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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS);faqs.371





Archive-name: manga/guide/part2

                      The rec.arts.manga Guide
                Part 1/2:  M-Z
                     Version 4.1  (October 1992)



---- Nagai Gou  ^[$@1J0f^[(J ^[$@9k^[(J
----
In his heyday, this veteran artist was responsible for pushing the
boundaries of good taste.  Even today, he is extremely productive
(including reprints, 54 works were released between Jan 1990 and Jan.
1992!).  Most of his works contain strong doses of sex and violence.  [IS]

Shameless School/Harenchi Gakuen
  (1968-1970, SJ)
This title was publicly burnt by some parents' groups.

Devilman (1972, SJ, v5F deluxe, 2 OAVs)
Shin Devilman
  (1979, Shonen Magazine)
The basic story is that after many years, demons (Nagai calls them
daemons) are awakening.  Jiro Shutendo is convinced by his best friend to
participate in an occult ritual which would allow the merging of a daemon
with himself, giving him the powers of a daemon but the mind of a human
being.  Various battles ensue as daemons try to destroy mankind. [AN]
Shin Devilman is the 'further adventures' of Jiro Shutendo.

Mazinger Z
  (1972, Shonen Magazine, translated into 6 different languages+anime)

Dororon Enma-kun
  (1973, SS)
Enma is the Buddhist judge of the underworld.

Goldorak
Atlas Ufo Robot Grendizer
 (1975)
Similar to Mazinger Z.

Susa-no-Oh (1979, Shonen Magazine)
Susa-no-Oh Densetsu  ^[$@@(%N2&EA@b^[(B
  (1985, v7, Yamato comics [Kadokawa Shoten])

Cutey Honey  ^[$@%-%e!<%F%#!<%O%K!<^[(B
  (1975, Y1000, S. Champion, ^[$@Cf8x0&B"HG^[(B / ^[$@!RCf1{8xO@<R!S^[(B, OAV)
Cutey is a girl android whose big ability is to change costumes and with that,
powers.  She fights a whole series of super villianesses lead by this one
arch-villainess, who she fights at the end of the series (does this sound
familiar?).  The manga is definitely violent, sexy, and pretty outrageous
in parts.  The anime is toned down substantially.  [GF]

Shuten Douji
  (1980?, v10?)
It's about this baby who was brought to our world by an oni (ogre).
A childless couple, who happened to be praying at a shrine for a child,
takes the baby from the oni and adopts him.  When he grows up (high school),
he begins to have doubs whether or not he is human or oni.  There always
seems to be a mysterious force helping him which appears to be an invisible
oni.  Anyway, soon a mysterious cult of oni worshippers target him because
they believe he is the incarnation of Shuten Douji who, in their hiearchy of
gods, is the lightbringer or disrupter of darkness.  Lots of battles,
graphic violence, mysticism, tying in with folklore, eventual time travel,
dimensional travel, and very interesting plot twists. [AN]

Violence Jack  ^[$@%P%$%*%l%s%9%8%c%C%/^[(B
  (1973-1977, Shonen Magazine, v31F Y390/v7F Gouka'aizouban Y1100, OAV)
New Violence Jack
  (1983, Manga Goraku, remake of Violence Jack)
A huge quake splits the Kanto Plain from the rest of Japan.  There is
one hope for the innocent in this desolate plain... the giant known as
VIOLENCE JACK!  (This gets my "best named manga" award. -IS)

Oni  ^[$@54^[(B
  (1983)

Hanappe Bazooka  ^[$@2VJ?%P%:!<%+^[(B
  (v10F, YJ, OAV, story by Koike Kazuo)
Hannape's life is interrupted by two demons. One is this green cloaked
male being with a bazooka.  The other is a female furry being with a tail,
which projects her magic. Among the things that occur is that Hannape is
cursed with his index finger resembling a sexual organ and any time it is
pointed at a female (humanoids at least), they become sexually aroused.
As you might guess, it gets fairly extreme. It is amazing that despite the
fact that he has not really changed his drawing style that much, he still
manages to convey a sense of sexual vouyerism. [NA]

Mazin Saga  ^[$@%^%8%s!&%5!<%,^[(B
  (v3, YJ 1991, Super Jump 1992-)
Sequel to Mazinger Z -- Mask takes over wearer, Earth is destroyed,
Mars is invaded.

