One thing that comes from taking in the art and information from the exhibition, Tezuka: The Marvel of Manga at the Art Gallery of NSW, is that Osamu Tezuka, creator of Black Jack, Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, really did have a thing for the metamorphosis angle in life. Or just his stories. Whatever.

Either way, it's not without the next manga work and the next after that, displayed clearly and well with information and sample finishes, that the line between the underlying theme beneath that underlying theme is apparent. Or perhaps this is all a matter of transference.



Up close to his original art, all the mistakes and corrections are spot on clear. Liquid paper collaring the stray and changes, his work is super fine and so easy to read and understand.

All the focus is on the manga, so there are no moving visuals, no animations playing alongside the original creations. Flat, but then the anime is not the donut here.

 

Sendou Kazuki is your average run of the mill student. Even though he would be more than happy to be so normal or even borderline mundane he has decided to surround himself with the most left of field circle of friends imaginable. His pseudo girlfriend Takase Mizuki, crazy otaku pseudo brother Kuhonbutsu Taishi and sweet doujinshi artist Yuu. Taishi pressures Kazuki into pursuing a role in the world of manga in the hopes of one day making it to the ultimate Japanese comic convention called Comic Party.

Before I really start to review this series you should be forewarned that this series is pretty much aimed at your hardcore anime fans (Otaku). Many of the jokes, allusions and references may be missed by a first time anime viewer or someone who has not been exposed to the world of manga or doujinshi (basically self published manga). That being said, it is an extremely funny series that can be enjoyed by anyone willing to watch.

On a side note, many people mistakenly call anime manga. So let me clear it up for you. Manga is the general name given to Japanese comic books where anime is the term used to describe Japanese animation (Otaku generally refuse to call anime a cartoon).



Now that we have that out of the way... Comic Party does a great job of explaining the reasons behind the fandom or otaku-dom that exists in not only the Anime and Manga fan bases but also extending to Sci Fi, Comic Books and cosplay. It does this in the best way imaginable. It follows the journey that Kazuki is a part of. The inspiration behind the creation of his manga, the philosophies behind the creative process and the homage he pays to those pop culture icons that have influenced him in the decision to go into publishing his own manga.

Comic Party is a great series that has no issues with poking a bit of fun at the clich?s that it itself raises. On the same note, through these clich?s it pays homage and parodies the styles, genres and in fact the whole medium of anime.

Comic Party is a nice short series that is packed to the brim with laughs, bright and colourful animation and a great insight into what makes us Otaku tick.

Comic Party is available from the Comic Shop now! SO GO GET IT!!!

 

Burst Angel is yet another in a seemingly endless pool of visually stunning series’ by Studio Gonzo.

Apprentice pastry cook Kyouhei is pressured by his teacher and fellow student to gain employment to solve his fiscal difficulties. In answering an employment advertisement he is hired by the leader of an elite bounty hunting, giant mecha operating, machine gun wielding mercenary team led by the scantily clad Sei. Consisting of Amy the grumpy young computer genius, Meg the buxom cowgirl and a white-haired, chaps-with-no-pants wearing, glowing tattooed psychopath who can seemingly destroy and robot or beastie with no more than the squeeze of the trigger on her trusty side arms... her name is Jo.

At the beginning of the series, Kyouhei seems to be the central character. I personally figured that the story would revolve around the relationships he builds with each character, climaxing in a point where he cracks the hard emotional shell of the ever intense Jo. Thankfully this was not the case. Although likeable, he is all too snivelly and not in a comedic sidekick way. He manages to come across as more of a wussy annoyance than anything.



The character designs, although realistically impractical, are fantabulous with fan service abounding. Most noticeable was the cowboy/bounty hunting theme, reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop, and to a lesser extent, Trigun. Meg sports a 10 gallon hat and yellow leather loose stockings while Jo wears a muscle shirt, neck scarf and chaps with no pants. As I said, it looks great with no thought given to practicality.

The mecha designs are also great. In particular Jango, Jo's personal mech and the highway patrol units that destroy any high speed wrong doers.

If you're looking for a series with a seriously in-depth story to sink your teeth into, maybe Burst Angel isn't for you. On the other hand, if you're after a series that is visually compelling, choc-a-block with action and filled with characters that are easy on the eyes, Burst Angel is definitely worth a look.

Burst Angel is available at the Comic Shop now.