Yozakura Quartet Vol. 3

Something I remember coming up in earlier reviews of Yozakura Quartet was that the story was too nebulous to follow, chalking its flaws in narrative to an illustrator starting out as a storyteller. As much as I enjoyed volume one and two, I could see why people would find flaws. Suzuhito Yasuda creates a pretty ambitious world, full of all sorts of demons existing in the human world and the particular significance and history of the town the story is set in. The first two volumes are a bit wobbly in trying to establish and cover so many things, but for me the strength of the characters and their unique spin on superheroes overcame the narrative flaws.

So it brings us to volume three, which I think solves the problems people were having over the story with the previous volumes. A rival mayor and a mysterious man put up a barrier that depowers the town’s demons and, with a bunch of huge monsters, demand the town is handed over to them. Of course, Hime, the current mayor, and her friends vow to stop them.

The story seems to be much more tighter, and things are easier to follow this time around. Probably because Yasuda, as a beginner, had problems juggling everything for his introduction, and now has confidence to carry on. The pieces that were set in previous volumes – Hime’s mayorship, demons, Ao’s telepathy, Akina’s power – fall into place here for the big battle. There are also some big character development moments that work really well, particularly Hime’s big revelation.

Yasuda’s art is still excellent. His characters are wonderfully expressive, and the action scenes flow really well. The bonus comics after the story continue to be a nice treat, giving us a nice behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the manga.

So if you were iffy after the first two volumes, I still suggest giving volume three a shot, now that Yasuda has much more under his belt.

Pumpkin Scissors

Not many stories take place after a war has been fought, but Pumpkin Scissors does just that, taking a novel approach to things. After a brutal war between two nations, the Empire is struggling with the aftermath, dealing with starvation, disease, and ex-soldiers and bandits terrorizing the populace. We focus on the Imperial Army State Section III also known as Pumpkin Scissors, a department dedicated to relief and reconstruction. Their newest member is a mysterious veteran from a ghost division who’s frightening on the battlefield. His mystery and the other ghost divisions are a compelling storyline. Vol. 1 is a nice introduction into the world and sets up the section’s mission nicely. Vol. 2 begins to get deeper into the mystery of the ghost divisions and conspiracies.

Alice is a neat female character; she’s tough and idealistic, and she doesn’t back down. Her idealism and how she tried to reconcile it with her roots is an interesting facet to her character. Though Vol. 2 has a bit of a skeevy scene where two of Section III fake a rape attempt to get a woman’s drug addict father to defend her. It brings down what was a good story before that, but is it made up for because of the strength of Alice’s character?

Late to the Party: Bioshock

This was a plenty hyped game that I finally got around to playing, and it’s a great game. Not without it’s share of frustrations and flaws – escort missions almost always suck, I ran out of ammo late in the game – but on the whole it’s a fun, thought-provoking game. The story is excellent, and the world/environment it creates is particularly awesome. The art design really makes the game.

Spoilers after the cut.

Yozakura Quartet

This was a nice surprise. Yozakura Quartet is about three superpowered teen girls who protect a city from supernatural threats. Part of the charm of this series is in its cast of characters. Hime is a young, tough girl who acts as the mayor of the city and sees it as her duty to look after its citizens. Ao is a demon girl who can read thoughts, and Kotoha is a conjurer with a bad temper. It’s a fun action comic that’s a Japanese take on the superhero genre. The art’s really good – Suzuhito Yasuda’s style is clean and mininalistic.

I really liked it, for the characters (Hime is too cool a character) and for the neat concept. It starts out a bit confusing (the omake comics mention that the chapters were re-arranged and the second volume gets really interesting), but it still sets up the world and characters nicely. I wonder if it might be a good crossover title given the genre it works in.

Movie Sign

I was looking forward to There Will Be Blood for a goof while, because I like Paul Thomas Anderson’s work. I loved Punch-Drunk Love – it was one of those movies that came at the right time and make it more meaningful. I could identify.

It’s good to see Anderson grow as an artist, as Blood is a very different movie than Punch-Drunk Love and even Magnolia. Daniel Day Lewis does an outstanding job. His last speech to the holy man really hits hard.

I’ve also had time to think about No Country for Old Men. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh is absolutely amazing. Chigurh is a very, very scary villain; how nonchalantly he does his work and how he’s practically unstoppable.

It’s sort of like Fargo, where the forces of justice are faced with evil, and come up empty. But just as The Big Lebowski and The Man Who Wasn’t There were genre-busting twists on film noir, I’d argue No Country is a like a twist on a horror movie. Chigurh wouldn’t be that unwelcome among slasher villains – He stalks his victims down and he even has a signature (his air gun) like many horror bad guys.

Super Paper Mario

It’s the RPG that plays like a platformer! The Paper Mario series always had an interesting way of combining RPG elements with the Super Mario tradition. This time around they really stacked it in favor of platforming, getting rid of turn-based battles. It makes things smoother and less tedious as battles can be, but it sorta makes the other RPG stuff (leveling up, inventory, party management) less important. The use of the score as experience points was a great idea, though. I did like the system, but I kinda missed the old Paper Mario hybrid system.

Flipping was a neat idea that was used quite often in the game – 2D worlds become 3D when Mario flips around, and secrets and new paths are found. I wonder if they’ll keep it in any further installments in the series, because it’s a pretty good idea.

The story was kinda meh, using some familiar cliches, and the game went by pretty quickly. The hub of the game, Flip/Flopside felt kinda old as the game went on. Otherwise though, it was pretty good. The offbeat, quirky humor is still there (like the gaming equivalent of the underworld), and the faults didn’t drag down the game too much.

Super Mario Galaxy

I might make another drastic statement: If Super Mario 64 is what set the mold for 3D games, SMG re-invents it. It’s innovative for how it plays with level design using its galactic motif. Gravity and orientation becomes a factor as worlds are based around globes instead of flat areas.

It’s fun, but it’s really unforgiving. You’re only given 3 life points, with a single-use option to bump it up to 6. Some of the levels built to use the Wiimote (a ball rolling one and a surfing one) are really tricky to control. Though I may just suck at them. Otherwise the Wiimote movements feel natural and not too obtrusive. The camera feels like it’s too limited sometimes when you want to position it just right for jumps.

Review Sign

Biff-Bam-Pow! by Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer – I liked Dork and Milk & Cheese, so I was happy to see this in stock when I went to Quimby’s. This is flat out fun comic that satisfies all your punching needs. Get it if nothing else than for One Punch Goldberg.

Murder Princess Vol.2 by Sekihiko Inui – I’m still very envious of Inui’s crisp linework (ack, I’m still having a hard time figuring out how to ink with a crow quill and brush >_<). I thought the whole thing about history (and the hazards that came with altering it) and the destruction and resurrection of the world were all really cool bits. Though it feels a bit compressed at two volumes. Inui has a quirky, interesting style, so it’d be interesting to see his next project.

Yotsuba&! Vol.5 by Kiyohiko Azuma – I love, love, love this series. Everything about it is wonderful. It’s like comic book nirvana. Azuma has a real talent for finding humor in everyday activities, and he’s also great at expressions. The exaggeration of Yotsuba’s reaction to things is what helps sell it.