Kabushiki-gaisha Tokugawa Ieyasu
  (v5, Y600, Home Comics, story? by Shinguu)

Nagai Gou Kessakushu Kaiki SF  ^[$@1J0f9k<+A*=8^[(J  (^[$@%J%s%;%s%9#S#FJT^[(J)
  (Y1400, Asahi Sonorama)

Dinosaur Army Rescue Squad  ^[$@62N5%"!<%_!<$*$?$9$1Bb^[(B
  (Y390, BMKC (Koudansha), art by Ishikawa Ken)

Public Corporation Tokugawa Kakou  ^[$@3t<02q<R^[(J ^[$@FA@n2H9/^[(B
  (Y600, Home Comics, art by ^[$@?75\@5=U^[(B)

Other works:
Meakashi Borikichi (1967, Bokura Magazine),
^[$@%P%i%P%s%PKbB2JT^[(B, ^[$@$1$C$3$&2>LL^[(B, ^[$@E4@o;N%`%5%7^[(B,
^[$@@(%N2&EA@b^[(B, ^[$@GX8e$NHkL)^[(B, ^[$@%,%/%(%sB`6~CK^[(B, ^[$@%I%9N5^[(B,
^[$@7`2hB-MxB:;a^[(B, ^[$@%`!<%S!<!&%I%j!<%`^[(B, ^[$@L5Mj!&%6!&%-%C%I^[(B,
^[$@@u$$L2$j^[(B,  ^[$@0&B"HG!!Kb2&%@%s%F^[(B, ^[$@8&=$0e8EC+7r0l^[(B,
^[$@%9!<%Q!<@>M75-^[(B, ^[$@?4NnC5De%*%+%k%HCD^[(B (v2F),
^[$@%P%i%P%s%P^[(J ^[$@0|KbJT^[(B, ^[$@?%ED?.D9^[(B (v2F),
^[$@E4$N=h=w!J%"%$%"%s%P!<%8%s!K^[(B, ^[$@0&B"HG!!9u$N;b;N^[(B



---- Nagano Mamoru  ^[$@1JLn8n^[(B
----
Fool for the City
  (v?)
"Not impressed."  "It sorta sucks."

Five Star Stories  ^[$@%U%!%$%V%9%?!<J*8l^[(B
  (v4, Y900, Newtype)
Grand interstellar empires saga, with wars fought out with heavy mecha.



---- Nagano Noriko  ^[$@1JLn$N$j$3^[(J
----
Nagano Noriko is a resident manga artist for Animage and Shonen Captain
(both from Tokuma Shoten).   Tankoubon are hard to find.  [TK]

Don't desert me Daisy
Misutenai de Daisy  ^[$B8+<N$F$J$$$G%G!<%8^[(B
  (1989-1990, v1-3F, Shounen Captain)
It's about this geek who's fallen in love with a beautiful girl.
But obviously she doesn't want to do anything with him.  [HH]

Give me Tama-chan  ^[$@#G#I#V#E!!#M#E$?$^$A$c$s^[(B
  (v1-2F, Tokuma Shoten)

God Save the Sugekoma-kun! Special
  (1992, two short stories, YM)
Masochist guy meets hentai-hating violent girl!



---- Nekobe Neko  ^[$@G-It$M$3^[(B
----
A shoujou manga writer, who won the 2nd Nakayoshi New Writer award with
the work "First Date".  [CM]

Dokkin Time Trip (v1F, Kodansha)

Penguin detective team
Penguin Tanteidan  ^[$@%Z%s%.%sC5DeCD^[(B
 (v1F, Kodansha)

Warning, Goldfish!
Kingyou Chuihou!  ^[$@$-$s$.$gCm0UJs!*^[(B
  (v4, Nakayoshi KC, TV)
This is a cute manga about highschool life. Chitose has to change to a poorer
school due to the death of her rich father. But the business of her father
had collapsed, and the only thing she got is a pink (!) goldfish (that can fly).
She met Wapiko, Shu and Aoi in her new school, but soon knew that the poor
school is too poor to continue its operation. Accidentally, she got several
billions of dollars left in the bank by her father, and she re-built the poor
school. The manga is full of funny cute stuffs. Animals walking around, and
face changes from time to time. Very funny, and popular in Japan.



