S.S. Astro

[fict_ticious]

Description:
This 4-panel school story takes the formula popularized by Azumanga Daioh and grows it up just a bit, focusing on the school faculty rather than the students. Expect to see lots of adults behaving badly! Subculture jokes abound: one teacher tries to hide her boys’ love obsession from her coworkers; another agonizes over her lesbian crush on a homeroom teacher. Failing productivity results when a fascination with portable videogames sweeps through the faculty room and wireless racing battles ensue. The humor ranges from slapstick to subtle, and there’s even a touch of actual romance!

Published by Yen Press

Comes in today where I live, and I have been eagerly awaiting it's release since Hidamari Sketch.

MAD for moontube viewers:
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm516875
> Comparison to various parodies: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm709600

DDL for others:
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=f...dd6c3772297944

Mangaka's Website: http://negibatake.net/
Series Profile Page: http://asashiosogo-h-metro.negibatake.net/

Some art:

Spoiler for Pictures:

[Vexx]

Huh.....
you mean this is a comedy manga and is actually about adults???????

I'm on it. Obviously the focus is on a group of women teachers but are there any significant male characters?
edit: seems to be a couple of male characters.... the FLV video was cute.

yeah... looks like a comfortable fit for my reading habits --- any chance of an anime in progress for it?

[yongshun]

That first pic reminds me of Kurosawa sensei from Azumanga. It sound interesting going to have to hit the bookstore this weekend.

[fict_ticious]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Huh.....
you mean this is a comedy manga and is actually about adults???????

I'm on it. Obviously the focus is on a group of women teachers but are there any significant male characters?
edit: seems to be a couple of male characters.... the FLV video was cute.

yeah... looks like a comfortable fit for my reading habits --- any chance of an anime in progress for it?

Yeah, High School manga about the adults. Whodathunkit?
AFIK, there's the members of the school's faculty, including Izumi's brother.
As for an animu, goodness man, this is barely on its second volume. But I, for one, would welcome our new anime adaptation overlords.

That first pic reminds me of Kurosawa sensei from Azumanga. It sound interesting going to have to hit the bookstore this weekend.

I always thought she's like a combination of Nyamo and Satsuki from Happy Lesson (oh lawd, The FINAL OVA was fail).

A review on the Yen Press release:
http://www.tiamatsreviews.com/?p=1203
Good review. Seems the biggest flaw in this particular series is consistency on the story's part.

[yongshun]

Picked up today cause I had time to go to a local bookstore and man it is funny, Izumi may look like Kurosawa but she has the personality of Yukari. The rest of the cast completely reminds me of all the girls from Azumanga, with all their crazy antics too bad they didn't introduce someone that would remind me of Sakaki.

[xris]

Originally Posted by fict_ticious

Description:
This 4-panel school story takes the formula popularized by Azumanga Daioh and grows it up just a bit, focusing on the school faculty rather than the students. Expect to see lots of adults behaving badly! Subculture jokes abound: one teacher tries to hide her boys’ love obsession from her coworkers; another agonizes over her lesbian crush on a homeroom teacher. Failing productivity results when a fascination with portable videogames sweeps through the faculty room and wireless racing battles ensue. The humor ranges from slapstick to subtle, and there’s even a touch of actual romance!

Thanks for the heads-up on this title, it certainly will be one I shall try, will order it. Will have to look at more of the Yen Press releases, already have Sunshine Sketch Vol 1 but I didn't notice this title at all and might have well missed it altogether if not for you creating the thread.

BTW, I've changed the thread title to S.S. Astro.

[fict_ticious]

Originally Posted by xris

Thanks for the heads-up on this title, it certainly will be one I shall try, will order it. Will have to look at more of the Yen Press releases, already have Sunshine Sketch Vol 1 but I didn't notice this title at all and might have well missed it altogether if not for you creating the thread.

BTW, I've changed the thread title to S.S. Astro.

Good catch. I was wonderin' why the title didn't retain the caps.
Btw, Yen Press also has Bamboo Blade listed.

[Vexx]

Picked up volume 1 today....... I can recommend this as pretty damned funny

Thanks to the OP fict_ticious for spotlighting this

[Avisch]

good call giving this a thread fac_ticious. Nice find with that MAD aswell (wasn't expecting Nursery Rhyme )

I picked up volume 1 last week. I recommend this. It reminds me a little of Azumanga Daioh. But overall it's direction makes it different in a good way.
The art (despite being a 4koma series) is quite detailed, and all very nice.

And in case anyone was wondering. The original Japanese name is Kyokan Astro (much thanks to YenPress who are writing the original titles on page in the back). Kyokan means warship (though I don't know if the Kanji makes it mean anything different). And for those who missed the stuff on the cover ASTRO stands for "Asahio Sogo Teacher's ROom".

My favorite character would be Nagumo. She the most passive character, and because of that she has a bunch of cute moments (well just as much as the rest). Also:

Spoiler for spoiler well kind of:

She's a fujoshi (or fujyoshi however you want to romanize it)

The romance (well aside from Karasuma) hasn't been shown much. The only real male characters are Maki's brother and Taniuchi.

Spoiler for random things I like about first volume:

Maki and Arai make video games....SERIOUS BUSINESS!
Nagumo on page 44 made me laugh with the "exam trap"
Also the random 1-panel artstyle changes are fun

Also not enough Hibiya-sensei.

