3-gatsu no Lion (March comes in like a lion)

（３月のライオン）

Life is so unpredictable

（不思議だ　ひとは）

 

Salvation comes to us suddenly like a storm

 （こんなにも時が　過ぎた後で）

 

by unexpected way
（全く　違う方向から）

 

after such a long time has passed...
（嵐のように　救われる事がある…）

< Story >

The protagonist Rei (lit. "Zero") is a 17-year old professional shōgi(Japanese chess) player, who lives by himself, not having a real family, and has scarcely any friends. Among his acquaintances is a family, which consists of a young woman, Akari, and two young girls, Hinata and Momo, and who also keep a numerous number of cats...

  I liked "Honey and Clover"(comic version only, not a movie one if I may say), which was also created by Umino Chika. I guess "Honey and Clover" can easily attract a lot of people who weren't even born and brought up in Japan as it's theme was rather universal such as one-way love, friendship, adlescence and struggle of university students etc. before becoming adults.

 

If looked from such point of view, most of you (including me actually) must have wondered "why did she choose shogi(Japanese chess) for her theme in the next comic?". Frankly speaking, shogi is not such popular at all (especially for young adults, who must have loved her previous work), difficult to understand and it seems to be the "opposite" direction from the "Honey and Clover".

All of such questions can be answered once you read this. Although I don't play shogi at all and cannot understand details of the shogi rules, surprisingly I found myself still enjoying this just like I did for "Honey and Clover".
 

The fact this won the Kodansha Manga Award(general category) in 2011(shared with Chuya Koyama's Uchyu Kyodai(Space Brothers))must be strongly telling many people are feeling in the same way as I do. Although shogi itself is very deep, complicated and difficult to understand even for Japanese, please try not only if you liked her previous work "Honey and Clover", but also even if you didn't really like "Honey and Clover" as she is trying to create her another best story from different angle!
 

 

 

 

Uchu Kyodai (Space Brothers)

（宇宙兄弟）

 

When you wander, don't try to decide by "which is right".

（迷った時はね

「どっちが正しいか」

なんて考えちゃダメよ）

 

You will never get to the best answer by that way.

（日が暮れちゃうわ）

 

You don't need to think with your head.
（頭で考えなきゃいいのよ）

 

The answer you can find exists at lower part of your body.

（答えはもっと下）

 

Your heart knows best about you.

（あなたのことなら

あなたの胸が知ってるもんよ）

So try to rather decide by "which provides you more fun"...

（「どっちが楽しいか」

で決めなさい）

(Story)
In the summer of 2006, two brothers, Mutta and Hibito Nanba, discovered a UFO which flew to the moon. In 2025, as Hibito has managed to become an astronaut set to go to the moon, Mutta has not been so successful in achieving his dream of going to Mars. That is, until he is accepted to join an astronaut training program...

Japanese manga series by Chūya Koyama which has been serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Morning since January 2008. It has been nominated twice for the Manga Taishō, in 2009 and 2010. In 2011, it won the award for best general manga at the 56th Shogakukan Manga Awards and at the Kodansha Manga Award (shared with Chica Umino's March Comes in Like a Lion).


I personally don't have any brothers or sisters but this manga makes me think having brothers(especially good one like Mutta) would have provided much fun in my life. Not only Mutta and Hibito, almost all of characters illustrated in this manga are lively and attractive like real human beings living in their lives.

 

The reason why these characters are so lively and attractive is because I think each one of them has their own belief and policy. That's why their words can have power and appeal to many people including even adults.

 

 

The manga has been already animated in TV series and movie version was created. I think movie version is still not bad although it needed to be simplified compared with the original manga series due to the limited time etc.. The movie version may be good to start but I would like to recommend you try the original manga series at least once even if you don't like the movie version much. You will find much more depth and probably can't stop reading!

 

Naruto

（ナルト）

How can someone who can't even save his friends become Hokage...? Isn't it so, Sasuke?

（仲間ひとり救えねぇやつが、火影になんてなれるかよ　なぁサスケ・・・！）

<Story>
Twelve years before the start of the series, a powerful creature known as the Nine-tailed Demon Fox attacked the ninja village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the leader of Konoha– the Fourth Hokage– sacrificed his life to seal the demon inside the newborn Naruto Uzumaki. Konoha, however, regarded Naruto as if he were the demon fox itself and mistreated him throughout most of his childhood. A decree made by the current Kage, the Third Hokage, forbade anyone mention the attack of the demon fox to anyone else. This included Naruto, who was not aware of the demon inside of him. Years later, Naruto is tricked by the renegade ninja Mizuki into stealing a forbidden scroll that would teach him a secret ninja technique, but he is stopped by his teacher, Iruka Umino...

This is also one of the best known and popular Japanese comics over the world besides One Piece. The comic is created by Masashi Kishimoto and on-going at weekly Shonen Jump magazine.

Some people may say Naruto should be the true successor of Dragon Ball but for me Naruto depicts a lot more dark side of the human beings rather like Akira created by Katsuhiro Otomo, which attracts me in a bit different way from One Piece or Dragon Ball.

The most important characters in this comic are Naruto and Sasuke. Their characters are quite opposite and contrasted but they have their loneliness and own destiny in common. Therefore, they became friends and respect each other. However, their destiny doesn't allow them to be such friends but to conflict against....

Even aside from Naruto and Sasuke, there are a lot of characters having their own background and stories. It is quite fascinating Kishimoto can weave those and create such a grand stories by using Japanese Ninja as its background.

I have to admit this contains some brutal scenes for children but I also believe it's also a part of Ninja and wars Kishimoto couldn't avoid to depict.

If you haven't read or watched any of Naruto before, please try it. I bet you will get hooked!

One piece

（ワンピース）

 

"When do you think people die?

When they are shot through the heart by the bullet of a pistol? No...

When they are ravaged by an incurable disease? No...

When they drink a soup made from a poisonous mushroom!? No!

It’s when…he is forgotten!"
-Dr. Hiriluk
（人は いつ死ぬと思う・・・？
心臓をピストルで撃ち抜かれた時・・・違う
不治の病に冒された時・・・違う
猛毒キノコのスープを飲んだ時・・・違う!!!
・・・人に 忘れられた時さ・・・!!!）


 

<Story>
The series begins with the execution of Gol D. Roger, a man known as the King of the Pirates. Just before his death, Roger announces that his treasure, the One Piece, will be up for the taking, causing the Great Pirate Era to begin. As a result, countless pirates set out to the Grand Line to look for the treasure.
Twenty-two years have passed since Roger's execution, and Monkey D. Luffy, a young pirate inspired by his childhood idol and powerful pirate Red Haired Shanks, has since set off on a journey from the East Blue Ocean to succeed Roger and find the legendary treasure...

One of the best known and popular Japanese comics created by Eiichiro Oda. I think he is the true successor of Akira Toriyama, who created Dragon Ball. Both Dragon Ball and One Piece has captured countless number of people's hearts over the world but one thing One Piece is even greater than Dragon Ball is it's touching stories still for adults often appear.

One of my favorite episodes is "Hiriluk’s Cherry Blossoms and the Will that Gets Carried On!" but there are so may other good and touching episodes. (By the way, there is a movie titled "Episode of Chopper" featuring the above in Japan but I couldn't find it's English version... It's a good introduction especially if you haven't read any Once Piece before and cannot recognize Tony Tony Chopper, though.)

He also has great creativity so every character is attractive. My favorite character is Tony Tony Chopper(so cute!) and you will find your favorite ones easily without a doubt.

If you still think comics are only for children, please try this first and realize how amazing Japanese comics are!