"Oresama Teacher," the Shoujo but actually Shounen made for Girls

Last time I posted about "Kimi ni Todoke," which I would place as an absolutely girly-girl comic. But this time, we're going to the opposite end of the shoujo genre as we take a look at "Oresama Teacher," a shoujo jam-packed with so much action and bromance I consider it a shounen for girls!

"Oresama Teacher" is a manga about a girl, Mafuyu, who used to be the leader of a band of high school delinquents in junior high but goes into high school hoping to become a girly girl and have lots of female friends. However, her facade quickly drops and she is once again thrown into a bunch of fights, making delinquent friends, all male, all over again. Oh, and did I mention that her homeroom teacher is her childhood friend, and a large influence on how she grew up to be a delinquent in the first place? This manga is chaotic, fun, and will bring you to tears with its funny and memorable scenes. What I really like about this manga is how the author focuses on developing the friendships between characters rather than the romantic complications that might result from a girl being surrounded by a bunch of guys, which would probably happen in a more conventional shoujo manga. It is this focus on "brotherhood," along with the large amount of fighting scenes, that really separates this manga from other shoujos and blurs the line between shounen and shoujo. In addition, the gender-bending that happens in this manga is absolutely hilarious, as Mafuyu often dresses up as a guy (a very convincing one I may add) to fight, and the girls that fall in love with her along with a couple guys who start getting confused about their sexualities always make such scenarios an amusing read. The role reversals that happen in this manga are notable as well: for example in one scene Mafuyu, in her masked fighting identity, proclaims to one of her close guy friends, Hayasaka, that she will be his hero, and we get a sense of her strong desire to protect him, a departure from the convention where girls are depicted as the ones that want to be protected. What makes this even more interesting is that her feminine side, little of it that there is, is revealed every once in a while as well: when Hayasaka, who doesn't know of Mafuyu's fighting abilities, always scolds her to be more careful and always insists on protecting her, Mafuyu always appears very happy. Also, at times we'll see manifestations of her desire to make female friends, a desire so strong she seems to be going gay for women (a sentiment I understand very well haha)!

At 13 volumes and ongoing, "Oresama Teacher" is still as enjoyable, if not more so, than it was at the beginning, and I hope the author can continue keeping up the pace. I do think romance will develop in the future, and I am interested in seeing how the author will handle this. While most fans are rooting for the teacher (yes, teacher/student relationships are very common in shoujo manga), I really hope the author decides to pursue the relationship between Mafuyu and Hayasaka. Whereas a relationship between the teacher and Mafuyu would develop along the more conventional lines of a romance story, a relationship between Hayasaka and Mafuyu could potentially explore new territory as both seem to stand on equal ground and will have to work things out in terms of who takes the lead in what arenas of life in order to make their relationship work. The author's insight into gender dynamics does seem to shine through every now and then, and if she really is as perceptive as these scenes display, then I think she will find developing a relationship between Hayasaka and Mafuyu much more engaging as well. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!


This manga is out in English, so please support it by buying here!

The aww so adorable "Kimi ni Todoke!" [slight spoilers near the end]

When you think of fiction targeted towards young girls, romance is probably one of the first things that pops into mind. Japanese shoujo comics targeted towards young girls are no different and are chock full of all kinds of romance from "pure love" to provocative and sexy. "Kimi ni Todoke" by Karuho Shiina is an example of the "pure love" kind, the story of a sweet, shy, innocent high school girl's quest to make friends and while in the process falls in love.

This story is a huge success in Japan, and it is rather unique for a shoujo manga in that it is popular with both guys and girls. One can attribute this to the author's attention to the details of making friends and falling in love as well as the deliberately slow place and setting of a heartwarming atmosphere for the piece. Additionally, the female and male lead are just absolutely adorable and irresistable to both sexes. The female lead is presented as a pure, honest, but lonely girl who's never been able to make friends due to her gloomy looks, and yet she is still happy and optimisitcally continues helping people in her attempt to make friends. Kazehaya, the male lead, on the other hand, is a popular boy who is genuinely kind and recognizes Sawako's efforts to make friends and helps her on her quest (who wouldn't fall in love with a boy like that?!). Often times shyness can come across as fake or an overdramatized problem caused by some childhood trauma in manga, but the light-hearted tone and senstivity with which Karuho presents Sawako's personality really adds a layer of believability and genuineness to the manga, keeping the tone of the manga pure and child-like, and reminding readers that it's ok, and even attractive, to be shy <3!

