Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Something a little different...

I mentioned that I would also be reviewing Manga on here, but I have yet to do so... so, without further ado... my first Manga review!



Honey Hunt
Story and Art done by Miki Aihara

Miki Aihara is the author and illustrator of one of my favorite manga, Hot Gimmick.
She writes something called shojo manga, which essentially are love stories for girls.

I enjoy Miki Aihara's work because often her characters do truly harsh, unpredictable things... motivated by their own twisted, and often taboo desires. Yeah, sure, it's still a love story, and there are certain formulas to be followed, but motivations aren't transparent and there is some mystery involved.

Another thing I love about Miki Aihara is her art style. I LOVE her drawing style.
This is often my main gripe about American comics... that the cover art is beautiful... and the inside art is blah. With Japanese Manga, the person who does the cover art is also the person who does the interior art... so I'm never left feeling cheated in that sense. (I will be reviewing American comics as well, especially American Graphic Novels)

Now, this particular series is only out through volume 5 in the US... so let me give you a brief summary:

Main character Yura lives in the shadow of her parents, a famous actress and a famous musician. She decides she will become a more popular actress than her mother (and her mom is a *real* work of art... serious emotional issues there...) and gets help from her father's agent (her father now lives in America with his mistress), a budding musician who wants to be with her to get closer to her father, the musician's twin brother, who is a Japanese Idol Singer as well as an actor, and a few other random characters.

My main confusion at this point is who this character will end up with. There is what would typically be the 'obvious' choice... but, knowing this author, it doesn't mean it's the choice the main character will make... so the series is still full of mystery and intrigue.

If you want a good, fun love story and AMAZING art, I suggest anything by Miki Aihara, Honey Hunt included!

No comments:

Post a Comment