Battle Angel Alita

Reading Japanese manga is usually a bit odd for me. I usually think of the Asian culture as being very reserved. However, whenever I read manga, especially the ones that are like Battle Angel Alita, I can't help but think Japan's very weird, maybe a bit more so than Americans in some cases. The sexy half woman half machine character that can do pretty much anything seems to be very popular within Japanese manga. My problem with these types of characters (the very strong fighter ones that can do anything) this usually sets up a very typical story line that I see a lot within the action genre. Hero goes off on an adventure, hero finds friends, hero gets into a battle that they have trouble, mid battle the hero SOMEHOW gets stronger and wins. In some Manga it works for me, in most I've gotten bored quickly. That happened here too.

Maus

Maus was a very enjoyable read. For me, if felt very much as though I were reading an actual book. Usually, I very much hate reading stories that have to do with the Nazis. I tend to feel that the stories are far too depressing. However, the way the writer went about it; Him writing about the time WHILE he was writing his comic as the father spoke about his tale, was very interesting and even lessened the usual dark edge to these stories. The fact that he drew them as mice probably helped a lot with that too, making it a little more friendly for those who are probably just starting to learn about the Nazi camps. The art was simple, not overly impressive, but it did manage to convey everything it wanted to.