Gakuen Alice

~Shoujo~

Let's take a peak at a mildly-known manga, which is still in production. Gakuen Alice is more shoujo (for girls), but not exactly. There's action and love; it has a whipping-pheromone teacher and an evil, dark guy that can curse people to death, so it's not for really young kids by any means. A brief summary, for those unfamiliar with the manga:

Mikan is an orphan that is raised by her "grandfather." Her bestfriend, Hotaru, is found out to be an Alice (a person with a supernatural ability), and enrolls in Alice Academy, the school that trains people with these special powers. Locked away from family and friends, in this school young children grow up to learn and develop their powers. Fearing for her friend's safety, Mikan runs away to follow her, but through a weird turn of events finds out she also has an Alice and gets taken by the school. While in this special school, she finds out that there is something more going on--a more sinister school then what is on the surface.

~Gakuen Alice Opening~
"Pika Pika no Taiyou" by Kane Ueda

BAD

1. Child Characters--This manga would be a lot more engaging if the characters' ages were closer to the audience. Like, SPOILER ((when they eat Gulliver's Candy and grow up to become 15/16.)) Reading a story with child characters I find myself automatically pairing them together and it just seems wrong. I'm not a pedophile, but I like the story, so I wish that the mangaka had organized it so that it's a little more legal. There are older characters, btw. However, the main characters (the ones everyone is interested in) are around ten years old.

Of course, this could be a very big opportunity for those fan fiction authors out there, and I'm sure it already is. Man, fan-fiction could be its own enterprise if it started advertising and making money...

2. Round-About--The chapters sometimes go off on tangents and the characters have to do extra things to get to the main thing. Not really flashbacks, more like doing useless shit that they really don't have to do because they found out a warphole that can take them there. With a fantasy storyline with fictional super power abilities, it's easy to do fillers and introduce some random character to take Mikan on another adventure, and as fun as it is, it doesn't do anything to advance the plot.

GOOD

1. Personalities--Okay, not a lot of bad things, I know, it's because this manga is so good I stayed up until four in the morning reading it (two days ago). I love the characters and the awesome dynamic relationships going on. Hotaru is the bestfriend that isn't afraid of hard loving, and Natsume is the bad-ass guy who, even though he gets a crush, doesn't do all the lovey-dovey things that guys are supposed to do. Ruka (Luke) is cute, but hates being called girly (kind of like Yuki from Fruits Basket) and he is bestfriends with Natsume (wtf). There is a plethora of characters to choose from, and even the older teachers are interesting.

There are also serious characters, and as Gakuen Alice progresses into a darker anime, you are introduced to one fo the leading badasses, Persona. Though nothing is really explored yet, you have the mysterious principals of the school, and Natsume seems to be their pet cat. Like I said before, I don't like the child characters, but I do love the various personalities and struggles.

2. The World--I'm also a fan of Harry Potter, so I like any fantasy world that is played to the fullest. There is a cultural festival during which the different classes compete against each other. In short, an explosion of superpowers. The various kinds of Alices are pretty funny, especially in Mikan's "Special Ability" group. The school structure, with stars as reward, a no-star as punishment, and the whole fairytale theme is so cute. (If you don't like cute things, this isn't the manga for you)

3. Dynamic Plot--Okay, I didn't like the round-about way of getting somewhere, but the growing sense of darkness and urgency, of a hidden secret, is a classic way to lure in readers. In this supposedly great school, there is a dark secret, and the teachers know. Letters are monitored, children are kept from their families for long periods of time, and sometimes people go missing. Under all the fufu exterior, you can sense this complex dynamic. Because the series is not yet finished, I cannot give a complete analysis about it, but it's good enough to keep me up until four in the morning, so it's pretty good.

Naruto

~Shounen~

Of all the manga and anime out there, I would have to say that "Naruto" has the most fans right now due to the currently airing "Naruto Shippuuden". These exaggerated fans, mostly girls squeeing about Sasuke, are better known as Narutards. Unfortunately, I am also a fan. But hey, don't walk out on me just yet! I'm just getting started in my analysis of "Naruto." Why is it bad? Why is it good? And why you should not give a fuck and just watch it already!

Naruto, if you don't already know, is a manga based on a young, spunky ninja born in the leaf village, Konoha. From birth he is given a very difficult destiny. Both of his parents are dead and an evil demon fox is imprisoned inside him, which causes the village people to shun him. Growing up with the urge to prove himself, he can be rather risky and stupid on his missions. But, he develops relationships and becomes a very dependable ninja. Eventually, he wants to become Hokage (ruler of leaf village).

~Naruto Fourth Opening~
"Go" by Flow

BAD

1. Fans--I mentioned the fan girls, and yes, the fans are one of the worst parts of Naruto. You look at them in their geeky headbands and they shout "Believe it!" all the time, don't get me started. But, like all great anime, don't let the fans kill it. If it makes you feel better, watch Naruto in the comforts of your home, and when you do scrounge enough money to visit an anime convention, give those Narutards a good punch in the face for me. If you don't know what a Narutard looks like, I've included a picture->


2. Flashbacks--If you get into the anime, more so than the manga, there is an INSANE amount of going back through time in order to report what we, the fans, already know. This is where the manga does better than the anime! When you get frustrated with the anime, just go to onemanga and read ahead to satisfy that Naruto craving. The manga is like...ten books ahead of the anime anyway. But, even the manga has flashbacks once in a while, especially when a kickass battle is about to begin. This is mainly for all those fan fiction writers out there, and people who like to know THE PLOT. Admit it, watching people fighting and always winning is no good, you gotta have death, destruction, and some reason behind it. Every person has a story...

