Rising Stars of Manga, Book 1

Customer Reviews:

good way for people to show art and love of manga!!!.......2005-10-10

this manga is very good it has a bunch of storys from action to comedy!!good for any one who wants to see the artists love of manga!!but before u buy one u should check it out to see if u like it.I gave it 4 stars because i wasn't crazy for it ....but over all its an awsome manga ^-^.

by manga loveing whistle hating.. zatch bell fan

Exceeded my expectations.......2003-07-15

I'll admit, I bought this book because a) I was interested in entering future Rising Stars of Manga contests, and b) I think manga opens up a lot of great possibilities for American comic artists and wanted to chip in my $ to support the venture. I went in with pretty low expectations about the content.

As such, I was pleasantly surprised. A lot of the stories have problems of one kind or another---several lack professional polish or a really substantial story, and still others suffer from a "too designed/overdrawn" look (the level of black/white contrast or stylization is about the same on all the elements and panels, giving a "noisy" effect to the overall pages and not letting anything stand out), but there is a lot of good art and story in here, and it's very refreshing in many to see a manga-like approach taken to American settings and concerns.

My story by story breakdown:

The Grand Prize Winner, "Devil's Candy" is not my favorite. It's excellently drawn and the cute/goth/punk setting is loads of quirky fun, but in many places it has that busy, overdrawn look that I mentioned, and the story isn't really moving; it comes across as a lot of manga cliches shaken and stirred.

Speaking of Manga cliches, the second place story, "Van Von Hunter" uses lots of them in a clever and amusing parody (plus the occasional metastory gag: "Hey, you read the balloons!"). This one makes good use of shading and the pages and panels for the most part are well-designed. Not quite a professional polish, but close. The story isn't quite to my own taste, being a parody that isn't too awfully original, but if you like Slayers, you should like this.

The third story, "The Little Match Girl" is based on a Hans Christian Andersen story, but the entrant did a wonderful job of envisioning it in the comics medium. Again, good shading, and this was the best entry in terms of giving the pages an overall design, to excellent effect both visually and in terms of narrative pacing. The effect in the end is heartwrenching. My one complaint: this was apparently done on a computer at too low resolution; the art looks pixellated.

I also loved "Trickster"; again, the art is a little unpolished and the concept of a shoujo-manga about a supernaturally-gifted high school student is nothing new, but this is an excellent rendition of it, and I just loved seeing such a concept done in terms of American mythologies. And I just had to love Bianca's dad!

"Emmalyne's Mansion" suffers most from the too-designed loud page problem. The stylization of the characters and the use of line is very skilled and utterly delicious, but everything is rendered in that style and with very little use of shading/tone, so the result is a sort of visual anarchy that makes certain moments difficult to read. The story, while sweet, is also rather pat.

"Pest" also has the loud-page problem, though not as much. Here everything is rendered in bold shapes and stark black/white contrast, but it all remains clear. It's a short and sweet kind of comedy with a touch of realism that makes it well grounded.

"Sitting Ducks" is literally an entry about having trouble making an entry, but it works so well that it's one of my favorites. The stylization looks great, the pages are very clear and well-designed, and despite the gimmicky way it sounds in summary, the story is one of the best, truly touching the slings and arrows facing those who want to follow artistic dreams (laziness included!), the importance of persevering against them, and the importance of having support in doing so.

"Ophelia's Assassination" is an allegory about angels representing aspects of justice. The drawing and design is really beautiful in this one, and the drawing is generally very good although anatomy occasionally gets lost. The writing is strong, but occasionally the progression of panels seems a bit disjointed, and character differentiation isn't always easy; especially in the fantastical setting and at the climactic moment, it's a little hard to understand what who is doing or where they are in relation to each other.

"Zero" is a story about a troubled singer and the source of the emotion he puts into his songs. It's very boldly designed, and the writing is powerful to the point of brutality. The story is non-linear and rather sketchy, but I don't see that as a flaw, just the nature of this work. It's hard to see the Japanese influence and this much grit isn't quite to my taste, but it is very good.

And finally there's "Proper Magic", probably the weakest story included. The renderings of mecha and other technology are superb, but the characters are scratchier and have a retro look (more like Project A-Ko than more recent anime), and the story is trite and rushed sci-fi.

