Something different.

I decided to change the title of my blog to include "Comics" in it. That's because when I've only been sticking to Manga I've been honestly running out of ideas to blog about...That and it limit's my tastes too much. I've been trying to expand my interests by exploring comic books. I know, something besides manga, are you CRAZY?! Yes I am. Another reason is because of the change in my art style. I've been trying to draw realistic and I have seen a great improvement over the pseudo-manga style I used to draw. I still like manga though! And time to time I might review one or two but for now I'm looking towards comics. I just have one problem, I don't know where to begin!

When I go to Barnes & Nobles, the first place I always go to is the manga section. I've tried to go into the graphic novel section and I really don't know where to start. I know Scott Pilgrim, Whiteout and Marvel and DC but even then I'm not super familiar with them. That's where I ask for your help.

I WANT YOU to recommend any good comics, graphic novels or manga that you want me to read and review. They can even be web comics! They don't have to be super-popular at all. So I await your suggestions!

*Yes, that's me cosplaying as Big Boss from Metal Gear Solid 3. I though the exclamation point was appropriate for the blog.

What's gonna work? Teamwork!

Yes, that's a quote from the wonder pets. But it seems appropriate. I've been trying to brainstorm a comic lately and so far I'm mostly doing character models for reference. That and I've been getting better at drawing guys (that don't look like girls! *gasp*). But I've been thinking a lot of what it takes for a comic to be successful. I need help. I can't do this comic alone, I need a peer. Someone who can help me edit out what's unnecessary. Someone who I can show my ideas to so they can help me shape it better. That's when I realized that a great comic is made from a great team, not just one person.
Usually this idea is commonly seen in American comics. For example a long running comic has a team that works on it. Usually it consists of a writer, an editor, a pencilist (or the main artist), an inker, a colorist and for traditional comics a letterist (that's the guy who does the wording of the comic by HAND. No computers). I know that I definitely cannot write words in a comic for SHIT. @__@ That's what a letterist is for because that is an art form. Plus my brother taught me that a letterist also does the placement of word bubbles in a way that doesn't contradict the artwork. As for colors I'm going to need to up my game for that. I remember when my best friend Hannah and I did comics together, I would do the pencils and she would do the inking and coloring, she still is to this day WAY better than me at coloring.
This idea can also apply to manga. Usually when I read manga where the story and art is done by one person I read about the editor, the art assistant, and the toning artist (the one who applies the grey effects). I tend to think of the art group CLAMP (they did Tsubasa, xxxHolic, Chobits, Cardcaptor Sakura...) when I think of a manga team, and I won't lie, it's probably the best thing that they team up for their manga. Their manga has a good story and good art because it has multiple people working on it who work together and help each other out. That's why I think I need the help of my big brother (who's a great writer) for my comics. He always helps me shape out ideas and he can tell me which parts are confusing or need to be cut out. With his help I know I can create a great comic.
Here is an example of a long running successful comic that follows this idea. And for once, it's not manga. O__O

Manga--er, COMIC review: Sonic the hedgehog (Archie comics)

Story by: Currently, Ian Flynn
Art by: Currently, Steven Butler and Tracy Yardley!

DON'T FRONT just because it's a comic about Sonic. It's actually really good once you think about it. Basically the story is about Sonic the hedgehog along with his help of the freedom fighters, led by Sally Acorn and how they fight to save their world Mobius for the evil Dr. Eggman (or Robotnik) along with other villains. You would think the story is too straight forward but it actually spans out as a rich environment for many stories. The characters have major psychological development unlike the characters in the Sega games and the readers are able to relate to them. There is comedy along with drama and action that makes this comic not just for kids but for all age groups. But what really makes this comic special is it's team behind it. Throughout the comics there have been multiple members working on it. Each story arc has a different writer, editor, artist, inker, colorist and letterist. I find that the variety of artist help introduce different art styles to the mix and impresses the reader at the same time. Sometimes the artist gets better and improves his/her art overtime. Each writer introduces new characters and new environments. I can easily say that it's because of a good team behind the comics that it has lasted for many years and it's still going! As the story progresses, when new sonic games come out they find a way to incorporate it into the comic without ruining the current story. Sometimes the new games help introduce new characters and new story ideas to the comic, so it advertises the game and comic at the same time. It's a lot of work when you think about it. And that's why when I read Sonic comics I see it as an example of a successful, long running comic. I read it now not only for the story and art, but to also study how the comic develops in modern time. It inspires me also to make sure that my comic has a rich environment that can develop into multiple stories that entices the reader. So I salute you Sonic the hedgehog comic.

