In the sixth volume of Black God, the Shishigami family faces some critical decisions. Kuro, the sweet and innocent — vacuous, some could say — sister of Reishin, who is being groomed as the successor to the family leadership position. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley Written by Dall-Young Lim; Art by Sung-Woo Park Publisher: Yen Press Genre: Fantasy Rating: Older Teen Price: $10.99 Reishin falls into the young upstart whose views differ from those of the leadership council. Kuro reacts, too, to the wishes of the council and is chided for her intrusiveness. Later, after she and Reishin take a trip and talk, their mother experiences a prophetic dream, and afterward, her actions are a bit incongruous to her words. Kuro later takes a trip to a nearby city to play, but during the course of her excursion, she takes a slight detour. Unfortunately she ends up in the haven of a killer. And she watches as the killer threatens other young women who have fallen into his trap. It’s hard to believe she would be able to defend herself against a psychopath like Hiyou, and her escape is achieved through other means. After that ordeal is sorted through, the…
Not knowing it’s the solution to her curse, Yako thinks that Rasetsu’s quest for a boyfriend seems frivolous. Nothing’s trivial about Rasetsu’s next exorcism, however, especially when she’s suddenly overpowered by the emotions of the spirit! By Chika Shiomi Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Supernatural Romance Price: $8.99 This volume has more ghostly exorcisms that serve to bring Yako and Rasetsu together, despite themselves. Kuryu’s introduction and first day at the agency is shown, and another glimpse of Yako’s guardian spirit makes an appearance, this time for Rasetsu. The romance between Rasetsu and Yako takes a few more small steps forward in this volume. An exorcism that hits Rasetsu too close to home leaves her vulnerable, but Yako says just the right words to bring her back. The attraction between them seems to be growing, despite the verbal barbs they still toss at each other. These feelings become more evident when the whole agency goes to an amusement park for another exorcism, though it seems to be more about play than work. I really prefer this kind of romance, with the couple getting to know each other and their feelings developing through their experiences together,…
Before a certain orange jump suited ninja came onto the scene people were reading about a very different ninja in the pages of Shonen Sunday. I remember many years back one of my coworkers mentioning that Flame of Recca was his favorite anime but that is sort of just ends in the middle of a storyline after being canceled. He lamented the fact that from what he knew the manga had a proper ending but he knew of no plans to pick up the license in the US. Then about a year later came the Tokyopop revolution and the manga boom. Many titles that have been on wish lists for licensing for the longest time became realities and Flame of Recca was one of those titles. So I decided to read what had been recommended to me so long ago. Originally reviewed by Alain Mendez By Nobuyuki Anzai Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Action Price: $9.99 Recca Hanabishi is the son of a fireworks manufacturer who is a self-styled ninja that he mentions quite often in the least ninja way possible. He has made it known that anyone who defeats him in a fight will gain his services…
Cai-Shen tags along with Yun-Shi to his next job and secretly helps him out since he does not realize how hopeless he is at exorcising demons. However, the exorcism is a trap set up by an old enemy of Cai-Sheng. Just as Cai-Sheng appears to be in trouble, Zi-Qiu the deity-in-training, comes to her rescue. Afterwards, she assures Yun-Shi that it is he who had scared the demons away. On the other hand, Zi-Qiu does not think much of Yun-Shi, and they engage in a heated fight! By Yi Huan Publisher: DrMaster Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 Even though two hundred years have passed, and Cai-Shen’s powers have grown, in many ways, she has not. In this second volume, we see just how immature Cai-Shen can be, and the consequences her childish behavior bring now just for herself, but for those around her. Two hundred years isn’t enough time for a deity to grow up, and we see this in many of Cai-Shen’s actions throughout this volume. Yun-Shi is sent by his Shifu to find an ingredient to the elixir of immortality, Yun-Shi decides that immortality is not for humans and throws it away, but Cai-Shen, who wants…
Sawako Kuronuma is the perfect heroine…for a horror movie. With striking similarities to a haunting movie character–jet-black hair, sinister smile and silent demeanor–she’s mistakenly called Sadako by those around her. But behind her scary facade is a very misunderstood teenager. Too shy to fit in, all she wants to do is make some friends. But when the most popular boy in class befriends her, she’s sure to make more than just that–she’s about to make some enemies too! By Karuho Shiina Publisher: Viz Media Genre: Romance Age Rating: Teen Price: $8.99 I liked the first chapter preview of this title in Shojo Beat, and was glad that it lasted for the whole volume. Sawako is a victim of misunderstandings, which, thanks to Kazehaya, an outgoing and popular boy in her high school class, she starts trying to rectify. Her tentative reaching out to fellow classmates meets with some success, not everyone likes the attention she keeps getting from Kazehaya. The plot of this title seems cliché. The misunderstood shy girl who makes friends with the popular boy, and suddenly she’s popular too. But that’s not the draw of this title. It’s all about the characters. Sawako doesn’t try to be…
