#birdmen manga

[albino-parakeet]

I don't know what the bubble these three characters together fit in my head is called but they're there.

(The first picture is the same character, there was an art style change. The one of the left is from the first volume and the one on the right is from I think one of the last volumes. I just love both of them lol.)

[gooselycharm]

some birdkids

[wojtekaneko]

Day 1: Cuddle

I really love that one panel of US Seraphs cuddled together, so I wanted to draw something warm and cozy c:

[desfraisespartout]

Important message today

[jeepers-its-the-void]

[darkicedragon]

Disney princess Takayama, ahaha.

[quillmasblog]

What if I were to draw birdmen but ballerina/swan lake....

[birdmenfanmanga]

CHORUS: A BIRDMEN Fan Manga

Once a top-secret biological experiment of the scientific organization EDEN, genetically altered humans known as birdmen have finally broken free from EDEN's clutches, asserting the rights of their species on the global stage. With the powers of flight, form manipulation, and telepathy on their side, it shouldn't be that difficult to stand on even ground with humans... right? Seventeen years later after the revolution, where the canon BIRDMEN series left off, we revisit our beloved protagonists. Having united the birdmen under Takayama's guidance, Karasuma is now spending his days patching up his species' strained relationship with humans. Takayama, with his duties as prophet fulfilled, works full-time as a mechanic, rescuing the dead and dying as he used to in his youth. This time, however, he saves their souls, rather than their bodies. With a half-dozen dead birdmen in his head looking for closure, and a world spiraling ever closer to a violent backlash against his species, will Takayama ever find any peace of his own?

This is a story about grief, the fight for minority rights, and the importance of community in the face of despair.

Updates Tuesdays and Fridays at 5 AM EST.

▷ Start reading here! ◁

[arsquare]

redraw of this 2-page spread for @kitsoa in exchange for some voice lines!

[Commission Info | Ko-fi]

[albino-parakeet]

Eishi work doodle I colored

On the left a crow (that looks too small), obviously. And on the right a White Bellbird, which I find is a fitting bird for Eishi because of its loud signature call.

(Uncolored original version. I had to fix the hand rip)

(Warning it is loud and very shrill.)

Some extra Bellbird sketches for fun

[abitofwhite]

[wojtekaneko]

Bird Club

Just wanted to draw those dorks

[desfraisespartout]

✨Happy birdversary✨

Birdmen (Tanabe Yellow) was serialized from July 17th 2013 (to February 5th 2020) !

Wishing everyone a wonderful day!

[birdmenmanga]

@raventhekittycat

hi okay so I've been mulling this one over for the past day or two and I think I have the answer. not to be using hamburger to explain anything to an american but you're my detco mutual so I'm going to try and explain it in detco terms

There's a post going around recently about how if you've read detco and only detco, the first time hakuba shows up you're going to be totally flummoxed, because damn this guy is clearly important, he gets to be even cooler than Shinichi, he's got a half-page shot of him (in such a panel-dense series such as Detective Conan, no less!!) and he's got a fucking hawk. he's CLEARLY important. everything about the narrative is indicating that you need to PAY ATTENTION to hakuba and that he's the coolest guy and he's important!!!! and then he dies in the case lol (not for real. but still.)!! and you're like huh??? what was that. why did aoyama do that.

But with the context of magic kaito this totally makes sense. He's a beloved character that people have been waiting decades to see again. Of course Aoyama is going to hype him up!! It's his big moment after years of being locked in the backrooms!!!

Anyways reading birdmen for me was kind of like that. The author's previous series, Kekkaishi, was pretty one-dimensional at the beginning, and even after the main plot started picking up at around volume 6, it still felt quite understandable. I knew what she was trying to get at, and the spectacular job she did with the anthropocene and climate change metaphor towards the end of that series really made me interested in the rest of her works. That and the way she writes familial relationships is absolutely DEVASTATING. (I mean this with the highest of praise)

But when I read BIRDMEN for the first time, I was probably in... middle school, maybe? And I read it, sure, but I didn't get it. I could see what was literally happening on the page but the narrative choices were absolutely baffling at times. Why skip over the entire part of the plot where they figure out who the birdman that saved them was? She blatantly doesn't care about that. What does she care about then?? I knew I didn't get it, I knew there were parts of it that were important and I couldn't figure out why and THAT'S how it dug its pretty little claws into me. Even after I finished catching up it nagged at me a little bit, not often at all, but enough that every once in a while I go, huh, right, that was a thing, let me go read it again.

