The 2024 Eisner Award nominations are officially in, and a bunch of manga titles and creators made the cut. Beyond the expected inclusion in the Best U.S. Edition of International Material - Asia category—which includes a nomination for Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto's Goodbye, Eri one-shot, among others—manga popped up in quite a few categories this year. Here's an overview of the manga titles, authors, translators and publishers who could potentially take home the coveted award this year: Best Publication for Teens My Girlfriend’s Child by Mamoru Aoi (translation: Hana Allen / publisher: Seven Seas) Best Humor Publication The Yakuza’s Bias by Teki Yatsuda (translation: Max Greenway / publisher: Kodansha) Best Graphic Album - Reprint Orange Complete Series Box Set by Ichigo Takano (translation: Amber Tamosaitis / publisher: Seven Seas) Best Adaptation from Another Medium #Drcl midnight children by Shin’ichi Sakamoto (translation: Caleb Cook / publisher: Viz Media...
- 5/17/2024
- by Joseph Luster
- Crunchyroll
Particular stories within manga tend to burrow under the reader's skin by exploring uncomfortable themes steeped in violence, tragedy, and suffering. These works offer a unique catharsis and, when executed with sincerity and skill, allow readers to look inward and see elements of humanity that are difficult to approach yet enriching to contemplate.
We look at 20 dark manga worthy of challenging the reader, offering depth within their complex themes. In no specific order, we have handpicked these twenty titles for their ability to navigate uncomfortable themes with the needed skill to make the work redemptive.
20. Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano
“This is Punpun Onodera's coming-of-age story. His parents' marriage is falling apart. His dad goes to jail, and his mom goes to the hospital. He has to live with his loser uncle. He has a crush on a girl who lives in a weird cult. Punpun tries talking with God about his problems,...
We look at 20 dark manga worthy of challenging the reader, offering depth within their complex themes. In no specific order, we have handpicked these twenty titles for their ability to navigate uncomfortable themes with the needed skill to make the work redemptive.
20. Goodnight Punpun by Inio Asano
“This is Punpun Onodera's coming-of-age story. His parents' marriage is falling apart. His dad goes to jail, and his mom goes to the hospital. He has to live with his loser uncle. He has a crush on a girl who lives in a weird cult. Punpun tries talking with God about his problems,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Young love is often an element explored in coming-of-age stories, whether it be in novels, manga, anime or live-action features. For her latest film “Georama Boy, Panorama Girl”, Natsuki Seta adapts an 80s manga series by the same name from “Helter Skelter” writer Kyoko Okazaki to tell a sweet story of the days when love first blooms.
“Georama Boy, Panorama Girl” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
Sixteen years old Haruka has but one wish: to fall hopelessly in love, like she sees some of her classmates do. Her days in school are spent gossiping with her best friends Kaede and Maru about their classmates in relationships and hoping for the same to happen to them. On the other hand, wilful 17-year-old Kenichi decides to just quit school one day mid-test and goes to Shibuya, where he befriends the beautiful Mayumi, a woman older than him.
Flirting leads to a coffee date,...
“Georama Boy, Panorama Girl” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
Sixteen years old Haruka has but one wish: to fall hopelessly in love, like she sees some of her classmates do. Her days in school are spent gossiping with her best friends Kaede and Maru about their classmates in relationships and hoping for the same to happen to them. On the other hand, wilful 17-year-old Kenichi decides to just quit school one day mid-test and goes to Shibuya, where he befriends the beautiful Mayumi, a woman older than him.
Flirting leads to a coffee date,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
After a young woman leaps to her death, a mystery begins to unfold around the enigmatic Aki Fujino and her relationship with author Mizorogi whose latest work, “Utsubora”, is proving to be a great success. As the truth around the release becomes tied to the suicide of the aspiring author in Aki, those investigating and involved with the author begin to spiral at the realization that the work could be plagiarized.
Asumiko Nakamura remains a relatively unknown name here in the west, with a large part of that playing into a style that feels unfamiliar among popular manga titles of the day. Additionally, the approach of the artist in both narrative and visual speaks to the genre of “Gekiga” which focuses on stories more grounded in realism. While the genre has a slew of dedicated followers, it has stayed out of the mainstream market relegated to publishers...
Asumiko Nakamura remains a relatively unknown name here in the west, with a large part of that playing into a style that feels unfamiliar among popular manga titles of the day. Additionally, the approach of the artist in both narrative and visual speaks to the genre of “Gekiga” which focuses on stories more grounded in realism. While the genre has a slew of dedicated followers, it has stayed out of the mainstream market relegated to publishers...
- 11/3/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan-us-China co-production is set among Japan’s indigenous Ainu people in Hokkaido.
