![]() ![]() Yona of the Dawn is an epic in the truest sense, building from a low fantasy adventure about a teen girl and her supernatural boyfriends into a sprawling political thriller over 30+ volumes and counting. With no supplies and accompanied only by her bodyguard, who is madly in love with her, she sets out on a secret quest to find four legendary half-dragon warriors who may be able to help her reclaim the throne. ![]() FantasyĪ pampered young princess is betrayed by the man she loves and forced to flee her kingdom or die. You can order Volume 1 of Banana Fish on Right Stuf and watch the anime on Prime Video. Both are out of print but not terribly difficult to track down. This manga about a schoolgirl detective who beats people up with a yoyo was never licensed in English, but the anime adaptation was licensed by ADV Films, and the live-action adaptation was released by Magnolia Pictures. Banana Fish has never been more accessible. Long out of print, all 19 volumes have been re-released yet again within the past couple of years, and an anime adaptation is available on Prime Video. They later went back and re-released all 19 volumes unflipped. Viz released the first 7 of 19 volumes in flipped editions starting in the late 90s. That said, it’s not unusual for straight dudebros to not be drawn to BL.Īnd yet in its original American run in Pulp Magazine, Banana Fish was marketed as seinen, which is proof of its crossover appeal. If you can’t tolerate any gay stuff, then you have bigger problems than just not being in Banana Fish’s target demographic. There’s no explicit on-page sex, and Ash and Eiji’s relationship is relatively understated for such a well-loved BL classic, but there’s no getting around that it’s gay. Many of its character designs are based on actors, and like any great crime movie or TV series, by the end the plot has developed into a complicated torrent of murder, betrayal, brainwashing, and romance. Also, he and Eiji are super gay together, which is definitely a major selling point.īanana Fish is a wild gun-slinging adventure that has all the hallmarks of a great action movie: mafiosos, mercenaries, drugs, guns, and stock market manipulation (is that an action movie hallmark? If it isn’t, it should be). One night Ash encounters a wounded man who, with his dying breath, gives Ash a mysterious vial, an address in California, and the words “banana fish.” With the help of Eiji, a Japanese reporter who’s in New York making a documentary about gangs, Ash begins to unravel the mystery of Banana Fish and discovers a conspiracy involving politicians, the mob, and human trafficking. Ash is the leader of a New York street gang and an absolutely incredible shot. In the jungles of Vietnam, an American soldier shoots at his own comrades, screaming about “banana fish.” A decade later, that soldier is now severely disabled and cared for by his younger brother Ash. So how should you ease yourself into the world of shojo and josei manga? Let’s try starting with a genre you like. But the sparkly romance stuff is my favorite, and getting you, dear dudely reader, to read that girliest of manga is my goal here. There’s action, there’s fantasy, there’s horror, and there’s smut. Lucky for you, shojo and josei manga aren’t all just fluttering hearts and doe-eyed glances from across the classroom. Maybe you’re just a curious fella who wants to cautiously expand their horizons, but is intimidated by the thought of bucking gender norms and diving headlong into a pile of flower n’ sparkle screentone. Maybe you’re not as much of a sucker as me, though. But it turns out I’m actually a sucker for it, and I saw the error of my ways and embraced my girliness. Or in other words, it’s not that girls’ manga will never appeal to men, but rather men don’t let themselves see the appeal of girl’s manga.Īnd even if they can see the appeal, it often takes a while for them to admit it, which was certainly the case for me. One among the many points it makes is that there’s no reason manga nominally aimed at women and girls can’t also appeal to boys and men. ![]() I read this really good article on Anime Feminist a while back. Our resident manly man Bill guides you on your first steps into the huge variety of shojo and josei manga available in English. How to Ease Your Big Burly, Hairy, Glistening, Beer Swillin’, Iron Pumpin’ DUDE Self Into the Wonderful World of Shojo & Josei Manga ![]()
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