In addition, the relationship between Sawako and Kazehaya is rather unique and unusual within a manga, as both characters struggle to honestly express their feelings to one another and treat each other with love and respect. The largely unnecessary and overcomplicated drama of love triangles and make-ups and break-ups of other manga is replaced with the inner turmoils and miscommunication that occurs due to Sawako's shyness, and in this way this manga is an interesting study of social anxiety and nervousness around crushes, something I'm sure most if not all of us can relate to.

I am personally very excited to see where this manga will go. It is currently 15 volumes and ongoing in Japan, and it's gotten veeerrryyy innnteresting currently because [spoilers!] Kazehaya has been aloof with Sawako lately, it seems because he doesn't want to taint her innocence, but he doesn't know how much longer he can control himself from moving to the next step of the relationship <3. I myself am very interested in seeing how this author will handle the blooming of their sexualities and hope she will write and draw something just as sensitively and purely as she handled Sawako's attempts at friendship.


So click here to buy and read the manga right now!!!!!

The Inspiration of "Hikaru no Go"! [Spoilers]

This review WILL have SPOILERSSSSS, you have been forewarned!!!!!!!!!


During winter break I finally got a chance to read the critically acclaimed series "Hikaru no Go" and boy as it worth the wait! I can see why this manga spurned a new wave of Go players in Japan with its inspiring storyline and honest display of passion for a game.

"Hikaru no Go" is about a boy named Hikaru who finds a cursed Go board in his grandpa's attic and sees the ghost, Sai, that inhabits the Go board. Sai then proceeds to become Hikaru's friendly and silly companion, and being the Go genius that he is, attempts to teach Hikaru Go. Hikaru is reluctant to learn at first, but after a visit to a go salon where Hikaru meets young prodigy Akira Toya, Hikaru is inspired to play and chase after Akira to become his equal in the future. I love this manga because every character's pure passion for the game is clear, and unlike many manga focused on particular expertise of pursuit, this manga does not sensationalize the experience or add any unnecessary side complications such as love triangles to make the story more "interesting" for readers. Around Vol. 9-10 I was involuntarily rushing through the manga because I literally felt Hikaru's impatience to pass the exam and rise through the rankings! This manga is an honest portrayal of a young boy's passion for the game of go, and the friendships he makes along the way as he strives to gain acknowledgement from Akira Toya. This manga just gets better and better until Vol. 17, when the conclusion of the major climax in the story, [spoiler!] Sai's disappearance, occurs. The event is dealt with very well as Hikaru's emotional turmoil and desperation to find Sai is portrayed beautifully over the course of several volumes, but unfortunately things go downhill after this. I would say part of the reason is Hikaru's shift of focus, after his "coming of age," from playing the game just for fun to playing because he wants to win and be the best. In addition, after the loss of his ghostly mentor Hikaru becomes just like every other Go player, and admittedly a story purely about ppl battling it out over a Go board isn't the most exciting thing. I think what could've made the series more interesting is if the author, after dealing with the loss of Sai, started showing more of Hikaru's relationship with other players, especially Akira Toya, since he finally gained acknowledgement as a worthy rival shortly after losing Sai. From the beginning this manga was driven by Hikaru's relationship with Akira Toya and Sai, but unfortunately after losing Sai Hikaru's relationship with Akira is left largely unportrayed as well. It would've also been interesting to see Hikaru and others becoming cognizant of Hikaru's shift of focus as well, as his desire to win seemed to affect his relationships and game both negatively and positively, but unfortunately his loss of pure love for the game brings about the reader's loss of passion in the manga as well. If the author had brought this up and tried to deal with it in the manga I think it would've made a very interesting plot line, but unfortunately, we'll never know what happens, except in fandom.

With that being said, "Hikaru no Go" is definitely a manga worth reading and will ignite your passion for Go (I, myself, picked up the game after reading the series and can say I am a decently ranked amateur now that still plays every now and then). In addition, this manga inspires you to discover your own passions and/or revitalize past dreams and passions.

So what are you waiting for?! Go read this manga right now!!!

Thoughts on "The Turquoise Morning" and Boys' Love Manga

The Boys' Love (BL) genre is full of stereotypes that BL manga artists generally adhere to as they create often times less than average manga, but with the rise of authors such as Hidaka Shoko, Yamashita Tomoko, and Takarai Rihito, what I see is not only a rise in the quality of the works but also a departure from the conventions of the BL genre. I would like to talk about one short story in particular called "The Turquoise Morning," from Yamashita Tomoko's collection of short BL stories "Bara no Hitomi wa Bakudan."

