A little bit late in the game I picked up on a fansub project called Tenjo Tenge. It’s a scanslation, as opposed to the typical AVI/DIVX stuff that I will post about from time to time. Along with Pretty Face, I”s, Read or Die, and Love Hina, this is one of the few manga that I’ve really enjoyed grabbing off of neferious little scanslation sites. So far I’m reasonably impressed.
I grabbed my copy from the kind folks at mangatranslation.com, and I’d like to extend my appreciation for their hard work in bringing this kung-fu silliness to light. In subject matter, Tenjo Tenge is rather similar to Real Bout High School (a high school/academy where all the students rigorously study martial arts and kung-fu-fight each other all the time).
As with Real Bout High School there is an ample helping of fanservice in just about every issue, but unlike RBHS there’s a bit more deep of a background story, with issues of loyalty, love, betrayal, and fate all mixing together to create an enjoyable story. The extended flashback in which the backstory is revealed takes up over half of what I’ve read so far, and is definately more interesting than the muscle-flexing and predictable love-triangle (actually there are about six people involed, so it’s a love hexangle or somesuch).
Also unlike Real Bout High School, I’m pretty sure this title will never see the light of day in the US English commercial market due to some very adult (not just naughty, but actually “adult” in a sometimes disturbing way) content.
So far, I’d give it an B+. It would have done better, but the constant reliance upon fanservice and the unlikable “main character” just don’t impress me too much. Perhaps I’ll upgrade this after further reading. I have presently completed 47 chapters, and do not know how long the series runs.
hmm… I think its supposed to be that way… Oh! Great is a hentai artist. Another one of his works you might want to read would be silky whip. It’s pretty good… if you’re into that hentai stuff…
I’ve seen the “silky whip” stuff, but can’t really get behind the whole H-manga thing. I certainly have no problem with fanservice, I just prefer to be provided with a protagonist that I actually can root for. Nagi-kun is an ass. What can I say?
i think this manga is one of the better series out there… besides being kinda hentai-ish….. it still has a great story line. The hentai makes it seem more… realistic? it’s not just like normal porn… it makes sense.
I rather doubt that the more ecchi aspects were placed there for “realism” so much as for fanservice. The upskirt shots, totally unnecessary bare-breastedness, the universally-buxom nature of the female cast, and the occasional honest-to-goodness sex scenes don’t help move the plotline at all.
They serve to grab the attention of male readers that pass by rows upon rows of competing manga in train stations and other public places throughout Tenjo Tenge’s native marketplace. It helps keep the story firmly in the “Mature” audience (not suitable for your average 6 year old), and helps add an additional layer of tension to the interplay between characters. That’s about it.
Don’t get me wrong, though: Tenjo Tenge is one of the better manga I’ve read lately. Ikki Tousen and Read or Die are others I’ve been looking at, but none seem as well crafted as Oh Great’s current work. I understand that it will be a while before I get to read book 10, and we don’t yet know how far the series is going to run.
they appear to be a month late, maybe this is due to the fact that tenten didn’t appear in this month’s ultra jump.
With volume 10 I mean.
Great information and site
With amazing fight scenes, and some amusing fanservice. This is one of my top fave mangas, but I can’t help but feel that Maya Natsume acts more like the main character of the whole series!
True, that. It seems that each plot arc has its own main character, with Maya being the most persistently relevant character. Her background with Mitsuomi means that she has been almost omnipresent so far (whereas Souichiro and Bob, ostensibly the main characters, had nothing to do with the 2-years-past arc). I understand that Volume 12 will be starting up a plot arc that takes place some 8 or 10 years in the past, and will revolve around the Nagi family as it relates to the rest of the Red Feather families. With any luck, this will help tie everything else together into a more coherant backdrop for the upcoming school tournament.
Keep in mind that the whole story is likely to take place during a single school year (much of it during the three months after Bob and Souichiro join the Jyukenbo).
this was one of the anime i like
la lng magawa
this anime rock,it is way better than the manga version…………………….??i guess
oh
ah ewan! maka storbo lng heeheheheheheheheh
The manga is much higher quality than the animation, in my humble opinion. The animation quality itself is fairly low (to be expected for a TV show), and some of the character designs don’t translate very well.
The CMX translation appears to be rather… edited in order to make it a little less offensive to a puritanical American audience.
ah……basta ang cute ni aya natsume…hehehe…crush ko cya …………