I’m inexcusably a bit behind on reading and reviewing the monthly manga anthology GEN, so I’m going to try to briskly catch up beginning with issue 8.

Gen issue 8 immediately impresses readers with its striking, attractive cover drawn by veteran Japanese illustrator Junji Ohno. After its immediate and simple but effective first impression, the issue launches into a brisk start.

The anthology once again begins with Nakamura Shige’s engaging, retro-inspired boxing drama “Wolf.” As if the narrative itself is trying to evoke the spirit of the boxing it depicts, the eighth chapter throws the reader a left hook narrative punch then follows up immediately with another conflict from an entirely different angle, quickly followed by a third unexpected gut punch narrative twist. From the outset, “Wolf” has been on of Gen’s stronger entries, and the dramatic turns in this chapter effortlessly elevate the story to another, higher level of tension and emotion.

This issue’s installment of Mihara Gunya’s “Kamen” is the longest chapter so far, setting up immediate but significant story development. Although this chapter still refuses to answer many questions, it’s a more satisfying chapter than many previous ones just because of its greater length and substance.

While background art and screen tone remain as fine in Karino Arisa’s “Souls” as they’ve always been, the character art – proportion in particular – continues to improve. Character faces now look normal and naturally expressive, yet numerous characters’ necks still seem distractingly unnaturally long. The revelation contained within this chapter and the following story and character development finally provide vital context for the story. While the situation may now be clearer, the story may still have been better served by providing this important explanation a few chapters earlier in the narrative.

Standing in for this month’s installment of Sorako, creator Fujimura Takayuki instead provides the short, self-contained story “Intercolor,” a very concise, uncomfortably funny relationship drama that may require a moment of consideration before its meaning becomes apparant. The visual art in this chamber piece is entirely adequate, with facial expressions especially conveying a strong sense of tentative uncertainty and barely suppressed guilt. This chapter is also the first of Gen issue 8 to literally translate Japanese text instead of leaving text in Japanese and adding footnote translations. The abruptness of the English text translation is a sudden, jarring change after the three earlier stories in the anthology, a bit of an editing weakness unrelated to the actual manga story itself.

Whether by design or coincidence, I don’t know, but this issue’s chapter of Hajime Taguchi’s “Alive,” a self-contained tragedy about a caged bird that finds its own wings all too briefly, is a stylistic parallel to the “Intercolor” story that preceeds it, although this “Alive” story is far less subtle in its parable. Coming across as a particularly adult-oriented manga story, this short tale revolves around domestic violence and includes brief nudity and mildly graphic sex. This chapter also continues to translate Japanese signs and, for the first time in the issue, includes just two isolated instances of translated sound effects.

The third chapter of Ryo Hanada’s “Good-bye Geist” continues with its especially narrow focus that gives particular scenes a great sense of immediacy and believability but makes seeing the larger plot very difficult. The effect is a manga chapter that’s intriguing but frustrating. While it would be a bit unsatisfying on its own, when complimented by the other manga in the anthology, “Good-bye Geist” contributes to the anthology’s dynamic contrast of manga styles and tones.

Gen issue 8 closes with the debut of Nagumo’s original manga “Let’s Eat Ramen,” the anthology’s first inclusion from a veteran, professional manga-ka. Although not especially well known in America, Nagumo is the creator of manga series including Radio de Go! and Water Girls, both published in Manga Time Kirara Carat magazine. The two chapters of “Let’s Eat Ramen” are a lighthearted budding romance story revolving around a high school girl fascinated by ramen but nervous about visiting the ramen restaurants typically patronized by middle-aged businessmen. The cute and fun story is enhanced by Nagumo’s light, almost anime-esque art that’s particularly reminiscent of fellow Manga Time Kirara Carat artist Kiyuzuki Satoko (GA ~ Geijutsuka Art Design Class). Ending Gen issue 8 and coming full circle back to its beginning, this chapter, like the issue’s first three manga, keeps Japanese signs and text (mostly) in Japanese with sidebar translations and leaves visual sound effects unaltered and untranslated, in at least one case, to great effect.

Gen has been an outstanding English language primer for cutting-edge Japanese independent manga, but issue 8 elevates the magazine to a new height with its inclusion of a gorgeous cover and a new original manga from established, professionally published Japanese manga-ka. The contrast allows astute readers to really examine the subtle differences between manga by aspiring independent Japanese creators and those who have successfully launched careers in the manga industry. The contrast also brings readers an even more diverse spectrum of contemporary manga variety, including sport, fantasy adventure, historical drama, seinen drama, and romantic comedy. The quality and integrity of the Gen anthology has been steadily increasing with each issue, from the ambitious but uneven first issue to solid, confident issues like this one that have a distinctly tangible purpose and include strong, pointed manga that no longer look and feel tentative. Manga enthusiasts should not only be subscribing to and supporting Gen to encourage its principle but also to appreciate the diversity and quality of the unique manga it’s now bringing to English speaking readers.

The PDF versions of the issue available to subscribers is bright and crisp, available in both single page and double-page spreads. The print edition may be thinner than typical domestically published manga at the same price, but the quality of the content and the exceptional tactile quality of the heavy stock covers and bright white page stock absolutely justifies the price for collectors that prefer a physical copy.

