Manga: Reviews of Queen Emeraldas, Vol. 1 and Otherworld Barbara, Vol. 1 - a podcast by Stergios Botzakis & Derek Royal

Time Codes:

• 00:00:28 - Introduction
• 00:03:51 - Queen Emeraldas, Vol. 1
• 00:32:13 - Otherworld Barbara, Vol. 1
• 01:04:54 - Wrap up
• 01:07:00 - Contact us

It's the end of the month, so that must mean it's time for Shea and Derek to look at another round of manga. For September, they discuss two recent releases, the first of which is Leiji Matsumoto's Queen Emeraldas, Vol. 1 (Kodansha Comics). Originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Magazine between 1978 and 1979, this is a science fiction adventure with two protagonists. Hiroshi Umino is a fearless earth boy wants to make his own way in life, and the titular character is a mysterious and much-feared figure who sees in Hiroshi a kindred spirit. Matsumoto is known for these kind of space operas, and the guys aren't entirely sure why more of his manga hasn't yet been translated into English (although Americans may be more familiar with Matsumoto's work in anime).

Next, Shea and Derek look at the first of a two-volume collection, Otherworld Barbara. This is the latest in Fantagraphic's translations of Moto Hagio's manga, the previous editions being A Drunken Dream and Other Stories in 2010 and the shōnen-ai classic, The Heart of Thomas, released in 2013. The latest book has a completely different feel from the earlier Hagio translations, as this is a futuristic, psychological drama playing out in a surreal dreamscape. However, don't mistaken this for anything reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's Inception. Derek and Shea spend a lot of time discussing the themes of identity and doubling in this sophisticated narrative, and they eagerly await the completion of the concluding volume.

 

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