Forum - View topicOut now: Solanin
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HellKorn
Posts: 1669 Location: Columbus, OH |
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Viz actually released this last week, though I'm better late than never. (Nice to see it's currently on-order at the Right Stuf -- people are buying it!)
Solanin is a complete two-volume manga by Inio Asano, collected by Viz into one volume and released under their Signature line. I talked about the title when its license was revealed. Asano wrote this at the age of 24, so he had the ideal mindset to capture the aspirations and difficulties that the cast in Solanin deal with. It's slice-of-life in the truest sense, not filled with stereotypes and melodrama. It's a seinen that easily appeals to females, largely because of how strong and sympathetic Meiko is (and she is currently my favorite character in any comic in any language). It's also very emotional, particularly because of a certain incident that occurs about half-way through whose aftereffects are felt throughout the rest of the story. (Oh yeah, and there's music, too. It's like Beck meets Red Colored Elegy, without any of the shortcomings of either.) If you've ever felt frustrated with having to deal with the hardships that life throws at you, and entered phrases of aimlessness, loss, or both, then this is the one manga title that you cannot miss out on. Even if you don't read (this type of) manga often/at all, I still encourage you to try it. It's universal like few stories are. Last edited by HellKorn on Mon Oct 27, 2008 9:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Agoston
 Posts: 225 |
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I might pick this up later today, I read the first chapter (I usually read a chapter or two of a manga in scans before I buy it to check if I like it or not) and it was pretty funny and enjoyable spoiler[ the part at the end of the chapter when Meiko comes home feeling sad, and the boyfriend comforts her and then gets off the bed and looks at her and has the marker all over his face was hilarious! ]. The fact that it's all in an omnibus makes it nice, too. I'll post back once I've gotten at least halfway in it.
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Buster Blader 126
 Posts: 1207 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
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Ahh, so it's out now.
I'll have to make a note to myself to buy it sometime soon. It really looks to be an intriguing series. |
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Lunarose
 Posts: 128 |
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I may get that, seeing as there's probably no chance for me to get Maison Ikkoku anyways. Solanin... Hm... Seinen, is it? As long as it's low on the ecchi. Do you know how much it costs?
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ManOfRust
 Posts: 1935 Location: Seattle, WA |
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HellKorn, I'm not much of a manga person, but just your description of this makes me want to pick it up. I've felt like I'm not cut out to be part of the real world for years now, so I think this is a title that I'm really going to enjoy.
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Moomintroll
 Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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It's a great, vivid, bitter-sweet read - certainly one of the best manga releases of the past year.
I'd particularly recommend it for fans of stuff like Ohikkoshi and Tanpenshu and I agree with HellKorn that it should be equally accessible to male and female readers.
[Pedantic note: He was 24 according to his afterword.] I know what you're saying - the book has an authenticity and emotional honesty that stems from the author writing about what he's feeling and thinking and experiencing at (or very close to) the moment of creation. Of course, the downside to that is the lack of persepctive that comes with hindsight. My appraisal of what my life was about when I was in my early 20s is quite different now I'm in my 30s than it was a decade ago - I maybe don't remember all the detail and it's impossible to really recapture old passions but I've got a broader and, in some ways, more accurate view of what was happening. In other words, Solanin feels very genuine but also, dare I say it, a little naïve in places. That's not necessarily a bad thing though - in some ways it actually adds to its considerable charm.
You won't have any problems with sexual content. It's really not a nosebleeds and panty shots kind of a book.
The US recommended retail price is $17.99. |
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Lunarose
Posts: 128 |
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 $17.99. Oh.
