Mail Order Ninja Volume 1 Story by Joshua Elder; Art by Erich Owen Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: 8-12 (Youth) Genre: Comedy, Action Price: $5.99 Rating: What is the story about? It is about Timmy ordering a ninja from a catalog named Jacques Co. Industries. What did you like about the story? I like the drawings. I also like the ninja. And I like the comic ad for Jacques Co. Industries. What did you dislike about the story? Nothing. Would you recommend the story to kids your age? Yes.
Summer is nearly gone, kids and college students are going back to school, and Manga Village has more great reviews for you! Btw, how do you like the full color version of the banner? Isn’t it great? Wouldn’t you like something just as great for your blog/website? Then go check out Kuriosity, Lissa Patillo’s blog and help you with her college costs! This week Charles Tan starts us out with his take on Gantz Volume 1 from Dark Horse. I’ve got the penultimate volume of The Cain Saga, with Godchild Volume 7 from Viz. John Thomas gives us a history lesson not just in manga, but in Japanese history and culture with Barefoot Gen Volume 1 from Last Gasp. Dan Polley gets his geek on with I, Otaku Volume 1 from Seven Seas Entertainment. Over in the columns, we have out weekly picks of new releases this week. It’s a small but good week, with the smaller pubs able to get into the spotlight for a few minutes. Over at Good Comics For Kids, I’ve also got my All Ages Comics List up, with some picks for boys. Also check out the article by Eva Volin, school librarian, and see…
Yen Plus Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Anthology Price: $8.99 I was excited to hear last year at the Yen Press inaugural panel as SDCC that they would be publishing an anthology. I really like by Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, as they give me an opportunity to sample lots of different manga at an affordable price. At that panel, Kurt Hassler promised the anthology would be ready by the next SDCC. And, low and behold, it was there, Friday, for free! Needless to say, as soon as we got back to the hotel, and for the rest of the weekend, I read it. First, a few general observations about the anthology. It’s big. If you combined one issue of Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat, you would get the approx. size. And it’s almost all manga. There aren’t a lot of filler articles (that I tend to ignore in the other anthologies anyway). There are ads, but they are well done, and put mostly on the OEL/Korean Manhwa side of the anthology. They are mostly for other Yen Press titles, with a few others thrown in (Dark Horse, Right Stuf etc.). This anthology also reads from both…
Even though it’s the dog days of August, you won’t find the Manga Village crew laying around like lazy bouts! The week starts off with the final volume of another Viz horror manga, Uzumaki Volume 3 by Charles Tan. I jump back a couple of volumes to review Godchild Volume 6, also from Viz. Dan Polley takes us over to Del Rey for Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution Volume 7. John Thomas finishes the week with another classic in the US, Black Magic from Dark Horse. I remember reading this when it first came out in the 80’s. How old does that make me? Then we’ve got our picks for the week, with an almost, but not quite unanamous vote for weekly pick. Over at Good Comics for Kids, I’ve got the newest All Ages Comics list. Keep the kids reading so they’re read for school!
This past year, anime companies have been claiming that fansubs are killing the anime industry as we know it in the US. The people involved with dubs are especially vocal about this, the producers, directors and actors, since it is their side of production that is most affected. Here’s a thought for these people; instead of crying doom and gloom for the anime industry, why don’t they try an area that fansubs CAN’T compete with them on? Audio Dramas based on manga.
