Tetsuo: A Mini-Vegeta???

So this is probably one of the most random things I have put out there, but for those of you who know, I am a HUGE! DragonBall Z fan! and the whole time we were watching Akira, all I could think of was how Tetsuo looks like Vegeta! So the following are clips of each of the famous anime characters either fighting, interacting with others, etc., and I ask if you guys see the similarities too! And I challenge you all to do the same! Pick a character from one of the graphic novels/manga we have read thus far, and provide a link with pics or videos of who you feel could be their twin! Trust me, it'll be harder than you think!

Basically, when I look at Tetsuo, I see Vegeta's widow's peak, and even the way his face is set reminds me of the Saiyan. However, it's not just the physical characters that remind me of Vegeta: Tetsuo's attitude of refusing to let Kaneda help him, is just like Vegeta! The Saiyan Prince is so proud that it took forever for him to finally allow Goku to even help him in battle. Both characters also had a love-hate relationship with their girlfriends at the start, but that's only a minor connection.

The beginning images are SOOO similar to Tetsuo's bad dream in Akira.. oh! and ignore the music, it's lame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u5hK6ZnaVs&feature=PlayList&p=8ED8C12C659E5616&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=5

Tetsuo's montage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vK0iThYlWY

Huck Finn as a Manga?

Thanks to our friends at Cliffsnotes, classic literature is now being offered in Manga format:

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/Section/CliffsNotes-The-Manga-Editions.id-310791.html

A lot of them are Shakespeare, but other offerings include "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

Unlike the other offerings that have made cliffsnotes a college student staple (much like the hoodie), these aren't free. You have to buy 'em for $9.99, but sample panels appear on the site.

I admit to scrambling around cliffsnotes to survive some of the challenges in my high school lit classes -- now my younger brother faced with the same literary conundrums has Manga versions available. I'm not sure whether I'm saddened... or jealous.

Misperceptions of Manga: The Push Man

The first thing I honestly thought of when Doc Clemente said we would be reading a classic manga, my heart leaped for joy! I was thinking something along the lines of Inuyasha, DragonBall Z, or Bleach! Then I stopped and realized that those weren't classics yet, as they hadn't been out that long! So my mind turned then to Astroboy and Speed Racer. Whatever manga we read would of course have to be something completely amazing! It was after all a manga! In my naiveté I was very unprepared for the intensity and non-fanciful Pushman.

Tatsumi's The Push Man and Other Stories is a anime that was intended to show life as it really was.... well, not quite anyway. But it's intention was to bring up real issues that occurred everyday in the Japanese culture, as well as ours. It's graphic images of intimacy (explicit and perverted), ideas of murder and mayhem, and it's subject matter of cheating relationships challenge the reader to acknowledge the existence of those very

things. It also gives insight into the minds of the people who deal with these situations day after day.

As far as the art goes, The Push Man is not what I would consider a typical manga. Yes, this manga is definitely in a league of its own, and certainly has fathered many manga-esque stories, but for a girl who grew up with DBZ, this is just not what I think of. All the characters are simply dra

wn with fairly proportionate features, albeit a great deal of eye make-up for the woman. No one seems to have that characteristic large gem colored eyes that constantly sparkle; the terribly long feathery lashes, nor do they have the funky hairstyles anime has become known for. However, both versions are true manga... just

generations apart. While The Push Man represents the classical style, and all those others the more modern style, then it's not that hard

as a reader to simply look at it that way. Thinking deeper, Tatsumi wanted us to not only identify with the characters but perceive life through their eyes, so maybe it was just his choice to draw them more "realistic."

Whatever the psychological depth or superficial nature of Push Man, it certainly encompasses very adult themes, and certainly makes the reader look closer at their own lives.

In Responce to PVB Waltz post.

I too know what its like when pop culture ruins something deep for you. I had just begun playing guitar at the time Guitar Hero 3 was released, and I remember the constant barrage of "Play Through Fire and Flames, and Play Freebird" long very difficult songs no one actually wants to hear the duration of.
It is a bummer but you cant let a few people ruin things for you. Pyongyang is a brilliant novel that manages to explain the isolation of North Korea while keeping it humorous enough for a comfortable and enjoyable read.
Secondly Team America is a pretty funny movie and its not supposed to be taken seriously at all. It uses puppets and intentionally terrible acting for goodness sake. So don't let people ruin Pyongyang or The Team America movie for you.
What I learned from my experience is that even if people who play guitar hero are a bit lame about the real thing, they have at least been exposed to music. Likewise realize that before seeing that movie most people in our generation had no idea what was happening in North Korea, at the very least they now know who the leader of the country is, a small few may have looked further into the situation over there. Some may have even picked up Pyongyang or other literature from seeing the movie. Its a long-shot, but it is a possibility you might find comfort in. After all I still like my Skynyrd CD's.