A Bride's Story Vol. 1 by Kaoru Mori

A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori is a manga that makes me totally geek out over the 19th century Silk Road, pretty much right on par with how obsessed I was with my undergraduate work with art history (focus on Asian art). Where do I even begin? The story is engaging, and though it's not particularly fast-paced, it doesn't lack action. The setting is Central Asia, part of the Silk Road, in the 19th century. There are nomadic herdsmen and tradesmen as well as cities built up at intersections for trade routes. Central Asian horse-people are my absolute favorite cultures, and the history of the Silk Road is one of my favorite topics.

The bride-- Amir-- is a strong woman. She's 20 years old-- 8 years older than her groom-- and from a nomadic tribe in Central Asia. She can hunt (with a bow!), sew, ride, cook, and is quite independent. She surprises her new family all the time with her skills and knowledge, but they also see that she is caring and gentle with her husband and his family.

Karluk is 12 years old, which is a more typical age for marriage (Amir is regarded as a very old bride!), and is the heir to his family's wealth as part of a tradition of ultimogeniture (junior right). Karluk feels compelled to reassure Amir that he does not worry that she is older. He cares for his family and Amir, and often is taken aback by his strong bride (but in a good way!).

The art is absolutely beautiful. I cannot emphasize this enough. Kaoru Mori captured the art and styles of Central Asia wonderfully. I took time to admire the details on the clothing, architecture, and decor. Kaoru Mori made it a point to represent horses that looked like Central Asian horses, and in the notes she specifically refers to the Akhal-teke horse.

Photo by SpiritOfTheDeep on DeviantArt

(Google it, the photo above is a beautiful horse, but alone does not capture how splendid these horses are-- their coats look metallic!!)

She also captures the environment and nature to place even more attention on the setting of the story.

The first volume introduces the characters and poises the story for future events. This really is more of a slice-of-life manga; the chapters are tied together, but they each stand alone as separate stories as well. I finished the first volume, and though I'm eager to read the next, I don't feel like the story left me feeling unsatisfied at all!

A Bride's Story is a great graphic novel for readers who: like an interesting story; appreciate beautiful, detailed art; are interested in a historical fiction set in Central Asia; are Silk Road nerds like me; or are just looking for something new to read that deviates from action-packed or romance manga. I love this manga for its beautiful art, the Silk Road setting, and its awesome female protagonist.

If you're not into 19th century Silk Road, try Emma instead! Emma is set in 19th century Victorian London. It is also by Kaoru Mori, and features an upstairs-downstairs romance. 

Hilda and the Midnight Giant by Luke Pearson

Hilda and her mom live out in the country and enjoy their life away from the town. However, they receive mysterious tiny letters that tell them to leave and that their house will be smashed! Hilda writes back to the hidden people, as they are known by her and her mum, telling them to leave them alone because they are nice people!
A voice in her head visits her, well not really, a hidden person visits her. After signing a stack of tiny papers Hilda is let in on the secret and can suddenly see the hidden people! Their house is surrounded by tiny houses and there are tiny people everywhere. Apparently Hilda and her mother live in the middle of one country, and their valley makes up three countries. They did live peacefully in the valley, but when the new prime minister of the hidden people was elected, he had promised to get rid of Hilda and her mum, so they aggressively began attacking!
All the while, a mysterious giant-- no, not a forest giant-- is seen nearby. It's up to Hilda to try to make friends with the hidden people (if not, Hilda's mom said they have to move to the town!) and figure out what this giant is all about.
I would recommend Hilda and the Midnight Giant to graphic novel fans or newbies. It's great for all ages, and it features a wonderful girl protagonist. The illustrations are full of rich color and excellent expression and character. I particularly like Twig, Hilda's pet (a sort of fox with antlers). It's a good standalone story that will be enjoyable to anyone looking for a quirky tale. It is however, the second Hilda book-- Hildafolk is the first, and this one is followed by Hilda and the Bird Parade. I didn't feel that not reading the first affected my enjoyment or comprehension of the story. This is an album-sized graphic novel (think the size of Tintin or Asterix) so the illustrations (full color, by the way) can be explored in more detail.

Foiled & Curses! Foiled Again by Jane Yolen

Foiled (2010) & Curses! Foiled Again (2013) by Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Mike Cavallaro

I saw these books come across the desk as holds and really liked the style. When I finally was able to get my hands on them it was definitely worth checking out.

Foiled introduces Aliera Carstairs. She's a teenage girl that doesn't fit in with any particular crowd at school. What does she do? She fences. She's been fencing since she was 11 and, as her coach says, she "will go far." To Aliera, that means Nationals, but it might mean something more... Aside from fencing, Aliera spends her Saturdays with her cousin Caroline playing role-play games. Caroline is confined to a wheelchair, so Aliera's visits help her get in touch with the high school world that she's not a part of. When Aliera meets Avery Castle, she can't help but develop a crush on him, even with that weirdness during the frog dissection. When she goes to meet him on their first date, things start to get strange. Aliera is colorblind, which is incredibly rare in girls (both of her parents would have had to pass on the genetic recessive trait), but when she holds her junk sale foil (a weapon used in fencing) she can suddenly see things in color. A dragon, for instance. Now everything has changed.

