoiding much of the sci-fi gobshite this genre tends to relishes in. Character design is nicely understated and slick, too, without any cheesy or camp indulgences. The Entourage will scream out ‘I, Robot’ when first seen, but I think this is just one of the many respectful nods to science fiction literature throughout the show. Ergo Proxy borrows much from many well-known sources, visually and spiritually, but it rarely stinks of theft. These borrowings merely serve to support the comprehensive environment that the plot plays out in.

A special acknowledgment goes to the sense of movement in the animation, too. The sheer sense of swing and pull in the more action-orientated scenes is fantastically exciting to watch. It really shows off the massive budget this show had to work with. Which leads on to the contentious subject of CG work in cel-based anime. Personally, I found Ergo Proxy to do it quite well. It’s still obvious, not as seamless as say ‘GitS: SAC’, but it rarely jarred.

Story-wise, this is certainly a first episode. It introduces us to the setting, a caste-based utopia that either encourages its citizens to discard superfluous possessions or consume, consume, consume, depending on their social standing; a place that Lil (our protagonist) astutely refers to as a ‘boring paradise’. Lil is accompanied by Iggy, her Entourage (android) partner, and a number of other colleges from the shady Intelligence Bureau she works for. Vincent, a new recruit and somewhat of a klutz, represents the ideal citizen, passive and obedient. He also represents the immigrant population, who face a lot of prejudice from the rigid class system of the city.

The Entourage and assorted androids (called AUTOREIV) throughout the show also reflect much more personality than the cliché standard. A murder scene involving an android is especially distressing as she screams for her life with bone-chilling realism. This allowance of personality isn’t given too much free reign, however, as there are frequent reminders of their servitude.

The plot itself focuses on the awakening and outbreak of a newly developed weapon-based android called ‘Proxy’. Coupled with murders and a burgeoning out break of a virus amongst the AUTOREIV (androids used for a variety of human needs) called ‘the Cogito’, we’re presented with quite a standard set of conventions for this genre of show. Human-creations are becoming sentient, demonstrating religious tendencies; a weapon developed in secrecy goes out of control and escapes; Lil, granddaughter of the city’s Regent, somehow finds herself at the centre of all these threads as they overlap and intertwine with one another. And amongst all this there is a silhouetted figure sitting in an open-air hallway spouting out gloomly premonitions. Yep, this is certainly a set-up episode if ever I’ve seen one. It’s also more pretentious than an undergrad Philosophy student (I look down with shame) with its numerous theoretical allusions to Descartes and assorted cohorts.

Conclusion
Not to say that this is a bad thing. While Ergo Proxy doesn’t make pains to assert its originality, or defend its pretensions, it still manages to play its cards with authority, creating a compelling cast with an intriguing plot that holds our interest. Coupled with a technical prowess in its production values that is both understated and utterly gorgeous, there’s a whole boatload of reasons to pay attention to this show. I know I plan to.

Author: Daisuke Igarashi
Scanslated by Manga Screener

The first and most immediate impression you’ll get from ‘Witches’ is that the artwork is not of a conventional manga style. There are hints of the ‘traditional’ around the eyes, but Igarashi takes a much more organic, sketchy approach to his art and it works beautifully. The vista and background of both rural and urban settings are sprawling and detailed, and although Igarashi’s characters have a certain rough quality they remain expressive and attractive.

What initially attracted me to this manga was the haunting cover and the interior art maintains this strange ethereal quality that I find really appealing. The occasional two-page spread are also worthy of note, being completely breathtaking with the amount of detail and level of design, showing a very capable artist in Daisuke Igarashi. Everything about the visuals of this manga shouts ‘weird but striking’ and it compliments the occult nature of the story fantastically.

Story-wise, these two chapters impart the self-contained ‘Spindle’ which follows two witches as their separate journeys intertwine; the first being a young nomad girl called Shiral who travels to the city to discover more about a premonition she has weaved into a tapestry and the second, an adult witch called Nicola who has an unhealthy vendetta against one of the city’s bazaar merchants.

Nicola’s plot thread offers most of the narrative push and tells the tale of a woman scorned by a rejecting suitor and her consequential vengeance against him and most of humanity as she attempts to resurrect an army of undead minions, aided by a mysterious but incredibly powerful book. Shiral’s involvement only really becomes apparent at the story’s conclusion, with most of her time spent exploring the large and unfamiliar city. And while not as tense or dramatic as Nicola’s exploits, Shiral offers some much needed respite as she navigates the utterly foreign surroundings with a charming naivety.

As a self-contained story, ‘Spindle’ packs in a lot of interesting story elements and characterisation. It partly reviews with the clash between Christian and Pagan religions and utilises the odd historical account of Rome to help flesh things out. Igarashi also creates lots of uniquely interesting occult motifs that fit well into the vaguely realistic world of the manga, mixing the mythical and real with great affect. The rare wry, darkly humourous moments initially seem strange and confusing but, on a second read, are actually quite amusing and do a good job at underling Nicola’s abject madness.

Yet, because this is a self-contained piece of work, some sacrifices are made in the finer points of the story. We’re never given much explanation to Shiral’s past or her immediate familial background; and Nicola’s motivations (beyond her immediate need for vengeance) seem quite flimsy in justifying the extreme actions she takes. I can’t help but think the manga may rely too heavily on the fact that we should know that Nicola is just a bit mental. More back-story on both her and Shiral would’ve made a capable and interesting plot even better. Still, you can’t ask for everything and this small quibble doesn’t really undermine an otherwise great start. And this is another point we have to consider: ‘Spindle’ is the start of a volume of stories, so more information might present itself in the coming releases. I’m not sure how accommodating the self-contained nature of ‘Witches’ will be for that, but I’m certainly willing to stick around to find out.

