Manga Village

It makes sense to me that one of the most cutting edge manga in Yen Press‘ manga collection is Soul Eater Not! The series is published on the same day and date in the USA as it is in Japan, and is the only series that Yen Press releases with that schedule. In Japanese comics, it stands beside Rumiko Takahashi’s Rin-Ne from Viz Media as the only other mainstream* comic that is released day and date in both Asia and America. The reason why this makes sense to me has quite a bit to do with the characteristics of Soul Eater Not! – it is neither shojo, shonen, or moe, but rather a strange mix of all three. By Atsushi Ohkubo Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre:  Slice of Life/Action/Fantasy Price: $11.99 USA The best way to describe Soul Eater Not! is that is not the same manga as Soul Eater, another popular release from Yen Manga. Written and illustrated by the same author and set in the same world, it even uses some of the same characters to tell a much different story. Tsugumi, our main character, is a girl enrolled in the DWMA, an international organization in charge of training meisters and “weapons” in order to make sure they are able to control their abilities…

The girls of the Mureo High kendo team face off again against Ishibaki’s pupils from Kamasaki High. And then the drama abounds as the popular TV show, Burnish Academy shows an interest in filming the girls for the sports segment of the show. But first, they must survive not just the rivalry between the co-hosts, but also of some surprise guests; kendo prodigy Ura Sakaki and some of the strongest girls from around the country known as Kendo Komachi! Story by Masahiro Totsuka; Art by Aguri Igarashi Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Sports Price: $11.99 I read the first few chapters of Bamboo Blade in Yen Plus when it first came out, but wasn’t impressed with what I read at the time. It’s eight volumes later, and I decided to check out the series and see if there was any improvement. I couldn’t believe the difference! The characters and story drew me in quickly, and the kendo action kept my eyes glued to the page. This is the first sports manga to really got its hooks into me. There’s been a lot of character development since the series began. When I read the first chapters, I was…

When Kanro, one of the Seven Member Committee seeking to eradicate all contradictions, sniffs out the stragglers from Z-Loan at a rundown motel and attempts to flush them down the data drain like their “deleted” comrades, Chika and Shito end up not in the ether–but as characters in a video game! With the help of an old enemy they escape, but then must face the truth about Michiru as her true nature is revealed. Michiru must come to grips with it as well, and what she decides will affect not just those of Z-Loan, but of both the mortal world and the afterlife! By Peach-Pit Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Supernatural/Action Price: $11.99 I was surprised to hear that volume 13 was the final volume of the series, when the end of volume 11 started a new arc. Apparently it wasn’t a just new arc but the beginning of the end. But its an arc that feels rushed and slapped together rather than thoughtfully planned out. I’m sure Peach-Pit had the ending to this series all planned out. Some groundwork was laid as scenes from previous volumes that are referenced, such as Hakka telling Michiru about her true…

Reviews are subjective things. A reviewer is drawing on many things when they write their review. Besides technical things such as story structure, character development and art, a reviewers personal preferences and experiences can affect their feeling about a book. And sometimes, even their gender can make a difference as to whether a book gets a good score or bad. In the following discussions, reviewers Alex Hoffman and Lori Henderson will look at different books and examine the similarities and differences they have over each of them. High School of the Dead Volume 1-3 Story by Daisuke Sato; Art by Shouji Sato Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Mature Genre: Horror Price: $13.99 ISBN: 978-0-316-13225-1/13239-8/13242-8 Lori: It’s been a while since we’ve been here, eh Alex? The holidays and RL hit me pretty hard. How did it go for you? Are you ready to get back to work? Alex: The holidays and even the entire month of January has been crazy for me, but I am glad to get back to our talks about manga. Let’s get right down to it with a synopsis of the series. High School of the Dead is the story of a zombie apocalypse. An outbreak…

As Hikaru hits his teens and puberty strikes, Sachiko and Masato have to deal with his growing sexual awareness and rebellious attitude. But it’s Kanon that really needs the help as her entry into elementary school leads to teasing over her brother. There’s no rest for the weary though, as on top of these problems, Masato is transferred and the decision is made to move into the Mother-in-Law’s house, which comes with its own set of problems. By Keiko Tobe Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: True to Life Drama Price: $14.99 Normally, problems that involve Hikaru’s disability affect him directly and in turn those around him. In these two volumes though, Hikaru isn’t affected as much as those around him. Kanon feels the effect the most at the beginning. Hikaru’s growing sexual awareness causes her unease when her friend comes over, and then she has to deal with teasing that borders on bullying from classmates who see Hikaru, but don’t understand. It’s nice to see that Kanon isn’t going to take the bullying, though she does try to hide it from Sachiko and Masato by pretending nothing is wrong. Sachiko isn’t so lucky in dealing with her bully…

