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This being the second volume of Comic Party, it is already assumed that we know something about the characters. In this case that doesn’t matter much as it is a collection of short stories that involve a small group of creators and the other people in their lives. Although knowledge of who these characters are isn’t necessarily needed when reading each individual story, the stories do build on each other, developing the characters throughout the journey. Basically these stories revolve around a group of aspiring manga artists who invest themselves wholeheartedly into their art. There is Kazuki, a talented young college student, who creates manga passionately, but tends to procrastinate right up to the deadline. He is in a relationship with a girl named Mizuki, who is jealous of the time Kazuki spends with his art, but over time it seems she is becoming more involved in the manga culture. Kazuki’s friend Yuu is a fellow manga artist who is headstrong and determined, and always willing to help a friend (whether they want it or not). Also, there is Subaru, a meek young woman who struggles to write manga that can become successful. There is also Chisa, Kazuki’s publisher; she is struggling to keep her small business alive. Another important character is Eimi, a successful artist who finds that success is not everything. These characters (along with a few others) interact with each other in very funny and sometimes very emotional ways. What I have come to realize is that in this volume, the focus of the stories have shifted to Kazuki and his strong relationship with females. He is one of the few male characters that are strongly represented, and he is constantly interacting with all of the female characters. He encourages and supports them, and gets a lot of respect from them for doing so. In a way all the girls seem to love him, and this seems like it could become a big problem for the guy with his girlfriend Mizuki. It seems that when manga artists “write what they know,” they not only know about their industry, but they know about life and the emotions that we all can relate to. The art is very nice and the stories well written. The look and feel of the characters is maintained by each artist, with only subtle differences in their varying styles. The “look” of this manga is of the old school “big-eyes” look, as it has been called. It works well in this title, because the big eyes can reflect so much emotion and humor that is essential to the stories in the volume. It’s hard to pick a favorite story within this collection, so I’ll just say that any of the stories involving the girls in skimpy cosplay outfits are way up on my list. All the stories are great, and I love that the characters are being defined as the stories progress. I’ve noticed that there is a Comic Party anime, and I am curious to see how these wacky and erratic stories get translated to a television format. Overall, this manga was great. The short stories made it easy to pick up and read without having to commit too much time too it all at once. I found it to be genuinely funny and also, strikingly serious all at the same time. The characters are great, and are worthy of being the subject of these great little stories. This manga is different from others that I have read; the format is definitely welcome and refreshing. -brant-
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