Customer Reviews

Gravitation, Vol. 1

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Like a good many people, I was introduced to 'Gravitation' via the anime. Opening the first volume of the manga, you realise all previous expectations need to be put aside; Gravi the Manga and Gravi the Anime are quite different from one another. The best way to view the two series' are as different takes on the same theme.

There seems to be no middle ground with Murakami's art style - either people love it, or they hate it. The sketchy, harried looking illustrations match the frenetic pace of the characters, especially Shuichi-kun. It does have a slightly amateurish feel in the earlier books, but by volume 4 it smooths out. Unlike so many manga, the character designs don't remain fixed - clothes, hair, even facial appearance (compare Shuichi in track 1 to Shuichi in track 12) change with slightly alarming frequency, if you take the time to think about it. However the action moves so quickly, most of the time you don't notice. It only becomes annoying when one has to stop reading to work out just who these characters are meant to be.

The characters are pretty archetypal, but they're taken to almost neurotic extremes. Hardly a bad thing, Shuichi's massive face vaults and emotional overreactions provide a great deal of the comedy in this series. Yuki plays the jaded and cynical partner, while Hiro fulfils the role of the straight guy sidekick, and Tohma and Taki are the manipulative businessman and the insanely jealous rival respectively. Everyone else is pretty much there for their comic potential. Bad Luck's manager K is a standout as the happy go lucky, bazooka-toting American.

So if 'Gravitation' is so damned funny, why am I only giving it 3 stars?

Because, reading further and further into the series, I'm left with a feeling that Murakami is willing to sacrifice anything for a gag. And the major element that has suffered in 'Gravitation' is plot. No matter how hard Murakami tries to insert some depth into the story (done almost entirely through Yuki, the only character developed far enough to carry a weightier storyline), it's always trampled by an hilariously funny but otherwise completely arbitrary gag situation.

It's obvious as you read on that Murakami drew this manga on the fly. there's just no structure to it, the events aren't leading anywhere other than to again show just how stupid Shuichi can be and how cold Yuki can be towards him; by volume 8 it feels like the manga has slipped from parody to caricature - it's like reading something that has been based on an episode of 'Tom and Jerry'. It's a bit of a shame actually, as the anime demonstrated that there is a plot (and quite a good one) buried in the mish-mash of random comic scenes. Murakami just hasn't been able to grasp hold of it.

(And if you're a yaoi freak like me, you'll notice there's an awful lot of 'shounen' in this series, but not much 'ai'...)

If you're looking for a light read, or are in need of cheering up, look no further than 'Gravitation' - it will have you laughing yourself sick in no time. If you're looking for shounen ai with those wonderful things, plot and character development, I'd recommend bypassing the manga and going straight to the anime; it's far superior in terms of both quality and craft.

Murakami-san has created one of the most amazing manga stories in recent years. Aside from it having excellent artwork throughout, she puts alot into the characters which allows the reader to easily associate with one or more of them.

The story itself follows Shuichi Shindou and his best friend Hiroshi Nakano as they attempt to get their band, Bad Luck, into the mainstream. Along the way, Shuichi falls in love with a narcisistic novel writer, who eventually returns that love. It's not an easy, happy life though, there's always a new problem in their personal lives or those of their friends to complicate things.

It's nice to see the North American audience realizing that same sex love is not the repulsive thing that many think it to be, and it can be very sweet and romantic. That is what Maki Murakami accomplishes with this series. If you are open-minded enough to appreciate love in all it's forms, then this is for you.

I have spent the past three years working on translating the Japanese manga for the series, so I can safely say that you will not be diappointed with this series!! From beginning to end, you will fall in love with at least one of the characters.

I first fell in love with the gravitation series through the fansubbed anime. The characters were great, and the story was awesome (not to mention the music). When I found out that the manga was being translated, I was thrilled. However, the manga is very much NOT the anime.

When you read this manga, you have to keep a few things in mind. First of all, the characters in the Anime and the characters in the manga vary greatly. Sure, Shuichi is still spastic and cute, but his personality is very much different. Plus, the Anime left out a few characters the managa has, including Shuichi's sister. The characters use a very american vocabulary, though outdated, so you'll kinda have to pretend that the story takes place a few years back. One of my favorite things about the manga is the fact that sex isn't so taboo (as it was in the Anime). The characters interact in a very real enviroment, and are always throwing jokes around (the kind that actually make you laugh out loud). I think the manga is much more real than the anime ever was. If you're a huge fan of the Anime, you may not be too thrilled with the manga. If you want to enjoy this, you'll have to read it as a SEPERATE story, and not the anime in a book.

