Customer Reviews

Megatokyo, Vol. 3

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Like some other reviewers, I too was pestered into reading it online. Then I had to buy it in print, re-read it and start lending it out to people.

I just have to respond to the Tanis review, which accused MT of being cliched and appealing only to ignorant, Japan obsessed otaku: um -- I think you missed the joke. MT pokes fun at these very otaku, as well as the rpg obsessed, l33t users, master hackers, and all manner of cultural stereotypes from a Tokyo that lets people visit on "Mortal Combat Visas" to the oldy-but-goody, gun toting, randomly violent American. I don't think it counts as cliche when your tongue's that firmly in your cheek.

Which is the charm of MT. I know enough gamers, geeks and anime freaks to appreciate the more extreme characters -- and know how eerily life-like some of them are. I *like* enough games, geeks and anime to appreciate the tributes and get at least some of the jokes. And I enjoy the storyline and art enough to want to keep up with it.

It's not Ghost in the Shell or Ranma 1/2. It's not Japanese. It's not pretending to be. MT has a subtle and playful charm, a very American sensibility and a style all it's own. If you don't game, don't watch anime, don't know any hackers, never been stranded in a foreign country, never heard of l33t, and never seen a ninja movie, then it probably won't resonate with you. But if you have *any* experience with any of these aspects of American culture and some level of appreciation for both the subtle and the sublimely ridiculous, MegaTokyo is a highly worthwhile read.

Beginning its life on the internet as a web comic by Frank Gallagher and Rodney Caston, Megatokyo quickly became a hit amongst its audience as a comic that adopted much of the Japanese manga elements of story telling while maintaining its roots of video gaming goodness. Perhaps what set it so far apart from the many other web comics that share equal levels of popularity (Ctrl Alt Del, Penny Arcade, VG Cats etc.) was while many strived to only produce laughs within the restraints of the half dozen or so panels, Megatokyo's primary object seemed to tell a story, often leaving readers without a punch line at the end of a strip. And tell a story it does, a story rife with ninjas, giant robots, demons, zombies, guns, manga, otakus and more video game/anime oriented humor than you can shake a stick at. Leave all doubts aside humorists and manga enthusiasts! Megatokyo might not be written or drawn by a Japanese mangaka, but there's no reason why it can't share its level of success!

Megatokyo's story follows the lives of Piro and Largo. The former is a moping college graduate student with an obsession for video games, anime, and dating simulations, but lacks confidence and any real direction in life. Piro's friend, Largo, is a beer fueled college drop out who speaks in l337 and possesses a eccentric perspective of reality that can only be described as borderline insanity. After a failed attempt to break into E3, Piro manages to convince his completely blitzed friend to take a pilgrimage to the holy land of anime and video games -Tokyo, Japan. The only problem is, upon arriving, they quickly run out of money and find themselves stranded. That's when the craziness truly begins.

The characters introduced throughout the course of the storyline always seem original, and while not all develop at an equal rate, I had trouble finding any real flaw in the story's cast. From the Shinji-esque Piro, to the haunted voice actress Hayasaka, to the psychopathic twins of gun wielding destruction, Dom and Ed, to the ninja, Junpei, Megatokyo entertains a host of varied and wonderfully colorful characters that keep the story interesting and fresh.

The drawing is styled similar to Japanese manga. It's not overly detailed but there's something oddly cute and humorous about it that works surprisingly well. The drawings are seldom serious, but then again, neither is the story though it does have its moments. While Fred does not ink his drawings like many artists choose, I never felt like it detracted anything from the reading experience. Admittedly, in the first half of book one they look a little bland, but the level of artwork quickly jumps up to its current state where I can file no real complaints.

All in all, Megatokyo is a terrific read for anyone looking for laughs. If you're a gamer or an anime otaku like I am, you'll probably feel yourself relating to the characters. The only real flaw I felt in the comic so far was that about halfway through the comic (around strip two hundred or so) the story departs from its more light-hearted video game based humor and focuses more on story and character development. It's a mixed bag. I enjoy the story, but I miss the video game/anime based humor which started off as a cornerstone for the comic. Ah well.

