Manga!

So, several weeks back, I treated myself to Fake vol. 7 and Saiyuki vol. 1. I figure, what the hell, may as well discuss them now, since I haven't got much else to do at this point.

It's been about a year since I bought Fake vol. 1- right when Order of the Phoenix came out. I bought them together, and I enjoyed Fake more than Harry Potter. This is not because I'm an incurable pervert and there was a lack of pretty men groping each other in Harry Potter- though that certainly didn't hurt. Volume 1 was fairly well translated and consisted of four chapters with plenty of action (not that kind, dumbasses) and character interaction. Not great literature, but it was fun and the art was gorgeous.

I kept buying the series because the art continued to be excellent and the characters continued to be entertaining- and it looked like it would deviate somewhat from the typical yaoi/shounen ai character templates. It didn't, really, but Matoh managed to avoid beating you over the head with cliches every other page. By this I mean that Ryo was more than just a weepy girl with short hair and an alleged cock- or so it seemed, occasionally.

I still like the series, but the last volume disappointed me a great deal- the first six volumes are just a build up to Dee and Ryo finally getting together, and there are some touching moments between the two of 'em...but in the end, all the character development dissolved into Dee the Sex-Crazed Seme and Ryo the Weeping Uke.

Also, volume 7 is short- only two chapters, no conclusion of the Bicky/Carol/Lai/Lass storyline, and a lot of very rushed character development. So, somewhat disappointing- but the art is still top notch (even if I'm not sure some of the things going on in those (brief) sex scenes are anatomically correct...) and the earlier volumes are worth a glance if gay cop dramas are your thing.

And you might just want to pick up volume 7 to giggle over the fact that it's sold plastic wrapped, to protect the innocent from steamy mansex. (Be warned, though- it's not all porn, if that's what you're looking for. (And I wasn't, really, no matter how much I joke.) It's not even mostly porn. There are about six pages (if that) of shots of vaguely naked people and a few panels where I'm not sure what is going on- nothing really explicit beyond that classic yaoi standard, the orgasm face, and maybe a bare ass or two.)

Moving on from the porn...Saiyuki!

The journey west never looked so good without a shirt.
XD
Anyway. I've decided, after many years of contemplation, that I adore Kazuya Minekura's art. The droopy eyes, the squared off chins, the bizarre hermaphrodites- I love it. And the manga, of course, showcases her style much better than the anime, even if the animation manages to resemble her original designs fairly well.

I like the manga better, but that's partly just because I like manga better than anime, in general. Unfortunately for my wallet, manga is something I can't stand in internet form- if it's not on paper, I want nothing to do with it. (This may be because of the dialup here at home, but I'd rather pretend to be a snob. Wait, did I say pretend?)

Volume 1 is basically the first five episodes of the anime, almost word for word. There's a bit more introduction with Sanzo and Goku at the beginning ("If I killed you, you probably wouldn't stay dead." "That's 'cuz I'm rechargeable!") and some extra footnotes on the history of the story and the various aspects of Buddha, but if you've seen the anime, you know what's going to happen.

The art is gorgeous, though- but it is a bit bizarre and can take a little getting used to. The characters still amuse me; Goku is actually less obnoxious in the manga. He's more like a person than a child template, which is a relief. All of the characters are still taken straight from stock templates, of course- the kid, the flirt, the broody one, the mysterious one- but again, you don't read manga if you're looking for high quality literature, and it's entertaining. The characters are endearing, even if they are a bit stereotypical.

Kanzeon Bosatsu freaks me out even more now that hir shirt is transparent- they don't mention the hermaphrodite thing in the anime, just as they leave out most of the incest. (And it's het incest, too- eeew. But it doesn't show up in the first volume.)

I am a shallow person who likes pretty pictures and sulky boys and large, random weapons. Saiyuki makes me happy. It might make you happy, too. :)