Earlier this year, I went to the Viz website to look up when the second volume of Hirayasumi dropped and stumbled upon the news that the manga publisher had launched a new project tiled the VIZ Originals One-Shots program created “for aspiring mangaka,” run by former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Hisashi SASAKI!
I love manga and adore a good one-shot via manga. A one shot in manga is more commonly known as a single, sometimes standalone story. It is the manga equivalent of a short story and an excellent way for readers to get a feel for a manga creator’s storytelling and art style. The one-shots in this newer project–which are free to read–online and in the app. I wanted to continue this series and share my thoughts on the second round of entries after reading them and give my thoughts below!
Minor and major spoilers may follow below
Giggle Fist
Story and Art by DD Mark
Lettering by Marc McMurray
So with the Cinematic Certitude one-shot in the first batch of entries, I loved the title and thought it served the work well. When I first saw the title for this newest batch, I wasn’t sure but kept an open mind. Loving the colored cover page that helps set the tone that this one-shot is about martial arts and someone being very determined. Kung Fu is a way of life in this story and those unable to master the forms and internally tap into the innate connections of martial arts are left to a life to only practice it. Willie, the protagonist, and his family line fall into that category, the unmarked. One night the young boy loses the person who means the most to him and vows to avenge them and seek justice for others like him.
DD Mark’s artwork is very clean, crisp, and really on point with playing up light and darkness in frame whether that be the shaded part of someone’s face under a hat on a sunny day or the light bouncing off a person from a car’s headlights on a stormy night. The screen tones and lettering of the sound effects also really help up the ante with the fighting sequences, some of the best in both batches of one-shots so far. Giggle Fist has a lot of heart when I think back on this narrative of a young man wanting to be the best Kung Fu master and avenge his beloved family member who taught him perhaps the most important basics when it comes to martial arts.
This one-shot is a lot of fun, and I hope readers do not gloss over the creative ability to blend that into the story. Willie seeks retribution for the hero that he lost and wants to keep a humble dream alive. The journey the protagonist takes to the man who took the lives of loved ones and attempted to crush some hopes has enough funny bits to keep the story from being overly serious. While I think the conclusion to this one-shot was satisfying (some readers say a bit rushed), the ending felt abrupt, possibly could a few more pages have made for a softer landing for a young hero making good on his childhood promise in such a hard-earned way? At the end of my most recent reread, I’m still not sold on the chosen title. Yet, the one-shot itself is one I’ve reread and is not one that is lacking in many places, at all.
Out For Delivery
Story by Kellye Perdue / Art by Wynton Redmond
Lettering by Marc McMurray
“This is it. The last job” reads the monologue that starts on the very first page of the main character who is at long last, ready to close this chapter of her life as a courier in space. It has been a mostly listless, boring, unrewarding career that she’s had to pick up to make ends meet and pivot to make a living. This young woman is ready to get back to Earth after taking care of all the responsibilities left on her plate. As she prepares, readers will learn of her partner–an old mech loan with a very quirky operating system with a mind of its own. A reveal of their last piece of cargo presents a problem at the intersection of morally being right and taking care of business.
Like the editor’s note mentioned, Perdue and Redmond have great creative chemistry–Out For Delivery stands out in both its narrative and artwork together, perhaps the most in this second batch of one-shots. It is a one-shot dripping in charm and being able to stand out as a story that does much starting off with the “One Last job” trope. The (nameless) captain and her mech loan have a clearly established and funny dynamic. There are enough comedic bits spread throughout and the emotional pull of the captain’s backstory and the ramifications of where to take her last piece of cargo made this one a favorite of mine. I love the created logo of the title on the first page, the funny chibi moments, the battle scenes, and even the jaw dropping pages like when the mech prepares to enter a planet’s atmosphere. I could read more of this creative team work, especially this story continued longer bursts.
Onami
Story and Art by Jackson
Lettering by Annaliese “Ace” Christman
Oh, wow. Onami has such an expressive art style that is not too busy and has some memorable pages that almost spills off the pages. In this one shot, Jackson’s tale of a young man who leaves home to a place under the sea. Pon leaves his family and the comforts of home with a mentor and trains…all with a question he can’t quite answer in his heart. There’s a tower of fighters, there’s trials, bursts of humor, and some hints in the narrative that help clue in readers of a darker backstory.
Onami is action packed, so fans of fighter tournaments and warriors and adventurers will want to read this one. I picked up on the foreshadowing and little clues in the narrative about how one’s presence matters and deconstructing the world that we live in. The artwork is only rough in a few spots but it is never enough to distract me from reading along and actually blends in well enough as these are lighter, sillier scenes and panels. I loved how this story fashioned the reveal about the obligations to the people, families, and places we call home. There is also a narrative thread about the limits of our bodies, the limits we place on ourselves, and those we break free of that others place on us.
Onami is very much a coming-of-age story under all the fighting and training with really cool and detailed artwork. Sometimes a young person must play the rules of life no matter how rigged to prove that they are the one chosen for the job, the calling-or whatever it is that is next. This one-shot did a fine job of presenting such a story in a fantasy setting. My one criticism is despite really liking the training montages Pon had going up the floors in the tower, I wished the transition of him reaching the final floor were a bit smoother. A page or even a panel bridging these two parts of the story would have had me not skipping back a page, wondering if I had missed something, narrative-wise.
About VIZ Originals One-Shots:
The One-Shots program is a showcase for aspiring manga creators, led by renowned former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Hisashi SASAKI! The Viz website goes on to put out a call to action: “Whether you are an established creator with a new idea or are putting the finishing touches on your very first one-shot, if you are passionate about manga, we want to hear from you! Learn more about how to submit your work.”
Read all the one-shots from aspiring creators chosen as the first batch in this exciting new project here!
Read more about the VIZ Originals One-Shots Program and read Hisashi SASAKI’s thoughts on each selected entry on the Viz website!
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