In the sixth volume of Black God, the Shishigami family faces some critical decisions. Kuro, the sweet and innocent — vacuous, some could say — sister of Reishin, who is being groomed as the successor to the family leadership position. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley Written by Dall-Young Lim; Art by Sung-Woo Park Publisher: Yen Press Genre: Fantasy Rating: Older Teen Price: $10.99 Reishin falls into the young upstart whose views differ from those of the leadership council. Kuro reacts, too, to the wishes of the council and is chided for her intrusiveness. Later, after she and Reishin take a trip and talk, their mother experiences a prophetic dream, and afterward, her actions are a bit incongruous to her words. Kuro later takes a trip to a nearby city to play, but during the course of her excursion, she takes a slight detour. Unfortunately she ends up in the haven of a killer. And she watches as the killer threatens other young women who have fallen into his trap. It’s hard to believe she would be able to defend herself against a psychopath like Hiyou, and her escape is achieved through other means. After that ordeal is sorted through, the…
Series Description: Winning isn’t everything in the game of basketball, but who wants to come in second? It takes dedication and discipline to be the best, and the Shohoku High hoops team wants to be just that. They have one last year to make their captain’s dream of reaching the finals come true-will they do it? Takehiko Inoue’s legendary beloved basketball manga is finally here and the tale of a lifetime is in your hands. Volume Description: Shohoku’s (somewhat) friendly game against Ryonan finally gets underway. Old rivalries reignite with captain Akagi going toe-to-toe with Ryonan’s center, Uozumi. Hanamichi has flat-out declared that he will personally shut down Ryonan’s ace, Sendoh, but will Kaede Rukawa take care of things before Hanamichi even gets a chance to hit the floor? Either way, this is bound to be a game to remember. By Takehiko Inoue Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Sports Price: $9.99 This was a tough one for me because of expectations. You see, everyone on the planet adores Slam Dunk. I mean, this series is venerated, legendary even. And Inoue’s two other series that are translated into English are awesome. I mean, have you seen Vagabond? It’s phenomenal….
Momoko Tenzen is very popular, but based on Seven, it’s hard to see why. Seven tells the story of an abandoned boy discovered by a bar owner at the age of twelve and given the name “Nana” — “Seven”, and of Mitsuha, an itinerant writer who meets Nana while searching for his long-lost brother Nanao. There is a backup story concerning exactly what did happen to Nanao, and a follow-on tale that shows how Mitsuha and Nana get on once they’ve started travelling together. By Momoko Tenzen Publisher: Digital Manga Publishing Genre: BL/Yaoi Age Rating: M/Mature/18+ Price: $12.95 And I find I have very little to say about any of it. None of it is offensive or stupid or ugly; I don’t much like Tenzen’s drawing style, since she goes in for wispy, indistinct figures and vague, low-detail backgrounds, but it’s easy enough on the eye. The story is coherent and makes a certain amount of emotional sense, but again, there’s an air of vagueness about it that makes it frustrating and unengaging. We never learn much about where the characters’ emotions are coming from, or about concrete details of their lives; Tenzen hops around from scene to scene in…
Not knowing it’s the solution to her curse, Yako thinks that Rasetsu’s quest for a boyfriend seems frivolous. Nothing’s trivial about Rasetsu’s next exorcism, however, especially when she’s suddenly overpowered by the emotions of the spirit! By Chika Shiomi Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Supernatural Romance Price: $8.99 This volume has more ghostly exorcisms that serve to bring Yako and Rasetsu together, despite themselves. Kuryu’s introduction and first day at the agency is shown, and another glimpse of Yako’s guardian spirit makes an appearance, this time for Rasetsu. The romance between Rasetsu and Yako takes a few more small steps forward in this volume. An exorcism that hits Rasetsu too close to home leaves her vulnerable, but Yako says just the right words to bring her back. The attraction between them seems to be growing, despite the verbal barbs they still toss at each other. These feelings become more evident when the whole agency goes to an amusement park for another exorcism, though it seems to be more about play than work. I really prefer this kind of romance, with the couple getting to know each other and their feelings developing through their experiences together,…
Music has always been a powerful source of stimulation. Kyoichiro is a hot new pianist known as “The Conjurer of Melody” who possesses an extremely arrogant “bow before my greatness” attitude. So it’s no wonder that Kazune, Kyoichiro’s manager and lover, can’t help but feel she is nothing more than his erotic plaything. Will she be able to prove to Kyoichiro rhar she is more than just an instrument of pleasure? OR will she continue to be swayed by his intense melodies of desire? An erotic romance that will stimulate your senses with the rhythm of passion! By Rin Tanaka Publisher: Aurora Publishing – LuvLuv Genre: Romance/Josei Age Rating: M/Mature/18+ Price: $10.95 Arrogance that matches his musical talents, Kyoichiro is a popular pianist in this sensual tale of romance. Kazune, the ever doting girlfriend, has to manage both Kyochiro’s professional career and her adoration for a man who at first seemed to care more about making beautiful sounds in the bedroom than making the beautiful maiden truly happy. For me this was a great transitional title from the sometimes overly sappy shojo titles to a much more mature series that is geared more towards women. Within the first volume one…
