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Warren Shea

Archive for the ‘Anime, Manga & Comics’ Category

Feather – Review

Sunday, January 30th, 2011 at 1:01 am

I was looking at steveuy.com, the writer and artist for one of my favorite short story comics/graphic novels. There’s a side-story sequel of Feather, called Feather Rex, that I have never read. Unfortunately, this guy’s store doesn’t deliver to Canada :'( I may have to get these via other means (eBay? Amazon?).

Anyways, as I was browsing around his site, I noticed that his entire Feather series is on the internet, in .jpg form. I don’t believe I ever noticed that before, weird. It’s under http://www.steveuy.com/feather/previewissues.html. Anyways, I thought that was pretty awesome, that these “preview pages” had pretty much the whole story, in image form. Unfortunately, you’d have to click on each image individually…it seemed like the readability/user-interface could have been improved. So what I did was broke out Emacs Dreamweaver and wrote, in PHP, a script to output all the images from the website via some loops and echos into a single page. I perfected the script, ran it once in Internet Explorer, went to the IE cache and voilà. All the image on my computer. Broke out RENAME.exe, a rename program I found over the internet that I’ve been consistently using for years, renamed all the files quickly and then built: http://warrenshea.com/images/feather/.

. . . . . . . : : : : : : : : Now, you can read the whole story here : : : : : : : : . . . . . . .
Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3 | Issue 4 | Issue 5

Awesome, no? And best of all, all these images were already on the internet, no scanning or hacking at all. Just some creativity :)

Review

Storyline – 10/10
I’ve read this series of comics more than any other short story of comics I’ve ever had. During my first read, I was blown with how…light-hearted turned dramatic this story is. While I don’t re-read the story often, each time I pick it up, I notice more to the story, themes, foreshadowing, flashbacks, symbolism…but what I find is that ever time I read it, I get more emotional. I never get emotional during a first viewing (of almost anything). I think my brain works hard just to make sure I understand everything (I’m not very bright…). Repetition and solid understanding begin to open up my emotional ranges as I start to focus more on character than plot. But imo, Feather has got it all. A great premise, hints of a long history and backstory, it’s simple yet…unexpected. Reasonable yet unpredictable. I mean, you could read it once and get it. But if you read it over and over, I think you start to feel it more. At least, that’s how I feel when I re-read it.

I also love that it’s a complete story. There’s a beginning, middle and end. But there aren’t really questions…it’s all wrapped up into a nice little package. That does make me wonder how Feather Rex is…

Art – 10/10
What caused me to get this book was the art. But not the art of the cover of Feather. It was this guy’s Iceman covers that first caused me to purchase Eden’s Trail, which I also thought was spectacular. It’s definitely not your typical comic. While the detail in the line art is less than a comic, less than even a manga, more like an anime, the coloring is spectacular. Spectacular that even in 2004, 7 years ago, it’s some of the best coloring I’ve ever seen. That each page has different hues, and that they can change from dark blue to bright yellow/red in moments. It’s really something. This thing is less a comic book than a movie (wow, now there would be an awesome idea…). My only complaint, which I’ve come to accept, is that the characters have no nose. That bothered the heck out of me at the start but after so many reads, it’s no longer noticeable.

Character – 10/10
If I could give a rating higher than 10, I would. While the plot is great, this really is a character driven story. It’s all about the characters, the choices they make and the paths they choose. Realistic and understandable…it’s incredible at how a relationship between two friends can be so…..dramatic.

warrenshea.com rates – Feather – 10/10!

So what’re you waiting for?

Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3 | Issue 4 | Issue 5

Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases – Review (sorta…)

Saturday, December 25th, 2010 at 4:34 am

Like I said in a previous post, I had just purchased a Death Note side story/novel from Indigo. I was contemplating today whether to read it or a CSS book….and I decided to start this (short) 170~ page novel and get it over with before continuing this CSS textbook.

As I began to read, I felt a feeling of deja vu/nostalgia, revisiting characters from a series and world that I had visited and left long ago. Just like the Dark Angel novels I’d read this this week.

I realized how much fun reading can be when something like that occurs. It’s not “reading”, it’s revisiting old friends, if that makes sense. Like how I felt when I read Naruto: Shippuuden after a Naruto manga hiatus. I’d encounter people I used to know, and see how they’ve changed or read an interpretation of a character that is slightly different from what I know, but fundamentally similar to what I’m used to. Writing that last sentence made me of Sky’s Content, a Shikamaru fanfiction I’ve been reading, and how I get the same feeling when I read about other Naruto characters. What I’m getting at is that I love a good world. A world of Dragon Ball Z, a world of Naruto, a world of Mega Man, Final Fantasy VII, Azumanga Diaoh, Seinfeld, whatever….any world that has rich characters. And I really love going back to that world when I feel like I’ve experienced everything I need to know, only to find out there’s more.

