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jukebox_csi) wrote2008-05-12 04:29 pm
jukebox_csi) wrote2008-05-12 04:29 pm
Entry tags:
Review Corner: Seduce Me After the Show
Ah, another Deux title....
Title: Seduce Me After the Show
Manga-ka: Est Em
Publisher: Deux Press
From the back cover: A stylish, tempestuous dance of anguish and passion. 'Seduce Me After the Show' contains seven short stories which take place within the artistic worlds of dance, painting and music. Overall themes focus on the dichotomy of hope and despair as well as the relationship between pleasure and longing. In the title story, devastated by the death of his world famous dancer mother, Theo Gallardo abandons his own dancing career to become an actor and co-stars in a film with popular Hollywood idol Darren Fergus. What should have been a joking kiss shared between them takes a sudden turn when Darren asks, "So what now?" Theo answers, "That depends on the script." As lustful passions boil over, will Theo be able to regain the fire that he once possessed and return to the dancing world?
Though the back cover says there are seven short stories in the book, in actuality, there are only six. The main story spans two chapters, while another story's characters are in two chapters - though the tale in each is slightly different. The summary on the back of the book describes the main story, on which the title is based, well enough. The story is, at once, a tragedy while instilling some hope at the end. The opening scene was the most heart-wrenching of all. The dancer Theo learns of his mother's death, only moments before he has to go on stage to perform both the male and female leads of the play 'Carmen'. It is an interpretation that he had developed, in the hopes that his world famous ballerina mother would see for the first time. It had always been his dream to someday share the stage with his mother; a dream that was dashed the very instance he was performing his creation that she was to see. But, in the true spirit of an artist, the show must go on, and he went onto that stage with his heavy heart and yielded the best performance of his life. The audience was in tears, as was Theo, at the end of the piece. For me, it was the masterpiece point of the entire book. It is after this performance that he leaves the stage and becomes an actor. Both Theo and Darren seem to wear masks, though you can tell that the morose dancer is searching for something to give his life meaning again. He's playing a game with the playboy actor who is just as lost, seeing how far they can push it. Theo makes Darren question himself. Has he played the part so long that he no longer truly knows himself? Can he find himself in Theo, and more importantly, can he help Theo rediscover his passion for dancing? It made my heart ache for them both.
The second story, entitled 'Cafe et Cigarette', is about a painter named Rene who has lost his muse, so to speak. Instead, he works at a Cafe. While perusing art books at a local bookstore, another patron of the store happens to drop his books on the floor. Rene realizes that the handsome man has a stack of art books he is purchasing, which peaks his interest. The man, we later learn his name is Lucien, left behind an organizer or notebook or some personal documentation at the bookstore, so Rene proceeds to track him down to return the item, only to discover that Lucien is the owner of an art gallery. Lucien guesses that Rene paints, due to some stains on his pants, and thus begins a slow friendship or courtship - depending on the point of view. Rene comes back to the gallery time and again, and at one point he offers a critique of a painter whose works are about to be shown for the first time in Lucien's gallery. Lucien then challenges Rene with the words 'Then you'd better paint.... Put your money where your mouth is.' At one point, they share a tentative first kiss, which results in Lucien stating that Rene tastes of cigarettes, while Rene intones that Lucien tastes of coffee. It is shortly after that, Renee quits smoking and starts drinking coffee, much to the confusion of his friends, and he starts painting again. The story ends on a hopeful note, leaving the reader to presume that a happy ending for the two men is certainly a strong possibility.
'Rockin' in My Head' is the title of the next chapter in the book. It is about a young guitarist named Billy, who hits the lowest point. The lead vocalist of a legendary band called The Rebels, and the man who was his idol, died. And on the same day, the front man in his own band (who was also his room mate) skipped out with the door cash from their last gig, his guitar, and a precious autographed picture of the very idol that died. To top it all off, the club is calling for the stolen cash, and he has no way to pay it. It's enough to drown himself in drink with a fellow rocker named Joe. However, he is most surprised to find himself waking up the next morning in bed with Joe. It turns out that old Joe was the guitarist for The Rebels. Suddenly, it seems to Billy that his problems are solved, if he can just get Joe to play with his band at their next show. But Joe has no intention of playing. In a flashback scene, we see that the legendary rocker that Billy so idolized was, in fact, a lover of Joe's. Joe will only play for his lover, but his lover is dead. What words will Billy need to say to convince the stubborn old fool to play for him?