---- Nobe Toshio  ^[$@LnItMxM:^[(J
----
Nobe does draw the girls in a pretty way, and some of the occasional H
materials make me suspect we have a former H artist that made it big.  [CPK]

Yayoi no Ozora  ^[$@Lo@8$NBg6u^[(B
  (v11F)

The Legend of Myuu
  (v5F, Y850, ?)
An ok fantasy adventure story, some H toward the end. [CPK]

Nozomi Witches
  (v26, Y460, YJ, OAV+live action movie)
  Nozomi Witches used to be the number one serial on YJ during its peak
around 89-90.  During its beginning (vol. 1-5) it concentrated on this
young, talent, ex-actress high school girl who return from New Zealand,
and she met her next door neighbor Ryotaro.  (The 15 year old male lead
of this story.)  The next phase of this series is around vol 6-17, with
the main emphasis shifting from Nozomi to Ryotaro as he tries to qualify
for the Seoul Olympics.
  From vol. 18 on, is the current phase of this manga (which Nobe called
Book II), It's about Ryotaro's pro boxing life, and the parallel life of his
boxing friend/enemy/understander Yugo Fukuyama.  At this stage the
drama side of the story is almost non-existent, and there is really no
suspense between Nozomi and Ryotaro.  Character designs also changed.  [CPK]

Other works:  Watashi no Okita-kun (v20F), Rising



---- Ogino Makoto  ^[$@2.Ln^[(J ^[$@??^[(J
----
Ogino has also done character design for the Coliseum(?) video game.

Peacock King
Kujaku-Oh  ^[$@9&?}2&^[(J
  (1986-1989, v17F, Y460, YJ, novel+live action+video game+3 OAVs)

Peacock King Demon Hunt
Kujaku-Oh Taimaseiden  ^[$@9&?}2&!]B`Kb@;EA!]^[(J
  (1991-, v6, Y460, YJ)
  This is a sequel to Kujaku-Oh, which brought a second occult boom
to Japanese manga scene. Kujaku-Oh became more of an Epic Occult Saga
after a few volumes, but this sequel is back to the "Demon Hunt" style
that the original Kujaku-Oh was intended to be.  (The quality of art
in the original and in Taimaseiden differs considerably.)
  Kujaku is a buddhist monk who belongs to Ura-Kouya, a secret
organization within the Shingon Sect of Buddhism, sole purpose of
which is to destroy demons/monsters. Kujaku was born with the power of
Kujaku-Myouou (Mayuri Vidya-raja, also referred to as Lucifer in some
occult books) which he uses to fight the forces of evil. He's supposed
to have lost his Kujaku-Oh power when he and his twin sister (The Beast of
666) neutralized each other, but he again used power of Kujaku-Oh in Vol.3
of Taimaseiden.
  The world of Kujaku-oh is filled with religions, mythology, gods,
demons, monsters, powerful sorcerers/priests. If you like this kind of
stuff, Kujaku-Oh will fill all your needs.  However, good knowledge of
religion/mythology is required for full enjoyment of this manga. [TK]

ALGO!
  (1990-1991, v3F, Y460, YJ)
Cyberpunkish stuff, recommended to hard-core Makoto fans only.

Mao
  (1990?, Jump 30*)
Mao is the name Kuukai (The founder of Shingon Sect and Kouyasan)
used when he was young. Being enraged by the corrupted nobles and society,
Mao quits the college and becomes a rebel (sort of Robin Hood type) but
got captured by a general named Saknoueno Tamuramaro. While being
tortured, he's visted by a mysterious Bosatsu (Boddhisattva) who
gave a revelation regarding the "True Path." After the encounter, Mao
sets on a journey to find the one who can be his mentor.  The manga adds
lots of Ogino's creative imaginations to the historical facts.  [TK]



---- Otomo Katsuhiro  ^[$@BgM'9nMN^[(B
----
Drawing manga since 1973, having also worked as an illustrator, TV
commercial director, and character designer & director.  Anime credits
include Genma Taisen/Harmaggeddon, Koji Chushi Meirei/The Order to Stop
Construction (in Meikyuu Monogatari/Manie Manie), and Robot Carnival.  [IS]

Highway Star
  (1979, Futabasha, short story compendium)

Sayonara Nippon
  (1982, v1F, Futabasha)
The experiences of Japanese moving to the US; one a judo teacher, the other
a guitarist.