What I mean is
I’ve watched the Dark Angel series, read the novels, I don’t think there’s much else to this world that I can experience, in any form of media.
I’ve watched the Death Note anime, read the manga, read the interviews…I also don’t feel like there’s much more in this world that I can experience either…
Well, that’s what I thought, until I read this, and then it added more depth to this already existing world.

Which brings us to the review.

I thought this novel was superb. I mean, I contemplated how something could be written or plotted as well as Death Note, especially given that this was a novel, and written by some dude I’ve never heard of. I was expecting something….that couldn’t live up to the original. How could it? As this was a prequel to Death Note, it deals with a story without Kira. And in the world of Death Note, the entire world is effectively based around Kira and the people close to him.

But this story features a case between L and Naomi Misora, who sadly, was only in 2 short episodes of the anime but being a character I really loved. Much like Takeshi Obata, I believe I fell in love with her design. Takeshi Obata was…hmm, I don’t think upset is the word, but wasn’t expecting Naomi Misora to have such a short time in the Death Note world. I found it interesting that they made a novel out of this relationship since it was only mentioned quickly (how L knew Naomi Misora as a strong individual, not one to take her own life – relevant to the Kira case).

Oh god, I’m all over the place, writing at 4AM….my brain fried from reading most of the day.

Anyways, I found this novel to be an excellent supplement to the Death Note world. It certainly has its very unexpected twists…which I really won’t spoil. It was just…it was watching the mind of L work…sort of. Ah, you have to read it to get it.

I’ll keep this short:
If you liked Death Note, this is a story you can’t miss. Not for the plot reasons as this really changes nothing reading Death Note, but for the characters. To feel what it’s like to be in L’s presence again, to feel what it’s like to see his mind working, to see ridiculous deductive abilities…It just really helped paint a more interesting image of the Death Note world. It’s a pretty short novel, 170 pages but the margins are huge. I found that it was written extremely well, the reading level was much higher than those Dark Angel novels I read. I had been worried that the translation would screw it over or that they’d american-ize it in some way but it felt pretty accurate to what I imagine the original was like.

I find myself wanting more novels and short stories. There’s so much more than can be told about L. We were with him in his final days but his beginning is still a mystery, and an interesting one at that. Reading the novel only showed how many places they could go with that character of limitless fascination. As you can the eyes of Naomi, you realize how absurd (and interesting) L’s actions, mannerisms can be.

I’m trying to think of other characters who fascinate me as much as L. The list of names is short. Very short. While L played a very prominent role in Death Note, I would have loved to see more of him….maybe they’ll come out with more novels. I can only hope…

Oops. This has nothing to do with the post but Merry Christmas everyone :)

warrenshea.com rates – Death Note Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases – 10/10!

Hikaru no Go VS Death Note

Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 at 3:35 am

Going to have to break my 450 px width rule… (this post won’t work on my naruto theme). Use the GMAIL theme.
Death Note Spoilers ahead – but who hasn’t seen Death Note?
I tried to keep Hikaru no Go spoilers to a minimum.

Now, onto my….

HIKARU NO GO VS DEATH NOTE
Comparison Chart
Similarities

All characters designed by Takeshi Obata

All characters designed by Takeshi Obata

Gifted player, Shindou Hikaru in a coming of age story

Gifted human, Yagami Light in a coming of the age of Kira story

Talented Rival, Touya Akira – An angry obsession towards Shindou Hikaru

Talented Rival, L – A strange obsession towards Yagami Light

Two people of equal genius. Two. (oh, it’s already written in the subs)

Two people of equal genius. Two.

Sai – An unseen partner, a ghost from a past life

Ryuk – An unseen partner, a death god from another realm

Go – a game of strategy involving deep thinking, planning, deception, and manipulation

Death Note – a cat and mouse game involving deep thinking, planning, deception, and manipulation

Go – Requires a Go board and played utilizing a person’s hand to place Go peices

Death Note – Requires a Death Note utilizing a person’s hand to write a name

Hikaru – means “Light” or “Radiance” (masculine form) – FYI feminine form is Hikari

Light – means “Light”

Touya’s father has a heartattack collapses before facing Sai

Light’s father has a heartattack before seeing Ryuk (this one is a stretch…as the 2 incidents are unrelated)

Hikaru’s kinda mean to Akari

Light’s kinda mean to Misa. To put the image in context, this is exactly what Light does.
Differences

Shindou Hikaru initially talks to Sai. Others think he’s crazy.

