"For today will not return"

This draft lingered in my account for a good while, because it was surprisingly difficult to write. I've been emotionally invested in the series in question for eight years, and I'm still lingering in the afterglow of the conclusion (which came out earlier this year). It's been a bit hard to just step back and write.

I remember the precise moment I decided to give Fushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden, by Watase Yuu, a try. I had a mixed history with Watase at that point - I borrowed volumes of the original Fushigi Yuugi and Ceres from friends briefly until dropping the series, but was impressed enough by Alice 19th to become the person who lent it to others after volume one. The idea of anything to do with Fushigi Yuugi made me skeptical, but when the first volume of Genbu Kaiden was released in the U.S. I thought Watase's evident growth as an author merited, at least, a look at the copy on the back. Which gave me this sentence:

"When schoolgirl Takiko Okuda attempts to destroy her father's translation of 'The Universe of the Four Gods,' she is instead -"

Oh Genbu Kaiden, you had me at "destroy."

For anyone who has bothered to read to this point without some familiarity with Fushigi Yuugi, here's what it is: a story with "Fushigi Yuugi" in the title will be about girls from the normal world who discover a book called "The Universe of the Four Gods," a book which will magically transport them into the world it describes. The Universe of the Four Gods is based heavily on Chinese mythology, and divided into four countries, one for each cardinal direction. Each country has a patron god. The girls from "our" world help the country they end up in by becoming the Priestess of the patron god, finding the seven celestial warriors of the god, and summoning the god to grant wishes. The original Fushigi Yuugi, one of the definitive shojo hits of the 90s, focuses on an insufferable heroine, Miaka, the also annoying hero Tamahome, and the other six members of Miaka's male harem (most of whom are better characters) in the Southern country. Meanwhile, Miaka's (more interesting) friend Yui gets manipulated into an antagonistic role in the Eastern country, with her own magical entourage.

Genbu Kaiden, however, is a prequel series. It began publication ten years after Fushigi Yuugi, and it's a very different creature.

As the copy mentioned, Genbu Kaiden is the story of Takiko. She's a somewhat rebellious schoolgirl from 1920s Japan, whose fraught relationship with her father leads her to an attempt to destroy his Japanese translation of "The Universe of the Four Gods." Naturally, this action instead throws her into the Universe of the Four Gods, where she is almost immediately confronted by monsters. Unlike Miaka, whose response to this would be to scream for help ("Tamahome!" "Miaka!"), Takiko reacts by picking up a big stick and trying to fight. ...It doesn't do much good, because monsters, but she tries. Takiko is saved by the mysterious girl with magical wind powers chained up to a rock nearby. This girl later turns out to normally be a boy, he just can't use wind powers unless he's a woman. Ladies and gentlemen, this is our hero - Rimudo ("Limdo" if you're Viz translators).

I think this was around the point I fell completely head over heels for this series.

If you're guessing at this point that there is some hilarious crack in this series, you'd be right. Watase has fun with the actual ridiculousness of the magical powers the characters have, and general reactions to their situations. The standout is probably the part where Takiko and Rimudo (as a woman) go undercover in a brothel, while one of the other celestial warriors (Tomite) gets a little too into the role of "perverted old guy selling young women."

Tomite, there's going to be enough seeming lesbianism in that brothel without you.

But that isn't the main selling point of the series at all. The thing that really sets Genbu Kaiden apart from the part of Fushigi Yuugi I read, and from a lot of fantasy manga, is its overall seriousness and scale. Is the romantic element strong? Yes, it is still shojo. Is it the thing that defines the characters actions and experience of the world? No. Genbu Kaiden is genuinely about a country that has been experiencing decline, and is increasingly threatened internally and externally. Most of the cast have experienced genuine hardship of some sort, and while some of the characterization for less major characters is told to us rather than shown and the resolution of some issues feels too pat, there is overall a real sense of characters facing themselves and their situation to become better, more complete people. Watase has said that the theme for Genbu Kaiden is "life and death." It's much easier to see it in the later volumes, but it really is there from the start and just increasingly stepped up as the story builds.

