Now that I don’t get to talk to my family, I’ve noticed I talk to myself more often… By Mikage Publisher: Yen Press Genre: Humour/yonkoma/yuri Age rating: T/teen Price: $10.99 Yonkoma (or “four-cell comics”) are the Japanese equivalent of comic strips like Penny Arcade or Garfield: short, continuity-light gag strips that may or may not build up into a longer story. The best-known yonkoma in the English-speaking world is probably Azumanga Daioh. Ichiroh! concerns two girls, Nanako and Akane, who have failed their college entrance exams and must spend a year studying at a prep school to re-take them — hence the title: they are “ronin” because they failed the exams, and “ichiroh” because they’re in their first (“ichi”) year of studying to catch up.Added to the picture is Shino, a classmate who is hopelessly infatuated with Nanako but who unfortunately managed to pass her entrance exam and so can’t join her in prep school (no matter how hard she tries), and a very eccentric dorm manager, whose dorm is also a Shinto shrine which Nanako and Akane are expected to help maintain as mikos to offset their rent.And as if that wasn’t enough, Akane is addicted to video games…
A demon’s wrecking havoc in Feng Xia neighborhood! While tracking down this demon, Yun-Shi’s shifu ends up at Hui-Niang’s house. Will she survive this encounter? Su Ping learns that Cai-Sheng is familiar with the mysterious long-haired man. Su Ping starts to wonder how they are related. Wei Zi-Qiu receives an order that if Cai-Sheng is to harm humans, she must be killed. What will Zi-Qiu do? By I-Haun Publisher: DrMaster Publications Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Fantasy/Romance Price: $9.95 Cai-Sheng finally starts to realize her faults, but not until after she loses the one must precious to her, Hui-Niang. Her drive for revenge puts her in potential trouble with heaven, and her naiveté about human relationships puts any relationship between Su Ping and Yun-Shi in peril as well. I didn’t feel as excited about this volume as I did the first two. That Cai-Sheng’s selfishness not only cost Hui-Niang her life, but those of her children as well bothered me, and I didn’t really feel anything for her when she took her revenge on Yun-Shi’s shifu. If she had done what she had promised in the previous volume, they wouldn’t have had to die. Even though Cai-Sheng realizes her error, she…
It’s been quite a while since I’ve read any American superhero comics with any regularity, so when I picked up X-Men: Misfits, I was quite skeptical, even if it was a tale of American superheros remixed into a new story in manga format. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley Written by Rainer Telgemeier; Art by Dave Roman Publisher: Dey Rey Manga Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Science Fiction, Romance, Action Price: $12.99 But, quite simply, it was really good. The story centers around Kitty Pryde, who feels like a loner now that she has discovered she has mutant powers, unlike everyone around her, including her family and classmates at school. One day she comes home and her parents are talking to someone about an educational opportunity for her. Her parents tell her that they have noticed her “quirks,” and so she ends up in Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. Once she arrives at the school, she is awed by the beauty of it — and of all the male students. (So many of them!) And she is keenly aware that all of the other gifted students around her have better control of their powers. And when she arrives at her room,…
Abandon the Old in Tokyo is a collection of eight short stories each with an interconnecting theme. Each is centered upon a working class male living in a gritty urban setting, and sometimes the protagonists are even drawn in similar manners. Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Yoshihiro Tatsumi Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly Age Rating: Not rated, but contains mature content. Genre: Drama Price: $19.95 Each story is thought-provoking as Tatsumi deals with a variety of subjects ranging from alienation/disconnection from society to poverty to sexual dysfunction. Tatsumi deals with each subject with such a down-to-earth sense of honesty. Almost as if he experienced each of these things himself. He also manages to put so much depth into each of his short stories, so much that he really asks all the right questions. Questions like: why do we do the things we do? what does it take to stand out amongst other “individuals?” are we really any different from animals? Tatsumi’s art is gritty and rough, even sloppy at times. His character designs also do not exhibit the greatest range, as sometimes it is difficult to tell characters apart. He also draws the protagonist exactly the same in a few…
