Risong Stars of Manga, Vol. 3

Rating:
Summary: A Small Caveat Emptor
Review: I recently purchased this small book as part of an outing to the local shop to explore the new generation of up and coming artists. I have to say that it got me thinking.

And everyone knows that I can't stop thinking! I just had to inject that bit of dry wit.

The book itself is fairly well done, and while I'm no expert at Japanese manga, I can say that this doesn't quite comapre in quality. I'd definitely buy the book if I were looking for some new fun comics to read on a whim, but these aren't up to the standards of even the most dreary fan-published manga volumes (often referred to as dojin-shee). I've seen a few, and while there are some pretty tasteless ones (raping a girl with tentacles? What?) there are some out there that are masterfully done that don't involve gallons of human excrement and a anthropomorphic animal. Sorry furry fans!

The Rising Stars of Manga really has me torn because some of the stories were good, and some were particularly atrocious. One that caught my eye was one that revolved around Felipe Smith. The drawing stayle seemed inconsistent and waffled between good and horrible with no direction to speak of. What rubbed me the wrong way was how the manga was supposed to be humorous. The humor was flat and a far stretch from being funny. Additionally, the storyteling was weak and of all subjects, why make it fictionally autobiographical? Several authors have done this before with mixed results. I'd advise future artists to avoid this trap as it really only boils down to self-aggrandizement.

A few of the other titles were interesting, though mostly derivative at best. The laissez-faire drawing style of the entrant Christy was intriguing, though I wasn't overly interested in the story as a whole.

Overall, while I am sure these were wonderful submissions compared to the rest and outstanding in their own right in comparison, it is often times easy to find a winner when you pan through the worst most amateurs have to offer.

All the same I congratulate the winners on their effort! Keep at it and someday you'll be successful!

Rating:
Summary: A frank and honest appraisal
Review: I will try to limit myself to impartiality as much as possible, despite being friends with one of the authors.

First off I will say that compared to the previous Rising Stars of Manga volumes, which I picked up to peruse from my local Borders Bookstore rather than Amazon (gasp!), this book is a definite evolution from its predecessors; and when I say evolution, I don't necessarily meant hat the books is far and away superior, but that this books is a logical and clear step forwards in quality of the material present - for the most part.

The rising Stars of Manga, as far as I can tell, is a contest run by Tokyopop to farm out new talent and look for fresh and innovative titles that would catch the eye of most consumers nowadays. Two of the entries strike me as being eye-catching. The entry from contestant Christy and the entry from Nate Maurer both strike me as material that grabs and doesn't let go, predominantly with the presentation of the art style.

Unfortunately, while some of the others fail in that regard, I find that the entry from Felipe smith particularly fails, in this regard despite what his friend, Jeffrey W Schweikart says otherwise. I can understand that Mister (and I use the word loosely) Schweikart is enthusiastic about elevating his compatriot's comic, but to do so and pan the rest of the entries is deplorable. For shame. The judges selected the entries in the order they felt was appropriate. Panning everyone else's material is only a disservice to the book and you aren't helping your friend, or anyone else who spent time and were selected as winners.

But I digress.

To address the entry from Christy, the story itself wasn't the most solid compared to most other manga that have been imported, but it certainly stands out for its use of art style. It is fairly liberal in freeform, and the looseness and relaxed feel of the art style lends a lot to helping support the story. The art is quite reminiscent of webcomic artist Josh Lesnick, and while the comparison may be bad in the eyes of some people, I found it to be much more positive than negative. In all the story didn't really stick in my mind, but the art certainly did. Congratulations Christy.

The first place winner of the competition, Nate Maurer, penned a story that was both compelling and visually satisfying. Many people who read manga will recognize the material as a little derivative in that it involves giant robots and wacky hijinks; but to accuse or label this as being purely derivative is the same as labeling Big O or Giant Robo as being derivative. I would certainly classify this story as classically giant robot in theme, though it diverges from its more well-recognized counterparts in "legit manga" in being a comedy-action hybrid rather than drama-action. The art certainly fits with the story presented, and definitely lends an anime flavor by virtue of the cel-shaded style. the story is simple enough, and I personally believe that it is its simplicity that makes it so appealing. The story is straightforward and to the point and cuts out a lot of the unnecessary filler that some authors feel is required to make a story good. This certainly falls under the Keep It Simple Stupid principle and achieves success admirably in that regard. Some people may find the choppy "Engrish" of the main character to be offensive, but as a 1st generation Taiwanese, I found it not only hilarious, but funny in a reminiscent fashion as my parents literally spoke like Goto Oniishi when my family first came to the states. Congratulations to you as well, Nate Maurer.

Before I come off as being entirely a sycophant, I will provide criticism for the story provided by Felipe Smith. I found that the story itself, while engaging enough, could have been presented better on two accounts; firstly the use of the author himself as the vehicle for the story, and secondly the use of the fast-changing art styles to try to reflect mood.

Established artists such as Tetsuya Engawa have used the self-insertion vehicle to a limited degree with a great deal of success; but in those cases the self-insertion is limited in scope and is usually self-deprecating. In this case, the use of the author as, inevitably, the infallible hero comes off as self-aggrandizing and detracts from the story. Second, the use of the rapid changing art style to reflect mood shift of to lend impact served more as a distraction rather than a successful means of emphasis. Again, many other manga artists have used this vehicle before, but the frequency of the shifting art style was limited in scope at best and was never used to the dizzying degree used by the author, Felipe Smith. Despite what Mr. Smith's friend, Mr. Schweikart would try to convince you of, I feel that a second place finish is much better than what I would have deemed appropriate. However, I would still like to congratulate Felipe Smith on a successful showing and an admirable job.

I would certainly recommend this book to the casual reader or for anyone who is interested in finding out what the status of the American side of the manga industry is doing at this point, though I would caution that this is merely a selection of the "competition" and by no means is a global survey of what is to be expected. However, I feel that the top finishers in the competition have given readers a clear indication that the quality of stories and the level of artistry is certainly on the rise.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Rating:
Summary: Only one good entry but still worth buying
Review: This book is worth getting for only one of the entries... Felipe Smith Draws Manga. Amazing!!! The greatest thing I have read in many years. I don't know why they gave him the 2nd place prize!!! An outrage!!! The rest of the book is pure garbage, so don't even bother reading any of the other entries. Felipe's story is worth your $10, so pick it up today.

Rating:
Summary: Only one good entry but still worth buying
Review: This book is worth getting for only one of the entries... Felipe Smith Draws Manga. Amazing!!! The greatest thing I have read in many years. I don't know why they gave him the 2nd place prize!!! An outrage!!! The rest of the book is pure garbage, so don't even bother reading any of the other entries. Felipe's story is worth your $10, so pick it up today.