It’s time for another update from the Village Centre and see what’s up at Manga Village. Our reviews start off with Dan Polley cleaning up his act with The Reformed from Del Rey. John Thomas checks out a one shot from the creator of Blade of the Immortal with Ohikkoshi from Dark Horse. Charles Tan is running back to sports with Eyeshield 21 Volume 3 from Viz. And, I get a late night snack from Viz’s Yumekui Kenbun: Nightmare Inspector Volume 2. Then John has a comics craving to fill and brings us a review of the graphic novel Mouse Guard: Fall 1152. Over in our columns, we give our picks for the week from the new releases. And just because you can’t get enough of John, check out the interview he did for the podcast Anime Today #69, and find out what makes our John tick! Are you tired of waiting for me to post this? What to get your Manga Village fix as soon as it happens? The check out our new RSS feeds! You can get one for the Latest Reviews and Latest Columns. Get your news the way it was meant to be; fresh! And don’t…
Kat & Mouse Volume 1: Teacher Torture Story by Alex de Campi / Art by Federica Manfredi Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: 8+ (Tween) Genre: Mystery Price: $5.99 Rating: What is the story about? Kat moves in to a new city and a new school. She meets someone named Mouse and makes friends with her. What did you like about the story? I liked Kat and Mouse’s style. I liked the story. It was ineresting. There was a weird mystery going on. I thought the experiment would be fun to do. What did you dislike about the story? There was nothing I disliked about the story. Would you recommend the story to kids your age? Yes.
Everyone’s back for this week’s reviews and picks! Charles Tan start off, and he has seen the light and is Reborn! Volume 3 from Viz. Dan Polley gets down with a little Yozukura Quartet Volume 2 from Del Rey. I got a Love*Com Volume 6 from Viz, while John loses it with MPD-Psycho Volume 5 from Dark Horse. We’ve got our picks for the week, and I’ve written an article on the Tokyopop situation (I know, not another one). But I did this more in a Mythbusting vein than just trying to rehash old news. And don’t forget to check out the Good Comics for Kids Blog and my new releases list for all ages comics this week.
Pick of the Litter Volume 2 By Yuriko SudaPublisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Teen Genre: Comedy/Fantasy Price: $9.99 Rating: Satsuki pays an unexpected visit to Riku at his School. His mission: deliver a family picture to Riku and investigate what rival store Echigoya is doing in Japan. Meanwhile, for Riku’s birthday, Ichiya shows Riku his old room before he disappeared. But is it really his room? And if not, what is Ichiya trying to hide? A trip down memory lane promises to bring Riku closer to the truth about his mysterious family! The questions about Riku’s past become the driving theme of this volume. What did happen to him 5 years ago, and why doesn’t anyone want to talk about it? The return of a sixth brother who drops mysterious hints about what happened spurs Riku’s need to know.
It’s a goth week at Manga Village this week, where dark side is reigning supreme (mostly). Let’s get the little ray of sunshine out of the way, with Suzuka Volume 8 from Del Rey Manga by Dan Polley. Then John Thomas starts us done the dark path with Blood+ Volume 2 from Dark Horse. I finish up the gothic horror/suspense series with the last volume of Godchild Volume 8 from Viz. Then Charles Tan takes us on a final tour of the Museum of Terror Volume 3 from Dark Horse. Over on our columns, we have our picks for the week to lighten your wallet in Manga Village Picks ‘n Mix. And don’t forget to check out Good Comics for Kids, where I have the weekly comics list and picks for all ages, and Katherine Dacey of Pop Culture Shock has a review of the Dark Horse series Dayan.
Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation Volume 2 By Yoshiyuki Nishi Publisher: Viz Media Genre: Supernatural/Action Rating: Teen Price: $7.99 Rating: Muhyo and Roji head to the Magic Law Association for Roji’s promotion exam, where a series of bizarre incidents turn out to be the handiwork of Muhyo’s old nemesis, Enchu! New characters and information about Muhyo’s past and his connection to Enchu are revealed in this volume, setting the conflict for the first major arc of this series.
