Yotsuba is back, and this time from Yen Press. The quirky, inquisitive little girl is still romping around with her favorite pals: her dad, Ena, Fuuka, Asagi and Jumbo. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Kiyohiko Azuma Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: All ages Genre: Comedy Price: $10.99 The mischievous antics start when Yotsuba and her dad move in next to the Ayase family, which includes Ena, Fuuka and Asagi, three girls. Of course, Yotsuba wanders off and Fuuka talks to her dad and agrees to find him. Yotsuba, who thinks Fuuka is a stranger and should not be trusted, runs away, and the pair almost get hit as Jumbo pulls up to the house. And that’s just the first chapter. Another one of Yotsuba’s curiosities is her ability to not fully understand what the adults or older kids tell her. This is exactly what “Global Warming” is about when she hears “glowball warming.” Yotsuba proceeds to deem anyone with an air conditioner on as an enemy of the earth. The young girl is full of good intentions, and that’s what leads to her getting into trouble most of the time. This is best seen in “Helping Out” in the…
While Yohei is trapped, Shotaro and Tool battle the Fear Robot. And NoFix is unable to finish off Shotaro and Tool, who happen upon a lucky break — and decisive action. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Atsushi Ohkubo Publisher: Yen Press Rating: Older Teen Genre: Action, Comedy Price: $10.99 And after the battle, the two seem to think that the best action is to infiltrate the Fear Factory headquarters to help Yohei. But surprises await them, perhaps the biggest just as they are about to enter: Mana comes flying out of the sewer tunnel. After a few cheap laughs at her expense, the three head back in to the Fear Factory lair. Of course, the first thing they do when they get in is yell for Yohei, which certainly doesn’t help their cause but does provide some entertainment. Despite Tool’s best efforts, the natural curiosity from Mana and Shotaro bring about some more comedic situations — and, of course, a fight. Meanwhile, Yohei is being held captive and he starts to dream about his past and about NoFix. All the while, Shotaro, Tool and Mana are encoutering trouble in the headquarters. Eventually, they make it to Yohei, who finally…
Many people wonder about the motivation behind a mountaineer’s desire to risk their life in order to scale a dangerous peak, and George Mallory (1886-1924) has been attributed to have given the most famous (and also simplest) reason why. When asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, the world’s tallest mountain, legend has it that he simply said: “Because it’s there.” While the authenticity of this quote has come into question in recent years, there is no denying the profound, yet puzzling nature of those three words. Perhaps only the bravest of mountaineers will be able to fully comprehend them. If Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine had survived their ill-fated 1924 Mount Everest expedition, further light could have possibly been shed upon the subject. Review written by Matthew Rozier Writer: Yumemakura Baku; Artist: Jiro Taniguchi Age Rating: Not rated, Older Teen (16+) rating Genre: Drama, Adventure Price: $25.00 Jiro Taniguchi’s five-volume manga adaptation of Baku Yumemakura’s original novel of the same name attempts to solve the mystery behind what makes a mountaineer tick. The novel was written between 1994 and 1997, and the story itself takes place in 1993, both before Mallory’s body was found sans his Kodak…
This review was originally posted by former reviewer Alain Mendez who writes as part of the Reverse Theives blog as Hisui. You can follow him on Twitter as well. First a little history lesson before I begin my review proper. The title more commonly known as Aria started as Aqua in Monthly Stencil. When the title was moved to Comic Blade the title was changed to Aria but the story of Aria picks up seamlessly from where it ended in Aqua. When the anime was made this series it kept the title of Aria all the way through. You can think of Aria as the sequel to Aqua but it’s really more of one continuous story. By: Kozue Amano Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Slice of Life Price: $9.99 There are some titles that just have this hardcore fan following you can never understand until you have experienced the work itself. Sometimes you totally understand what everyone is talking about and other times even then the appeal is lost on those who cannot connect to the vibe the series puts out. Kozue Amano’s Aria is just one of series. I have always known people who will go on…
Miel is a bit out of sorts with the rest of her family. Unlike them, she isn’t really interested in developing her magical powers, which are quite common in Savarin, the kingdom she lives in. As a member of the Violette family, which had been employed as sorcerers in the palace as recently as a couple of generations ago. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Natsuna Kawase Publisher: CMX Genre: Fantasy/Romance Rating: Everyone Price: $9.99 It’s under those conditions that Miel brews while taking a walk. And she absent-mindedly lets go of her purse. And it ends up hitting a boy, who was out walking just up the street, right in the head. She apologies and tries to make it up to the boy, who happens to have the same popular nickname — Radi — as the prince, by taking him out to lunch. The guy seems to think Miel is trying to pick him up, and they appear to be on different pages. The two seem to bond quickly. Radi gently tries to glide Miel to understand the path of magic and to help her want to learn, even while Miel doesn’t realize that he is doing this. And…
