In a recent column for Daily Yomiuri, Tom Baker writes about the “Tezuka Gene: Light in the Darkness” show at Parco Department Store in Shibuya, Tokyo.

A crudely stitched scar slashing diagonally across his face makes Black Jack instantly recognizable. It’s easy to spot this Osamu Tezuka manga character at the “Tezuka Gene: Light in the Darkness” show at the Parco department store in Shibuya, Tokyo, even though he has been reimagined by several artists in different styles.

Tezuka (1928-1989) had his own distinctive style, but the early influence of Walt Disney animation remained clearly visible in it. Even when his material was dark and sinister, his characters were cute.

Present-day artist Kyotaro Aoki has taken Black Jack and characters from Tezuka’s Dororo, MW, Ode to Kirihito and other manga and changed their cartoon faces into lifelike pencil portraits, showing what they might look like in the real world.

While Aoki adds detail, Akihiro Soma (Concorde), strips it away, presenting Black Jack in a minimalist torn-paper collage resembling the work of American illustrator Eric Carle (known for his kids picture books such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar).

An art collective known as Enlightenment takes the liberty of making Black Jack a woman, in a large painting in which the outlaw surgeon is partly hidden by drugs, money and other symbolic objects flying out of her billowing cape.

The group also painted an image inspired by MW in which two nude men embrace behind an ornate crucifix. In that convoluted manga story, a young terrorist genius uses his sexual magnetism to torment a Catholic priest (who earlier in life had been a gang member who kidnapped him), turning the older man into a pawn in an apocalyptic plot.

In a recent manga review, Midori Matsuzawa reviews “Kaze Hikaru”.  Midori wrote:

The closing days of the 1603-1867 Edo period were among the most eventful in Japanese history, particularly after the U.S. fleet of Black Ships sailed into Edo Bay (now Tokyo Bay) in 1853. This eventually led to the end of the Tokugawa shogunate’s national isolation policy, a change that sparked dissatisfaction against the shogunate, with some feudal powers even trying to overthrow it.

Kaze Hikaru is set in this time of upheaval. The series has been appearing in comic magazines for girls since 1997.

The story centers on a fictitious character named Tominaga Sei, a teenage girl who disguises herself as a boy so that she can join what would later become known as Shinsengumi, a troop of skilled young samurai established in 1863 by the shogunate to fight against its enemies. While respecting bushido, or the ethical code of samurai, the group became greatly feared in Kyoto because of its cold-blooded manner in assassinating the shogunate’s opponents.

The heroine’s action comes from her determination to seek revenge for the murders of her doctor father and older brother. Their killers apparently belonged to a powerful, anti-shogunate clan from the Choshu domain, which is now part of Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Soon after the heroine is admitted to Shinsengumi, however, her identity is discovered by Okita Soji, a senior member of the troop known for his exceptional swordsmanship (and one of the group’s most popular figures, due in part to his tragic fate to die from tuberculosis).

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In a recent review of the manga “Whistle” for the Daily Yomiuri, Stephen Taylor wrote:

Like Captain Tsubasa, who inspired a generation of Japanese soccer players in the 1980s–including a certain Hidetoshi Nakata–and Roy of the Rovers, who was required reading for any teenage fan of the round-ball game in the ’70s, Daisuke Higuchi’s Whistle is sure to find a place in the hearts of a new generation of soccer players.

Originally published in 24 volumes in Japanese, with the 20th volume in English published last month, this story of how a young boy pursues his dream of becoming a professional soccer player is a good read, with good graphics and an engaging plot.

The story opens in 1998, with the Japanese national team preparing to make its debut at the soccer World Cup. Sho Kazamatsuri, a soccer-mad middle school student, has transferred to a new school, Josui Junior High School, from a prestigious private school, Musashinomori, simply because he was unable to command a regular place in the soccer team.

His move doesn’t turn out to be as smooth as he imagined, especially when his new schoolmates mistakenly assume he is going to bring some star quality to their first XI.

Higuchi takes readers through the trials and tribulations of Sho’s rigorous training schedule and introduces a range of characters who all impact on our young hero’s aspirations.

The star of the struggling Josui team is Tatsuya Mizuno, whose father is the coach of the Musashinomori team, and Sho and Tatsuya form the core of the team from the beginning. They are joined by a former professional soccer player, Soju Matsushita, who agrees to coach the team, and Ko Kazamatsuri, Sho’s elder brother.

