Given the ubiquity — and, frankly, inanity — of many gift guides, it’s no wonder that some folks greet them with the same enthusiasm usually reserved for fruit cakes, flannel slippers, and CVS gift cards. A well-crafted guide, however, can be an asset to the Christmas shopper with many people on her list, especially if she doesn’t share their interests. In that spirit, I’m offering suggestions to all the friends, parents, siblings, and spouses of manga fans who want to support their loved one’s hobby with a thoughtful gift, but don’t know where to start.
FOR THE MECHA MANIAC
Almost twenty years before Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy took flight in the pages of Shonen Kobunsha magazine, Gajo Sakamoto’s Tank Tankuro enchanted Japanese youngsters with his monster-fighting exploits, cool gadgets, and frequent displays of courage. Though the series’ propaganda intent is impossible for contemporary readers to ignore (Tank fights the Chinese in later stories), Presspop’s new anthology demonstrates that Sakamoto’s artistry and imagination are more timeless than the series’ original subtext. Presspop has packaged Sakamoto’s work in a handsome, hardcover edition that includes thoughtful extras: a contextual essay by translator Sunsuke Nakazawa, an interview with Sakamoto’s son, and an article by Sakamoto himself, discussing the character’s origin. A must for anyone interested in the giant robot genre.
Tank Tankuro: Prewar Works, 1934-1935. By Gajo Sakamoto. Adapted by Maki Hakui and Sunsuke Nakazawa. Presspop. 2011. $29.95.
FOR THE SHOJO MANGA CONNOISSEUR
Long unavailable in North America, Osamu Tezuka’s Princess Knight has been one of the most widely discussed and little-read titles in the manga canon. Thanks to Vertical’s handsomely packaged edition, however, English speakers can now enjoy this classic story about a cross-dressing princess who rescues her kingdom from an evil pretender to the throne. The story is complete in two volumes, and reproduces what most Japanese critics consider to be the definitive version, which was published in Nakayoshi magazine in the mid-1960s. Though tweens and teens may find Tezuka’s Disney-influenced artwork too old-fashioned for their tastes, older manga fans will find plenty to like about Princess Knight, from its imaginative layouts and memorable villains to its fascinating exploration of gender identity. Volume one is available now; volume two will be released on December 6, 2011.
Princess Knight, Vols. 1-2. By Osamu Tezuka. Translated by Maya Rosewood. Vertical, Inc. 2011. $13.95/volume.
FOR THE MANGA HISTORIAN
Before television became a mainstay in Japanese homes, kamishibai, or “paper theater,” was one of the most ubiquitous forms of storytelling in Japan, employing thousands of performers, artists, and script writers. Eric Nash’s gorgeously illustrated Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater provides a helpful introduction to this forgotten art form, which provided cheap entertainment for millions of children and adults, introduced audiences to characters such as Golden Bat and Kitaro of the Graveyard, and taught dozens of famous manga-ka — among them Sanpei Shirato and Shigeru Mizuki — how to write pulpy serials. Though Nash’s treatment of contemporary pop culture is a little superficial, his research skills are terrific; he unearthed dozens of stories, painstakingly reassembling and reprinting them for contemporary audiences to enjoy.
Manga Kamishibai: The Art of Japanese Paper Theater. By Eric P. Nash. Abrams ComicArts. 2009. $35.00.
FOR THE OLD-SCHOOL ANIME FAN
For the anime buff who paid hundreds of dollars for Urusei Yatsura on VHS, Jonathan Clements’ Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade will feel like a trip in Mr. Peabody’s WABAC machine, filled with compelling anecdotes about Leiji Mastumoto and Katsuhiro Otomo. Clements, who’s worked in both the anime and manga industries, gives readers a taste of what it’s like to direct an episode of an animated TV show, translate a manga into English, interview a famous manga-ka, or work as a voice actor in Japan. The essays’ brevity, range, and bite make Schoolgirl Milky Crisis a perfect choice for a public-transit commuter or frequent flier who loves to read, or for anyone who wants a succinct analysis of industry trends here and abroad. Schoolgirl Milky Crisis is available through Amazon in paperback and Kindle form.
Schoolgirl Milky Crisis: Adventures in the Anime and Manga Trade. By Jonathan Clements. Titan Books. 2009. Paperback edition: $14.99. Kindle edition: $9.99.