Japan’s Nikkatsu Corp has picked up international rights to Ainu Mosir, directed by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Fukunaga, which was awarded with a special jury mention at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Set amongst the indigenous Ainu community in Hokkaido in northern Japan, the film follows a 14-year old Ainu boy as he searches for a spiritual connection to his recently deceased father.
The film was co-produced by New York-based Cineric and Japan’s Booster Project, with China’s Zhu Yifei as co-producer. The cast is headed by Kanto Shimokura,...
Japan’s Nikkatsu Corp has picked up international rights to Ainu Mosir, directed by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Fukunaga, which was awarded with a special jury mention at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Set amongst the indigenous Ainu community in Hokkaido in northern Japan, the film follows a 14-year old Ainu boy as he searches for a spiritual connection to his recently deceased father.
The film was co-produced by New York-based Cineric and Japan’s Booster Project, with China’s Zhu Yifei as co-producer. The cast is headed by Kanto Shimokura,...
- 6/22/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Ken Ninomiya was born in 1991 in Osaka. He started his career in film in 2014, with two shorts and he did his feature debut in 2015 with Slum-Polis. Starting with his third film, “The Limit of Sleeping Beauty”, he garnered international attention, with the movie screening in Hong Kong, BiFan (Korea) and Japan FIlmfest Hamburg.
On the occasion of his latest film, “Chiwawa” winning the Best Japanese Film of 2019 in our list, we speak with him about adapting Kyoko Okazaki’s manga, show business and youth in Japan, working with Tadanobu Asano, Chiaki Kuriyama and Mugi Kadowaki, and other topics
Translation by Nikodem Karolak
Why did you decide to adapt Kyoko Okazaki’s manga? Did you find more difficult adapting the work of someone else than writing your own script?
“Chiwawa” is a short comic book that consists merely of thirty four pages. However, at the time I read it, it conveyed...
On the occasion of his latest film, “Chiwawa” winning the Best Japanese Film of 2019 in our list, we speak with him about adapting Kyoko Okazaki’s manga, show business and youth in Japan, working with Tadanobu Asano, Chiaki Kuriyama and Mugi Kadowaki, and other topics
Translation by Nikodem Karolak
Why did you decide to adapt Kyoko Okazaki’s manga? Did you find more difficult adapting the work of someone else than writing your own script?
“Chiwawa” is a short comic book that consists merely of thirty four pages. However, at the time I read it, it conveyed...
- 1/17/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Supermodel Liliko has become one of Japan’s most recognizable faces, her face plastered over Tokyo in print and on television. To the general public, the star seems to have it all and is unstoppable as a super talent. However, there is a dark secret behind the model’s success, in the form of countless plastic surgeries, making her beauty entirely constructed. In order to deal with the pain of constant surgeries to upkeep her image, Liliko begins a drug fueled, downward spiral that puts her career at risk. The central focus of Liliko’s outbursts is aimed at her assistant Hana, whom along with her boyfriend, become tools for the model to vent her frustrations and fears.
Kyoko Okazaki is known for her rather simplistic art style, largely through her work as a fashion illustrator and this style gives some contradictory impressions of the quality of the manga.
Kyoko Okazaki is known for her rather simplistic art style, largely through her work as a fashion illustrator and this style gives some contradictory impressions of the quality of the manga.
- 11/14/2019
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Creating an amalgamate movie from other movies is occasionally a very hard job, but the result can be great, as Tarantino has proven time and time again, particularly with “Kill Bill”. Ken Ninomiya took the concept a step even further, by using Kyoko Okazaki’s manga as its base in order to shoot a film that loans elements from “Helter Skelter” and “River’s Edge (also based on Okazaki’s works), “The World of Kanako”, but most surprisingly, “Spring Breakers” and even a bit of “Velvet Goldmine”. Let us see how he fared.
“Chiwawa” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
The story unfolds in a number of different timelines. Immediately as the film begins, we hear one of the protagonists, Miki, talking about the titular character, Chiwawa, just before we learn that her body was found mutilated. In the next scene, the timeline switches to the past, when Miki...
“Chiwawa” is screening at Fantasia International Film Festival
The story unfolds in a number of different timelines. Immediately as the film begins, we hear one of the protagonists, Miki, talking about the titular character, Chiwawa, just before we learn that her body was found mutilated. In the next scene, the timeline switches to the past, when Miki...
- 7/13/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Helter Skelter (2012) Review (Mika Ninagawa)STORY82%ACTING78%DIRECTING75%VISUALS90%Great castMeaningful storyExcellent cinematographyThe script is a little naive at times2015-10-0981%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (1 Vote)66%
Based on the homonymous manga by Kyoko Okazaki, that won a number of awards in Japan, Helter Skelter was one of the most successful films of 2012, grossing Us$24,231,554 and netting the 26th position at the Japanese box office.