Urge for War aka. Hard On
Kibun wa mo Senzo
  (1982, v2F, Action)
Japanese in fictional Sino-Soviet war.  The work that brought fame to
Otomo in Japan.

Children's Dream
Domu
  (1983, v1F, Action)
Little girl vs. evil, introverted old man.  A typical Otomo story,
this was the first ever manga to win an SF literature prize.

Akira
  (1984-Jul. 1990, v5U deluxe, YM, movie+English+French+anime comics/v5F)
  In 2023, the teenage delinquent Kaneda rides the streets of Neo-Tokyo.
Kaneda's unstable friend, Tetsuo, is the subject of a secret military
experiment which continues the work of the Akira project -- a project
which accidentally started WWIII years before.  Tetsuo's new psychic powers
lead to the revival of Akira, and Akira destroys Neo-Tokyo in a moment of
fury.  While Tetsuo carves an empire out of the ensuing chaos, his enemies --
Kaneda, other psychics, and the US military -- prepare to take him out.
But Tetsuo's powers are increasing, and his ability to control them is
decreasing...
  AKIRA is a special phenomenon, partly because of the huge success of
the movie, and the popularity of Western adaptations.  However, Japanese
readers lost interest towards the end of the manga, and the original
~120 pages of ending will never be republished;  the final vol.6 has been
delayed for at least 2 1/2 years, mostly due to Otomo redrawing the ending.

KABA
  (art book, 1989)

Her Memories...
Kanojo no Omoide...  ^[$@H`=w$NA[$$$G!D^[(B
  (1990, Kodansha, short story compendium)
Includes Fireball, Farewell to Weapons, Planet Tako, and other short works.

The Legend of Mother Sarah
Sarura  ^[$@:;N.Me!J%5!<%i!K^[(B
  (1990, v2, YM*, art by Takumi Nagayusu, English [eventually])
The Earth is rendered uninhabitable by war, and the population flees
to orbiting space stations.  Plans to make the Earth habitable again
split the survivors into opposing groups, and Sarah loses her children
when there is an exodus back to Earth.  This manga is a story of Sarah's
efforts to be reunited with her children.  The art is impressive and
very polished, but the story is cheesy and excessively grim.

World Apartment Horror  ^[$@%o!<%k%I%"%Q!<%H%a%s%H%[%i!<^[(B
  (1991, v1F, YM, live action movie)
Yakuza vs. ethnic apartment residents.

ZeD
  (1991, v1F, Mr. Magazine, art by Tai Okada, Roujin Z movie)
  The manufacturers of a hi-tech, fully-automated sickbed take an old man
away from his nurse, so that they can showcase their product;  however,
the sickbed begins to run amok when they neglect the old man.  An unusual
and thoughtful piece.
  The manga is pretty scrappy, but the OAV is a nice piece of work (for which
Otomo only did the mecha designs).  Character designs were by Eguchi Hisashi,
the artist of "Age".

Other works: Highway Star (v1F, 1979, Futabasha)



---- Okazaki Takeshi
----
Like Hagiwara, Okazaki was an assistant of Matsumoto Izumi.  [TK]
Art seems like "Hagiwara meets Asamiya meets CLAMP". [IS]

Elementaler
  (v2)

Explorer Woman Ray
  (v2, OAV)

(Natural) Karen-chan
  (Genki Special)
Karen is 175cm tall.  And she cries easily. [HH]



---- Ouyama Rei  ^[$@Bg;3Nh^[(B
----
A Midsummer Night's Snowwoman
Manatsu no Yoru no Yukionna  ^[$@??2F$NLk$N%f%-%*%s%J^[(B
  (v4F, Y500, YM)
Occult H comedy. Yuki Onna is a beautiful but often malign nymph-like being
of snow appeared in folklores. But it's not the typical one who possessed
Haruaki, the descendant of powerful ghost hunter clan but also a
psychic-impaired sukebei university student.  [YK]