Yagami Light never noticably talks to Ryuk. He remains sane to others.

Not a single death occurs. Well, one guy sorta dies. And man, is it sad… :””'(

Lots of people die. Lots.

Shindou Hikaru – unlimited potential, a bright “radiant” future

Yagami Light – dies

Hikaru no Go – 75 episodes + 1 movie of anime, 23 volumes of manga

Death Note – 37 episodes + some movies and live action stuff, 12 volumes of manga

Akari – Cute girl, good intentions, you hope they end up together.

Misa – Cute girl, good intentions, Kira wants to kill her.

I gotta say, it was both fun and tedious and time consuming getting the screen grabs. I’m VERY proud of some of the shots I gathered, perfectly capturing my notes which I wrote first. It really takes someone who watches stuff over and over to be able to accurately pinpoint key lines/saying…I knew exactly what shot I wanted for most of these comparisons and a lot of them were easy to get. /pat myself on the back.

In my Hikaru no Go VS Death Note battle….I must say I definitely enjoyed Hikaru no Go more. Between Hikaru no Go, Gundam Seed and Initial D (my 3 favourite animes, overall), I think Hikaru no Go might be the top. Might be. The other 2 are high too….I think my second tier of favourite animes would include: Death Note, Get Backers, Clannad, Azumanga Daioh, Naruto, Prince of Tennis. Naruto was initially great but I’m really feeling “meh” for Part II. PoT is great but there’s not much substance. Death Note was great but I initially found the second half pretty weak, much like Get Backers. Though reading Death Note manga kinda changed the second half. Clannad was great, the best parts were the second half of After Story…that’s when it really hit it’s perfection. Azumanga Daioh was fun all around.

Anyways. Simply based on what I enjoyed more overall,

Hikaru no Go is the winner!

Death Note Manga: Review

Sunday, October 17th, 2010 at 2:10 am

****Spoiler Alert****

I’ve never read the manga until this last week…I’ve watched the entire series once or twice, and watched episodes 1-25 at least 6 times, and watched specific episodes (2, 6, 7, 15, 25) countless times. From the anime, I did not really care for Part II very much. I did not care for the characters Near and Mello, figuring them to be similar to L if L were broken into two pieces (each holding some of L’s characteristics). I also did not care for the number of characters…

Part I is mostly Kira, L, Misa, Ryuk, Rem, Japanese Task Force.
Part II is mostly Kira, Near, Mello, Misa, Ryuk, Mikami, Takada, Japanese Task Force and the SPK. By the end, it’s too much! There was a lot to follow and watching the anime, I can say I got lost a bit.

Reading the manga is different though, it discusses all the details more (a lot more), and lets you know what the characters think more often as well as constantly (maybe too often) writing a synopsis of the current situation…which is appreciated but also gets tiring to read.

Anyways, after reading the manga, my appreciation for Part II has become much higher. Near isn’t quite the clone of L that I originally thought he was. While L was interesting, I dare say that I believe Near was more intelligent.


I really did not like that a part of why Kira lost was because Mikami screwed up a bit. I always thought it would be much better if Near (and Mello) outsmarted Kira rather than Kira’s underling, Mikami, making a mistake. I found it interesting that in reading volume 13, Tsugumi Ohba discusses that he did not want Kira’s loss to be a total mistake on his part so he intentionally put in an error from someone like Mikami. I can kind of see why…the readers have all built up Kira in his head that he’s this ultimate mind, thinking and out thinking everyone. He defeated L, he’s the protagonist…I guess? But Kira had his weaknesses, they could have simply exploited them.

Kira’s weaknesses
Childish and hates to lose – for example, killing Lind L. Taylor and getting pwned by L because of that (ep 2).
Careless – L determining Misa as Second Kira. She got caught and various pieces of evidence confirmed it (hair on envelope that tapes were sent)…and Kira just assumed she was safe. Stupid. Don’t let the stupid girl be associated with you!
Overconfident in his abilities – This was taken from Death Note manga’s vol. 13 (Interview with Tsugumi Ohba). I would prefer that this would be his downfall. He’s defeated L, he’s reigned as semi-god for 5 years before meeting someone equal in intelligence, Near. I would figure he just got cocky and careless…

I guess I’ll go into the other character’s weaknesses, as I see it:

L’s weakness
He was too focused on specific evidence and proof, unable to work with assumptions as well as Near. He was very specific in doing things “the right way”…something which Mello didn’t do.

Near’s weakness
None? He acted on assumptions much more than L…but without Mello, it’s only a 50% chance he would have beaten Kira. At least, that’s what I gathered from Part II. But with Near and Mello working together, they definitely surpassed L.