That's good that the ecchi content it low. Video Girl Ai is brilliant, but I think it went overdose on the nudity. Same goes for Elfin Lied. Question is, is it worth practically $20? How would you rate the art? Details? Background? |
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CloverKuroba
 Posts: 506 |
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I read Solanin last week and I really enjoyed it. I think one of the best things about it was how "average" it was. Not quality-wise mind you, but like HellKorn said, it really is slice of life in the truest sense. It's pretty much devoid of any big twists, melodrama, or wacky comedy relief. It's good at illustrating the charm in the mundane. The characters really carry this story and I didn't realize how much I liked Meiko, the main character, spoiler[until Taneda died. I actually appreciated how understated the character's death was too...there wasn't a feeling of depression that permeated the mood of the book; instead it was pretty subtle. ]
Another thing that I loved about Solanin was that it's message wasn't terribly preachy or pretentious. There's some focus on music in the manga, but it's message isn't about making it in the industry either. It's really just about living your life and being happy, however average your life may be. I finished Solanin with a sense that that things will turn out alright for the characters, despite what may or may not hit them as they continue to live their lives. And that really is a great feeling to have at an end of a story. Hopefully Viz will release more of Inio Asano's work in the future...I'm curious about his Nijihara Holograph in the particular. |
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Moomintroll
Posts: 1600 Location: Nottingham (UK) |
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Keep in mind that it's an omnibus edition - you're getting both Japanese volumes in one English volume and the price is lower than if it had been released as a two-volume series. Also, it's got a somewhat larger page size than most US manga releases, it's on better quality paper and it has nicer binding. As for rating the art, it's obviously pretty subjective but I certainly felt I got my money's worth and it's most definitely not lacking in detail. |
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HellKorn
Posts: 1669 Location: Columbus, OH |
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Corrected. Thanks. (I just got the book today. Man, I love the presentation... Not gonna read it for a few days or so, though.)
Glad that I'm attracting non-manga readers! Yes, Solanin will definitely appeal to you. Anyone who likes Mushi-shi will probably like it (though Solanin obviously doesn't have any fantastical elements in the story).
The art is some of the best available for manga licensed in English. Seriously. |
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CorrosiveMeso
 Posts: 58 |
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The book just arrived today, so I'm looking forward to reading it again soon. Looks great, and it's the same size as my French Inio Asano books, which greatly pleases the collector in me.
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bahamut623
 Posts: 1463 |
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Finally got my copy in the mail. I really love the presentation of the book. It's great and it just feels good. The size is perfect too. It's big enough to fully appreciate the artwork, but not so big that it feels cumbersome (which Tekkon Kinkreet kind of felt like).
I've only read the first chapter so far, but I'm enjoying it. I'm gonna take my time with it. Though, I did flip to the afterword and I liked what Asano had to say. This is a perfect read for me because I'm currently in that post-college "what now" phase, so I'm sure I'll relate A LOT to the story. The only other Asano manga I've ever read is Nijigahara Holograph. I doubt this will be anything like that, but it seems that it'll be just as good. I would love to see NH released with this same exact treatment. |
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Not a Jellyfish
 Posts: 539 Location: Boston, MA |
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What a perfect way to describe this series (although, both the other series are excellent as well). I picked this one up randomly, just based on the fact that it was a one-shot and on the Viz Signature list. I was certainly not disappointed. The art is some of the best art I've seen in a manga ever. It's detailed, but incredibly simplified, if that makes any sense. And the entire story is subtly understated so that the reader can take from it a strong sense of reality, friendship, and relationships. Actually, I think I need to go reread it again now, as I haven't read it since I bought it about a month ago. Heh. I highly recommend it to fans of slice-of-life and music series. It's not so much about the music, but it does delve in to how music effects the lives of individuals. Also, if you're big on art, check it out. It doesn't do too much creatively with style and structure, but the character designs are pure brilliance. His characters are drawn with a very real sense of motion and life. For me, also being a female guitarist having just graduated from college with no real direction in my life, the characters really struck home. The characters gently shine in this series. They are incredibly real without trying to hard to be. And Meiko is absolutely incredible. Also, I know everyone else stated the excellent printing quality of this volume (which it is most excellent), but I wanted to point out that it also features color pages, which is an added bonus at the price point. |
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