I’m currently working on two projects right now. One is a Flash site for NewThink, a small design/development company in LA. And the other is my weekly post for our main site… this week I’m it’s on Joints and Forces in Box2DFlash.

Still, I find myself daydreaming a lot while I’m writing code and I tend to slip in some reading every now and then. I’m studying Japanese right now (listening to Pimsleur while typing this) and I hope to visit Japan in the not TOO distant future.

The one thing that fascinates me about the Japanese is their unique form of story telling (and the course that those stories usually take). I read a lot of manga actually and when I have time I watch anime as well. I’m not sure if you could go so far as to call me Otaku (an anime obsessed geek), but I do know what that word means, so I’m not that far away from one.

My favorite stories (whether anime, manga, novel, or movie) almost always have good characters that I can like. The story and plot is then built up around the characters. Good examples of this in the manga/anime side of things would be Ah! My Goddess, Ai Yori Aoshi, Onegai Sensei, Cowboy Bebop, Nausicaa, Fruits Basket, or Living Game… Thinking about that list, all but Cowboy Bebop and Nausicaa are romances…

Oh well, I’m just a romantic story kind of guy! Good examples from the other end (books and movies) would be Shawshank Redemption, Rainbow Six (and most of Tom Clancy’s other books), Wizard’s First Rule (and most of Terry Goodkind’s other works), or The Gods Must Be Crazy… There are a lot I could mention actually, but most people already have a list of favorite books and movies and the like. I am more interested in talking about the manga/anime stories.

There are SO many manga out there that rely on misunderstandings and foolishness to keep the story going and from reaching a quick conclusion (at least in the romance genre). And there are also a lot that have no story or character development, just wacky highjinks and comedic situations. I try to avoid those completely.

One mangaka (manga artist/author) named Takahashi Rumiko is rather famous for having stories that don’t have any character development and never seem to end. Surprisingly I have read more then half of her works. Her most famous work currently would be InuYasha - I’ve haven’t watched much of the TV series, but I’ve read as much of the manga that has been translated into english… all 55 volumes!!! That is a new record for Takahashi-san I think. At least it seems to be working it’s way towards a final conclusion.

Urusei Yatsura, is a story about an annoying alien trying to marry a wannabe playboy/looser. Another one of Takahashi Rumiko’s works that I’ve read, and it is 35 volumes… BUT, it has absolutely NO character development and the story never changes until the end. But, then at the last chapter it concludes with one of those “and now everything is back to the way it has always been.” In other words… no development even in the conclusion.

By the way… For those who don’t understand, a good length for a manga is around 20 volumes. Most are shorter then that though. In my opinion, if a manga goes much longer then 20 volumes then it’s author is probably lost and can’t think of how to end it. Or, is milking a good idea for everything it’s worth (till that idea is worn out and dry), which is nice and all from a business point of view, but doesn’t always make for a good story. Takahashi-san is probably one of those authors who just can’t bring herself to end the story because she has become too attached to the characters.

Ranma 1/2 (38 volumes), another one of Takahashi Rumiko’s, is a story about a highschool boy who is heir to a martial arts school and is engaged to a girl who is the heir to another martial arts school. The twist? Well for one, they take FOREVER to admit that they really do get along and consent to get married. And, Ranma (the boy…) happens to be cursed so that he will turn into a girl when he gets cold water on him (he will only turn back with hot water). This one gets surprisingly close to a real conclusive ending, but doesn’t really quite get there and everything really remains the same.

Maison Ikkoku (only 9 volumes) is another one by Takahashi-san and I am still in the middle of it (it’s not really too bad and some will really like it). I wonder why I bother to read this author’s work?

I’ve read that Maison Ikkoku at least has a happy ending so there better be a wedding or something in the end, because… damn! The story isn’t progressing. The guy admits his love for the girl early on in the story. It’s now more then 2 years later in the story and she won’t return more then a hint that she might like him back. Although she will get jealous of him hanging out with other girls, she expects him to be fine with her hanging out with a guy who already tried to propose to her! She’s overly possessive of the guys who like her, but she never returns any sign of her own feelings! This is why I hate female authors! They always make the women totally insensitive to the guys feelings.

Heh heh… that’s not really true at all. If I really hated female authors I wouldn’t read so many manga written by them. But, I will say that most of my favorite romance stories have been written by men. Might be because I am a guy and so a romance written by another guy is easier to relate to…

Jeez… I really need to get back to work. I’ve already wasted enough time reading manga, I can’t waste any more writing about it.

Extra Note: I just finished Maison Ikkoku. I just wanted to say that I was at the climax of stress level in the story when I wrote this review. The very next chapter and every chapter after that was progressivly more relaxing to read and the relationship between the two main characters FINALLY started to normalize. Still the woman (Otonashi Kyoko) does not trust the guy (Godai Yusaku) at all and never listens to his explanations… thus most of the misunderstandings in their relationship are on her end.
The end really is very good.

Tags: Characters, InuYasha, japan, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, Romance, Takahashi Rumiko, Urusei Yatsura

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 27th, 2008 at 8:00 pm and is filed under Anime, Manga, Stories, japan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.