atch 10, 2004 M ’ Culture 20 Manga Review Fushigi Yugi >> Yu Watase >> Viz 2003 Alright kiddies, this week we will be looking at the girly manga known as Fushigi Yugi. Fushigi Yugi is a _ shoujo manga, and, as we have seen in the past, shou- jo is primarily intended for a female audience. It must be confessed that some of the story themes in Fushigi Yugi are kind of girly, but the story doesn’t suffer from it. The story begins with Miaka Yuki, an average junior hi;,h student, who is stressed out due to prepa- ration for her upcoming high school entrance exams. Miaka wants nothing more than to attend Yotsubadai High with her friends, but she plans to attempt the exam for the prestigious Jonan high, in order to please her demanding mother. One day, at the library before cram school, Miaka and her friend Yui discover a. book with the ability to transport its reader to a myth- ical version of ancient China. Miaka ends up trapped in this other world after a fight with her mother, and discovers that she is the Priestess of Suzaku, who is destined to lead the Chinese empire of Hong-Nan to glory. Through the course of her travels in Hong-Nan, Miaka encounters sex slavers, angry guards, and manages to spend some time in an Imperial prison. Throughout it all, Miaka must gather the personifica- tions of the seven constellations of Suzaku together, in order to fulfill her destiny. Fushigi Yugi is another example of Yu Watase’s beautiful art style. The art is richly detailed, without being cluttered, and the character designs and cos- Book Review: 1: Priestess tumes are incredible. The story is full of amusing adventures, quirky characters, and early gangsters, which adds up to hijinks and fun. In addition, the book is contains an interesting commentary on the pressure that high school students in Japan face on an everyday basis. If you are looking for a new perspec- tive on Japanese society from a high school student’s perspective, and aren’t afraid of some emotional stuff in a story, then check out this series sometime. >> Dana Battle Royale Photo by Salar Motahari This is a picture of Fana Soro, from the Masabo Culture Company, play- ing a xylophone. It is not a picture of snow. Gee we must have to most tal- ented snow photographers ever. The reason why Over The Edge doesn’t publish in the summer: NO SNOW. Anyway, this is a guy, not snow. And he is playing this instrument in the Agora for the concluding ceremonies of Black History Month. Respiratory Therapy APPLY NOW FOR SEPT-04 ADMISSION Take a deep breath & consider an exciting career in healthcare espiratory Therapists are vital members of the modern eali icare team. RTs specialize in the assessment and tment-of critically ill patients. The Respiratory Therapy Diploma at UCC is a 3-year graduates are in high demand for in a rewarding healthcare profession. tE INFORMATION about the Respiratory Program and career opportunities contact: eets (250) 828-5465 or email: is@cariboo.bc.ca andee Mott (250) 828-5037 or email: mott@cariboo.bc.ca aren coh Sst 5 {#4 APIS Visit us at: ‘ i= : = www.cariboo,bc.ca/schs/aldhith/resphm.htm >> Viz, 2003 (Japanese 1999) >> Koushun Takami (Yuji Oniki Trans.) Koushun Takami’s “Battle Royale” is one of the most contro- versial novels to be published in the last decade. Takami was a small town journalist before pub- lishing his novel in 1999, which has been quickly made into a movie, as well as a graphic novel series also available from VIZ. Possibly best known in the form of the movie, directed by Kinji Fukasaku, the novel has a great deal more history on the charac- ters, as well as a slightly different events. Translated by Yuji Oniki, this novel has finally become avail- able to English reading audiences. The premise behind Battle Royale is fairly simple: place 42 students on an island, give them weapons, tell them to kill each other, and, oh yeah, there’s a time limit and each student is fitted with collars that will explode. This may seem like it would end up a literal blood bath, and while that is true, there is a great deal of under- lying political commentary in the novel. The Republic of Greater East Asia is a fascist regime that holds complete power over all the indi- viduals in Japan, China, and North Korea. This government has been putting on a “Program” called Battle Royale since the end of WWIL, this Program has been pit- ting one class of high school stu- dents against one other every year. There can only be one survivor. or everyone left will die, and that one survivor is given a pension to live off of for their entire life. The protagonist of the novel is Shuya Nanahara; a rather infa- mous musician. Shuya plays, and listens to, a great deal of “forbid- While the trans- lation is, at times, choppy, and a lit- tle hard to under- stand, it is still interesting. den” American music. As the pro- gram begins Shuya watches as his best friend Yoshitoki Kuninobu is killed. He then swears he will care for Nobu’s crush Noriko Nakagawa as his friend would have done, the novel focuses most- ly on this couple as they work their way around the island over the two days of the program. Takami —s Cap- tures the resilience of even the most ‘inno- cent’ in astound- ingly drastic situ- ations. While the translation is, at times, choppy, and a little hard to under- stand, it is still interesting. The characterization is, at times, con- trived, but from describing the eventual insanity of many, to the utter ruthlessness of the others Takami captures the resilience of even the most ‘innocent’ in astoundingly drastic situations. This pulp classic has been her- alded the Japanese equivalent of the British “Lord of the Flies”. The novel is not for the weak of heart as much of the violence is very graphic, and the novel contains all the niceties of a gutter mugging. There is reality shown in the dark- est light possible, and this under- lines the socio-political commen- tary that Takami was making. Overall, a brilliant novel, though the grotesqueness of some aspects is not for everyone.