Irel, Lamia and Clarion fight off assassins, but soon after, Lamia takes off on her own. Irel and Clarion continue to follow the chrism bottle trail, which leads them to the secret society Crossline. Irel’s power grows and it’s enough to get Crossline agents to question their leader, Ian. Lamia goes to an “old friend” and learns the truth of her origins, and it’s relation to Ian, Crossline, and Christianity. Detective Chris and Grace also find Crossline, and, joined by Chris’ partner Aileen, are recruited to try to stop Crossline’s plans. By JinJun Park Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Action/Horror Price: $11.99 There is plenty of confusing “zombie battle action”™, but an actual plot does start to show itself in these 5 volumes of Raiders. Lamia’s past is revealed, as is the reason for Chris’ obsession with conspiracies, and most startlingly, the true origins of Christianity, and how it relates to the secret organization, Crossline. I can’t say that I really enjoyed these volumes, but I was fascinated with the way the history/mythology/beliefs of the Christian church was used in the story as well as its references to the use of science. After three volumes of mostly…

Thrust in the middle of a family feud, Jae-Gyu reluctantly accepts Whie-Hwan’s proposal (he may be a jerk, but he’s loaded!). For the next month, she’s agreed to pose as his live-in girlfriend and obey his every command! It’s been less than a week since she moved to Seoul, and already she’s in way over her head! And small-town life has done little to prepare her for the dark deeds of city nightlife. When Jae-Gyu’s ignorance lands her in a roomful of eager playboys with money to burn, will it be her millionaire “boyfriend” or her rock star admirer who comes to the rescue? By GooGoo Gong Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Drama/Romance Price: $10.99 This next installment of Gong GooGoo’s Sugarholic picks up right where it left off in the first volume. The seemingly ignorant Jea-Gyu ends up staying at rich boy Whie-Hwan’s apartment and agrees to his demands of being in a fake relationship with him in an attempt to fool his guardian and to atone for the ordeal she caused in the previous volume . In a plot twist this will end up being to Jea-Gyu’s advantage as staying at her brother’s place turns out…

While I can’t say that I have a love-hate relationship with shonen manga, I do tend to be a bit critical of it at times.  In some instances (Fullmetal Alchemist, One Piece, and Cat Paradise  come to mind) the genre can be breath-taking, hilarious, awesome, and heart-rending. I think this has a lot more to do with developing a great set of characters, and essentially allowing them to interact in natural ways. It doesn’t matter if the characters are shamans, alchemists, pirates, demon-fighters, or bakers – if the author can give me awesome characters, I’ll generally love the book. The plot has to go somewhere, but good characters are what make the best manga. The same is true for the opposite side of the coin. Books that have poorly developed characters get left at the bookstore, even if the setting and art are awesome. This seems to be the trend for some of the latest shonen offerings from a variety of publishers. Case in point? Nabari no Ou.   By Yuhki Kamatani Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Action Price: $10.99 Nabari no Ou introduces us to Miharu, a young boy who has been born with the power…

Claire Lyons is the new girl at Octavian Country Day, an exclusive private school in Westchester County, New York, but this girl in GAP overalls isn’t even close to prepared for the social (and fashion) demands of her new peers. To make matters worse, Claire’s family has moved into the guesthouse of the Block family, and Massie Block just happens to be the queen supreme of Claire’s new school and hasn’t taken a liking to the new girl squatting on her estate! Does Claire have what it takes to become a part of The Clique? Written by Lisi Harrison; Illustrated by Yishan Li Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Teen Genre: Drama Price: $11.99 Yishan Li’s manga adaptation of Lisi Harrison’s popular Young Adult novel series The Clique is filled with melodramatic moments, pranks, and friendship rivalries. Claire and her family moves into the guesthouse of Massie until her family can become more financially stable. Before even getting a glimpse of Claire, Massie has already had it set in her mind that she will not like nor have any intention of becoming friends with the poor girl. Initially naive Claire tries to be chums with Massie til making a few friends…

Publisher’s info: All penniless college student Taiga Mutou wants is a cool job and a cute older woman as a girlfriend. So when he spies a Help Wanted sign outside an office and a hot girl inside, he applies for the job, no questions asked. After a few bumps at the beginning, things start going Taiga’s way, prompting him to steel his courage and ask out Yuiko, that hot girl he spied through the window, on a date. And when she later asks him if it’s okay that she’s a fujoshi (a very, shall we say, distinct kind of comics/animation geek), he tells her it’s fine out of sheer excitement. But poor Taiga has no idea how much trouble he’s just gotten himself into! By Rize Shinba Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Romance Price: $11.99 Last week, I reviewed Peepo Choo, by Felipe Smith, a manga that viciously, but hilariously rips into otaku culture (among other). It seems that getting geeks to laugh at themselves in manga is on the upswing, because this week’s book, My Girlfriend’s a Geek Vol. 1, pokes fun at fujoshi, or the girl fan of boys love (bl) anime and manga. However,…