L and Near were very similar but Mello was the key to assuring victory…

All in all, I found the Near, Mello, and Kira battle a lot more interesting this time around….


Differences between the Manga and the Anime
Kira is less sure of himself at the beginning but soon turns into the Kira I’m used to. The differences are most notably the end…
1. The way Kira dies is different. He’s a bit more pathetic in the manga. Like a child…
2. The aftermath featuring Matsuda, Near, Aizawa, etc….
3. The large number of people who support Kira. Men, women, children, the elderly….holding a candle Light vigil for Kira.


Conclusion
If you liked Death Note, I would definitely recommend getting the manga. While volumes 1-12 focus on the anime, but with more detail, Volume 13 was a real treat. An interview with Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata as well as all these other insights…such as Mikami and Misa’s deathdate. I’m learning so much about the behind the scenes, it’s actually very entertaining. There’s a “cut to open” card that has L’s real name on it. I thought that was interesting, you never know L’s name…but then in the character profiles in volume 13, they show it. I would never cut that thing open anyways. Actually, I didn’t remember Near’s name getting exposed in the anime either but it’s shown in the manga. Maybe it just happened too fast in the anime.

Also, Takeshi Obata is the man! Besides the awesome work from Hikaru no Go, the art of Death Note really focuses on mood and lighting and is far less child-like (than Hikaru no Go). Volume 13 tells how much influence Obata had with the designs of L, Light, Near, etc. And did you notice Near is always wearing all white? The panels with him look like a paint-by-numbers thing where he’s left out. It’s actually pretty interesting when I noticed. Also, the way L holds a cellphone and papers is his work too but L’s mannerisms is a combination of both I believe. I really enjoyed his interviews, I found them much more interesting than Tsugumi Ohba who either seemed a bit aloof during his interview, being a genius but hiding it….or really didn’t plan Death Note all that well and sort of just…worked itself out in the end O_O. That’s the impression I got from the mastermind behind Death Note. He didn’t really know what he was doing…like, he was intelligent but didn’t really plan things ahead. He just took it week by week and it all worked itself out. I was a bit shocked by that…

warrenshea.com rates – Death Note Box Set Manga – 8/10!

/off to read a non graphic novel…with lots of words and no pictures (except y’know, my imagination…)

Review – Scott Pilgrim (graphic novel) & The Women in Scott Pilgrim

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at 1:37 am

***SPOILER ALERT FURTHER DOWN…You’ve been warned***

I’ve read the 6 Scott Pilgrim graphic novels completely twice now, in order, panel by panel, and skimmed through individual volumes quite a bit lately. I’ve only owned them for maybe 2 or 3 weeks now…

I’ve found the world of Scott Pilgrim to be hilarious and entertaining, I love the references to a number (at least 5) of Toronto places that are actually within a 15 minute walk from where I live. It’s awesome. I played the PS3 8-bit Scott Pilgrim game for 2 nights, beat it on all 4 characters and got them $9999.99 each. I’ve yet to see the movie, waiting for Z to read the volumes before we see it….but I may have to see it despite her lack of motivation to be a perfectionist and witness the universe in the chronological order that the products were released. Yeah….I’m the odd one, I know.

Anyways, the 6 volumes are a masterpiece. There are some parts where I’m totally like Scott Pilgrim.


and other parts where I’m intrigued about his character. He’s mysterious, as are many of the characters in the graphic novel. I find him innocent and charming (in his way), trying to forget the bad decisions he’s made the the bad parts of the person he is. Trying to do right despite being a bit of an idiot, trying to be good and change for Ramona. It’s really a “coming of age” story for Scott Pilgrim when you get past all the sillyness, video games, and hilarious absurdities.

I remember reading this (below) in Volume 1 in literally LOLing. I mean, I say “lol” a lot but I’d say that I rarely do it when I’m alone..but this…this is when I knew this Scott Pilgrim thing was just for someone like me:


Again. Sooo me. Even the way he speaks…

What I find somewhat perplexing is the love of all these women in his world. Despite being a bit of a goof, he’s got the adoration of Knives Chau, the long time infatuation of Lisa Miller, a previous relationship with Kim Pine, a previous relationship with Envy Adams, and a relationship with Ramona Flowers. Maybe he’s just really handsome/cute looking “in real life” though not artistically captured in the graphic volume…which I realize is an absurd statement in itself because…you know, everything’s fictional and (until the movie), everything existed in the graphic novel.