So in sum, this book is a mixed bag, but IMO, the good stuff in here is well worth $!

I gotta give it to them..........2003-06-10

I respect the dedication it took for these artists to get their entries in to the contest. All in all they weren't bad but looking at them, you definately don't get a sense that anyone amazing is going to emerge out of this, of course. And it is true that, the subject matter was really not for the most part what you would find in any Japanese manga. I was dissapointed because several of the artists are really famous on line and in all those cases, I found their art that I had seen prior to this contest to be better. Oh well... maybe the pressure got to them? I don't know but I found the whole thing so average.

Future of American Comics.......2003-06-03

I must say that while I enjoyed most of the one-shots in this book, I was also somewhat irritated by all of the entries. Some, such as "Ophelia's Assassination" and "The Proper Magic" might be good stories if they were executed in the long-form, but as one-shots they were convoluted and difficult to follow. Others, like "Devil's Candy", start out well, but end in utter confusion (at least for me). "Van Von Hunter" and "Trickster" are the typical stories retold; "Emmalyne's Mansion" vexed me if only by its lack of tone; the art for "The Little Match Girl" was beautiful, but there was little text, and the story was an adaptation of Hans Christian Anderson (I didn't even realize that fit the rules); and "Sitting Ducks" recounted an artist's difficulty with writer's block. My two favourite entries, then, were "Pest" and "Zero."
I recommend this book to anyone considering entering Tokyopop's second Rising Stars of Manga contest; after seeing the product of this year's winners, I am somewhat confident that my friend and I have a chance at winning. Ganbatte, minna-san.

at least there's lots of it!!!!!!!!.......2003-05-15

One thing I'd like to mention that this book is very thick.For 10 bucks I'm happy that at least I'm getting some quantity.
As for the quality,I was pretty impressed with the technical aspects of all the entrants.The backgrounds and tones look very good and it all the entrants seem to have many experince in graphic design.
But unfortunatley there really isn't a standout,someone that makes you gasp,like a manga-ka equivalent of Michael Jordan.
I would have to say most of the stories are a bit odd,having a cult favorite vibe.In fact the most touching story was the most unoriginal of all,the match girl.I have to say the story of the little match girl was brilliantly shown in graphic novel form.
The most dissapointing aspect of this manga compilation would have to be the art.No better how technically good you are,your characters have to be good looking.I don't neccesarily mean like a model but the style must be a certain way.Take a look at popular manga like Cardcaptor Sakura,One Piece,or Chobits.There characters all look clean,with simple designs and are asthetically pleasing.Most of the characters in RSM look like bums and that is basically the main problem.
If artists from the United States are truly serious about drawing manga they must copy artists like CLAMP and not try to do some ugly,hideous character designs trying to be original.
My advice would be try to use American themes that Japanese authors don't while emulating their art,not the other way around.

Book Description

The country's leading manga publisher launches its fourth Rising Stars of Manga competition. The top 10 talented winners will score cash prizes and have their winning entries presented in this next Rising Stars anthology. Past winners have seen their work published as a full-length manga series!

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Rising Stars of Manga, Vol. 3
Tokyopop
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1591825377

Book Description

A TOKYOPOP exclusive featuring the works of the top 10 prize winning artists in the nation!

Rising Stars of Manga Volume 6 (Rising Stars of Manga)

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Rising Stars of Manga Volume 6 (Rising Stars of Manga)
Tokyopop
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
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ASIN: 1595328165

Book Description

"I enjoyed the book and it made a great impression on me!" -Nao Yazawa, author of Wedding Peach "Want to be a manga artist? No one makes it easier than TOKYOPOP." -WIZARD "TOKYOPOP is...stepping up its efforts to develop American manga creators." -Publishers Weekly TOKYOPOP's Rising Stars of Manga competition has launched the revolution--The Manga Revolution! Inside the pages of this book is the next wave of manga visionaries--the artists and writers who have taken visual storytelling to the next level... So treat yourself to a snapshot of the most exciting young voices in manga! In Rising Stars of Manga Volume 6, TOKYOPOP has once again awarded aspiring artists and writers a unique opportunity to launch their creative careers. These are the manga icons of tomorrow, whose time is now! Past Rising Stars winners have signed multivolume book deals with TOKYOPOP, including: Bizenghast, Peach Fuzz, Van Von Hunter, Re:Play, MBQ, Mail Order Ninja, Atomic King Daidogan, Snow, Go with Grace, My Cat Loki, Dogby Walks Alone, PSY-COMM, Bombos vs Everything, Divalicous!, Mark of the Succubus, Fool's Gold, Work Bites, Sorcerors and Secretaries, and more...So what is the secret to becoming America's next top manga-ka? The answer is right inside!

