The apocalypse is nigh, the end of the world is near, the impossible has happened. My local Barnes and Noble actually had a decently stocked manga section! (Cue dramatic chords). This weekend I decided to go out and see if I could find a physical copy of King of Cards Volume 2. I’m not getting this one again sight unseen. My youngest was going to a birthday party, so I thought after dropping her off, we could drive down to the nearest Borders, which is about 20 minutes away. A check of their stock online said they might have it in stock. I had already written off Barnes and Noble. The one by us always has really lousy selection and the shelves are badly maintained. But, on a whim, I checked out the B&N website, and they said our local one might have it as well. Well, B&N was on the way home, and a whole lot closer than Borders, so I decided to take the chance. (And, I had a gift card for B&N, just in case.) So, we stopped and went to the back of the store, and to my utter surprise, the shelves were full! OMG! (as…
Manami doesn’t know a thing about “Chaos”, a popular trading card game at school. Wanting to learn more about the game, she purchases a beginner’s set that contains “Sahgan the Sorcerer”, rarest of all Chaos cards. Now, not only does every fanatical Chaos player around challenge her, but she also starts having visions of Sahgan himself! King of Cards Volume 1 By Makoto Tateno Publisher: CMX Genre: Fantasy/Romance Age Rating: Teen Price: $9.99/OOP Rating: There are a lot of manga titles about games available, but this series differentiates itself from the rest by relying more on its characters than on the mechanics of the game. Manami just wanted to learn to play “Chaos,” so she could play with her cousin Tamotsu. But things become more complicated when her beginner’s set come with the rarest card in the game, Sahgan the Sorcerer. And as you might expect from a game series, she is then beset with challenges from players that all want to win Sahgan from her. And like all those other manga, she wins all the challenges. But what makes this series different is that Manami stays true to why she started playing Chaos; to have fun. Being a beginner…
Another week, and another round of reviews. What have we got? John Thomas teaches us Death Note: How to Read Vol 13 from Viz. Then Lissa Pattillo satisfys that BL desire by casting a Crimson Spell Vol 1 from Kitty Media. I blast off for one last trip to Andromeda Stories Vol 3, for the end of this sci-fi classic from Vertical, Inc. Dan Polly also takes a trip, this time to Miki Falls: Winter Vol 4 for the conclusion of the teen romance from Harper Collins Publishers. Charles Tan gets a part time job with Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Vol 1 from Dark Horse. Then, we make our weekly picks from this week’s manga. It’s a smaller list, but the distribution between publishers is more even. There are still some good books coming out, including two novels translated by our reviewer John Thomas! So come get your read on with us!
Zombie Loan Volume 1 By Peach Pit Publisher: Yen Press Genre: Supernatural/Action Rating: Older Teen Price: $10.99 Rating: Michiru Kita’s a weak-spirited girl who has a hard time saying what’s on her mind. One day, she notices mysterious, ring-like markings around the necks of two of her classmates, Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana-two boys who miraculously survived a horrible accident six months ago. Michiru, possessing the rare ability to see these rings, knows that they warn of impending death. Thinking that, perhaps, she can do something to save her classmates’ lives, she approaches them…but it seems the boys have already make a different kind of deal and garnered themselves a heavy debt. Shinigami eyes, black rings that appear around necks that foretell of impending death, zombies that eat human flesh, two hot guys, one with a sword and the other with a gun, that hunt the zombies and release their souls. Sounds like an exciting story, right? Too bad this volume didn’t play out that way.
This week at Manga Village, we’ve got another batch of reviews for you. John Thomas is getting small with is review of Minima Volume 1 from Del Rey. Things aren’t looking so divine to Dan Polley with his review of My Heavenly Hockey Club Volume 3 also from Del Rey. Charles Tan, on the other hand, kicks it with Eyeshield 21 Volume 2 from Viz. I’d like to flip mine off though, with Volume 1 of Switch from Viz. Don’t “hulk out” until you read the review of it though. We’ve also got our picks from the new releases this month. There’s shojo, shonen, a touch of seinen with a sprinkle of old school, and a side order of BL, so come check them out!
When Soah’s impoverished, desperate village decides to sacrifice her to the Water God Habaek to end a long drought, they believe that drowning one beautiful girl will save their entire community and bring much-needed rain. Not only is Soah surprised to be rescued by the Water God-instead of killed-she never imagined she’d be a welcomed guest in Habaek’s magical kingdom, where an exciting new life awaits her! Most surprising, however, is the Water God himself…and how very different he is from the monster Soah imagined. Bride of the Water God Volume 1 By Mi-Kyung Yun Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Genre: Fantasy/Romance Rating:Teen Price: $9.99 Rating: It’s a journey through Wonderland, Korean style, as we follow Soah’s adventures in the land of the gods. Will she find happiness with her new husband, the Water God Habaek, or does a worse fate await her? As serious as all that sounds, Bride of the Water God is a good mix of comedy and drama. Although the romance hasn’t really started yet, you can see it in filtering through slowly. Habaek and Soah are essentially strangers that have been put together in this “arranged” marriage. There are plenty of missteps and misunderstandings, some humorous,…
Phantom Volume 1 By Ki-Hoon Lee/Seung-Yup Cho Publisher: Tokyopop Rating: 13+ Genre: Action/Mecha RRP: $9.99 Rating: Reviewed by Brian Henderson K is a mech pilot for the Neo Seoul Police, chasing down terrorists in his TC (Tactical Costume) in the near future. This is after the deadly “Meteo Rain” that showered the Earth, toppling governments and bringing about the rise of the mega-corporations that now rule the planet. K has never really given much thought to his job but when an arrest goes horribly wrong, he’s trapped in a world that wants him dead and forced to side with the terrorists against the megacorps at the helm of a new type of TC, controlled by the AI Cerebus which identifies K as it’s sole pilot.
This week we’re cooking up the sweets at Manga Village! Dan Polley is serving up some shojo with Kitchen Princess Vol. 5 from Del Rey Manga. Charles Tan is ready with a cure if you eat too much with Death Note Vol. 2 from Viz. Or you can hit the streets to work off some of that good eating with John Thomas and his review of Tekkon Kinkrete from Viz. Pass the time running with some Andromeda Stories Vol 2 from Vertical by me. Then, check out our latest picks from the manga coming out this week. As usual, we have an all-you-can-eat buffet of picks to satisfy your manga hunger.
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…
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!