It’s probably sacrilege, but Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, by manga and anime legend Hayao Miyazaki, isn’t really working for me. I find the world Miyazki has created engaging, and the central premise is intriguing, but something is keeping me from connecting to it.
Part of it might be that I find the visual storytelling difficult to follow at times. More than once, I’ve found myself lost during an action sequence. That said, the images are often lovely when taken individually, and there’s a nice kinetic feeling, particularly when flight is depicted. But I’ve found the character designs to be a bit indistinct, too, which doesn’t help me track what’s happening.
I’m still enjoying Hot Gimmick, Miki Aihara’s tense, layered soap opera. I just finished reading volume six, and one thing that really struck me was Aihara’s ability to maintain a high level of drama even though the plot only moves incrementally forward. It’s not about big events or revelations so much as the cumulative effect of small moments, either from the present or buried in the past. (Johanna Draper Carlson just updated her Hot Gimmick page at Comics Worth Reading.)
Fake is still at the top of my list of guilty pleasures. As a police drama, it’s still a total wash. As a sexy, romantic adventure, I haven’t found anything to top it.
One thing disturbs me, though. Each volume (I’m up to the fifth) features a story about Carol and Bikky, teen-aged charges of hot cops Ryo and Dee. They’ve finally found some friends their own age, Lai and Lass. But Lai and Lass are crossover characters from another manga, Ra-1! The idea of crossover characters in manga is completely dischordant to me. Dear manga industry: please don’t do that. Love, David. (I kid. I think.)
Yu Watase continues to explore the power of words in her elegant, supernatural Alice 19th. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Watase’s latest work, Imadoki, where she forgoes mysticism for… horticulture? I’m game.
After disappointment (with Clamp School Detectives) and delight (Case Closed) with manga mysteries, I can’t wait to try Kindaichi Case Files. Johanna says it’s Manga Worth Reading, and that’s always a good predictor that I’ll enjoy it. And, hey, Greg McElhatton over at iComics likes it, too!