Be nice to women, draw them right.

Hey guys. Recently I've been practicing my realistic style of art by drawing different bodies of women. I'm not talking pin-up, I mean regular women and their different postures, height, weight, things like that. I actually drew a realistic picture of my BFFs and I. I've known them for many years and I've always drawn the three of us Anime-style. This time I decided to draw us how we are in real life. I felt proud of myself and my BFFs liked it! They weren't ashamed that it showed their real selves and their bodies. I even drew myself how I look in real life and I didn't make myself taller. I tried to think of Manga that drew women realistically and I was at a stand still. All I could think about was how manga women are usually drawn, thin with big enormous breasts.

My brother taught me something important. When men draw women like that, how do women feel about themselves? It's demeaning when you think of it. Men draw women in manga how they would like to see women in real life. It can make women feel bad about their body, That they're not that thin or that sexy. I now know for sure that boobs that big on that body means they're fake. The only genre that I can think of that draws girls with moderate size breasts is Shoujo manga, and even then the girls are super skinny. It's like they're afraid of curves. To men out there drawing manga or comics, if you're going to draw boobs, draw them right. Use reference material if you have to, by that I mean anatomy books. Or use art models. Here's one manga that doesn't follow this concept, like so many others.

Manga Review: Kujibiki UNBALANCE

Story by: Kio Shimoku

Art by Koume Keito

I wont badmouth this manga too much cause it's really supposed to be a parody of typical Boy-centered manga. It's about a boy, Chihiro Enamoto with his girl-friend Tokino who has been lucky to win the kujibiki (a lottery) to enter the prestigious Rikkyoin High school. A school that everything is run by the student council and by lottery. In the beginning of the year the school has a lottery to choose the candidates of next year's student council. Chihiro is known for his ridiculous bad luck but then Tokino gets "Vice-president". Chihiro gets "President". Soon he encounters the next secretary of state, a genius mad-scientist named Renko and her android Yamada along with an elementary school girl who accidentally got "treasure". The student council is made up of three girls, A shrine maiden with a samurai sword who's vice president, a thrifty foreigner who's treasure and the hard-ass German born president Ritsuko, who is also Chihiro and Tokino's childhood friend. They all go through wacky adventures trying to train to be the next student council at the risk that if they fail, they'll be expelled. It's actually a funny story. It's a parody of typical Harem manga where the main guy character is surrounded by women. The story also pokes fun at typical character stereotypes, like the beautiful, big boobed and oblivious friend and the crazed sword wielding tsundere (she plays "hard to get"). As for the art, all the girls are supposed to look cute and sexy while defying gravity. Then again the artist did use to draw erotic art. While the story and overall concept is satirical this is one of many examples of how men typically draw women in manga. So I wouldn't use this for anatomy reference if I was you.

Something Changed...!

Hey guys, long time no see! I got some good news. A while ago my doctor finally found out what I have. It's called P.O.T.s and no it's not a weed. It means Postural Tachycardia. Basically it means that the nerves controlling my blood vessels aren't working right. When I stand up they're supposed to close to keep blood in the head. Instead they're still open so the blood is being drained from my head causing low-blood pressure, light-headiness and fainting. So I've been taking salt tablets, drinking a lot of water and wearing compression tights. I've been getting better so I've also been able to go out by my self at times!
Aside from my health I've been working on my art. With the help of my bro and sis I've realized that my art style was not the best of me. While I love manga, I feel that drawing it for a while kind of limits my abilities to draw realistically. I'm getting better at anatomy and now I'm practicing real faces (like my brother's face! I actually got it right!!). After drawing for observation I never realized how good I was at drawing (I'm not trying to be egotistical). It gave me more confidence in my work, that now it can really be original. It doesn't mean that I don't love manga and anime anymore, no no no. I still love that shit and I'm not giving it up. But I am getting better at art and that makes me happy. There is one manga that kind of follows that improvement.

