Review:

I’m not quite sure how to begin breaking down this manga for you guys. It’s one of those things you need to read for yourself in order to fully grasp the hilarity of it. It’s also one of those books you must not let your parents catch you reading. It’s outright obscene, and in many places, borderline pornographic. Even if you’re over 18… please don’t show it to your mother.

Even so, it felt refreshing to read a manga by a couple of Japanese pros that makes fun of the trends in manga that a lot of people tend to take so very seriously - not to mention fun of those “How To Draw Manga” books, which most buyers covet mainly in hopes of learning how to draw in the “manga style” (whatever that means). Ironically enough, Aihara and Takekumi drew the sections of this mock how-to guide in a variety of styles. It made me laugh at how much time Americans spend trying to define how Japanese people supposedly draw and what “true” Japanese-style has to look like. During many of the instructive dialogue scenes, Professor Takekuma proclaims the rules and doctrines of manga with veins popping out of his eyes as his young disciple Aihara quivers with respect and awe, his face drenched in sweat. It’s their way of saying, “Chill. It’s not that serious.”

The book collects issues #1-20. In the space of about 10 pages, on average, per issue, volume one covers everything from choosing your super-awesome pen name to combining manga notation with actual facial expressions; from coming up with an idea to giving up on your silly notions of originality and art so you can sell-out quicker and get it over with; from what makes “shoujo” to what makes “hentai”; and from drawing a proper panty-flash to becoming a master of subliminal messaging. You also get taught to plagiarize because, honestly, do you really think your favorite manga-ka doesn’t do it, too?

Here are some excerpts, just because you shouldn’t walk away from this without any:

Heroic Special Training
A shonen manga without “training” is like a Koji Aihara who doesn’t masturbate!! According to modern sorts research, extreme raining can be harmful, but that rule simply does not apply to the world of shonen manga!! In most shonen manga, your typical enemy is not shorter than 20 feet – he’s a monster. You can’t defeat a monster with average training!! So it’s special training time!! Nothing else!! In direct proportion to the opponent’s abnormality, special training has to be equally out of control. It’s only after mastering this special training that you can acquire abnormal power!! This logic translates well to kids!!

…and…

How to Deal With Strong Opponent Inflation
Yes, the fight pattern is essential to shonen manga, but a good artist must be aware of one inescapable trap to this scheme: “Strong-Opponent Inflation.” Here’s how it happens. In order to develop the story, the artist must create one enemy after another, each stronger than the last. If the final enemy practices some deadly form of martial arts, that’s manageable, but often things get so far out of control that by the end of the series the hero has to face a 200-foot-tall monster or some incomprehensible thing, like “The Cosmic Evil Force.
On the other hand, if you don’t play by the rules, even if you have the hero say, “He was the most terrifying enemy I ever had to face,” the reader might not be convinced, claiming that “the previous enemy was stronger,” thus creating a gulf between the work and the audience. Even contemporary science cannot offer a solution to “Strong-Opponent Inflation.” You either have to just take it on and depict “The Cosmic Evil Force” and become a religious fanatic or quit the series and begin another one. It’s important to know when to stop in life.

(From Lesson 8: How to Draw Shonen (Boys’) Manga)

All in all, the book is fantastic. The gross humor gets a bit tired after a while, though, so it’s advisable to take the manga in doses. Read one issue a day, and laugh for weeks.

-Joamette Gil