Comic Party

Revision as of 17:06, 18 August 2007

Comic Party (Komikku Pātī) is manga that was created out of a visual novel. A visual novel is a fiction game that is completely interactive and whose artwork is distinctly anime-style. The game usually follows along a story line that the player has to follow along with. There is generally only a small amount of game play, and the genre of games has been compared to an RPG (role playing game), but with less action. Comic Party is one of the few visual novels that has been turned into a manga and an anime series. The game focuses on interacting with a cast of girls, but the manga series is a bit different.

The Manga

The manga focuses on Kazuki, who wants to become a great doujinshi artist. Doujinshi is manga], or comic books, that are written by artists who publish outside of the mainstream publishing houses. Kazuki is determined to become the best. He pulls in his girlfriend, Mizuki, and is being trained by Yuu. The manga follows along, more focused on telling little stories than on telling one long story. The chapters are all written by actual doujinshi artists, which gives a surreal element to the manga, as it suddenly becomes a manga about a doujinshi artist that is written by doujinshi artists!

Characters

• Kazuki Sendoh – Kazuki is the main character who is determined to become a widely known doujinshi artist. He joins his friend in forming a doujinshi partnership known as Brother 2.

• Taishi Kuhonbutsu – Taishi is the other aspiring doujinshi that is part of Brother 2. He takes care of the paperwork of the business, and Kazuki does the art.

• Mizuki Takase – Mizuki is Kazuki’s girlfriend. She can not stand doujinshi but supports her boyfriend in his new career, even though it annoys her.

• Yuu Inagawa – Yuu loves doujinshi. She teaches Kazuki and Taishi about how to publish.

• Eimi Ooba – She is a rival to Yuu and Kazuki.

• Subaru Mikage – Subaru is a fighter that can not write doujin.

• Minami Makimura – Minami is the head of the Comic Party.

• Chisa Tsukamoto – Chisa is the one that prints everything for Brother 2. She loves printing doujinshi and does so through her family’s printing shop.

• Reiko Haga – Reiko is responsible for teaching Mizuki about cosplay, which is where anime and manga enthusiasts dress up as their favorite characters.

• Asahi Sakurai – Asahi is a famous singer and also loves manga and anime.

• Ikumi Tachikawa – Ikumi is a very sick girl, and becomes Kazuki’s first customer and his biggest fan.

Licensing

Unlike most mangas, Comic Party has been licensed to more than one publishing house. The list of publishers includes:

• MediaWorks
• KSS
• Ichijinsha
• Ohzora Publishing
• Square Enix
• Rapport
• Enterbrain
• Sony Magazine

Interesting Facts

Comic Party has an actually Comic Party convention that happens in Tokyo once a year. Hundreds of Comic Party fans dress up as the main characters and join in on the Cosplay.