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 ...

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Maid in Heaven
Aurora , Reviews / April 21, 2009

“And then you didn’t bring me my tea! Do you know how disappointing that was?” By: Hisami Shimada Publisher: Aurora/Deux Genre: BL/yaoi Age rating: M/mature/18+ Price: $12.95 Usually I cringe when I see a character in drag on the front cover of a BL book. All too often it means the character’s going to be humiliated by being forced to wear drag (as if dressing like a woman were an inherently shameful thing), or t...

DearS Volume 1
Reviews , Tokyopop / April 20, 2009

The old cliche is that pictures are worth a thousand words; The cover of DearS volume 1, is the epitome of the cliche. One look at the tight rubber suit-like clothing, gratuitous bosoms, and the giant dog collar around the girl’s neck, and you get a pretty good idea about what this manga is about. By: Peach-Pit Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Comedy Price: $9.99 We start of with this loner, kind of losery guy nam...

Higurashi When They Cry: Abducted by Demons Arc Volume 1
Reviews , Yen Press / April 17, 2009

Life couldn’t be better for Keiichi Maebara. Sure, he’s moved to a sleepy, little town where nothing happens and high school consists of a one-room schoolhouse — but his new friends and fellow students are all cute girls! When he happens upon a story about a grisly local murder, however, his contentment turns to uneasiness as he finds himself drawn into a web of silent intrigue that involves his newfound friends . . . ...

Wolverine: Prodical Son Volume 1
Del Rey , Reviews / April 16, 2009

Written by Antony Johnston; Illustrations by Wilson Tortosa Publisher: Del Rey Manga Genre: Superhero OEL manga Age Range: T 13+ Price: 12.99 USD I am not generally a fan of OEL manga, but have been a fan of X-Men for longer than I am willing to admit. This is probably the opposite of the audience Del Rey and Marvel had in mind for this retelling this origin story of the X-Men’s certainly most well-known and crotchety member. The ...

Dinosaur Hour!
Reviews , Viz Media / April 15, 2009

Journey back to the Jurassic…and sneak a peek at your favorite dinosaurs as you’ve never seen them!  Dinosaur Hour is a collection of comics about dinos who are bullies and ghost-believers, pranksters and bungling little brothers.  With such goofy antics, it’s no wonder these guys went extinct! By: Hitoshi Shioya Publisher: Viz Media – Viz Kids Age Rating: All Ages Genre: Comedy Price: $7.99 Starting this year,...

Slam Dunk Volume 1
Reviews , Viz Media / April 14, 2009

“Do you like basketball, by any chance?” I have to admit that I have no interest in sports whatsoever, so I was a little dubious when I approached Slam Dunk. It’s a series that’s been greatly praised, from an artist with a formidable reputation, both for Slam Dunk itself and for his other series Vagabond and Real, so I was hopeful, but I was also leery of the possibility that it might be crammed with impenetrable...

Strawberry 100% Volume 1
Reviews , Viz Media / April 13, 2009

Junpei Manaka has a thing for film. So when a beautiful mystery girl in strawberry print panties falls on him on the roof and he gets a voyeuristic peek, what does he do? He decides to find out who she is, of course, so he can make a film of the act. By: Mizuki Kawashita Publisher: Viz Media – Shonen Jump Advanced Age Rating: Teen Plus (16+) Genre: Comedy Price: $7.99 So begins the high school melodrama of Strawberry 100%; Junpei ...

MPD Psycho Volume 8
Reviews / April 11, 2009

“There’s just…dead bodies everywhere.” By: Eiji Otsuka and Shou Tajima Publisher: Dark Horse Comics Genre: Horror Range: Mature 18+ Price: 12.95 USD I have spent much of the last few months comparing MPD-Psycho to a roller coaster ride. A lot is asked of the reader the first couple volumes, a little like loading into the coaster and easing up the first big drop. At about Volume 3 and 4 we start getting payoffs, a...

Skip Beat Volume 16
Reviews , Viz Media / April 8, 2009

Saving Kyoko from Reino’s attack has finally knocked some sense into Sho’s head, and he realizes how much he cares for her.  But before he can declare his devotion, Ren shows up to ruin the moment.  Both men realize that Kyoko has no idea of their true feelings for her and begin a secret battle for her affections! By: Yoshiki Yakamura Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Romance/Drama Price...

Cat Eyed Boy Volume 2
Reviews , Viz Media / April 2, 2009

Hated by humans and demons alike, Cat Eyed Boy dwells in the shadows of the human world.  Cat Eyed Boy continues his battle with the Band of One Hundred Monsters, a group seeking revenge upon the corrupt humans who have made them outcasts. By: Kazuo Umezu Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen+ (16+) Genre: Horror Price: $24.99 Take Twilight Zone like stories about the human condition and combine them with a Tales From the Crypt horror ...