Darren and Mr. Crepsley embark on a dangerous trek to the very heart of the vampire world. Will a meeting with the Vampire Princes restore Darren’s human side or turn him further toward the darkness? Only one thing is certain — Darren’s initiation into the vampire clan is deadlier than he ever could have imagined! Written by Darren Shan; Illustrated by Takahiro Arai Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action/Horror Price: $10.99 Cirque Du Freak is based on a series of young adult novels of the same title. It’s a vampire story, but with a difference, it’s geared more for boys than girls. So there’s more action and adventure, and next to no romance and angst. This volume gets into the background of the Vampire race; their history, politics, and the Vampaneze problem. This volume doesn’t waste much time in getting to the action. It’s been six years since the last volume, and Darren and Mr. Crepsley, his mentor, are on a perilous journey to Vampire Mountain, the home of the Vampires, where the leaders, the Vampire Princes meet once every 12 years. The trek is difficult, and must be done with no tools, simple clothes and not even…
On a city night lit up by beautiful fireworks, office worker Megumi strolls the streets of Seoul without a care in the world…until she senses a stranger following her every footstep! When a greedy old woman named Gyouanja suddenly appears and tells Megumi to seek out a mysterious dancer at a pavilion, she heeds the crone’s words and finds herself in the midst of a ghastly showdown between light and darkness, shadow and substance. Does Megumi play a key part in this freakish and fantastic pageant…or is she simply losing her grasp on reality? Written by Hideyuki Kikuchi; Illustrated by Shin Yong-Gwan Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Horror Price: $9.95 I’m not normally a fan of horror manga. I get squeamish seeing gore and internal organs spilling everywhere. But, I will make some exceptions. The work of Hideyuki Kikuchi is one such exception. I’ve been enjoying the Vampire Hunter D manga (for the most part), and this new title, Taimashin: The Red Spider Exorcist, seems to be heading in the same direction. This first volume centers on ordinary office worker Megumi, who is being pursued through the streets of Seoul. She seems to have stumbled into the…
Legend speaks of seven heroes, each one bearing the bower of one of the stars of the Big Dipper. Two of these stars are constantly in conflict, destined to battle and throw the world into chaos… Not that Taitou has ever paid much attention to old stories. Headstrong and defiant, he is the last in his village to complete his coming-of-age ceremony– a fact his sister Laila incessantly teases him about. When he is presented with the Kenka Ranbu, an ancient sword that can only be drawn by a true hero. As the frustrated Taitou struggles to unsheath the sword, a mysterious thief appears, making off with the blade and citing the legend of the Big Dipper. The starts have been set in motion, as Taitou sets off after the Kenka Tanbu and the truth of his own destiny… By Hiromu Arakawa; Story by Huang Jin Zhou Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Historical Fantasy Price: $10.99 Hero Tales is a title I’ve been looking forward to. The artist, Hiromu Arakawa, also does one of my favorite titles ever, Fullmetal Alchemist. So I had high hopes for this title. While I really like the premise and historical setting…
With Ryo’s birthday around the corner, Asuka’s all aflutter making preparations for the festivities. Even the best-laid plans tend to go awry, however…especially when Ryo already has plans with another man!
College student Ayame’s boyfriend is the handsome police detective Koichi. After what seemed like a destined meeting, Ayame and Koichi are a couple who want nothing but a lovey-dovey relationship with plenty of hot sex to spice it up. However, having a police detective for a boyfriend naturally implies that constant troubles won’t be far behind. Between battling injustices in society and indulging in sexual passions in bed, there is never a dull moment in their relationship. Though wanting some peaceful time together is understandable, can you really complain when you have to settle for hot and spicy sex? By Takane Yonetai Publisher: Aurora (LuvLuv) Age Rating: 18+ Genre: Romance Price: $10.95 Make Love and Peace reminds me very much of Cotton Candy. It’s light and fluffy, and fun while it lasts, but I wouldn’t want to eat it all the time. The plot of this series is pretty light. It’s a slice of life that shows the ups and downs of the relationship between a college freshman and a cop with lots of sex scenes thrown in for no real apparent reason other than to titillate. The actual plot and execution isn’t bad. College freshman Ayame is dating police…