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Mostly Great
A fangirl's thoughts on RSOM #2

Rising Stars of Manga, Book 2
Tokyopop
Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1591825369

Customer Reviews:

Mostly Great.......2006-06-21

This is a collection of the winners' art from the second Rising Stars of Manga contest over in the USA. Consequently, there are many different genres represented here, which means that everyone will probably find something they really like and one piece they really really hate. Overall, I enjoyed these brief insights into the potential future of western manga and I recommend this to anyone who is interesting in something a little bit different within the manga 'classification'.

I'll break it down, story by story, and summarise and review each one, which will hopefully help you form your own opinion of whether or not you'll want to buy this product.

Peach Fuzz: This is a very cutesy story about a girl and her unwilling pet ferret, told from the point of view of both characters. While I personally don't think this should have won, it was very sweet and fun to read.

Unmasked: I loved the idea behind this one. Taking a girl in a very typical manga setting (adoring fangirls, cat-girl, giant robots), and having her snap out at the bizarrity of her surroundings, was sufficiently different to attract and hold my attention throughout. Though I wasn't so fond of the ending, I loved most of it and particularly liked the style of the artwork.

Possessions: Very Akira-like, this one shows how everyone has different priorities in the underworld of a slightly futuristic setting. The artwork is very good and the plot is intriguing throughout - this is definitely one of the best.

The Calling Grounds: A little bit too clichéd fantasy for my liking. In a class of potential summoners, the one boy (boys don't become summoners, but this one is special) struggles to prove his worth. Mediocre, though the artwork is very pretty.

Lovesketch: Awful. This is the one I truly hated. An utterly clichéd story about how a high school girl angsts that none of the guys like her (yawn) and hopes that a field trip will bring her and one of them together (predictable ending). I could barely finish this one, but I guess this kind of thing appeals to some people.

Fowl Play: This one is hilarious. A little boy fears that the Thanksgiving turkey will eat him, but none of the adults believe him - so he takes matters into his own hands! This one had me grinning the whole way through.

Dogby Walks Alone: Classic. I enjoyed this one so much I've just ordered the series version of this that Wes Abbott (the manga-ka) has just started. The main character is Dogby, a guy who works at a theme park - he's the guy in the dog suit. But when he suspects a shady plot, things get far more serious. I loved how many of the characters act within their themepark roles. It's such an unusual setting for manga that it had me hooked straight away. It'll appeal to fans of the more typical 'American' action-hero comics.

Nikolai: M. Alice LeGrow makes her stunning debut with a short story of how an orphaned young girl finds a ghost in her new house and must help him rest in peace. With gorgeous, intricate backgrounds and outfits, packed with her unique style of design and storytelling, this is a must-read. If you enjoy this, check out her series, 'Bizenghast'. Volumes 1 and 2 are out now and they're fantastic.

Whisper: An interesting fantasy piece about blood ties and deception. Not outstanding, but worth a read, and the artwork is particularly graceful and beautiful. I'd definitely read a longer series version of this if the manga-ka does one.

Axis Lumen: Another decent fantasy piece, though it feels like it needs to be something much longer. I'm not too keen on the 'saviour'/'special' idea, but it shows decent potential and I'd probably read a longer series.

As I said, this is a varied collection of different styles and genres, so you're bound to find enough that appeals. In my opinion, it's worth getting for Nikolai, Dogby Walks Alone, Fowl Play, Unmasked, Possessions and Peach Fuzz - the enjoyment of those ones justified the average quality of the rest (and the dire awfulness of Lovesketch, which should be burnt, trampled and then weed on by a smelly rat).

Hope that helps!