---- Oku Hiroya  ^[$@1|^[(J ^[$@$R$m$d^[(J
----
Change
Hen
  (v3, Y600, YJ)
This is a very strange story.  Suffice it to say that Hen is a "different"
type of manga about high school students in love.  [CH]



---- Sakura Momoko  ^[$@$5$/$i$b$b$3^[(B
----
Chibi Maruko-Chan
  (v9+, Y390, Ribbon Mascot Comics (Shuueisha), movie [1990])
Daily life of an elementary school girl. Maybe based on the author's
childhood days. [YK]



---- Saruwatari Tetsuya  ^[$@1nEOE/Li^[(J
----
Described as manga's "standardbearer of violence", featuring super-realistic
art; stories are often flimsy excuses for his trademark scenes of extreme
violence.  Saruwatari is a big fan of US and Hongkong action films.  [IS]

Riki-Oh  ^[$BNO2&^[(B
  (1987?-1990, v12F, YJ, story by ??, 2 OAVs+live action movie)
Saruwatari perfected his technique with this manga, subtitled "VIOLENCE HERO".
Vol.12 has the short story "N.Y. Dust", which was the prototype for The Hard.
The live-action movie is somewhat nauseating, and remains one of the few
unclassified Hongkong films.

Dogsoldier  ^[$@%I%C%0%=%k%8%c!<^[(B
  (1987-1991, v12F, YJ, 1 OAV)
Mostly worthless Rambo-type stuff.  Stories were episodic and topical; lots
of tidbits for military otakus.

The Hard  ^[$@%6!&%O!<%I^[(B
  (1991-1992, v5, BJ)
M60-toting Kenji Hado, known as "the Hard", pays his divorce bills by working
in the US as a bounty hunter.  Masseria, a ruthless and ambitious mafia boss,
targets his family -- starting with the Hard's father-in-law, a Don in the
NY mafia.  Hard's aim, while poor when sober, increases to 100% hit
probability when drunk!  This is probably Saruwatari's best work, with
unusually sympathetic characters, and spectacular violence.

Damned  ^[$@%@%`%I^[(B
  (1992, YJ, concept by ??)
In 2039, the ruthless Tokyo Corporation turns the refugee Jin into
a hyper-human with incredible powers.  Violent SF, with typically
detailed art.

Other works: Soul (1985, v4F, out of print), Divine Flame ABI (1992,
short story, Jump 30)



---- Satomi Ikeda
----

  (v6+, Y390, Flower Comics)
  This story progresses as a series of episodes about a young woman reporter
for Tokyo's "Weekly Big Mouth" magazine. The woman, Watase Noriko, starts
the job in issue #1. The premise of the stories are that she is assigned to
some news story usually, but then she gets involved with the characters
involved and it ends up with her trying to solve a mystery.  It is a series
of episodes - events that happen in one episode will remain "happened" in
later episodes (for example, one of the main characters gets married), but
the individual episodes are also complete, wrapped up stories that can be
fully enjoyed by themselves.
  I really like this series for several reasons, but perhaps what I like
best about it is that it takes place in a real Tokyo.  The scenery is
excellent - one might as well be looking at a photograph. It shows what
Tokyo really looks like. Similarly, the people in the stories are quite
realistic (okay, okay, forget the one "Indiana Jones" episode) and the
problems they encounter are things that really might happen. This series is
written for adults, so the subject matter tends to be things that one
encounters in the working world, and there are no furigana. [MC]



---- Sawada Hajime
----
Blood of Matools
  (v1, Y900, FFC)
The manga is currently being serialized in Dragon Magazine.  I'm not
exactly sure of the storyline, although it does have a very heavy sword
and sorcery element. [CH]



---- Sawada Sho
----
Suddenly, Let's Fly
   (ST Comics, Y800)
Superstrange High School
   (ST Comics, Y850)



