Otakuism

Story:

The computer genius Kunagisa Tomo and her very normal best friend/sidekick Ii-chan are invited to the island salon of Akagami Iria, a fabulously wealthy ex-heiress who invites the world’s greatest minds to share in her exile. That is, until one is found murdered. On an island of geniuses the normal Ii-chan is the only hope to solve the case, but can he solve a crime when he can’t even understand himself?

Impressions:

Zaregoto is the long awaited first novel of Nisioisin, the greatest up-and-coming author in Japan, now finally available in English. I’ve already read one of Nisiosin’s other works, Death Note Another Note, and thought that while the msytery was smart the characters just weren’t all that vibrant. Zaregoto fixes this completely as Nisioisin’s allows free reign for his quirky creations and the intricate crime they’re involved in. Quirkiest of all is the apathetic to the extreme Ii-chan. He’s Holden Caulfield turned up to eleven. While half the book is about solving the murders going on, the other half is just trying to figure out what makes this guy tick, with several characters offering their views and not even Ii-chan is sure if any of them are right. Fortunately Nisioisin does all this in a way that doesn’t stop Ii-chan from being a likeable, if baffling, protagonist. Doubly good for me since I hated Catcher in the Rye and everything about Holden in particular.

As for the mystery part of the book I found the constant twists exciting and unexpected. Ii-chan’s constant muttering of “nonsense” really does describe the implausible yet plausible crime of the novel. However, I’m not a big fan of mysteries and Nisioisin’s work has been my only encounter with the classic locked room scenario, so more expierenced readers of mysteries than me may not enjoy it as much if they can figure it out, which certainly there are enough clues to figure it out if you think in a really specific way.

My only problem with the writing is that there’s no “he said, she said” to mark who is talking. In Japanese the writing probably spoke for itself but English just doesn’t work that way. This is especially a problem when there’s a paragraph break even though the same character is still talking. I was still able to keep up with the conversations, though, even the really fast paced ones towards the end. Despite this flaw and some clunky wording in places I found Zaregoto to be an extremely enjoyable read. It’s an exciting mystery that never forgets it’s the characters that really drive the plot, and it shows how to be anime-influenced without feeling derivative. Really one of the best light novels out right now. I look forward to the second volume in December.

Wait, what? ANN reports that the Haruhi novels are finally coming to the English world - officially, that is - via Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. I’m going to take a shot in the dark here, but I’m guessing they don’t handle translating super popular Japanese novels much. On the other hand, this is a joint acquisition with Yen Press, which is a bit better I guess, though the only thing I really know about Yen Press is that they’re publishing Hidamari Sketch this summer. Frankly I’m shocked someone like Tokyopop, Viz, or even Seven Seas didn’t get them. Though, with a more official publisher with more money behind them, maybe we won’t have to worry about insane wait times and shoddy post-modern covers. Still have to wait a year, though.

Story:

Momo is an unusual shinigami. She wears all white, can’t remember who she was, always interferes in human life, and cries for every soul she takes. Her cat familiar Daniel can’t stand this, but loves Momo enough to stick with her. Together they perform their duty of guiding souls to the afterlife, providing comfort, care, and companionship when they can.

Impressions:

First, I would like to think Seven Seas for sending me a review copy of this book. This volume will be out on March 31st.

That being said, I’m glad I got this for free because that means I don’t actually have to waste money buying it. Ballad of a Shinigami was an absolute chore for me to read through, the worst thing any book can do in my opinion. I literally had to force myself to read it to do this review. The book is uninspired and meandering; a cliche-filled romp into overly sentimental melodrama.

First there’s the stories present in the book. BoaS is not so much a novel but a collection of four short stories, each one involving death, which is kind of the problem. Even the summary on the back says “First encounters with Momo always end in farewells.” So from the beginning there’s no doubt on how these stories will end, or at least what they involve, immediately cutting away any suspense the stories might of had. The trend is bucked in a couple places but overall they all read like a bad date: unpleasant, awkward, and the ending a foregone conclusion. The emotional lesson each story tries to tell is just laughable, artificially worked in and sounding more preachy than anything else.