The next two chapters in the book, called 'Nero' and 'Monochrome', are so bizarre that I'm not sure I can even explain them. Basically, two characters named Nye and Ney live with an old man who passes away. At first, it seems that the two are spirits in the house. But that is dispelled quickly when some strange man comes to the house and finds one of them, offering to take him home. When Nye leaves with the man, Ney is left alone and struggles to find a way out of the house to find Nye. Meanwhile, Nye, who is being stroked and caressed by the strange man, continues to stare out of the window searching. And the man realizes the boy doesn't want to stay with him, so he sets him free. It isn't until the end of the first story that the reader realizes that the two young men, Nye and Ney, are actually black cats. I can only assume that their 'human' form is supposedly denoting their spirits instead of their true form. 'Monochrome' appears to be about the birth of the two cats, but it's so obscure in the telling, that I really can't be sure.
Finally, 'Twilight Cicadas/A Winding Kyoto Lane/Steamy Summer's Night', completes the book. This story revolves around an old man, named Keiji, who returns to his home town in the hopes of hearing his dear friend play the flute one last time; a flute that Keiji had given him. Only, he discovers that his dear friend has already passed away. The two had obviously been lovers in their youth, but Keiji was transferred and the two never saw each other again. It is his lover's grandson who he comes across, and through the boy he learns that his love had always searched for him in the crowd whenever he played his flute from the float at the annual festival.
The first thing that comes to mind, when describing the art in this book, is that it is dark. And I don't mean in a brooding, angst-filled way, though there is that within the stories. Rather, the manga-ka uses little or no tones and shading. It is stark black and white; almost harsh to look upon. The characters in the book are not aesthetically pleasing, in any stretch of the imagination, yet the rough lines seem to grow on the reader as you are immersed in the story. Storytelling appears to be more the forte of Est Em. The characters are brooding, and depressing, as is fit for the stories being told. Yet, they have an inner vulnerability that makes me want to reach out and cup their faces, telling them everything will work out if they just have faith and believe in themselves. The main title is, by far, my favorite in the book. The scenes of the dancer on the stage are poignant. The story of the painter, as well as that of the rock star, are too short, in my opinion. Both could have definitely benefited from being extended. Personally, I would have rather seen the two cat boy chapters removed from the book and that space given over to drawing out more back-story for the painter and rock star stories. The extra pages would have helped pace those stories better, so that they might not feel as rushed as they do. The same could be said for the final story in the book, though it actually works as is. My primary complaint with the final story is the way the characters speak. The manga-ka, and subsequent translation, utilize accent heavily and make the characters seem too much like country bumpkins.
Deux does a decent job with the publication. The paper is relatively coarse, heavy enough yet not stiff. However, because the artwork is so dark, with such heavy panels of black, that there were times I caught myself checking to see if ink had rubbed onto my fingers. I was hard-pressed to find any grammatical or spelling mistakes within the book, the final accent-laden chapter notwithstanding.
All in all, the book is a fairly worthwhile read, with the possible exception of the two cat boy stories. I didn't find myself bored, or off-put by the artwork, and was able to digest the entire book in a couple of sittings.
Title: Seduce Me After the Show
Manga-ka: Est Em
Publisher: Deux Press
From the back cover: A stylish, tempestuous dance of anguish and passion. 'Seduce Me After the Show' contains seven short stories which take place within the artistic worlds of dance, painting and music. Overall themes focus on the dichotomy of hope and despair as well as the relationship between pleasure and longing. In the title story, devastated by the death of his world famous dancer mother, Theo Gallardo abandons his own dancing career to become an actor and co-stars in a film with popular Hollywood idol Darren Fergus. What should have been a joking kiss shared between them takes a sudden turn when Darren asks, "So what now?" Theo answers, "That depends on the script." As lustful passions boil over, will Theo be able to regain the fire that he once possessed and return to the dancing world?