A robot may not harm or kill a human being. Article 13 of the Robot Laws. Adolph, a member of a robot hate group, is being used as a pawn and hunted down by the members of his own brotherhood. He must now turn to his worst enemy for protection–Gesicht, the robot who he believes killed his own brother. Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Naoki Urasawa x Osamu Tezuka Publisher: Viz Media – Viz Signature Age Rating: Older Teen (16+) Genre: Mystery, Thriller ISBN: 9781421525839 Price: $12.99 Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto is beginning to show signs of winding down. With a mere three volumes to go after the conclusion of volume five, things appear to be headed towards the climax as Urasawa’s continues to peel layers off of his multi-layered plot. Inspector Gesicht’s past really begins to unravel here as Urasawa finally sheds light on the gaping hole regarding Hans’ brother and Gesicht’s involvement in the whole affair. Gesicht’s recollection of his horrid memories further blurs the line between human and machine. Apparently robots can harbor feelings of true hatred, a concept that is fascinating on its own. It is also Hercules’ turn to face the mysterious enemy and this…
It was my first time seeing the city at night. Those lights glittering like white sugar against the gloom of the dark sky were as wondrous as the starry heavens spread out upon the earth. By Gong GooGoo Publisher: Yen Press Genre: Shoujo/Manwha/Drama Age Rating: T/Teen Price: $10.99 I’m not very familiar with Korean comics, or manwha, but all the examples I’ve encountered have been both excellent and distinctly different from Japanese comics, while obviously owing them a stylistic debt. Sugarholic is no exception; it’s so steeped in the shoujo tradition that it even includes a brief parody of Rose of Versailles, the shoujo manga to end all shoujo manga; and of course, the heroine is clumsy and plain. But she doesn’t start the manga by running out of the house with a slice of toast in her mouth because she’s late for school, and for that we can all be thankful. No, the heroine of Sugarholic has left school behind: she’s 20-year-old Jae-Gyu Sin, who’s been shipped off to Seoul to live with her brother because her hardass of a grandmother is tired of her lazy, gluttonous ways. On her way to her brother’s apartment, Jae-Gyu runs into Whie-Hwan…
Raizo has a secret: He has a horn growing on the top of his head. To everyone in the village around him, that makes him an outcast, someone to be avoided at all possible costs. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Tanaka Hosana Publisher: Del Rey Manga Genre: Action Rating: Older Teens (16+) Price: $10.99 However, to a few select ninjas who happen to be women, he is the final stop in the bloodline of the Katana family. In their eyes, that makes him the rightful heir to the throne. And now that they’ve found him, they are going to do everything they can to ensure that he rules the land like he should. It’s how these ninja girls go about that provides some intrigue and hilarity to the plot. Raizo meets the ninjas one at a time, and each one tries — in her own way — to ensure his safety. And that’s always how the comedic portions of the volume are set up. Each new ninja is introduced and then works to lay out a plan to save Raizo from any trouble nearby and to help him regain rulership of the land under his family’s banner. Although the…
It’s been quite a while since I’ve read any American superhero comics with any regularity, so when I picked up X-Men: Misfits, I was quite skeptical, even if it was a tale of American superheros remixed into a new story in manga format. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley Written by Rainer Telgemeier; Art by Dave Roman Publisher: Dey Rey Manga Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Action Price: $12.99 But, quite simply, it was really good. The story centers around Kitty Pryde, who feels like a loner now that she has discovered she has mutant powers, unlike everyone around her, including her family and classmates at school. One day she comes home and her parents are talking to someone about an educational opportunity for her. Her parents tell her that they have noticed her “quirks,” and so she ends up in Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Once she arrives at the school, she is awed by the beauty of it — and of all the male students. (So many of them!) And she is keenly aware that all of the other gifted students around her have better control of their powers. And when she arrives at her room,…
Abandon the Old in Tokyo is a collection of eight short stories each with an interconnecting theme. Each is centered upon a working class male living in a gritty urban setting, and sometimes the protagonists are even drawn in similar manners. Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Yoshihiro Tatsumi Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly Age Rating: Not rated, but contains mature content. Genre: Drama Price: $19.95 Each story is thought-provoking as Tatsumi deals with a variety of subjects ranging from alienation/disconnection from society to poverty to sexual dysfunction. Tatsumi deals with each subject with such a down-to-earth sense of honesty. Almost as if he experienced each of these things himself. He also manages to put so much depth into each of his short stories, so much that he really asks all the right questions. Questions like: why do we do the things we do? what does it take to stand out amongst other “individuals?” are we really any different from animals? Tatsumi’s art is gritty and rough, even sloppy at times. His character designs also do not exhibit the greatest range, as sometimes it is difficult to tell characters apart. He also draws the protagonist exactly the same in a few…