*SPECIAL REVIEW* Megatokyo

When I came back to Anime/Manga again full force, it had nothing to do with some new amazing Japanese series believe it or not, I owe it all to a North American web comic called Megatokyo.

I had heard about the comic for sometime from my roommate, he told me that I really should check it out, I had run into it in passing before, but never stopped long enough to look, to me it had always sorta been the "Hip thing" "Cool thing" and I am usually the last person that will get involved with the latest craze when it comes to Anime/Manga fandom [part of the reason I have never gotten into Naruto I guess] But I figured that I would give it another try one day when I had a few spare minutes at work, it might be fun to see what a North Americans take on this art for is like, what the heck right? Well, I managed to completely read the whole series current [as of March] in two days!

When I started reading I laughed at all of the gaming industry jokes and the satiric humor between the lead characters, Piro and Largo [interestingly enough, neither one of them ever seems to have a last name] as they try to invade E3 [you can never have too many John Romero/Daikatana jokes], then all of a sudden *whoosh!* they are off to Japan, and that’s where the real fun begins.

Piro is the definition of an Otaku, right down to the complete lack of confidence when it comes to women. Largo on the other hand, he is gamer geek, who speaks almost entirely in “l33t” speak as the series goes on. The two of them couldn’t be more different, but their friendship is wonderful to watch as it evolves and matures, and in many ways goes completely the wrong direction. Into their midst comes Hyasaka Erika, and Nanasawa Kimiko, two female roommates that have known each other since highschool, Kimiko is an aspiring Seiryu [voice actress] while Erika works in a local gaming store, much to her own chagrin.

The love interests and coupling are introduced very early on, but it’s the development of those relationships that makes for some of the more wonderful moments in the series. I don’t want to give a lot away, but by the time you get caught up to the current comic, you will have seen every Anime/Manga stereotype thrown on its ear, but with an amazing amount of reverence and loving care. [watch for Genbu and you will see what I mean] Fred Gallagher has so much respect for the culture of Japan and Anime/Manga fandom that he is careful not to overstep his bounds, his storytelling is very well done, parts heartfelt and amusing all in one.

I have heard people criticize the artwork, one has to understand that Fred has been learning as he goes, he is an architect by training not a comic book artist, so for him, it has been all about learning how the human body moves and emotes, not to mention the process of creating 3 strips a week. The early comics were crude by comparison to the later ones, but I urge you to give it a chance, by the current strips the characters look unique, and full of life. Like any good artist Fred is able to capture the feelings of his characters and render them lovingly on the page.


Megatokyo is available on http://www.megatokyo.com on roughly a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule [though that can fluctuate] and you can read the archives there. But I do urge you to go the Megagear Store on the site, and purchase the in print graphic novel compilations of the series as that will help Fred out, as well as keep the series going for the long haul.

I can recommend this series whole heartedly, you will definitely laugh, you might even cry, its one of the true gems of the web coming scene.

*SPECIAL REVIEW* Star Crossed Destiny

I know I said that I wouldn't be getting any new content up until next week, but I just got permission to post this review, and I really wanted to get this up. This is going to be more stream of conciousness than my normal reviews, but there is a reason for it, this review is as much about the process and the courage of the creator as it is about the final product...

So I present to you my readers... Star Crossed Destiny

I came across this web comic by accident, I was over on the Megatokyo fourms and found someone that had a link to it in their signature, for the heck of it I clicked away...I found the page and started reading, I finished 2 days later, reading as much as I could on breaks between calls at work, I was pulled in, and it never let go...

The story that the author Juno has created is absolutely amazing, she has a wonderful sense for character and storytelling that you rarely find in this day and age. So often authors get caught into standard Anime/Manga/Comic stereotypes that they don't have the guts or creativity to carve new ground out for themselves. Thats where this piece is different, the author had the guts to take her characters in a vastly different direction, people caught out of their own world, changed forever, its a beautiful story and don't want to ruin it here.

Artwork is simply breathtaking, I know that the author has at times complained in her own blog about its quality, but honestly her sense of movement and color are wonderful, as it her job of characterization, its a wonderful blending of Anime/Manga style and North American Comics, she is to be commended for bringing two totally diverse styles together with such skill. Again where others are willing to stick to a standard formula, the artist is willing to branch out and try something different and risky, I give all the credit in the world to people willing to do that.

As I said from the outset, there is more to this than simply a review of the comic, as seems to be customary these days the author provides a sort of commentary along with her pieces of work. I have actually found myself equally drawn to the story of the artist who created the comic.

This is her life's work, she is a talented young woman that is trying to make her way at something that few people even remotely suceed at, she deserves so much credit for that alone, I have read all the posts she has written about squeaking by financially because she is trying to make this dream real, I could never fault someone for that. Dreams are meant to be chased, and if possible caught. Juno's work to overcome all that she has to get this far is a testament to her strength as a person and an artist.

She is an inspiration to me, I have my own dreams when it comes to comic writing and the web, I have designs and ideas floating around in my head that I am just trying to figure out how to get on paper. Her site inspired me to keep chasing the dream of the story I have to tell...Thank you...

I am going to post links to the comic here on the blog, I encourage you to go read it, enjoy it, above all, if you do like it, support it!

I told you this wouldn't be a normal review, but I hope that it can show the passion one woman has for her work and the passion she has engendered in others. I only hope to make this site and my dream just as successful one day.

Nanami Ogura - First of my sketches

Ok, so here goes, I have been delaying long enough, please remember that I haven't picked up a pencil or pen to paper in the better part of ten years, and I wasn't very good back then either. I think my time working as a graphic artist have helped me somewhat though.

The characte you see below is a character design for one of my female leads in the comic that I am planning on doing. I still have a lot of work to do, but I am willing to keep practicing and learning.

Please let me know what you think...