The Future Diary series was a great anime series about a young Man named Yukiteru Amano. He is a quiet and lonely Teenager who discovers his imaginary Friend; Deus Ex Machinma is a Real God who grants Yukiteru a Cell Phone. This cell phone has a extra-ordinary feature - It Predicts the future for up to 90 days in advance! In return for this amazing new thing, Yukiteru is forced to compete in a Survival Game involving 11 More Players to kill each other. The last man Standing wins the game and becomes the new God of time and space (Previously Deus Ex Machinma). However, I enjoyed it so much I want it to continue until the day I die! 26 Episodes just wasn't enough for me.

A teaser page has launched to reveal the development of an anime based on Daisuke Suzuki’s light novel series Onii-chan Dakedo Ai Sae Areba Kankei Nai yo ne. The current romantic comedy novel series is the story of twin siblings separated at childhood who begin living together again as teens. The novel series premiered in 2010 and now has six volumes. Suzuki’s earlier Goshusho-sama Ninomiya-kun novel series was turned into a 2007 anime TV series.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the upcoming Moe Can Change! OVA has added a new 78-second trailer. The anime is based on the bishoujo-maid costume changing game from developer Ambition. The OVA is scheduled for Japanese release on the 25th.

Source: Anime News Network

Source: Anime News Network

Japan’s Digital Frontier, the studio behind the Appleseed, Biohazard: Degeneration, and Tekken: Blood Vengeance CG motion pictures will collaborate with French studios Shibuya Productions and Forge Animation on the production of Windwalkers: Chronicles of the 34th Horde, an English language 3D CG film adaptation of Alain Damasio’s award-winning 2004 sci-fi adventure novel La Horde du Contrevent. The novel is set in a world plauged by strong winds. An elite team of soldiers named “34th Horde” seeks the origins of the devestating wind.

Veteran director Jan Kounen (Dobermann) will direct the movie as his first animated film. Visionary director Marc Caro (Dante 01, Delicatessen) will serve as art director and visual effects supervisor. Financing is nearly secured for the tentative 18 million Euro ($23.4 million USD) production budget. Production will begin in January 2013 for a 2015 release.

Source: Variety

Next month the Fuji TV network will air a three-part live-action drama based on Toei’s 1975-1982 anime TV series Ikkyu-san. Seven year-old actor Fuku Suzuki will play the mischevious Buddhist monk-in-training Ikkyu-san in the live-action series which will depict Ikkyu-san and Shinemon time-slipping from 15th century Japan to present-day Tokyo.

Source: Anime News Network

Answer:
I don’t want to present myself as a unique exception, but I do honestly believe that my experience with anime affects my perception. I’ve been watching anime long enough that I’ve come to realize, through experience, that I don’t know everything about anime, and that anime always has the ability to surprise me. Countless times I’ve sampled a show and found it better or more engaging than I expected it to be. Thus I’ve tried, as best I can, to stop pre-judging anime. I think that a sense of optomism is vital to sustain a lengthy appreciation and enjoyment of anime. As an anime fan, I always want to like anime; I always hope that new anime will entertain, surprise, and impress me. Furthermore, I try to never forget that anime is a Japanese medium for Japanese viewers, so I have little right to complain if an anime doesn’t satisfy my particular American expectations and demands. While I, as a veteran fan, may have watched dozens of harem or mecha or ninja anime, I remain conscious of the fact that every new show in a familiar genre may be a new fan’s first introduction to the genre. Furthermore, anime production is a business, so if an anime gets produced, it’s being produced because it has a Japanese audience. So, once again, it’s highly presumptuous of me, a foreigner, to complain that Anime X is the 99th harem anime of the decade and therefore redundant when there are thousands of Japanese fans eager to watch the show.

If every moé anime, harem anime, slice-of-life anime, magical girl anime, and mecha anime was practically the same, the anime industry would have stagnated fourty years ago. We’d have no need of any new anime after shows like Tetsujin 28, Mazinger Z, Mahoutsukai Sally, Mobile Suit Gundam, and Urusei Yatsura. But, thankfully, anime aren’t all the same. Even conceptual remakes like Angelic Layer remaking Plawres Sanshiro, Naruto remaking Sasuga no Sarutobi, and LoveCom remaking The Kabocha Wine still have unique characteristics. Harem anime may draw from a stable of consistent stock character types, but yet some harem anime are more popular than others because they still manage to inject distinctive creativity and identity into their formulaic narratives.

Ultimately, the trick to liking anime is simply wanting to like anime. A fan that constantly bemoans redundancy and expects nearly every new anime to be bad will invariably eventually find enough evidence to convince himself of his sentiment and become disillusioned and bored with anime. The optomistic anime fan sees each new show as a new possibility, a way to put a new spin on a familiar trope, breath new life into a tired genre. Every new Japanese TV season I make a conscious effort to watch an episode of every new anime series I can. I do so not to show-off, but rather to educate myself, and I do so with the hope that each and every new anime I watch will become my new favorite show. Of course, inevitably I won’t become enamored with many new anime, but if I approach new shows expecting to dislike them, I have to ask myself why I’m even watching anime in the first place. If we assume that every new anime in a tired genre will be an uninspired, uninteresting rehash, we’d overlook anime like Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, Lucky Star, Evangelion, Toradora, OreImo, Futari wa Precure, Lyrical Nanoha, and Madoka Magica, which would be a terrible misfortune.