A collection of short stories in the gekiga tradition, people who are familiar with Yoshihiro Tatsumi may be as surprised as I was by the strangely positive stories in this volume. All are set in remote mountain villages untouched by modern conveniences, and focus on events in the lives of the mountain residents. Many also feature touches of folk tales and fantasy creatures to woven into the narrative. By Susumu Katumata Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly Age Rating: Not Rated; Older Teen Genre: Drama Price: $24.95 The stories vary widely, from coming-of-age stories (Mulberry, about a squabbling young boy and girl who suddenly mature when the girl, who lives in a brothel, gets her first period) to love stories (in Funeral for Wild Geese, a man caught in a blizzard gives up his old life to marry a lonely local woman) to eerie supernatural comeuppance stories (in Kokeshi, the mentally unbalanced master of the village goes around ravaging women until he is avenged by the kappa who were born of the miscarriages of his illegitimate children). Even the darkest subject matter is somehow lightened by the mountain setting and the attitudes of the characters, who seem intent on making the best…
The biggest growing issue with Berserk (aside from the fact that Miura is only publishing a handful of chapters each year) is that the plot has been plodding along for some time now. Sure, there have been some big battles in the previous volumes. Unfortunately, though, a big showdown does not always equate to a big revelation. The only thing volume 33 does really well is let the reader know that volume 34 will contain some huge, earth-shattering moments. By Kentaro Miura Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Age Rating: 18+ Genre: Fantasy/Horror Price: $14.99 A ho-hum battle is fought against pirates, which establishes Roderick and his crew as the best sailors around–at the cost of an entire chapter. Yes, once again Miura proves that he can draw a huge sweeping battle scene and discuss nautical battle tactics, but it’s done to the point of overkill. His drawings are stuffed with details: splintering wood, booming cannons, giant clouds of smoke, and turbulent seas. There are countless pirate crew members decked out in hats, bandannas, and vests whose entire lives last no more than a single panel. While readers can certainly appreciate this painstaking attention to detail, it makes me wonder if this…
I guess this shows my age, but I’m one of those kids that was part of the original Power Rangers generation. When I was little, I would wake up early to watch Power Rangers, chomping at a bowl of Cheerios and waiting to see what kind of cool, gigantic monster the Power Rangers would have to fight. I’m sure that this formative education is why I enjoy the mediocre Rosario + Vampire; I can’t get enough of the baddies Tsukune and his harem fight every week. By Mohiro Kitoh Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Drama/Mecha Price: $12.95 The giant robots genre is a staple in both Japanese and American pop culture. Voltron, the Autobots, and Power Rangers litter the kid’s television landscape. Most of these shows, with a few notable exceptions, are sugar sweet, sappy tales that don’t really challenge the viewer in an emotional fashion – and why should they? These shows are media intended to be consumed by kids around the age of 5. Some writers have challenged the status quo of the genre, but none have done it quite as effectively as Mohiro Kito, a writer with a knack for subverting seemingly incorruptible subject…
Publisher’s Info: They say you cannot choose where and when are born; we are gifted into the worlds are parents are living at the time. Whether a blessing or a curse, as individuals we must make the most of our environments to advance as best possible given the circumstances present. For the cast of Peepo Choo, their places of birth, whether they be the suburbs of Tokyo or the South Side of Chicago, appear to be a curse they cannot escape…until they realize the world is a much smaller place than they thought. On the surface Milton appears to be your average a high school student living in the thugged out streets of Chicago’s South Side. As is the case with many teens looks can be deceiving. When he’s not at school or riding the metro, he is at the local comic shop cosplaying as his favorite Japanese animation character Peepo Choo! A hardcore fan, Milton knows every line from the Peepo Choo animation by heart. He can happily replicate the Peepo Dance with ease, and genuinely believes the world depicted in this cartoon is “the real” Japan. By Felipe Smith Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Parody Price:…
Crown Prince Shin and Crown Princess Chae-Kyung are the picture of happiness as they celebrate their first wedding anniversary in a lavish, high-profile public display…but all is not well behind those loving gazes and wide smiles. With the tension between her and Shin growing, Chae-Kyung can’t help but look for a way out of her situation. But when the Queen, who is with child, decides to have Chae-Kyung be her proxy, the pressure is on for Chae-Kyung to keep herself and her marriage together. Will she look to Yul for guidance, even if his advice could spell disaster for the royal family that Chae-Kyung is growing to love? By So Hee Park Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Drama/Romance Price: $10.99 Things aren’t getting any easier for Chae-Kyung in this volume of Goong. News that the Queen Mother is pregnant causes complications for everyone in the palace. For Chae-Kyung, it draws her further into the affairs of the palace, when all she wants is out. For Shin, it causes him to become serious about being the Crown Prince, and that means divorce may no longer be an option for him and Chae-Kyung. The possibility of a new heir in…