Yeah I couldn't find a textless version quickly.

And this is a story that builds. The consequences get bigger, the situation gets more serious, relationships become closer, and the effect that we see on ordinary people escalates. The pacing isn't entirely right- I do think it would have benefited from a bit more length, maybe another two chapters worth or so. Perhaps due to the sheer amount of things she wanted to put in each installment to justify the wait between them, or perhaps simply because she wanted to make a much tighter story this time around, Watase ended up rushing the story a bit. It's not as obvious when you're reading in smaller installments, but when you go back and read a larger chunk at once it does stand out (and I think the characterization issues mentioned earlier are related to this pacing). But it's still a well-put together story that has honest consideration for its world, its characters, and its themes, and that comes through in the end.

As for that ending chapter itself...well, for me it was just on the right side of too cheesy, which meant I actually got very emotional. I'd understand if people thought the last parts were a little too much, but I found them to be balanced by the harshness that was also present (especially in the first half).

The thing is, it's kind of difficult for me to step back just to say that. I care about Genbu Kaiden. I care because the characters likable and interesting, even if they might be treated clumsily a few times. I care because there's variety. I care because it makes plot points out of things like the specialty exports and production of the countries involved. I care because loss is treated as a real thing with deep effects that deserve as much or more page time as the loss itself, rather than an easy way to shock the reader. I care because it feels like something important is almost always going on, on every level. I care because there's a sense of space, of exploration, of a world. I care because prehensile hair that you can fight with is pretty cool once you get past the "what even." I care because Takiko does things like volunteer to infiltrate a brothel when she doesn't actually know what prostitutes do, because Rimudo is used for fanservice in both genders, because Hatsui is adorable, because Tomite is totally owned by his mother, because we don't even know where Inami gets that giant pipe from, because of all of it.

I can admire a series greatly, I can truly love a series, without it making me actively grateful for it. When I finished Genbu Kaiden, "I'm glad this series has been part of my life" was more or less my first thought. That, ultimately, is all I really have, and all I really need, to say.



(For the record, though- both my favorite and second-favorite characters die.)

And we're back

Well, that first attempt at blogging didn't quite pan out. As you can probably tell from the "no posts for two years."

But I'm back, and this time I'm going to be trying something different! Namely, just writing about stuff.

The format I developed last time was designed both to hone in on specific aspects that could be of particular interest and to be flexible enough to cover both a large number of chapters or only one. What I didn't take into account at the time was that I would want to write outside the areas provided by the format (and would struggle a bit filling those categories) and that there was no way that I would actually write a post per chapter so a format that could give different lengths roughly equal treatment was completely unnecessary. So, the old format is out, and just writing stuff is in!

Expect to see some more activity here soon!

Kekkaishi, by Tanabe Yellow (chapters 1-200)

Introduction: Kekkaishi is a shonen series focusing on Sumimura Yoshimori, the 22nd legitmate successor of the Sumimura family. For 400 years, the Sumimuras and the neighboring family the Yukimuras have been kekkaishi ("barrier masters") tasked with protecting the sacred ground of Karasumori from intrusion by ayakashi, which tend to become more powerful and crazed in Karasumori due to the land's particular magical effects. By night, Yoshimori and Yukimura Tokine, the 22nd legitimate successor of the Yukimuras, patrol Karasumori and exterminate any threats. By day, they attend the joint middle school/high school on the same grounds.

As the story deveolops, the world expands. We're introduced to other sacred areas which are portals into alternate dimensions that gods live in. And we are introduced the the Urakai, and organization of people with magical abilities which takes it upon itself to investigate and police the supernatural happenings in Japan. A majority of the supporting characters, such as Yoshimori's older brother Masamori and his subordinates, are members of the Urakai.

Summary: The manga starts out with a number of small arcs that helps explain how the world works, what kinds of things our heroes deal with, and how they use their powers. Among the stories: Yoshimori befriends and helps a human ghost to move on, a demon user from the Urakai leads to problems at Karasumori, the group confronts an ayakashi from Madarao's (Yoshimori's magical dog sidekick) past, and Yoshimori is called upon to help a god.