For the record this type of story haunting has happened to me twice. First time was the Heart of Thomas, second time was BIRDMEN. I think the thing is that these are both stories which are not what other people say they are and I think I came into both of these stories with a misconception, trying to look too hard for things that weren't important and therefore missing the things that were.

Because sure, BIRDMEN is about mental illness. Yeah, it's about an evil scientific organization growing mutants in a lab. Yeah, it's about what it means to leave your humanity behind. That's all technically correct, on a surface level, and the fandom at large likely agrees with these takes for the most part, but in my opinion none of that really delves into what the thematic messaging of the story is about.

There are cryptic conversations about authority and human extinction and peculiar outfit and ability choices. You can tell these choices weren't made to serve the purpose of "writing exciting shonen manga" because that was what she did for the most part in Kekkaishi and you can tell she wasn't putting her whole pussy into doing that here. So what was she doing? What's like. All of this. Waves my hands at this.

The short answer is that it's really about the interplay between capitalism (represented by humanity) and communism (represented by birdmen), and explores the role institutional white supremacy (EDEN) plays in enforcing capitalism. It is ALSO about queer liberation and the importance of community, but hey, that double-stacks conveniently with the communism metaphor.

But also take this opinion of mine with a grain of salt. As far as I know I'm the only one who really truly deeply believes that it is not only AN interpretation of the work, but one that was fully intended by the author.

So basically, I like it, because I think it says something true and beautiful that I also believe in, even if I didn't have the words for it the first time I read it. But I don't really think that's what people really look for in a media recommendation.

Do I like it? Yes, I love it. Will I recommend it to others? Yeah, sure. But do I think it's deeply flawed? Yeah, absolutely. It's flawed in the same ways as The Witch from Mercury— a rushed ending, too many threads that were opened and never tied together. The pacing and characterization is perfect in the beginning, and too rushed at the end. There are prerequisites you basically HAVE to read in order to understand the story (tempest for G-Witch and the communist manifesto for birdmen). I think a truly good story wouldn't have any of these things so if people don't like it I never blame them.

It's my personal experiences that make birdmen so profound to me. If you are not queer I just don't think Eishi coming out as a birdman to his mom will hit the same, just as an example. Sorry that I wasn't the kid you wanted me to be. I know you love me and you just want the best for me and that's why you're so controlling, because you think I can be saved by conforming to societal expectations. But I can't live like that. I can't be like that. And that's why I must go. etc.

Aesthetically I do love birdmen a lot. If I had to describe it in a few words it would probably be "chilling", "beautiful", and "powerful", which nicely coincides with the type of things I personally like to draw. It's also silly to a small degree but it's so serious and I know Tanabe can be way way way funnier (read kekkaishi for this. kekkaishi and hanazakari no kimitachi he were foundational to my sense of sequential art humor) so that's not really the standout trait of this series.

I can't let it go because I'm chewing this series like a bone. And it's taking me years but I am getting that sweet sweet marrow. By god. We are on year 3 of this shit and I am GOING to understand this series. and I'm going to make 3 video essays about it

[confused-beany]

2am brainrot ongoing and me thinks Fox and Professor Tatsume from Birdmen are/should be dating (or assume they are dating each other without having a conversation about it) based on,

1. they're kinda doing this co-parenting the Bird Club thing together

2. that One instance where Professor Tatsu listend to and saved Fox from Eishi's (rightful) wrath

3. I am ashamed to say that I need to read Birdmen again cause I don't remember everything but I think they spent significant amount of time together out of scene to compile their knowledge of the babies. Who knows what spending so much time with someone who's also invested in the same secret as you but knows different facets of it can do. Maybe they also had 2 am brainrots and kissed. Who knows. I sure as hell Don't but I Will wildly speculate

4. It'd be hilarious if Eishi had a gay crisis abou liking a guy that's so problematic and has trauma (maybe Takayama, maybe Rei vould be any of them really) and he was like who do I go for help maybe Marylin and she's like well Tatsu's dating Fox, who is problematic and also has trauma, so maybe go to him