VS (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga
written and illustrated by Keiko Yamada
. It was serialized in Akita Shoten
's shōjo magazine (aimed at teenage girls) Princess Comics. The individual chapters were released in 7 tankōbon
volumes between June 1999 and December 24, 2001. The series is licensed in North America by CMX
, which released the manga's 7 tankōbon volumes between April 1, 2006 and October 10, 2007. The story follows violinist, Reiji Saioin, as he strives to win the next Japanese National Music Contest with the help of his personal teacher, Mitsuko Hane, and his friends, Nachi Meiya and Aoi Kenzaki. Impeding his goal is Bartholomew Asakura, who ruined Hane's arm in the past, and his growing feelings for his teacher.
of Hakuto, Mitsuko Hane, is willing to help Reiji overcome his flaws to win the music contest. She wants Reiji to play the violin because she cannot due to her left arm being rendered useless after being burnt. Reiji has his own wishes to keep his sister, Miruka, who is abused by their father, happy. Along the way to win the music contest, Reiji becomes friends with Nachi Meiya, the best female violinist in Hakuto, and Aoi Kenzaki, a pianist-turned-violinist. He also has to deal with Bartholomew Asakura, the man who ruined Hane's arm, as well as his growing feelings for his teacher.
's shōjo magazine (aimed at teenage girls) Princess Comics. The individual chapters were released in 7 tankōbon
volumes between June 1999 and December 24, 2001. The series is licensed in North America by CMX
, which released the manga's 7 tankōbon volumes between April 1, 2006 and October 10, 2007.
Manga artist
Yamada comments that "there was so much love in Go Go Heaven (her previous series) that I got sick of it" and created Versus as a "stoic story of self-denial". She also comments that she focuses more on the hand and the backs of male characters when she draws them because they "can tell more about the character's feelings than the faces, so when I want to show that they are full of sadness or passion, I use that". Yamada comments that she uses the "playmate version of model dolls" (drawing models based on Playboy
models) to draw Mitsuko Hane due to her "big chest".
's art is "classic shōjo. Characters are big headed, big eyed and practically everyone has feminine qualities. About that, until I actually the first chapter I did not realize that the main character was male." Chavez compares the manga to the television series, 24
, where "every hour of every day must be utilized to its fullest". He also compares VS to Nodame Cantabile
, saying, "Nodame uses comedy to bring life to music than can be considered dry to younger readers. VS uses angst to do much of same." Mania.com's Jarred Pine criticises the manga for the "SFX
[which] are translated with overlays, only sometimes the underlying Japanese text is not removed. I've seen this with quite a few CMX titles and it makes for a very ugly looking job." Pine also criticises the characters, saying "The biggest strike against VS is the complete lack of any interesting, likeable, or memorable characters. The lead, Reiji, is a complete smug and arrogant fool right from the beginning. While creator Keiko Yamada does try to humanize him a bit with a back story of familial abuse, it's quickly shooed aside and has little effect on the reader." Manga Life's Dan Polley comments that "Reiji’s character — like most shōjo manga — is the focus, and deservedly so. The character is hot-tempered, yet is able to retain a bit of aloofness, especially in [volume six]. Those types of personality traits are generally excellently fleshed out in shōjos, and particularly in this volume."
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
written and illustrated by Keiko Yamada
Keiko Yamada (manga artist)
right|thumb|Cover of the first volume [[Limited Lovers]] is a female Japanese manga artist, who has had all three of her serial manga picked up for English translation ....
. It was serialized in Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
's shōjo magazine (aimed at teenage girls) Princess Comics. The individual chapters were released in 7 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes between June 1999 and December 24, 2001. The series is licensed in North America by CMX
CMX (comics)
CMX was a division of Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics which in turn is owned by Time Warner. It was DC's line of manga translations....
, which released the manga's 7 tankōbon volumes between April 1, 2006 and October 10, 2007. The story follows violinist, Reiji Saioin, as he strives to win the next Japanese National Music Contest with the help of his personal teacher, Mitsuko Hane, and his friends, Nachi Meiya and Aoi Kenzaki. Impeding his goal is Bartholomew Asakura, who ruined Hane's arm in the past, and his growing feelings for his teacher.
