On Day Four of the Manga Movable Feast, several bloggers challenged the received wisdom that To Terra is a “classic,” other critics praised it, and still others probed Keiko Takemiya’s work for juicy (read: slashable) subtexts. Bonus points to David Welsh for working the phrase “man whore” into his essay about Keith Anyan.
MMF: Andromeda Stories, Vols. 1-3
May 26, 2010 By
Ah, Keiko Takemiya, how I love your sci-fi extravaganzas! The psychic twins. The giant spiderbots. The evil, omniscient computers. The sand dragons. The fantastic hairdos. Just think how much more entertaining The Matrix might have been if you’d been at the helm instead of the dour, self-indulgent Wachowski Brothers! But wait… you did create your [...]
MMF: Day Three Links
May 25, 2010 By
Day Three of the Manga Movable Feast finds us beginning the main course, with a fresh crop of reviews — some glowing, some middling — and an ambitious essay exploring some of To Terra‘s darker themes. On the review front, Johanna Draper Carlson of Comics Worth Reading admits that To Terra was a tough sell [...]
MMF: Day Two Links
May 24, 2010 By
And now for the second course of our mobile feast — think of it as our salumi, a fine selection of manga antipasti, each with its own distinct flavor. Today’s contributions focus on the small but estimable body of Keiko Takemiya’s work that’s available in English. First up is Eric Rupe of The Weekly Crisis, [...]
MMF: Day One Links
May 23, 2010 By
Pull up a chair, bust out your napkin, and pass the rolls — the May Manga Movable Feast is officially underway! We’re serving up a big helping of Magnificent 49er goodness this month with a look at Keiko Takemiya’s sci-fi classic To Terra, published in the US by Vertical, Inc. The intrepid Jason Yadao of [...]
MMF: An Introduction to Keiko Takemiya’s To Terra
May 23, 2010 By
Welcome to the May Manga Movable Feast! On the menu: Keiko Takemiya’s award-winning sci-fi epic To Terra. If you’ve never dined with us before, here’s how the MMF works: every month, the manga blogging community holds a week-long virtual book club in which we discuss a particular series or one-shot. Each day, the host shares [...]
MMF: Mushishi
April 26, 2010 By
Bust out your fork and knife — it’s time for another Manga Moveable Feast (MMF)! On this month’s menu: Mushishi, an episodic series about a peripatetic healer who cures people of supernatural ailments. The host is Ed Sizemore of Comics Worth Reading, who kicks off the festivities with a brief description of the MMF concept [...]
MMF: Shirley
March 9, 2010 By
At first glance, Shirley looks like a practice run for Emma, a collection of pleasant, straightforward maid stories featuring prototype versions of William, Eleanor, and Emma. A closer examination, however, reveals that Shirley is, in fact, a series of detailed character sketches exploring the relationships between three maids and their respective employers. And while some [...]
MMF: Sexy Voice and Robo and Harriet the Spy
February 11, 2010 By
First published in 1964, Harriet the Spy featured a radically different kind of heroine than the sweet, obedient girls found in most mid-century juvenile lit; Harriet was bossy, self-centered, and confident, with a flair for self-dramatization and a foul mouth. She favored fake glasses, blue jeans, and a “spy tool” belt over angora sweaters or [...]
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