We’ve got another week of “something for everyone” at Manga Village! For the Manly Man, Dan Polley shoots out a review of Golgo 13 Vol 12 from Viz. For some sweet shojo goodness, Lissa Pattillo goes to the Yume Kira Dream Shoppe from Viz. Charles Tan continues the horror with Uzumaki Vol 2 from Viz while John Thomas takes a flight on All Nippon Airline: Paradise at 30,000 Feet for some Yaoi comedy from Digital Manga Publishing. I’ve got some good anti-hero action in Togari Vol 5 from Viz. 4 out of 5 reviewer prefer Viz Media this week. Over in the columns, we give our Picks for the week, and then Charles Tan explains Why he Loves Sports Manga. Come check out these and our other columns and reviews. Everyone’s welcome at Manga Village.
Dragon Drive Vol 3 by Keiichi Sakura Published by Viz Media Genre: Fantasy, Gaming Rating: All Ages Grade: B Storyline After a battle against Rokkaku, he joins Reiji and friends to compete in the Dragonic Heaven. As time goes on, Reiji meets two small children, Lyn and Sue, abusing a small water dragon, along with Chibi. Reiji battles their dragons and defeats them. Time goes on, his team meets the same two children, engulfed in darkness. After Reiji recovers from anger, He tries to save the children AND go to the next round. Review A new character! Okay but seriously, a new “fun” character to the series! In Volume 3 of Dragon Drive, we see Reiji and a powerhouse of Chibi, fueled with anger. There’re some mysterious people creating a dark aura. The tournament looks like quite a challenge. And the rest will be revealed. What I liked about it Angered Chibi looked really awesome. Huge teeth stuck out of his mouth and there was some pretty huge muscles. I also liked the suspense the manga held. I think it was pretty cool. What I didn’t like Berserker Reiji and Chibi kind of freak me out, even if they look…
There’s some good variety this week, ranging from old school favorites with Archie and Disney to new with Cartoon Network Block Party & Franklin Richards, the Marvel version of Calvin.
Oh! Pay me! (If you get that….) It that time of the month again. Yes, that’s right. It’s time to do my Previews order. It wasn’t so bad this time. Only eleven titles on my first count, and two weren’t too hard to drop. I had considered getting the title Kannazuki no Miko. It’s only two volumes longs, but it’s an “only if I’ve got nothing else to get”, and I’ve got more to get . The other was Good Witch of the West. That was a little harder to give up. The story was finally getting good. We’re out of the courts and into the wilds, facing the “dragons” (dinosaurs), and finally searching for the meaning behind the Star Queen. But the other titles that are scheduled to come out are more interesting to me. That takes me down to 9 titles, and a total of $60.72, right at the top of my limit. There are some new titles coming out in April that I’d like to read. Two are from Viz; Fairy Cube by Kaori Yuki. I’ve become a big fan of her work. And Record of a Fallen Vampire. I don’t know much about this series, but…
Hell Girl by Miyuki Eto; Original Story by The Jigoku Shoujo Project Publisher: Del Rey Manga Genre: Horror/Shoujo Rating: OT 16+ (Teen 13+) Price: $10.95 Rating: I don’t get it. Someone really needs to explain this to me. What was so bad about Hell Girl Volume 1 from Del Rey? I just finished reading it, and can’t see any of the problems so many other reviewers seemed to have with it. I’ve seen the anime this manga is based on, and, on the whole, the first volume follows the first 4-5 episodes in it. There are some minor changes, such as Enma Ai is seen as a student at the schools the girls go to, instead of always waiting in her home with her “Grandmother” for a request to come through the computer. And in the anime, those that ask for Ai’s help get a straw doll with a red string around it’s neck. If they decide to make the contract with Ai, all they have to do is pull the string. Ai also gives those looking to make the contract a taste of what they will be getting after they die and go to hell. Other than those small…
You never know when or where he’s going to strike next…
Not to be left out, my husband Brian is contributing reviews of the manga he reads as well. The infection is spreading… Junk: Record of the Last Hero Volume 1 By Kia Asamiya Publisher: DrMaster Publications Rating: 15+ RRP: $9.95 Rating: Reviewed by Brian Henderson Hiro is a troubled high school student who has refused to go to school ever since he had a terribly traumatic fight with the school bullies. One day, he happens across a website looking for a monitor for a revolutionary new product called only “JUNK”. Once he receives his “JUNK” though, his life will never be the same. JUNK turns out to be a super-powered suit of armor that allows Hiro to do things beyond his wildest dreams. Just one problem, his dreams turn out to be anything but heroic, in fact his dreams are very selfish and self-serving, causing problems not only for the people in the city where he lives, but for those closest to him. Add to that the mysterious appearance of another JUNK suit who isn’t too happy with his he’s chosen to live his new life… My biggest problem with most superhero comics these days is I find them ridiculously…
Horror, fantasy, ninjas, cars and some BL are all waiting for you at the Manga Village! This week, Charles Tan gives his take on Uzumaki Vol 1 from Viz. Dan Polley, another new addition (Yay!) brings the tale of ninjas in love with Tail of the Moon Vol 8 from Viz. Lissa Pattillo has some sweet boy lovin’ with You and Harujion from June/DMP. Finally, it’s me with some magical land romping in Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden vol 6 from Viz. Over in our columns, John Thomas throws his hat into the debate and asks “What is Manga?” Check it out, and then tell us what you think in the comments section. We love to get comments. Then we give our Weekly Picks in Pick ‘n’ Mix, and a little news in our new News column. Thanks for dropping by and enjoy your stay!
