Itou Junji no Neko Nikki: Yon & Mu by Junji Itou

That post title looks a little like a palindrome, doesn't it? I had a hard time choosing which pictures to choose for this manga, so there is a little too many of them. I just couldn't help myself.



Itou Junji no Neko Nikki: Yon & Mu (Ito Junji's Cat Diary: Yon & Mu) by Junji Itou

Length: One Volume – 10 Chapters
Genre: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of Life

...and this color picture, too

           This manga is by a prolific horror mangaka, and the art style is played up even further for entertainment purposes in this comedy manga. As I said the last time I reviewed Itou Junji's work, the art is practiced and well done from every angle. The creepy and

unsettling look is very unique, as well, and the realistic way every thing is drawn just adds to the atmosphere. Surprisingly, it lends very well to the comedy of it all and allows for super dramatic movements for the cats and captures the strange things you do for your pets in a real-to-life way. The cats' faces are the best part, no question, but the over the top way he caricatured himself and his former-fiancee-now-wife are also lots of fun and creepy for no reason whatsoever. You quickly adjust to it, anyway.
           A horror manga artist's comedic depiction of his learning to love living with cats, and all of the furry creatures' strange ways.
          When I read Black Paradox, I sort of swore off this artist because I simply didn't care for that story at all, or the way it was written and so didn't feel in the mood to try another of his work. On the other hand, I really like cats and the humor of Black Paradox worked for me. After looking at it several times and debating I decided to go for it and read this. I do not regret it at all. Its completely understandable and the humor does hit. All the embarrassing and scary things that his cats did speak true and had me laughing out loud a few times. The oddly horrific art meeting the mundane mischief of the two title cats is a blend I wasn't sure I'd

like, but it works so well it adds so much more to the stories. Mu, the fluffy one, is so much like my own cat (who was sleeping on my chest while I was reading and who is currently laying across my forearms as I type this) that I enjoyed it all the more. A big part of the plot is how unused to cats the author is, so he looks like a fool trying to understand, and, and simply get to like, his new roommates. Things like having to have his brand new house spoiled by their claws and items to protect against them. Its also about trying to understand why cats act like they do, and how much that effects the owners. The looks the two human characters give each other out of jealousy because one cat or the other is showing favoritism is just so perfect, even if it is twisted into inhuman form by the horror-style art. And I do mean twisted. The cats are the stars, though. Yon has such an atrocious face at times and at other times he's perfectly normal that the personality is so easy to understand. Mu is the cuter one but the way he's so likable but suddenly will bite, and how normal it is, also is super realistic. There's not really a continuous story, as its short tales of how different life is when pets share your house, but for comedy manga its pretty well cohesive. Its so funny how much people will do for their pets and how much they simply seem to be undermining your entire system of living that this manga could probably go on and on and not lose any of its humor. I'd like to see more of the pair, for sure.



5/5 Fun with cats and horror art.

Candy by Qing Hui Lin and I am Alive by HOM

Happy Chinese New Year! Its the start of the year of the rooster, and the year of the monkey is over. I don't really know what that means though, except that its an excuse to make and eat Chinese food and find a manhua to read, too. I'm already feeling a bit like the gif below; I'm pretty sure that is a bad omen...

Candy (or Donuts in the Candy Jar) by Qing Hui Lin

Art and story (c) Qing Hui Lin

Genre: Shojo
Length: 2 Volumes – 10 Chapters



           The art is okay, the profile shots are a little wonky, but everything else is passable. There's not really anything special, though. A little angular, I guess, I mean I can't really think of anything else to say about it.
           When a high school girl wakes up to a note from her parents saying that they will be on a
trip around the world for the next year and that she is to survive off of money they left her, she's sent over the edge and forced to change every aspect of her life. Plus it seems like nearly every one at her new school is watching her constantly, even a boy who picks fights every time he sees her!
          I'm pretty sure I've mentioned the why behind my aversion to manhua and manhwa, but I'll say it again, I've been burned before and more often than not I'm disappointed in them on a ratio much higher than manga. I try to be open minded and give them a chance once in a while, like I did for this review but considering the several hours it takes to read, write, and create a post its better to actually find something to like instead of just some mediocre love story full of big eyes and tropes. It does not put me in a good or generous mood when I get to typing, that's for sure. So, I've probably already given it away, but this story was nothing special at all. The love aspect is rather unbelievable, and the main character is a little too combative to be likable. Truthfully, I found her annoying and deserving of everything she gets. The love interest isn't much better, he treats her bad then he treats her good, and then he's back to mean again and it's hard to blame him considering she screams at him as soon as she sees him. Every chapter is the same, too, somebody picks a fight with her, she fights with them, the love interest shows up to save her, she fights with him, then they are alone and he hugs/kisses her and she fights with him. Two volumes of it was more than necessary to set up a hate to love scenario but it just sort of ends with her giving in just because they knew each other a kids even though she doesn't remember it. Plus her jerk parents aren't given any sort of redeeming, either. Considering she gets upset about them abandoning her its all rather unsatisfying on that front, and all the others. I'm not even going to bother writing anything more but the score.