Though the back cover says there are seven short stories in the book, in actuality, there are only six. The main story spans two chapters, while another story's characters are in two chapters - though the tale in each is slightly different. The summary on the back of the book describes the main story, on which the title is based, well enough. The story is, at once, a tragedy while instilling some hope at the end. The opening scene was the most heart-wrenching of all. The dancer Theo learns of his mother's death, only moments before he has to go on stage to perform both the male and female leads of the play 'Carmen'. It is an interpretation that he had developed, in the hopes that his world famous ballerina mother would see for the first time. It had always been his dream to someday share the stage with his mother; a dream that was dashed the very instance he was performing his creation that she was to see. But, in the true spirit of an artist, the show must go on, and he went onto that stage with his heavy heart and yielded the best performance of his life. The audience was in tears, as was Theo, at the end of the piece. For me, it was the masterpiece point of the entire book. It is after this performance that he leaves the stage and becomes an actor. Both Theo and Darren seem to wear masks, though you can tell that the morose dancer is searching for something to give his life meaning again. He's playing a game with the playboy actor who is just as lost, seeing how far they can push it. Theo makes Darren question himself. Has he played the part so long that he no longer truly knows himself? Can he find himself in Theo, and more importantly, can he help Theo rediscover his passion for dancing? It made my heart ache for them both.
The second story, entitled 'Cafe et Cigarette', is about a painter named Rene who has lost his muse, so to speak. Instead, he works at a Cafe. While perusing art books at a local bookstore, another patron of the store happens to drop his books on the floor. Rene realizes that the handsome man has a stack of art books he is purchasing, which peaks his interest. The man, we later learn his name is Lucien, left behind an organizer or notebook or some personal documentation at the bookstore, so Rene proceeds to track him down to return the item, only to discover that Lucien is the owner of an art gallery. Lucien guesses that Rene paints, due to some stains on his pants, and thus begins a slow friendship or courtship - depending on the point of view. Rene comes back to the gallery time and again, and at one point he offers a critique of a painter whose works are about to be shown for the first time in Lucien's gallery. Lucien then challenges Rene with the words 'Then you'd better paint.... Put your money where your mouth is.' At one point, they share a tentative first kiss, which results in Lucien stating that Rene tastes of cigarettes, while Rene intones that Lucien tastes of coffee. It is shortly after that, Renee quits smoking and starts drinking coffee, much to the confusion of his friends, and he starts painting again. The story ends on a hopeful note, leaving the reader to presume that a happy ending for the two men is certainly a strong possibility.
'Rockin' in My Head' is the title of the next chapter in the book. It is about a young guitarist named Billy, who hits the lowest point. The lead vocalist of a legendary band called The Rebels, and the man who was his idol, died. And on the same day, the front man in his own band (who was also his room mate) skipped out with the door cash from their last gig, his guitar, and a precious autographed picture of the very idol that died. To top it all off, the club is calling for the stolen cash, and he has no way to pay it. It's enough to drown himself in drink with a fellow rocker named Joe. However, he is most surprised to find himself waking up the next morning in bed with Joe. It turns out that old Joe was the guitarist for The Rebels. Suddenly, it seems to Billy that his problems are solved, if he can just get Joe to play with his band at their next show. But Joe has no intention of playing. In a flashback scene, we see that the legendary rocker that Billy so idolized was, in fact, a lover of Joe's. Joe will only play for his lover, but his lover is dead. What words will Billy need to say to convince the stubborn old fool to play for him?
The next two chapters in the book, called 'Nero' and 'Monochrome', are so bizarre that I'm not sure I can even explain them. Basically, two characters named Nye and Ney live with an old man who passes away. At first, it seems that the two are spirits in the house. But that is dispelled quickly when some strange man comes to the house and finds one of them, offering to take him home. When Nye leaves with the man, Ney is left alone and struggles to find a way out of the house to find Nye. Meanwhile, Nye, who is being stroked and caressed by the strange man, continues to stare out of the window searching. And the man realizes the boy doesn't want to stay with him, so he sets him free. It isn't until the end of the first story that the reader realizes that the two young men, Nye and Ney, are actually black cats. I can only assume that their 'human' form is supposedly denoting their spirits instead of their true form. 'Monochrome' appears to be about the birth of the two cats, but it's so obscure in the telling, that I really can't be sure.
