It’s nice when publishers start to come back to life. Seven Seas seems to be doing so with their new titles as well as omnibuses of older ones, so readers can catch up. Kodansha continues with their Akira reprint, but I can’t wait for their new titles to start coming out this summer! And it’s time for Viz’s Shonen Sunday and some Signature imprints to round things out.
It’s Viz’s week for their Shonen Jump and Shojo Beat releases. There are a couple of new titles in the mix, including Oresama Teacher, which is by the same creator as the infamously bad Magic Touch. There’s also a new Pokemon series starting, featuring Platinum with help from Diamond and Pearl. DMP has a new novel for fujoshi, and Vertical has a certain cute kitten prowling around with a volume.
At the age of twenty-five, newlyweds Makoto and Yura experience intercourse for the first time. Now, with their first anniversary right around the corner, Makoto and Yura are just as determined to be sexually fulfilled as the day they said their vows! But fears Makoto might be cheating test Yura’s trust and inhibit her libido, while their niece Jun looks for love in all the wrong places. Follow the hot young couple as they step up into love and continue getting it on… and on… and on! By Katsu Aki Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: M (18+) Genre: Romance? Price: $19.99 This volume continues the one-shot chapter formula, with the bulk of the focus on Makoto and Yura learning the best ways to satisfy one another amid a variety of everyday situations (ski trips, separations due to work, various anniversaries, et cetera). Alternate perspective and advice is offered, however, in chapters about Makoto’s over-sexed 20-something sister and Yura’s confused and newly available teenage sister. There’s even some advice offered for singles, couples in sexless marriages, and others as well. It’s light on plot, but extremely thorough and very informative in a non-creepy way when it comes to the how-tos. A likable…
On Tuesday, May 18, DC Comics announced that CMX would cease publishing on July 1, 2010. CMX had a turbulent start, with the controversy of editing/censoring of Tenjho Tenge, but with the right staff behind it, it became a company that licensed and released solid titles that appealed to everyone. But DC has pulled the plug, citing the “challenges” in the marketplace right now. So now we must say good-bye, just as CMX was finding its legs and bringing out some really interesting titles. Katherine Farmar: Noooo! Swan! It isn’t finished yet! ARGH! …okay, I’ve calmed down now. This is sad but not exactly unexpected news. CMX was always a Cinderella for DC — the neglected, barely-promoted stepdaughter that the bigwigs didn’t seem to know existed most of the time. And that’s a terrible shame from my point of view, because CMX published some seriously good titles. I have a particular interest in the works of the Year 24 Group — the legendary, groundbreaking shoujo artists all born in 1948 who changed the face of manga in the 1970s — and CMX was one of the few publishers/imprints to give us English-language versions of their works. Swan and From Eroica…
Canary Darlberg is the princess of the Linaria kingdom, and she’s just received some life-altering news: She’s set to have an arranged marriage begin soon. Her father tells her that she is to marry Prince Heath of Gazania, but he is renowned to be, well, an idiot. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Asuka Izumi Publisher: CMX Age Rating:Everyone Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Comedy Price:$9.99 Canary does not think very highly of the prince, but her father insists. Fortunately, her father offers a deal: Meet him once and if she doesn’t like him, the marriage is off. But the prince, who has a pet lizard that talks, asks a favor of the lizard. He wants the lizard to take some magic medicine that would make him switch bodies with someone — the prince — and live out that person’s life. (But just for the day, the prince says.) The date went well for Canary and the lizard. But when he changes back to lizard form and Canary encounters the real Heath, Canary is less than enthused. Immediately she knows it is not the same person she met before, even if they both look like Prince Heath. But the two cannot remain separated for…
Thus far, Arai has successfully concealed her true identity from Kentarou, who doesn’t suspect in the least that his huffy housemate is actually his dearest childhood friend, Shi-chan. But Kentarou’s little sister sees right through Arai’s disguise when she makes a surprise visit. Now Arai is at the mercy of the little devil’s whims, lest anyone else find her out! But when Karen’s future at Wakaba-Soh is threatened, Arai may be forced to expose herself as Shi-chan to Kentarou. Can his feelings for Shi-chan ever apply to Arai? Or has Karen already claimed his heart? Find out in the final volume of Welcome to Wakaba-Soh! Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Chaco Abeno Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Romance/Comedy Price: $10.99 The second, and final, volume of Chaco Abeno’s Welcome to Wakaba-Soh is a light read of a romantic comedy, harem style. This last volume focuses on Arai who is trying to keep her secret from Kentarou that she is actually his beloved childhood friend. This slice of life manga’s protagonist Kentarou seems innocently clueless about the true identity of Arai. The lack of focus, or plot at all, makes it hard as a reader to know…
