On with the shojo parade, this week with the intensely wonderful first volume of Kimi ni Todoke. There, I’ve said it. If you were looking for a diss, go ahead and pass on my review. You won’t find anything of the sort here. By Karuho Shiina Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $8.99 The main character, Sawako, is a girl who, despite her gentle, friendly demeanor, looks a bit like Sadako, the evil ghost from Ringu (or The Ring as we know it here in the States) and is the victim of some pretty mean rumors. If you believe her classmates, she can summon ghosts to haunt you, and if you look into her eyes for longer than three seconds, you’ll be cursed. Or at least, that’s what the kids say. It isn’t until Kazehaya, the nice-guy heart-throb of the school starts talking to Sawako that things turn around for her, and she starts airing out her inverted personality to new people. It’s a story of positive change that surrounds a misunderstood, painfully shy girl who not only finds friends, but also a bit of romance. If I’m gushing, slap me. Well, not too hard. Kimi ni…
When Crocodile’s evildoing is exposed, the rebellion that will destroy Alabasta just might be averted… But the Baroque Works will do everything in their power to make sure that doesn’t happen – even if they have to kill Princess Vivi! The Straw Hats are in for the fight of their lives to keep this evil Croc from getting way! By Eiichiro Oda Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action Price: $7.95 With their individual battles against the top of Baroque Works, the Straw Hats converge on the palace square to help Vivi stop the rebellion. It becomes a race to stop an explosion somewhere in the square that will kill everyone, rebel and palace guard alike. And Luffy still has some business with Crocodile, who seems to have a second agenda in Alabasta. One of the things that’s so great about One Piece is the action. Whether it’s one-on-one fights or big battles, Oda knows how to keep the plot moving and keep it interesting without letting the story get tedious. Even as the fighting continues both in the square, and in the palace, little bits of Crocodile’s plan continue to come out, keeping the reader interested. The reward…
I’ve been reading a lot of shojo lately, and I have to say that while a lot of it has been quite good (Boys Over Flowers, Honey Hunt) and some has been spectacularly bad (Magic Touch). I’d heard that We Were There was good, but I was skeptical. When I picked up the first volume, I approached the series with some reservation. After the first chapter, I had mixed feelings. Still, We Were There surely was different from what I’d been used to. By Yuki Obata Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Romance/Drama Price: $8.99 As a breath of fresh air, the characters of We Were There are intriguing, but not too complicated, at least initially. Nanami (or Nana, for short) is that same sort of shojo heroine you’re used to. As a brand new high school student, she hopes to make a few new friends. Instead, she ends up not fitting in, which, in shojo manga, seems to be the norm, and not the exception. Left alone by the girls, she winds up talking with the super-popular Yano, the love interest of the series who has a bit of an unexplored past. The intro volume gets us…
Being haunted by spirits seems to run in the family 0 this time, it’s Rasetsu’s mother who need help! Can Rasetsu dispel the spirits successfully with her own personal family issues weighing her down? By Chika Shiomi Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Supernatural/Romance Price: $9.99 While we do get a glimpse into Rasetsu’s personal life and past, the focus of this volume is really on the invisible love triangle of Rasetsu, Kuryu and Yako. Even with the new twists introduced, it still hasn’t become a traditional shojo triangle, and that’s refreshing. There is also a side story that tells how Aoi came to work with the Chief. Yurara, the prequel to this series, set up an unusual love triangle, and Rasetsu seems to be following in its steps. The love triangle between Rasetsu, Kuryu and Yako is obvious to the reader, but not to the characters. Yako, who was slow in realizing his feelings for Guardian Spirit Yurara, hasn’t caught on to being part of the triangle here. It’s nice to see that he hasn’t changed much over the intervening years, and is still clueless about relationships. This fact makes Kuryu feel better since he thinks it…
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…
Brave Sowil wields the power of mysterious runes that can bend nature to his will and even fill his pockets with unlimited riches. But can the cryptic tiles help him unlock the many secrets surrounding the identity of his long-lost father? He’ll have to contend with both angels and demons as he winds his way through desolate deserts, a hidden spring and shape-shifting forests on his quest. Who will help Sowil discover his lineage…and legacy? By Makoto Tateno Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Fantasy/Drama Price: $12.95 Angelic Runes seems like your typical “on-a-quest” story with the usual “monster of the week” challenges and a search to find a long-lost father. But with delicate art and well conceived and written characters, the story becomes something more and well worth the time to read. The basic story is straight forward enough. Sowil is a mage of sorts. He uses an ancient magic that has been all but forgotten in the world. He is searching for his father to find out how and why he has this power. In the first chapter, he comes to a village that is about to sacrifice to children in an effort to save themselves. …
There was much talk about Kodansha’s decision to open offices in the US many months back. We know several publishers lost their licenses with Kodansha, and there was fear other Japanese publishers might follow suit. So far the sky hasn’t fallen yet, but in the meantime Kodansha has not flooded the market with titles, but has fairly quietly released what will be one of the biggest re-releases of the year. By Katsuhiro Otomo Publisher: Kodansha Comics Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Sci-fi Price: 24.99 USD Along with Ghost in the Shell, we recently had the re-release of the first book of the six-volume Akira series. Both of these titles were many Americans’ first introductions not to manga, but anime cinema in the late 80s and early 90s, but both originated as manga in the 80s in Japan. There is little point in giving a synopsis of the first volume of Akira. If you have read it (and chances are you have) you don’t need one and if you haven’t read it (and chances are you will) you won’t want one. Dark Horse released what looks like almost the exact same book in 2000, but it has been out of print for…
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 vampire-slaying hunter known only as “D,” with a reputation of taking care of business by way of the sword, is on another bounty run– this time to resuce the beautiful daughter of a wealthy village elder, kidnapped by the vampire Noble, Mayerling. But what happens when another group of bounty hunters have taken up the same assignment? Head of the notorious mercenary clan, the Marcus family, older Borgoff leads his not-so-merry band of ruthless renegades not only on a mission of pursuit and retrieval, but also on a path of destruction that’ll hopefully wipe out anything that gets in the way from their payday, including D. By Saiko Takaki Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror Price: $13.95 In this adaptation of the third novel, we get to see more the world D is living in, which in this case, isn’t necessarily a good thing. Hideyuki Kikuchi continues to build on D’s background and mystery, but his misogynistic portrayals will only turn away women with any self-worth that might enjoy a good sci-fi/horror series. This third volume in the Vampire Hunter D series was the basis for the anime Bloodlust, which was popular in the US. The…
High Schooler Ji-Hae is desperately in love with her classmate Seung-Hyu. She has done all she can think of to win his affection, but to no avail. When her latest scheme crosses the line, Seung-Hyu decides he’s had enough…and inadvertently pushes her down a staircase! Ji-Hae awakens in the world beyond, only to learn that it’s not her time to die. But why go back when the love of her life hates her to death! Touched by her passion, the keepers of heaven send Ji-Hae to her past life to mend the rift between her former self and Seung-Hyu. But can Ji-Hae keep up the act long enough to find Seung-Hyu and set things right? By Ryu Ryang Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Historical Romance Price: $10.99 No, not really… Sarasah is a modern-girl-gets-sent-to-the-past story combined with girl-dresses-up-as-a-boy-to-be-near-boy-she-loves story. Neither of these plots are usually appealing, but Sarasah adds a karmic twist to the Ji-Hae’s dilemma. The reason Seung-Hyu hates her some much is because of something that happened in their past lives, and Ji-Hae is given the chance to correct it. Though, the more I read of this series, the more I wondered if it wasn’t a…