{"id":1344,"date":"2013-01-16T14:32:32","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T06:32:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/?p=1344"},"modified":"2013-01-16T14:32:32","modified_gmt":"2013-01-16T06:32:32","slug":"sneak-peak-nakamura-asumikos-utsubora","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/2013\/01\/16\/sneak-peak-nakamura-asumikos-utsubora\/","title":{"rendered":"Sneak Peak: Nakamura Asumiko’s Utsubora"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I first read Utsubora, it was in Kansai airport, waiting for my trip back home. The somber cover was telling that this wasn’t a cheery Asumiko title, but as soon as I inspected past the cover flap, I wondered what I was just reading into.<\/p>\n

It was mysterious, seductive, and beautifully desperate.<\/p>\n

As a celebration of Vertical’s licensing of Utsubora, here’s a visual sneak peek on what you might expect (and not expect). Some Utusbora images featured here are from the inside cover design and a special postcard from the Japanese edition. Still, pretty little things to lure you in.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"
From Utsubora Vol 1. – Inspecting Aki’s fall.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Thank you post card from Utsubora Vol. 1<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
If you’re ‘here’, you’re not ‘there’. – Utsubora vol. 1<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

I’d give more images but I’m going to spoil everything for everyone. Also, I’m going to run out of things to post for my review! But goddamn, buy the book. These images do not justify the impact of how well Asumiko uses her white and negative space to lure us further into the mystery of Utsubora.<\/p>\n

If you’re curious, you’re better off pre-ordering the book in Amazon <\/a>and Book Depository<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Note: This is a pimp post that is no way endorsed or encouraged by Vertical. I really love this book and I’ve been singing to Vertical to license this book since I read it in Osaka and thankfully they heard my plea and it’s finally here. I really want the English release of the book to be a success. Hopefully, if Utsubora’s successful, other English publishers will bring in more of Nakamura Asumiko’s works.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first read Utsubora, it was in Kansai airport, waiting for my trip back home. The somber cover was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[33],"tags":[288,197,290,80],"class_list":["post-1344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-features","tag-manga-erotics-f","tag-nakamura-asumiko","tag-utsubora","tag-vertical"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p26e5y-lG","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1641,"url":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/2013\/12\/20\/digital-reads-ebookjapan\/","url_meta":{"origin":1344,"position":0},"title":"Digital Reads: Ebookjapan","author":"khursten","date":"December 20, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the things I dreaded when I moved to Australia was how I'm going to weed my precious manga collection. By then, my collection has blown out of proportion and to choose which ones to part with tore me apart. Quite literally, if you ask my heart. Painful as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm4.staticflickr.com\/3826\/11116117723_13bb85a52e_c.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1369,"url":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/2013\/02\/13\/23-87clockers-by-tomoko-ninomiya\/","url_meta":{"origin":1344,"position":1},"title":"#23: 87Clockers by Tomoko Ninomiya","author":"khursten","date":"February 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"When I heard that Shueisha's Jump would start a josei magazine, I was skeptical. Jump may have a following that spans a large age range and influences both sexes but I never felt they had the \"josei\" touch. 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But as with things digital, the idea that what I own disappears with their sites just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/category\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm8.staticflickr.com\/7344\/11075898286_973107ebf9.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":825,"url":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/2011\/10\/29\/18-no-longer-human-vol-1-by-usamaru-furuya\/","url_meta":{"origin":1344,"position":3},"title":"#18 – No Longer Human vol. 1 by Usamaru Furuya","author":"khursten","date":"October 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"No Longer Human vol. 1 by Usamaru Furuya Serialized in Shukan Comic Bunch Published by Shinchosha Publishing and Vertical Inc. \"I found a word to express my feelings. Right now... I feel forlorn.\" - Yozo Oba, No Longer Human.\u00c2\u00a0 When I first wrote about my personal excitement over Vertical's licenses\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fujoshi Reads"","block_context":{"text":"Fujoshi Reads","link":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/ningenshikaku-03.jpg?fit=744%2C1040&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/ningenshikaku-03.jpg?fit=744%2C1040&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/ningenshikaku-03.jpg?fit=744%2C1040&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/ningenshikaku-03.jpg?fit=744%2C1040&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":464,"url":"http:\/\/www.punkednoodle.com\/champloo\/2011\/01\/17\/sneak-peek-at-2011-manga-taishou-list\/","url_meta":{"origin":1344,"position":4},"title":"Sneak Peek at 2011 Manga Taishou List","author":"khursten","date":"January 17, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Manga Taishou season again and I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even started reading Therma Romae (once\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 I find my copy somewhere). 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