1/5




I am Alive by HOM

Art and story (c) HOM

Genre: Slice of Life
Length: One Chapter – 7 Pages

         The art is simple and realistic with good detail. The coloring is really nice, too.
         Tale of conceit written from the perspective of a pencil. A mechanical pencil.
         A nice, short tale about knowing when to give credit where it belongs and not getting too focused on yourself, and, also, how to be a humble pencil, I guess? Rather more a cautionary tale than just something for pure entertainment. Interesting nonetheless.

4/5? Its hard to score such a short story but its worth the half a minute it takes anyway.

God Tells Lies by Kaori Ozaki

Its so freaking hot! How did humanity survive before electric fans and air conditioners? There are times when I think I was born in the wrong time but not in summer when I can be cool even though its 110 degrees outside.

God Tells Lies (Kamisama ga Uso o Tsuku) by Kaori Ozaki 

Art and story (c) Kaori Ozaki

Genre: Seinen, Slice of Life
Length: One Volume – 5 Chapters

           This manga very much has the simplistic look that is popular right now; smooth lines and long limbs. This example is very well done art wise, and though the eyes initially seem plain they hold lots of emotion. Plenty of variation in the face, eye, and hair styles. The backgrounds are there as well, I honestly didn't even notice when they were blank. The clothes are basically plain, but they fit well on the figures and have excellent movement. Not terribly eye catching, but it doesn't have to be, its the story that hooks you instantly after all.
            Natsuru is a kind of awkward, so when he refused the most popular girl in class because he was embarrassed he found himself snubbed by the other girls. He didn't mind that much though, because his real interest is in playing soccer. Then a new coach takes over his team and he just can't get along with the man. Unsure how to explain himself to his mother, he keeps his trouble to himself. On impulse Natsuru skips summer soccer camp, and ends up staying with his classmate, Rio, who he had left an abandoned cat with when

he couldn't leave it alone. Her and her brother seem a little strange, and something about

Worst coach ever, btw.

their house seems strange.
           This is a touching story of love set in the summer of 6th grade. Two kids becoming a family through adversity. Its nice finding a slice of life manga like this one. The slow pace really makes the day to day stand out, and the feelings hit true right from the beginning. Seeing the two main characters do their best despite both being lonely in their own ways makes you root for them, and of course as they get closer when things fall apart seeing how they cope is heartbreaking. I'm not going to say this manga has a satisfying ending, but it is practical, just like the rest of the manga. The whole thing feels pretty realistic, and that just drags you in further. I may have teared up a little, which is a lot for me, and I suspect, had the mood been right I might have full on cried. I don't really want to give any details away for this manga because the way it is written draws you along so easily, its a short one so even if it may sound generic, give it a try. This one volume could be a whole movie, its so good. Its a good summer story, one that will stick with you.


5/5 Emotionally on point.

Hatarake Kentauros by Est Em

I feel guilty if I don't write anything up here, like I'm being really impersonal or something. Then again, the whole article is just me typing my opinions so...

Hatarake Kentauros by Est Em

Genre: Shojo, Slice of Life
Length: One Volume – 8 Chapters


            The art work is simple and yet detailed, there's nothing fancy in the clothes or the hair, but it gives off a complete look. It also has a bit of a sketchy look to it, as well has having rather empty backgrounds, but this seems like a characteristic of Est Em's style and those two things really have no bearing on the overall impression of it. The hair and the clothes also have a sleek modernness to them, and the clothes fit on the body shapes well. For the most part this manga is all men, and they have lean, muscular bodies. The faces are very expressive, which lends very well to the humor, I feel
like half the laugh comes from the very well drawn facial expressions. This is the second Est Em manga that I have reviewed, so I think I mentioned it the last time, but there is one thing that bothers me in the art and that is the eye 'bags' (? this seems like the best way to describe them) that define the inside corners of the eyes and under the eyes can be distracting. I know that it is a style, but its just like when there are blush lines all over the face, its just something I have to work past. Over all, its very enjoyable and, dare I say it, sexy art.
           What if centaurs came out of the wilds of the world and wished to integrate in to human society? This manga shows their rather normal lives a few years after the mythical creatures have fully joined the workforce.
           From the mangaka that made udon sexy, is a manga about centaurs living in modern society. Now, if you looked up Est Em you'd find that most of the work is actually of the Yaoi genre, and while Udon no Hito didn't have much of the Y-vibe, Hatarake Kentauros does. I think I mentioned it in another post a while back, but this type of "vibes" is rather common in manga, (in fact, there is kind of a whole culture based around this feeling) though it can be a little distracting sometimes. Fair warning, is what I'm trying to say. Moving on to the actual review… Hatarake Kentauros, which I think translates to 'Working Centaur' is a manga with four chapters containing a story about one particular centaur named Kentaro, and four more about various other working centaurs. First off, when reading this, the copy I had left the word centaur in it's Japanese, 'kentauros' mostly, in my opinion, to see the pun of Kentaro's name more than anything else. I think a footnote explaining it would have been better though, if only because I'm a stubborn American and I'm used to 'centaur.' That is just a minor personal grievance, though. Actually moving on to the review…! I loved this manga, not as much as Udon no Hito, but its a fun look at stereotypical human life with someone who has a horse body. The centaurs look so life like, its almost embarrassing seeing one with out a shirt on. The stories themselves are humorous and the thought of society accepting the mythical is taken in a realistic feeling way, on both sides. I know some people find slice of life manga boring, and, even with centaurs, they would probably say the same for this manga, but the easygoing and downright normal way everyone behaves makes for a great read. It's funny in that same mundane way, as well, making for an easy and entertaining read. It completely takes all the fantasy out of half human, half horse people, and builds a society out of that. This gets a full five out of five just for having a centaur as a salaryman, truthfully, but Est Em's way of making things feel realistic brings the whole thing to another, wonderful level.


