One-Shot for the Weekend – Mario (マリオ)

Mario (マリオ)

Manga-ka: Kishimoto Masashi

Genre: Action, Drama, Shounen, Romance

Mario is a half-Japanese, half Italian mercenary  who prioritizes money above everything else. He gets assigned to work together with Saori, another hitman who hates men and refuses to talk to them.

Published as a one-shot in 2013 with Jump SQ .

———

It’s pretty much the end of the weekend so it’s coming pretty late, but here’s our recommended one-shot! I’m currently undergoing a Naruto manga marathon, so I decided to choose one of Kishimoto Masashi’s one-shots – Mario. He’s mentioned it before in one of those author rants’ pages in Naruto, where he expressed that Mario was probably one of the best stories that he’d ever come up with. So with no further ado, I jumped into it the moment I saw the one-shot.

I didn’t know what to expect from it at all before reading Mario – didn’t read the summary or anything. If I unattached it from its Jump SQ label and the fact that the manga-ka is one of the most successful shounen manga-ka to date, I would honestly think it’s a seinen one-shot. There’s a more subdued feel to it compared to the usual in-yo-face shounen action.

Mario gives off a very jazzy feel throughout the whole one-shot. From the yakuza/mafia setting, the black suits and black dresses, the character interactions and just everything overall, there is this general feeling of coolness. The kind of story that depicts a romanticized version of the mafia. This whole ‘jazzy’ feel is really what gives of the seinen feel, and in fact is a bit of a weakness for those who are more used to the ba da bing ba da BOOM aspect of shounen manga. There’s no sudden crescendo of action or ground breaking-ly embarrassing romantic confessions – everything seems pretty subdued with a mature over tone.

In other words, it can seem a bit dull.

Not saying that it’s bad or anything, but Mario really seems more like a story that can’t develop in a one-shot since it’s the type that would usually build up on the relationships between the characters; and these relationships can’t be addressed and comprehended in a one-shot. Still, quite an okay read for a jazzy weekend.

Rating: 3.4/5.0

One-Shot for the Weekend – Tsuki to Himawari

月とひまわり | Tsuki to Himawari | Moon & Sunflower

Manga-ka: Tanaka Meca

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Asahi-kun is a carefree junior-high student, never attaching to girls even though he enjoys going with them. But when the school’s number 1 honor student Mitsuki “cyborg” Konno asked him to a 1-month date, in exchange for the front row ticket to his favorite singer’s concert, he was forced to accept. He only has to show her what it feels like to date, right? He is ready for that…however, what he’s not prepared for was his heart’s reaction…

Published as a one-shot in Lala magazine in 2007 and later collected in Volume 1 of Faster Than A Kiss. There is some sexual context used in a more humourous manner but I thought I’d highlight this element.

——-

There is something that talent cannot give you and that is experience. It arms you with a good grip of things – how to approach story-telling, art-style, polishing your work and pretty much gives you an identity. In shoujo manga, the usage of cliches are endless, after-all its more or less based around romance and slice of life, and its really up to the manga artists to renew over and over the distinguishable themes that is in shoujo manga. This one-shot illustrates such ability that is uses both skill and experience. Reading the blurb sounds like nothing new is put on the table, but the way it is executed by Tanaka Meca, proves she is an industry veteran who delivers a good story.

This one-shot reminds me very much about Natsu no Kakera by Amano Shinobu because of the cheery theme of sunflowers. This is the type of story you’d expect Haha and Haha til the end but yet it changes its gear in a direction that brought so much greater depth and intention. It is somehow so familiar, that weird initial shoujo manga setup that eventually opens a box of surprises that makes you think – hey, this is why I read shoujo manga. Its not all about frivolous love triangles, the unstoppable occurrence of school life, its often about life(albeit the less than RL circumstances) and very much with the real surprises we often discover when we least expect it.

