Everyone’s favorite renegade doctor, Black Jack is back for more in Volume 4. Black Jack is probably Osamu Tezuka’s greatest hit among adult readers and you would be hard-pressed to find Japanese citizen over the age of 25 who wasn’t familiar with the skunk-haired hero of the long-running manga series. Vertical Inc. has committed to bring all 18 of these huge volumes to English over the next three years. Any question about Tezuka’s ability to keep the stand-alone stories fresh and interesting will be dashed after setting down this fourth volume. There is a reason he is called the godfather of manga, and Black Jack is a clear expression as to why. By Osamu Tezuka Publisher: Vertical,Inc. Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Medical Drama Price: $16.95 Black Jack is a non-licensed physician who performs his medical procedures under the surgical table for outrageous fees. People come to him for two reasons: either because they want discretion, or they want the best. Dr. Black Jack can provide both, but it comes at a price. (His incredible fees seemed contradictory to his humanitarian nature, and although Black Jack is full of interesting contradictions, the reason for is prices is explained surprisingly clearly…
Kaguya doesn’t remember who she is or why she has a huge scar on her back. Six months ago, she was found injured and unconscious in a field of bamboo. Now she works as a housekeeper and babysitter at a brothel, living her new life simply as “Kaguya”. By Rinko Ueda Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen (16+) Genre: Historical, Romance Price: $8.99 Kaguya’s real identity is entwined with two men–Hanzou, a handsome bodyguard of Okazaki Castle, and Hanzo, a leader of the ninja village of Iga. Between amnesia and mistaken identity, no one knows for sure what kind of person Kaguya is. Only her distinctive scar will lead her to the truth… Tail of the Moon Prequel has a heroine just the way I like them; smart and in control. As either Kaguya or Princess Sara, this female lead is never clueless, a klutz, or unable to act on her feelings. This, plus the historical drama, makes this volume a real pleasure to read. I read the preview of this in Shojo Beat, and really enjoyed it. So I was thrilled at the chance to read the whole volume. It’s essentially two stories about Kaguya, a worker in…
Series Description: By night, junior high student Yoshimori Sumimura is a “kekkaishi”–a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori’s got some other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori’s pretty 16-year-old neighbor and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. Volume Description: Yoshimori and his elder brother Masamori are trapped inside a magical realm… The site’s guardian wants to steal Yoshimori’s body, and a renegade council member pits brother against brother! Which of the two will escape? And what will become of the other…? By Yellow Tanabe Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Action Price: $9.99 Short and sweet this week, this being the last (for now) of my “drop in the middle of a series to see what I find” reviews. And a little wrap-up on this experiment–but more on that later. For now, let’s talk about Kekkaishi, a series I’ve been wanting to check out for a while now, based on the recommendation of Shaenon Garrity, an awesome person whom we should all obey, should she ever take over…
Yurara finds herself drawn to Mei, but her guardian spirit prefers Yako! Can Yurara sort out her true feelings?
Shiki loses control of his senses and reveals his true “monster” nature within him as he goes on a mad killing spree. Subsequently, Shiki begins to recall fragments of his childhood memories, which reveal some important secrets of the Tohno family. Just when Shiki collapses from his killing spree, Roa appears with the intention of killing him, but Akiha tries desperately to protect Shiki. Ciel later joins the fight against Roa, and more secrets of Ciel’s painful past are revealed. By Sasaki Shonen Publisher: DRMasters Age Rating: 18+ Genre: Horror/Thriller Price: $9.99 This volume is all about the flashbacks. While these are often thought to disrupt the flow of a story, in this title, they are vital. They give essential pieces to the puzzle that connect one part of Shiki’s past and open up a whole new section to piece together. Ciel’s past is explored as well, with pieces connecting her to Roa is a rather surprising way. The first flashback happens just before the appearance of Roa and does a lot to explain the snippets of memory that Shiki has been seeing over the last several volumes. They fill in the gaps and answer some of the questions about…
I’ll arrange for them to play a special song for you.
Ozunu is the top student at Kusanagi School of Magical Architecture, a national polytechnic high school dedicated to raising professional magical architects of the future. Their job is to apply feng shui and other spiritual methods in architecture to exterminate fiends and demons in Tokyo, where the protective feng shui seal has been broken due to wars and urban development. Being raised by a spider fiend, Ozunu has always tried to purify or return monsters to where they came from. He clashes with his rival Tsugaru, the heir to a magical architecture corporation, who believes strength is the key to everything. Story by Midori Natsu; Art by Haruka Shoji Publisher: DRMaster Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Supernatural Price: $9.95 Feng Shui Academy is based on a series of light novels, and was serialized in a seinen magazine, facts that are glaringly obvious while reading. The stories and characters are typical for a supernatural adventure story, but the whole book seems to be missing that special “something” that makes it memorable. At first glance, Feng Shui Academy has an interesting premise. Students training to be starcrafters, learn to use feng shui to fight and exorcist spirits. And the chapters where we see…
The School sports festival is coming up, so everyone’s gearing up for some fierce competition! Even affairs of the heart become a competitive event when Yoh suspects his friend Asaoka may truly have feelings for Haruna…
When Yurara’s guardian spirit picks up a ghostly stalker, she vanishes, leaving Yurara to deal with the paranormal pervert on her own! By: Chika Shiomi Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat Genre: Romance/Supernatural Rating: Teen + Price: $8.99 Not much of a volume description, is it? It doesn’t even come close to describing what’s going on in this volume. There is some serious character development going in here. The description only acts as a lead in. This volume starts off with two self-contained chapters that work to lead into the heart of the book; Yurara’s relationship with Mei. Mei is a serious flit, so Yurara doesn’t want to take his advances seriously, especially when it seems he’s really only interested in her spirit guardian. But when Yurara goes to the school rooftop to investigate the spirit that seems to be following her, Mei gets very upset with her. Yako explains to Yurara about Mei’s past and being in love with another woman who was killed by a spirit by pulling her off a rooftop. Yurara then meets that spirit when she possesses Mei and it’s up to Yurara to get rid of the spirit before it manipulates Mei into taking…
Master and Jade don’t get along very well. They’re always fighting. But when they do… See? Yuto rains fire and brimstone down upon them. Yuto’s a sweet kid… most of the time.