FOR THE MOVIE BUFF
I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street more times than my cynical heart can bear. If there’s an otaku on your shopping list who’s suffering from similar Yuletide movie fatigue, why not buy her a copy of Satoshi Kon’s Tokyo Godfathers? This weird, delightful, and yes, heartwarming comedy follows a trio of vagrants as they try to help a baby abandoned on Christmas Eve. Though the story has a happy ending, Kon steers clear of the false sentimentality that mars so many other holiday movies, depicting the scorn and violence directed at Japan’s homeless population with unsparing honesty. As Scott Green observed at Ain’t It Cool News, “few works in the medium are as unblinking in their gaze at real, often ignored problems.”
Tokyo Godfathers. Directed by Satoshi Kon. Mad House/Columbia Pictures. 2004. 91 minutes. In Japanese with English subtitles. $19.95.
FOR THE OTAKU WHO HAS EVERYTHING
If your favorite otaku already has a collection to rival Jason Thompson’s, why not try a different tact this year and make a donation in her name to a charity? One of my favorites is Reader to Reader, an organization that distributes new and gently used books to schools and libraries in need. To date, Reader to Reader has donated over 2.8 million books to kids around the US. The organization accepts both financial and book donations, and is one of the few charities that gladly accepts manga and graphic novels. (Pssst… if you’re going to donate books, don’t send Arm of Kannon or Love Hina. Happy Happy Clover would be a much better choice, given the population they serve!) I can’t say enough good things about the work they do, and hope you’ll support them, too.
Reader to Reader. Cadigan Center. 38 Woodside Avenue. Amherst, MA. 01002.
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Still stumped? Daniela Orihuela-Gruber, host of All About Manga, is compiling a list of manga-themed gift guides from around the web, making it easy to do a little comparison shopping. You might also find my 2009 and 2010 gift guides helpful as well, though be warned: some of the titles mentioned on those earlier lists (e.g. CLAMP no Kiseki) are now out of print.
I watch Tokyo Godfathers every holiday season! It’s just not the holidays without my yearly watching of it! I think it’s easily the best holiday movie to ever come out of any country.
Me, too — it’s one of the few Christmas movies that doesn’t make me feel like a complete Grinch! Well, that and the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol, which is seventeen kinds of awesome.
We’re making TANK TAKURO available for wide distribution in April 2012 from Diamond Book/Comic Distributors.
That’s great news! I hope that decision inspires Presspop to publish more classic manga titles.
I’ve never seen Tokyo God Fathers. I didn’t realize it was a Christmas movie! That’s going on the Netflix list.
Also, I’ve never heard of Reader to Reader, but thank you! I think I know where some of my used books are going now…
Hi, Angela!
Glad to steer you towards Reader to Reader. Robin Brenner and Brigid Alverson introduced me to R2R’s work, and I’ve been a regular book donor ever since. The charity has done some amazing stuff in New Orleans, buying books for school libraries that were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and providing every first grader in the city with a brand-new copy of a Mo Willems book. R2R is also active in other areas of the country as well, including right here in Massachusetts, where they’ve been working with communities whose schools and libraries have been devastated by budget cuts. All in all, it’s a great organization!
Hehehehe I want a gift card to Amazon to buy manga with
If I had to give manga to someone…I suppose I’d pick Solanin, seems like a series that has a lot of appeal for all different types.
I know that the perfect gift for me would be a basketful of Est Em, shiny and new fromtranslation. Especially the one about the bunch of guys in bathroom grooming session, please?
Alas, est em’s English language publisher has gone out of business, making titles like Red Blinds the Foolish much harder to find. It’s a shame, too, as her artwork and storytelling are immensely appealing, even for folks like me, who don’t read much yaoi. But in an ideal world… yes, Est Em should be on someone’s manga gift guide!
“Alas, est em’s English language publisher has gone out of business..”
Really?! Oh, god I think I to need to sit down… figuratively of course.
Aurora folded some time last year–another casualty of the manga bubble bursting. I think NETCOMICS published Age Called Blue, but they’re no longer putting out print editions of their titles; most of their books are only available online.
Yeah, I know. So did Go!Comi, and the guys who did Eroica, whose name I can’t recall at the moment. It’s a sad sad world for small manga publishers and their readers.