Historie 3 by Iwaaki Hitoshi (Level Comics seinen historical manga out now)

Historie © Iwaaki Hitoshi/Kodansha [Serialized in Afternoon]
Published in Indonesia by Elex Media/Level Comics

Historie 3 of 6+

By Iwaaki Hitoshi
Original title: ヒストリエ
Kodansha, serialized in Afternoon, seinen
Volume 3 first released in Japan 2005.11
Published in Indonesia 2010.09 by PT Elex Media Komputindo/Level Comics

Synopsis

Sold off as a slave, Eumenes is marched out of Cardia, and on to a ship bound for Oldia. But before he and his new master reach their destination, a slave mutiny breaks out, preventing the vessel from riding out a storm and causing it to founder and sink off the Paphlagonian coast.

What will happen to Eumenes now? Does this calamity spell the end to his journey?

Despite the back cover art below, and considering the percipient prodigy later becomes secretary to Alexander The Great, likely not.

Volume 3 contains chapters:
20. A Buyer Appears
21. Departure
22. Antakaios
23. The Argo
24-29. In Paphlagonia (Part 1-6)
(Chapter titles c/o Wikipedia)

Awards and Recommendations

Iwaaki Hitoshi's historical series was shortlisted for the 10th Osamu Tezuka Culture Prize (2006), along with Oda Tobira's Tomo'o and nine other titles. (The Grand Prize eventually went to Azuma Hideo's Disappearance Diary.) The prize is awarded to manga modeled on the Osamu Tezuka approach.

The Japanese daily Mainichi praised Iwaaki-sensei's reimagining of the mysterious historical Eumenes's life as Bold and unique, according to a Wikipedia citation. Level editor Tika-san, meanwhile, recommends Historie for its novel take on ancient Greek politics.

Level Comics Historie 3 street date: 22 September 2010

Thank you, Lenny-san, for the artwork and summary.

Iamque opus exegi,
~niki DBA 30uɐlnɯɐnɥ (花木蘭03)
Mistress of Adoxography

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Cover image and source summary used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.

other invaluable resources

Wikipedia

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Level Comics · manga · seinen · Historie · Iwaaki Hitoshi · Kodansha

Bleach 25: No Shaking Throne by Kubo Tite (m&c! shounen manga; street date: 19 May 2010)

Bleach © Kubo Tite/Shueisha (Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump)
Published in Indonesia by PT Gramedia/m&c!
[Cover from m&c!]

Bleach 25 of 45+

By Kubo Tite
Original title: ＢＬＥＡＣＨ－ブリーチ－
Shueisha, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, shounen
Volume 25: No Shaking Throne released in Japan 2008.05
Published in Indonesia 2006.12 by PT Gramedia/m&c!

May contain [SPOILERS!]

Synopsis

After failing to protect his friends, Ichigo approaches the Visored for training, asking Shinji and the Hollowfied Soul Reapers to teach him how to control the hollow dwelling within.

Former 12th Division lieutenant Hiyori engages Ichigo in combat, but before she completely defeats him, Ichigo's hollow emerges. The Visored are able to suppress the monster, but Shinji orders Ichigo to fight his hollow self, a battle that renders Ichigo unconscious and allows his unimpeded transformation into a hollow.

Meanwhile, Soul Society Gotei 13 leader Yamamoto Genryūsai divulges Aizen's true objective to 10th Division captain Hitsugaya Toshiro: the rogue Shinigami plans to vanquish the Soul Society monarch by destroying Ichigo's hometown and using the resulting release of spiritual power to create a key to the Soul Society king's inner sanctum. [Additions from Wikipedia]

Volume 25: No Shaking Throne contains:

• 215. Tug Your God Out
• 216. The Suppression of Darkness
• 217. Hole in My Heart
• 218. Dark Side of Universe 3
• 219. Black & White 3
• 220. King & His Horse
• 221. Let's Eat the World's End
• 222. No Shaking Throne
• 223. The Scarlet Creation

Awards

Winner, best shounen manga in the 50th Shogakukan Manga Awards

Anime and other adaptations

Studio Pierrot's anime adaptation began airing in October 2004 and continues to this day (Season 15, the return to the Hueco Mundo arc, opened with episode 266 on 2010.04.13; episode 271 aired on 2010.05.18). Seiyuu Morita Masakazu and Orikasa Fumiko star as leads Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia. Paku Romi, Hiyama Nobuyuki, and Namikawa Daisuke play 10th Division captain Hitsugaya Toshiro, 11th Division 3rd Seat Madarame Ikkaku, and Arrancar Ulquiorra Cifer respectively. At least two OAVs and three theatrical movies—Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody, Bleach the Movie: The DiamondDust Rebellion, Another Hyōrinmaru, and Bleach the Movie: Fade to Black, I Call Your Name—have been released.

A series of rock musicals has also been made out of Bleach, the first musical staged between 17 and 28 August 2005 at the Space Zero Tokyo center in Shinjuku.

m&c! Bleach volume 25 street date: 19 May 2010

~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03) via m&c!

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Images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.

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m&c! · manga · shounen · Bleach · Kubo Tite · Shueisha

Historie 1 by Iwaaki Hitoshi (Level Comics seinen historical manga; street date: 19 May 2010)

Historie © Iwaaki Hitoshi/Kodansha (Serialized in Afternoon)
Published in Indonesia by Elex Media/Level Comics
[Cover from Level Comics]

Historie 1 of 6+

By Iwaaki Hitoshi
Original title: ヒストリエ
Kodansha, serialized in Afternoon, seinen
Volume 1 first released in Japan 2004.10
Published in Indonesia 2010.05 by PT Elex Media Komputindo/Level Comics

Synopsis

This is the story of Eumenes (Eumenes of Cardia) who would later become the secretary of Alexander the Great. Since childhood, Eumenes has been plagued by a dream about a mysterious woman. Who is she?