---- Shibata Masahiro  ^[$@<FED>;90^[(B
----
Kuradharma  ^[$@%/%i%@%k%^^[(B
  (1990, v7, Y500, published by ^[$@!R>/G/2hJs<R!S^[(B)
In short, it's Sazan Eyes meets Urotsuki Doji.
TK reads it for it's exciting story, sophisticated artwork, and intriguing
mysticisms; I, on the other hand, a person in his early twenties, is about
as drained as a 50 year old now.  If other Shibata Masahiro mangas are of
equal caliber, it means yet another artist to worship.  [DM]

Other works:  Psychic Traveller (1990, v1F), Sledge (1990, v2), Bust
(1992, v1F), Dark World Doll Levi Door/ ^[$@L=3&?M7A%l%t%#!&%I!<%k^[(B (1990)



---- Shiina Takashi  ^[$@DGL>9b;V^[(J
----
(Yuu) Shiina Hyakka-ten
  (v2, SS)

Ghost Sweeper Mikami
GS Mikami Gokuraku Daisakusen  ^[$@#G#SH~?@6K3ZBg:n@o^[(J
  (v4, SS)



---- Shirato Sempei  ^[$@GrEZ;0J?^[(B
----
[bib. by AP]

Kogarashi Kushi (1957), Ninja Bugeicho (1959-62,v17, anime),
Kaze no Ishinoru (1960), Sasuke (1961-67), Kamui-Den (1964-71, anime),
Watari (1965), Tsuri/La pesca (1967), Bachhus (1976),
Kamui Gai Den (1965-66,1982-87), Kamui Den II (1988-).



---- Shirow Masamune  ^[$@;NO:@5=!^[(B
---- (b. 1961?)
----
Shirow Masamune (a psuedonym) is a talented recluse who has apparently
still not "given up his day job".  There is a noticeable improvement in
his work, dating from when he sacked his only assistant (1989?).

Black Magic M-66
  (OAV, English)
The manga is episodic, disjointed, and rather pointless.  It has little to
do with the story in the OAV.  The artwork isn't all that great, either.  [CH]

Dominion  ^[$@%I%_%K%*%s^[(B
  (4 OAVs+English)
A girl and her tank.

Appleseed
Gengahan Appleseed  ^[$@862hHG%"%C%W%k%7!<%I^[(B
  (Comic Gaia, OAV+English)
The true classic about the great ESWAT pair of Briareos and Deunan Knute.
The artwork is fantastic, and the character designs are very sensual.
But, the story takes a lot of work to follow.  [CH]

Appleseed Databook  ^[$@%"%C%W%k%7!<%I!&%G!<%?%V%C%/^[(B
  (art book, 1990, Y880)
Includes a timeline, organisations of Olympus, character details, mecha
designs, sketches, a substantial short story, and other goodies.

Exon Depot
  (?)

Orion
Senjutsu Chukoukaku Orion  ^[$@@g=QD6963L%*%j%*%s^[(B
  (1991, v1F, Y950, Comic Gaia, English)

Ghost in the Shell
Koukaku Kidoutai  ^[$@963L5!F0Bb^[(B
  (1991, v1, Y1000, YM Kaizokuban*)
In the near future, a female cyborg cop leads the crack 9th division,
or the "Shell" mobile strike force to combat crime.  To combat the early
release of pirate copy, Shirow had drawn some 36 additional color pages;
combined with the original color opening pages, there are 64 gorgeous color
pages out of 348 pages in book #1. While Shirow's works are known to be
difficult to understand, this book doesn't offer the plot twisting intrigue
of Appleseed.  Most of the difficulty for the reader would come from the
technical terms about mechanics, science, and cyberspace. [DM]

Intron Depot  ^[$@%$%s%H%m%s%G%]^[(B
  (1992, art book, Y2400)
A lavish coffee-table book which includes nearly all of Shirow's color
work since 1982.



---- Sonoda Ken'ichi  ^[$@1`ED7r0l^[(J
----
A prominent doujinshi artist, rising to fame as character designer for
various anime, notably Bubblegum Crisis, Gall Force, and Riding Bean.

