SHORT-WORKS~ HP by はっとりみつる

SHORT-WORKS~ HP by はっとりみつる is one of those purchases of mine that straddles the grey line between dōjin proper and commercial work - while its imprint seems to be a mere vanity label, this single volume collection is published by a well established author (mostly known in the West for the mediocre Sankarea and the much more enjoyable Umisho), with production values that rival that of the published tankōbon of his main series. The volume features most of Hattori's one-shot works, along with some pin ups for magazines, and a couple of logos / chara designs for brands.

The main featured one-shot, which is also the longest and split in four blocks across the volume, is the hilariously titled 'Kishizuki-san is a Graceful but Bitchy Girl', which is exactly what the title promises: pretty much rom-com fanservice featuring Kishizuki-san herself, who is in fact the school's idol, and graceful and bitchy in equal measure. The story is pretty much non-existent, but graphically it's on par with Hattori's main series - and full color, which always helps.

The other one-shots are mostly b&w, and generally fall within the standards of comedy, with a dash of yuri here and there. The highlights are definitely 'Dear Miyuki-chan', a bizarre almost-mystery with a hilariously comedical twist ending; and 'Existence Check', which is Hattori's first published one-shot ever and, graphically, far from the author's current style but still not too bad at all.

Rounding out the collection is a gallery of illustrations for various clients, from pinups for manga magazines to a mascot designed for NHK Japan, to a way-too-cute 'manatee burger' chara created to promote Mie's food industry...  I have to say it's quite nice and refreshing to see an author who's not afraid to show commercial work for hire and humble beginnings along with more recent work - as I mentioned in previous posts, the tendency is to swiftly sweep under the rug all traces of non-professional, non-manga work as soon as an author reaches some kind of notoriety. A shame, really.

Overall, a pretty good collection, which made me appreciate more a mangaka who, to be honest, hadn't impressed me much before.