But if you're impatient and don't want to hear another tale about the destruction of the Uchiha Clan, just turn the page or fast forward to the action, which brings us to number 3.

3. Stoopid Fighting--Naruto always wins. That's the answer to about 99% for the battles that include Naruto or any of the major characters, which also happen to be part of original Team Seven (Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi). These characters are still alive and kicking (although I haven't gotten to the end of the available manga, so if Kakashi dies DON'T TELL ME!) Ahem... Anyway, these characters always have some ultimate jutsu, or older brother, which will always turn the battle around in their favor. Or in Sakura's case, they never fight. It gets redundant to the point of being boring, and you figure out what will happen at the end pretty quickly.

However, even someone who has been watching Naruto since the beginning--not including that long-ass stretch of fillers after the Hokage died--can find surprises around every corner. Naruto, for an anime series well into it's 4th season, is turning into a really complicated show. The sappy, cheesey "I'm gonna win no matter what" is part of the spunky ninja story of a boy--who is still, like, fifteen--it's going to be goofy at times. It's going to be stoopid sometimes. Just suck it up like everyone else and realize that's just how this ninja story is. If you don't like it, watch/read something like Hellsing... (which I have read/watched)

4. Dubs--If you don't know this already, might as well tell you now. ENGLISH DUBS RUIN ANIME! There are some rare exceptions--like Hellsing, where the British and Irish accents add spice to the Britain-based anime and is similar in meaning to the Japanese version. Sadly, this isn't the case in Naruto. He says "believe it!" every other line, and since it aired on Cartoon Network, of all things, it's been dumbed down to fit the television critic's version of a wholesome cartoon for young teenagers. Now, with Naruto Shippuden airing on Disney when it arrives in America--WTF--the dubs are only going to get worse. My advice, read the manga or watch the original Japanese version on Hulu.com. (But make sure to buy some videos/manga to help all the mangaka out there!)

Pic of the Day #1

GOOD

1. THE PLOT--Not many anime/manga will be as complicated as Naruto Shippuden. Albeit there are also more complicated plot lines, like Evangelion, Akira, Death Note, etc. But, on the anime/manga spectrum, Naruto is happily wedged in the lower upper-half. For someone who can't handle the random stuff like Azumanga Daioh, Excel Saga, or Cromartie High School, Naruto is a breather. It's not a super-intense, mind-boggling anime, and is more stimulating than ponytails-flapping, cat-biting, bleeding-nose, Queen-singer things that are in these very random animes. Random anime is good when you don't want to think about anything at all, like if you had a super depressing day, but, for the most part, I like to have some plot with my mayhem and pervy humor.

2. Good Fights--The epic fights you've been waiting for since Season One, the ones you watch over and over again just to see blood flying and super-cool fast fist action--that is what makes waiting through all those fillers and flashbacks worth while. One of the main reasons why Naruto fans still watch Naruto is that they know that somewhere down the road a good fight is going to happen where we will learn something more about the several styles of jutsu out there. It's a learning experience--a trip through a fictional world that's on the brink of a new world war. Just like people kept reading Harry Potter, people kept watching Heroes, people keep dialing in their best picks for American Idol--they want to see the finale. Naruto characters don't always win...T_T if you have been watching the recent videos of Naruto you'll know what I mean. Death is a possibility. And that plays brilliantly into the dynamics of the fights. In some fights you really don't know who will win.


3. Character Development--In addition to plot for a great story, rounded characters are also necessary. Masashi Kishimoto has done a wonderful job not only drawing the characters older and more responsible in the Shippuuden series, but also allowing them to grow up. Naruto is still gung-ho, that's to be expected of the #2 gutsy ninja (bested by Jiraiya), but he's no longer so reckless. When he gets angry he loses control, but he's eager to better himself and realizes that he shouldn't be doing stupid shit all the time. Sakura actually fights and devises battle strategy, almost as good as Shikamaru in analyzing a situation. Sasuke, even though he can be overpraised by all those rabid fan girls, grows the most, and learns about his past and destiny. Other characters are also developed more, like Shikamaru and the struggle of Gai. Masashi Kishimoto has written the story so well that he could use practically any ninja and we would be eager to see more development, something more to tell about them and their history.


4. Wide Audience--You probably won't be showing this to your four-year-old child, but I could see Naruto being popular with children ranging from eleven to adults ranging to fifty. Due to the Naruto characters being so well-rounded, and the range of their ages and temperaments, there is something everyone can relate too. My favorite character (Jiraiya) won't be the same as yours, and your favorite moment won't be the same as mine (Naruto and Jiraiya sitting underneath the tree and eating popsicles). Due to the language and violence, it isn't for the uptight pricks, but if you want a good hearty show that builds bonds and advances character development while being interesting and just plain カッコいい! (cool!)

But don't be like this guy--

~Stay cool~

Hope you enjoyed reading!

どうぞよろしく!(Nice to Meet You!)

No, I do not speak Japanese fluently, sorry to disappoint! I am learning in school, and I would like to brush up a little while also talking about one of my favorite hobbies, topping watching anime--MANGA! I have been into Japanese cartooning for a while, ever since original Pokemon and Sailor Moon came out on Toonami in the USA. So どうぞよろしく！And welcome to Manga Medley!!

いいえ、パーフェクトの日本語を話せない、ごめんね！大学で勉強している。一番の趣味についてを話すの間に、日本語を練習したい。数々の年、アニメとマンガが好きよ！ポケットモンスターと美少女戦士セーラームーンはテュナミで見るから。ソ、どうぞよろしく！「マンガメドリー」へいらっしゃい！