Week 10: Manga

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't really looking forward to this week. Manga has always been by far the form of comics I am most familiar with, which I know is not uncommon for girls my age in this decade. When I was in middle school my mom would take me to the bookstore on Friday afternoons as a treat to pick up the next volume of Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, or whatever I was into, for me to enjoy over the weekend. All my little thirteen year old friends loved manga. We'd share volumes with each other on the train headed to and from school. However, that was years ago and I rarely have the time or opportunity to read these comics anymore, so its safe to say this week's topic was very nostalgic and fun for me.

For class I chose to read volume one of Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. I was somewhat familiar with her work beforehand, having seen a few episodes of the anime adaptation of Inuyasha on Adult Swim. I found this series to be really appealing, and I could see myself reading another volume here and there just to pass some time. All of the characters were constantly rude to each other in that charming manga way, where you know they'll begrudgingly start to care as the series goes on. The art style was cute and simple, and I found all the character designs and outfits to be very pleasing. However, I know these praises to be true of all of Rumiko's major works. Probably why she has been such a successful creator!

Getting to see some of Summer Wars in class was great! It was cool and different to look at something so recent, as most of the films we have watched were made before my time. I have seen the whole film, and I must say its one of my favorites in terms of anime. Its director, Mamoru Hosoda, also made what may be my number one (yes, even above the Ghiblis) Wolf Children. I would recommend any of his works to someone who loves animation. Overall, I have to admit this was my favorite class of the semester, and it definitely did something to rekindle my love of manga.