I bet no one would believe this story if I told them. A ninja fell from the sky in a sudden downpour of rain and saved me, a girl who wanted to die to spite her arrogant father. Pretty much anyone would say I’m crazy, huh? By Shoko Conami Publisher: Tokyopop Genre: shoujo/action/fantasy/romance Age rating: T/Teen/13+ Price: $9.99 In the grand internet battle between ninjas and pirates, I’ve always favoured ninjas. But although I prefer Naruto to One Piece, I don’t always find the frantic action and profound angst of the world’s most popular ninja manga to be suited to my mood. Sometimes I want something a bit less high-powered, a bit less epic, a bit softer, a bit more… well… girly. Still with the shurikens and ass-kicking, of course, but played in a different key. Enter Shinobi Life, in which teenage romance and ninja action intersect to delightful effect. Kagetora is a ninja charged with protecting the princess Beni; while escorting her from a battle, he falls through a vortex in time and finds himself in the 21st century. By chance or by fate, he happens to have fallen on the roof of a building where a girl who…
This is a collection of five romantic, hot and sexy stories about modern women and the men they love. All of the stories depict romantic and physical relationships with nothing held back. The title story is about a relationship between young teacher Mika Tsukahara and Naokazu Kuga, an 18-year-old student at her school. Some say forbidden fruit is the sweetest! They’re neighbors too, and can’t control their attraction to each other. Love thy neighbor! From Luv Luv with love! By Kanae Hazuki Publisher: Aurora (LuvLuv) Age Rating: 18+ Genre: Romance Price: $10.95 Voices of Love is a collection of 5 different stories with very different leads but all with a happy ending for the women. Even though these are ladies comics, not all of the stories are told from their perspective, adding to the variety. The first story is also the title story, “Voices of Love”. It’s about a young teacher and her next-door neighbor/student. They seem complete opposites, as she the responsible type, and he is more reckless, especially with is relationships. They have tentative relationship that is cemented when she is assaulted by a fellow teacher. The story was told well enough, but I don’t care for the…
Ann’s junior high school reunion is coming up, and she hasn’t seen Daigo in two years. How will their reunion go? Then finally the story behind Ann’s engagement. Who is her fiance…? By Hinako Ashihara Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Romance/Drama Price: $9.99 This volume picks up where the series left off in Shojo Beat. It covers just two time periods in Ann’s life; at age 20, and 26. At her junior high school reunion, she and Daigo have a heart to heart that leaves her as cold as the winter weather. And then when she is proposed to, she finds out she more like her mother than she ever thought. At age 20, Ann and Daigo meet at their junior high school reunion. Ann is nervous about seeing Daigo again, but he doesn’t seem any different. They meet after the reunion, and Ann confesses she wrong to break up with him, but Daigo thinks it was right. Even though it probably wasn’t what he meant, but Daigo’s words live Ann cold and more alone than before. She makes a promise to herself that sets her on a dark path, though that isn’t apparent yet. The next…
When Crocodile’s evildoing is exposed, the rebellion that will destroy Alabasta just might be averted… But the Baroque Works will do everything in their power to make sure that doesn’t happen – even if they have to kill Princess Vivi! The Straw Hats are in for the fight of their lives to keep this evil Croc from getting way! By Eiichiro Oda Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action Price: $7.95 With their individual battles against the top of Baroque Works, the Straw Hats converge on the palace square to help Vivi stop the rebellion. It becomes a race to stop an explosion somewhere in the square that will kill everyone, rebel and palace guard alike. And Luffy still has some business with Crocodile, who seems to have a second agenda in Alabasta. One of the things that’s so great about One Piece is the action. Whether it’s one-on-one fights or big battles, Oda knows how to keep the plot moving and keep it interesting without letting the story get tedious. Even as the fighting continues both in the square, and in the palace, little bits of Crocodile’s plan continue to come out, keeping the reader interested. The reward…
Being haunted by spirits seems to run in the family 0 this time, it’s Rasetsu’s mother who need help! Can Rasetsu dispel the spirits successfully with her own personal family issues weighing her down? By Chika Shiomi Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Supernatural/Romance Price: $9.99 While we do get a glimpse into Rasetsu’s personal life and past, the focus of this volume is really on the invisible love triangle of Rasetsu, Kuryu and Yako. Even with the new twists introduced, it still hasn’t become a traditional shojo triangle, and that’s refreshing. There is also a side story that tells how Aoi came to work with the Chief. Yurara, the prequel to this series, set up an unusual love triangle, and Rasetsu seems to be following in its steps. The love triangle between Rasetsu, Kuryu and Yako is obvious to the reader, but not to the characters. Yako, who was slow in realizing his feelings for Guardian Spirit Yurara, hasn’t caught on to being part of the triangle here. It’s nice to see that he hasn’t changed much over the intervening years, and is still clueless about relationships. This fact makes Kuryu feel better since he thinks it…