While searching for Alice in a dimension made up of her memories, Oz stumbles on the Sablier tragedy of 100 years ago and discovers some secrets about Alice, Gil and Vincent Nightray, as well as a secret about himself. Then it’s off for some lighter moments as Oz goes to visit his younger sister who he hasn’t seen in 10 years, before an old villain re-emerges; the Baskervilles, who are looking for Oz to find the truth of Sablier from ...

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Legend speaks of seven heroes, each one bearing the bower of one of the stars of the Big Dipper.  Two of these stars are constantly in conflict, destined to battle and throw the world into chaos… Not that Taitou has ever paid much attention to old stories.  Headstrong and defiant, he is the last in his village to complete his coming-of-age ceremony– a fact his sister Laila incessantly teases him about.  When he is presented with th...

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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 h...

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The manga market is fairly saturated with books about ninjas. Ninjas are the latest craze for boys, just like vampires are the latest craze for girls. It’s no surprise that plenty of people are trying to get in on the ninja bandwagon.  Yen Press’ entry into ninja fiction, Nabari no Ou, has been publishing monthly in its Yen Plus anthology for more than a year now, and it’s picked up a lot of steam, but only recently has the compiled trade ...

No Comments Alex Hoffman Read More
Sayonara, Mr. Fatty!
Reviews , Vertical / September 1, 2009

Weight loss is the American ideal. It stands as one of the few things that all Americans look up to, and has the same “American-ness” to it like apple pie and baseball. People are always trying to lose weight in America, because many people in America are obese or health-crazed. Weight loss tends to be an almost magical thing, and people will try all sorts of absurd things to remove pounds. They eat nothing but protein, drin...

Kekkaishi Volume 18
Reviews , Viz Media / August 27, 2009

Kekkaishi is one of the more under appreciated titles when it comes to shonen manga. With wildly popular series like Naruto and Bleach out there, it is not surprising that other quality titles will get lost in the pile, and Kekkaishi is an unfortunate example of this. With crisp, attractive artwork — some of the best artwork one will find in a shonen manga — endearing characters and a rock-solid plot, what is keeping people from gi...

Otomen Volume 3
Reviews / August 24, 2009

Asuka takes Ryo to an amusement park where he plans to confess his feelings to her.  Too bad all the rides Ryo wants to go on frighten Asuka! Can he overcome his fear for the sake of love?...

Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit Volume 1
Reviews , Viz Media / August 21, 2009

“Since you may die at anytime…your civic duty is to live as well as you can.” Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit is a new manga from Viz, and despite the dark premise, this new series has some bright surprises. By Mase Motoro Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: M for Mature Genre: Drama Price: 12.99 USD At some point in the future the Japanese government issued the National Welfare Act. This is a three-tiered government program ...

Vampire Hunter D Volume 2
Digital Manga Publishing , Reviews / August 18, 2009

Towering above the sleepy village of Tepes are ancient ruins once erected by the Nobility.  One day, four of the town’s children wander into the ruins and vanish without a trace, only to mysteriously reappear a few weeks later.  But only three return, bearing no memory of what had happened to them. Adapted by Saiko Takaki; Story by Hideyuki Kikuchi Publisher: Digital Manga Publishers Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Horror ISBN: 978156970...

Nodame Cantabile Volume 1
Del Rey , Reviews / August 16, 2009

Series Description: “The son of a famous pianist, music student Shinichi Chiaki dreams of studying abroad and becoming a conductor like his mentor. Unfortunately, his fear of flying grounds his lofty plans! As he watches other classmates achieve what he has always wanted, Shinichi wonders if he should quit music altogether. “Then one day he meets fellow student Megumi Noda, also known as Nodame. This oddball girl cannot cook, clean,...

Black Jack Volume 1-5
Reviews , Vertical / August 13, 2009

Black Jack is a shonen manga created by Osamu Tezuka. It’s about an unlicensed doctor what lives and works in the underworld. A “scalpel for hire”, he will take on any surgery, anytime, anywhere, for anyone that is willing to pay his price. It’s an episodic series, with each chapter being a self-contained story about some situation Black Jack gets involved in. Much like most TV shows, there’s no origin stor...

AmeFurashi: The Rain Goddess Volume 1
Del Rey , Reviews / August 11, 2009

Gimmy, along with his younger twin brother and sister, lives in a desert town. But this desert town is unique: It is overshadowed by a humongous tree that is the home to a town’s rain goddess, who provides water to the town. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Atsushi Suzumi Publisher: Del Rey Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Action, Fantasy Price: $10.99 Every so often, the town must provide an offering to the deity so that she continues ...

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volume 2
Reviews / August 10, 2009

One of the announcements made at this year’s Comic-Con International was the live-action production of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service by Dark Horse and Universal. (Actually, I seem to remember some talk of this a couple of years ago, but regardless, it is good news.) Does the story of a rag-tag group of Buddhist diviners and dead talkers trying to make a living delivering corpses to their proper final resting places merit a ...

Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea Volume 1
Reviews / August 4, 2009

The great Mongolian tribal leader is shown in this series, which follows the Genghis Khan from boyhood through to adulthood. Khan, whose name was Temujin, is shown at the beginning of the volume as a baby. Originally reviewer: Dan Polley By Seiichi Morimura Publisher: CMX Rating: Teen + Genre: Action/Adventure Price: $9.99 In the next sequence, he is shown as a young boy, and he embarks on a hunting trip by himself. But his father talks...