Ron:
> Sasuga stocks the Japanese editions (I found vol. 11 at their stand at
> Ohayocon
> 2004. and ordered vol. 10 from their website); I get the English editions
> at the local Waldenbooks (just picked up volume 6 a week or so ago).
> Volume 4 is where it seems to hit home that there is something behind
> Excel's seeming exuberance that isn't quite so sunny...but then, there
> is an actual storyline going on in the manga.

	Chinese bookstores do not carry unpopular old stuff.  The rental
section is the best place to find old stuff and it's kind of a hit and miss
since stuff is constantly rearranged..

> Then you'd love Volume 4 (dunno what it is with 4's), Asuka's intro in the
> manga.
> Let's just say that she comes in with guns ablazin ^_<.  But unless
> something radical
> happened in vol.9, then the ending that happened in End of Evangelion
> and ep. 23 is going to be especially heartbreaking.

	So it ends in the same way?  Then I think I'll pass.  Besides, I got
Rin Tohsaka from Fate to replace Asuka as my favorite red color-themed girl.
:)

> That reminds me of an issue of Comic Box which revolved around the
> question, "Is Manga Dead?". I am not sure that something as varied
> as manga could truly fall over and die, but much like the American
> comics market, could sorely use a swift kick in the ass at this point.

	Well, obviously you always have the popular stuff that can keep on
going... but even for popular stuff, there hasn't been something like
another Dragonball, or even another Yugioh... decent quality stuff that goes
on for a while that's worth buying every time a new volume comes out even if
it's not particularly revolutionary.

	But then, perhaps the fans are to blame for this, since fans are the
one who support such things.  Certainly it does not seem like the average
fan cares or even wants anything with complexity, that's for sure.  

Don

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