Barefoot Gen, 1990 Philippine Edition
When the Philippines think of World War II, we do not think of Poland, D-day, Churchill, or Hitler. Instead, the prominent things that we think of are Hirohito, Yamashita’s Gold, MacArthur, and the Japanese. The memory of Japanese involvement in the war effort is deeply ingrained in our system that to this day, if you’re not speaking to a kid who has adored Naruto or anime since forever, the rest of the people would think of the Japanese as abusers, sexual criminals, and narrow-minded people. They were always different from us and we would never be like them. We are not like them because we’re not the kind of people who can exploit a nation or a region as much as they did. Unlike the rest of the world, however, talking to everyday folks make me feel that the nation has not forgotten the Japanese. I think our nation still has some bitter resentment towards Japan. We somehow cannot forgive them after the war.
Since the war, Japan has made an effort to amend their sins during the war. They have invested money in building companies, roads, Japanese studies departments, and all that jazz in the effort to bridge the chasm that was brought on by the war. One of those projects was a translation project on the classic manga by Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen, now featured for this month’s Manga Moveable Feast. This translation project was brought on by a group that proudly took the name Project Gen.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Having consumed manga for years, I’ve grown to like some authors a little more than the others. When this happens I go into a mad frenzy, reading as much as I could about the author and try to see if he has grown as an author, if he has stagnated, or if my relationship with him as a fan would be tumultuous – loving, hating, agonizing, enjoying every single work he has released.
I thought I’d give myself a monthly special to put this habit of mine into good use, besides; it will at least give me the discipline of having to write something special every month. This will also allow me to do something I had wanted to do but never had the chance to – write about remarkable manga artists and writers. Perhaps this will encourage readers to explore more of that author’s work.
For my first spotlight, there’s no other author that comes to mind but the Tezuka of today: Naoki Urasawa.
Popularity: 15% [?]
Cover Art by Nakamura Asumiko
Last night, I was thinking about the first thing that I should blog about here in Champloo. I’ve had a couple of hiccups last year and this year, I made a resolve to write more for my blogs than elsewhere.
But what should I write?
Should I write a review?
Or should I talk about some handsome boys?
The idea of talking about handsome boys for the first day of the year excited me and there’s no other book that came to mind other than the collection of handsome boys that caused waves last year, Moedanshigatari.
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Popularity: 19% [?]
Warning: This article is a reflection after having read the entire series. A lot of spoilers are mentioned. This review is also a part of the Manga Moveable Feast hosted by Matt Blind. See the other reviews and hopefully you’ll be encouraged to read Emma as well
Years ago, a friend asked me of my opinion of Emma. I had to correct her and asked if she was referring to Jane Austen’s Emma or the Kaoru Mori’s manga. Of course, she was referring to the latter (although she had to think twice since in a way, both are similar) and she felt that as a history major and a manga enthusiast, I had a lot of things to say about the manga and she thought I could give a word on its historical accuracy. It honestly surprised me because as much as the entire manga is lined with images of Victorian England, at that time, I was really more caught by the story of Emma and William. Of course, back then, I was fresh from following the monthlies and like a sparkly-eyed teenager, I was rooting for the romance to work. My mind was full of William and Emma’s love affair that I answered, “There’s really more to Emma than its history.”
But as time passed and after having read it again in full, this time for this Manga Moveable Feast, I realized that while Emma’s romance was beyond history, it was because the story was steeped in its history that made the romance beautiful. Emma was not just a manga about romance but a true Victorian story of love and more.
Popularity: 18% [?]
I have something to confess. I rarely buy English mangas. Don’t be hatin’. I have my reasons.
I rarely buy English mangas because they’re expensive in the Philippines. What would cost $8 in the U.S. might cost $15 in our bookstores. If I order Japanese mangas, it would cost me around $5 for shounen titles or $8 if they’re seinen, bl, or josei. Cost wise, I would sooner run to a Japanese online bookstore to get my stuff than go to Amazon where our customs will sniff the damn book and tax me heavily. The cost for getting my manga in English is a hassle. But there are exceptions. Vertical’s Tezuka line is always worth the hassle.
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Popularity: 9% [?]
Gan on 
Goran Markovic on 