This one-shot is set in the same universe as Faster than a Kiss. So, if you’re a Faster than a Kiss fan, read this, for this is in fact the story that invented FtaK’s universe for it was the predecessor.

Have a good weekend.

Rating: 4.3/5

One-Shot for the Weekend – Danshi Toilet de Machiawase

Danshi Toilet de Machiawase  (男子トイレで待ち合わせ) / Meeting Up at the Male Toilet

Manga-ka: Mizu Asato

Genre: Comedy, Doujinshi, Romance, School Life

An original doujinshi of a girl, a boy and a male toilet.

———

Well… this is a bit of an odd one-shot on our part. Sometimes I get the feeling that a lot of our one-shots for the weekend revolve around more or less the same sort of theme, so I thought I’d try something different this time round – and I’m not quite sure how to react to it…?

Danshi Toilet de Machiawase is a one-shot about the scenarios between a boy and girl that find refuge in an abandoned boy’s toilet during their lunch break. The initial thought I had was that it was going to be your usual hanky-panky; but when I saw that there weren’t any of the usual genre associated with a doujin x toilet kind of manga, I decided to give it a go.

There’s an odd kind of humour for an odd kind of manga with an odd kind of male lead.  Most of the comedy has to do with the situation the girl finds herself in, and the type of consideration the guy provides in return. Rather than having some sort of chemistry between the two, I’d say it’s more like they’ve reached this (unfathomable) acceptance of one another which is really quite sweet.

Quite different from what we usually recommend, but if you just finished another repetitive week with repetitive school/work, here’s a one-shot to just blow you off course and make you laugh this weekend =)

Rating: 3.7/5.0

One-Shot for Last Weekend – X-Tai Shinsho

X-Tai Shinsho 

Mangaka: Ezawa

Genre: Action, Comedy, Historical, Shounen, Supernatural

Sugita Genpaku made a contract with a demon in exchange for the ability to cure any disease.
But if he doesn’t find someone to treat within the time limit, his soul will be taken!

Published online on Gangan Online in 2011 by Square Enix.

—

Okay, I admit, it’s kind of odd that I’m writing a one-shot post for last week considering the coming weekend is just around the corner. But, still, I don’t like leaving an odd bob of a weekend out while we’re active. The one-shot I’m bringing you to attention is X-Tai Shinsho, it’s really similar to another manga series I’ve written about before in a mushroom-manga post called Kaitai Shinsho Zero. It’s whole concept is almost identical in a way, a super-doctor which cures people of extra-ordinary illnesses. I had wanted this one-shot’s story to be more in lined with a Black Jack kind of doctor story. Like a doctor who is curing the weak and sick in a more humane manner than a ball-busting, demon killing-fest like Kaitai Shinsho Zero; but that was not to be, since the protagonist in X-Tai Shinsho also kinda went that route.

The thing that really caught my interest was the fact that the protagonist would die if he doesn’t cure a person with a deadly illness within a time-limit, it was like, wow Shounen manga really hates their protagonists don’t they. I always find that they always have some seriously depressing past but I suppose that’s how you build a extremely epic story? The manga-ka’s drawing style is also extremely pleasing on the eye, really similar to works from Comic Zero-Sum/Avarus/Gene(I’d fit GanGan Online into this group really). The one-shot was written in the way in which most Shounen manga one-shots are written – to allow a continuation to another extremely long serialisation. I don’t think this one-shot was extremely mind-blowing but I still really like the concept and the fact that the manga-ka chose to set it in a historical era; and having a light-hearted/little haughty protagonist is always a plus(keeps things less serious).

Rating: 3/5

One-Shot for the Weekend – Koe no Katachi (聲の形)

Koe no Katachi (聲の形) / The Shape of a Voice

Manga-ka: Ooima Yoshitoki

Genre: Drama, School Life, Shounen

A one-shot about a grade school class that accepts a girl with impaired hearing.