Once things are well-established, Tanabe builds the Kokoburou arc, which comes to define a significant portion of the series. It starts out small, with a few strange ayakashi coming in and taking an interest in Karsumori. Some more characters come in, notably Shishio Gen, a part-ayakashi boy sent by the Urakai (and Masamori in particular) to help defend Karasumori. Tanabe doesn't let the threat of the Kokoburou dominate from the start. The antagonists are very mysterious at first, and they don't move too quickly, allowing Tanabe to also spend time detailing the dangerous politics of the Urakai and the relationships that form between Yoshimori, Tokine, and Gen. When the Kokoburou at last begin to take serious action in an attempt to take over Karasumori, things take a turn for the impressive. Shockingly, Gen is killed in one of the Kokoburou's (unsuccessful) assaults on Karasumori. The heroes then take the fight to the alternate world of Kokuburou itself, where old scores are settled and some new alliances formed.

In the wake of the Kokoburou arc, we return to smaller arcs, which this time split themselves between some expansion of the world and character's powers and more focused looks at character development. Among the stories are: Yoshimori and Tokine meet an exorcist with a mission, a mysterious and powerful attack is mounted on both Masamori's Yagyou and on Karasumori with the result that some characters become stronger, a girl Yoshimori has no interest in forms a violent crush on him, Masamori confronts his old mentor who has turned into an ayakashi, a prophetess causes a few problems at Karasumori, Masamori confronts one of his enemies in the Urakai, and a crazed god attacks Karasumori. The involvement of the Urakai and its various members in the plot increases, and Tanabe seems to be setting the stage for major events in both of her main theatres- Karasumori and the Urakai.

(from left to right, Tokine, Yoshimori, and Gen)

Spotlight: As you can imagine, a lot happens in 200 chapters, so there's quite a bit to choose from. I have to give recognition to the fight between Masamori and Ogi Ichirou, in which creative and skilled use of a variety of weaker techniques triumphs against overwhelming force. Even more remarkable, at least to me, is when Tokine kills a god. Not only is it an example of a strong female lead acting when the male lead has made some mistakes, it's incredibly impressive because of the characters there, we know that Tokine may best understand the detrimental consequences her actions will have on her- and she acts anyway, proving her skill and her devotion to her mission. I also can't neglect some excellent pieces of humor- most notably the two chapters in which a mysterious spirit causes everyone in the middle school to act ridiculously.

But really, there is one thing that I have to pick out above everything else in the series- Gen's death. It's a sudden, brutal piece of realism to have a teenage character stabbed in the back in the midst of an epic supernatural fight. Gen doesn't make a heroic sacrifice. He doesn't valiantly struggle against death, but tragically accepts it. This alone would be notable, but it's Tanabe's recognition of the aftermath that really distinguishes the series. We see the funerals, and the raw grief that some of the characters are experiencing. We see how they bottle up the emotions, or channel them in different ways. And the effects of Gen's death don't just go away once the Kokuburou arc is over- characters continue to remember him, and be affected by that memory. This sensitivity to grief injects the series with a serious. thoughtful touch from time to time.

Strengths: Tanabe is a dinstictly skilled author, and this comes through in a number of ways. One of the aspects of Kekkaishi that distinguishes it from a number of the better-known shonen series is the creativity of its power systems, and the characters who use them. Whether it's Yoshimori using a shikigami shaped like yourself to skip class, or a young member of the Yagyou using her power to animate inanimate objects in order to outwit a kidnapper, the powers are very interesting to watch and consistently follow the logic systems laid out by the series. The series is also very well paced. Many shonen fall into traps of drawing out fights too long, or repeating themselves, but Kekkaishi avoids this pretty thoroughly. Major arcs, such as the Kokoburou arc, can be divided up into sub-arcs that give their own feeling of satisfaction while also driving the main arc further. It also helps that Tanabe's art is excellent- I find the character designs very appealing and with a good range of individuality, the backgrounds are well-detailed without being distracting, and the designs for ayakashi and other supernatural things to vary well from a good traditional base to intriguingly creative.