Sonoda Ken'ichi Early Works Compilation "Fuse Box"
Sonoda Ken'ichi Shukisakuhinshuu ^[$@1`ED7r0l=i4|:nIJ=8!V#F#u#s#e!!#B#O#X!W^[(B
  (1990, Hakuyashabou, Y980)

Sonoda Ken'ichi Comic Selection  ^[$@1`ED7r0l%3%_%C%/%;%l%/%7%g%s!J2>!K^[(B
  (1991, B-Club Comic [Bandai], Y1500)

Gun Smith Cats
  (v2, Y500, Afternoon)
Chicago, girls, guns, muscle cars, bombs, what else do you want?
This story focuses on Rally from Riding Bean, with Bean making guest
appearances.  [DM]   Sonoda might not be able to get the buildings of
Chicago correct, but we can tell great attentions are paid to the details
of characters, weapons, and cars.  [CPK]



---- Tajima Shou  ^[$@EDEg><1'^[(B
----
Madara
Mouryou Senki Madara  ^[$@r3r4@o5-#M#A#D#A#R#A^[(B
  (v2, Y920, Kadokawa Shoten)
What's this?



---- Takada Yuzo  ^[$@9bEDM5;0^[(J
----
Character designer & director of the Ban'noh anime.

Everyday's a Sunday
Mainichi ga Nichiyoubi  ^[$@KhF|$,F|MKF|^[(B
  (1987?, v2F, OAV+anime comics/Y850/v1F)
  Policewoman Takashita Yumi, who when necessary can muster great
strength, and a carefree "professional" magician (Ichidaiji To-ru)
who practically has nothing to do other than walking around (he is waiting
for the World Master Magician to come back to accept him as apprentice)
In each story, that guy tries to explain a little bit about tricks used
in magic.
  Personally I don't like it really much. I don't find it funny,
that's it. The two characters seem to fool around without particularly
interesting things happening. [PY]

Toritsuki-kun  ^[$@%H%j%D%-$/$s^[(B
  (v1F, Take Shobo (Amakusa Shiro))
You need to know Japanese Mah-Jong rules to get anything out of this.

The All-purpose Cultural Cat Girl
Ban'noh bunka neko musume  ^[$@K|G=J82=G-L<^[(B
  ("Super Cat Girl Nuku Nuku" OAV)
  This manga was running in a mag that was later on stopped, and so the
story was never finished.  And because it was so short-lived, it doesn't
even compile into one single book.  [HTH]

3x3 Eyes
Sazan Eyes
  (1987, v12, Y500, YM, 4 OAVs+video games+CDs+anime comics/v4F+English+Korean)

Blue Seed
  (1992, Gamma magazine)
Looks like horror (or something).



---- Takahashi Kouji  ^[$@9b669,^[(J^[$@Fs^[(J
----
Ossu!! Karate Club
Ossu!! Karatebu  ^[$@2!G&^[(J!!^[$@6u<jIt^[(J
  (v27, YJ, Y460, 4 OAVs)
  An outrageous, funny and violent martial arts manga, currently the
longest runnning title in YJ.  The hero is 17-year old Takagi Yoshiyuki,
one-time captain of the karate club in the toughest highschool in Kansai.
He is forced to fight his way to the top of local street gangs, the action
escalating dramatically as he becomes Soul of Osaka, Soul of Tokyo, and
the toughest martial artist in all Japan.
  The art is highly action- and comedy-oriented, with lots of popping
veins, bloodshot eyes, bared teeth, and goofy expressions.  There is an
abundance of cliched dialogue, in-jokes, odd characters, and seemingly
endless fights.  Strongly recommended to martial arts manga fans.  [IS]



---- Takahashi Rumiko  ^[$@9b66N1H~;R^[(J
----
Urusei Yatsura  ^[$@$&$k@1$d$D$i^[(B
  (1979-1985, v34F, v15F wide/Y680, SS, TV [218 ep]+10 OAVs+
    6 movies+English "Lum")
Ataru Moroboshi, the unluckiest boy in the world, is randomly selected
as Earth's champion to defeat an alien in a contest with the world at
stake.  A complete lecher, he agrees when he finds the contest is tag
and the quarry is the beautiful demon princess Lum. After many
humiliating misses (no one told him Lum could fly), his long-suffering,
unnaturally-strong "girlfriend" Shinobu promises to marry him if he
wins.  He does, and declares that he will be married, which the aliens
take as a proposal.  So he ends up engaged to a jealous alien every boy
desires, while chasing every other girl in town, not to mention the
galaxy.  [TM]