A fangirl's thoughts on RSOM #2.......2004-04-25

What? Only one review so far? Okay, here's my two cents. I think this volume was much better than the first one. I think that now that more people know about the contest, there was a wider variety to choose from. Though there were only two stories that I liked so much that I want to see more of them, it's all a matter of preference.

The grand prize winner is called "Peach Fuzz," which is a childish, silly, lighthearted story about a young girl and her pet ferret. It's cute... a little too cute for my tastes, but it's okay.

The second prize entry is called "Unmasked." I'm a little baffled by Tokyopop's obsession with making fun of manga cliches. The last second prize winner has such a similar theme to this one! Sure, it's funny, but not really as much as Van Von Hunter... I don't really get the ending.

The next one on the list is "Possessions." It's not a "typical" manga, and for an older audience. The characters are Americanized and kind of dry and boring. Also, there's a lot of action, yet it doesn't seem to be moving. However, the ending is very haunting, and it portrays authority negatively, which is cool.

The Calling Grounds. The art in this looks so professional! Everything seems to be moving, as if I'm watching anime! Even though it's in pencil, it still looks good, though with ink it would be amazing. It involves spirits, monsters, powers, and a bunch of little girls in Love Hina- style. Another one that's a little too cute for my tastes, though.

Lovesketch. If you like shoujo, you might like this, but romance happens to be my least favorite genre. The screentoning looks professional, but the art looks like it's copied right out of I.N.V.U. by Kim Kang Won! This is one of the few times I've seen art that looked EXACTLY the same as someone else's, and I've seen a lot of similar manga out there. The characters are also very American.

Fowl Play. I was laughing my head off over this! It's very simple in art style, but it's likable because of the main character- a little boy who imagines the cooked Thanksgiving turkey is alive and after him!

Dogby Walks Alone. Oh man, this is wierd. Funny, different, wierd. It's like a detective story, and takes place at an amusement park with the main character dressed in a dog suit. It's pretty funny. The art reminds me of American cartoons, and it seems to move around a lot.

Nikolai. This one is my favorite!!! It's a kind of gothic tale about a girl's mother who died, then befriends a ghost boy and learns to accept death. The story is profound, and the art is unique and very detailed (there are hidden messages in it!!). The author is planning to publish another comic called "Bizenghast" this November, which rocks!

Whisper. Second favorite! First off, the artwork in this is so freakin' awesome. It's so realistic, aesthetic, and beautiful, both female and male characters! It flows very nicely, though in some places there are too many words to read. There are also slight shounen-ai undertones, which I like!

Axis Lumen. First thought: another elf story...? Well, they're not elves, but they look like it. There's a lot of cliches in it, and it is very wordy in some places. It's a fantasy and romance sort of thing. The artwork is pretty good though, especially the screentone. But the story was sort of difficult to comprehend.

Book Description

The hot sequel to the bestselling Gravitation manga series! In order to heal the wounds in his heart, Eiri Yuki and his vocalist lover, Shuichi, travel to New York to visit the grave of Yuki's first love and tormentor, Yuki Kitagawa. But once there, they make a startling discovering that will change their lives...forever! The eagerly awaited sequel to the shonen-ai smash hit begins right here!

Customer Reviews:

interesting.......2007-09-22

I omly liked a couple of the stories, the bishonen one was my favorite. I thought the art for the most part was average -- not bad, but nothing to impress me. I love that this kind of thing exists though. We should encourage our own manga artist as much as we can.

OMG...WONDERFUL.......2007-05-13

If you're a fan of the series...you don't WANT this book, you NEED it!!! It is so incredible. Murakami keeps the story alive in true fashion with plot twists and Yuki angst. If you haven't read these books yet you better get started!