The Guin Saga series as a franchise is as epic as the story that it tells. The Guin Saga novels are an insanely popular with 126 books in the main series and 21 side story novels. There is a manga, an anime, cds, artbooks, rpgs, and even a musical based on the books. The only thing that stopped the series was the author’s untimely death. So with a mountain of source material it can be quiet a daunting task to try to adapt any of the Guin Saga story. But fortunately there is a simpler place to start. The side story novels start with Guin as an established character but are stand-alone stories that do not directly tie into the massive ongoing plot of the main storyline. One or two major characters carry over but most of the main story is unimportant and unaffected by the events in this manga, which make it and unusual but excellent place to start. Originally reviewed by Alain Mendez By Kazuaki Yanagisawa Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Fantasy Price: $12.95 The country of Cheironia is under the grip of a horrible plague that is clearly magical in nature is killing more…
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 paperback (manga fans call them tankobon) been released. By Yuki Kamatani Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Action Price: $10.99 The first volume introduces us to Miharu Rokujou, a completely apathetic schoolboy who wants nothing more than to take over his family’s restaurant and make sure that he never has to care about anything. Unfortunately for him, he is the carrier of hidden ninja world’s most powerful secret – the Shinra Banshou, and a faction of ninjas called the Iga Grey Wolves wants it bad enough to kill him for it. Members of the Banten and Fuuma villages don’t want that to happen though –his classmates Aizawa, Shimizu, and his strange teacher Kumohira have all decide to…
Cai-Shen tags along with Yun-Shi to his next job and secretly helps him out since he does not realize how hopeless he is at exorcising demons. However, the exorcism is a trap set up by an old enemy of Cai-Sheng. Just as Cai-Sheng appears to be in trouble, Zi-Qiu the deity-in-training, comes to her rescue. Afterwards, she assures Yun-Shi that it is he who had scared the demons away. On the other hand, Zi-Qiu does not think much of Yun-Shi, and they engage in a heated fight! By Yi Huan Publisher: DrMaster Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 Even though two hundred years have passed, and Cai-Shen’s powers have grown, in many ways, she has not. In this second volume, we see just how immature Cai-Shen can be, and the consequences her childish behavior bring now just for herself, but for those around her. Two hundred years isn’t enough time for a deity to grow up, and we see this in many of Cai-Shen’s actions throughout this volume. Yun-Shi is sent by his Shifu to find an ingredient to the elixir of immortality, Yun-Shi decides that immortality is not for humans and throws it away, but Cai-Shen, who wants…
In the fifth volume of Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk, the “friendly” match against Ryonan High is beginning to wind down. With captain Akagi out of the game momentarily, Hanamichi Sakuragi has finally been given his chance to strut his stuff and prove that he is a bona fide ball player. Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Takhiko Inoue Publisher: Viz Media/Shonen Jump Age Rating: Teen Genre: Sports Price: $7.99 Like a rookie in most any professional sport, Hanamichi’s play is wildly erratic. At times he shows flashes of brilliance and shows off his raw athletic ability, but most of the time his greenness, combined with his inflated ego, steals the show. In this volume, Hanamichi has his hands full. Not only does he have a tough task in defending Ryonan’s center Uozumi, but Rukawa has become exhausted from having to defend the talented Sendoh. Still, Hanamichi has managed to give Shohoku a spark, and thanks to his efforts they have decimated Ryonan’s previously big lead by the time Akagi returns to the court. Hanamichi is one of those characters who, despite being unbelievably dense at times, is one who is all the more endearing thanks to his relentless energy and…
In the fifth volume of Takehiko Inoue’s Slam Dunk, the “friendly” match against Ryonan High is beginning to wind down. With captain Akagi out of the game momentarily, Hanamichi Sakuragi has finally been given his chance to strut his stuff and prove that he is a bona fide ball player.
Everything changes one day when Misao is attacked by a demon. Her childhood friend Kyo suddenly returns to save her and tend to her cuts–with his tongue! It turns out Misao is the bride of prophecy, whose blood gives power to the demon clan who claims her. But most demons want to keep her power for themselves–by eating her! Now Misao is just trying to stay alive…and decide if she likes it when Kyo licks her wounds. By Kanoko Sakurakoji Publisher: Viz Media – Shojo Beat Age Rating: Teen+ Genre: Supernatural/Romance Price: $8.99 I was really looking forward to this title when it was announced. I loved Backstage Prince by the same mangaka. The characters were great, and the setting, kabuki theater, was different. It was a lot of fun. This title also features Yokai, Japanese monsters, which I also love. So, I had high hopes for this title. Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite measure up, with too many cliches, 2-D characters, and a romance that doesn’t really do it for me. The plot to this title is almost like a checklist of cliches. Girl who is the only one at her school who can see demons. Check. Girl yearns…