Plot
Reiji Saioin, the top violinist in Hakuto Junior High School, is to be kicked out of the school if he does not win the next Japan National Music Contest due to his history of trouble. His private teacher and alumAlumnus
An alumnus , according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a graduate of a school, college, or university." An alumnus can also be a former member, employee, contributor or inmate as well as a former student. In addition, an alumna is "a female graduate or former student of a school, college,...
of Hakuto, Mitsuko Hane, is willing to help Reiji overcome his flaws to win the music contest. She wants Reiji to play the violin because she cannot due to her left arm being rendered useless after being burnt. Reiji has his own wishes to keep his sister, Miruka, who is abused by their father, happy. Along the way to win the music contest, Reiji becomes friends with Nachi Meiya, the best female violinist in Hakuto, and Aoi Kenzaki, a pianist-turned-violinist. He also has to deal with Bartholomew Asakura, the man who ruined Hane's arm, as well as his growing feelings for his teacher.
Characters
- Reiji Saioin is the protagonist of the series. He is the best male violinist of Hakuto Junior High School. However, he has a reputation for being Hakuto's "trouble student". He is notorious for treating women like trash and changing girlfriends frequently. After Aoi comes under Hane's student, Reiji covers for Aoi's health problems until Hane reveals Aoi's doctor order for him to retire from the violin. He later realises his growing feelings for his teacher, Hane, and declines Nachi's confession to him.
- Mitsuko Hane is Reiji's and later, Aoi's, private teacher. She is an alum of Hakuto Junior High School and has won the Japan National Music Contest twice consecutively. However, after her mother's death, she got emotionally involved with fellow violinist Bartholomew. The pressure for her to win the contest a third time and her unrequited love for Bartholomew, resulted in a fire accident, burning her left arm, effectively disabling her from playing the violin. She spent the next four years in hospital. Afterwards, she became a music teacher. She later was chosen to be Reiji's teacher. She still has affections for Bartholomew after what he did to her.
- Nachi Meiya is the best female violinist at Hakuto Junior High School. She has won the Japan National Music Contest once. She has an outgoing and carefree attitude. Later, Reiji discovers that the attitude she has is a facade to hide the pain she feels from her stepbrother sexually assaulting her. After Reiji stops her brother by punching him she confesses her love to Reiji, who declines her confession. However, she comes back for the next Japan National Music Contest and is supportive of Reiji and her love of him despite knowing that he loves Hane.
- Marco Primavera (aka. "MaestroMaestroMaestro is a title of extreme respect given to a master musician. The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera. This is associated with the ubiquitous use of Italian vocabulary for classical music terms...
" or "the Grim ReaperDeath (personification)The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
") is the chief conductor of Hakuto's Philharmonic OrchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. He has known Hane since she was three and regards her as his daughter. He scouted Bartholomew Asakura to be his successor but soon changed his mind after Bartholomew caused Hane's arm to be burnt. Even the principal of the school dares not to challenge him. He is known as the Grim Reaper for crushing the careers of thousands of musicians. - Miruka Saioin is Reiji's half-sister. She was the victim of her father's alcoholic rage when Reiji left for boarding schoolBoarding schoolA boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
. When her father becomes imprisoned, she is willing to go to America with her adopted parents to not cause her brother any more trouble. - Aoi Kenzaki was a world-class pianist from a family of pianists. However, he changed to violin and was chosen to be taught by Hane. Due to his heart condition, he cannot play the violin for extended periods of time and has to take his medication periodically. He ignores warnings about his health from his doctor as well as his family to strive to become acknowledged as a violinist. After losing a contest to play all three movementsMovement (music)A movement is a self-contained part of a musical composition or musical form. While individual or selected movements from a composition are sometimes performed separately, a performance of the complete work requires all the movements to be performed in succession...
of BeethovenLudwig van BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's KreutzerViolin Sonata No. 9 (Beethoven)Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, commonly known as the Kreutzer Sonata, is a violin sonata which Ludwig van Beethoven published as his Opus 47...