Warriors: The Rise of Scourge Written by Erin Hunter and Dan Jolley Art by Bettina Kurkoski Publisher: Tokyopop (Harper Collins) Age Rating: Y (10+) Genre: Fantasy Price: $6.99 Rating: Storyline: Tiny, a small kit with a loving mother and two siblings that dislike him, at one point, visited the forest. He was attacked by the patrol from Thunderclan (Tigerstar attacked him) and Bluefur pulled them away. Tiny went to the city in fear of being thrown into a river. He then stuck a dog tooth into his coller, and told a lie, which made him change his name to Scourge. Review: I liked this side-issue. It completely changed how I thought about Scourge. Before, I thought of him as an ugly cat with hatred but from this manga, I learn that it was his bad past that shaped him and he’s actually kind of cute. Did I like it: 100% sure. I definitely like it, Scourge is cute, but his past shaped him into what he had become. He may be small, but he proved his littermates wrong. He killed Tigerstar nine times over and Tigerstar deserved it. Could there be anything changed: Nothing, not from my eyes. The manga…
You know, I am really getting tired of these parents “outraged” by things they find in their kids’ rooms and feel the need to blame someone else for it. The latest is, of course, the man in Oregon who found his 12 year old son had checked out some mature rated manga from a public library. My question about all this, as a parent myself, is this; why is he blaming the library and not his son? In the news report, he said he went to the library to find answers and demanded that the library “enforce” the adult section. Why didn’t he ask his son why he checked them out? Just like he said, it plainly says on the cover “Mature 18+“. Surely if the kid can read the manga, he can read the age rating. This kid knew full well what he was getting, and this father is just pathetic for taking out on the library. It is not the library’s job to police the books it checks out. The library did exactly what it was supposed to; it put mature rated books in the adult section. That the kid was smart enough to either ask or look…
The Mysterians Volume 1 Story by Jay Antani, Art by Matt Hentshel Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Sci-Fi Price: $9.99 Rating: My name is Vox. I am the last surviving member of an underground resistance. Our mission: Expose and destroy a vast and sinister plot to take over planet Earth. Aliens have infiltrated the Earth’s entire political, industrial, military and socio-industrial complex. They are determined to extinguish life on our planet. Since birth, the five of you were fated to receive this message. You are possessed of extraordinary abilities… Logan, you have superior strength and superhuman intuition. Leelee, no Olympian has ever had your level of agility. Jenna and Jamie, your parents knew of your telekinesis and ESP when you were still children. Tony, your intellect is off the charts. The entire world needs you. You must use your talents to join together and stop this invasion…And in doing so, the five of you will become…The Mysterians! Science Fiction doesn’t get nearly as much love in manga as it should, but this title seems to be trying to make up for lost time, and does a pretty good job of it! Even with the fairly generic plot of…
Dark Metro Volume 2 Story by Tony Calen; Art by Yoshiken Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Horror Price: $9.99 Rating: Terror awaits the people of Tokyo, with gruesome lessons only the dead can teach. In this second collection of shorts, a waitress at a maid café sparks jealousy. A mother who can’t handle the responsibility of raising her child commits a horrible crime. An ancient sword awakens a psychotic samurai. And finally, the solemn guide Seiya reveals his own tragic past and the nature of his gifts that are his curse. Things don’t get any better with this second volume of this series. Following the same unsuccessful pattern of the first volume, there is some slight improvement story-wise, but technical issues with the formatting wipe it out.
Zombie Powder Volume 1 By Tite Kubo Publisher: Viz Media Rating: T+ (Older Teen) RRP: $7.99 Rating: Somewhere in the desert are the 12 Rings of the Dead. Anyone who can find all 12 can have the mysterious Zombie Powder, a substance that can raise the dead or give eternal life. Those who seek the rings are called Powder Hunters. One of these hunters is named Gamma Akutabi, a man with a metal hand, a 6-foot chainsaw and a price on his head. He rolls into Blue Note seeking information on the rings when he runs into Elwood, a young down-on-his-luck pickpocket who is desperately trying to earn money to cure his sister’s heart condition. Together, they set out to find the mysterious Rings of the Dead that can either give new life to Elwood’s sister, or make Gamma absolutely invincible. This is the first manga series by the man that would later go on to give us Bleach, so you pretty much know what you’re in for. He’s very clear about it at the beginning of the manga when he says “Mainly it’s all battles. It’s completely OK to just read through it without thinking about anything.” That’s a…
It’s the end of the week (thank goodness) and time to round up the hard work our reviews did. BTW, like the graphic at the top? It was drawn by Lissa Patillo of Kuri-osity, a former reviewer for us, who was so kind as to not only do all the artwork for Manga Village, but has allowed us to keep using it. Thanks Lissa! This week starts off again with Charles Tan looking at a modern classic Rurouni Kenshin VizBIG Volume 2 from Viz. The first two arcs really were great. I check out a soon to be classic Sand Chronicles Volume 2 from Viz. It really is everything it’s hyped up to be. Dan Polley sits one out with The Wallflower Volume 16 from Del Rey. I really need to sit down and read this series. John Thomas comes and goes with Translucent Volume 2 from Dark Horse. I really wouldn’t put this at age 8+ either, it’s really meant for a teen audience 12 and up. We’ve also got our picks up for the week. Come see which title won the hearts of two of our reviewers! Over at Good Comics for Kids, I’ve got the newest All…
I just got this in my email today. I’ve been buying stuff from Deepdiscout.com ever since they were Deepdiscountdvd.com. But they’ve expanded, starting last year to include books, cds, games and even cell phones! But it’s mostly dvds I buy, with the occasional manga when the price is right. Starting today, until 8/17/08 (Sunday, 11:59PM CST), they are having a 5-for-4 sale on select (very select) Tokyopop titles. Deep Discount already slashes their prices by 20% (on average), but there selection can be hit and miss. This sale is no different. You can get volumes 1-3 of Cherry Juice, but only volumes 1 and 5 of Bizenghast. There are only 41 titles on the list, (including quite a few Fruits Basket) but a lot of volume 1s. So, if you want to check out a series or two, this is a good way to pick up some samples cheap.