Comic Party (Comic Party)

Rating:
Summary: STRUGGLING TO MAKE DREAMS COME TRUE
Review: Kazuki Sendoh has just been rejected by a fine arts college. Not because he didn't have the talent and not because he doesn't love to draw. He was rejected because he didn't put in enough effort. Maybe he sensed that his artistic expression was not going to come through a formal education. His friend Taishi has his own agenda for Kazuki to fulfill his potential. He leads Kazuki and his girlfriend, Mizuki, to Comic Party, the biggest anime, manga, and gaming convention in Tokyo. It's there that Kazuki is introduced to the world of Doujinshi (underground comics). In other words, self-published manga. Just as Taishi has planned, once exposed to the world of manga, Kazuki yearns to create his own and begins to discover hitherto unknown satisfaction in a field that he saw only as a curiosity before. This first volume is mainly about character introductions and the ins and outs of the Doujinshi industry along with Kazuki's first attempts at selling his own creations. His life is further complicated by the fact that his girlfriend HATES manga and everything associated with it. Her resentment only increases as Kazuki becomes more and more abosorbed with creating his comic than with her.

It's cool that in Japan anyone with a idea and talent and creativity can give manga a go. If only the comic world in America was as easy to break into. If I lived in Japan I would be going to these conventions all the time. If I didn't mention earlier in the review this book is a comedy. For instance, Taishi believes that peace on earth and the redemption of the human race can be brought about by manga. It's a little darker and inferior to the anime version. For instance, Mizuki's standard way to punish Kazuki is to hit him with a baseball bat with nails protruding from it. The conflict between the two top manga artists, Yuu and Kiteratsu, is just as funny as the anime. To me, at least, the manga wasn't as funny as the anime. It just lacked the charm and hilarity of the voice actors. Still worth checking out, at least for fans of the anime. I will try the second volume to see if it gets better. I highly recommend both volumes of the anime over the manga version.

Rating:
Summary: Not As Good as the Anime
Review: The Manga version of Comic Party presented by TokyoPop just didn't grab me as much. It tells pretty much the same story as the animated version, although the the humor in it was just a bit more mean spirited, such as Mizuki's baseball bat with nails, and some needless cursing. I also didn't like the character design as much. It's hard to nail down exactly, but both the anime and CPM's "Comic Party: Party Time" had a bit more charm to them. Others may enjoy it, but it was too rough around the edges for my tastes.

Rating:
Summary: Journey to the Top
Review: This manga is presumably the basis for the Comic Party anime by To Heart Studios (there is also another manga series, but this is the one that follows more or less the TV plot), but there are several major differences. Notably, Kazuki Sendo and the other major characters are in college rather than high school, and Kazuki's character is rather more punkish and dark than the TV version of himself, which was more or less like every other 'good-hearted loser' in anime. This is a good thing. The jokes are often more adult than those in the TV series, and occasionally more pointless, such as Mizuki's use of a nail-studded bat as a weapon. Overall, this different flavor promotes the idea of a rebellious and independent art style, which suits Comic Party, which is, after all, about the underground and independent comics market.

Kazuki is a very talented artist who, unfortunately, was not accepted into art school. He blames this on lack of effort on his part and seems to be lacking focus. Into the picture comes his insane and energetic friend Taishi Kuhonbutsu, who drags Kazuki (along with disapproving girlfriend Mizuki) to the Comic Party- a convention of independent fan comics ('doujinshi') makers. While Mizuki insists that 'anime and manga are for kids', Kazuki is impressed by the degree of love and determination that the convention attendees show for their work. At the prompting of Taishi, Kazuki begins work on his own doujinshi and is brought into the fabulous and colorful world of fancomicry!

Sekihiko Inui's art is better than appropriate for this slightly rougher incarnation of the story. The character designs are all unique (except perhaps Kazuki himself, but even he is more distinctive than he is on TV), especially Taishi (who sports a constant three-piece suit and a set of canines that Dracula could envy) and Mizuki (who mananges for the first time in history to carry off a side ponytail.)

The world of doujinshi is mostly represented through the works of the artists involved. The most important characters in this edition are the feuding artists Eimi Ooba and Yuu Inagawa. Kazuki separates these two on several occasions and eventually partners with Yuu on a collaboratory work, leading to jealous spying on Mizuki's part. All the while, Taishi watches from the sidelines, pushing Kazuki on to ever greater heights and enjoying himself immensely.

Comic Party is an excellent addition to any manga library that does a great deal to show why manga artists and fans feel the way they do about their art.