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Forum - View topicREVIEW: Bambi and her Pink Gun GN 1
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Kagemusha
 Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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I can't comment on the story, but the low (IMO) art score really bothered me. Does he draw in the conventional manga style (if it is even possible for something as diverse as manga to have one "style")? No, but that doesn't change the fact that he's one of the most skilled and innovative artists working in Japan today. Aside from the impressive linework and details, his sense of design is amazing. True, perhapse people who are only used to big eyes and screentones will look at it oddly, but his innovative art deserves a bit more credit. But at least the criticism of the art was reasonable, unlike some idiot who claimed Iou Kuroda's art "looked like sh!t" on another board.
But a fairly informative review. I'd also heard from a couple of other people it was decent. It sucks that DMP went for the conventional ultra-violent title, rather than his brilliant mind-skrew SOIL, which unlike Bambi has great substance to back up the great style (and better use of design IMO). I guess a crazy/sexy bounty hunter will always win out over repulsive and sexist detective with a habit of scratching his crotch in public. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18507 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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His artistic style might be innovative by Japanese standards, but it's a retro throwback by American standards. (I have seen that style done in the States on more than one occasion, but the Mad Magazine reference was the only one I could think of at the time.) And innovative or not, it does suffer greatly in background art detail. I am not a big manga reader, but I can still name three titles off the top of my head that all do much better jobs in that regard. Since there's only one art rating, it had to get knocked down for that somewhere. Appreciate the opinion, though. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6235 Location: Houston, TX |
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wow, this is a manga? that art looks very interesting.
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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A manga that doesn't look like a typical manga, that's a good thing though: (Black and White, The Demon Ororon, Scryed, Priest, Dead End and maybe One Piece) I have to say the cover will catch your eyes. Typical "stockest" character design, especially for title like those Clamp manga or shojo are pretty standard stuff. Innovation is the key. Last edited by darkhunter on Sun Jun 12, 2005 11:51 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Tenchi
 Posts: 4555 Location: Ottawa... now I'm an ex-Anglo Montrealer. |
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Do you mean Mad magazine in the 1950s, back during the EC comics years, when it was a hybrid between humour and shock horror? By the 1980s, when I was reading it, it was a straight comedy magazine, with parodies, low-brow satire,, and recurring features, like "The Lighter Side of", the "Fold-In", "Spy vs. Spy", and Don Martin cartoons (before he bolted for Cracked). I don't think there was anything particuarly "underground" about the magazine during that era, certainly nothing that would get the Senate's knickers in a twist the way the magazine did during the 1950s.
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Maybe it is similar to some indy comics in the past, but that doesn't mean it isn't innovative in technique or great in design. Virtually every manga today is a throwback to Tezuka; does that mean that they can't be innovative? It's not everyday you see an artist who can do ink lines like Kaneko, or design characters as well as him. And if your going to penalize something for lack of detail, than most manga isn't going to be particuarly high on this rating scale. I wouldn't rate something's art based on the amount of detail (after all, there's a ton of stuff that's detailed but really isn't interesting to look at), but the skill of the author and how the art lends to the storytelling. I haven't read MAD of late, but I'm assuming he refers to the post-Kurtzman era. |
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Neilworms
 Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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What???!!! I've read mad magazine, and if you want to compare a mangaka to the mad style, try Monkey Punch's work from the Lupin III manga in the 1960s. This work skews somewhat closer to Tank Girl, but even then I can't find an american artist I can directly comapre to kaneko's work. Do research on comics before you make such base claims. Kaneko's work is influenced by Tezuka storytelling and by westren (most likely french, because of the recient facination of the alternative manga artists with french comics) comic art. I'd have to agree with Kanemusha, just because it doesn't fit the perfect moe/bishounen ideal doesn't mean that its "bad" artwork :P |
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Neilworms
Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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What???!!! I've read mad magazine, and if you want to compare a mangaka to the mad style, try Monkey Punch's work from the Lupin III manga in the 1960s. This work skews somewhat closer to Tank Girl, but even then I can't find an american artist I can directly compare to Kaneko's work. Please do research on comics before you make such base claims. Kaneko's work is influenced by Tezuka storytelling and by western (most likely french, because of the recent fascination of the alternative manga artists with French comics) comic art. I'd have to agree with Kanemusha, just because it doesn't fit the perfect moe/bishounen ideal doesn't mean that its "bad" artwork :P Also Retro throwbacks don’t' necessarily reflect anything bad either. The link above is to one of the most respected American cartoonists Chris Ware, who draws in a style that is reminiscent of turn of the century to 1930s style comics.... yet at the same time has methods of layout and composition that are considered some of the most sophisticated in the medium of comics. His work IMO is equivalent to Tezuka in pushing the medium forward. Which reminds me, Tezuka's own work is also a throwback to older American cartooning, particularly old animation shorts from the 1920s and 30s... Innovation can still come from retro. |
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18507 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I have been buying American comic titles on a weekly basis for close to 20 years now and have been regularly reading comics in magazines and newspapers for much longer than that. During that time I have seen the work of hundreds of artists, both mainstream and from indy labels. Although admittedly I am having trouble pinning down exactly where I've seen Kaneko's style before, I have seen it, and not recently. My very first thought when I read the first chapter was, "wow, this looks vaguely familiar." So while Kaneko's style may be unusual and distinctly different (especially for manga), it is hardly boldly new or innovative. (And no, I can't quote a particular artist's name on the Mad magazine reference because I was never more than an occasional reader. But a couple of random strips I clearly remember seeing in Mad at some point stick in my mind as being similar.) As for the rest of what was said? I'll leave it at this: quality is quality, regardless of whether or not it's innovative, edgy, or even your preferred style. Bambi is interesting to look at and does have some artistic merits, but compared to the hundreds of other samples of comic art I've seen, it is, at best, a second-tier title when it comes to artistic quality. That's why I gave it the rating I did. You are, of course, free to disagree. |
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Neilworms
Posts: 155 Location: Chicago IL |
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Lets agree to disagree on that point. Also I apologise for assuming a lack of knowledge of american comics, I've seen too much written by guys into manga who don't really understand comics in general that its jaded me. I look forward to more reviews from you and am always interested in the perspective of someone who knows more about comics than the average manga reader.
I used to read mad mag all the time when I was younger, not sure if I've seen someone similar to kaneko, though I haven't read the magazine too much reciently, the last issue I picked up wasn't as good as one of the older ones, mainly because a lot of the mainstay staff has died off. I can definetly tie Lupin to Mort Drucker's artwork, that's pretty well documented, in fact I saw a documentary about animator Yasuo Otsuka (who worked on the first lupin III tv show and the Miyazaki episodes on the second) where he used Drucker's work as inspiration for his designs on that series after Monkey Punch left the project. Essentially he went to the source inspiration for Punch to get his own designs. |
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Kagemusha
Posts: 2783 Location: Boston |
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Sorry the reply so late, but I just picked volume 1 up, and I'm inclined to agree with this review. Bambi has mediocrity written all over it. It's an admitingly fast and fun read, but the satisfaction is shallow at best. For titles like this to work, there really has to be some wacky and generally f!@#ed-up stuff in it to capture the reader's imagination, and aside from Gabba King, there isn't anything shocking or totally original in it and it's rarely funny (which is a suprise, since SOIL is funny as hell).
Secondly, the hero is obnoxious. It's very possible to make a psychopath into a likable character, but Bambi is just annoying. This is another suprise, since Kankeo managed to make quite possibly most repulsive, rude, sexist, disgusting and offensive character I've encountered in manga (Detictive Yokoi of SOIL) into someone that's fun to read about. None of that charm is found in Bambi. Thirdly, I have to see where you're coming from with the art: though I'd still give it a bit higher, this is far below his later work, which is often brilliant. So maybe I'm comparing it a bit too much with SOIL, but considering how good that manga is, it's a bit of a disapointment that Bambi turned out so bland. |
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Aka-san
Posts: 37 |
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Hey all,
I too, apologize for the late commentary. Here on Amazon1 I found a totally different customer POV posted. WOW... 
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Key
Moderator
Posts: 18507 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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From that article:
This is an old point, I know, but it was so contentious earlier that I feel obligated to point out that I'm clearly not the only one who thinks the artistry in this title shows distinct American influences. |
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Aka-san
Posts: 37 |
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I'll always felt his stuff reminded me off Rat Fink and Rob Zombie/White Zombie artwork.
You should also check out his other art book "Odd Jobs". There's alot more to be said about his styles there. |
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