Reviewer

Alexander Hoffman

Alexander Hoffman is more often than not, studying for his latest exam. A student in Ohio Northern's six-year Pharmacy program, what time he has that isn't spent learning the ins-and-outs of the human body and the drugs we use on it, is spent on comics, Magic: the Gathering, and games of all types. Alex got his start in writing through short fiction and poetry contests, and began writing about games in the Spring of 2005 at Magic Deck Vortex. He started his blog, Manga Widget, in the Fall of 2008 to talk about comics, and he's been writing almost full-time ever since.

http://www.amazon.com/Yokaiden-1-Nina-Matsumoto/dp/0345503279/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236195976&sr=8-1

Yokaiden Volume 1 (Nina Matsumoto)

Del Rey Manga

Age Rating: Teen (13+)

Genre: Supernatural

Price: $10.95

Yokaiden is a part of Del Rey Manga's OEL line, following up other OEL titles like Kasumi. The author of Yokaiden has a small claim to fame; she's the one who drew the entire cast of the Simpsons in anime/manga form. Apparently that's enough to get you a book deal these days.

Yokaiden, at its core, is a book about a boy who loves yokai, which in Japanese folklore are mythical creatures much like the monsters, trolls, demons, and other creatures that are present in Western mythology. Instead of being afraid of them, like everyone else, Hamachi wants to be friends with all of them!

The opener of the book is interesting, but the events leading up to the BIG EVENT in the middle are kind of feeble. Some terrible things happen, and Hamachi ends up on a quest in the Yokai world to avenge his grandmother. It's a weak plot hook, especially since the main character is practically in love with any yokai he sees.

The strongest part of the story of Yokaiden are its jokes. Nina Matsumoto gives up a lot of the authenticness of the setting she is trying to portray for some very humorous jokes that leave the reader sometimes scratching his or her head. Hamachi apparently knows French, and the scene near the end of the book discussing the different types of irony is too good. When mulling over the review for Yokaiden, I came to a realization, though. The jokes were funny in Yokaiden, but they drew me back into the world of the writer, and not the setting Matsumoto would like you to believe she's writing in. The uniqueness of the mythological and antique setting are unabashedly tossed aside for a cheap chuckle, and it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

I also do not care for the art and layout of the book. The panels and inking are fairly unattractive, and the sketchiness and raw lines make the characters look hastily drawn. Shading and shadows seem to be more of an afterthought, and it shows; the art consistently has a lack of depth that is distracting.

Del Rey has put together a solid book, and I had no issues with my copy. The paper is high quality, and the cover and its aged appearance may be the best thing about the book.

4.5

Summing Up:

Yokaiden gives up its storytelling prowess to make some very 21st century jokes. Besides the joking, it's a rather ordinary and mostly disappointing story.

Contact Information:

Del Rey Manga

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