[Tiamat's Disciple]

If you're looking for a male love interest, you wont find any. This is a yuri manga, much like Suzunari!! only more pronounced

[fict_ticious]

Originally Posted by Tiamat's Disciple

If you're looking for a male love interest, you wont find any. This is a yuri manga, much like Suzunari!! only more pronounced

Speaking of Suzunari, it seems Yen Press picking up 4koma titles isn't by accident.

As for male love interests, I think they've only touched on that subject - though I doubt we've seen the last of it. Particularly Izumi's (childish?) aversion to the subject.

Can't really decide who my favorite is out of the main cast :V

Oh, and some avatars are available here:
http://www.edit.ne.jp/~hinomoto/fl/i...c/chibi01.html

And it looks like even this series is not spared from the inevitable course of things in moonland/on the internet.

Spoiler for For pantsu:

[einhorn303]

Eh? I didn't think a manga (outside Yotsuba) would ever get an adult doujinshi for it. I thought that was mostly for anime and games, more big budget productions.

[Vexx]

Having just come from an anime-con, its always surprising how many titles of any sort get the "porn doujinshi" treatment.

Actually that looks .... less sexy ... than the real book, but then porn doujinshi sometimes gets too clinical rather than erotic.

Back to the original manga, I've read through the first manga a few times now. The translation is awkward/literal at times but I actually appreciate that since it gives me a clue on the original language. Someone completely unfamiliar with Japanese may scratch their heads every few pages. I will say a fair percentage of it is re-readable hilarious.

edit: hmmm, will have to check out Sunshine Sketch and Shoulder-a-coffin Kuro...

[fict_ticious]

Eh? I didn't think a manga (outside Yotsuba) would ever get an adult doujinshi for it. I thought that was mostly for anime and games, more big budget productions.

Sometimes not the case (see last Exile. Very little of it, such a waste). Can be explained through the laws of Reverse Internet Causality/Faye Valentine Clause.

Originally Posted by Vexx

Actually that looks .... less sexy ... than the real book, but then porn doujinshi sometimes gets too clinical rather than erotic.

Dunno. Looking at the sample pages, it seems pretty fappable. I'm a little tempted out of curiosity...

Back to the original manga, I've read through the first manga a few times now. The translation is awkward/literal at times but I actually appreciate that since it gives me a clue on the original language. Someone completely unfamiliar with Japanese may scratch their heads every few pages. I will say a fair percentage of it is re-readable hilarious.

Particularly about Nagumo-sensei. A first time reader might be a little out of the loop when it comes to her quirks. Also the school trip one.

As for the translation, there is one particular translator's note that really stuck out and I thought was kind of unnecessary (tl note for page 87). I've looked the thing over and I don't see the "Initial R" reference anywhere :V.

Also, like I mentioned in my Hidamari Sketch review, Yen Press is kinda lazy with some of the editing (ie. signs, letters, sfx). There were many instances where there would be a sign or piece of paper and they would jam small translations in the border between panels - it just doesn't sit well with me.

Overall, it is pretty re-readable and probably something you could have hanging around the bathroom.

edit: hmmm, will have to check out Sunshine Sketch and Shoulder-a-coffin Kuro...

Haven't checked out the Kuro one myself, but the preview to Suzunari has me interested as well.

Been looking through some of the latest chapters of SS Astro, and it looks like it's a series worth sticking to. There seem to even be *gasp* serious moments. I still kinda wish they did more in-class scenes (familiar territory).

[h8GWB]

Originally Posted by Avisch

Also not enough Hibiya-sensei.

AGREED.

Hibiya Saki-san reminds me of Otohime Mutsumi-chan (my fav(my only fav)) from Love Hina. To the point of becoming a direct ripoff. Which makes Hibiya so lovely in the first place. *Ara-ara*

Also, S.S. Asto art would be greatly appreciated. Esspecially the 18+ kind.

NO YAOI, though

Yen Press FTW.

[fict_ticious]

Originally Posted by h8GWB

[B][SIZE="4"]
Also, S.S. Asto art would be greatly appreciated. Esspecially the 18+ kind.

NO YAOI, though

Nagumo sensei would like a word with you :V

[ganbaru]

Originally Posted by h8GWB

Also, S.S. Asto art would be greatly appreciated. Esspecially the 18+ kind.

NO YAOI, though

Yen Press FTW.

It should be a little difficult to have Yaoi with so few male cast.

[h8GWB]

Originally Posted by ganbaru

It should be a little difficult to have Yaoi with so few male cast.

I don't know. Nagumo Yuko-chan might have given the fangirls enough ideas.


No one wants to discuss Hibiya-san instead? Anyone?
*Hibiya-tentei.....* (♥_♥)

[Avisch]

Originally Posted by h8GWB

AGREED.

Hibiya Saki-san reminds me of Otohime Mutsumi-chan (my fav(my only fav)) from Love Hina. To the point of becoming a direct ripoff. Which makes Hibiya so lovely in the first place. *Ara-ara*

Also, S.S. Asto art would be greatly appreciated. Esspecially the 18+ kind.

Yen Press FTW.

Well I wouldn't call Hibiya a rip-off of Otohime, cause the whole "ara-ara=, smiling with eyes closed character" is being used alot now. No telling who the original was.

On yaoi
No one remembers Nagumo noticing of the one guy yelling "SHINOZAKI" ? and then she of course says "hot pairing..."
Greatest implications ever.

[fict_ticious]

Originally Posted by Avisch

No one remembers Nagumo noticing of the one guy yelling "SHINOZAKI" ? and then she of course says "hot pairing..."

IIRC, she fills in the rest of the sentence for him in her mind. I dunno, to actively fantasize about your co-workers is a little...