5/5 A quick, fun read about horsemen.

Speeding, centaur style.

Bonnouji by Eda Aki

Wow, I was thinking about next month and how I needed to set up spooky and horror manga to last me the season because last year I had to sort of rush around finding some. Half of which was my fault, of course, because I'm a last minute type, though the other half was because when I started the well of manga scans was a little dry, but luckily my manga source issues are not in play this year. Anyway, as I was setting that up it suddenly hit me that I didn't even recognize I'd been doing this blog for over a year now. I meant to read a special manga to commemorate the event and everything. Even though I was preparing Halloween manga for the second time, it still felt like its only been a few months since I started My Manga Malady. A lot of things have changed, I've cut somethings out (bye-bye my Photoshopping there just was never any time for you) but, my love of manga remains and I guess this proves my obsession is actually an addiction after all. Of course, I already knew that. Whelp, I guess I'll just go back to reading manga now and ignoring the world around me.

Bonnouji by Eda Aki

Art and story (c) Eda Aki

Genre: Seinen, Slice of Life
Length: 3 Volumes – 35 Chapters


           The artwork is a little messy, a bit of it is stylistic but it's also a little amateur, but nothing too distracting, really. This mangaka's simplistic style of having the faces basically emojis really grows on you. That being said, I would have liked a few more shots of the male lead's face once in a while, shaggy hair over the eyes is a personally favorite male look for manga and anime, but he got

lost a bit behind it. The panel layout was a little unorthodox as well, typically using a lot of smaller panels than just a few large ones, once it a while it was confusing. The backgrounds could be lacking, as well. Still, there is nothing offensive with the art at all. In fact the longer it goes on, the less repetitive the angles and facial expressions get. The faces are rather plain, this is stylistic, with dot eyes and 'v' mouths though a couple of times there was a more in depth drawing. The details aren't really there as far as the characters go but clothing can be quite interesting, and stylish. My opinion is, if the simplistic look puts you off at first, give it a chance because this manga has a lot of appeal.
           Michiyo Ozawa is an OL (Office Lady) who works hard and likes to unwind with a drink... or five. Zenji Oyamada is a work at home type who's traveling brother sends him so many strange things that they have taken over his apartment. By a stroke of coincidence, i.e. Michiyo drinking after her boyfriend of five years dumps her, the two meet. Michiyo becomes obsessed with the 'bonnouji' or 'temptation temple' that is Zenji's apartment due to all the odd and eclectic things he has piling up there. But is it just his strange room that calls Michiyo back?
           I wasn't sure at first of this manga, but by the end of the first volume I was enjoying myself with the strange pair of characters here. Also by the end of the first volume, you aren't left wanting, they become a couple. Spoilers, right? Not really, this manga is mostly a story about a regular relationship, not those drama filled ones that dominate the shojo genre. Slowing down and peeking in to this life is sort of comforting. Michiyo is a bit of a stereotypical OL (wiki link here, they are a common manga stereotype actually. The protagonist of Midnight Secretary is one I've reviewed before and I'm sure there's been more), especially a first, she wears dark suits and she works hard, but
is frustrated by the new girls leaving while she stays put. Then, you find out she's actually really silly, and cute, and her character expands some. Zenji, too, seems pretty plain at first, but I don't think he grows as much as Michiyo does. He has his moments, though, like I mentioned, seeing his face more often would have helped. A few times he is given some personal time, though, or he says something that reveals his nature beneath the shy. The story is slow, so very slow, punctuated by their easy going relationship taking the next step, like kissing, having sex, and getting engaged, they don't fight or cry but the couple feels realistic in its own way. They are a couple that isn't seen a lot, and their love is adorably awkward. Michiyo and Zenji act like grade schoolers around one another, and its just super cute in every way. Even their admittance of feelings that starts the whole thing is just so clumsy it almost doesn't happen. This manga is also fairly funny, full of gags and wacky activities the cast has with the packages that arrive at Zenji's door from time to time. Like the guest bed being a coffin, and Michiyo actually using it. I wish my life was that fun. Bonnouji went on just the perfect length, the writing was interesting, and everything came to a satisfying end, there's not much more I could ask for in a manga like this. I had its problems, painfully slow at times, a little predictable, but a solid read. Truthfully, my room is a bit like the Bonnouji, packed with books, movies, and collectables of all types, so I felt a little at home there.




4/5 A good read just slow at times.

A Mr. Pepper sounds really refreshing, actually.