The characters themselves don’t alleviate any of the problems of the narratives. They’re all cookie cutter at best, molded into what the story demands. Most of them are weighed down with all the troubles and unique situations that the story requires for emotional weight, rendering the characters that much more unbelievable. Momo, ostensibly the main character or at least the unifying one, is never given much depth, but maintains a mystery to the end. All we know is that she likes to meddle, cries, and has an annoying cat familiar named Daniel. I hated every interaction between Momo and Daniel, each one filled with awkward dialogue and Daniel always coming off more as an annoying kid to me.

Then there’s the author’s, K-Ske Hasegawa, writing style, which can only be called passable at best. He appears to ignore the old axiom of all creative writing “show not tell,” relying on constant narration by some omniscient narrator to drive the stories. He chooses to wrap up every story at the end with a summary of the events, laying out everything so there is no ambiguity on the reader’s part, rendering the stories creatively dull. Aside from the narration the rest of the style can be characterized as unexceptional and cliched, often trying to grasp at more complexity or meaning but failing.

The presentation of the book itself is a mixed bag. True to its word, Seven Seas is printing all of its new light novels exactly like they are in Japan, meaning they’re small, and by small I mean tiny - like those books of jokes one always see when checking out at Barnes and Noble. Overall it creates a jarring effect, as I had to get used to the size of the book before I can even read it, and now it just looks ugly standing next to all my regular sized light novels. I really think this plan is going to come around and bite Seven Seas on the butt, as these books would look very out of place on any manga bookshelf in stores. Maybe that’s the point, but I think it’s just going to lead to them lying around in some hidden part of the store. I will give Seven Seas points for the color inserts at the beginning of the novel, similar to what was done with Boogiepop. I wish Tokyopop would take up this practice. The actual art in the book, by Nanakusa, is clean and nice but ultimately forgettable and lacking of any true distinction.

I usually try to find something good in the light novels I read, since I know they’re not high art but just entertainment, but I cannot find anything that deserves to be called good in Ballad of a Shinigami. The whole work is mediocre, written by a novice who apparently is in dire need of a creative writing class. Wiki tells me there are eleven BoaS novels in Japan. Either K-Ske Hasegawa got really good starting at the second novel or the Japanese just tolerate bad writing a lot more. I’m not going to check the second novel to find out.

News came out today that Tokyopop is going to release both Otsu-ichi’s novel Goth and the manga adaption of it; the manga being noticeable for having art by Welcome to the NHK artist Kendi Oiwa. I’ve already read the Goth manga, and despite how cliche the title sounds it is one solidly awesome story, featuring a boy and a girl hunting serial killers with the added twist of the boy being a sociopath himself. After reading Otsu-ichi’s other novel, Calling You, I can’t wait to read this novel and see how it compares to the manga, along with enjoying another one of his works in English. Otsu-ichi is definitely one of the better light novel authors getting translated right now, and deserves more credit and attention for his great works. Right now it looks like the manga will come out in September and the novel in October. I’ll be sure to pick them both up then.

P.S. Later this month the first novels of Seven Seas light novel line are coming out, and it’s interesting to see that while there is a roughly a seven month turnaround time between Tokyopop’s novel announcements and their publications, it’s taken Seven Seas TWO FREAKIN’ YEARS to get anything out. Just felt like pointing that out.

Story:

A serial killer has been stalking the streets of Los Angeles, performing perfect crimes that no one can solve. L, the world’s greatest detective, is called to the scene, and enlists the aid of FBI agent Naomi Misora to act for him on the case. It quickly becomes apparent that the mysterious serial killer B.B. is not just killing for killings sake, but is engaged in an open war with L, a war Naomi Misora may become a victim of if she can’t solve the Los Angeles BB Murder Cases.

Impressions:

First I have to say that this is the most well presented “light novel” published yet. It’s a hardback, has a dustcover jacket (it only covers 2/3’s of the cover but still looks nice), thick pages, and neat text with no huge spacing. In short, it looks like a regular book that I can actually read it in public. Very nice Viz.

I should probably say that I stopped reading Death Note halfway through. The meandering dialogue and constant introduction of new levels of danger were just too annoying and eventually plain boring. So why did I read a book that is a sidestory to Death Note? Because Nisioisin wrote it. Nisioisin has been a young star in Japanese literature in recent years, even my favorite translator Andrew Cunningham, who translated this book beautifully, can’t help but gush over him, so I was very excited to read Nisioisin’s first translated work and see what the excitement was all about.

