I bet no one would believe this story if I told them. A ninja fell from the sky in a sudden downpour of rain and saved me, a girl who wanted to die to spite her arrogant father. Pretty much anyone would say I’m crazy, huh? By Shoko Conami Publisher: Tokyopop Genre: shoujo/action/fantasy/romance Age rating: T/Teen/13+ Price: $9.99 In the grand internet battle between ninjas and pirates, I’ve always favoured ninjas. But although I prefer Naruto to One Piece, I don’t always find the frantic action and profound angst of the world’s most popular ninja manga to be suited to my mood. Sometimes I want something a bit less high-powered, a bit less epic, a bit softer, a bit more… well… girly. Still with the shurikens and ass-kicking, of course, but played in a different key. Enter Shinobi Life, in which teenage romance and ninja action intersect to delightful effect. Kagetora is a ninja charged with protecting the princess Beni; while escorting her from a battle, he falls through a vortex in time and finds himself in the 21st century. By chance or by fate, he happens to have fallen on the roof of a building where a girl who…
This is a collection of five romantic, hot and sexy stories about modern women and the men they love. All of the stories depict romantic and physical relationships with nothing held back. The title story is about a relationship between young teacher Mika Tsukahara and Naokazu Kuga, an 18-year-old student at her school. Some say forbidden fruit is the sweetest! They’re neighbors too, and can’t control their attraction to each other. Love thy neighbor! From Luv Luv with love! By Kanae Hazuki Publisher: Aurora (LuvLuv) Age Rating: 18+ Genre: Romance Price: $10.95 Voices of Love is a collection of 5 different stories with very different leads but all with a happy ending for the women. Even though these are ladies comics, not all of the stories are told from their perspective, adding to the variety. The first story is also the title story, “Voices of Love”. It’s about a young teacher and her next-door neighbor/student. They seem complete opposites, as she the responsible type, and he is more reckless, especially with is relationships. They have tentative relationship that is cemented when she is assaulted by a fellow teacher. The story was told well enough, but I don’t care for the…
Welcome to the Happy Café, where romance and happiness are the specials of the day! Meet Uru: She’s a little short, a bit disorganized, often is mistaken for an elementary school kid, and lives by herself after her mother gets remarried. When she decides to pay the bills by working part-time at the Happy Café, she meets Ichiro and Shindo, two of the most unsociable guys she’s ever met! And to make matters worse, it turns out that Uru is not exactly meant for the waitress world, as she’s a HUGE klutz. But as this hilarious shojo tale unfolds, 1 happiness–and even true love–might be lurking just around the corner… By Kou Matsuzuki Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 Kou Matsuzuki’s Happy Cafe takes place in Café Bonheur where little, height wise, sixteen year old Uru decides to seek employment after witnessing customers the day before leaving the cafe in such lifted spirits. Little does she realize the two men that work there, Ichiro and Shindo, are not the rays of sunshine she thought the customers sought after. Given the premise I was half expecting it to be loaded with slap stick humor of a ditzy girl…
Ann’s junior high school reunion is coming up, and she hasn’t seen Daigo in two years. How will their reunion go? Then finally the story behind Ann’s engagement. Who is her fiance…? By Hinako Ashihara Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Romance/Drama Price: $9.99 This volume picks up where the series left off in Shojo Beat. It covers just two time periods in Ann’s life; at age 20, and 26. At her junior high school reunion, she and Daigo have a heart to heart that leaves her as cold as the winter weather. And then when she is proposed to, she finds out she more like her mother than she ever thought. At age 20, Ann and Daigo meet at their junior high school reunion. Ann is nervous about seeing Daigo again, but he doesn’t seem any different. They meet after the reunion, and Ann confesses she wrong to break up with him, but Daigo thinks it was right. Even though it probably wasn’t what he meant, but Daigo’s words live Ann cold and more alone than before. She makes a promise to herself that sets her on a dark path, though that isn’t apparent yet. The next…
I will grant you any wish. But its outcome depends on you. Tokyo Mew Mew creator Mia Ikumi takes a break from that title to bring a one shot that may be worth a look, especially for newcomers to manga or those wanting to get a decent read without feeling forced to buy into a whole new series. By Mia Ikumi Publisher: Del Rey Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Shoujo Price: 10.99 USD As I began reading Only One Wish I didn’t realize it wasn’t only a one-shot, but was a collection of short stories. By the end of the first story I wasn’t wild about the characters, but finding out their story ended there made me warm up a little more to this title. If you know the special way to get a hold of her, the “Dark Angel” well grant any individual a single wish. But if it was just that simple, what would be the fun? The clear underlying theme is “Be careful what you wish for.” We are also reminded that no one lives in this world alone, and a wish that affects another might be countered. Only One Wish feels a little like “The Monkey’s Claw”…
After my rave (possibly raving) review of Kimi ni Todoke, I was excited to pick up the second volume in the growing series. We venture on our way with our extremely shy heroine Sawako (who constantly gets teased and mistreated because she looks like the girl Sadako from The Ring) as she continues to clumsily maneuver through social situations she doesn’t fully comprehend. Her awkwardness causes more than a few problems for her in this volume, which focuses on two of the background characters from last edition – Yano and Yoshida, girls in Sawako’s class that become friends with her. Due to a misunderstanding, rumors start flying around the school about the pair of brash, confident friends, and Sawako is at the center of it all.She of course, in her simple way, has to make things right, which provides most of the drama of the volume. By Karuho Shiina Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 In a wonderful way, Sawako’s appeal as a manga heroine stems partially from her social anxiety and awkwardness, which I feel is something that many people can relate to. I wasn’t necessarily socially inept in my formative years, but I do…
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…