Syaoran, Fai, Kurogane, and Mokona are returning to the Kingdom of Clow–and toward an ultimate showdown with the ruthless Fei-Wang Reed. But entering a world that is cut off from time endangers the very existence of the once-happy villagers, as the final story arc of the Tsubasa epic begins! Review written by Dan Polley By CLAMP Publisher: Del Rey Manga Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Fantasy/Adventure Price: $10.99 The two Syaorans face off while the rest of Princess Sakura’s group until Sakura unexpectedly shows up in the middle of the fight. But one of the Syaorans cannot act how he wants to act. The dream world fight intensifies as both Syaorans vie for the princess’ feather. And then, the unthinkable happens. It’s hard to imagine the outcome of the battle hinging on such a move, yet that is exactly what happens. In flashback form, Fei explains part of his mission and how Princess Sakura and one of the Sayorans factor into the plan. All of this planning and scheming for power that “goes beyond space and time.” In the aftermath of the fight in the dream world, Sakura and Syaoran begin to understand how the events that have unfolded have brought…
The Rain Goddess Sora is back and she has help in Gimmy and his friends in trying to get her tree spirit back. The group travels to an annual festival, where they think they will be able to meet the amefurashi of the land. Hopefully that god will be able to assist them in their quest to get Sora’s tree spirit back. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Atsushi Suzumi Publisher: Del Rey Rating: 13+ Genre: Action/Adventure Price: $10.99 Unfortunately, things to go as expected for Gimmy, Sora and their group. (Do they ever?) Not only is the amefurashi quick to dismiss the validity of Sora’s claims, but she’s inclined to leap to judgments before learning the truth. Eventually, though, the group learns of a ship that crosses the desert. By crossing the desert, they could make their way to a capital where they have greater hopes of obtaining more information on the one who stole Sora’s tree. The trip through the desert and the fallout from it consume most of the volume. And it brings about in infusion in the plot, which gets an assist with a new character, although it’s somewhat predictable how that character is connected to…
A police detective goes undercover in this series, but he becomes a fifth-grade teacher, replacing the role left when the previous fifth-grade teacher was murdered. Now he is set to investigate what happened. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Tamio Baba Publisher: CMX Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Drama/Suspense Price: $9.99 However, the plot is pretty fun and interesting. Toyama comes into the classroom and finds fifth-graders with some interesting quirks. But one in particular is Makoto, who is shunned by his classmates and left alone in social circles. He’s a target for the other kids’ mockery, and he takes it and doesn’t engage back with any of the other students. Toyama ponders whether the bullying of Makoto could have a connection to the murder case, and he begins to investigate. When he begins to investigate, he finds out that the young boy Makoto has previously said he could see visions of monsters. Eventually, Toyama comes to understand Makoto a little bit better, and the two of them form an alliance of sorts to help sort out the mysteries of the murdered teacher. Despite that set-up, there are quite some hiccups. For one, Toyama, the detective, is quite the chatterbox when…
The giant robot has already been built and now awaits the Great Awakening… With the Friend’s identity still a mystery, the countdown to the apocalypse continues, day by day, minute by minute–for on December 31, 2000, humanity will meet its final hour. Hoping to get as many people who knew about their group’s emblem involved in their clandestine efforts, Kenji’s crew reaches out to their childhood antagonists: the twins Mabo and Yanbo. Back when they were kids, Yanbo and Mabo terrorized Kenji and company to no end. As adults, and with a crisis looming, will the evilest brothers in history now fight on the side of good? Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Naoki Urasawa Publsiher: Viz Media – Viz Signature Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Mystery ISBN: 9781421523408 Price: $12.99 20th Century Boys has been an engrossing read from the very beginning, as Naoki Urasawa is great at feeding readers just enough information to keep them guessing. However, in the more recent volumes things seemed to be unraveling too fast. Volume 5 fixes this problem, as Urasawa throws a wrench into his story that changes its entire scope. As the fateful 31st of December rapidly approaches, Kenji is gathering…