Review: EXCEL SAGA

Older comedy manga don't always age well, but here's a rare example of one that has. 

EXCEL SAGA (Ekuseru Saga), by Rikdo Koshi.  First published in 1996 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

Deep under the streets lies the headquarters of ACROSS.  It is a secret organization with only one goal: total world domination.  To bring this about, ACROSS's leader Il Palazzo sends forth his two henchwomen Excel and Hyatt to complete his top-secret missions.  Fortunately for the world, Excel is an idiot who is prone to talking too much and Hyatt is prone to dying a lot.  There's also the matter of interfering neighbors, Excel's pet dog/emergency food ration Mince, the many part-time jobs Excel has to take to pay the bills, and the fact that Il Palazzo's plans are never terribly well-defined.

Review: BOMBA!

Let's take a look at one of the most recent retro releases from this year - a new selection from the vast library of Osamu Tezuka.

 BOMBA! (Bonba!), by Osamu Tezuka.  First published in 1970 and first published in North America in 2022.

PLOT:

Tetsu's young life is one that's full of misery thanks to his resentful, abusive parents, bullying teachers, and his own sense of self-loathing.  The only thing that gets him through the day is thoughts of his teacher, Miss Mizushima.  The deeper his obsession with her grows, the more often he begins to hear phantom horse hooves and see visions of a spectral horse.  Soon Tetsu discovers that he can control this phantom horse, and bids it to kill anyone who gets in the way between him and the woman of his dreams.

Review: REBEL SWORD

It took me a bit to recover from the excitement of Otakon, but I'm back to deliver yet another Old School Month!  Let's start with an obscure little treasure from my own personal collection.

REBEL SWORD (Kurd no Hoshi),  by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.  First published in 1985 and first published in North America in 1994.

PLOT:

Jiro is a half-Turkish, half-Japanese boy who hasn't seen his parents in years since they disappeared somewhere in Turkey.  Out of the blue, he gets a letter from his mother urging him to come to Istanbul.  What Jiro finds is a strange man and a strung-out belly dancer claiming to be his mother, but that's the least of his worries once the military show up.