Off*beat V01

I bought this book on a whim, partly because I like manga and the cover art looked both good and yet a bit different from the generic manga style that too many books of this kind suffer from. After reading it, though, I have to say that this is one of the best manga books I've ever read, not only because of the style which I liked a lot but because the characters are so well developed and believeable that you are quickly drawn to them and their situations. I think everyone can relate to this book whether they're currently a teenager or are an adult who can still remember what it was like. And if by chance they've forgotten, this book will most definitely remind them. Quick is really good at capturing what it is like to be a teenager and we see it vividly through Tory, the main character, a smart kid who's bored by school, who has difficulty dealing with his mom because he doesn't like being treated like a kid anymore, and who finds himself attracted to - and obsessing over - another kid his age even though he doesn't understand why. The book captures the intensity of the teenage experience when we become subjected to strong feelings that we don't understand, when our relationships with our parents become awkward because of the changes we go through, when we flip back and forth between wanting to be left alone and wanting to be noticed, and when we find others attractive in some way but have no idea of what the feelings mean or how to act on them. And on top of everything else, there's the mystery of Colin, the subject of Tory's attraction and obsession. Colin, a kid who keeps to himself even at school, has no family but lives with a guardian who's some kind of doctor, has occasional bouts of coughing and weakness and frequent absences from school, and is associated somehow with something called Project Gaia. The more Tory learns, the more obsessed he becomes with solving the mystery, but whatever the secret is, it is not revealed in this first volume. I will be getting the second volume because I really like these characters and I want to see what happens with them. Highly recommended.

After reading volume two, I can now safely say that this is my favorite goddamn OEL series ever. The basic storyline is Tory's, a young NYC high school kid, thoughts on Colin Stephens, an oddly quiet and secretive boy who lives across the street. One thing I love about this manga is that there isn't a hugely drawn-out plot, but it is more character development over a series of small events. These small events mainly include Tory's findings on Colin and his growing curiosity for the big mystery that he seems to be harboring. His curiosity leads to other events such as a peer-tutoring system, skipping school, and strange subway daydreaming. But for me, the jem of this series is the characters. Someone could glance at the character designs and write them off as cliches, but I was shocked at how much I could relate to them and pinpoint qualities that my friends and clasmates harbored. I seem to recall a previous reviewer stating that Tory was an unlikeable and selfish character, but I can clearly see where he's coming from. In my life, I had always believed that I was intellectually superior to many people, and would often talk about good educations and my own pride. This is what probably astounded me the most. All this time I was worrying about me acting like a selfish bitch, and here I find myself relating to a manga character. Besides Tory, I once briefly knew a girl very similar to Mandy: Popular, bubbly, and sympathetic. She, too, worried about herself being a pest or selfish person. Although Mandy would seem like an american-ized shojo heroine, her insecurities are nothing short of typical. She may not be as sad as Tory or Colin, but I still find her to be extremely believeable. On another note, I was slightly dissapointed at the lack of romantic Tory and Colin interaction (although the library scene did make me happy), the second book more than makes up for it. If you are a fan of simplistic, character-driven stories, this manga is definetly for you.

While some may be put off by the American-style illustrations, Off*Beat! is a light-hearted and enjoyable manga for any fan, hardcore or otherwise. It certainly left me craving (and hanging! Damn cliffhangers!) for the next volume! I originally picked this up because, being a yaoi fan, I am always on the lookout for potential slash. I have a feeling that the relationship between the two main characters - which is mysterious at best in the first volume - will turn out to be more than just friends.

The title of the series suits it perfectly. The manga is quirky, funny, and unique. I love that the characters feel like awkward teenagers. They seem very real, like you could meet them just around the corner. Tory's lonely and bored, and his interest in his mysterious neighbor is something that confounds Tory himself. He's not quite sure why he has to know everything about Colin, but he does. I love Tory's dream sequences, his loving but unorthodox mother, and the college student who randomly mooches off of their food. The real appeal of this manga is in the humanity of the characters and the attention to life's little details. I hope the second volume comes out soon.

I had no idea what this was when I bought it, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The story revolves around a fifteen year old boy, named Tory, who develops an obsession with his neighbor across the street. It appears that Tory not only has a crush on this boy, but something strange and mysterious is going on. The characters were interesting and believable, and there was enough intrigue to keep me wondering what was going to happen next. And, even though Tory is a stalker, I felt a lot of sympathy for him. There's something very sweet about this manga while still having eccentricities. I'm eager to read the next volume. My only complaint is that I don't like reading from left to right, but since the author/artist is not from Japan, I suppose that should be expected. The artwork is different from Japanese manga too, but I got used to that fairly quickly. I could see what these characters would look like if they existed in real life. And the scenes from New York City were realistic too, which is nice, since I'm familiar with the area.