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MegaTokyo #3
Megatokyo, Volume 3
The wildly popular American manga web comic hits its landmark third volume! Piro and Largo are still stuck in Japan, and this odd couple of an anime/manga-obsessed fanboy and a hard-core gamer, are both stirring up trouble, and stringing together awkward crushes. It's a true fantasy existence, as the insane and destructive Largo fights "zombie hordes" and Piro pursues the heart of a budding voice actress. All the while, an expanding cast of surprising and delightful characters keeps the chaos moving and the charm flowing.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 18, 2021
The cover doesn't have Gaston as the co-writer any more, so it's just Gallagher at the helm. The visual storytelling feels much improved here, with panel composition and page layouts being clearer and easier to read, and more engaging as a side effect. The "Endgames" short, drawn especially for this volume, is quite well put together (though the story was kind of meh).
Largo is just the same oblivious over-the-top gamer dude as before, and I still can't bring myself to care all that much about his part of the story or any of the various secret organizations that mill around blowing s**t up in his orbit. Miho adds a little bit of human interest there, but that took up maybe two pages of the book. I'm interested in seeing more of what happened between her, Piro and Largo in their shared online past.
I enjoy reading about Piro's silly girl trouble, though his storyline's very obvious origins in Japanese girl game tropes makes me roll my eyes. This underemployed, broke, mopey scrub has three or four girls hankering for him. Riiiiight.
Erica and Kimiko are the two most down-to-earth characters, and their intersection with the anime and game industry is interesting as well, and there are hints that the darker side of that industry will become important to the story. Ping's sections feel much like Chobits, down to the question of her being "anatomically correct," and their ponderings on the possibility of an AI having emotions that go beyond simple programming. Yuki's stuck in plot limbo for this whole volume, perhaps reflecting her author's running into a dead end and stalling for now.
At about 20 years of age, the art and story both feel quite old. The sketch-like black and white drawings have a warmth to them that is sometimes missing in the more colorful, glossy, social-media-friendly digital art of today. I'm not a particularly nostalgic person, but Megatokyo evokes its era of nerd culture well enough that I will happily continue to follow it. I'm still curious about how, or whether, it makes its way past the PS2 and Neverwinter Nights era or if it lurches along in its creator's fannish golden age for the rest of its run.
Largo is just the same oblivious over-the-top gamer dude as before, and I still can't bring myself to care all that much about his part of the story or any of the various secret organizations that mill around blowing s**t up in his orbit. Miho adds a little bit of human interest there, but that took up maybe two pages of the book. I'm interested in seeing more of what happened between her, Piro and Largo in their shared online past.
I enjoy reading about Piro's silly girl trouble, though his storyline's very obvious origins in Japanese girl game tropes makes me roll my eyes. This underemployed, broke, mopey scrub has three or four girls hankering for him. Riiiiight.
Erica and Kimiko are the two most down-to-earth characters, and their intersection with the anime and game industry is interesting as well, and there are hints that the darker side of that industry will become important to the story. Ping's sections feel much like Chobits, down to the question of her being "anatomically correct," and their ponderings on the possibility of an AI having emotions that go beyond simple programming. Yuki's stuck in plot limbo for this whole volume, perhaps reflecting her author's running into a dead end and stalling for now.
At about 20 years of age, the art and story both feel quite old. The sketch-like black and white drawings have a warmth to them that is sometimes missing in the more colorful, glossy, social-media-friendly digital art of today. I'm not a particularly nostalgic person, but Megatokyo evokes its era of nerd culture well enough that I will happily continue to follow it. I'm still curious about how, or whether, it makes its way past the PS2 and Neverwinter Nights era or if it lurches along in its creator's fannish golden age for the rest of its run.
May 31, 2022
There were some questionable and weird things happening in this volume that made me confused.
The giant drunk rampaging turtle was a stupid addition to the story in my opinion. The worst part about it was the explanation the author gave as to how he got in the city. Apparently, this huge turtle had been arrested and was let out on parole. Who would be stupid enough to allow a giant turtle to be released out into the city? Just . . . Why?