As a stand alone (no anime involved), this series is amazing. The characters are well developed, the humor is great, the story is believeable (and not your typical shounen-ai), but.. the art is a bit lacking. You'll really have to focus on the story and look past some of Maki's artistic errors (such as characters viewed from the side). I would definately reccomend this manga to anyone looking for a funny, romantic, real story. Of course, you've got to be cool with the boy x boy theme.

I was never really sure about whether or not I wanted to pick up Gravitation. I'd heard excellent things and awful things about it. Finally I picked it up in the bookstore, flipped through it, decided it looked good enough to buy, and wow, am I thankful I did.

This may appear to be a dull rock 'n' roll manga, but the focus isn't really on the music at all - it's just the thing that allows for the larger plot between Shuichi and Yuki. And while it is shounen-ai, which will doubtlessly turn some people away, it's still a wonderful manga.

The artwork is nothing to gape at - at times it's rough, sketchy, and really not much to look at. There are times, though, when you can see the potential for brilliant artwork, and there are a couple of occasions when it reaches that point. (The hair flair is especially noteworthy!) The characters are incredibly distinctive and have expressions that convey an equally incredible amount of emotion. Quite frankly, the artwork is the only reason - the one and only reason at all - that I considered giving this four stars instead of five.

The plot is twofold: the more minor plot of the struggle of Shuichi and his best friend, Hiro, in getting their band to go big, and the main plot involving Shuichi and Yuki's hot-and-cold relationship. While there are plenty of laughs to go around, there are a few angsty and serious moments as well, which all balances out nicely. The story moves fairly quickly, but it's not difficult to understand, either, and each page makes you want to turn to the next.

The characters are, simply put, amazing. You can't help but fall in love with the way Shuichi blindly wears his heart on his sleeve and adore Yuki's alternately hostile and almost-nice nature. Each character is distinctive and fresh, and even the most minor ones stick in your mind. More than anything, though, watching the interactions between Yuki and Shuichi is an absolute blast because of how they alternately come together (less common) and conflict (more common).

It's left unflipped in its original format, and, surprisingly enough, the translation isn't half-bad - it reads like the vernacular. The rating is, at 13+, surprisingly low - most shounen-ai manga with any action automatically ranks a 16+. It's rated for kissing, of course, along with swearing, smoking and drinking. At the rate it's going, though, I'm sure the rating will rise.

Gravitation is something that you like more and more with each reading. I don't really know why I like it as much as I do, given that it doesn't seem like it would be all to magnificent. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful manga and, at least from the first volume, ranked itself among my favorites, and I, for one, cannot wait to get the second volume.

First off- from the translations I've read, and from my own translations-- I believe Murakami does use "outdated" slang such as "dude". When I first got the Japanese mangas a year or so ago, that was the FIRST thing I noticed-- that Yuki was much looser in the manga, using "surfer" slang such as that ^^ I don't think you can blame all of that too much on Tokyopop.

I believe the translation stayed true to the story. There are some changes, but they are quite logical in my opinion. They're catering this manga to the U.S.-- of COURSE there'll be changes. It's quite illogical to compare their translations to fan translations too-- I love fans who translate, fansubs are good, fansubs are FANTASTIC. But one must admit that the Japanese language, when translated line per line (which is what most fans translators do)-- sometimes, there are things that won't make sense. Companies work to translate a manga or an episode as a whole, making sure the first volume or episode is still going to make sense compared to the last episode, etc.

When I first picked up the Tokyopop manga myself, I was saying things like "Oh, I hope they didn't change this and this and this"-- and when I finished reading, I was not disappointed at all. I thought it was still funny and quite witty. So, I very much recommend this to people-- it is a GOOD read.

GRAVITATION is the story of Shuichi Shindou, high school senior and aspiring musician, whose talent and self-worth become completely hung up on his infatuation with the mean-and-nasty romance novelist who insulted his lyrics. The plot follows Schuichi's pursuit of the novelist, his insane musical career, and the way the two affect each other; veering from side-spitting comedy to gut-wrenching drama and back again without batting an eyelash. There are dozens of characters, a confusing array of interlocking subplots, the author admits she is making it up as she goes along, and the story always seems on the verge of running completely out of control. Yet somehow it all ties together triumphantly in the final volume. Despite being extremely funny/silly/insane, it is also a story with substance, strong characters, and a meaningful payoff.

