Tuesday, February 06, 2007

From Eroica with Love vol. 34 by Yasuko Aoike


I've read Yasuko Aoike's manga for over 25 years. I have lots of her manga books.

Some of them are a little yaoi taste. Anyway, they are very interesting!

'From Eroica with Love' is her representative work. I watched the documentary program which reported the popular mangaka 'Yasuko Aoike'. She started the series as an ordinary shojo manga in 1979. At that time, she and her editor planed the serial in a few installments. The central character was a girl who has a supernatural power. But Aoike sensei didn't want to use the character actually. It was easier for her to make a story. So she asked her editor that she used only male characters.

The editor accepted it, and then 'Dorian Red Gloria -Earl of Gloria' and Major Klaus Heinz von dem Eberbach are very popular characters now. I also like a russian agent called 'Bear Cub Misha' and an oil king Sabaha. They are very funny! I found new funny character madam Mylene who is a Celtophil and a daydreamer when I read #32-#34.

I heard several volumes were translated into English and German. I like about #10-#20 the best in the series.

By the way, she broke the series after the end of the cold war. It seems it was difficult to make stories as other spy fictions. So now some specialists of international issues support her, though.

During about 7 years suspension, she had drawn other long series 'The El Castillo -The Imperial Castle-'. Set in Middle Ages Sevilla, the manga portrays the fascinating and eventful life of the King called Don Pedro. I also love him, but Aoike sensei broke the series after restarting From Eroica with Love. I was very concerned about 'The El Castillo'. But I heard the last part is coming soon! It will appear in the magazine 'Princess Gold Mar + Apr' about 10 days later. I'm really looking forward to read it.

In the meantime, 'From Eroica with Love' suspends again.

I have her following titles.
Eroica yori Ai wo komete (From Eroica with Love) #1-#34

Eroica yori Ai wo komete (From Eroica with Love) Side Story -Madan no Shashu (Der Freischutz)
Z #1-#2 (link to From Eroica with Love)
El Halcon -The Hawk- #1-#2 (The picaresque story of a navy officer in the 16th century)
A day of Saladin
The Monk Falco
Norwegian Blue no Yume (This book contains her illustrations and manga 'Trafalgar')
Yasuko Aoike Art Book

I like both of her comedy stories and historical fictions.
Especially her historical characters are cooool!

4 comments:

菅野 勝 [すがの・かつ] said...

‘From Eroica with Love’ isn’t published in germany unfortunately, only a article. (maybe in France, there are many publications, more than in america or the rest of europe - colourable)
I heard this story was/is very popular in japan, so that some fans travel to Eberbach! ^ ^

lotus said...

I hope German edition will be published. Yes! Eberbach is famous among Japanese manga fans due to this series! Aoike sensei has been there. She drew the trip and German people she met there in her works. ^-^

菅野 勝 [すがの・かつ] said...

Me too ^ ^
Do you know the meaning from ‚Eberbach’? Eber is the male wild boar, and Bach is brooks.
In japanese 猪川, Inoshishigawa I think?
sounds funny ^^
She travel to Germany? O,O
It’s applaudably to see what the Mangaka do for the authentic of their work! *_*

lotus said...

Thank you for your comment. Yasuko Aoike wrote about Eberbach in her works. So I know the mean. German magazine has reported the manga before. Please check it out in your country!