Yonen Buzz

    (Tokyopop, 2006)
™ and © 2006 Christina Plaka

Atsushi, Jun, Keigo, and Sayuri make up Plastic Chew, a high-school rock band with dreams of making it big. Nevertheless, its members have a hard time getting around to rehearsals, what with the pressures of jobs, school, and relationships always in the way. They’re talented but, even if they can overcome the obstacles placed in their way, can they make it without selling out?

While some readers are eagerly awaiting the next volume of Beck (it’s been a while), here’s yet another low-key, naturalistic manga that takes a relatively realistic look at Japanese-style rock and roll. The art is caught somewhere between regular manga and (appropriately enough, given the subject matter) the harsh punk angles of Paul Pope. It’s definitely attractive but, just as important, it captures the palpable desperation of the characters’ hardscrabble lives.

We’ve seen it all before, but the characters and their situations feel both real and like real manga, which is particularly impressive and surprising, considering the creator of Yonen Buzz is German.

— S. A. Bennett
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#2

May, 2006
Cover Price: $9.99
1 copy available for $9.99 		Christina PlakaChristina Plaka