Newsgroups: rec.arts.manga
From: axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au
Subject: Afternoon #2, Yasha no hitomi, etc.
To: rec-arts-manga@darwin.sura.net
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 15:14:47 +1100 
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(Sorry if this appears repeatedly -- our news system is in bad shape.)

Seems that Kikuchi Hideyuki's Youjuu Toshi novel(s) have been made into
a live-action movie (in Hongkong).  I saw some trailers here at a Chinatown
cinema, and it looks like they're not shying away from anything. :-)

From SSunday #5, it looks like the latest Ranma 1/2 story will go for one
volume exactly (vol.24).  (Ranma ended up using Hiryuu Shoutenha "revised
edition", Hiryuu Kourindan (Flying Dragon Diving into Battle).  That means
this story has now seen the use of every previous major MA technique.  Fu,
well, I don't mind. :-)  There's also a new Mermaid Series story in #5,
Yasha no Hitomi, which I think is pretty good.

I get the impression that the position of a manga in the magazine is an
indication of its "status".  Is this right?  If so, the top five titles
(out of 40 odd) on Afternoon now are: (in decreasing popularity) Kiseiju,
Magical Super Asia, Dr. Kishiwada, AMG, and Jigoku no Ie.

(spoilers)

Kiseiju:  Shinichi managed to behead that smiley guy, but I've a feeling
 that he still hasn't beaten it.  My guess is that the other two kiseiju in
 his body can simply form themselves into another head, but that's a
 pretty uneducated guess. :-)

Magical Super Asia:  I guess we're stuck with this stupid English title
 now that it appears on the cover of vol.1.  Anyway, I don't know what's
 going on, but I still love it. ^_^    (Hyakubee got trapped in a cave-in
 and the Ideal Leader got caught up in a confrontation with Nanmaten 
 before he could reach him.  Ideal Leader has this device in his arm
 which can trap entities from the underworld [Makai].  Ends with Nanmaten
 doing himself in, an act of love (!?) for his son, and his son being
 hailed as the new king of the underworld.  I think, maybe, perhaps :-)
   Oh, the other thing -- there are 4 fabulous color pages of Chen Uen's
 World in this issue.  It's worth buying this Afternoon for his depiction
 of the Goddess of War, if you ask me. :-)

JnI:  I'm convinced now, the color pages for this ARE the second best
 in Afternoon.  And though the story is very straightforward, I still love
 it.  I thought it would be hard to top Kyouchi being raped by his mum,
 but in this month ALONE we have generous doses of: train fondling,
 infatuation, lesbian adultery, gay porno films, illegitimate children,
 and blackmail.  :-)  Kyouichi just sits there the whole episode looking
 drugged out.  I wonder how long GONTA can keep up the pace?

Kishiwada: great as usual, #3 will feature another "educational" story
 (with the Yasugawa glove puppet, I hope :-)

There was a lot of new stuff this issue, following the recent purge of
last year's deadwood.  Redman is kind of offbeat, enough for me to like
it (so far).  But like so many Afternoon mangas, the premise may not
even stretch out to 1 volume of material (anyone seen Gloria lately?
anyone miss it? :-)

Something did catch my eye -- a very gloomy, dark manga about a
tough girl and her cockroach mentor. (?)
It's called Torankiraizaa $BEUMpe:Me0R:CU4(B
(kanji: Gilding Chaos Beautiful Silk Overbear Break Flirt).
(This JIS may not have survived the mail gateway...)

This must be a name or something.


-- 
 Iain Sinclair    axolotl@socs.uts.edu.au