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In a recent column of “Through Otaku Eyes”, Kanta Ishida wrote about the worldwide popularity of Rumiko Takahashi.

Ishida wrote, “Who is the artist who played the greatest role in the “globalization” of Japanese manga?”

“It might be Akira Toriyama, whose Dragon Ball became synonymous with manga. Or it might be Katsuhiro Otomo, who showed his skill at precise description in Akira, or Naoko Takeuchi, who excited enthusiasm among girls across Europe and the United States with her Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. Or maybe it’s Fujio F. Fujiko, as there can hardly be a child in Asia who doesn’t know Doraemon.”

“All these names are necessary when talking about Japanese manga’s foreign expansion.”

“But I’m beginning to think it may be the works of Rumiko Takahashi that showed the world the essence of manga more widely and deeply in and after the 1980s.”

“I am sometimes surprised by how widely her works are known while talking with people in the manga industry abroad. Pascal Lafine, editor in chief of Tonkam, a publishing company in France, told me about his considerable feeling for Takahashi’s hit manga series, Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku. Lau Wan Kit, a Hong Kong cartoonist who won the top prize in the second annual International Manga Award contest hosted by the Japanese Foreign Ministry for artists based overseas last month, said Takahashi is one of the mangaka he respects. Russian Japanologist Ivan Sergeevich Logachov loved Takahashi’s Ranma 1/2 so much that he finally translated it into Russian.”

“There may be mangaka who have sold more copies abroad than Takahashi has, but in many cases a certain title or artist is especially popular in one area and not so much so in others. Takahashi is a rare case in that her works are evenly popular over many parts of the world.”

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Mainichi Daily News reported, “In a classic case of art imitating life, a manga author has decided to change the name of a character’s company following a similar decision by the company that originally inspired him, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.”

“Kosaku Shima, hero of the popular comic serial “Shacho Shima Kosaku” (President Kosaku Shima), by Kenshi Hirokane, will be renaming his firm, Hatsushiba Goyo Holdings, it emerged on Tuesday.”

“The new corporate name will be announced in the Oct. 2 edition of weekly comic magazine “Morning,” to be published by Kodansha Ltd. on Thursday.”

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In a recent manga review for the Daily Yomiuri by Kitagawa Ikukuo, Kitagawa wrote, “Can losing his wife, his daughter and his own arms make one ordinary, good-hearted man go crazily violent? The man destroys building, smashes vehicles and dodges bullets and sword blows with his artificial iron arms, all in the name of hunting down the killers of his loved ones. His tenacity reminded this reader of the scenes in Terminator 2 when a robot disguised as a police officer relentlessly pursues the other characters.”

“Damons is a revenge story about Heito (pronounced “hate”) Saimon, a researcher at a nanotechnology company who is betrayed by Progress, his boss and former best friend. Progress hires four “bodyguards”–Jest, Laughing, Ardor and Rampart–who turn out to be professional assassins.”

“It’s not really clear until the end why they wrench Heito’s arms off and kill his family (whose bodies are preserved in a high-tech, liquid-filled capsule), but their anger apparently has something to do with Heito’s refusal to give them data to create highly advanced weaponry.”

“Heito is rescued by Dr. Beckel and trained to access a psychic power called zeimos–by which amputees can use phantom limbs to manipulate objects. Heito obtains the power while confined in a hot and humid room with his body secured to a chair so that he can’t move. A glass of water is put right in front of his eyes, but armless Heito, moaning and writhing with extreme thirst, can’t reach it. As he reaches the limits of agony, an invisible power appears from the base of his arms.”

“Beckel equips Heito with artificial iron arms, which, thanks to zeimos, he can use just like his own arms. He powers the arms with hatred during fights and sets out to kill his enemies.”

“The idea comes from mangaka Osamu Tezuka’s Tetsu no Senritsu, in which the protagonist’s arms are cut off by his brother-in-law, after which he obtains iron arms and vows revenge. Tezuka’s story is simply gothic horror on its surface, yet it leaves readers with a profound impact–which is one of the great things about his works. Hideyuki Yonehara’s Damons adds dynamic drawings and complicated story development–which is sometimes a bit tiring as it goes to 13 volumes. In particular, the mangaka makes some lengthy digressions to explore the villains’ backstories from around the eighth volume. It seems a bit overdone at the time, but it does contribute to the drama of the final confrontation in Volume 13, published just this week.”

