Customer Reviews

Megatokyo, Vol. 1

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before I picked this book up, I had no idea what Megatokyo was, or even that it was possible to read it for free online. However, I'm still happy I got this book. For one thing, the price really isn't all that bad, and for another, it's nice not to have to read anything off a screen. I had a hideous headache from trying to read all of Sluggy Freelance in one weekend, lol (and, by the way, there are references to Sluggy Freelance in this comic, so Sluggy fans may want to take a look at it). Also, Fred Gallagher (Piro) adds some commentary to many of the comics, which would probably be enjoyable for people who've already read the comics online.

Basically, this comic is about two gamers who end up flying to Tokyo, where they spend all their money and can't afford to fly back home. Largo enjoys RPGs, first person shooters, and other games, while Piro enjoys dating sims. The games they enjoy tend to color their views of the world, which can be pretty amusing. The comic is a lot of fun to read, and I'm looking forward to reading more. Also, I really like the artwork, which is pencil drawings without any inking or coloring.

Megatokyo has to be one of the funniest things I've ever read. It has everything. Fred is a genius with irony and character placement (when he wants to be XD). And many people will be surprised to find that they're very much like at least one of the characters in the story in so many ways that you can't help but like them. The only problem *others* might have with this is Largo's L33T-ness and speech, but most of the time it's very comical.

If you've NEVER read Megatokyo, you REALLY should, at least once. Pick up a copy of the books and just read through them, and you won't be sorry, I promise.

I started reading Megatokyo last year on-line, and ultimately decided to buy the book because I hate reading online comics for extended periods. Overall, I enjoyed the book - here are the highlights-
What I liked:
* The artwork is pretty good. I enjoy Gallagher's style, and the street scenes in Tokyo can be pretty accurate (minus the rent-a-lizard, of course).
* The story can be pretty funny at times.
* The commentary at the bottom of the page at the beginning of the book is fun because it is informative and interesting. Some people didn't like this, but hey, if it bugs you, read the top part of the page only.
* The first book gives you the beginning of the story, which is necessary for understanding what the heck is going on later.
What I didn't like:
* The plot in book 1 is lacking. The protagonists reach Tokyo, get stuck there, and the major characters get introduced. Other than that, the story seems to go nowhere - slowly. Things do pick up in book 2 in this regard, but this is a review of book 1.
* While I do enjoy the artwork, it does start off a little rough. The artist is up-front about this: he was trained as an architect, not a cartoonist (I'm just a country doctor, Jim!). It is interesting to see his style mature during the book.
* The stick figure drawings from days that the artist is unable to draw for whatever reason are cute until they get annoying.

This OEL manga inspired graphic novel was very enjoyable. It does seem to have a narrower demographic than most books. What saves this manga from being some tedious nerd/otaku fantasy is the raw creativity thrown in. The story is very well developed along with the characters. If you've read the webcomic you know exactly what your getting; if you haven't, google megatokyo and see of you would like to read the story. There are a lot of bonus pages to the book and they fit in pretty nicely

One of the best manga's Ive read, comedy of two american gamers who get stranded in Japan, artwork is fantastic (to me that is), Fred has promised many volumes and good storylines, for the readers who think that the whole story is a comedy its not, because he put in good drama and action into the story along with slap happy humor. A two thumbs up recomendation

MegaTokyo started as an online web-comic made by two American dudes, partly based on their lives. It became a hit fast, and since then the creator has been working like crazy trying to keep the series going.

Megatokyo is about two lazy American guys - a manga-reader and dating sim gamer named Piro & a l33ter and 1st-person gamer named Largo. After going to E3 one day the two friends abruptly leave for Tokyo... Where they run out of money and get stuck there for months and bum off of Piro's Japanese penpal.

The comic is very hillarious and serious at the same time, but I don't wanna spoil anything for anyone so all I can say is check it out at http://www.megatokyo.com/ sometime and see what you think of it. Yes, you can read all of the comics so far online, but you miss out on early character sketches, creator commentary, and worst of all you don't "own" the comics unless you buy the manga. Not to mention it takes a long time to sit and click through all of the pages online - if you have dial-up like me it is impossible to sit and try to read the whole thing.

So, to sum things up - this manga collects all of the comics from the first year Megatokyo was online complete with creator commentary, original artwork, fill-ins that were added on days when a real comic couldn't be made, and lots of other comic goodness. It is very organized as well and is a must for Megatokyo fans, so what are you waiting for, try it out!

I guess since this a publicly available web comic, only enthusiastic supporters who love the work have reviewed so far. Generally I read manga too fast to bother reviewing it, but I didn't think this volume resembled a manga.