Something I liked about Foiled, which is quite noticeable to the reader, is that it's completely monochrome until she begins to see magical things in color. She explains that she's colorblind and says that everything just looks grey. When colors are presented they are rich and vibrant, and I imagine that after not seeing color for your entire life that they would look more vivid than if you were used to seeing them. It was an excellent narrative tool in this graphic novel to distinguish Aliera's ordinary world from the magical elements. Colorblindness being represented isn't something that I see often in books for teens, and the fact that the series features two characters that have disabilities is great, especially since the story focuses on them as people, not as their disability.

Each of the chapters is titled with a fencing term, I'm not entirely sure if the particular term is relevant to the chapter though. I thought that was clever and stressed the significance of fencing in Aliera's life.

If you pick up Foiled, pick up it's sequel: Curses! Foiled Again. The first book is a lot of set-up and introduction to the characters. You could pretty much consider a pre-magical biography of Aliera Carstairs. Yes, when you read Foiled you will not be able to wait for its sequel. Despite the fact that it is obviously set-up to be a series, the first book still is excellent. The second book continues the story and is even more brilliant than the first. It's a fast-paced adventure featuring a strong teenage girl, any reader that likes fantasy and graphic novels would enjoy this series.

WWQFD? (What would Queen Furby do?) She'd read Foiled and Curses! Foiled Again.

Adventure Time Volume 1

Adventure Time Volume 1 Created by Pendleton Ward; Written by Ryan North; Illustrated by Shelli Paroline and Braden Lamb

If you're not a fan of the Adventure Time cartoon (but seriously, why aren't you?), this graphic novel may not make a lot of sense to you (though Adventure Time doesn't really... make sense ever all the time). This graphic novel is a great expansion of the Adventure Time stories in a different format.
Total randomness and sporadic storytelling make Adventure Time fun, and this graphic novel totally emulates the same nature of the cartoon. This is a trade paperback collecting the story where the Lich King threatens to suck up the world in his bag and put it in the sun. All of the regular characters are featured-- Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Lumpy Space Princess, BMO, the Ice King, and Marceline. When everyone gets sucked up into the Lich King's bag they have to figure out how to escape and defeat the Lich King. Using typical Adventure Time fun they loads of crazy ideas. Jake Jet to carry them in space, pendants that protect you from mind control, making thousands of ice and sand Finn and Jakes to overwhelm the Lich King, you know, the usual. The Desert Princess (she can make anything out of sand!) helps save the day too when the earth comes out of the bag looking a little misshapen!

This comic includes a lot of nods to the original Adventure Time short and fan favorites, even if they don't make a lot of sense if you're not in the know. It really helps to read the dialogue with the characters' voices, but you'd have to have watched the show to know their mannerisms and speech quirks.

The only problem I had with this graphic novel was that the footnotes includes (which weren't vital to the story, but added a nice something) were printed in a bright, light green that does not show up well on white, making them extremely difficult to read!

If you're a fan of the series you'll love the Adventure Time comic! If you aren't familiar with Adventure Time it could be a great introduction! If you don't like Adventure Time... Why would you want to read this?

Wandering Son by Shimura Takako

Wandering Son by Shimura Takako is an amazing manga series.The story is about Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki, a boy and a girl, respectively, who attend the same school. Nitori-kun is a boy who wants to be a girl, and Takatsuki-san is a girl who wants to be a boy. This is a realistic depiction of transgender and sexual identity issues in a coming-of-age story.

Nitori-kun is often bullied by the other boys so most of his friends are girls. Takatsuki-san and Chiba-san both know his secret, and both treat him differently for it. Takatsuki-san understands because she too wishes she were the opposite gender. She sympathizes for him because as a girl she can easily have a male hair style and wear boy's clothes without drawing attention, but Nitori-kun cannot wear girl's clothes so easily. Her mother buys her dresses, so she gives them to Nitori-kun. Chiba-san also tries to give Nitori-kun clothes, but he refuses them because Chiba-san knows, but she doesn't understand and treats his identity and cross-dressing as a game because she thinks it's interesting. As the characters grow the encounter complexities in their relationships and identity.

Takatsuki-san sees another girl dressed in boy's clothes and wants to be like her. She begins to wear boy's clothes and has her hair cut short (like Nitori-kun's). When her period begins she struggles against her biologically female self and her actual identity. She often comes to Nitori-kun's rescue and is often tougher than he is.

The characters all have an amazing depth to them. The story explores the issues that a transgendered individual may go through personally, with friendships, and with family. It is highly insightful and sensitive to the characters' emotions and personalities. The perspectives of different people are shared as well-- Nitori-kun's sister, Maho; Chiba-san and Chiba-san's mother; and two adult friends the protagonists share.