Manga Review: Nightschool: The Weirn Books

Story and art by: Svetlana Chmakova

I known the creator of the book from her previous manga "Dramacon". That one was very funny, had a cute manga style to it. But when I saw this manga I immediately saw improvement. And I like it. The book tells about a young girl Alex who is a weirn (a type of witch) accompanied by her astral (a shadowy figure). Alex was home schooled while her big sister Sarah worked as a night keeper for nightschool. A school for Demons and magical figures that takes place at night. When Sarah disappears without a trace, Alex searches for her by going to the very school she avoided. At the same time there are a group of hunters lead by their teacher Daemon. Daemon gets a signal from one of his students, a young seer named Marina who is working for werewolves. When he meets her she tells him of a vision she had of seven children causing massive destruction. He then retrieves her and takes her home where the other students protect her. At the same time the werewolves want their seer back. That's all I can say without spoiling anything. The plot itself doesn't just focus on one character. It spans out to many different characters. While I like the story I really like the art. Here I can tell that Chmakova really improved her art. She still maintains a "manga" style but she expands on it with great coloring skills, good anatomy skills, dynamic poses and ethnic details in the face (that you don't see too often). Her clothing looks and folds in the right way and her detailing is subtle yet immersive. I like it when artists improve their work instead of limiting themselves to a style that "works". Real artist are not like that. They always work hard to improve their style like coloring or anatomy. When an artist shows improvement in his/her series it shows that he cares about his art and isn't just comfortable with one style. I applaud Chmakova for taking that leap as an artist. I know I'll continue to work on my art until it's unbelievable!

P.S. the top image is a little self-portrait I drew. :D

You're the best...Around!

I'll admit it. I haven't been doing well since I got out of the hospital. I had a hospital stay at Mount Sinai for an EEG, to monitor my brain waves to see if I'm having seizures. The only thing is they didn't find anything. Even when I woke up in the middle of the first night, twitching, blinking and the room going dark around me, unable to call for help until it all of a sudden stopped. No seizures. But my heart rate has been very high. At first it was only raising as I was sitting up or standing up. Going from 119, to 127, to 132, to 148 to 152. It was very fast. And even in laying in bed, my heart rate would go up and down, giving me moments of spacey-ness. They believed that my heart was causing trouble so I saw cardiologists and I explained to them what happened. Later I talked to my neurologist who explained to me that my problem was "Autonomic". Meaning that something was wrong in the nervous system that affects my heartbeat. They think it's PATs, Postural Autonomic Tachycardia but that would explain my heart racing while I was stationary. So I went home with no answers, just more questions. But I was happy to be home. I missed my family terribly. My sister especially.

When I got home things didn't change. At the hospital I was exhausted, and at home, waking up in the morning was an hour-and-a-half process. Because of that I'd sleep in and have trouble going to sleep at night. Before I went to the hospital I've had moments of lightheaded-ness and pressure that made me dizzy and have to lay down where ever I was. And now I'm still having that happen. Through out the day. I've had multiple moments of pressure going around in my head, my pulse increasing and my blood pressure dropping, causing me to get dizzy and extremely pale. Then I have to lie down where ever I am in case I, god forbid lose consciousness. I even had an echo cardiogram of my heart and even though it was 115, they found it to be normal. Lately I've been trying to train myself to wake up earlier by eating early, taking my meds early and going back to sleep for a short period to wake up around 9:12. I feel it's an improvement from my usual late-sleeping. I wasn't like that. When I got up early I stayed awake and only went back to sleep if it was a losing battle. I was proactive and doing everything. Now I'm trying to be proactive but I often find myself with dizzying effects after. I'm seeing an autonomic neurologist soon, who will test me to find out exactly what I have. I really want to find out what's wrong and fix it. Because what ever I have is not going to stop me. It's not gonna stop me from going to SVA and it's not going to stop me from becoming a cartoonist and a more dependable person. I want to get better so I can stop worrying my family night and day, everyday. I want to be able to hang out with friends again. But right now I can't. Not until I find out what's wrong. In the mean time I can only bear with it and learn from it. But I'll always be grateful for my family, who is always there to take care of me.