A robot may not harm or kill a human being. Article 13 of the Robot Laws. Adolph, a member of a robot hate group, is being used as a pawn and hunted down by the members of his own brotherhood. He must now turn to his worst enemy for protection–Gesicht, the robot who he believes killed his own brother. Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Naoki Urasawa x Osamu Tezuka Publisher: Viz Media – Viz Signature Age Rating: Older Teen (16+) Genre: Mystery, Thriller ISBN: 9781421525839 Price: $12.99 Naoki Urasawa’s Pluto is beginning to show signs of winding down. With a mere three volumes to go after the conclusion of volume five, things appear to be headed towards the climax as Urasawa’s continues to peel layers off of his multi-layered plot. Inspector Gesicht’s past really begins to unravel here as Urasawa finally sheds light on the gaping hole regarding Hans’ brother and Gesicht’s involvement in the whole affair. Gesicht’s recollection of his horrid memories further blurs the line between human and machine. Apparently robots can harbor feelings of true hatred, a concept that is fascinating on its own. It is also Hercules’ turn to face the mysterious enemy and this…
It was my first time seeing the city at night. Those lights glittering like white sugar against the gloom of the dark sky were as wondrous as the starry heavens spread out upon the earth. By Gong GooGoo Publisher: Yen Press Genre: Shoujo/Manwha/Drama Age Rating: T/Teen Price: $10.99 I’m not very familiar with Korean comics, or manwha, but all the examples I’ve encountered have been both excellent and distinctly different from Japanese comics, while obviously owing them a stylistic debt. Sugarholic is no exception; it’s so steeped in the shoujo tradition that it even includes a brief parody of Rose of Versailles, the shoujo manga to end all shoujo manga; and of course, the heroine is clumsy and plain. But she doesn’t start the manga by running out of the house with a slice of toast in her mouth because she’s late for school, and for that we can all be thankful. No, the heroine of Sugarholic has left school behind: she’s 20-year-old Jae-Gyu Sin, who’s been shipped off to Seoul to live with her brother because her hardass of a grandmother is tired of her lazy, gluttonous ways. On her way to her brother’s apartment, Jae-Gyu runs into Whie-Hwan…
Before a certain orange jump suited ninja came onto the scene people were reading about a very different ninja in the pages of Shonen Sunday. I remember many years back one of my coworkers mentioning that Flame of Recca was his favorite anime but that is sort of just ends in the middle of a storyline after being canceled. He lamented the fact that from what he knew the manga had a proper ending but he knew of no plans to pick up the license in the US. Then about a year later came the Tokyopop revolution and the manga boom. Many titles that have been on wish lists for licensing for the longest time became realities and Flame of Recca was one of those titles. So I decided to read what had been recommended to me so long ago. Originally reviewed by Alain Mendez By Nobuyuki Anzai Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Action Price: $9.99 Recca Hanabishi is the son of a fireworks manufacturer who is a self-styled ninja that he mentions quite often in the least ninja way possible. He has made it known that anyone who defeats him in a fight will gain his services…
Raizo has a secret: He has a horn growing on the top of his head. To everyone in the village around him, that makes him an outcast, someone to be avoided at all possible costs. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Tanaka Hosana Publisher: Del Rey Manga Genre: Action Rating: Older Teens (16+) Price: $10.99 However, to a few select ninjas who happen to be women, he is the final stop in the bloodline of the Katana family. In their eyes, that makes him the rightful heir to the throne. And now that they’ve found him, they are going to do everything they can to ensure that he rules the land like he should. It’s how these ninja girls go about that provides some intrigue and hilarity to the plot. Raizo meets the ninjas one at a time, and each one tries — in her own way — to ensure his safety. And that’s always how the comedic portions of the volume are set up. Each new ninja is introduced and then works to lay out a plan to save Raizo from any trouble nearby and to help him regain rulership of the land under his family’s banner. Although the…
When Viz Media first debuted their new website, SIG IKKI, a collection of seinen (young men’s) and josei (young women’s) manga titles aimed at older readers, Children of the Sea was the first comic to see its debut. Now that the first 8 chapters have all been released online, they’ve been printed into the first collection of the manga title, in a whopping 320 page Signature size book which looks more like a Pluto or a 20th Century Boys style publication. By Daisuke Igarashi Publisher: Viz Media – Sigikki Age Rating: Older Teen (16+) Genre: Mystery Price: $14.99 Children of the Sea is at its heart, a character driven mystery. It hinges on the fantastic and strange myths of the sea, and three children all connected by a “Ghost of the Sea.” Ruka is a young, brash, tomboy who can’t really express herself through words, and gets in trouble playing handball and gets kicked off her school’s team right at the beginning of their summer break. In her sulking, she decides to travel to Tokyo, and meets Umi, a strange, glowing boy, who is connected to her father, who works at an aquarium in Tokyo. Soon, she also meets Sora,…