In 1985, there came Vampire Hunter D, an orginal video animation, adapted from a novel by Hideyuki Kikuchi, about a world overrun by vampires and the vampire hunters who sought to bring them under control. It became a classic, not just because it is one of the best animated vampire movies around, but because of the compelling story, interesting visual style and wonderful characters. Now, Saiko Takaki is bringing Hideyuki Kikuchi’s novels to the printed page. To date, there have been 17 novels featuring D and the world of the far, dark future and hopefully, all of them will be manga-ized. Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D Manga Volume 1 Adapted & Illustrated by Saiko Takaki Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Age Rating: Young Adult 16+ Genre: Horror Price: $12.95 Rating: In the far future of 12,090 A.D., mankind has ruined the planet. Through nuclear attacks and pollution, mutants have arisen, including the return of supernatural creatures like vampires and werewolves. It is the vampires, incredibly, that actually save mankind and return order to the world where they reign as nobles for more than 5000 years. However, the nobles have largely become corrupt and decadent over the years, living in luxury and…
This week manga celebrates six months of manga news, views and reviews! I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed! I hope everyone has found our reviews useful and enjoyable to read. It’s a smaller celebration this week. We start this week with John Thomas’s review of Haridama: Magic Cram School from Del Rey. Rather appropriate as it’s the end of the school year, and lots of students are probably cramming. Charles Tan then gives us a look at Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volume 6 from Dark Horse. Then I let the dogs out with Inubaka Volume 8 from Viz. They were barking up a storm anyway. Over in the columns, we’ve got our weekly picks. It’s shojo week with all the Viz titles as well as a few sprinkled around the other publishers. Come check out if we recommend any.
Well, it’s been a tough week at the Manga Village, but still, we persevere! First, Memorial Day greeted us with the site being hacked, but it’s all patched up now, with practically no damage. But then, yours truly went and caught a nasty flu bug. Trust me, don’t want this! So, things are a little late, but still up before the end of the week! The week starts out with Enchanter Volume 1 from Digital Manga Publishing? Was I spellbound by it? Check out the review to find out! Revisit the Museum of Terror Volume 2 from Dark Horse with Charles Tan. Dan Polley’s on vacation this week, and John Thomas had a bout with real life, but they’ll both be back next week. There’s also our weekly picks. It’s an eclectic selection as always. Over at Good Comics for Kids, I’ve got the newest All Ages Comics list up. Sabrina Fritz has a review of many of the All Ages comics that were available on Free Comic Book Day. Come check out what she found, and the other reviews that are up!
Pick of the Litter Volume 1 (Buy Now) By Yuriko Suda Published by: Tokyopop Age Rating: Teen Genre: Comedy RRP:$9.99 Rating: Riku joins his whacky long-lost family in the mythical land of Yamato and finds he’s got a few new siblings! On cat, two rabbits… Sounds more like a zoo than a home! He may be new in town, but Riku’s pledged to lead the family business of Hiyokoya to the top—and no sneaky competitors, smart-mouthed cats, or mysterious magic stones are about to stop him! Well…not really. Riku only said he’d work part-time.
There’s been some freaky weather here in Southern California this week, but nothing can stop the Manga Village crew from their appointed round of reviews! Charles Tan starts us off by teaching us Death Note: How to Read Volume 13 from Viz. Dan Polley’s gonna Gacha Gacha Next Revolution Volume 6 from Del Rey. I fly in with Fairy Cube Volume 1 from Viz. John Thomas searches the rainbow for the Color of Rage from Dark Horse. We make our weekly picks, of course, from a list that isn’t so wallet-busting, but still has some must haves. Check it out for some Memorial Day reading. (Day off! Whoo Hoo!!!) And for the kids, check out the All Ages Comics list at the Good Comics for Kids blog, as well as the reviews and links posted by my fellow bloggers.
It’s time for another round of mini reviews. It’s the teen edition of Shonen Jump. Next time I’ll give some reviews of some Tokyopop titles.