Those trivial complaints aside, my parting words to describe this progressively developing comic (strip 755 to date! The three books available on Amazon only go up to 515, but a fourth is expected sometime in January) are: r0x0rz j00r b0x0rz. Enjoy!

JA_Japster's Final Score: 9/10

If you are a Megatokyo fan, then you've already read everything in here online, so support Fred and buy it in print. If you are new to Megatokyo, then I'd suggest buying this along with all of the other volumes as well. Besides, you won't understand the story if you don't start at the beginning.

I don't know if it was a printer error or something but the pages from 30-60 are misprinted. Off the top of my head, page 30-something immediately goes to 60-something and continues for a good thirty-forty pages. Only until page 60 (the actual page) does the story progress normally.

Third part of Megatokyo comic books, and I really like it. Even though it is free to read online, it is good enough that I decided to buy it and support the artist.

I recommend it to anyone.

i do not own the book, but i have already read all of the online comics at megatokyo.com. megatokyo has to be one of the best comics i've ever read.

piro and largo are still stuck in japan. piro and nanasawa become closer frineds, and nanasawa gets a new job. i can't remeber everthing so i'll leave it at that. i highly suggest that you buy this book, but only if you've read the other two volumes or the webcomic first.

I also have read this series of the MT story online, but have just ordered the book (I like to read it in book format when off-line.) I am afraid the first reviewer is a serious newbie to all this, as a huge manga and anime fan I do not fit into the category that 'bleh' seem to think MT fans were in.

This is a great graphic novel, even for teens, it is funny, sad and character driven (yeah!)

Now, if you are new to this story go to www.megatokyo.com and take a look, then pickup book 1 and start from there.

I love Megatokyo and all its aspects. I have all *four* books so far, yes, four-- I have a special edition first comic that appeared on thinkgeek for a short time--, and I have already preordered this book. I have read all the series online, and I have them stored on my computer as well (I like to read them sometimes offline) and I read the books as well (c0mmentz0rz!).

If you are any kind of fan of Megatokyo or even any Manga, I highly suggest that you check this book out and go to www.megatokyo.com and www.megagear.com (the comic site and the online store respectively). It's a great comic...

<EDIT> Just got Volume 3. Love it. The emotions, drama, and angst are getting even better. Trust me--the most recent episodes have been filled with cliffhangers, the suspense has been killing me, and ever since episode 690 I have refreshed the webpage just to get to reading and reviewing it faster. Please--do us all a favor and go to http://www.megatokyo.com/.

If you like what you read there, go to a comic/manga store, your local Barnes & Noble, or practicaly any other big-time bookstore, and read/buy the book. You can also access all the previous episodes and talk about them in the forums at http://forums.megatokyo.com/.

Good luck, and happy reading! </EDIT>

PS>> Volume 4 is expected to come out around Fall 2005. :)

This book was in absolutely fantastic condition when I bought it, and it is a good read. Good service, and good shipping. It came later than expected, but earlier than what they said it would. I guess I should read the estimated shipping dates, but it came sooner than that and in awesome condition. Good buy all around. Thank you for the book, and when the 6th one comes out, I will buy from you again.

I've been reading Megatokyo online since it first came out. Yes, I agree with some of the other reviews on here that it did indeed change when Rodney left and Fred started focusing a little more on Piro and his endless angst, but in my opinion, that wasn't a bad thing. The first book was light hearted and a parody, and it was really quite funny. Megatokyo still is funny, it's just not that constant laughing after every comic. Does there have to be a punchline every time? What's wrong with a little story progression?

I disagree when it comes to the characters being static. The development is somewhat slow, yes, but it's there. So much happens all at once that it gets a little lost in the background. C'mon, when ten comics cover the space of only a few hours, you can't expect a ton of character development. But it is there, especially if you look at the characters when MT first started out, and now where they're at. Big difference. Even Largo has gained a bit of sobriety.

All in all, I love Megatokyo, and I will continue to love it unless Fred does something horrible to it, which I highly doubt will happen. I recemmend this to gamers, geeks, otaku, and anyone interested in reading something amusing.