P.S. While I was in the hospital I heard about my sister dedicating a blog to me and how she missed me terribly. So I had mom take a picture of me in a pose (with the wires to my head from the EEG) and I sent it to her by phone with the text "Work Bitch!". She then replied "Miss Thing!!"

On a more serious note...

I'd like to take a break from manga for a sec to write about something that's been on my mind.

For those who don't know, a long time ago I have had problems with my blood sugar, When it was low I'd be spacey and a little...stupid. Around the end of march I had my first fainting episode. All I remembered before I had it was my leg cramping, my heart racing, and my blood pressure was going up and down creating a pulsing sensation in my body and head. I said "I don't feel well" and I closed my eyes. I woke up on the floor a minute later to my sister holding an icepack to my face. Apparently I had passed out and hit the wall with my face (I even left a little bloodstain). The EMT's (or paramedics) took my blood pressure and said it was extremely low, so they gave me oxygen to raise it. I was crying because I was scared to go to the hospital but my sister comforted me and said it would be ok. I went to ER and I had an IV and blood test. Everything was normal. They diagnosed me with a fainting spell. After I had been monitoring my blood sugar by snacking frequently and having occasional glucose tablets as told by my doctor. We thought everything would be ok. Until last Thursday where I fainted again.

I had woke up early because it was my niece's picture day, so we had to get her ready. I went to the bathroom first and was then going to eat but I had to watch her for a sec. Both my legs were cramping and my heart was racing. I was scared. I then felt pulsing in my head and I said "My blood pressure is going up and down" and I closed my eyes and woke up 5 minutes later on the floor to my sister saying I passed out, again. What really shook her up was that my brother was smacking me trying to wake me up and it wasn't working. My arms were huddled up and I was groaning, my lips had turned white and my sister was afraid I stopped breathing. I felt so bad for her. I thought "Ok I'm never gonna scare my sister like that again!", so much for that. This time four police officers came because they thought that a four-year old had passed out. Not a nineteen year old (soon to be twenty). The EMT's took me to the hospital were I was taken to pediatric ER (it goes up until 25). This time I had no IV but I did have my first CT scan of my head. Thankfully nothing was found, but it still didn't explained why this happened again. I had an interesting experience this time, the nurse brought me back from radiology and I asked in a polite, adult-like manner. "Excuse me miss but is it possible for me to go to the bathroom?" She then replied to her fellow nurses "Ms. Kayla wants to go Pee-pee!", I was a bit embarrassed. So I went back home where my family and I were still shooken up. My sister, who had a history of seizures and my brother believe both times that I had fainted, I've was also having a seizure. I was frustrated with my self that this was happening and that now, I couldn't travel or be left alone. Now when I was in middle school I worked hard to gain the privilege of traveling alone to school and in high school I gained the privilege of traveling alone (but not at night, for safety). So I felt like I had a major regression where I couldn't travel or be left alone and I do understand why. I just hope I can get this stuff sorted out before I go into college... So now this week I'm awaiting both my birthday and my neurology appointment. Wish me luck!