There’s a lot of comics for teens and adults, and there’s a lot of manga for teens and adults. But what about the kids to ‘tweens? There’s not a lot, but they are out there. Starting this week, I’m going to be listing these books, and spotlighting the ones I recommend. ARCHIE COMICS Archie #582, $2.25 Archie Double Digest #186, $3.69 Veronica #187, $2.25 BONGO Simpsons Comics #139, $2.99 DC COMICS/CMX Cartoon Network Action Pack #22, $2.25 MAD Kids #10, $4.99 MAD Magazine #487, $4.99 Palette Of 12 Secret Colors Vol 02, $9.99 **Spotlight** Scooby Doo #129, $2.25 IMAGE COMICS Lions Tigers & Bears TP Vol 02, $14.99 **Spotlight** JACK LAKE PRODUCTIONS INC Classic Illus Jr #505 Sleeping Beauty, $5.99 Classic Illus Jr #506 Three Little Pigs, $5.99 Classic Illus Jr #507 Jack & The Beanstalk, $5.99 Classic Illus Jr #510 Little Red Riding Hood, $5.99 Classics Illustrated Frankenstein, $9.99 Classics Illustrated Gullivers Travels, $9.99 Classics Illustrated Huckleberry Finn, $9.99 Classics Illustrated Tale Of Two Cities, $9.99 MARVEL COMICS Marvel Adventures Avengers #21, $2.99 Marvel Adventures Two-In-One #8, $4.99 PAPERCUTZ Classics Illustrated HC Vol 01 Great Expectations, $9.95 Hardy Boys GN Vol 12 Dude Ranch O Death, $7.95 Hardy Boys…
The current issue of Otaku USA, as well as featuring stories about the anime Space Battleship Yamato and Star Blazers, also had an insert on the Star Blazers webcomic, Star Blazers: Rebirth. This is a web comic written by THE authority on Star Blazers, Tim Eldred. It is a continuation of the Star Blazers saga, taking place after the Final Yamato movie, and features a new generation of characters. But, did you know there were other comics based on the Star Blazers series? StarBlazers.com, the place for all things Star Blazers, has a section on the history of Space Battleship Yamato and Star Blazers in comics. Being a Leiji Matsumoto fan, I found the entries on the manga version of Yamato very interesting, since all that I’ve ever seen of them are the covers. (I had a chance waaaayyyyyy back in the eighties to buy them from the LA store Books Nippon. I really wish I had…) The article goes into some detail about the history of the comic, even showing covers of the magazines they were serialized in. It also includes a really cool bonus: a translation of a rarely seen side story, Eternal Story of Jura. Yamato/Star Blazers…
Dragon Drive Volume 2 by Keiichi Sakura Published by Viz Media Genre: Fantasy, Gaming Rating: All Ages Grade B Storyline Reiji, recalling the events from last battle, wants to train so he does so in a secret training room that Agent L, the female associate that watches the battles and presents who is in the game, shows him. He trains there, determined not to give up. Soon he starts using class time for naps, and also starts avoiding Yuniko. Yuniko is starting to get worried when she sees Agent L and Reiji walking together down the halls. She gets jealous and follows with Hagiwara being dragged away by her. When they enter, a crazy dragon appears and attacks them. Reiji simply defeats the dragon, leaving his friends in amazement. Later, they’re having Summer Vacation when a mysterious girl comes and takes them from Dragon Drive to some place mysterious. Review Reiji and Chibi train and sync together so much, Reiji is able to control Chibi’s power. Then comes a surprise which twists the story up. It keeps the reader going, giving them motivation to read more. It’s happening to me right now. My brain is telling me “Read more Dragon…
I’m not much of a shojo/romance kind of gal. My first forays into manga was through the Shonen Jump action titles. When my Animerica subscription got converted (after two issues) to Shojo Beat, I was sure there wasn’t going to be anything in there for me. Almost 2 years later, I’ve changed my tune, but that’s because shojo isn’t afraid to have romantic leads with bite! (And I don’t mean vampires…) In honor of Valentine’s Day, here are some shojo manga where the leads are anything but romantic!