Dramacon
Svetlana Chmakova
On-going series, one volume released
Dramacon is a manga for everyone who's ever gone to an anime convention or simply wanted to attend one. It packs all the excitement, humor, disappointments, and sheer craziness of an anime convention in a smaller, paper and ink format which is much easier for home consumption than a full-sized convention.
Volume one introduces us to Christie, an aspiring comic author attending her first convention. With her are Derek, her artist and boyfriend, and two friends, all of whom clearly have prior con experience under their belts. Christie finds the con scene a bit intimidating -- from transportation issues and lost reservations to crazy cosplayers and huge crowds, it all gets to be overwhelming to a newcomer. But her friends don't notice her floundering-- especially not Derek who is too busy flirting with scantily clad cosplayers under the guise of selling their comic.
Frustrated beyond words, Christie takes off by herself into the con, where she runs into a mysterious cosplayer, a handsome guy in dark shades with a few insecurities of his own...
Dramacon is one of several OEL (Original English Language) manga launched last year by Tokyopop. I know, OEL manga makes people roll their eyes. But try this one before you snub it. Svetlana Chmakova’s grasp of the medium is solid. Her style makes heavy use of manga visual conventions: big eyes and small mouths abound; anger marks, sparkles, and sweatdrops appear during moments of high emotion; and, yes, characters even become chibified. But not content merely to imitate Japanese artists, she has taken these elements and combined them with clean panel layouts and a style all her own.
The story so far will appeal to fans of shoujo first and foremost. Romance definitely plays a central role in this volume -- Will she dump Derek? Will she connect with the cosplayer? -- and there are also hints of a coming of age story, as Christie tries to find her feet not just at the convention but also as a writer. But even fans of anime and manga who do not read much shoujo will find something to enjoy in this one. Between the fun supporting characters, the hidden references to other manga series, and the nods to fan culture, there's something here for every fan. In fact, my only complaint about this series is that the next volume isn't out yet!
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