Breaking the gender barrier

Hey guys, How you doin'? Let's see, I'm FINALLY finished with my art portfolio and next Monday is my portfolio presentation, and tuesday is my birthday :). I'm really exited that I'm going to show off my work to the college I really want to go to. So wish me luck! So lately I've been reading some shoujo manga. For those who don't know, Shoujo is another word for Girl, just as Shonen is another word for boy in japanese. Shoujo manga is basically manga for girls. Shoujo manga often has themes of Romance and slice-of-life. They also can go into fantasy and adventure. Shoujo manga is also characterized by a very pretty, elegant art style. One that focuses on beauty and flowing images. I'm not putting it down cause I do like shoujo manga. Like Moyocco Ano's "Sugar Sugar Rune", or Kiyoko Arai's "Beauty Pop". Shoujo manga is typically done by Female artists and Shonen manga is typically done by Male artists. I thought that was natural in the manga world, but then I realized that there are a few shoujo artist who dare to break this barrier. Nowadays I've been seeing shonen manga done by, get this, Female artists. Here are some prime examples, Rumiko Takahashi is a legendary shoujo AND shonen artist. She is known for manga that use styles from shoujo art and uses them for shonen works. Like "Urusei Yatsura", "Ranma 1/2" (yeah you thought a GUY drew that) and the super popular "Inuyasha". It blew my mind, that it was a female artist behind this boy (and girl) centered wonders. It blew my mind more when I discovered that a manga artist from Shonen Jump was rumored to be a man but was really a woman! That woman is Katsura Hoshino, most known for her super shonen manga, "D. Gray-man". The translators thought she was a man too. But he was really a she! And I look at her style now and I see slight, hints of shoujo in it, but I do like her stylized shoujo/shonen art style. I want to be that kind of artist. I want my comics to appease to both genders. I don't want to be bound by gender to only do Girly comics (no offense). I like to make a style that isn't bound by gender, which is why I'm focusing on making my girls feminine and my guys manly at the same time (see previous posts for more info). Recently I've stumbled upon a comic book who's creator broke the gender barrier for the first time.

MANGA REVIEW: Arata: the legend

Story and art by: Yuu Watase

Now for those who don't know who Yuu Watase is, Watase is a well-known Shoujo artist, most known for her works like "Absolute boyfriend", "Imadoki" and her super popular "Fushigi Yugi". "Arata: the legend" is her first Shonen comic. It's about two Arata's in two worlds. One Arata lives in one world where he is the male heir to the matriarchal Hime clan who keeps peace among the land, who usually pass down power to girls. However, Arata was born a boy and raised as a boy, until his grandma listed him as a girl when he was born and forces him to cross-dress as a girl and succeed the current matriarch to maintain balance in the land. His friend Kotoha, a nice girl, still stands by his side as his aid and friend. All goes well until Arata is caught in the middle of an attempted murder of the matriarch and is framed. In our world, Arata Hinohara is a boy starting high school who has constantly been bullied since middle school. Arata some how encounters a weird occurrence where another Arata has come from his world and the two meet and switch places. Now Arata Hinohara has come to the other Arata's world in his place and must set things right in the land. The style still has alot of shoujo in it but it's simplified and action heavy enough to be a shonen comic. The story is well written as Watase is a well known manga artist and writer. I like it because it's a different direction in Watase's work. This time the protagonist is male and the story itself is more action heavy than watase's other works. It's also a big deal that a shoujo artist has decided to do shonen work. The story though is not limited to boys as alot of girls read it also. It has less action than some other shonen works I know, so it's in between shoujo and shonen. Like a tomboy of manga. It's still a really good work. I like that it's a different direction that still holds the essence of Watase's works. Because it's hard to transition to another genre without completely changing everything about the style and way of writing. If you want to go into another direction in your work or another genre, It's good when it still has a bit of you in it. It's hard to explain. But Watase has successfully done that very thing and I applaud her for it. It almost makes me want to try something out of my league...hmmm....

Autism and manga

Manga can cover many topics in life that prefer not to be said. It can cover issues of war, politics, Gender roles, discrimination and much more. But there is one topic in particular I would never thought I'd see in manga format. Autism. You didn't see that one coming did you? Neither did I. For me this is a very intriguing topic to see in manga, mostly because I can relate it it a lot. My niece, who's turning three in may, is diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD-NOS) and I have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) since I was three. Both my niece and I are part of the Autistic spectrum (ASD). Surprise!
Funny thing, I've learned from past experiences that anything associated with the word "Autistic" is a conversation-stopper. Like one time, In Japanese class I had to tell my teacher to be patient with me and my need for extended time on tests because I had ADHD. I could tell she rarely worked with special students. Or another time, I was arguing with my art teacher over my involvement with the art show manager and I yelled "Does she have an Autistic niece that she helps take care of?!", his expression was priceless and automatically he shut up and listened to me. I find it funny to see their faces.
As you can see, seeing the topic of autism in manga is very interesting to me. I've only seen hints of it in manga, but I've never seen it as a major part of manga. For example, in the popular manga "Death note" the detective "L" has certain actions and body language, like holding his knees in a chair and being very intelligent but social inept, points to Asperger syndrome. It's only a rumor but it's very likely that "L" has it. But aside from that I've rarely seen characters with special needs in manga. That is, untill I discovered this manga book that widened my eyes.