The artist has an unrefined style, and while I found the first few dozen strips humorous and offbeat, it was ruined when Megatokyo realized it had no plot and desperately groped about to invent one. I hated the stupid stick figure drawing (done by one of the artist's friends while he was sick) that went on for five pages near the end; I mean I've met three-year-olds who draw better than that. I don't want to see random scribbles in the middle of a story; it's jarring and dissonant.

I suppose if you fit the demographic of an otaku who enjoys dating sims or overdoses on war-craft style RPG's, an otaku who has a secret dream of living in Japan, you would love this. That's not me.

When I buy a book from the manga section, I expect detailed art, an engaging dramatic or humorous story, and perhaps indirect commentary on the human condition. This volume failed in providing any of the above. It can't hold a candle to Bleach, Battle Angel Alita, Death Note, Nodame Cantabile, or Kodoma No Ocha. Those are manga I've liked, and all of them have more advanced art styles and plot lines.

In short Megatokyo was a successful web comic, but it belongs next to Marmaduke and Prince Valiant, not in the manga section. Be careful in telling people you like comic manga with fantasy overtones, or you might also be given this disappointment as a gift.

This is my absolute favorite web comic ever created. And I've read a lot of web comics. Of course you can read this for free online, but buying the book really helps support the creators (all hail Fred!). Plus in the book you get Fred's comments about each page, plus sketches that weren't seen before in print or on the web.

All of the characters in this book are easy to relate to, and each have a distinct look and personality to them. The story itself is mostly funny at first, with a few dramatic moments along the way. This book covers everything that preceeds the first chapter in the comic, including setting up the characters and their motives behind them.

If you love the online gaming lifestyle, or are just mildly interested in it, this book is fun to read.

Megatokyo is one of the first webcomics to be popular and successful. Two guys inspired by the popularity of other online comics set out to publish content on a domain name that was already purchased. While the characters in the comic may be exaggerated versions of themselves its a comic of true blending. First in comic styles of the American with four boxes in a horizontal line, and the Japanese with boxes aligned vertically and read down a page. Then the blending of Fred's (Piro) love of Japanese culture and girl manga with Rodney's (Largo) appreciation of video games, and dramatic action. While the two parted ways after approximately volume 2 in the published books, the first volume sets up the characters, and plots that hooked fans on this comic that took us were we all wanted to go through the eyes of to guys who were just like us.

I stumbled upon Megatokyo a few week ago from friends who said it was very good series. I did enjoy reading the archives but somehow noticed inconsistency with the quality of the comic itself on both the story and the art. I guess "I simply do not get it" as most fan boys would say, maybe because I'm spoilt and jaded for having read so many manga I really do not understand the charm of the series. Or maybe too much hype was associated with this comic that I placed my expectation too high.

Art:

The character design is very cute though they have this tendency to look alike especially the lady characters. The pencil style is very appealing and the artist has a good sense of perspective using bold angles to display the backgrounds and such. One thing I really liked about the art was how well the author dresses his characters; the fellow has really good fashion sense.

My only complaint artwise, as I have said, the quality of his drawings is quite inconsistent. There are times he would draw well and others where the pages, especially the background are simply sketchy. And to imagine he does this for a living is quite baffling why he would not put the time to ink or even keep the consistency of his art.

Story

The first part of the story was quite entertaining. Megatokyo started as a gag/gamer comic and was very funny and well written. But it seems the focus of the comic has change as it evolved from a gag a day comic to a full blown story. Sadly, it would be interesting if only the story would actually go somewhere. Too much foreshadowing and run around seems to indicate the author is having trouble putting a plot down.


Its Charm

I do understand why this series is quite popular especially amoung Japanophiles and fanboys (or otaku as they would call them). The comic story (Being trapped in Japan, chased by cute girls, living in Tokyo) and the life of the author, Fred (Making a living as a webcomic artist drawing manga 3 pages a week) smacks of wish fullfillment. This may only be my personal interpretation but by looking at the comic itself and the community behind Megatokyo, it looks like its fans live vicariously through either Fred the author or his "Mary Sue" avatar Piro.

Final words

As I have said before, as a seasoned manga, who read manga all her life, I'm probably jaded and find the comic full of cliche's and stereotypes. Maybe the author wishes to parody series such as Love Hina or Chobits but I have seen better parody in other amature manga.

Of course, if you are a relatively new and wide eyed anime/manga fan I'm sure this series will appeal to you quite well. In fact if you are one of those people who are new to this type of comics I suggest buying Vo1.01 but be weary of the other volumes. If you are veteran manga person I suggest you look somewhere else.