Winner of the 80th Weekly Shounen Magazine Newbie Best Mangaka Award Publicized again on the 12th edition of the 2013 Weekly Shounen Magazine.

———

Okay so it’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything (over a year, really) but I’ll update anyone who cares about it some other time. Here’s some other information about the manga I got from MyAnimeList – “The vector of the content made it difficult for publication in any manga magazine, until it was picked up, after months of legal dispute, by the February edition of Bessatsu Shounen Magazine, where it got first place despite its being a one-shot.”

So! I’ll start with the one-shot that’s affected me the most since I went off on hiatus. Koe no Katachi, or The Shape of a Voice. There are some common themes with this manga that you’d see in others as well, but the way the manga-ka handles this doesn’t just make it realistic – he makes it believable. The story is so grounded it felt like a story you could read of your daily newspaper; a story you don’t want to believe, but somehow know that it probably is true.  There are a lot of manga out there who have ‘realistic’ story lines, but making something believable – making it into something that you can see happening in real life – is something that takes a different sort of talent (and quite a lot of guts in this case due to the controversial content).

The issues throughout the manga that really intrigued me was special education needs (SEN), bullying and teaching. I’ve been pretty much working in a sort of special school setting this past year, so these issues really stood out for me. I did about 5 minutes research about SEN in Japan, and there apparently was a period of time when children with disabilities were placed in regular classes in regular schools. You can read the short article where I got this from here.

Like I said before, a lot of manga deals with this kind of story line, but there’s always something about it that can make you separate fact from fiction. Normally with manga, you end up caring for the character, but can detach yourself from that universe. In Koe no Katachi, maybe in the end you are able to detach yourself from the characters (if you can’t care for them, you sure are an a**), but you can’t detach yourself from the issues that were highlighted in the manga.

If you’re into a one-shot that chains you back to reality after all the floating away the fictional world has brought you to, here’s one for you. And despite everything I said, the manga does end on an extremely sweet note, so do give it a go!

Rating: 5.0/5.0

One-Shot for the Weekend – Natsu Yasumi Zero Zero Nichime

Natsu Yasumi Zero Zero Nichime (夏休みゼロゼロ日目) | 00 Day of Summer Holiday

Mang-aka: Akizuki Sorata

Genre: Romance, School Life, Shoujo, Slice of Life

Sometimes love visits you in the most simple yet unexpected moments in our daily lives. Where love can come in even a form of a pop of a bubble, to give us the courage we need to take our relationships.

Originally published in Aoi Lala by Hakusensha.

——

You’d think that because it’s winter, we’d toss out a winter themed recommendation. Or perhaps choosing a summer one-shot for the winter is way predictable? After a few weeks of adjusting my life in the States again, I hope to start blogging more consistently. Akizuki Sorata has been one of my favourite manga artists of all time, it’s strange that I’ve never really pushed her work as strong as I may have done but I do have my own reasons and frankly, she doesn’t need that extra publicity anyway. Her work can pretty much do all the talking and I hope to cover her most popular work in the near future. I chose a summer one-shot because I really need a bit of warming up, like literally. The temperature just plummeted 20 degrees and my sister has been sending me photos of London being thrashed by snow. I dislike snow unfortunately. I’ve also been suffering silently in my room freezing and I’ve just bought a portable heater to make myself feel like a normal human being.

But weather-y rants aside. This is a breath of fresh air for those who need some escape from the wintry months both physically and emotionally. In some ways summer is about being carefree – do whatever you want and be adventurous and in this instance, in love. Summer love is a strange little thing, it’s always associated with pain and everything seems to fall apart after the sweaty season. But yet, most of us are willing to go through it again, whether we be hurt or not. I believe in taking the plunge. This one-shot is fresh, the scenario is new, but with the nostalgic summer spirit of bubbles cascading in the air. The characters are normal, familiar, they aren’t blown up just like slice of life is suppose to be. And with Akizuki Sorata at the helm, she never fails to add her poetic touch and remind us that reality is often just as sweet as the imagination. So here’s my current winter manifesto, take the harsh winter with a summer heart. Or for some, embrace winter with a mind full of snow(quoting Wallace Stevens).

