"Lone Wolf and Cub",and other manga of Kazuo Koike
Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 20:02 -0700
Kazuo Koike is the king of manga kitsche in Japan.
*ducks bricks*
Yes, yes......I know.
"But Angel, how could you say that Lone Wolf and Cub is kitsche?"
Now, now. Kitsche is not neccessarily a bad thing. Alot of classic films are considered kitschey in nature.
All that kitsche means is that it's a work of art in which the depth is considered some-what superficial. It still has depth, but not enough to make it be considered 'literature'........an idea that I find quite dubious.
"Lone Wolf and Cub" is a very well drawn, and well written manga.
However, it is indeed quite kitschey in nature.
Part of the reason for Lone Wolf and Cub's popularity is quite simple.
It's rather populist.......which, in truth, could be said for any samurai-themed media, be it manga, books, art or film.
Also, there's its content.
Which leads us back to Kazuo Koike.
Koike himself was the product of a priveleged upbringing. Until his entry into the manga business, he was a government burecrat and professional mahjong player.
Koike himself has always said that "comics are carried by characters.....if a character is well created, the comic becomes a hit."
.......In Koike's case, that's only partially true.
A Koike-written manga, no matter what the plot or who the artist is, is guaranteed to have two things.
Lots of violence.
And lots of sex.
Of course, those of you who have read Lone Wolf and Cub can attest to this.
Koike, of course, has done more than just Lone Wolf and Cub. He's written a variety of manga, with a variety of artists, genres and styles.
Aside from Lone Wolf and Cub, Koike's other work includes some of the following examples.
"Golga 13"- Although not actually created by him, Koike ghost-wrote this series in the late sixties. Basically the tale of a killer-for-hire with an ambiguous morality and lots of booty.
"AIEUO Boy"- A globetrotting celbration of Japanese masculinity, complete with swinging bell-bottoms and aviator sunglasses. This was Koike's first official work after finishing his tour in Golga 13. Again, more violence and more booty.
"Tale of Youth- An action-packed tale about a 19 year old kid having various adventures throughout Mongol-invaded China. Apparently, it also included opium addiction and.......you guessed it. More booty.
"Hanappe Bazooka"- In the early 80s, Koike teamed up with......of all people.....Go Nagai, the creator of Devilman, Mazinger Z and Cutey Honey for this gag-style manga. It tells the various inter-dimensional adventures of a furry female demon, a green demon with a bazooka, and a young boy with an.......ahem, 'male organ' for an index finger. Oddly enough, this is actually one of the best manga that either Koike or Nagai worked on.......and yes, there's violence and booty.
"Wounded Man"- This is the bizarre tale of Keisuki Ibaraki, a man who goes on a vengeful killing spree in order to avenge the death of his girlfriend, who was kidnapped by a pornography company named G.P.X. and is forced to do unspeakable acts and then commit seppeku on camera. Again, plenty of violence and booty to go around.
"Mad Bull and Brothers"- This one is just strange. It takes place in an Ed Koch-era New York City, which in this story is the habitat for various kinds of cyborgs and nazis. More violence, more booty.
"Lady Snowblood"- Another period tale and another tale of vengance. Its the story of Lady Snowblood, a woman born for one single purpose, to avenge the death of her family. Lots of blood, lots of sex, all from a female perspective.
"Crying Freeman"- Koike's second most popular tale. Its the story of Yo Himomura, a deadly assasin for the 108 Dragons, which is a fictional branch of the Chinese Triads. However, he is sensitive at heart, and mourns the death of those whom he is ordered to kill. He is programmed to assasinate at command, and yet the 108 Dragons cannot quell his tears, giving him the name of Crying Freeman.
As you can see, he's been quite prolific and popular for many years now.
He's still going strong, and if his past work is any indication, he's gonna keep churning out bizarre, bloody, and sexy manga tales.
And all for our reading pleasure.
*ducks bricks*
Yes, yes......I know.
"But Angel, how could you say that Lone Wolf and Cub is kitsche?"
Now, now. Kitsche is not neccessarily a bad thing. Alot of classic films are considered kitschey in nature.
All that kitsche means is that it's a work of art in which the depth is considered some-what superficial. It still has depth, but not enough to make it be considered 'literature'........an idea that I find quite dubious.
"Lone Wolf and Cub" is a very well drawn, and well written manga.
However, it is indeed quite kitschey in nature.
Part of the reason for Lone Wolf and Cub's popularity is quite simple.
It's rather populist.......which, in truth, could be said for any samurai-themed media, be it manga, books, art or film.
Also, there's its content.
Which leads us back to Kazuo Koike.
Koike himself was the product of a priveleged upbringing. Until his entry into the manga business, he was a government burecrat and professional mahjong player.
Koike himself has always said that "comics are carried by characters.....if a character is well created, the comic becomes a hit."
.......In Koike's case, that's only partially true.
A Koike-written manga, no matter what the plot or who the artist is, is guaranteed to have two things.
Lots of violence.
And lots of sex.
Of course, those of you who have read Lone Wolf and Cub can attest to this.
Koike, of course, has done more than just Lone Wolf and Cub. He's written a variety of manga, with a variety of artists, genres and styles.
Aside from Lone Wolf and Cub, Koike's other work includes some of the following examples.
"Golga 13"- Although not actually created by him, Koike ghost-wrote this series in the late sixties. Basically the tale of a killer-for-hire with an ambiguous morality and lots of booty.
"AIEUO Boy"- A globetrotting celbration of Japanese masculinity, complete with swinging bell-bottoms and aviator sunglasses. This was Koike's first official work after finishing his tour in Golga 13. Again, more violence and more booty.
"Tale of Youth- An action-packed tale about a 19 year old kid having various adventures throughout Mongol-invaded China. Apparently, it also included opium addiction and.......you guessed it. More booty.
"Hanappe Bazooka"- In the early 80s, Koike teamed up with......of all people.....Go Nagai, the creator of Devilman, Mazinger Z and Cutey Honey for this gag-style manga. It tells the various inter-dimensional adventures of a furry female demon, a green demon with a bazooka, and a young boy with an.......ahem, 'male organ' for an index finger. Oddly enough, this is actually one of the best manga that either Koike or Nagai worked on.......and yes, there's violence and booty.
"Wounded Man"- This is the bizarre tale of Keisuki Ibaraki, a man who goes on a vengeful killing spree in order to avenge the death of his girlfriend, who was kidnapped by a pornography company named G.P.X. and is forced to do unspeakable acts and then commit seppeku on camera. Again, plenty of violence and booty to go around.
"Mad Bull and Brothers"- This one is just strange. It takes place in an Ed Koch-era New York City, which in this story is the habitat for various kinds of cyborgs and nazis. More violence, more booty.
"Lady Snowblood"- Another period tale and another tale of vengance. Its the story of Lady Snowblood, a woman born for one single purpose, to avenge the death of her family. Lots of blood, lots of sex, all from a female perspective.
"Crying Freeman"- Koike's second most popular tale. Its the story of Yo Himomura, a deadly assasin for the 108 Dragons, which is a fictional branch of the Chinese Triads. However, he is sensitive at heart, and mourns the death of those whom he is ordered to kill. He is programmed to assasinate at command, and yet the 108 Dragons cannot quell his tears, giving him the name of Crying Freeman.
As you can see, he's been quite prolific and popular for many years now.
He's still going strong, and if his past work is any indication, he's gonna keep churning out bizarre, bloody, and sexy manga tales.
And all for our reading pleasure.
