 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | DEL REY | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | NINA MATSUMOTO | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | WESTERN / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 11/24/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 12/09/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Yokai are Japanese spirits, and young Hamachi is fascinated by them. Now he continues his quest deep into the Yokai realm in the hopes of finding Madkap, the kappa (water spirit) he believes has killed his grandmother. Armed with nothing but a sacred rope and a lucky kappa’s foot, Hamachi has made two friends to help him on his journey: Lumi the talking lantern, and newly awakened, the umbrella that once belonged to his grandfather! (Don’t ask.) Their first stop is the home of the legendary fox spirit the Ninetails, who promises to help in Hamachi’s quest if Hamachi can retrieve three lost items. But can Hamachi really find them, or does the Ninetails just want Hamachi to fail so he can keep the human boy as a pet? Yokaiden is quite an expressive and interesting manga. It’s not what you would call “run-of-the-mill” at all – it’s strange and quirky in its characters and its story, and thus makes for a very entertaining read. The art and character design is beyond imaginative, with lots of strange monsters and usually quiet objects come to life. Things like a living umbrella, and a talking lamp are pretty crazy thoughts, but they work well in the world created within Yokaiden. These “monsters” are called Yokai – they are a thing of Japanese folklore, and are actually a lot of fun to read about. The “field guide to Yokai” segments in the book are great- they showcase different Yokai and give a short description of the folklore that goes along with them. It’s a lot like how we have unicorns or dragons – Yokai are usually a bit smaller and more simple though in their story. It’s hard to explain, but honestly a lot of fun to read about – it’s quite imaginative and different from a lot of usual North American storytelling and the like. Half the reason most people enjoy manga so much is because it is quite culturally different from what we are used to, and we enjoy learning new things. Yokaiden is all about that, so it’s no wonder its as entertaining as it is. The art style is unique and very much a signature of the artist – you’re not likely to see art quite like this in other manga because it is so different. It has a hard edge to it in a way – hard, square strokes to it, and very stylized and cartoony. It’s a fun, almost messy at times kind of style and it really appeals because it is different from perfectly clean artwork. It flows really well throughout the pages, and helps make the story all the more easy to understand. You can’t ask for much more than that! So what about a bit about the author and artist for Yokaiden? Eisner Award-winner Nina Matsumoto first made a splash into the manga scene with a single image she called “Simpsonzu” – an illustration of the entire Simpsons cast, drawn in a manga style. The image caught the attention and imagination of the comics blogoshere, as well as the attention of Bongo Comics. Impressed with Matsumoto’s work, they offered her a position as a penciler for comic book series such as The Simpsons and Futurama. Del Rey Manga associate publisher Dallas Middaugh also noticed Matsumoto’s work and got in touch with her. When she pitched the idea for an original English-language manga about the world of yokai (Japanese spirits), he fell in love with it, and Yokaiden: Volume 1 debuted in Fall 2008 to critical acclaim. It was named in a number of “Best of 2008” lists in the manga and graphic novel communities. Anime News Network named it World Manga of the Month in December 2008, saying “with a bold sense of line, striking visual designs and clearly defined layouts, this is one made-in-America project that avoids the self-consciousness of trying to look like manga and lets the artist’s style speak for itself.” It sounds like Nina Matsumoto is well on her way to enjoying a fulfilling and varied career path! Good luck to her, and I hope we’ll see more from her – especially more Yokaiden!
IN SUMMARY:
Yokaiden is great for a multitude of reasons – it is highly imaginative, has a diverse story and characters, and the art is unique and captivating. This is a manga with a lot of new talent behind it, and an obvious drive to produce something entertaining. Definitely pick it up and give this one a try. |
