Manga Xanadu

When Aoi Narinomiya, the last daughter of a prestigious family, discovers that her grandfather has gone missing, leaving her to carry an astronomical debt, both she and her dog, Sakura, are inches away from finding themselves on the street. When her enigmatic classmate Kei Katsuragi shows up on her doorstep to repossess everything her family owned, Aoi makes a desperate plea for Kei to take in her beloved Sakura–maybe she could at least be spared…? It seems through, that Kei is far less interested in owning a dog than he is in calling a pedigreed kitty his own, and Aoi soon finds herself playing the part of the young man’s prized pet! Disturbingly, it turns out to be a comfortable and reassuring life that Aoi feels she has too quickly settled into, but could Kei have ulterior motives that go beyond just “owning” her?

At Tenbin Elementary, there is only one way to settle a dispute–in a court of law! All quarrels bypass the teachers and are settled by some of the best lawyers in the country…who also happen to be elementary school students. The accused this time is a boy named Tento. His crime? The murder of a beloved member of the classroom! Luckily for him, the state has sent him a defense attorney–Abaku Inugami. But is this wild young lawyer skilled enough to ronpa his client off the hook?

I was never really interested in court room dramas until my daughter got me interested in Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney. Gakkyu Hotei can be best be described as a  younger reader version of Phoenix Wright, with the cases all occurring in school, and Inugami being the defense attorney who never loses. I read a few chapters in Weekly Shonen Jump and liked it so much I pre-ordered the first volume. Obata’s art and Enoki’s school appropriate cases make for an entertaining combination.

To the eyes of high school student Chiyo Sakura, classmate Umetarou Nozaki–brawny of build and brusque of tongue–is a dreamboat! When Chiyo finally works up the courage to tell Nozaki how she feels about him, she knows rejection is on the table…but getting recruited as a manga-ka’s assistant?! Never in a million years! But for someone who makes a living drawing sweet girly romances, Nozaki-kun is a little slow on the uptake when it comes to matters of the heart in reality. And so Chiyo’s daily life of manga making and heartache begins!

Bell Cranel is just trying to find his way in the world. Of course, in his case, the “world” is an enormous dungeon filled with monsters, below a city run by gods and goddesses who have way too much time on their hands. He’s got big dreams but not much more when a roll on the random encounter table brings him face-to-face with the girl of his dreams-but what does a beginning adventurer have to offer a brilliant swordswoman? And what if the lonely goddess who sponsors his solo adventuring gets jealous…?!

What should have been a simple day out with friends turns into a mysterious disaster when powerful demonic beasts appear. Kazuya and Atsuro were supposed to meet Naoya, their enigmatic friend, but he doesn’t show up and instead sends another friend, Yuzu to meet them and give them specially modded game devices. It becomes apparent that Naoya has given them much more than they bargained for when demons spawn from these devices! These demons seem to be intent on killing humans, but could they actually be allies?! Kazuya and his friends must figure out what the devil is going on as the world around them inexplicably begins to fall apart!

At school, Kyouko Hori is known for being smart, attractive, and popular. On the other hand, her classmate, the boring, gloomy Izumi Miyamura, tends to get painted as a “loser fanboy.” But when a liberally pieced and tattooed (not to mention downright gorgeous) Miyamura appears unexpectedly on the doorstep of the secretly plain-Jane homebody Hori, these two similarly dissimilar teenagers discover that there are multiple sides to every story…and person!

It has been announced that the manga, Knights of Sidonia,  will be coming to an end in the November issues of Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine due out in September.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house and one seems to have already taken over her role! Demon Prince of Momochi House Volume 1 By Aya Shouoto Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Supernatural/Romance Price: $9.99 I was really looking forward to reading the first volume of Demon Prince of Momochi House, and was lucky enough to get a friend to pick it up for me as SDCC (along with one of Viz’s con bags). I read it the same night it arrived, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I was let down by the stale characters and a story that didn’t seem to go anywhere.

An imperial capital in an era of splendor and romanticism… Orphaned in an earthquake, Sorath is taken in by Baron Kamichika, the lord of “Blood Blossom Manor.” There, he pledges eternal friendship with Garan, the Baron’s heir, and Kiyora, Garan’s fiancée. But their friendship turns grisly by events none of them could foresee. The tender feelings each secretly harbors, the machinations of Baron Kamichika and his strange and seductive female companion, and a fateful encounter with a young girl with bizarre powers…all draw them to the Walpurgis Night and the nightmare’s climax! Demon From Afar Volume 1 By Kaori Yuki Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Supernatural/Horror Price: $18.00 Rating: In general, I’ve enjoyed more of Kaori Yuki’s works than not. Her blend of bishonen characters with elements of horror and a touch of humor usually appeal to me. In Demon From Afar, all of the elements are there, they’re just not striking the right chord for me. Sorath, the protagonist, is a boy with no memory of his past and is saved by Garan, the heir to Baron Kamichika, after a terrible earthquake strikes the capital. There really isn’t anything remarkable about Sorath. He is devoted to Garan,…

Makoto Amano wants to be come an actor instead of taking over the family dojo. His stern father decrees he can only do so if he spends the last two years of high school disguised as a girl and no one finds out. Ito Miura is a popular girl in her school’s drama department, but is always being given boy’s roles due to her tomboyish ways. The two become friends after Ito discovers Makoto’s secret, but as they constantly protect Makoto’s secret, they start to become something more. W Juliet Volume 1-5 By Emura Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 print/$6.99 digital Rating: When I was tracking the new releases on Vizmanga.com, the release of W Juliet in digital caught my eye. I remember seeing the series in my local comic book store back in the day, but I never got around to picking it up. With it out in digital, and my daughter taking drama in school, I decided to try it out. It wasn’t a bad series, but neither did it ring any bells. The two leads, Makoto and Ito are likable enough. Makoto is very earnest in his desire to be an actor and takes playing…

Yul continues his machinations against Shin, determined to get both Chae-Kyung and the title Crown Prince. His mother only cares about him becoming prince, and even sets him up in an engagement with the daughter of a powerful business man who is possibly more horrible that her. Shin and Chae-Kyung’s relationship continues down a rocky road as they alternate between loving and alienating each other, and causing the royal family public humiliation. Add to that the King who won’t show his feeling for his own son and royal baby on the way that could just complicate things further, and  you have just another day at the Royal Palace. Goong: The Royal Palace Volume 9-10 By SoHee Park Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $18.99 Rating: The drama continues to crank up, as if that’s possible, in these two volumes. The soapiness just froths over like a wrongly loaded washing machine from a sitcom. The power plays and political intrigues start coming to the forefront, while Shin and Chae-Kyung’s relationship hit more bumps than smooth patches. While I still find Goong a compelling read, it isn’t as satisfying as it once was. The main problem I have had with…