When does EX vol 2 come out?!!.......2007-04-16

I LOVE the Gravitation series!!! EX continues the fun. I want to see more of Shu-chan fling! (ups! spoliler there), and yes, I agree with everybody, the characters look too young and Tatsuha IS over tanned. I wish Murakami San made the characters look more their ages. I didn't like the shrinking and the new look of Shu-chan at the end of the original series-too femenine-. His looks have improved in EX vol 1 but I preferred his height and appearance at the beginning of the original series. It was more his age and gender. What's wrong with guys being guys? Anyway, Tohma in nurse outfit deserves a cross dressing medal!. Eiri's new look: great!, he's the only one who somehow seems to avoided the youth potion : )I don't like Reiji, I think the story could do without her. There is enough action, humor and romance to make one re-read the story at least 10 times without it getting old. I'm looking forward to EX vol 2 and the rest of it!!!!. How about Ryu's look? He was on the cute bunny side at the beginning of Vol 1, but we get to see more of his sexy pop-idol looks at the end of the volume, let's see if it continues like that in vol 2.
How about translating/dubbing the drama CDs? Wouldn't that be a blast? There are 3 of them in the market!

My...my god...........2007-04-15

Okay. I LIKED Gravitation the original series. Maybe it didn't end very satisfyingly but it had that open-ended make-your-own-conclusion thing going on, with nice touches like Tohma getting along with his wife and Reiji taking care of her own business. I was wary, but HAPPY when I heard about Gravi-Ex. I thought maybe it'd have a semi-cohesive plot with all the Gravi wackiness, but with a sincere effort to show what might really become of the struggling couple's future.

The novels were horrendous. And now there's this, which won't even spare us the agony by ending quickly and instead actually being a new SERIES, apparently.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE AUTHOR WANTS TO BEAT THIS SERIES TO DEATH.

There is NOTHING that even suggests that she tried to have this make sense. If anything, it's just there because the fans wanted it, and it looks like the author figured, hey, since people are going to buy it anyways, why bother THINKING about it? The random events, so delightful before, are now just a waste of space. They lack the charm of the originals by being inane and and more baffling than funny. on the main pair's relationship, the way they handle it they might as well make an official press release annoucning "romance is DEAD." not nice considering they already spent 12 books trying to make each other feel something.

OH! and the Fanservice! The Cameos! A gay couple "raising" a KID! They might be attention magnets, but it'd be nice if someone followed up on them! That kid that's supposed to be such a big deal according to the blurb? Well, apparently no one else seems to think so. They basically ignore him outside his intro to have some fun with pairings that could have been picked out of a yaoi fanfiction forum.

And then there are the drawings...nothing WRONG with em, I guess, only people are really starting to look alike. Teeangers and middle aged men and real toddlers all get baby faces and the same droopy mop of hair. The style in the 12th Gravi book was just more dignified.

My mind suffered. Not in the usual whoohooGravi! of bizarre crack fun way but in a oh my god why are they doing this to me wwwwhhhhhhyyyy way. The author voluntarily forfeited all she'd built up with the first series, deciding to start over with from-scratch personalities and a big pile of stupidity. As a fan, I hurt. Preserve your image of Gravitation. Don't buy Ex.

Icha Icha Gravitation Ex.......2007-04-09

This is actually the first manga that I've bought in over five years. I wasn't really sure how well the insanity from the anime could be conveyed when I first picked it up but after five minutes of uncontrolled giggling at reading a sneak peak I decided to get a copy. People who have only seen the anime should know that there is quite a bit of manga-only plot in the sequel but it's definitley worth every penny. I found myself going back to read the rest of the series during the course of the next week. Many friends asked me if I was going for a Kakashi (from Naruto) impression when I started walking down the halls with my face buried in manga and randomly giggling at the sights of Tohma in a nurses uniform (complete with perky cap) and Shuichi as a BDSM french maid (lol). Scenes go from being romantic to agnsty to gut bustingly funny in a rollercoater ride that leaves you excited for more. I can only hope that more volumes will be released soon. For now I'm continuing my Kakashi impressions with a twentieth read.

Rising Stars of Manga - UK & Ireland Edition Volume 1 (Rising Stars of Manga)

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Rising Stars of Manga - UK & Ireland Edition Volume 1 (Rising Stars of Manga)

Manufacturer: TokyoPop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Rising Stars of Manga Volume 6 (Rising Stars of Manga)

ASIN: 1598164643

Rising Stars of Manga - UK & Ireland Edition Volume 2 (Rising Stars of Manga)

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Rising Stars of Manga - UK & Ireland Edition Volume 2 (Rising Stars of Manga)

Manufacturer: TokyoPop
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1427801916
Release Date: 2007-04-10

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