So, I Can’t Play H Volume 1

So, I Can’t Play H is a manga that feels familiar from the start. It began as a series of light novels (11 in all) written by Pan Tachibana and illustrated by Yoshiaki Katsurai that then were adapted into five manga volumes, drawn by Sho Okagiri, before becoming an anime series.

This volume opens with a bunch of confusing mythology about a realm of Grim Reapers and their training and contracts and rules, but it’s really about a regular guy, Ryosuke, whose only virtue is kindness, who has an extensive porn collection, and who is obsessed with girls being treasures full of body parts to dream about. Typical of an M-rated series, there’s plenty of fan service, like a full-nude shower scene.

The subject of the scene is Lisara, a cute girl from this other realm who exists just so he can look up at her when she’s wearing nothing but his shirt or get his head stuck in her crotch. She needs him to live, but her use of his spirit energy reduces his libido, which means he leers at her a lot but doesn’t attack her. (All this is explained during one of the talking scenes that are there just to space out the sexy images.) Typical of this kind of manga, it’s all a tease, putting Ryosuke in the place of the reader, while Lisara screams and yells and threatens him violently.

In the second half of the book, she joins him at school, where she meets his well-built childhood friend and the local popular boy. I wish the series had more humor, more cheekiness about its premise, so I could find something to entertain me, but this is clearly aimed at those who want a flimsy excuse to fantasize about naked girls. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

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Scooby-Doo Returns With New Series on Boomerang

Last year, the cable channel Boomerang, which previously aired classic cartoons, announced plans for original content. Now, more detail is available on the nature of that content.

Unsurprisingly, the characters are familiar. There’s a new 22-minute series, Be Cool Scooby-Doo!, promising “a modern comedic twist on the beloved classic. This time, the gang is working as hard to solve their own personal problems as they are to solve the endless, mind-bending mysteries that await them.” So, more interpersonal drama, and as shown here, a new, modernized look for the characters.

Also coming will be Bunnicula, based on the children’s book about a vampire rabbit, and Wabbit – A Looney Tunes Production, with new Bugs Bunny shorts that will feature “classic characters like Yosemite Sam and Wile E. Coyote, along with brand new foes.”

As part of this deal with Warner Bros. Animation, Boomerang will continue to have access to their “classic animation portfolio” of “3,500 titles”, including works from Cartoon Network Studios.

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While We’re Young

I was really intrigued by the premise of While We’re Young, about a childless couple (Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts) in their 40s who start hanging out with a couple (Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver) in their 20s. I could emphasize with the situation, where the couples your own age are most excited about their kids, so if you want to do other things, you wind up with younger people who haven’t “settled down” yet, those who have more time and interests. (In our case, because we’re not young, we never made it out while this was in theaters for the two weeks or so it played locally.)

It’s a bit self-indulgent for a filmmaker (Noah Baumbach, writer/director) to make a movie about the mid-life crisis of a movie maker (Stiller’s character makes documentaries), but it’s also authentic to today’s visual culture that everything’s captured and considered a performance. Once we get to know the characters more, it’s revealing in terms of how they portray themselves to others. There’s also a layer of artistic jealousy as the middle-aged no longer finds creation so easy or smooth. Stiller has been working on a particular project for a decade. Exclusion is necessary, both in terms of editing and in-group definition, but painful, particularly to those left on the sidelines.

The younger couple bikes everywhere and fetishizes old technology (like typewriters and record players) and engages in creative pursuits like making their own ice cream flavors. That can be energizing but it can also be tiring. The contrast section, where the older woman is reading the NY Times on her iPad and her husband pulls up something to watch on his AppleTV, while the younger couple makes pencil notes in a paperback and watches a videotape that needs its tracking adjusted, was oddly hilarious. The older couple is seduced by how creative the younger seems, making their own furniture and coming up with creative social ideas, but it requires money to have all the latest tech toys.

I expected the film to be talky, a spiritual successor to Woody Allen’s New York chattering classes, but the montage sequences like this one are what are going to make this film so interesting to watch in future years, as they capture a particular hipster ethos of our time. No one these days thinks of themselves as older, or even as an adult, but life is better (imo) if you accept that gracefully.

Speaking of not doing that, I actually said OMG when I saw Charles Grodin (who plays Watts’ father). I still remember him best from The Great Muppet Caper (1981), but it’s been a long time since then, and what hair he has left is white. It was also an odd coincidence that I watched While We’re Young just after rewatching Wonder Boys, since both feature artists having a hard time coping with the skill and energy of the younger creator after they’ve aged out of their own youthful success. This film adds in a debate about the nature of truth on film and how documentary functions in today’s capture culture.

