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Vol 2 Issue 5
[MANGA REVIEWS]

MixxZine - Get into the Mixx
— by Roderick "Agitator" Lee

As most fans know, in Japan, manga (unlike anime, actually) is fully ingrained into the culture. Just as the average American thinks nothing of turning first to the comics section of the newspaper, so it is second nature for the Japanese salaryman to grab a "phonebook" manga to read on the bullet train. Most American fans are familiar with the idea of the tankoubon, a bound collection of chapters from one title. But, where did these chapters appear the first time? That is the phonebook, a large collection of different manga chapters all by one publisher.
   Viz first tried its hand at a phonebook-like production with MANGA VIZION, eighty pages of three different manga short stories. Now, starting 15 July, newcomer Mixx Publications takes this one step closer toward a "true phonebook," with MIXXZINE, over two hundred pages from four KODANSHA manga titles. And while MANGA VIZION stories change from time to time (and all the Takahashi Rumiko stories seem to be one-shots), MIXXZINE will bring its readers four long-running continuing series. From the popular COMICS AFTERNOON (which also runs AA! MEGAMISAMA and GUN SMITH CATS) MIXXZINE offers JIRAISHIN and KISEIJU, while from shoujo magazine NAKAYOSI, there is MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH and some small obscure title that roughly translates to SAILOR MOON.
   Now, EX has already reviewed KISEIJU (which will run under the title PARASITE in MIXXZINE) in a previous issue and well, more than enough has been said about SAILOR MOON.
   JIRAISHIN, which will run in MIXXZINE as ICE BLADE, is a police drama by Takahashi Tsutomu. At least based on the first chapter, "File 1: Puppet," there is a minimalist tinge here, both in dialogue (or rather lack thereof) and artwork. Takahashi employs muted or ordinary backgrounds that draw the eye to his character designs, which are also somewhat simple, tending toward long, straight lines and angular faces. The result is a visual title, with an emphasis on action: a likely draw for those who are attracted to police detective thrillers.
   "Puppet" opens with a flashback: a young mother collapses and dies in the hot summer air, right in front of her son. Fast forward to the present. A narcotics operation has just been blown; the police are trying to take down kingpin Kuz Noda, but their lead has been taken out. They need to find both the hitman and the leak in the department. Not surprisingly, the flashback plays a pivotal role in this story. Subsequent chapters will no doubt continue to focus on the attempts to take down Kuz.
   MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH is a shoujo fantasy series by the four woman super manga team of CLAMP. The title would seem to indicate that this is another magical girls series--that perception is misleading. Sure the girls are fourteen, a common age for magical girls heroines, and sure they acquire magical powers, but the difference here is that the RAYEARTH girls acquire their powers not to save Earth, but to save an alternate universe, Cephiro. Thus, many of the other elements in a magical girl series are absent: school, the secret identity, and the romantic interest who is not aware of the secret identity. As a result, it is better to describe RAYEARTH as a fantasy adventure series.
   In an unknown world, a beautiful young woman is praying and summoning for help, "Help save our world, Legendary Magic Knights!" A magical blast arcs from her mind, upward through the clouds. Now, shift to Tokyo Tower, 1998. A number of different schools are here for field trips. A bright flash appears in the sky, accompanied by a shattering blast, and three girls from three different schools see a vision of a young woman in a globe of light calling upon the Magic Knights. Suddenly, the floor erupts beneath them as if water, and all three girls "splash through" the floor only to find themselves falling through the sky above a mysterious world, Cephiro. Why have they been chosen? And how will they get home?
   The artwork is typical CLAMP fare. That means long, flowing lines, elegant backgrounds, fine detail, and beautiful character designs. Also present, and another CLAMP trademark, are the regular drops into SD character design, usually as part of some humorous aside.
   Many readers may know that there has been on and off talk of bringing RAYEARTH to North American television. Part of these negotiations included the renaming of the characters from Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu to Luce, Marine, and Anemone respectively. RAYEARTH fans will be happy to learn that Mixx is using the original Japanese names. For SAILOR MOON, however, contractual obligations require Mixx to use the English names from the DIC series. That means Serena and Molly as opposed to Usagi and Rei.
   Our own Scott Frazier is impressed by, well, the mix in Mixx. "This is an interesting combination," he says, "I don't think anything in Japan could carry all four stories like this." Well, come mid-July, that will also change, as the editors of MIXXZINE plan for joint North American and Japanese release. A fantasy adventure, a science fiction horror story, a police thriller, and the most successful magical girls series, all in one package. For now, MIXXZINE is planned for bimonthly release, but if it is successful, we can look forward to possibly a more frequent release, and even a fifth series. All this for less than five dollars off the newsstand. Get into the Mixx, indeed.

  MIXXZINE
Copyright © 1997 Mixx Publications
Translations by Stuart Levy and Takahashi Rika
Subscriptions: $24.95 U.S., $39.95 Canada, $90 other countries
Retail: $4.99 U.S., $5.99 Canada


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