Maison Ikkoku  ^[$@$a$>$s0l9o^[(B
  (?-1987, v15F/Y500, v4 wide/Y1100, Big Comic Spirits, TV [96 ep]+movie+
    live action movie)
Maison Ikkoku is about the residents of an old boarding house, and
the romantic involvement between Godai, a perennial ronin, and
Kyoko, the widowed manager who hasn't let go of her late husband. [TM]

Mermaid's Forest
Ningyou no Mori  ^[$@?M5{$N?9^[(B
  (v1, SS*, 1 OAV)
The story of a 500 year old "young man" and a 17 year-old young girl.
They both ate the flesh of mermaid, which gave them immortal life.
(Other unpublished short stories in this series: End of a dream/Yume no owari,
The Promised Tomorrow/Yakusoku no ashita, Mermaid's wound/Ningyou no kizu)

Short Story Compilation
  (Shougakukan)

Rumick World  ^[$@$k!<$_$C$/$o!<$k$I^[(B
  (v3, Y710, 3 OAVs)
The OAVs from this series include:  Firetripper, about a girl who experiences
timewarps after an explosion; Warau Hyouteki (Laughing Target); and
The Supergirl.

One Pound Gospel
Ichi Pondo no Hukuin  ^[$@#1%]%s%I$NJ!2;^[(B
  (1989, v2, Y500, Young Sunday, OAV)
Nun meets boxer.

Ranma 1/2
Ranma Nibunnoichi  ^[$@$i$s$^#1!?#2^[(B
  (1987, v22, SS, TV series [159 ep.]+2 movies+Nintendo, Super
    Famicom games+English)
Ranma is a martial artist whose training in China left him with a curse:
he transforms into female when splashed with cold water, and back to male
when splashed with hot.  Other characters are similarly cursed (turning
into pandas, cats, etc).  He is engaged to Akane, the youngest of three
daughters, and lives in her father's doujou (which he is supposed to
inherit).  Typical Takahashi stuff with tons of romance, bizarre
situations, slapstick, and gender-bending.  Vol.22 has been banned in
Singapore. [IS]

SHORT STORIES:
Kannon Slim
  (short story, shoujo)
A girl secretly loves a handsome guy (who is popular among girls), but is
ashamed by her non-slimness (not fatness!). She wants to go to a ball in
a tight gown, so she decides to go for an accelerated slimming course -
Kunnon Slimming, which takes place in a temple. The coach, surprise
surprise, is a guy no much older than the girl. [PY]

P's Tragedy
  (short story)
About the problems of keeping pets in modern apartments.  The main
character is a penguin.

How about a dog?
  (short story)
About a guy who can turn into a dog under some (forgot!) conditions,
and his love affair with his classmate.

Where is Minako?
  (short story)
About a girl searching for her mother.

The Happiness of Size L/L size no shiawase
  (short story)
About a guardian spirit which is very huge in size, and frightened the
owner of the house it guards. Cute design for the spirit.

Moon King??
  (1992, short story, Oct.-Nov. Newtype)



---- Takeuchi Naoko
----
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon  ^[$@H~>/=w@o;N%;!<%i!<%`!<%s^[(B
  (v2, Kodansha, TV anime+anime comics/v2)
When a cat named Luna gives a brooch to the ditzy blonde Usagi, Usagi finds
that she can transform into a superhero devoted to fighting the forces of
darkness.  Her friends Ami, Rei, and Makoto are similarly transformed,
with powers derived from the kanji for their names, and costumes derived
from their sailor-suit school uniforms.  While the manga is shoujo, the
anime (only loosely related) has many male fans.  [from CS]



---- Tony Takezaki  ^[$@%H%K!<$?$1$6$-^[(J
----
Takezaki's style is detailed and realistic, with clear influences from
Otomo and Umezu Kazuo.  A very versatile artist/writer, who has a strong sense
of visual humor.  [IS]

Makoto-chan
  (?)
The work which made Takezaki famous.  It's about a kindergarten kid who
does disgusting things.  (Is this an Umezu Kazuo one?)