Weight loss is the American ideal. It stands as one of the few things that all Americans look up to, and has the same “American-ness” to it like apple pie and baseball. People are always trying to lose weight in America, because many people in America are obese or health-crazed. Weight loss tends to be an almost magical thing, and people will try all sorts of absurd things to remove pounds. They eat nothing but protein, drink soymilk and vegetable juice three times a day, and exercise insane amounts just to fit into that smaller dress size or waist measurement. By Toshio Okada Publisher: Veritcal Inc. Genre: Memoir/Health ISBN: 9781934287422 Price: $14.95 So, here it is – I received Sayonara, Mr. Fatty! at a pretty critical time. My doctor had just informed me that I needed to lose weight to keep my blood pressure down and to make sure that my organs continued to function well. He had warned me about the long-term consequences of being overweight, including heart disease and diabetes. I was at 215 lbs, and I knew that I could lose weight, but I didn’t know how. I’m not super athletic, and I don’t care for stupid…
Asuka takes Ryo to an amusement park where he plans to confess his feelings to her. Too bad all the rides Ryo wants to go on frighten Asuka! Can he overcome his fear for the sake of love?
Towering above the sleepy village of Tepes are ancient ruins once erected by the Nobility. One day, four of the town’s children wander into the ruins and vanish without a trace, only to mysteriously reappear a few weeks later. But only three return, bearing no memory of what had happened to them. Adapted by Saiko Takaki; Story by Hideyuki Kikuchi Publisher: Digital Manga Publishers Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Horror ISBN: 9781569707876 Price: $12.95 Ten years later, a new breed of vampire emerges; one which can seemingly hunt during the daytime. Losing the safety daylight offers, panic and mass hysteria begins to grip the townspeople–inciting riots and lynch-mobs. Amidst the turmoil, the enigmatic vampire slayer known only as “D” is called in to investigate. Can he solve the mystery of the walking dead’s newfound powers and unravel the truth behind the missing children’s connection to the secret of the ruins? After all the action in the first volume for this series, volume 2 pulls back a little, letting D flex his brain more than his brawn. There’s a lot more talk than taking of heads, mostly about the nature of the Nobility. Those who like more variety in their manga will…
Karin continues to come to terms with her feelings for Kenta, but her flirting will have to be put on hold for now. Karin’s grandmother is in town, and that’s enough to put her entire family into a panic. Elda Marker is no silver-haired, cookie-backing matriarch. She’s a hot and heavy vampire vixen with a taste for blood, but a distaste for everything else having to do with the human race. So how can Karin possibly tell her about her new human almost-sorta-not-quite boyfriend? It’s going to be one freaky family reunion! By Yuna Kagesaki Publisher: Tokyopop Rating: Older Teen Genre: Comedy/Horror Price: $9.99 After 4 volumes of almost all comedy, Chibi Vampire is starting to get some real drama going. The awakening of Elda Marker works as an introduction into the more vampiric side of this series. Up until now, it has mainly been about Karin living the human world. With this volume, we start to see more of the issues vampires have to deal with. Elda’s awakening of course brings lots of troubles for Karin. Elda has a taste for young blood, and hates humans in general. So no one wants to tell her about Karin’s “condition”. And…
Yamaoka and his father Kaibara Yuzan, have never enjoyed an ideal father-son relationship. In fact, it’s about as far from ideal as possible, and when they start arguing about food–which they inevitably do–the sparks really fly. In this volume of Oishinbo, the subject of dispute is fish, starting with the question of whether mackerel can ever be truly good sashimi. Later, things come to a head during the “Salmon Match” which pits father against son in an epic contest to develop the best dish before a panel of judges. Will Yamaoka finally defeat Kaibara? Or will he once again be left in his father’s shadow? Written by Tetsu Kariya; Illustrated by Akira Hanasaki Publisher: Viz Media – Viz Signature Age Rating: Teen Genre: Food Price: $12.99 The overall premise of Oishinbo is that Yamaoka and his partner Kurita are compiling the “Ultimate Menu” of Japanese cuisine for the 100th anniversary of the publishers of Tozai News. Each volume of Viz’s compilation of this long running series is centered around a type of food. This volume is all about fish. The stories are episodic, and can be broken down into two types; Yamaoka helping someone out or putting someone in their…