khyungbird ([info]khyungbird) wrote,
@ 2008-03-03 11:36:00
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How I Review Manga
People often ask me "As a manga critic, what criteria do you use in your reviews?" I'm proud to say that I have finally answered this question in an article for the website of Otaku USA Magazine. This is possibly the best thing I've written since "Manga: The Complete Guide" came out back in October. I mean it: RUN, DON'T WALK to your copy of Firefox or Safari and CLICK ON THAT LINK IMMEDIATELY. Please check it out!

Here's a brief sample to whet your appetite:


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[info]ggymeta.wordpress.com
2008-03-03 07:56 pm UTC (link)
Hey, I got a free half-hour, come bug me on SKYPE.

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[info]khyungbird
2008-03-03 10:15 pm UTC (link)
Thanks! I would, but I am at Viz at the moment doing work, I probably won't be back home for another few hours. :/

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[info]dianamcqueen
2008-03-03 08:11 pm UTC (link)
I'm not sure what that pie chart is at all, and how all those things somehow equal Osamu Tezuka....?

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[info]puritybrown
2008-03-04 03:25 am UTC (link)
It's a wine-tasting guide, demonstrating how the different scents and flavours in wine relate to each other. Tezuka's at the centre as a tribute to his position as the godfather of manga.

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[info]dianamcqueen
2008-03-04 03:58 am UTC (link)
I know who he is, but what does that have to do with wine?

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[info]khyungbird
2008-03-04 08:57 am UTC (link)
For that you must read the article! A votre sante! :)

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[info]zerochan
2008-03-03 08:58 pm UTC (link)
Great piece! Hope you don't mind me plugging it over at the Japanator blog :D

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[info]ensuing
2008-03-03 09:26 pm UTC (link)
This is awesome. And so RIGHT.

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[info]puritybrown
2008-03-03 10:04 pm UTC (link)
That's GENIUS. I nearly hurt myself laughing.

(...a long time ago, on The Engine (before Warren Ellis nuked it), I remarked that wine tasting had a more developed critical vocabulary than comics. I think you've proved me right...)

(You know what else? Emptying out spit buckets for wine tastings at the age of 14 can put you off the taste and smell of wine FOR LIFE. I speak from bitter first-hand experience.)

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[info]jeepersjournal
2008-03-03 10:18 pm UTC (link)
I still haven't gotten issue 5...need to do that. That was pretty fun. Now that I've seen you shred a copy of Shiki Tsukai, I'm gonna have to check that out [what can I say? I like bad manga]

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oo! who knew that manga could express terroir?
[info]deadslug
2008-03-04 02:36 am UTC (link)
so... if, say, japan gets hit by some freaky weather, will that impact the manga vintages for that year? or has manga been delayed because they couldn't harvest it until the brix was juuust right? does that explain the vaguely yeasty smell at viz?

i mean, obviously, a manga drawn on one side of a hill can't possibly taste the same as a manga drawn on the other side of the hill... ;)

(and yes the article was very funny!)

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[info]kaiwryn
2008-03-04 04:40 am UTC (link)
Note to self. Do not click on anything Jason Thompson links when in the middle of a class critique. This is sure to result in laughing hysterically and thus a very angry teacher.

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[info]hikarichan78
2008-03-04 06:25 am UTC (link)
This post is made of awesome! I couldn't stop laughing at the irreverence; nuzzling a manga like a blind baby kitten looking for its mother's nipple?! Wow! I only wish I could be half that creative.

And I loved how you ripped into old (worst manga ever) stand-bys like Dark Angel and Bomber Girl for example. I'm glad you threw Haruka and Shiki Tsukai in there too. You all did a great job relating the wine-tasting guide to manga reviewing. Do you three always have this much fun when you get together? :p

Excellent reading -- thanks for the laughs!

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[info]khyungbird
2008-03-04 08:59 am UTC (link)
I have been on the other side of the planet with Jake, but this is actually the first time that I have been drunk -- or even manga-drunk -- with both Jake and Ryan at the same time. And considering that some of us were under the weather, it was way more fun that it should have been. :)

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(Anonymous)
2008-03-04 01:28 pm UTC (link)
That made my day. Totally. XD Jason, if manga gets outlawed tomorrow, you could go into the wine industry!! You certainly have the talent and the know-how. XD

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Foggi
(Anonymous)
2008-03-04 01:29 pm UTC (link)
That made my day. Totally. XD If manga gets outlawed tomorrow, you could go into the wine industry!! You certainly have the talent and the know-how. XD

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Re: Foggi
[info]khyungbird
2008-03-06 12:18 am UTC (link)
Well, I did grow up in Sonoma County, which is right next to Napa... ;)

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Scary...but you know there's actually something to this. XD
[info]kethylia
2008-03-04 07:03 pm UTC (link)
I can tell if a book's been printed in the US, Canada, UK/Australia, Korea, or Japan/China just by the smell of the paper. Really. Cross my heart. ^_~

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Re: Scary...but you know there's actually something to this. XD
[info]khyungbird
2008-03-04 10:47 pm UTC (link)
I haven't developed any useful abilities from it, but sniffing books is a long pastime of mine too. ~_~ That's the shameful truth behind this article.

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Re: Scary...but you know there's actually something to this. XD
[info]kethylia
2008-03-05 12:44 am UTC (link)
Why be ashamed?! There are lots of people out there who like the smell of books...usually the same set of people who like reading the books as well. ^__^

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In the interest of ruining the levity
[info]andrew_park
2008-03-05 12:01 am UTC (link)
In the interest of preventing so many people from having such a nice time together, Gary Gygax has died at age 69.

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Foggi
(Anonymous)
2008-03-06 01:04 am UTC (link)
Do not remind me. ><>< OOTS has a memorial strip up, go check it out!!

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[info]popjapanotaku.blogspot.com
2008-03-07 05:38 pm UTC (link)
You are absolutely amazing!This article made me all giggly and warm inside. Like a good, vintage wine! :) I have been emailing it to all my fellow reviewers. Respect! :)

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