MANGA REVIEW: With the light: Raising an autistic child

Art and story by: Keiko Tobe

This is probably the first manga I read that focuses on autism as part of the comic. Which is a big deal to me. It's a beautiful story. It centers around Sachiko, who gives birth to her first born child Hikaru (japanese for "light"). As a baby she notices how he isn't developing like a normal baby and seeks a doctor to help. The doctor diagnoses Hikaru with autism. Sachiko goes through many trials and errors taking care of Hikaru, first her mother in law was frustrated with Hikaru because she couldn't understand why he was like that, and sachiko's husband was too busy with work to notice. But eventually, the husband is forced to take notice and instead of distancing himself from Hikaru, he begins to spend more time with his family to help his wife and understand Hikaru. As Hikaru grows up the mother begins to learn more about him like his fear of loud noises, his high sensitivity and the things he does like, like trains. Eventually Hikaru has a little sister and starts to take to her like a big brother. The manga progresses with Hikaru going through everyday life and going to different schools. At times the story seems dark by the reactions and protests of other people to Hikaru's actions. But there are light and funny moments. Like when one he is in junior high, he invites some of his friends to his house. Sachiko comes in the room because she's excited to see her son's friends and how they're doing. Hikaru then holds his mom's hand and starts to lead her. She wonders with excitement where he is leading her to. They step out of the room, Hikaru let's go of her hand and goes back inside. She then realizes her son was embarrassed by her and escorted her out, Just like a regular kid!
I really like this story because when I read it I wonder about my niece Violet. It makes me wonder how she sees and feels the world. And by the way Hikaru talks, it gives me hope that Violet will also talk. Right now she usually hums, shouts, giggles or signs with her hands. But I wait for the day Violet walks up to me with a piece of paper and a pencil and says "Draw mickey mouse." (I did the same thing to my big sister. I always asked her to draw sonic the hedgehog) I wont mind if she doesn't say "please". "With the light" is a very beautiful story, I once cried after reading it. I really like the manga for portraying Autism in a realistic manner. It shows Japan's special education services and their manner of teaching. It shows the many difficulties with taking care of an autistic child, but it also shows the hidden joys that comes with it. A good example of this, is when Hikaru, randomly walks up to Sachiko, grabs her apron and says in a clear voice "Mommy". Now all I have to do is make Violet say "Auntie". Which is hopefully very soon.

Can you even make manga "Realistic"?

Hey guys, long time no see. I haven't been blogging too much because I'm hard at work on my art portfolio for college. A few days ago I had to overcome one of my many weaknesses in art. Proportions. I have never been so frustrated to get a single pose anatomically correct in my LIFE. I've been really hitting the books on my anatomy (including one book and a male art mannequin that my brother got for me) and I've been really studying proportions. I've learned that the average human is about 8 1/2 heads tall. So now I've been working on my figures and measuring them to make sure they're 8 1/2 heads tall. So I guess I've been making my characters more "Realistic". I've also been looking at how to draw comic and how to draw manga books for figures and they don't follow regular proportions. Some characters are only 7 heads tall (which is the size of a 12 year old) and some are 9 heads tall (like the super buff American super heroes).

I think it's very hard to make characters "Realistic" when you're trying to maintain a manga style, which is characterized by insane proportions and super deformed characters. The manga I've seen that follows realistic proportions are mostly Senin or "Mature" manga. Like "Ninja scroll" or "Vagabond". Manga gears towards mature audiences generally follow a realistic style that to be comically deformed like manga for younger audiences. I've seen only a few teen manga that follow realistic proportions. But it's hard to follow realistic proportions, because it's a lot of work. But I think realistic proportions can make the characters seem more realistic and more believable than a small chibi character. It may have nothing to do with manga but the movie "Avatar" follows very realistic proportions in their design of the Na'vi. The bodies are over 9ft but they are proportional like a human. Even their faces can mimic real human expressions. It goes to show you that by making your characters realistic, the reader can relate to them as if they were real. Here's one manga that follows that.