Rating: 4.5/5

One-Shot for the New Week/Year – Adolte and Adarte

Adolte and Adarte (アードルテとアーダルテ)

Manga-ka: Nakamura Asumiko

Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Seinen

A one-shot about twins both living opposite lives. Will they ever find something in common with each other apart from their physical appearance? And how different will they be if they ever trade places?

Originally published in Poco Poco by Ohta Shuppan.

—

One-shot reviews/recommendations has always been a very Manga Weekend thing, so before we leave New Year too soon here is a one-shot post. The one-shot I picked isn’t exactly mind-blowing or exceedingly impressive but in any case, one that I want to wish you all a good year with.

It’s simple, straightforward and predictable. We find twins separated by birth who eventually find their way in life, that we can always start fresh even though we remember our roots and past misgivings. It’s about breaking the status-quo in a way and off to start a new adventure. That itself is common, cliche and straightforward, but what comes after this story, we don’t know but it’s hopeful and that is what I want to wish all of you. There were nasty themes in this one-shot, like greed and regret but in the end, we watch people move forward. Let our lives be a constant testament that there will be a brighter tomorrow no matter what has happened. If 2012 was good to you, I hope 2013 will be even better.

Rating: 2.7/5

One-Shot on an Impulse – Pinocchio Dreams

Pinocchio Dreams (ピノッキオは夢を見る)

Manga-ka: Fujitsuka Yuki

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School Life, Sci-fi,  Shoujo, Supernatural, Tragedy

Fubuki’s dog, Chloe, gets hit by a car. Kio spots her and tells her to come with him to save Chloe. After Toba Daisuke, who is famous to weirdo, saves Chloe, Fubuki finds out Kio is a robot! She is shocked and creeped out but they eventually become friends. 

The final one-shot in the Kara no Shounen(Empty Boy) anthology by Fujitsuka Yuki, published by Hakusensha. 

———-

It’s been a long while since we’ve posted anything, but I won’t go into details about our MIA-ness until I feel like blabbing so. Allow me to release upon anyone of you, a post I wrote on impulse, as well as a homage to our most frequent and fun posts – the one-shot recommendations. So how did I get inspired to write about this one-shot? It has to do with a game that some of you might heard of and that is, the League of Legends(which I have been quite obsessed with, although I’m totally into Diablo 3 at the moment). My favourite ‘champion’ or character, to make things simpler, is called Orianna – the lady of clockwerk. So each ‘champion’ or character has a lore and Orianna has a very sad story in which she is a product of her creator’s effort to replace his real daughter called Orianna. It’s a tragic story, but how does Pinocchio Dreams compare?

Well, the only relation is that both stories feature a character that is created through advanced technology. I’ve always been enthralled by the idea of robots learning and attempting to be more like humans, its melancholic yet so soft and gentle(not Orianna though, she’s a killing machine). It’s about a conscience that grows from childhood innocence into a character with much stature and care though they risk being insensitive which often leads to confusion. But, sometimes, the mere act of thought, the act of thinking, is enough to touch one’s heart. Pinocchio Dreams really unleashes a wave of emotions within me. Emotions that I would compare to ‘sympathy’ or ‘pity,’ but really not the words to describe so. It’s positive, full of heart and love. It is hopeful and sweet, melancholic. Like life, its fleeting, yet it is timeless, because those feelings that are experienced, will be remembered for a lifetime.

“It’s the thought that counts right?” – Kio, from Pinocchio Dreams

Fujitsuka Yuki is a great mang-aka, her art is unique and distinguishable, girly and manga-y(not sure myself what that means), yet they convey all the character’s emotions, and her story-telling beautiful. I have written about another one-shot from the same anthology before – Sunny Spots Typhoon, and I highly recommend the entire anthology. This one-shot is one of the best I’ve read and I love re-visiting it, over and over again. This one-shot was first published in Lala DX in 2006 and after being compiled in the Kara no Shounen anthology, Fujitsuka Yuki included a short little continuation which is just bliss.