Just when I was thinking about how the women in this film play second fiddle and aren’t given much to do, Seyfried gets a really meaty scene that puts things in new perspective. The movie changes from low-key realistic to more dramatic, but someone who doesn’t have the patience for your typical art-house talkfest might find that aspect more entertaining. Suffice it to say that youth can also be harsh and heartless, out only for itself. I’m not sure I can wholeheartedly say I liked the movie, but I appreciated watching it, and it certainly started some discussions.

The extras on the disc are minimal, four press-clip-style featurettes, about 2 minutes each, covering:

• The Cast
• Director Noah Baumbach
• Charles Grodin
• Generation Tech

And two very short behind-the-scenes for particular setups: Ayahuasca Ceremony and Hip Hop Class. (The studio provided a review copy.)

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Wizard World Launches Con Radio

To go along with CONtv, their online network, Wizard World has announced CON Radio, a combination of live audio streaming and podcasts.

They’ve got nine programs available now, with more promised for later this summer and “live streaming from Wizard World Comic Con shows nationally.” Here’s the program list, planned to update weekly unless otherwise noted. The Classics show sounds most interesting to me, although I haven’t listened to any yet.

Common Room – A female-take on the geek culture and nerd lifestyle, with no topic off-limits.

Con Smash – Con Radio’s flagship program, featuring pop culture news & rumors, debates, celebrity interviews, contests & more. Hosted by Wizard World’s Mo Lightning & Billy Patterson.

Crazy 4 Comic Con – The most comic book-leaning podcast on Con Radio. Join host Tony Kim and special guests as he talks comic books, art, writing, and of course, the joy of comic cons all across the world. Monthly.

Every Day is Halloween – Celebrating all things scary, Horror Guy Keenan creates a podcast experience unlike any other. Clips from classic movies, forgotten TV commercials, movie reviews, and industry analysis are just the proverbial tip of the knife. Monthly.

The Game Fix Podcast – No pop culture hub would be complete without a spotlight on video games. Gamers can get their fix from a gang of radio personalities who’ve spent their entire lives gaming, from the NES to the latest and greatest consoles.

The Modern Geek Show – Fashion, flirting, fitness… How does today’s geek find time to balance all of this, work, and his or her pop culture interests?

Talking TV WITH Liz and Lindi – Team Supernatural Drama isn’t just a title, it’s a lifestyle! Regulars on the con scene for a while, hosts Liz Pochop & Lindi Smith have recently expanded their reviews to Entertainment Weekly’s website (ew.com) and now this exclusive-to-Con Radio podcast.

Wizard World Classics – Missed a favorite celebrity on his or her panel? That’s OK – Listen to it here! Wizard World presents brand new, and classic, clips from various celebrities in short segments that keep the show flowing!

WrestlingAudio Presents… – Simulcast sports entertainment (pro wrestling) programming from the 10-year podcast veterans of WrestlingAudio.com. Includes news & rumors, celebrity interviews, contesting, more. Recorded 1-3 times per week.

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Ani-Imo Volume 1

Ani-Imo by Haruko Kurumatani has one of those “only in manga” premises. Be sure to keep it away from parents or busybodies, because it plays with implications of incest as comedy.

Youta is a caring boy. He fixes breakfast for his family, and he particularly takes care of his twin sister Hikaru (so much so that rumors swirl around their high school regarding his “sister complex” and how freaky the twins are). She’s quiet and reserved, but he finds her adorable and can read her moods, except for one big secret.

Their parents haven’t bothered to tell him that the two aren’t actually related. They were born on the same day, yes, but with other partners before the parents got together, so they don’t share any blood. Which allows Hikaru to plant a kiss on Youta, since she wants to date him.

But wait! That’s not all! There’s an accident, and after, the two wake up in each other’s bodies. Thus the tagline: “Big Brother becomes Little Sister; Little Sister becomes Big Brother.” Youta (as a girl) wants to figure out how to fix things, but Hikaru (as a boy) sees this as her opportunity to see her brother’s body naked and get what she wants in a relationship.

Sadly, what could have been the fodder for entertaining comedy or exciting drama winds up flatly sitting on the page. Youta’s constant nattering and worrying becomes boring. Like the writing, the art is standard, with nothing that particularly stands out, and the girls appear particularly young, troublesome for the plot.

