Publisher: Del Rey/Kodansha Credits: Original story by Akira Kurosawa Art by Mizutaka Suhou Translated and Adapted by Yuko Kubo Lettered by North Market Street Graphics Rating 16+

This book was provided by the distributor Del Rey Manga for review

Akira Kurosawa’s story of the seven Samurai is timeless and no matter how much of the original story is altered along the way, the foundation of what he created will always remain timeless. I am thrilled to finally be reading a manga adaptation of his original story after having seen the movie and anime versions and I am equally impressed to find that the manga adaptation is just as good!

The tale of Katsushiro and how he finds the ‘Samurai 7′ is an endearing story of adventure, bravery, honour and courage against all odds. Who can resist a story like that? Stories about good versus evil are part of who we are, they’re pretty much irresistable regardless of how the story is told or where the story plays out.

In this manga the stage is an alternate universe set in a time where Samurai were considered almost obsolete and the stuff of legend. That is until Katsushiro arrives, stirring up all kinds of trouble wherever he goes. In volume one, we are introduced to Katsushiro and instantly we can see he is a charming if not somewhat misplaced individual with a heart of gold. All Katsushiro wants to be is a Samurai. And so begins the story of a lost boy who grows to become a hero.

The path ahead however is frought with trouble as Katsuhiro discovers. Villages everywhere are being attacked and vandalised by an inhuman cyborg threat that nobody can stop and what’s worse, nobody seems to care. The only people worthy of even taking up the cause, the Samurai, are either in hiding or have gone rogue and have become part of the problem rather than the solution. How can innocent villagers ever defend themselves against such an overwhelming force like the cyborg bandits? And how can one boy barely out of his teens make a difference?

When Katsushiro stumbles upon Kirara, everything changes. Kirara is looking for Samurai to help her village stand up to the marauding bandits and Katsushiro joins her to fight and help her get the assistance she needs. The reamainder of volume one focuses on the slow and painful process of recruiting Samurai who will take up the cause, with some very interesting results.

The artwork in Samurai 7 is some of the best I’ve seen in a long while in a manga or graphic novel. Manga-ka Mizutaka Suhou is an extremely talented artist and his artwork compliments the storyline of Samurai 7 perfectly. If you’ve seen the animated version of this story, you’re bound to see a few similarities between the characters of the manga and the anime. But Mizutaka Suhou captures the characters well in this manga, especially the physicality of each. Kyuzo was always my favourite character; the dark and brooding yet extremely deadly Samurai who keeps to himself and is a man of few words. He is brought to life by Mizutaka’s flawless work.

For anyone who loves Akira Kurosawa’s work, you’d be pleased to find that the Del Rey/Kodansha Samurai 7 publication captures the essence of this legendary story better than ever. The greatness of Akira Kurosawa lives on.

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Publisher: Del Rey/Kodansha Credits: Created by Koji Kumeta Translated and Adapted by Joyce Aurino Lettered by Foltz Design Rating 16+

This book was provided by the distributor Del Rey Manga for review

The story about a clinically depressed teacher who is teaching students equally as challenged in their own lives is a very different topic for a manga. Different, intriguing and interesting.

The teacher is Nozomu Itoshiki also known as ‘Mr. Despair’ according to the kanji characters that represent his name. Nozomu is extremely depressed. He even believes that his way of thinking about things is ‘unclean’ and that his heart is ‘unclean’ also. When he meets Kafuka, the most ‘optimistic girl in the world’, two worlds collide and the theme for the story is set. When these two opposing forces clash, it causes some interesting situations for everyone involved, especially ‘Mr. Despair’s’ students – the stalker, the shut-in, the obsessive-compulsive and the girl who comes to class every day with srange bruises. There’s no denying, this manga is about the people in society that are usually shunned or forgotten.

The most prominent characterisitic of this manga is how it is written. Although the subject matter may be bleak (the opening scene for instance shows Kafuka stumbling upon Nozomu’s dangling body hanging from a cherry blossom tree), it is written with alot of humour albeit somewhat dark subject matter. Kafuka’s character brings a ray of light into the story, which would otherwise be dark and bleak.

In volume one we see our depressed teacher try to commit suicide several times and each time he attempts to die his plan is twarted by Kafuka. When Nozomu is given a special student case to handle by visiting the ‘shut-in’ student who hasn’t attended school in a year, Kafuka is around again to save the day. Kafuka’s ideas of ‘reverse-engineering’, that is persuading Nozomu (and anyone else that is negative) to believe in the exact opposite of what they want to achieve seems to be pointing at ‘mind-over-matter’ and positive thinking winning over negative thoughts. So although this story is about depressing things, it’s really about hope existing even where you least expect it too.

The artwork reminds me alot of ‘Astro Boy’ with the oval shaped faces and large round eyes used on almost every character. It’s great for this manga and works well.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume One comes complete with bonus materials, notes from the author and a sneak preview at the second book in the series in original Japanese.

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume One is available now at all good book stores.

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Publisher: Del Rey/Kodansha Credits: Created by Koge Donbo Translated and Adapted by Althea Nibley and Athena Nibley Lettered by Foltz Design Rating OT 13+

This book was provided by the distributor Del Rey Manga for review

Seeds of chaos, time travel and cutesy looking characters who can turn into all-powerful gods (in god mode, of course) is what Kamichama Karin Chu 3 is all about!

Aimed at the 13+ tweenagers out there, Kamichama is both cute and exciting, if not a little disorganised. If you haven’t read the previous books in this series, you may have a challenge keeping up with the story (as I did). There are some very fun elements in this manga that will definitely appeal to a younger audience – the artwork for one thing, is extremely cute. The big doe-eyed expressions are a trademark feature of the artist and it certainly works well for the theme of the manga.

The first part of the manga follows the awkward love match between Karin and Kazune - two of the main characters in the story. Judging by the way Karin carries on around Kazune, it’s obvious she doesn’t know how Kazune really feels and there is alot of emphasis on this aspect. Perhaps a little too much but again, given the audience this is written for, it seems very playful and fun.

Kazune is going to the future and may not return so Karin is very worried she may not see the boy she loves again. Enter Jin who acts like the spoiled, jealous and jilted ex-boyfriend around Karin, and you’ve got a rather interesting love-triangle going on in the middle of the story.

Amidst all of this hysteria, our hero Kazune travels forth to the future, leaving behind the solace of his friends and loved ones to do battle with the evil Seeds of Chaos! Whilst Kazune is gone however, Jin sees the perfect opportunity to seize the moment with Karin. Poor Karin having to choose between a god (Kazune) and a TV idol (Jin). Life certainly is tough for our doe-eyed heroine!

There’s more turmoil ahead for Karin it seems as her love for Kazune is put to the ultimate test when he returns from the future. Meanwhile, the bad ‘seeds’ in this story Kirio Karasuma and his sister Rika are up to no good, turning Karin’s life topsy-turvy. And with Kazune’s return comes the all important ‘Love Evolution’ theory that Kazune has discovered in the future. That was a little strange but it eventually does start to make sense. Sort of.

The story reads at an acceptable pace with just the right amount of action sequences thrown in to keep things lively. The love story between Karin and Kazune seems to slow things down almost to a halt but good ol’ Jin seems to keep things ticking along nicely, not to mention the no-good brother and sister combination of Kirio and Rika.

Kamichama Karin Chu 3 is a rather lively love story with a futuristic twist. The characters are developing slowly but surely and as long as Jin and the mischievous Karasuma’s stay in the picture, Kamichama might turn out to be a nice little manga.

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