Manga series
I am rereading Claymore, because I just got Volume #11, and want to be sure I remember the story.
And, wow, I forget how short manga volumes are. I've been reading a lot of novels, even serial ones, and I'm still used to the idea that one book = one story. That's not as true in the manga publishing. I mean, if I had to turn Claymore into a series of books, I'd probably cap it at the end first longer story arc that starts in Volume #2 and ends partway through #3. (Book #2 would be the flashback sequence showing how Claire became a Claymore).
Not to say that manga isn't awesome. It's just a concept shift to have to get used to reading things in that way. Especially since I barely get beyond the stereotypes in the first volume -- Raki comes off as 'naive sidekick meant to show hero's human side' and Claire is 'cold, part-monster warrior with Hidden Heart of Gold'. Heck, swap out 'part-human' for 'genetically-engineered space-elf' and you have Crest of the Stars. (Though Jinto gets his chance to shine before Raki does -- then again, the Seikai Trilogy manga crams a remarkable amount of plot into itself.) The characters develop and gain in complexity as they go, but it's like only having the first act of a play, or the sample chapters of a novel.
First volumes of manga seem to be known for this. Slayers feels the same way, as does Planetes -- Volume #1 is clearly short stories to get people sold on the heroes and the world. It makes sense, since these are probably the things that the editors of manga magazines are looking at to see if the series has legs. At that point, you want to see if people care enough to be invested in Vast Overarching Plot. (Same way most first-anythings-of-a-series generally stand alone, in case the publisher says 'Yeah, that didn't sell so good. Don't do it again'.)
After my reread, I might write a full review of Claymore. Maybe I'll even do the rest of the re-read over the weekend, so I can get it in one gulp.
And, wow, I forget how short manga volumes are. I've been reading a lot of novels, even serial ones, and I'm still used to the idea that one book = one story. That's not as true in the manga publishing. I mean, if I had to turn Claymore into a series of books, I'd probably cap it at the end first longer story arc that starts in Volume #2 and ends partway through #3. (Book #2 would be the flashback sequence showing how Claire became a Claymore).
Not to say that manga isn't awesome. It's just a concept shift to have to get used to reading things in that way. Especially since I barely get beyond the stereotypes in the first volume -- Raki comes off as 'naive sidekick meant to show hero's human side' and Claire is 'cold, part-monster warrior with Hidden Heart of Gold'. Heck, swap out 'part-human' for 'genetically-engineered space-elf' and you have Crest of the Stars. (Though Jinto gets his chance to shine before Raki does -- then again, the Seikai Trilogy manga crams a remarkable amount of plot into itself.) The characters develop and gain in complexity as they go, but it's like only having the first act of a play, or the sample chapters of a novel.
First volumes of manga seem to be known for this. Slayers feels the same way, as does Planetes -- Volume #1 is clearly short stories to get people sold on the heroes and the world. It makes sense, since these are probably the things that the editors of manga magazines are looking at to see if the series has legs. At that point, you want to see if people care enough to be invested in Vast Overarching Plot. (Same way most first-anythings-of-a-series generally stand alone, in case the publisher says 'Yeah, that didn't sell so good. Don't do it again'.)
After my reread, I might write a full review of Claymore. Maybe I'll even do the rest of the re-read over the weekend, so I can get it in one gulp.
excited