Volume 1 contains chapters:

1. The Globe
2. Hometown Cardia (Part 1)
3. Hometown Cardia (Part 2)
4. Hometown Cardia (Part 3)
5. Library (Part 1)
6. Library (Part 2)
7. The Same Deam
8. The Scythian Way
9. Physical Training

Awards and Recommendations

Iwaaki Hitoshi's historical manga was a 10th Osamu Tezuka Culture Award finalist. Wikipedia cites the Mainichi newspaper's view that Iwaaki's vision of Eumenes' past (which, historically, is largely a mystery) 'Bold and unique.'

Level's Historie editor Tika-san recommends the manga for its unique, Eumenes-perspectived take on ancient Greek politics. Politics is also Baka-Updates Manga's top user-voted category for this series. The other categories/themes include: War, Prodigy, Realistic, Mediterranean, and Extended Flashbacks.

A People's History Scholar's (Nik's) Observation

Owing to its ensemble of ancient Greek and Persian VIPs, the subtext of Historie appears to be the Great Man theory, or the Thomas Carlylean view that the history of the world is but the biography of great men. Aside from Eumenes and Alexander The Great, there's Alexander's tutor Aristotle, father Philip II of Macedon, and Aristotle's father-in-law, Hermias of Atarneus.

Level Comics Volume 1 street date: 19 May 2010

Historie back cover

~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03) who thanks Level editor Lenny-san for the cover, blurb, and ambush interview of Historie editor Tika-san

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Images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.

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Bambino! 3 by Sekiya Tetsuji (Level Comics seinen cooking manga; street date: 19 May 2010)

Bambino! © Sekiya Tetsuji/Shogakukan (First serialized in Big Comic Spirits)
Published in Indonesia by Elex Media/Level Comics
[Cover from Level Comics]

Bambino! 3 of 15

By Sekiya Tetsuji
Original title: バンビ～ノ！
Shogakukan, originally serialized in Big Comic Spirits, seinen
Volume 3 first released in Japan 2006.01
Published in Indonesia 2010.05 by PT Elex Media Komputindo/Level Comics

Synopsis

Wannabe chef Ban leaves hometown and loved ones for Tokyo where he finds himself working as waitstaff at a premier Roppongi trattoria.

Can Ban endure serving tasks (slicing bread toka) long enough to get back to creating scrumptious Italian dishes?

I don't know about Ban, but Level's Bambino! editor Tika-san enjoys “working” at (on) Trattoria Baccanale because of the droolicious food depicted in Sekiya Tetsuji's cooking manga, a trademark that likely extends to the sequel Bambino! Secondo (four volumes by 2010.06.30).

Awards

This series won the best seinen/general manga prize at the 53rd Shogakukan Manga Awards, along with The Black Swindler (Kurosagi) by Kuromaru and Natsuhara Takeshi.

Drama adaptation

An 11-episode live-action renzoku starring Matsumoto Jun (Hayakawa Vito, Smile) as Shogo Ban and Kitamura Kazuki (Kusanagi Shunpei, Galileo: Episode Zero) as Yonamine Tsukasa/Yona-san (the waitstaff chief) aired in Japan on NTV from April to June 2007. The theme song We can make it! was performed by Arashi (of course). The TV series reaped four awards at the 53rd Television Drama Academy Awards: Best Actor (Matsumoto Jun), Supporting Actor (Kazuki Kitamura), Best Director, and the Special Award (which it shared with the Yamashita Tomohisa-starrer Proposal Daisakusen). More than the awards, friend recommendations make me want to watch the dorama (and start the manga, which I still haven't).

Level Comics Volume 3 street date: 19 May 2010

~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03) who thanks Level editor Lenny-san for the cover, blurb, and ambush interview of Bambino! editor Tika-san

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Images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.

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Level Comics · manga · seinen · Bambino! · Sekiya Tetsuji · Shogakukan

Air Gear 11 by Oh! great (Level Comics shounen manga; street date: 19 May 2010)

Air Gear © Oh! great/Kodansha (Serialized in Weekly Shounen Magazine)
Published in Indonesia by Elex Media/Level Comics
[Cover from Level Comics]

Air Gear 11 of 28+

By Oh! great
Original title: エア・ギア
Kodansha, serialized in Shuukan Shounen Magazine, shounen
Volume 11 first released in Japan 2005.08
Published in Indonesia 2010.05 by PT Elex Media Komputindo/Level Comics

May contain [SPOILERS]

Synopsis

Ikki and Team Kogarasumaru challenge E-ranked Team Potemkin in order to upgrade to rank B, but leveling up in AT ranking proves more problem-laden than they expected. Potemkin passes up on the offer, forcing Ikki to play for higher stakes by wagering the Fang Regalia.

Awards

This manga by the creator who (as The Fifth Columnist author Andrea Tezumo points out) cleverly romanized his name into the coolest mangaka name ever won the best shounen manga prize in the 2006 Kodansha Manga Awards.

Anime and other adaptations

A 25-episode anime produced by Toei Animation and starring Kamakari Kenta as Ikki aired in Japan from April to September 2006. Kamakari Kenta also reprised his role in the Air Gear musical (2007.01), but due to illness was absent from the rerun Musical Air Gear vs. Bacchus Super Range Remix (2007.05). A new musical was expected to premiere April 2010.

Level Comics Volume 11 street date: 19 May 2010

~niki DBA huamulan03 (花木蘭03) who thanks Level editor Lenny-san for her cover and blurb provisioning

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Images and source summaries used here for reference are © their respective intellectual rights holders. No infringement intended.

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Technorati tags
manga · Level Comics · shounen · Air Gear · Oh! great · Kodansha