The Adolescence of Utena [manga]

Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence of Utena
This is a manga version of the anime film of the same name. The overall plot is the same but with much more explanations into the motivations of Utena and Anthy. It roots Utena's story firmly into that of Touga having been her lover in a past that Utena is now trying to escape. The manga has very little surreal elements so this is a perfect guide for those who just watched the movie and whose heads are spinning with "WTF?"

In comparison to the series/movie... I wasn't too keen on the whole Utena/Touga story (though better than Utena/Akio) and Anthy seemed a bit shallow because the manga doesn't give much time for character development. I'm amazed they were able to trim it down so much but I guess it's not too hard - the majority of the duels were pretty pointless in the grand scheme of the overall story in the anime other than to proove Utena's worth as a prince but I can definetly see that element being proved in a much shorter span of time.

As far as yuri goes, the vibes between Utena and Anthy were barely there, particularly with Utena appearing shocked and in distaste of the kisses. Ugh. Also, I don't think there are many ways they could top the drawing of the Sword of Dios from Anthy's chest the way it was done in the anime. O_O; Kiss or no kiss. I mean, the way Utena draws the sword in this manga, she's very reluctant and it's about the sword, not the connection between the two characters.

All in all, its entertaining enough for $9 and very re-readable when the Utena mood strikes me. It's also surreal enough in structure to make you have to think about the characters motivations in why they each block out the past and re-create their realities, so there's still fodder for brain excercise, which I like.

Graphic Novels

"Elfquest" by Wendy and Richard Pini was one of the first graphic novels I ever read. I was already reading X-Men and Wolverine at the time my sister got me to read these. When I started "ElfQuest", there were only 1 through 8 volumes. It may seem foofy on the outside, but ElfQuest has a solid heart... Elves against humans, pure-blood elves against those of "tainted" blood, magic against steel, troll versus elf.... the art is great and the story lives on beyond the original four-then-eight novels. At least read the first two and you'll see what I mean.

"Strangers in Paradise" by Terry Moore. My absolute favourite comic/trade paperback of all time and possibly my most treasured codex of any kind. It's the real-world kicked up a notch. It's about friendship, love, violence, dark pasts, conservative familes and expectations, and anything that's not considered the 'norm' but is really just another part of life. This series has it ALL. If you read any kind of illustrated story, I highly reccomend you at least read the first two volumes of this series and I guarantee you'll love it. It's that good.

"Preacher" by Garth Ennis. This is one twisted set of graphic novels. If it were a movie, I don't know I'd watch it but I checked out (on accident) the second or third volume and just had to read the rest to see what was going on. Doubt I'd ever buy it but it was definetly entertaining. Not for the easily-offended.

"The Books of Magic" by Neil Gaiman & others. Now, I'd read the Sandman series, but I have to say I like the Books of Magic better. Gaiman didn't write all of this series, but was the inspiration for it. It's kind of like Harry Potter on crack - it's eerie how some of the elements are similar; jaded young darkhaired w. glasses boy with shitty family life discovers that he's got ties to the magical world he never knew existed. Similarities end there, for the most part. Since it's magic, anything can happen with characters you'd only see in your dreams or nightmares. Oh, and Death makes quite a few apperances, which doesn't hurt. :D

"Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" by Hayao Miazaki. Yeah, it's Manga and I haven't read a ton of it that I really really liked. A lot of the exciting stuff is action crammed into huge panels that you can finish in 15 minutes. Not this. This is epic. It's kind of post-apocalyptic but in a world so far removed from our own, it seems. There is an anime version of this that is just terrible in comparison. Read the books! There are only 4 and if I had the money, I'd own them in a heartbeat. The kind of thing that makes you look at the world and where we're going.