Review: ONWARD TOWARDS OUR NOBLE DEATHS

 Of course, sometimes historical manga is made to record actual history (or at least a somewhat fictionalized version of it) straight from the source.  Shigeru Mizuki made many manga like that over his lifetime, but few were as personal to the man as this.

ONWARD TOWARDS OUR NOBLE DEATHS (Soin Gyokusai Seyo!), by Shigeru Mizuki.  First published in 1973 and first published in North America in 2011.

PLOT:

In 1944, a faction of the Imperial Japanese Army is sent to New Britian, a tiny island off the coast of Papua New Guinea.  They are meant to repel Allied forces, but instead their days are mostly filled with a regular routine of starvation, tropical disease, and abuse from their superior officers.  Eventually, one of the captains insists that the unit perform a suicidal march to the coast to save face, even if doing so comes at the expense of the soldiers themselves.

Review: NG LIFE

Shojo sometimes dabbles with history, usually for the sake of reincarnation drama or the concept of star-crossed lovers.  In this case, the creator of Yona of the Dawn looked at it and said "why not both?"

NG LIFE (NG Raifu), by Mizuho Kusanagi.  First published in 2005 and first published in North America in 2009.

PLOT:

Nearly two millennia ago, the gladiator Sirex pledged to his lady love Serena that would return to her even as their hometown of Pompeii was consumed by Mount Vesuvius.  Centuries later, Sirex has been reborn as Keidai, an ordinary Japanese teen boy.  While many of the people around him are also reincarnations of people from Sirex's life, only Keidai can clearly remember that past.  That makes things awkward when Keidai recognizes his beloved Serena in Yuuya, the grumpy boy who just moved in next door.  Keidai isn't sure whether to convince Yuuya of their past connection or try to forge some new relationships in the modern world?

Review: THERMAE ROMAE

 This week has been one for the history books here in the States (to say the least), so let us have a month that's all about the many ways manga has explored world history!  And I know precisely where to start...

THERMAE ROMAE (Terumae Romae), by Mari Yamazaki.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2012.

PLOT:

Centuries ago, during the reign of Roman emperor Hadrian, the engineer Lucius Modestus is struggling to come up with a new idea for his latest public bath project.  A freak accident sends him spiraling into modern-day Japan, where he is dazzled by their bathing technology and culture.  Lucius's new ideas are a success, but what will he do when the emperor himself demands his service?

Review: MERMAID SAGA

 It's a little late, but think of this review like a treat, that last bag of clearance-price Halloween candy on the shelf the day after.  So let's take a look at one of Rumiko Takahashi's rare stabs at horror and one of her most underrated tales.

MERMAID SAGA (Ningyo Shirizu), by Rumiko Takahashi.  First published in 1984 and first published in North America in 1994.

PLOT:

It is said that anyone who eats mermaid flesh gains eternal life.  Yuta is all too familiar with this legend.  500 years ago, he was a fisherman who sampled the flesh out of curiosity.  While his companions died or turned into monstrous fishmen, he became immortal.  He has spent the centuries searching for another mermaid in the hopes of finding a cure, and his search eventually leads him to Mana.  She is a young girl taken captive by an elderly group of mermaids in the hopes they can sacrifice her to regain their youth.  The two of them escape, but this is only the beginning of their journey...