The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai

 

The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai was a book on my reading wishlist for quite some time. I finally read the paperback edition of this manga biography about the Dalai Lama in one day! It was a quick read due to it being filled with manga artwork and writing that tells the story of the Dalai Lama's life.

I liked the artwork for The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai. I also felt like this manga biography gave a basic overview of the Dalai Lama's life. I enjoyed reading this book.

Below is the publisher's summary for The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai I discovered on Amazon's website:

A new way of getting to know one of the world's most beloved spiritual leaders.

Featuring a charmingly illustrated format that will appeal to readers of all ages, this unique biography is an ideal introduction to the leader of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Born in 1935 to a peasant family in a small village, Tenzin Gyatso was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. In 1950, His Holiness assumed full political power when China invade Tibet-a tragedy that forever changed him and shaped his efforts on behalf of world peace, for which he was award the Nobel Peace Prize. This graphic novel is an appealing and approachable depiction of the life and personality of an iconic figure.

I am giving The 14th Dalai Lama: A Manga Biography by Tetsu Saiwai a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!!

50/50 Friday ~ Best/Worst Graphic Novel/Manga You've Read

50/50 Friday is a meme hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reads and Laura @ Blue Eye Books. This fun themed meme focuses on the opposite sides of books (best/worst, differing opinions, etc). Every week a new topic will give bloggers the chance to showcase their answers.

This week's topic is the Best/Worst Graphic Novel/Manga You've Read!

This is a tough choice for me to make as I have not read many books from the graphic novel/manga genre. The books I have read from either genre have either been really good or not to my liking at all!

The Best Graphic Novel/Manga I've read

Embroideries by Marjane Satrapi

(Click on above link to read my review.)

The Worst Graphic Novel/Manga I've read

A Strange Kind of Woman, Volume 1 by Inu

(Click on above link to read my review.)

A Strange Kind of Woman, Volume 1 by Inu

I read A Strange Kind of Woman, Volume 1 by Inu in a single afternoon. It's a erotica manga novel and is approximately 222 pages in length. This novel is definitely for ADULTS ONLY!

I'm pretty new to the entire manga genre. I think that A Strange Kind of Woman, Volume 1 by Inu is my second or third attempt at reading anything within in the manga genre itself. I'm trying to read/explore other genres that I normally wouldn't read. Manga novels definitely fit into the category of genres I should explore... I figured that I since I enjoy reading erotica novels, novellas, and short stories on occasion, why not give erotica manga a try? So, after perusing Amazon's website I chose A Strange Kind of Woman to read because of the high reviews and praise it had received from online reviewers.

So, what did I think of A Strange Kind of Woman, Volume 1?? Where do I even begin with reviewing this erotica manga novel?? It wasn't my thing. I didn't like it. TOO MUCH SEX!! Not enough story!! It contained silly drama and a weird plot twist at the end of the novel. The artwork was well done, but this book was too sexually graphic for my taste. Needless to say, I will not be buying or reading the next novel in this series.

I'm giving A Strange Kind of Woman, Volume 1 by Inu a rating of 1 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura

Manga Novel

I recently read a manga novel titled Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura. 

I am currently trying to expand my reading horizons by branching out and exploring new (to me) genres and/or authors... And Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura fits the criteria as prior to now, I'd never read anything written by Asumiko Nakamura. Nor has the manga genre been a big interest to me personally.

Alright, so what initially grabbed my attention/caught my eye about Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura?? The art work on the front and back of this novel definitely has curb appeal. The summary of the book itself on the back cover also made the thought of reading this novel appealing... And that fact that this novel is for adults 18+ also piqued my interest. So, with these three things in mind, I went ahead and purchased a copy of Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura.

What did I loved about Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura?? 

1. The art work is nicely done! 

2. This novel is more complex than I ever expected it to be. It's filled with many layers, like peeling an onion. It has a lot a depth to it and I still doubt I completely grasp the 'big picture' when it comes to fulling understanding this novel in its entirety. 

3. Quick read... Even though this novel is 400+ pages, it can be read within a couple of hours.

What I did NOT love about  Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist by Asumiko Nakamura?? 

1. The teeny tiny writing, which made it difficult to read the text for my aging eyes!! 

2. The bubbles where dialogue fit, didn't always clearly mark which character was actually speaking the words. This made you have to really work hard at times figure out who was saying what.

3. This novel didn't seem to follow a linear fashion... It seemed like events of the past were mixed into what was going on in the present making things confusing. 

4. Some scenes/events were difficult to follow. I don't want to have to work that hard trying to make sense of the unfolding events, etc in a novel. 

The following is a book summary from Amazon's website:

Young author Aki Fujino appeared poised to making it big in the world of publishing. Her debut title UTSUBORA was being pitched about to a number of editors and at least one person felt it was set to propel her into stardom. However, before she could ever have her book published, the young woman was found dead. Some believe it was a suicide, but those close to her feel there is something more sinister involved in this young talent's death.

Aki's death has become something straight out of a mystery. Much like the story behind UTSUBORA, there is something more to Aki, Sakura and their relationship with an author named Mizorogi than meets the eye. And it is possible that the only way to solve this mystery may be to uncover all their secrets.

Overall, I didn't enjoy reading Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist. It wasn't my cup of tea. I'm giving it a rating of 3 stars out of 10 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

10 Manga Series’ Better Than Western Comics

I recently bought a manga book, which I look forward to reading soon, hopefully... I'm new to the manga genre, which has me wondering more about this genre in general. So, when I came across an article on whatculture.com titled, 10 Manga Series’ Better Than Any Western Comics by Raymond Bohigas, I decided to check it out. In the article, Bohigas writes:

Not unlike western comics, manga is a phenomenon staggering in its scope and dazzling in its complexity. It stretches across many decades, involves thousands of authors, and spans dozens of genres. In a nutshell, it is a world of its own. 

Alas, manga and anime haven’t traditionally enjoyed all that much popularity in western countries. Where superhero comics have oft been regarded as something for little kids, popular thought frequently seems to characterise manga as something intrinsically sleazy, likely to feature naughty tentacles or worse. Indeed, otaku were once the geeks other geeks looked down on.

And while things have changed for the better over the years (being a manga aficionado no longer carries the stigma it once did and there is a much broader offer of licensed manga to be found in western markets), manga remains something of a niche interest. Even now, it is not all that strange to encounter comic readers who regard manga as something for weirdoes who like to cosplay in conventions, blissfully unaware of the fact that some manga series’ have reached heights of storytelling that match the best western comics have to offer.

Click on the above link to read which manga series' made the list!