A rather lengthy rant for a one-shot. Have a good week, and perhaps, we will meet again soon.

Overall Rating: 5/5

-chungky

One-Shot for the Weekend – Aki-iro, Kimi-iro

Aki-iro, Kimi-iro / Autumn’s Colour, Your Colour

Manga-ka: Amano Shinobu

Genre: Romance, Drama, Shoujo

Kanako had always dreamed of falling in love; and when she finally does, things don’t exactly go according to plan. Ihara is cold, aloof and rude – but despite that, she is relentless and refuses to give up. Vibrantly coloured by all the moments they had together, it was the autumn their lives changed forever.

The final chapter in Amano Shinobu’s tankōbon of one-shots, Natsu no Kakera.

———

Both Chungky and I are so busy we had to collaborate. For a one-shot post. Life is sad.

On the bright side, I haven’t had to leave my house for the past 23 hours to go and take care of one thing or the other, which is a new record since term started so BANZAI!!! =D =D =D

…………………………………………………..………Yep, life is sad.

Anyway, with autumn slowly creeping towards a close, we decided to choose something that would leave a warm, sweet feeling in our hearts to keep the cold away. For Chungky and I, this one-shot would have a double meaning as it reflected a period of our life when we had time.

Aki-iro, Kimi-iro is by one of Chungky’s all-time faves, Amano Shinobu. There’s a very slow, gentle pace throughout the whole story that reflects the whole autumn theme of the plotline. I think it’ll really appeal to those looking for the typical shoujo story of love-at-first-sight without the typical princess character and bitching around. It has a really pure, first love feeling that goes past the usual flighty emotions into something that perhaps, really is love.

Have a good weekend =)

(Due to certain emotional attachments, we shall not be giving it a rating)

 

One-Shot for the Weekend – Haru Koi

Haru Koi (ハルコイ)

Manga-ka: Suetsugu Yuki

Genres: Drama, Josei, Slice-of-life, Romance

Introverted, 23-year-old Non-chan and enthusiastic, 50-year-old Ryouko-san have been good friends for a year ever since they met. When Non-chan falls in love, they both work together for her to gain the courage and approach her crush. But just what is the reason for Ryouko-san’s interest with Non-chan’s affairs?

The first chapter in Suetsugu Yuki’s tankōbon of one-shots, ‘Haru Koi’.

———

Okay my weekend started kinda crappy in a very angry and frustrated and DUDE WTF sort of way, so here’s a one-shot that has nothing to do with my life and hence might just banish those Saturday memories for the next 2 hours. Ugh.

So. Haru Koi. Same manga-ka as Chihayafuru, one of my top favourites (plus, the anime just came out this season so PLEASE check that out!) so this was definitely worth a read for me. It’s a josei manga instead of my usual shounen or seinen, but I do prefer it over shoujo most of the time. Anyway, whatever your own preference is – read this.

Haru Koi starts by taking the usual romance route of the girl falling in love, and there’s a nice sort of trickery to it. In the end, the focus of the relationship wasn’t the usual girl and guy-she-likes. Instead, the relationship focused exactly on what it was focusing on right from the start, which is the relationship between the two women. It was really a nice twist, since most stories just go down, girl confesses, girl goes out with guy, initial person who helped soon becomes a forgotten character.

There’s a lot of emotions that that sort of just swamps you towards the second half of the one-shot, but I guarantee you that this really is a beautiful story. It gave a more mature, more realistic sort of take on relationships that I really enjoyed. It’s as if it took a nice detour around the usual storyline, and it was a lovely walk down that lane.

…

Hmm. I already feel better XD

Rating: 4.5/5.0