Conclusion
The first two parts of ‘Witches’ present us with a literate, intelligent and often weird but wholly enjoyable take on the occult genre. The artwork has a messy beauty to it and renders things with a lot of originality, detail and imagination that only goes to further compliment the interesting plot. ‘Witches’ was one of those blind curiosities that I’m happy to have acted on and hopefully this will convince a few more people to take a look for themselves. Great stuff!

‘Witches’ is currently available to download from Manga Screener

Author: Masashi Kishimoto
Scanslated by Ketwaroo

[SPOILERS ABOUND]

Something of a new territory for HVO, I’ve decided to start reviewing the weekly releases of Naruto that have been scanslated by the unrelenting workforce of the Internet (god bless every one of them). The reason for this is mainly because I feel the most recent chapters would serve as an interesting contrast to VIZ’s drawn out official release, reflecting how Kishimoto has developed as a mangaka over the past few years. Plus, like most of the modern world these days, I’m a total Naruto [manga] fanboy.

With chapter 300 we finally gain some insight into the enigmatic Sai as Sakura, Naruto and Yamato discover what’s in his treasured picture book. And quite frankly, thank god for that. Sai has always had the potential to be a poor man’s Sasuke; apart from their similarities in looks (albeit Sai is much poutier) they both have equally irritating levels of conceit, and it would have been pretty disappointing if Kishimoto played it straight.

Luckily, he hasn’t and Sai’s motivations are gradually becoming clear (although still cryptic with a number of mysteries still unexplained). Coupled with some interesting pieces of information from Kabuto and Orchimaru’s conversation, we’re starting to twig on the possible reasons for Sai’s ‘defection’ beyond the explicit coup d’état agenda of Danzo. This is gives Sai some much needed pathos and I predict everyone will adore the boy by the end of this arc. Such is the fickle way of Internet fandom, eh?

Kabuto and Orochimaru’s relationship is given a bit more narrative in this chapter as well, and I love the measured affection they seem to have for one another recently. Kabuto isn’t just the obedient underling he came across as in earlier volumes and Orochi shows a definite reliance on his abilities as a medical nin. This also serves to strengthen the definite alliance Kabuto now has to Orochimaru, although who’s to say how genuine it is with Kabuto being the confusingly mysterious bastard he is.

The artwork is in line with Kishimoto’s high standard of quality. There’s no action this chapter, but characters and scenery are rendered with a typically beautiful robustness. Sai’s artbook in particular is wonderfully presented, with small hints of Kishimoto’s enjoyment evident.

And as a side note (seeing as I’ve just started reviewing this), I have to say Kishimoto’s ‘new style’ really floats my boat. His previous art style almost seems twee in comparison (as great as it was). Special kudos for Sakura, who is looking distinctly awesome, and I highly approve of Naruto’s costume change!

Of course, this chapter’s big revelation is the silhouetted appearance of Sasuke at the end, petulant and whingy as ever. I’m interested to see how Sasuke reacts to Sai and how they’ll play off against each other in the coming weeks. The intrigue is generally maintained well with this chapter and even without any immediate action, things never get dull. As usual, the next release can’t come soon enough!

Author: Naoki Urasawa
Publisher: Viz

An ice-cold killer is on the loose, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Conspiracies, serial murders, and a scathing indictment of hospital politics are all masterfully woven together in this compelling manga thriller. Tenma risks his promising medical career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy. Unbeknownst to him, the child is destined for a terrible fate. Who could have known that Tenma would create a monster!

This first volume takes its time in building the scene, with most of it being set in the past as a young Kenzo Tenma copes with being an up-and-coming doctor in a foreign Germany. A victim of internal politics, Dr. Tenma’s substantial talents as a surgeon are used to advance the political agenda of the hospital’s director, Dr. Heinemann. Tenma’s engagement to Dr. Heinemann’s daughter Eva only serves to complicate matters, who seems as calculated and morally stunted as her father. Things take a turn for the worst when Temna makes the ethically correct decision to operate on a young boy over Düsseldorf’s mayor, who consequently dies as a result and thus spells the end of Tenma’s career.

Beyond the immediate drama that this decision creates, utterly compelling as it is, Tenma’s choice in saving the young boy serves as the key turning point in the book and the creation of the manga’s namesake. About two-thirds of the way through we move into the present day and find a much more hopeful situation for Tenma, with his career back on track and things generally rosey. Assuming you ignore the frequent serial murders taking place around him, that is. These events are monitored closely by Inspector Lunge, officer of the BKA with a photographic memory and a strong suspicion for Dr. Tenma’s involvement. With Lunge, and with every other key character in the manga, we find well-developed characterisation and a uniquely interesting motivation for existing in Urasawa’s fictional world.

‘Monster’ never lets up the pace, weaving countless story points together with casual beauty. Whether it seems incidental to the main plot or not, Urasawa’s storytelling is impeccable. Nothing is wasted and each moment of the book is ultimately vital to the larger picture. His art is expressive, literally with a wonderful use of facial features to reflect character, and detailed in every respect.

VIZ’s presentation doesn’t let us down, either, with a well-designed cover and decent printing quality. The translation comes across as fluid and astute, never betraying the intelligence of the dialogue. Definitely a fitting package for VIZ’s Signature range of manga.

Conclusion
Intelligent, shrewdly political with a definite sense of slow-burning excitement and intrigue . . . and simply put: menacing as fuck. Naoki Urasawa’s ‘Monster’ lived up to the limited, uninformed expectations I had of the series and surpassed them, leaving me in a feverous state of desperation for the next volume. Having only recently come to terms with the fact that we will have to wait three months for each new volume, the cynic in me thinks VIZ secretly enjoys being a cock-tease.