There are a few difficulties I should warn you about. Many of the characters are frustratingly hard to tell apart, and Shuichi keeps changing his darn hair, which can make it hard to find him in the mega-cast. The art often makes it hard to decipher what is going on, or who is doing what. The musical industry machinations are particularly hard to keep track off without a scorecard. MEANING that if you are so eager to find out what happens next that you barrel through the story (like I did) you will miss half the plot. So do yourself a favor and buy the books two or three at a time, and pace yourself. Or at least make note of everyone's names: The character list at the beginning of each volume just covers a few of the major players, and is completely inadequate to the task of helping you figure out what is going on. The art improves greatly as the series progresses, so re-reading Book 1 immediately after putting down Book 12 (which I did three times consecutively) requires a brief period of adjustment.

It is a series that takes a little effort, but in the long run I found this to be a part of its charm, and it is definitely worth it. The series earns its 16+ rating mostly through serious adult themes, frank (but not graphic) sexual content, violence, irresponsible use of firearms, and the potty mouths of youth.

If you have the time and money to buy all 12 volumes of "Gravitation," I urge you to do so. It's a very different kind of love story; one that while it becomes sentimental at times, is also a very compelling and at times hysterically funny manga. Yes, the main character is gay, but really, what's so bad about that? My only real complaint with this series is that Shuichi's parents and sister rarely appear after the first three volumes, even though they are very funny characters. This gets a star off for Tokyopop's bad translation, which adds in some very lame pop culture references.

Note to parents: This manga is fine for anyone over the age of 15. There is no explicit sex but there is talk of it, and later on there's a bit of strong violence.

I have read the whole series and will be basing my review on it (no spoilers tho ^^)

Story: Shuichi Shindou is in a stuggling band with is best friend (Hiroshi aka "Hiro"), trying to hit it big. While walking home late at night, going over experimental lyrics for a new song the lyrics are blown by the wind and end up in the hands of popular romance novelist Eiri Yuki. Yuki tells him point-blank that his lyrics are horrible and that Shuichi should give up any hopes of a music carear.

That spirals Shuichi into an obsession to prove himself to Yuki, which eventually leads into a relationship, secrets, a disturbed past(manga isn't manga without one), angst, and tons of drama.

Quite the cast of quirky (and often disturbed) characters pop up throughout the series. Most instances in the series could never happen in real-life (i.e. giant robot panda's and people being shot in the head repeatedly without being killed...).

This series requires a very open mind and a strong sense of humor.

Art: In the begining the art is very, very, very sloppy. Most of the females characters can't be told apart (along with a few of the male characters despite different hair styles), but don't let that fool you! The art progresses at a fairly quick pace and is simply beautiful by the end of the series =).

Character devlopment: Very good. The characters (all of them--and there are a lot) change and grow throughout the series--especially Yuki. It seems most of the characters have some sort of secret to hide or something that shocks you once you find out (even if it wasn't secret per se).

Yaoi: Though there are some steamy parts, it's a strong shonen ai series. The boyxboy action is better is the begining/middle and dies down to the point of almost being non-existant by the end of the series (though by that time the plot has you throughly sucked in so you read it anyway =P)

Anime vs Manga: Manga all the way. Don't even bother with the anime, it's too short to show 1/50 of what happens in the manga (which is vital to the story) and the character designs change significantly.

Reccomended: Definatly! The series certianly has its quirks, but they are easy to look past for the benifit of the whole.

I would just like to say first of all, that the 'slang' may be oputdated for this time but you have to remember that the manga was originally written in 1996, and that was the 'slang' for that period of time, and maybe that the translaters wan tot keep it in the time period that it was made. Don't knock it because of 'the poor translation and use of outdated slang', you've still should have the basic story there for you, read around it.

Anyway... When I bought this, I had never seen the series or read any online translations, but I was still a fan in a way. I had come across and general anime website and the webmistress was going on about how she loved it. I read up about it and I was intressed, and at first I didn't even realise it was 'shounen-ai'(boy-boy relationships). When I found out that Tokyopop were releasing the comic, I was excited, now I could see what it was really all about.

And I loved it. At fisrt I wasn't the most keen on the art, but that's becasue it was different to what I had currently been reading, but I grew to love it. To me it seem fairly realistic (compared to some other art styles). The story itself is intresting, and funny. You may hate Yuki Eiri and first but later on in the series, something may change your opinion of him.

It's a great read, and I won't give away the plot. i would recomend this to anyone who's into romcoms (romantic comedies). And don't get turned away just because it's two males, the story itself is what makes it.

I bought this the other day, but just started reading it tonight and could not put it down. It is an extremely fun, hilarious, and entertaining read. I'm probably one of the few male fans of this series, but it really is a hoot! Shuichi Shindou is a very love-able 'artiste' ditz who just makes you want to cuddle up with a blanket and thank your stars for being alive... maybe I'm acting a bit overemotional, but it's all in good Gravitation fashion ;-) If you like comedy, and you like Shounen Ai, this is definitely a fun and wonderful read.