Kaneko Atsushi is one of my favorite comic creators in any language. He's becoming known for [BAMBi And Her Pink Gun] in the US, but his latest series is [SOIL], now being serialized in Japan, in the monthly [Comic Beam] magazine.

[SOIL] Volume 6, the latest collection of his serialized manga novel, was released in Japan on 8.25.2007, and it's just more of the same greatness. It juxtaposes "typical" life in a smallish town, with a growing mystery that threatens to engulf all normalcy. Science fiction and fantasy meet a grounded exploration of the hopes, quirks and fears of a population, as they try to discover just what seems to be corrupting their way of life.

It has vortexes, people acting all crazy, a fair amount of blood, broad slapstick humor, and more, all rendered in that Kaneko Atsushi style that simply can't be beat. The story has really solidified over the past few volumes, and it's quite satisfying. You might as well import and appreciate now, or else wait many years to see it translated. Either way, we all win.

Feel free to find out much more about the work of Kaneko Atsushi at my fan site now.

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I have a special place in my heart for BENTEN, an amazing woman-focused label out of Japan. I've been promoting their US tours for a few years, and they always feature heaping handfuls of great Japanese artists. This time around, I wasn't able to make it to the tour stop in San Francisco, but thanks to the demo tracks, I fell in love with GO!GO!7188, a stellar 3 piece.

I ordered a few of their albums from Japan, and I'm really digging their 5th, [Parade]. Female vocals, peppy guitars, and a overall pleasing presentation, they're one of my new favorites, and I'm going to add a profile to my Japanese Pop section soon (perhaps also a contest at that time...).

However, if you're east of the Mississippi, you have a few opportunities coming up extremely soon to see this force of music in person. Namely:

August 6 - Bethlehem, PA, Musikfest 2007
August 7 - NY, NY, Knitting Factory
August 8 - Chicago, IL, Empty Bottle

Please visit this highly informative page for more info, including about the art exhibition featuring Tokyo Alice that's attached to the mini-tour.

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Since I introduced it last year, the current JM.com Message Board has been plagued by spam. Even with code adjustments, I had to shut down automatic memberships, and I had to erase a few dozen accounts a month. This was a drag.

Now, there's a new version 3.0 of phpBB, the engine that runs many forums, and I've been trying out one of the "release candidates" (almost final code). It works well, with many new options, one of which seems to be better handling of spammy spam.

Thus, feel free to use the link after this or any other junk.log entries to leave your comments. The overall look and feel of the new space will change soon, to better reflect my aesthetic, but it's all ready for messages now.

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