What I admire most about the series, though, is Tanabe's refusal to simplify human relationships. Possibly my favorite scene is a brief one shortly following Gen's death, where Yoshimori and Tokine have a discussion on the school roof one night. They totally fail to connect in a way that's meaningful for the moment, because they've been left in such different places by their grief and have incorrect expectations about how the other is reacting. It's an unflinching little portrait, and really displays some of the series greatest strengths. Kekkaishi is full of characters who care but misunderstand, who have issues with each other or about how to relate to others. Taken individually the characters are good, but as an ensemble they're one of the better ones I've seen in a manga.

It's also in the characterization that Tanabe's adherence to "show, don't tell" is most evident. You don't need to see Masamori thinking "why wasn't I the legitimate successor?" when all you have to do to get that point across is show him looking at his right hand. We know how deeply Yoshimori has been affected by Gen's death when it becomes clear that he's put away everything to do with his baking hobby in favor of training (likewise, we know he's come back to himself for the most part when he starts baking again). I like it when authors treat me as if I'm paying attention.

Weaknesses: Tanabe doesn't have the understanding of theme that, say, Arakawa displays in Fullmetal Alchemist. There were a number of potential themes for the Kokoburou arc, but they tended to be used by the chapter or sub-arc, not really chosen and explored. The abscence of some overarching themes makes for a less overall cohesive story, and in a series that has such careful and extended character arcs this lack stands out. You're left with questions like "What exactly does Tanabe want to say about revenge? Or did she just decide not to say anything on it?"

The elements of the plot don't always mix well. While overall the goings on of the characters in various locations feed well into each other and combine to good effect, Masamori's power struggles can feel like they're intruding into the story of Yoshimori's growth, and vice versa. And while I personally greatly appreciate characterization choices such as Masamori's tendency to take one step forward and two steps back in dealing with his issues, I can see how some people might complain that it stagnates the narrative a little.

In Brief: Kekkaishi is very much my cup of tea, and I highly recommend it. It has strong characters with fascinating relationships, both of which develop naturally. It has solid, creative worldbuilding which allows for unique comedy as well as action, and can put things on a grand, mysterious scale when it's called for. It's a refreshing, enjoyable, and interesting read.

An introduction

Hello, my name is Elspeth, and I read manga.

In recent years, Japanese media has begun to take off in the United States. You can find people everywhere who have seen and respect the movies of Miyazaki Hayao, or who caught parts of Cowboy Bebop on t.v. Anime dvds can be found nestled into the sci-fi, action, or family sections of stores, and the manga selection in bookstores is frequently triple the size of the shelfspace devoted to western comics. It's not mainstream, but it's getting closer. There's an increasing level of international feedback, with phenomena such as an American movie based on Astro Boy succeeding at the Chinese box office. There is space, and even a need, for dialogue about these works.

I've been a fan of Japanese media for years, ever since Spirited Away came into theaters. For various reasons, I've mostly been reading manga recently, rather than watching anime. I decided to create this blog partly to organize my thoughts on what I'm reading, partly to invite other people's thoughts, and partly out of a hope that I won't talk my friends ears off quite so often this way.

And yes, I'm good at telling when a character is doomed. It's often my favorite character.


As for how the blogging will go- in the title of each post I'll have the series name, the author(s), and the chapters in question. This is how the posts themselves will work:

Introduction: If I haven't posted about the series before, this is where I'll explain the premise, who the important characters are, and my feelings on the series at this point.

Summary: What happened in these chapters. For series where I'm marathoning a whole lot of chapters, this section will probably only consist of very broad strokes.

Spotlight: Things that are particularly notable, good or bad.

Strengths: It has to have something going for it, otherwise I'm not going to read it.

Weaknesses: Nothing's perfect.

In brief: My ultimate opinion on these chapters, and how that fits in with my opinion of the manga as a whole.


So! That's what I'm aiming for. Welcome, and I hope you'll stick around for what's coming!