Next, Piro told Kimiko that the video game company was always ruining their games by changing the premise of the stories. Then he suddenly changed his tone when she clarified that the only reason they were changing everything was because they wanted to give her the part and they liked her different rendition of the character, so they had to change it to fit the new personality. This may be Piro simply being supportive, but if he really was such a big fan of the old concept, it seems strange that he would be completely okay with such a big change just because he knows the voice actress that was going to be playing the part.
Asmodeus was in this volume as well, but there weren't nearly enough scenes with him. I need more of Asmodeus and his evil schemes!!
The giant drunk rampaging turtle was a stupid addition to the story in my opinion. The worst part about it was the explanation the author gave as to how he got in the city. Apparently, this huge turtle had been arrested and was let out on parole. Who would be stupid enough to allow a giant turtle to be released out into the city? Just . . . Why?
Next, Piro told Kimiko that the video game company was always ruining their games by changing the premise of the stories. Then he suddenly changed his tone when she clarified that the only reason they were changing everything was because they wanted to give her the part and they liked her different rendition of the character, so they had to change it to fit the new personality. This may be Piro simply being supportive, but if he really was such a big fan of the old concept, it seems strange that he would be completely okay with such a big change just because he knows the voice actress that was going to be playing the part.
Asmodeus was in this volume as well, but there weren't nearly enough scenes with him. I need more of Asmodeus and his evil schemes!!
August 12, 2011
The third volume got a lot more interesting in terms of plot and actual emotion away from some of the earlier stereotypes that were hindering it. Piro is a lot more relatable in this. Note, I have an aversion to l33t, so this may be what causes my bias. There are far fewer Shirt Guy Dom strips in this one, and they actually aren't as bad this time. Also we are treated to some interesting side stories and concept art after the main chapters.
September 13, 2013
Megatokyo is by far my favorite webcomic. I cannot tell you how many times it has made me cry after spending about 5 minutes laughing my head off because it is that funny. Although you can read it on line for free, it is better to read it in book form if you can find it because it flows more easily that way. In my opinion this is probably the volume where the story starts getting really good, and the writer's art style has improved from the first book.
May 27, 2018
The memories that Largo, in particular, inspired soured my opinion of this volume, but that does not change my overall strongly-positive opinion of the Megatokyo series, so I am picking up Volume 4 very shortly, and overall this volume gets a "liked it" average-type rating.
He acted much like the people who almost entirely scared me away from the Japanese culture. ERGO since the artists have moved me in that way, I think that it is an incredible work.
The phenomenon of the female gamer arises here, as the cover may indicate. I have been one of these for a long time, although I have to take it very easy with looking at screens nowadays, so I don't end up in the hospital for as long next time. I do not remember there being any hate.
I liked seeing how the artwork has become more complex and the format of the comic less rigid as time progressed! It was a subarashii volume to be reviewing over the week that included my 29th birthday - it had been a splendid present to myself.
*素晴らしい (subarashii) 1. wonderful; splendid; magnificent according to https://jisho.org/search/subarashii
...which is linking to Brave New World - wow! Now I want to read Subarashii Shin Sekai even though I have an English copy of BNW in my room.
Related to this review, megatokyo.com is still updating to this very day! The comic there now says on the bottom 5.25.18 so it was at the start of this weekend but it WAS just this weekend.
He acted much like the people who almost entirely scared me away from the Japanese culture. ERGO since the artists have moved me in that way, I think that it is an incredible work.
The phenomenon of the female gamer arises here, as the cover may indicate. I have been one of these for a long time, although I have to take it very easy with looking at screens nowadays, so I don't end up in the hospital for as long next time. I do not remember there being any hate.
I liked seeing how the artwork has become more complex and the format of the comic less rigid as time progressed! It was a subarashii volume to be reviewing over the week that included my 29th birthday - it had been a splendid present to myself.
