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Wednesday, 21 February 2007 |
 | | ▪ | PUBLISHED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | ART/AUTHOR: | | MASAKAZU KATSURA | | | | ▪ | FORMAT/COLOR: | | JAPANESE FORMAT / BW | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 200 | | | ▪ | RATED: | | T+ | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 01/10/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 02/22/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN | | |
“Ba-bump! Ba-bump! Ba-bump!” More than a sound effect, this should be a clue for readers that I”S is a manga written and illustrated by Masakazu Katsura, the creator of such memorable works as VIDEO GIRL AI, WINGMAN, and SHADOW LADY. Beautifully drawn, with some of the loveliest females presented in manga and illustrated on the covers with paintings of characters that impress even people who detest manga, this story has the traditional hallmarks of a work by this master- a balance of romance, comedy, and a keen sense of the awkwardness that exists among young male and female adults stumbling their way through that first true love experience. The sound effect quoted at the beginning of this review is a repeating motif that beats through the story as the hero- in this case, a young man named Ichitaka- wrestles with his love for the beautiful Iori, and fends off the attentions of the lusty Izumi.
It is a common theme in Katsura’s work, as anyone who read VIDEO GIRL AI will confirm. Only here, the foundation of the tale is firmly grounded in reality, which gives the story its believability. In Volume Eleven, Ichitaka has been confronted with the reality of final exams in school, and the prospect of losing Iori after a bad experience on a Christmas date. Iori, being groomed as an idol with a future in magazines, advertising, and film, still wants to keep in touch with Ichitaka, though, despite what happened. Patching up the problems seems to be easy, except as the romance seems back on track, Ichitaka receives a call from Iori’s agency requesting he keep his relationship with her a secret. That seems easy enough to do, except Ichitaka must keep up this façade of not dating her in the face of Izumi’s advances and the obsessive behavior of fan boy Kida, who threatens doom upon the head of any male who comes near Iori. That is a lot harder than it seems, especially when, as the story progresses, that Ichitaka fails his entrance exams and washes out of the college application process. Also, when Ichitaka comes across doctored ‘nude’ photos of Iori on the internet, he must also deal with the fact that her public life also carries burdens that he may find difficult to deal with. Suddenly, his own feelings towards her become the source of conflicted emotions. He wants to do right by her, but, when he joins her with his group of friends on a getaway holiday and the prospect of sharing a room with her looms large, Ichitaka finds himself in a battle with…well, himself.
Oh, the angst. Frankly, it was enough on occasion in reading VIDEO GIRL AI to make this reviewer want to throw the manga across the room. However, where the emotional hand-ringing and indecisiveness of the main character there was frustrating, it actually works much more constructively in this story. One has to feel for Ichitaka and his conflicted emotions. One also has to pity the poor guy as he can never get a break with Iori. Something always comes up to spoil the mood or the moment, and Katsura never misses a chance in his writing or illustration to put his protagonist through Hell. Fleeting glimpses of Iori’s body parts, fantasies of Izumi in the nude, and mis-steps here and there all provide ample fan service for readers and problems for Ichitaka, who, despite his best intentions, cannot deny his nature as a hormonally overactive young adult. What is Ichitaka to do, other than sweat, endure nose bleeds, contort his face in grotesquely comical ways, and listen to his heart going ‘Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump’?
The artwork in I”S is beautiful. Clearly, Katsura has down all the artistic ticks in creating a classic manga. The story bounces along in a fairly predictable manner. Where things get really interesting is in the art. The boys are fairly typical manga representations. But his women are truly lovely in a sweet, perky and innocent way. Katsura’s dominant females in his stories always have something different about them that can make them stand out as atypical in appearance. The cover, which portrays Iori as distinctly Asian, rather than as a manga construct, supports this. However they may act or speak inside the book, their appearance sets them apart from other females who fill in the background in the story. It is something that seems almost unique to this artist and writer.
Included with the book is a gallery of stand-alone pieces by Katsura of the leads in I”S. There is no glossary of terms in this volume, nor is there any summary of the story so far. Readers first seeing I”S at this time would be best finding out what happened before by reading the earlier volumes to get the gist of the story, as there is little to help you here. However, having noted that, this manga stands on its own, and makes for an engaging read from cover to cover. If anything, reading this volume will likely make you want to go back to the beginning to catch up.
IN SUMMARY:
I”S is romantic, funny and bittersweet. Great art, fabulous character designs and a plot that hooks you from the first frame and embraces you until the last make this a manga worth reading. If you liked VIDEO GIRL AI, you will love I”S. |
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