Hated by humans and demons alike, Cat Eyed Boy dwells in the shadows of the human world. Cat Eyed Boy continues his battle with the Band of One Hundred Monsters, a group seeking revenge upon the corrupt humans who have made them outcasts. By: Kazuo Umezu Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen+ (16+) Genre: Horror Price: $24.99 Take Twilight Zone like stories about the human condition and combine them with a Tales From the Crypt horror factor and Crypt Keeper narrator, and you have Cat Eyed Boy in a nutshell. Even though Cat Eyed Boy is often a character in the stories, his outsider point of view allows him the luxury of commenting on the action as well as participating. I was skeptical of Cat Eyed Boy when I received it. I’m not a big horror fan, leaning more towards the supernatural (except in very rare cases, such as Hellsing). But, I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading that the horror element wasn’t repulsively horrific. Like most Japanese horror, the monsters were creepy and scary, but there wasn’t a lot of hack ‘n slash. I found reading it was easy for my weak-stomach to take. The only truly disturbing…
On Valentine’s Day, it’s no surprise that playboy Atsu gets plenty of chocolate from fawning girls. But everyone’s shocked when a heart-shaped box is found on Macharu’s desk-especially since it’s not from Haruna! Does Macharu have a secret admirer? By: Shouko Akira Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Romance Price: $8.99 It’s another collection of trial and error episodes for Haruna and Macharu. First, it’s Valentine’s Day, and a heart-shaped box of chocolate appears in Macharu’s desk. Does Haruna have some competition? Then it’s the end of the school year and the class of 1-2 want’s to have a party on the same day as Haruna’s birthday. School starts back up, and a girl Haruna knew from her old school has transferred in and can’t believe Haruna is going out with Macharu, which leads to a basketball competition between Macharu and Atsu. Finally, Haruna is asked to run for Student Body President. Will she? After 2 volumes, jaded Haruna and baby-monkey Macharu are still together. However, through these chapters we see Haruna is a little less jaded, and Macharu has grown some thanks to their relationship. There is still plenty of push and pull though. Even though Haruna…
A Samurai during Japan’s Warring States period (1467-1573), Daigo Kagemitsu wants complete control over Japan. He promises his unborn son’s 48 body parts to demons in exchange for that control. When the baby is born deformed, Daigo throws the newborn into the river to die, but it is miraculaously found by a doctor, Jukai, who makes prosthetics for the child and adopts him as his own. When the boy Hyakkimaru is grown, he leaves home and begins a journey to recover his body parts. Along the way he runs into a brash young thief, Dororo, whom he teams up with; together they battle demon and monster on their adventure to reclaim Hyakkimaru’s wholeness. By Osamu Tezuka Publisher: Vertical Inc. Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action/Adventure Price: $13.95 Dororo, first serialized in 1967, can be seen as a proto-shonen story. It has many of the elements we now see in shonen titles today, though these were new at the time. Tezuka spins a memorable supernatural action/adventure tale and characters that really draw you in, and only disappoints at the very end, though not in story, but lack of it. The first volume of this title is the introduction. Tezuka jumps from past…
Ian is transported to another world by the fairy Ainsel, who promises to help him stop Tokage upon their return to the human plane. By Kaori Yuki Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat Genre: Fantasy/Horror Drama Rating: T+ Price: $8.99 Dropping Celtic mythology into modern-day Japan, Fairy Cube is a departure from the usually moody and dark tales. There’s no brooding from the lead, or long, strung out plots. The story is fast paced, but still moves smoothly as it establishes both its characters and direction of the story. Ian Hasumi has always been able to see fairies. But because he has been the only one, no has ever believed him, except for childhood friend Rin. Ian has another secret. Another Ian, that haunts him, that he calls “Tokage”. He torments Ian, turning his father against him, and leading him into trouble. Tokage is a changeling, and manipulates Ian’s father to kill Ian so he can take over his body and life. Ian, relegated to spirit form, is determined to get revenge on Tokage and reclaim his body and life. When I first read the preview for this title, I thought it was going to be another dark story, with…
Michio Yuki has it all: looks, intelligence, a pedigree as the scion of a famous kabuki family, a promising career at a major bank, legions of female admirers. But underneath the sheen of perfection lurks a secret with the power to shake the world to its foundations. By Osamu Tezuka Published: Vertical, Inc. Genre: Political Thriller Rating: 16+ Price: $24.95 ISBN: 1-932234-83-7 I wasn’t sure what to make of MW (pronounced Moo) when I received it. I’d never read any Tezuka before and my only real exposure to his work was the TV series Kimba, so I really didn’t know what to expect. But I really wasn’t expecting what I got! The stark reality of kidnapping, murder, and man love in just the first few chapters was a shock. But after a steady diet of shonen and shojo manga, a strong dose of realism can be a shock, but in a good way. One the surface, MW is a political crime thriller. Sixteen years ago, a poisonous gas was accidentally released on the small island of Okinawa Mafune, killing all the residents, but unknowingly, two people survived; Michio Yuki and Iwano Garai. The whole incident was covered up by the…