With more people reading manga and webtoons (aka vertical scroll comics) than ever before, Beat’s Bizarre Adventure gives three writers an opportunity each week to recommend some of their favorite books and series from Japan, Korea, and elsewhere. This week we have mimics, manga artists, and, of course, records.
Mage and Mimic
Writer/Artist: Feathermage
Platform: WEBTOON
Ever found a nice chest with loot in Dark Souls, only to get munched on by a mimic? That’s why every adventurer in fantasy stories views mimics as the bane of their existence. But in Mage and Mimic, a mimic—Muir—is the main character. Muir is spared from a group of adventurers by a silver-haired mage named Rowan. Thanks to his assistance, Muir breaks free from the dungeon and her controlling family, beginning a fantastical tale of a human mage and a mimic.
While it could be possible to tell the story with Muir as a toothy, talking treasure chest, Feathermage gives her tongue a humanoid appearance with multiple eyes. She is also teal-blue and slimy with sharp teeth, arms, and hair, making her unique compared to the other mimics. Feathermage uses thick lines with implied details when it comes to clothes and equipment. The faces of the characters remind me of 2D animated DreamWorks films from back in the day.
Mage and Mimic is heavily inspired by the world of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as its various game mechanics. You might even spot dice rolls in certain panels for specific actions. It’s these little details that show Feathermage’s love for the world and its mechanics that shape this webtoon.
So if you want to read a story about the very creatures that make me punch my thigh in Dark Souls (and that love to munch on Frieren) I recommend you check out this wonderful (and recently concluded) fantasy story. I also recommend Feathermage’s other series, Caravan and Royal for Ransom, which are receiving official WEBTOON Original versions soon. — Justin Guerrero
Look Back
Writer/Artist: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Translation: Amanda Haley
Lettering: Snir Aharon
Publisher: VIZ
The recent announcement of the live-action adaptation of Look Back prompted me to revisit an old favorite of mine. This is probably one of the best one-shots ever, and if you haven’t read Look Back yet, you seriously need to get on it.
Look Back follows Ayumu Fujino, who had been lauded as a talented artist since she was young by her classmates. When another student upstages her with their own four-panel comic strip, Fujino is jealous and decides to stop drawing entirely. She eventually meets this mysterious classmate, named Kyomoto, and is surprised to discover that this shaggy-haired girl is a huge fan of hers. The two become friends and work on one-shots together, before having their first manga, called Shark Kick, serialized under the pen name Kyo Fujino. But the two part ways when Kyomoto goes to pursue art school. Fujino doesn’t see Kyomoto again until Kyomoto’s funeral when she was tragically killed.
In rereading it, I remembered how powerful Look Back was when it first came out and how its message resonates just as powerfully if not more so today. Though the one-shot focuses on two manga artists, it wouldn’t be remiss to say that this is something all artists have experienced: the cycle of arrogance, jealousy, and envy. Even though Kyomoto and Fujino work together on the manga, there’s still an aspect of rivalry in their partnership—the desire to get better faster.
The second half of the one-shot is utterly beautiful and heartbreaking. The grief that Fujino feels, the misplaced self-blame where she thinks she was responsible for Kyomoto’s death, the regrets and the “what-if’s”—these are all emotions that anyone who has suffered loss has felt. Fujino comes up with a scenario where she never pursued art (since she never really liked drawing anyway), thinking that that would save Kyomoto. But Kyomoto’s last question prompts Fujino to recall her fond memories together with her friend. Making art was never just for herself. — Hilary Leung
Record Journey
Writer/Artist: Ryoichiro Kezuka
Translation: Jan Mitsuko Cash
Lettering: Skylar Rutan
Publisher: Titan Comics
Before we begin, it’s important to address the recent passing of Ryoichiro Kezuka. Only three volumes of this series were published before his passing, with the second already scheduled for an English release this August. While I’ll write like I always do about this series, it’s unfortunate we won’t see anymore, and that yet another promising life is gone.
Record Journey is a non-linear, globe-trotting, time-hopping anthology of stories centered on music and connection. While there are clever links between each story, you don’t need them to get a full experience. The first adventure focuses on a group of women, one of which inherited a collection of records from her grandfather after he died. Together they try to track down the origin of a foreign record bearing the same name as one of them.
The second adventure is set in a nebulous eastern country on the communist side of the Iron Curtain. A young girl learns of a record shop smuggling banned records and attempts to obtain one. The third features the fictional band The Staggs that the girl from the previous story is a fan of, while the fourth is a two-parter about a pirate radio ship blasting music to countries with strict rules regarding what their populace can listen to. The last story is set in a diner, and tracks the relationship between a young waitress and the local band.
While Record Journey bears a love for music, especially records, I don’t think it romanticizes the product itself. Records are just a vessel to bring music and people together, so that their stories can truly begin. I like that, because it lets the characters push the story forward through their interactions.
Kezuka’s art is soft and pleasing to look at. There is a bit of same-face going on; one crucial scene between two characters was confusing for me because they looked too similar. Overall, though, this is a beautiful book to pass the time with. I’m very much looking forward to volume two.
Unfortunately, Kezuka will never read these words. Wherever he is, I hope he knows he left behind a wonderful piece of art. — Derrick Crow
Follow Beat’s Bizarre Adventure to get weekly manga and webtoon recommendations!