Finally, 'Twilight Cicadas/A Winding Kyoto Lane/Steamy Summer's Night', completes the book. This story revolves around an old man, named Keiji, who returns to his home town in the hopes of hearing his dear friend play the flute one last time; a flute that Keiji had given him. Only, he discovers that his dear friend has already passed away. The two had obviously been lovers in their youth, but Keiji was transferred and the two never saw each other again. It is his lover's grandson who he comes across, and through the boy he learns that his love had always searched for him in the crowd whenever he played his flute from the float at the annual festival.
The first thing that comes to mind, when describing the art in this book, is that it is dark. And I don't mean in a brooding, angst-filled way, though there is that within the stories. Rather, the manga-ka uses little or no tones and shading. It is stark black and white; almost harsh to look upon. The characters in the book are not aesthetically pleasing, in any stretch of the imagination, yet the rough lines seem to grow on the reader as you are immersed in the story. Storytelling appears to be more the forte of Est Em. The characters are brooding, and depressing, as is fit for the stories being told. Yet, they have an inner vulnerability that makes me want to reach out and cup their faces, telling them everything will work out if they just have faith and believe in themselves. The main title is, by far, my favorite in the book. The scenes of the dancer on the stage are poignant. The story of the painter, as well as that of the rock star, are too short, in my opinion. Both could have definitely benefited from being extended. Personally, I would have rather seen the two cat boy chapters removed from the book and that space given over to drawing out more back-story for the painter and rock star stories. The extra pages would have helped pace those stories better, so that they might not feel as rushed as they do. The same could be said for the final story in the book, though it actually works as is. My primary complaint with the final story is the way the characters speak. The manga-ka, and subsequent translation, utilize accent heavily and make the characters seem too much like country bumpkins.
Deux does a decent job with the publication. The paper is relatively coarse, heavy enough yet not stiff. However, because the artwork is so dark, with such heavy panels of black, that there were times I caught myself checking to see if ink had rubbed onto my fingers. I was hard-pressed to find any grammatical or spelling mistakes within the book, the final accent-laden chapter notwithstanding.
All in all, the book is a fairly worthwhile read, with the possible exception of the two cat boy stories. I didn't find myself bored, or off-put by the artwork, and was able to digest the entire book in a couple of sittings.
no subject
I was looking for smth like this, because I only have Japanese tankoubon [absolutely beautiful thing!]and with my lower-than-mediocrity level of Japanese I can easily wind up with totally wrong understanding of the words :) so the summaries are very helpful as a guideline :D
I agree that the first story about the dancer is most powerful and very impressive artwise. But I also really liked two cats stories [maybe because there were so few words:)] because while reading I was thinking "huh? what's going on here?" and the final cats' form revelation was actually an interesting and fitting twist.
good to know that Deux is making good prints, I have not got anything from them yet. But they still do mot include colour inserts, do they?
no subject
I can't recall if Deux has color inserts in their books. I'll have to check when I get home to see and let you know. I've purchased several of their books. Though they do leave a lot of the original Jpn (especially sfx) instead of editting it out, at least they translate everything, for which I'm grateful. I'm hoping they will bring "New York, New York" to us, and have put that request into them.
no subject
no subject
I have "New York, New York" is German translation done by PaniniComics. They are very good with translation, including all sfx [they do not re-draw sfx, just put side translation, which I personally prefer, but it's really a matter of taste]. But their 2002 print was rather bad :( as for paper and for general book feeling. Their 2007 reprint is pretty nice, big quality improvement and very-very decent books.
no subject
You might check the website Boys on Boys on Film
(http://www.boysonboysonfilm.com) for reviews on the various books. I did a review for Kiss All The Boys here:
http://jukebox-csi.livejournal.com/28360.html#cutid1
as well as on the BOBOF website. :) There's also a review of Yakuza in Love on the BOBOF website, though I didn't write that one.
If you're interested in any other reviews I've written, you can click on the Tags: Manga Review on the left sidebar of my livejournal, or check the BOBOF website
no subject
btw, the story of Billy from 'Rockin' in My Head' is followed up in the second tanko by sensei - Eiji Koorudo Buruu , I've just read it in the reviews for Eiji. I hope it will be licensed too!