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ceruseeReading the first volume of Happy has confirmed for me that the addictive qualities of Monster and 20th Century Boys are due as much to the storytelling as the drama of the premises. Monster has serial killers, wronged men, and espionage in East Europe. 20th Century Boys has rock 'n' roll, autocrats, plagues, and giant robots (sort of). Happy has...tennis. Okay, and yakuza and insane matriarchs and headhunting brothels.
What they all have in common is protagonists you can genuinely root for, complex and sympathetic characterization for both heroes and villains, and the sort of storytelling that makes you want to sit down and read the whole 18 or 23 volume saga in one afternoon. It's not that there are no natural breaks in the pacing, but when you do stop, you're constantly haunted by the question, "What happens next?"
Monster and 20th Century Boys have been licensed, which pleases me no end, both because they deserve a wider audience, and because I want them in my dead tree library. If they do well, I hope someone will also bring Happy over here--Happy should appeal to anyone who likes Urasawa, sports stories, or teenage girls who try their hardest!--'cause the scanlations only cover the first 6 volumes.
And I want to know what happens next!
What they all have in common is protagonists you can genuinely root for, complex and sympathetic characterization for both heroes and villains, and the sort of storytelling that makes you want to sit down and read the whole 18 or 23 volume saga in one afternoon. It's not that there are no natural breaks in the pacing, but when you do stop, you're constantly haunted by the question, "What happens next?"
Monster and 20th Century Boys have been licensed, which pleases me no end, both because they deserve a wider audience, and because I want them in my dead tree library. If they do well, I hope someone will also bring Happy over here--Happy should appeal to anyone who likes Urasawa, sports stories, or teenage girls who try their hardest!--'cause the scanlations only cover the first 6 volumes.
And I want to know what happens next!