*素晴らしい (subarashii) 1. wonderful; splendid; magnificent according to https://jisho.org/search/subarashii
...which is linking to Brave New World - wow! Now I want to read Subarashii Shin Sekai even though I have an English copy of BNW in my room.
Related to this review, megatokyo.com is still updating to this very day! The comic there now says on the bottom 5.25.18 so it was at the start of this weekend but it WAS just this weekend.
November 19, 2018
I am actually a latecomer to the Megatokyo experience, and I don't follow the web comic but I have read all the available printed volumes that Gallagher, et. al. have published to date. Two American anime nerds travel to Tokyo and their wildest anime dreams come true. Miho is my dark favorite...she's ostensibly an antagonist but perhaps is more a noble adversary. Cute "gothic lolita" girl with a mysterious past. Meanwhile wholesome Kimiko is Piro the protagonist's Japanese love interest, while the aggressive, loud Erika winds up interested in Largo, Piro's loud, aggressive fellow American and best friend who has decided to become Great (English) Teacher Largo to support himself in Japan, while Piro works for an anime/manga shop. The two have wacky adventures and the series is a fun read with lovable characters.
January 8, 2022
First, there’s a helpful synopsis of everything, right in the front of the book.
Enjoy the breaks of surrealism in the story, with the mecha-prepared Tokyo Police, Cataclysm Division, scheduling destruction in Tokyo, Largo and Junpei, the zombie hordes, and so much more, not the least of which are Dom and Ed, and the dark power of the Sony secret operations…
As inexplicable as all that appears, I really like the building momentum of the emotion and relationship between Piro and Kimiko Nanasawa, the mystery of Mika and Ping, and the over-the-top video game danger facing Largo and that Cataclysm Division, where poor Boo tries to help. Lots of good extras, and sudden “out of character” moments.
Megatokyo is stronger for being a hand-drawn comic and showing rather than simply telling this story.
Enjoy the breaks of surrealism in the story, with the mecha-prepared Tokyo Police, Cataclysm Division, scheduling destruction in Tokyo, Largo and Junpei, the zombie hordes, and so much more, not the least of which are Dom and Ed, and the dark power of the Sony secret operations…
As inexplicable as all that appears, I really like the building momentum of the emotion and relationship between Piro and Kimiko Nanasawa, the mystery of Mika and Ping, and the over-the-top video game danger facing Largo and that Cataclysm Division, where poor Boo tries to help. Lots of good extras, and sudden “out of character” moments.
Megatokyo is stronger for being a hand-drawn comic and showing rather than simply telling this story.
October 8, 2022
Ed and the smily-face paper bag has always been one of the funniest moments in comic book history. I remember reading and rereading that page online so many times.
Fred continues to get better and better in his artwork. This book does have a lot of overlapping stories, often presented on single pages with stuff happening in one place and dialogue in the other. Sometimes this works very well, but sometimes I do think it distracts from one, or the other, and dilutes the goings-on. Is it a clever idea, but probably could have done with being used less often. I believe fred realised that as this is the book the technique is most prevalent in.
Fred continues to get better and better in his artwork. This book does have a lot of overlapping stories, often presented on single pages with stuff happening in one place and dialogue in the other. Sometimes this works very well, but sometimes I do think it distracts from one, or the other, and dilutes the goings-on. Is it a clever idea, but probably could have done with being used less often. I believe fred realised that as this is the book the technique is most prevalent in.
January 19, 2019
Definitely an improvement over the last book! More humor and a clearer storyline improved the flow and relatability of the story which resulted in a more enjoyable read. The only storyline that I'm confused about is Miho-san, not entirely sure how she knows, Largo and Piro, but I am hoping that it will be resolved in the next book. Surprisingly, even the extra material in the back was entertaining and less grueling to read. The series is headed in the right direction and I'm hoping it stays that way!