Reading the book, I can definitely tell Nisioisin is a very promising writer. His writing possesses a strong narrative voice, equal parts cynical and humorous, along with an affinity for the surreal. However, as much as this is a Nisioisin book it is also a Death Note book, and that’s where the problems come in. The book is a faithful reproduction of the constant analyzing and speculation that went on in the manga, so many parts of it are just boring as hell. I commend Nisioisin for creating an imaginative case, but all speculation by the reader is meaningless once Ryuzaki begins explaining the case instead of having to earnestly work to solve it.

This is the major flaw of Death Note, and mystery novels in general, and the reason I can’t stand those kind of works at all. So for anyone who loved Death Note or the wordy kinds of detective novels, I say Another Note would be perfect for you, but for anyone wanting to read Nisioisin’s work, I would say wait until Del Rey publishes his first novel, Kubikiri Cycle, and see how worthy it is on its own merits.

Story:

The peaceful(?) high school days of Kaname Chidori and her secret bodyguard Sousuke Sagara are interrupted by the appearance of a homegrown terrorist network in Tokyo, its plan nothing less but the total destruction of the city. If terrorists weren’t enough, Sousuke also has to protect his deceptively young, beautiful, and bumbling commanding officer, Tessa. But not even Sousuke may be able to protect himself from the love feud between Chidori and Tessa.

Impressions:

The first novel in the Full Metal Panic! series was by no means a bad book, it was a good adventure tale, but I am glad to say that the second novel improves on it to create an even more enjoyable book. While this volume lacks some of the concrete villains that made the previous volume compelling, it more than makes up for it with fun characterizations. The introduction of Tessa is perfect here, as her dynamic relationship with Kaname provides a lot of the books comedy. The interactions between the three, along with the erstwhile terrorist Takuma, really help drive the story along without feeling tedious. The later parts of the book are mostly serious with a bunch of fighting and a good mecha battle, and are detailed with the same gripping energy as the rest of the book. My only complaint probably is that the villains really are pretty aimless, but there is a hint of the larger story at the end.

Tokyopop’s treatment of the book is the exact same as last time, both good and bad. The original cover is kept along with all the inside inserts, but the same tacky bullet hole images fill every page and the inserts lack any color. It’s a good effort overall, I just wish they would fix the inside pages already. Anyone who’s seen the anime, or just looking for a good light adventure novel, should check out FMP! It’s a good series that is only getting better with every volume.

Story:

This novel consists of three short stories:

Calling You: A girl with no friends conjures up an imaginary cell phone to fight her loneliness. Surprisingly, one day someone actually calls her imaginary cell phone. A strange, yet beautiful friendship forms across space and time.

Kiz/Kids: A troubled boy is put in the special class after a violent outburst, and there meets the quiest Asato. Asato has the strange power to transfer any wounds to his own body, and the two boys form an odd friendship based on wounds and healing. But even Asato’s powers may not be enough to heal the emotional scars in their pasts.

Flower Song: A person discovers a singing flower with a girl’s face in the woods, and through her song rediscovers a part of themselves that was lost after a tragic accident.

Impressions:

After reading only this one book I would have to say that Otsu Ichi is an amazing writer. His plots are incredibly unique; whimsical and bittersweet, yet amazingly beautiful. The pacing for each story is tight and the character’s emotions draws you right in. Of the three stories Calling You is probably the weakest, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad story at all. The plot twist at the end becomes obvious halfway through, but that doesn’t lessen the impact of the actual twist and its effects on the characters. Kiz/Kids takes a bit to get started, but once it does it goes full speed straight to the climatic ending.

Flower Song is my favorite story of the three. It’s an unique tale with its own sense of loss and redemption. The twist for this story is very sudden at the very end. It really forces you to stop and think about the story again. While I don’t think the story quite needed the twist ending, it certainly did help make the thematic ties of the story stronger. I would say Calling You is in the top tier of light novels released so far, right next to Kino no Tabi. It’s a powerful collection of stories that can leave you wondering long after you’ve finished reading. I hope more of Otsu Ichi’s works are translated soon in the future.