I’ll start by throwing this out there: I was a compulsive World of Warcraft player for a solid six months of my life in college. Eventually, despite having a blast playing with my friends, I quit the game, permanently deleted my character, and haven’t looked back since. Written by Richard A. Knapp; Illustrated by Jae-Hwan Kim Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Fantasy Price: $12.99 I have a fairly good grasp of the WoW mythology up until the first expansion pack, which allowed players to travel through a portal to reach the realm of Outland. That’s where Shadow Wing picks up and instantly crushes the reader with page after page of narration explaining why the portal is significant and why the inhabitants of Azeroth are crossing over. This could have been a great hook, if not for two setbacks. First and foremost is the hideous, eye-straining font that the narration is printed in. It made me cringe every time it popped up in the story and it appears in nearly every panel for the entire first chapter. The second issue is that it spends a ton of time building the back-stories of the characters, which are both clearly established on…
Yayoi – the 78th Head of Household of the Suzuka Clan – is a mystic with a tremendous power over the spirits. Of course, along with great power comes those with the desire to steal it! Enter Ura, who wants to become the King of the Demons. He comes to the human world to challenge Yayoi, but ends up stripped of his powers – and is sealed away as a black cat instead! Although Ura is still hell-bent on “eating” Yayoi’s power, the unlikely pair find themselves caught up in an adventure they never imagined! By Mizuho Kusanagi Publisher: Tokyopop Genre: Fantasy/Romance Age Rating: T (13+) Price: $14.99 A fantasy series for teen girls, Mugen Spiral is composed mostly of one-shot stories that involve Yayoi defeating demons with the help of Ura, a demon she seals away in cat and/or human form until he needs to bail her out. It’s better than it sounds, since the stoic and very powerful Yayoi isn’t the type of heroine that needs to be rescued often, and Ura is a very unlikely white knight. It’s also mercifully light on both zany gags and dark melodrama, two extremes that fantasy series tend to get caught…
With the Imperial Army in hot pursuit, Housei leads Taitou and the others on a little detour to the home of his master. But the “mean old devil woman” he had described turns out to be nothing of the sort. Master Kouei is a veritable font of wisdom; in addition to knowing a more covert route into the capital, she is well versed in the legends of the Hokushin-Tenkun. There is much she can teach Taitou as he struggles to control the overwhelming power of his star, but will she have enough time to impart her wisdom before tragedy strikes? By Hiromu Arakawa Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Historical Fantasy Price: $10.99 Taitou and co. continue their journey to the Capitol, though the stories are less serial than the first volume and focuses more on their purpose; getting the Kenkaranbu back. Taitou gets some real training on how to control his star’s power, and more is revealed about Taitou’s and Ryuukou’s past, where they seem to have a surprising connection. Needing to find a less direct route to the capitol, Housei leads everyone to his Master, Kouei Kuju. Known as the “Font of Knowledge,” she spends her…
“I don’t know what kind of history you two have got… but Anzai was really happy at the thought that he was going to get to play ball with you, Wakamiya.” By Nanao Okuda Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Genre: BL/yaoi Age Rating: M/Mature/18+ Price: $13.95 Ah, sports: hotbeds of drama, competition, and sublimated homoeroticism. Name a sport, and there’s probably a manga about it, if not more than one; in the case of basketball, one of those manga is The Object of My Affection, though as you might have guessed from the genre label, the basketball is less the focus of the stories than an excuse to bring the main characters together. The collection begins with four linked one-shots, “Desolate Days”, “Favorite”, “Cellular Trap” and “Another Day With You”. These stories cover the beginnings of a romance between Wakamiya, an eager freshman and new member of Kanan University’s basketball team, and Anzai, a junior who was Wakamiya’s idol back when he was in middle school due to his outstanding basketball skills. Wakamiya discovers that Anzai never turns up for practice, and learns from Anzai’s childhood friend that Anzai has suffered an injury that will prevent him from ever playing basketball…
For all Kyousuke’s resistance to Tena and her bossy ways, he seems to have settled in quite nicely to being a sort of househusband to her and the other tuners. But while Mezzo and Sopra have agreed not to collect Kyousuke’s viral notes, there’s no telling what might happen if he meets yet another tuner! So when Kyousuke runs into Arun, an elite tuner at the top of her class, could this spell the end of his musical aspirations . . . and his life!? By Sesuna Mikabe Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Seinen Price: $10.99 Sesuna Mikabe’s Tena on S-String revolves around a tuner named Tena and her “slave” Kyosuke. Tena is a spoiled and bossy tuner that has Kyosuke wrapped around her little finger. Kyosuke is Tena’s “slave” and essentially takes care of her and two of her other tuner friends. Kyosuke, the male lead, is an aspiring musician and composer. In this 2nd volume of the series just when Kyosuke thinks he has enough dealing with tuners 24/7, dealing with the bratty Tena both in and out of his home, he runs into another tuner! Despite what the quick synopsis may claim I didn’t…