The other cast consists of Mayama, who’s constantly trying to grab or kiss Hikaru against her will, and Oda-san, a pretty girl. Youta was crushing on her, but she was playing up to him to get closer to Hikaru for some girl-girl action. The sexual drive of these characters leads to my assumption that the author was more interested in pushing boundaries than developing realistic characterization. Particularly when it comes to the creepy doctor who knows their secret and seems to want to get with either or both of them. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

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Emma Volume 1

I’m very glad Yen Press brought back Kaoru Mori’s maid manga Emma. The period piece combines a cross-class romance (gentleman and maid) with beautifully illustrated details of daily life, set during a time, 19th century England, that appeals to many readers, given the elaborate dinner parties and social rituals.

When the series was originally released by CMX, I covered most of the volumes, so I won’t talk in detail about the plot, but I did want to note how lovely Mori’s art is. It’s more obvious in her work on A Bride’s Story, since that culture is a lot more foreign to readers. This series feels like watching a costume drama on PBS, so her facility with expression and emotion requires attention on the reader’s part to note. The reading is so smooth that it doesn’t jump out, making it all the more skilled.

It was a pleasure to be reminded of William and Emma’s relationship, beginning with his first encounter with her, at the home of his former governess. I hadn’t recalled the comedy, as Emma opens the door and smacks him in the face, but I did remember his quiet self-possession and her warm personality (and glasses!). Rereading the story allowed me to pick up on more detail in their interactions. The presence of continuing depth makes this a volume worth owning, to reread.

I hadn’t remembered how quickly Emma is established as desirable, despite her status, with several suitors. And the introduction of Hakim, just to introduce some amazing visuals, since he comes from India with a bevy of elephants. Plus, William’s siblings have a ton of energy and motives. Then there’s the visit to the Crystal Palace museum, and their first kiss, and William’s family obligations, and social ties building a chasm between them.

This hardcover Emma volume 1 collects two of the previous volumes, with the addition of two sepia-toned street scenes as frontispieces. As a longer read, we can spend more time in this far-away world. The author’s notes are still included for both volumes, about Mori’s anglophilia. Although the translation is by Sheldon Drzka in both cases, old and new, the adaptation has been reworked to read more smoothly and with more distinct character voices. In other words, it’s a subtle improvement.

The CMX volumes, in comparison to this one, look more faded. The black inks are sharper here and the paper whiter. Also, the dust jacket is reversible. The front and back images of the original first volume can be turned inside to reveal the front and back images of the second, a nice touch. (The publisher provided a review copy.)

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Bryan Lee O’Malley Launches Ongoing Series

With no timeframe announced, Image Comics plans to publish a new ongoing series written by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Scott Pilgrim, Seconds) called Snotgirl. (Well, that’s certainly distinctive.) The creative team consists of artist Leslie Hung, colorist Mickey Quinn, and letterer/designer Maré Odomo, and the premise is “a dark comedy set in the world of fashion bloggers.” Here’s the description:

Lottie is a huge success — she’s blog famous! Her online persona is flawless and fun, but her real life is filled with woes. She has terrible allergies, she just got dumped, and her blogger friends don’t understand her. Things turn around when Lottie instantly clicks with Caroline, a new girl on the scene… but can she turn chemistry into friendship, or will she ruin everything?

The setting intrigues me, and I’ve liked everything else I’ve read by O’Malley, so I’ll definitely give it a shot, even if the image is gross.

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Blue Monday to Return From Image!

As announced as part of the Image Expo, Chynna Clugston Flores’ Blue Monday is returning! All of the previous material will be reprinted as Blue Monday: Germfree Adolescents. That should include the four books The Kids Are Alright, Absolute Beginners, Inbetween Days, and Painted Moon, but they’re also promising “all of the previously-published miniseries and one-shot comics, along with all of the rare short stories”. Exciting! Everything you need in one place, plus “tons of behind-the-scenes material”! The series is described as “the critically-acclaimed comedy that has often been compared to the comics work of Rumiko Takahashi and the John Hughes/Molly Ringwald film collaborations of the 1980s.” I call it one of the most honest portrayals of teen life ever seen in comics.

Even more exciting, Thieves Like Us will finally be published! The first issue of this series appeared in January 2009, but no more followed. Now, as Image describes it, “Bleu, Clover, Victor, Alan, and the entire gang from Fresburger, California are back! Winter has thawed into spring, the whole world is thinking about sex, and it’s all Bleu’s fault! Or at least, it seems that way. Maybe Bleu should just suck it up and try to get some experience in these matters so that she can finally woo her history teacher, Mr. Bishop, once and for all. What schemes will she cook up to achieve her outrageous goal? And what the heck is going on between Clover and Victor? And Alan and Erin?! Is that really a thing now?”

Additionally, Scooter Girl will come back into print, although Image described it as “an all-new series”; previously, it was published as an original graphic novel. Either way, it’s worth reading. I’m thrilled that these fun, funny stories from Chynna Clugston Flores will be available again!

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