While the story is focused on transgender topics, I think that this is a wonderfully moving coming-of-age story and captures the complexities of sexual identity, friendships, and family that teens face. The simple art style captures details beautifully-- the shine of one's eyes when they're about to cry, the significant gesture of changing clothes from boy's to girl's clothes for Nitori-kun (for instance, him entering the restroom or a dress hanging on the closet), and the shared room of Maho and Shuichi and how they interact in the space.

There are only 3 volumes published in the US right now, but I look forward to reading more of this story.

NOTE:
I have used the male and female pronouns for Nitori-kun and Takatsuki-san respectively because the honorifics and translation follow this as well. According to Japanese law, one can request a gender change on identifying documents after the age of 20 (and various other conditions), so since both characters are minors they cannot yet legally change their gender. Additionally, throughout the volumes I have read they are discovering this identity, it is not yet clear if they identify exclusively male or female yet. Matt Thorn, the translator, shares information in volumes 1 and 2 about being transgendered in Japan and views regarding LGBT people in Japan that is highly insightful. From what I know, when a transgendered person refers to his or herself as male or female then others should do the same. I have several friends who are transgendered, so this is a topic close to me. 

Blue Exorcist by Kazue Katō

I realized that I haven't reviewed any shonen manga on my blog yet! Shonen manga are geared towards boys and feature more action and adventure with a strong focus on friends and rivals. Some popular shonen series are Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto. 

Blue Exorcist by Kazue Katō is an exciting series that is fairly new. We began to see it in the US with the release of the anime in Japan, but the manga began in 2009 in Japan.

Two twin brothers are raised by Father Shiro Fujimoto. Rin Okumura is the protagonist-- he is reckless and always in trouble. Father Fujimoto ends up dying trying to protect him, which is when Rin discovers that he is the son of Satan. In trying to exact revenge he draws the Kurikara sword, which unleashes his demonic powers. When he meets Mephisto Pheles at Father Fujimoto's funeral he declares that he wants to become an exorcist like Father Fujimoto was, and Mephisto Pheles happens to be the headmaster at the True Cross Academy where young exorcists go to train.

Upon arriving at True Cross Academy Rin learns that his brother Yukio is not only already at True Cross Academy, but he is an instructor at the academy! Rin must conceal his nature and learn to control his powers. He wants to fit in and make friends, but he's also living in his brother's shadow. 

Throughout the series we see Rin grow as a person, as well as discover the story behind Father Fujimoto, True Cross Academy, and the history of exorcists. Blue Exorcist is a shonen manga, so it focuses on action-- training, fighting-- and it's fast-paced. Although Rin is the main character each character is interesting-- there are very few that lack a background and purposeful role. 

As far as shonen manga goes this has a stronger plot. The cast of characters is smaller and I think that allows deeper reflection on the characters and their goals and relationships than other series tend to do. Even the "bad guys" are complex and well-written instead of random enemy #5497 that you forget about in a few volumes. Right now the series in the US is at volume 8, but only up to volume 9 in Japan! 

I recommend checking out Blue Exorcist now before it's a million volumes long (shonen manga series tend to be very lengthy... Bleach is at volume 56 right now, and that's not one of the longest).

Dengeki Daisy by Kyousuke Motomi

Dengeki Daisy by Kyousuke Motomi is one of my absolute favorite shoujo manga. Honestly, it's probably the series that brought me back to reading shoujo manga. Dengeki translates to "electric shock," which likely refers to the fact that the series is fairly tech involved.

When Teru Kurebayashi's brother died she was left with a cell phone with the text-address of someone using the handle DAISY. She talks to DAISY every day via texting and relies on his kindness to help her through her struggles-- from school and mourning her brother. She is bullied often at school and one day when she breaks a window on accident she finds herself in the servitude of the irritable school janitor-- Kurosaki. Throughout the series Teru develops friendships with classmates, the janitor, and others and begins to unfurl the mysteries that surround her late brother and the secret identity of DAISY.

Teru is an extremely likable character. She is an ordinary girl, though a bit of a space-case (let's be honest-- who isn't). She is independent and positive. Unlike some shoujo manga protagonists her focus isn't finding love or school drama. After her brother's death she is sought by hackers to find some piece of data he may have had. They are convinced that she has it, and DAISY always comes to her rescue. Teru learns to become strong because she wants to make her brother-- and DAISY-- proud, and her friends and allies help her along the way, letting her discover more about her brother than she had ever known before.

Dengeki Daisy is full of action and interesting characters. Each volume is enjoyable and new-- never predictable or filler. For girls reading graphic novels about girls that isn't just about romance is sometimes a struggle, but Dengeki Daisy manages to have action and a quality plot AND still include aspects of romance and friendships to make it a shoujo manga.

This is an ongoing series with 10 volumes released in the US right now.