MANGA REVIEW: Death Note

Story by: Tsugumi Ohba

Art by: Takeshi Obata

Anyone who knows manga definately knows this super popular series. For those who hate it, I won't force you to read the rest. For those who don't know it, it's about a teen, Light Yagami who stumbles upon a black notebook called a death note. When he reads it. He learns it is a tool used by Shinigami, Death gods, to write the name of a fated person and kill them by natural causes or accidents. Light is forced to use it when a person is in danger and then has to bear the weight of killing a human being. But as he begins to use it more often to kill criminals, he begins to become a godlike figure called "Kira". He is then Visited by the owner of the notebook, Ryuk, who is amused by light and how he has used the notebook. Light tells him how he will use the death note to create a new world order filled with justice. As bizarre killings go on in japan, a special detective called "L" investigates and tries to track down the man called "Kira". The whole manga is a super natural game of "Cat and mouse". The story is good and the scenes do get talkative but what I really like about the series is the art. Obata uses a realistic style of manga to help draw the story and match it's mature themes. The charatcers are drawn in realistic proportions with no distortion (except for the shinigami, who scream "Hot topic") and the settings are hyper detailed. Like, Light's room looks like a real room, not too tall, not distorted. It almost reminds me of the detailing in Hirohiko Araki's "Jojo's bizarre adventure". The facial expressions do have a "manga" feel, but they're also realistic. Obata's style of "Manga Realism" really brings out the mature capabilities of manga (the manga itself is for 16 and up), That it can accurately portray human figures and human emotion correctly. That's what makes Death note a good read for aspiring manga artists hoping to go for a more realistic style.

Comic making in college

No one said applying to college was easy. That's why I took a year off when I graduated high school. After many thoughts and opinions I'm finally hopping on the college bandwagon. I was skeptic of college at first, seeing how for many people it didn't help and it ended up being a big waste of money. But I've realized that if I want to improve my art, I would have to go to an environment suited for that. An Art college. Right now I'm hoping to apply to SVA, the school of visual arts, mainly for one major in particular. Cartooning. They have a whole major, with set of classes, geared towards comic book/graphic novel making. *sniff* It sounds so beautiful...;__;

Besides working on my art style, as said in my previous blog, I'm building up my portfolio. Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of work from my high school portfolio, but I've been away from school for a year, so they'll probably be wondering what have I been doing for a year. I'm nervous and excited. I'm going to a comic making class in an art college, I'll be among my comic making peers! I'll finally be able get decent advice on my work from my friends than just "It looks cool!". I did appreciate my friends opinions in school. But then again they each did a different thing like photography or sculpture. They weren't super focused on comic book making like I was.

I want comic book making to be my career. When I discovered Manga and comic books, I discovered my purpose in life. I feel that If you love doing something so much, why can't you do it for a living? So when I asked my manga-loving friends if they wanted to be comic book artists, most of them said no. Some even said they'll get a regular job first and continue comics as a "hobby". I can't do that. I don't see myself as an office worker. I want to make comics for a living (animation will be a side job). I won't settle for a cubicle job, that's not me.

MANGA REVIEW: Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei

(or "Goodbye Mr. Despair)

STORY AND ART BY: Koji Kumeta

There's one thing I gotta say about this manga artist. He has some real balls. This is a manga artist that makes fun of japan's society problems in a dark comedy. The story is about a teacher who has the worst name in the world, Itoshiki Nozomu. This is because when the characters are written closely together they create the word "Zetsubou" or "Despair". It's more Ironic when his catchphrase is "I'm in Despair!!". The teacher is also suicidal, Often finding ridiculous reasons to commit suicide, like "I saw the "E" logo with wings on the bald, baseball player's hat, and all I could think out is the kanji for "hair"!". Besides numerous suicide attempts, he also teachers a junior High school class of misfits. One's a super positive girl named after Franz Kafka, another is a social recluse, one has a tail fetish, one's a stalker, one's an illegal immigrant, one has major OCD, one is a doujinshi artist, one is super ordinary and the list goes on. Through out the story the teacher and the class learn about the many wrongs in japan's society. This is a comedy by the way.