against Reiji, he renounces the violin and returns to his manor in KyotoKyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, where he takes up gardening. - Bartholomew Asakura was a young conductor that Hakuto's conductor had scouted. When Hane's mother died, she turned to him for comfort. He uses her love for him to teach her violin techniques. However, after the fire accident, he disappeared from Hane's life. He is known for his genius in teaching his students but they usually commit suicide or their lives ruined after Bartholomew is done with them. After he becomes the conductor of the New York Philharmonic OrchestraOrchestraAn orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, he attempts to make Reiji join him. When Reiji is revealed to be his son, he refuses to acknowledge it because he does not want a child.
Production and releases
VS is written and illustrated by Keiko Yamada. It was serialized in Akita ShotenAkita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
's shōjo magazine (aimed at teenage girls) Princess Comics. The individual chapters were released in 7 tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes between June 1999 and December 24, 2001. The series is licensed in North America by CMX
CMX (comics)
CMX was a division of Wildstorm Productions, an imprint of DC Comics which in turn is owned by Time Warner. It was DC's line of manga translations....
, which released the manga's 7 tankōbon volumes between April 1, 2006 and October 10, 2007.
Manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
Yamada comments that "there was so much love in Go Go Heaven (her previous series) that I got sick of it" and created Versus as a "stoic story of self-denial". She also comments that she focuses more on the hand and the backs of male characters when she draws them because they "can tell more about the character's feelings than the faces, so when I want to show that they are full of sadness or passion, I use that". Yamada comments that she uses the "playmate version of model dolls" (drawing models based on Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
models) to draw Mitsuko Hane due to her "big chest".
Reception
Mania.com's Eduardo M. Chavez comments that Keiko YamadaKeiko Yamada (manga artist)
right|thumb|Cover of the first volume [[Limited Lovers]] is a female Japanese manga artist, who has had all three of her serial manga picked up for English translation ....
's art is "classic shōjo. Characters are big headed, big eyed and practically everyone has feminine qualities. About that, until I actually the first chapter I did not realize that the main character was male." Chavez compares the manga to the television series, 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
, where "every hour of every day must be utilized to its fullest". He also compares VS to Nodame Cantabile
Nodame Cantabile
is a manga by Tomoko Ninomiya. It was serialized in Japan by Kodansha in the magazine Kiss from July 2001 to October 2009 and collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. A two-volume sequel, called Nodame Cantabile: Opera Chapter, which began serialization in the 10 December 2009 issue of Kiss, was released...
, saying, "Nodame uses comedy to bring life to music than can be considered dry to younger readers. VS uses angst to do much of same." Mania.com's Jarred Pine criticises the manga for the "SFX
Sound effect
For the album by The Jam, see Sound Affects.Sound effects or audio effects are artificially created or enhanced sounds, or sound processes used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media...
[which] are translated with overlays, only sometimes the underlying Japanese text is not removed. I've seen this with quite a few CMX titles and it makes for a very ugly looking job." Pine also criticises the characters, saying "The biggest strike against VS is the complete lack of any interesting, likeable, or memorable characters. The lead, Reiji, is a complete smug and arrogant fool right from the beginning. While creator Keiko Yamada does try to humanize him a bit with a back story of familial abuse, it's quickly shooed aside and has little effect on the reader." Manga Life's Dan Polley comments that "Reiji’s character — like most shōjo manga — is the focus, and deservedly so. The character is hot-tempered, yet is able to retain a bit of aloofness, especially in [volume six]. Those types of personality traits are generally excellently fleshed out in shōjos, and particularly in this volume."
"VS continues to be a bit of a struggle, mostly because the whole angst-driven character drama just isn't working for me because it's falls to much on two characters that just aren't that interesting. While I enjoy anti-heroes, it takes meticulous time and effort to properly deconstruct and then rebuild a character that will appeal to the reader. Creator Keiko Yamada just seems to want to rush this all important piece, leaving me feeling quite cold and distant from not just Reiji, but quite honestly everyone." - Jarred Pine, Mania.com