Lilico is the top Japanese female idol: Stunning to perfection, kind, funny and generally, socially unblemished, she is a woman every teenage girl wants to be like and every man wants to conquer. Underneath that flawless facade though, a plethora of secrets and discrepancies is lurking.
Lilico is actually an insecure, shallow, malicious and overall sad individual that permanently obeys the commands of her corrupt and emotionless manager, Hiroko Tada and is totally depended upon her assistant, Michiko Hada. The latter actually arranges everything in her daily life,...
Based on the homonymous manga by Kyoko Okazaki, that won a number of awards in Japan, Helter Skelter was one of the most successful films of 2012, grossing Us$24,231,554 and netting the 26th position at the Japanese box office.
Lilico is the top Japanese female idol: Stunning to perfection, kind, funny and generally, socially unblemished, she is a woman every teenage girl wants to be like and every man wants to conquer. Underneath that flawless facade though, a plethora of secrets and discrepancies is lurking.
Lilico is actually an insecure, shallow, malicious and overall sad individual that permanently obeys the commands of her corrupt and emotionless manager, Hiroko Tada and is totally depended upon her assistant, Michiko Hada. The latter actually arranges everything in her daily life,...
- 10/9/2015
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Helter Skelter
Written by Arisa Kaneko and Kyoko Okazaki
Directed by Mika Ninagawa
Japan, 2012
Browse through the magazine section of a local book or newsprint media retailer and one quickly notices, as if they had never before, that a gargantuan number of magazines specialize in beauty, health and style and, for the most part, feature brilliantly glamorous photographs of celebrities on their covers. It virtually goes without saying that culture in the industrialized nations is heavily driven by interest in those people deemed worthy of celebrity status, even if some people would rather not admit to it. Occasionally a story will leak about how the obsessiveness spreads into the minds of those being objectified as well, with rumours of photoshop, too much makeup and even plastic surgery.
Director Mika Ninagawa, mostly known for her photography and music videos, delves into the world of beauty and celebrity with her sophomore effort,...
Written by Arisa Kaneko and Kyoko Okazaki
Directed by Mika Ninagawa
Japan, 2012
Browse through the magazine section of a local book or newsprint media retailer and one quickly notices, as if they had never before, that a gargantuan number of magazines specialize in beauty, health and style and, for the most part, feature brilliantly glamorous photographs of celebrities on their covers. It virtually goes without saying that culture in the industrialized nations is heavily driven by interest in those people deemed worthy of celebrity status, even if some people would rather not admit to it. Occasionally a story will leak about how the obsessiveness spreads into the minds of those being objectified as well, with rumours of photoshop, too much makeup and even plastic surgery.
Director Mika Ninagawa, mostly known for her photography and music videos, delves into the world of beauty and celebrity with her sophomore effort,...
- 7/30/2013
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Helter Skelter
Directed by Mika Ninagawa
Written by Kyoko Okazaki & Arisa Kaneko
Starring Erica Sawajiri, Angelababy, Kiko Mizuhara, Kaori Momi, Shinobu Terajima
Kyoko Okazaki’s manga Helter Skelter, published by Shoudensha in 2003 was an award winning satire of those particularly kaleidoscopic and ceramic coated dimensions of contemporary Japanese celebrity culture, alongside its elitist associated fashion businesses and boutiques. When second time director Mika Ninagawa was announced as the maestro of the film adaption the fans must have gone wild, as it’s difficult to imagine a more perfect marriage of clothes horse to glamorous kimono, as Ninagawa is one of the finest fashion photographers in Japan, an oriental mesh of David Bailey and Anne Leibowitz, who would be ideally empowered with her unique position within the goldfish bowl of the industry to luminously ridicule its shortcomings and distorted practices. The project was further enhanced with the casting of Erika Sawajiri...
Directed by Mika Ninagawa
Written by Kyoko Okazaki & Arisa Kaneko
Starring Erica Sawajiri, Angelababy, Kiko Mizuhara, Kaori Momi, Shinobu Terajima
Kyoko Okazaki’s manga Helter Skelter, published by Shoudensha in 2003 was an award winning satire of those particularly kaleidoscopic and ceramic coated dimensions of contemporary Japanese celebrity culture, alongside its elitist associated fashion businesses and boutiques. When second time director Mika Ninagawa was announced as the maestro of the film adaption the fans must have gone wild, as it’s difficult to imagine a more perfect marriage of clothes horse to glamorous kimono, as Ninagawa is one of the finest fashion photographers in Japan, an oriental mesh of David Bailey and Anne Leibowitz, who would be ideally empowered with her unique position within the goldfish bowl of the industry to luminously ridicule its shortcomings and distorted practices. The project was further enhanced with the casting of Erika Sawajiri...
- 10/19/2012
- by John
- SoundOnSight
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