It's not depressing as it is ridiculous. The whole story is meant to make fun of Japan's many problems like the high rate of suicide, the high rate of stress put upon students, and the increased rate of commercialism. I think it's funny and bold how Kumeta shows Japan's problems (usually those topics are a no-no in Japan). It's kind of like a comedic version of "intervention". I gotta give Kumeta kudos for having the guts to create this. It's even more suprising that it's SUPER popular in Japan. Strange world.

Developing an artstyle is HARD.

Hey guys, sorry to keep you hanging. Alot's been going on, my niece and nephew are sick, so is my big brother and mom. My sister and I were more fortunate @__@. Recently I've been hard at work tuning my art-style. At first I was drawing my characters too androgynous. My girls were not feminine enough and my guys were not masculine enough (with guys it's typical to make them androgynous...). Then, when I tried to feminize my girl character I realized her eyes were half the size of her face, and her irises were WAY too small. (she always looked surprised).

Now I'm trying to develop the lips more, make smaller noses, for the eyes, make the irises bigger and the eyes smaller. For the guys, lessen the lashes, make the face more angular, more distict noses. It's harder then it looks! But I guess this is what separates my style from generic manga. I want the guys manly but not "Fist of the north star" manly. And I want my girls more girly but not "Sailor moon" girly. I'm trying not to make one gender more extreme than the other, otherwise the whole artstyle will look unbalanced. The bigger picture is that I don't want my art to look like someone else's.

I would be so embarrissed >__>. Cause as I said about style in my previous blog, I don't like it when one manga looks too similar in style to another's. On deviant art (I haven't been on in like. Ever.) it was very common, not among art-thieves, but among beginning artist trying to get out there. I've been drawing for years and to this day I'm still trying to find the right style, something that screams "ME". Something that some one will get smacked if they mistake it for someone else's. To be honest, I've seen very distinct styles more often in OEL manga. Like Fred Gallagher's "Megatokyo", or Mark Crilley's "Miki Falls". I find that OEL (original english language) manga has more challenges to go through than Japanese manga. Japanese manga can either make it in japan or the western hemisphere (U.S., U.K., Europe...). For OEL manga it's make it or break it. It's trying to bring out it's own style and origin but while trying to stay in the manga genre. The Manga genre is a very limited art style, and to dare break out of it would bring you into the independent graphic novel genre, making it less likely for popularity. So to make a "Popular manga" means you have to limit yourself, but I can't do that. I need to push myself further, Which means that I need to work on my anatomy, scenery, and still life. That's right. I got to go back to basics. But by doing so I believe that I will achieve a supreme art style, even If I hate myself in the process of it, that happens to every artist, usually I put my head against the tablet and say "I hate this!" "I'm not good enough!" "AUGH! DX". On a positive note I have good manga to share with you.

MANGA REVIEW: Gold Digger

Story and Art by: Fred Perry

Don't let the title throw you off. It's a peculiar name but it's not what you think it is. This manga is a personal favorite of mine. It's about two women, Gina Diggers or "Gold Digger" who's a world famous archaeologist/scientist and her adopted sister Brittany or "Cheetah" who's a were-cheetah with great speed, strength and serves as Gina's bodyguard. Together this unlikely pair explores the world finding lost cities and solving great mysteries, if they aren't getting into trouble... It's an action-packed adventure series with comedy and neat old school references. I like it because it's marked as part of the manga genre, but it actually breaks through into it's own personal style. It also passes the expectations of OEL manga without becoming too independent. It's an old manga (1990's) and it's still ongoing so that's assurance that it's good. The artist uses a style of simplified facial features, exaggerated expressions, muscular men and trademark babes from the manga genre. But the detailing, scenery, inking, storyline and action scenes have a distinct western style. What I like about it so much is it's unique style. Just by looking at it I can tell the artist. Fred Perry, also known for doing an OVA of the series, check it out, the guy does his own animation! That who I want to be like. I want to be known for my style and storytelling, including my animation skills (I didn't tell you I did flash animation, did I? The more you know ^__^). I think this book is a great example of what OEL manga can accomplish and how it can differ from the manga genre without cutting away from it.