Sleep Is For the Weak

PG-13 for angsty and band and band-related stuff; official series website

You know, this is a solid manga (originally from Germany) with solid art and paneling, but I can’t not comment on how the artist completely ripped her style from Kazuya Minekura. I’d say that Christina Plaka’s paneling is her own, and her story, while not terribly original, is still decent, but seriously–if you’re going to copy someone’s art, pick a Japanese mangaka who isn’t extremely famous and instantly distinguishable. Plaka’s got real potential as an artist, and she’s still very young, so I hope she’ll eventually develop her own style so I can praise her without restraint. Cool color work and awesome image shots, I might add. As for story, the tale of an indie band trying to make it big without selling out–and without killing each other in frustration and angst–can be entertaining, and I suppose this one is. The whole thing feels a little naive, from the characters’ emotional neediness/melodrama to the very simple jokes to the largely wretched song lyrics, but that’s almost a refreshing change from some of the very jaded, calculated North American releases that surrounded Yonen Buzz. I think this manga will do very well with high school manga fans, especially those who are more about punk/grunge/rock influences and have felt left out with the plethora of goth manga on the market.

Educated impression: Worth a try for teenagers, maybe not so for older readers. (Lianne)

Trackback URI | Comments RSS