December 31, 2019
This is definitely where things start picking up, and I love the plot threads that are beginning. Like a few other people have said, you can definitely tell that this is where Rodney stepped away from the creative team; but, in my opinion, you can see the creative freedom that gave Fred from there. It's a good little volume, pushing where the characters are at, but I'm intrigued to see where things go with the characterization and the actual underlying plot; at the moment there doesn't seem to to be much of one.
April 2, 2023
Ok- while volume 1 and 2 have noticeable improvement throughout, volume three is where things really start to get good. Previously in the story, the characters (and their often separate stories) all seemed to get similar screen time. This was fun at best and frustrating at worst especially once investment in some of these characters grew. Volume 3 puts more emphasis on the core characters and the interesting themes surrounding them. I didn't speed through any of these chapters, trying to get to the story I was most interested in. I enjoyed these pages, noticeably more than previous MegaTokyo.
February 4, 2017
Came across this on my library shelf. I used to read this online, so I didn't mind that it was book three. This is a cute & funny gamer/manga comic. The art is pretty and the story interesting and complex. A little confusing at times. I like reading it as a book, I had read these online already. I checked and this comic is still on-going so maybe I'll look for book four, etc.
March 21, 2019
This graphic novel series continues to be enjoyable, while maintaining an air of mystery as to where it is going. You think it will be simple, but then you get robot girls having real feelings, and "magical" girls being introduced as side characters that may shed light on some main characters. It pulls you along, and you just want to know more about Erika and Nanasawa and Miho.
May 25, 2017
You can really tell when Caston stopped having influence on the script.
July 27, 2009
I own the first two volumes of MT, and I've read the webcomic from beginning to today. Reading it on dead tree definitely makes the plot and story more cohesive. I continue to notice little bits that I missed while reading it online. Another sweet find at the CADL. Wonder if I'll have to reserve the next volume, or if it's on the shelf...
April 7, 2008
Read it online at http://www.megatokyo.com/ and decided this was a comic/artist/mangaka I wanted to support, so I took to buying it in paperback. If you like the comic, I urge you to support the artist.
December 8, 2013
I gotta say, as much as I like the main story, I just love the comics at the end that took place in the game universe. Something about Pirogoeth lighting Largo's head on fire is just awesome. XD And the go-cart. Oh, the go-cart...
June 28, 2008
" " miho is an awsome character. very interesting, with much more interesting character background than the rest of the cast.
November 21, 2009
Please see my review of the first one, as I feel that, despite the amazing quality of this series, there isn't a whole lot one can say about each individual volume.
November 13, 2010
Much more charachter development in the is book it doesn't disappoint
March 25, 2011
awsome book
May 31, 2011
I've been reading Megatokyo for around ten years now and it still brings me joy. If you have a passing interest in manga, games, and light hearted romance plots this series is wonderful.
September 19, 2011
This series gives a look at the gaming/fanboy side of Japanese modern culture. Great art and storyline.
December 6, 2012
[Full Review to Follow]
Re-reading this book (and series) for review purposes.
Re-reading this book (and series) for review purposes.
January 23, 2015
Not as funny as the other two volumes.
March 23, 2018
Onward with my re-read through of Megatokyo! Week three brings us to volume three (because of course), and I’m starting to hit the point where I’m really remembering what I loved about this series. I was a bit worried in the past two volumes, so I’m thrilled to find myself immersed in the world again. Clearly this series does hold up; you just have to get through the intro first.
Megatokyo Volume three is actually chapter two…which is admittedly a bit confusing, but considering they’re adapting an online webcomic to print I’m sure some odd things are bound to happen. This volume contains the entire second chapter, as well as a bunch of bonus content in the end (art days, funny comics, short stories/comics, that sort of thing).
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Megatokyo Volume three is actually chapter two…which is admittedly a bit confusing, but considering they’re adapting an online webcomic to print I’m sure some odd things are bound to happen. This volume contains the entire second chapter, as well as a bunch of bonus content in the end (art days, funny comics, short stories/comics, that sort of thing).
For more reviews, check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews