Quotes of Awesome June 2012, Part II

Michelle Smith on Moon Child: "The ending is very interesting, indeed! I will say, though, that leading up to it is a lot of stuff that doesn’t make a lot of sense, and for me, once you’ve reached the critical mass for “wtf” it spills over into “whatever,” so there were certain aspects of the conclusion that didn’t affect me as much as they might’ve, though there were a few subplots I liked very much."

Jason Thompson on Antique Bakery: "After this opening, it might be hard to believe it, but Fumi Yoshinaga's Antique Bakery is a manga that makes me happy to be alive. Unlike some manga, it doesn't try too hard to make me happy by being super-cheerful; it just makes me happy because it feels real, and it reminds me that life can be beautiful, even if it's also difficult . . ."

Brian Hanson on creepy things: "But! Can't we agree on something? Something that's been bothering me lately? Can't we just agree that even in our most disposable and forgettable of mindless entertainment, TV shows and movies and manga and comic books that are just meant to be a quick brainless jaunt through our most basest desires, that MAYBE, JUST MAYBE... we don't need to be so gross about women? Or, uh, girls, even? Young girls, too? I know Sex Sells, but wouldn't it be nice if it didn't as much?"

Michelle Smith on Moon Child: "Of course, one can have genuine feelings for shitty people, but I got so irked at various times that my capacity for being thoughtful was impacted."

Jason Thompson on Cromartie High: "When Akira first shows up, his core trait is that he wishes he had a tough nickname. ("If your name is, say, 'The Black Panther of the North Sea,' or 'The Ultimate Weapon of Kinshi Town,' you have a lot more impact.") Eventually he settles on "The Dragon of Razors," but no one but himself ever calls him that. Hayashida's chief traits are that he's a total moron (although a nice guy), he looks middle-aged, and he has a very weak mohawk. In the grand tradition of comedy characters such as Peter Griffin and Homer Simpson, he's basically a formless blob of dumbness who can fit into almost any situation. Hayashida is so stupid that he is unable to do basic math; in one chapter, the other characters try vainly to teach him to subtract two from five so he can pass an upcoming test, then finally decide that the only way to teach him is by ACTION, by going to Bass High School and beating up five guys one-two-three-four-five so that Hayashida can learn to count!!! Of course, the chapter ends with them missing the test because they're suspended for fighting."

Carlo Santos on Kids on the Slope: "Kids on the Slope may be billed as a jazz-centric coming-of-age drama, but the way the story takes off, it's more like a Baroque fugue. First comes a simple melody of unrequited love, which is soon overlapped by another pairing, and then another, and another, until we have a counterpoint of storylines where everyone is in love with everyone else."