I can understand why the girls all like him:
Scott Pilgrim shows Knives a world she’s not accustomed too, much like the Aladdin-Jasmine relationship from Disney’s Aladdin (1992). Man I’m such a girl. Anyways, Knives is just…intrigued by the crazy world Scott’s from and wants to experience this whole new world with him. Again, I’m such a girl.

Lisa Miller is best friends with Scott only to have him fall for another girl, Kim Pine. He’s completely unaware of these deep feelings she has and he never really realizes what he means to her. Years later, Lisa’s probably thinking how Scott was “the one that got away”….well, not quite, it’s high school. But I can understand her wish to have an unrequited love return her feelings, even after so many years.

Kim Pine obviously had/has a connection with Scott when they were young but probably became a bit bitter and angry regarding how her relationship with Scott ended. Again, it’s Scott being an idiot…selfish and a child…but he was young. And stupid. Honestly, I didn’t care for her character much until her departure in chapter 5 as well as her support in chapter 6. Of all the characters…well, women…in the series, I like her the best. Realistic and grounded, sarcastic, brutally honest, intelligent….she looks like she hates the world but I can see a very warm character in her, albeit a bit bitter given some of her life experiences. Wait a sec…I just realized (after proof-reading) that I described liking her for reasons and characteristics that describe me! That must be a form of…self incest or something…Maybe I like her because I see similarities…I’ll have to give this character more thought…

Envy Adam. He might be the only one that really knew the original her. The Natalie V. in her and not the public Envy that the world knows. Well, he should know her…it seems his memory is, as always, a bit of a failing of his. His interpretation of events clearly bias themselves towards his benefit. She’s still attracted to him because he’s the ground in her high flying world.

Ramona Flowers. She’s obviously had some bad experiences with boys in the past, they’ve treated her poorly though she’s treated them equally as bad. Cheated on some of them, left them for other guys that “walk by”. She’s looking for someone who will stick with her mess of a life, someone who won’t hurt her, a nice guy. She’s a bit annoyed when she finds out Scott cheated on her…or…specifically on Knives for her. She expected better and that’s why she’s with him. And that’s why they stay together…because by the end of the volumes, Scott’s more mature and still genuinely a nice guy…

Now, why he likes them. Or why he should. Or shouldn’t.
Knives. Shouldn’t. Rebound girlfriend. Not real…Scott’s an idiot here.
Lisa Miller. Should. His teenage best friend. She’s totally in love with him, he’s just too stupid to realize it. There probably should have been something there. Or specifically, there should be (kudos to you if you got that).
Envy Adams. Should. She’s hot now. Shouldn’t. But a celebrity…don’t do it Scott, it’s a trap! Too much hassle.
Ramona Flowers. Should…NOT. She’s mysterious…I liked her a lot too but the more you read, the more high maintenance she becomes, the more baggage she has, and the better…
Kim Pine turns out to be. Scott SHOULD be with Kim Pine. That’s the girl I’d choose. <3 Honestly, I'm bit more intrigued by the personalities of the girls, their point of view, personalities and character. Well Scott's fun and similar to me, I'm afraid he's simply a bit too unrealistic as a human to empathize with. The girls are different though, they're realistic, well developed, they each have their own spot light and defining moments. I love Scott Pilgrim's precious little life (kudos to you if you got that too). I’m envious for all the amazing women in his life that love his stupid ass. He’s a socially retarded, socially stunted, immature, forgetful, selfish, boy. But he’s genuinely nice (or, he tries to be), he’s childish, innocent, believes smoking is evil, doesn’t drink (or claims not to). There are similarities as well as differences with his character and my own. I find it easy to be placed in his shoes and make the decisions he’s made but difficult to understand them. It’s…confusing. Identifiable but not identifiable at the same time.

What can I say about this graphic novel…it’s like a video game-highschool-Dawson’s Creek/One Tree Hill/Gilmore Girls/The O.C./<insert other highschool show I’ve watched and enjoyed>

I’m a sucker for love stories. I love realistic ones. Well, realistic characters. I enjoy empathizing with them. Being sucked in their world and watching/analyzing their decisions. Characters like these are as believable as any real person to me if I can understand their feelings. The moment I can’t understand them or their decisions, I dislike them. They aren’t realistic. And that’s when I stop being interested. Note: It’s okay to disagree with their decisions, as long as they’re made somewhat rationally. When a relationship simply does not make any sense <insert random O.C. relationship>, and I can’t even understand it, much less agree with it, that’s when I stop watching/reading.

/wrote so much on Scott Pilgrim….I really really hearted this book (kudos to you if you got that too). I think it changed the way I wrote the last two posts. I felt passion again, after so long and wrote a post worthy of my site.