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JapanTimes.com’s Patrick Macias wrote, “Stan Lee is the co-creator of some of the most loved comic-book characters of all time. As head writer and editor in chief at Marvel Comics during the 1960s and early ’70s, Lee presided over the birth of Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four and the superheroes that populate this summer’s Hollywood blockbusters “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

“Having transformed the landscape of the American comic book, Lee, now age 85, has set his sights on Japanese anime and manga.”From the offices of his POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment company in Beverly Hills, Lee, born Stanley Lieber, explains: “I’ve been to Japan a number of times. I love the country. I love the people and I love what they do.” He continues in his usual affable tenor, immediately recognizable to millions of comic fans from many appearances in public and movie cameos. “I’ve gotten together with a number of Japanese people who have ideas for comics and animation, and I’ve had ideas — and before you know it, we’ve decided we’re going to do some things together.”

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Mainichi Daily News reported, “A Japanese comic that triggered a wine boom in South Korea will be adapted into a TV drama likely starring popular South Korean actor Bae Yong-joon, an entertainment production company of which the actor is a shareholder has announced.”

“The production company Keyeast said that it concluded a contract at the end of last month with Kodansha, the publisher of the comic titled “Kami no Shizuku” (Drops of God), for the copyright for the South Korean drama version.”

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In a latest manga review for Daily Yomiuri, Tom Baker reviews “Yakitate!! Japan”.  Baker wrote, “Kazuma Azuma is a young man who has come to Tokyo with a big dream. Ever since a fateful childhood encounter with the owner of a small-town Japanese bakery, Kazuma has been obsessed with creating a bread worthy to rival rice as Japan’s defining dish. He calls this holy grail Ja-pan.”

“Pan is the Japanese word for bread. This is just the first of many puns in Yakitate!! Japan, a hilarious and wildly inventive manga series by Takashi Hashiguchi.”

“When Kazuma declares his ambition, his grandfather is not impressed. “Little fool!!!” the old man roars, “We’re rice farmers! You want us to eat bread?! WESTERNIZED IDIOT!!”

“Grandpa finally agrees to eat bread on the condition that Kazuma can bake something that goes well with miso soup and natto. To everyone’s surprise, he does just that, baking bread with soy milk mixed into the dough, reasoning that it would go well with other soy products.”

“But when he arrives in Tokyo and takes a job with the Pantasia bakery chain, Kazuma discovers that he is far from alone in his devotion to bread. Competing in Pantasia’s high-stakes rookie baking tournament, he borrows techniques from a sushi chef to create a new method of making melon pan and demonstrates a type of bread that is baked by sticking the dough to the roof of the oven. But he is up against competitors whose bread “dances” and “sings,” and who use ingredients far more exotic than soy milk. (Late in the series, someone even bakes a supposedly edible loaf with pearl powder mixed in.)”

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In a recent manga review for the Daily Yomiuri, Tom Baker wrote, “Yoshihiro Tatsumi was still in his 30s when he wrote and drew the nine short manga stories collected in Good-Bye, but three of those stories are about 60-year-old men who feel that their lives are over. Retirement offers them nothing to look forward to, and their careers leave them with nothing to look back on. For some, financial woes, health problems and flagging sexual ability magnify the aimlessness they all feel. “A worthless life,” as one puts it.”

“Welcome to Tatsumi’s aggressively bleak world. To judge by his work currently in print in English–The Push Man, a collection of manga from 1969; Abandon the Old in Tokyo, featuring works from 1970; and now Good-Bye, with selections from 1971 and 1972–hopelessness and frustration are major preoccupations. Not only do his characters suffer loneliness and physical hardship, but they are usually bereft of purpose and have their pride trampled into the dirt before their stories are over. There’s no point in reading such depressing stuff unless it is done very well.”

“And Tatsumi does it excellently.”

“Almost any of his stories could be summarized as a list of bad things happening to unlucky people. But he presents them with more complexity than that, especially in this volume’s story “Life is So Sad,” about a bar hostess who remains faithful to an unworthy boyfriend during his four-year prison term. The way the story ends, on the eve of the convict’s release, raises questions about why she has done what she has done and what she hopes to achieve by it that are likely to linger in your mind long after you’ve put the book aside.”

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