"The Turquoise Morning" is a story about a photographer, Jed Knox, reminiscing about his time with the man he loved after heraing about his death. Jed was sent to the Middle East to document civilian soldiers through photographs, and while there he met and befriended Sabah, the leader of one of the soldier groups. The piece is told poetically in both visuals and words, with brief snapshots of their time together interluded with Jed's thoughts and feelings and their dialogue, all which clearly depicts the fondness they held for each other. The black backdrop, which is common for scenes depicting flashbacks in manga, also helps set the painfully nostalgic and depressing mood of the piece. Jed's yearning and unrequited love are clear from his thoughts and the way the memories are portrayed, and Sabah's love for Jed is clear as well, although it is perhaps not the same as Jed's love. The seriousness and tenderness with which the piece is told provokes one's thoughts and feelings, and by the end of the piece you will want to read it again to fully grasp what the author is trying to convey.

Yamashita Tomoko is part of what I consider to be a "new wave" of BL authors that seem to be adding a new layer of depth the the BL genre through their storytelling techniques and willingness to break from convention. What I love about this work is that her characters have a depth and substance to their feelings and thoughts that is, perhaps not realistic, but certainly plausible to any person, man or woman, in that character's given situation. Too often BL uses the fact that the two characters are men as an excuse for sex and fickle worries about dating because oh my gosh, they are both men!!! But I think one of the true and largely unused strengths of BL is in portraying a romantic relationship between equals full of not only love but respect for one another, and "The Turquoise Morning" is one story which, although short and brief, grasps upon this beautiful notion.

The rest of Yamashita's collection, although strong, is not nearly as insightful; most of them are light-hearted, fun, and unique in their own way, but "The Turquoise Morning" was definitely the most powerful of them all. Unfortunately, this manga has not been brought over to America yet, but you can buy the Japanese language version here and find more information about the manga here!

Thoughts on "Hamburgers for One" and Slice of Life

In the 2011 annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Oscars of comics, "Hamburgers for One" by Frank Stockton was nominated in the Best Short Story Category. Although it didn't win, it left a deep impression on me. So deep, in fact, that I decided to dig it up and write this blog post on it one year after I read it.

"Hamburgers for One" is a slice of life comic about an obese man's visit to a hamburger joint, and his attempt to hit on the new waitress. One can see the influences Stockton takes from Japanese manga through the slow pacing of each panel that takes you from moment-to-moment, almost second-to-second. There were times it was a little overdone, but Stockton's attempt to mix Japanese influences into his own personal storytelling and art style was definitely admirable and created an interesting and unique atmosphere for his piece. In addition, the attention paid to small details such as the man feeding a squirrel scraps to show his kind nature and the visual depictions of the suburban town really set the lazy, relaxed, and somewhat depressing mood of the piece. The dominant orange and gray color scheme added to this mood, and definitely made me like the piece more, since orange is my favorite color and that color scheme creates a nice vintage look that I really like.

What I like about the story is how it depicts an event in the day of an ordinary person and makes it interesting for the reader. Stockton displays the event with striking honesty and objectivity, which allows readers to sympathize with both parties and make their own judgements at the end of the comic. In addition, actions speak louder than words in this comic, as Stockton focuses in on certain details from facial expressions and close-ups to body stances and positions which indicate the man's interest and the woman's disinterest as they seem to hold a normal, although somewhat awkward, conversation.

The waitress goes about her business and appears disinterested as the man converses with her.

I really like slice-of-life comics because I personally find it much more interesting to read about the lives of ordinary people than superheroes or famous people. Although Japan has a lot of slice of life comics, America, unfortunately, has a significantly less amount (I can't think of any others besides this comic at the moment!). Thus this comic was a rare treat for me to come by, and I jumped at the chance to read it as soon as I found out about it!

I definitely think there's a lot of great comics waiting to be drawn in this genre from America, and the short story format would make it really easy to take just a glimpse into the life of an ordinary American, a slice of life, so to speak. Although I have nothing at all against a long continuous story in this manner, and would be highly interested in reading something along those lines as well. In any event, I think this comic shows us that everyone has their own stories to tell and share, and the ordinary can be made into something just as interesting, if not more interesting, than the extraordinary. It's a short read and free online, so you can read it by clicking here right now!