With No-Ah’s childhood friend/tormentor added to the mix, all sorts of new adventures are brewing at the green-roofed house. Nanai the dog, Guru the cat, and Rang the mouse have cooked up even more fun this time around: visiting the library, searching for treasure–and tailing Rang on her first date?! But life isn’t always strawberries and cream — it’s all kinds of experiences that make happy times taste even sweeter.
Canary Darlberg is the princess of the Linaria kingdom, and she’s just received some life-altering news: She’s set to have an arranged marriage begin soon. Her father tells her that she is to marry Prince Heath of Gazania, but he is renowned to be, well, an idiot. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Asuka Izumi Publisher: CMX Age Rating:Everyone Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Comedy Price:$9.99 Canary does not think very highly of the prince, but her father insists. Fortunately, her father offers a deal: Meet him once and if she doesn’t like him, the marriage is off. But the prince, who has a pet lizard that talks, asks a favor of the lizard. He wants the lizard to take some magic medicine that would make him switch bodies with someone — the prince — and live out that person’s life. (But just for the day, the prince says.) The date went well for Canary and the lizard. But when he changes back to lizard form and Canary encounters the real Heath, Canary is less than enthused. Immediately she knows it is not the same person she met before, even if they both look like Prince Heath. But the two cannot remain separated for…
Yotsuba is back, and this time from Yen Press. The quirky, inquisitive little girl is still romping around with her favorite pals: her dad, Ena, Fuuka, Asagi and Jumbo. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Kiyohiko Azuma Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: All ages Genre: Comedy Price: $10.99 The mischievous antics start when Yotsuba and her dad move in next to the Ayase family, which includes Ena, Fuuka and Asagi, three girls. Of course, Yotsuba wanders off and Fuuka talks to her dad and agrees to find him. Yotsuba, who thinks Fuuka is a stranger and should not be trusted, runs away, and the pair almost get hit as Jumbo pulls up to the house. And that’s just the first chapter. Another one of Yotsuba’s curiosities is her ability to not fully understand what the adults or older kids tell her. This is exactly what “Global Warming” is about when she hears “glowball warming.” Yotsuba proceeds to deem anyone with an air conditioner on as an enemy of the earth. The young girl is full of good intentions, and that’s what leads to her getting into trouble most of the time. This is best seen in “Helping Out” in the…
Sanshiro’s chances of having an adventure are slim to none in his tiny island hometown, until the day a mysterious stranger invites him to play a game… Without warning, Sanshiro is taken to a backwards universe to play BakeGyamon-a game pitting monsters against monsters. Along the way he meets other players who have a particular reason for being there-to obtain the wish that is granted to the winner. But how far can Sanshiro get when the monsters he’s been paired with are a bunch of little mud balls?! By Mitsuhisa Tamura Publisher: Viz Media – Viz Kids Age Rating: All Ages Genre: Game Price: $7.99 In the great tradition of shonen protagonists, Sanshiro is over enthusiastic but not too bright. He craves to be just like his father and go on adventures all over the world. So, when he’s invited to play in the BakeGyamon, he accepts without really knowing what it is. Just as long as he can have an adventure, that’s all that matters. His enthusiasm annoys some people at first, even Fue, the one that invited him to the game. But it’s this same enthusiasm that gets him through the games and makes him endearing to the…
PET (which stands for polyethylene terephythalate, a type of plastic) was a simple plastic bottle until nine-year-old Noboru Yamada recycled him. Now PET’s a SUPER ROBOT programmed to protect Noboru at all costs! Whenever Noboru’s in trouble, PET transforms, plugs in, and jets to the rescue! Unfortunately, PET’s “help” usually does more harm than good, proving time and again that just because you call yourself “super” doesn’t mean you have a clue. By Kenji Sonishi Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: All Ages Genre: Comedy Price: $7.99 Another entry into the “manga for young kids” category, Leave it to PET hits all the right places on a kid’s funny bone. The short, simple stories and cartoonish art will pull them in, but don’t expect any meaningful environmental messages just because there’s a recycling theme. Leave It to PET is about a boy named Noboru and his recycled robot “friend” called PET. When Noboru took the time to recycle a drink bottle he found, that bottle came back to repay Noboru’s thoughtfulness by doing good deeds for him. This volume is a shining example of the phrase “No good deed goes unpunished”. Noboru’s single act of thoughtfulness has plagued him with PET,…
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, Viz has reinvigorated it’s VizKids line with many new titles. This title is among the first wave of books Viz is releases for younger readers. It also has the potential to reach beyond it’s intended audience by being just plain and funny and entertaining to anyone who likes a good laugh. Dinosaur Hour is a collection of stories, so there are no main characters or on-going stories, though it does seem that the mangaka had a thing for the Protocertops, as they appear several times throughout the book. Each story is about two or three dinosaurs interacting. When a new dinosaur is introduced, their name, length, and eating preference is given. You can learn things such as the power and stamina of different dinosaurs, or about the Stegosaurus’ unusual brain arrangement. But don’t…