While Yohei is trapped, Shotaro and Tool battle the Fear Robot. And NoFix is unable to finish off Shotaro and Tool, who happen upon a lucky break — and decisive action. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Atsushi Ohkubo Publisher: Yen Press Rating: Older Teen Genre: Action, Comedy Price: $10.99 And after the battle, the two seem to think that the best action is to infiltrate the Fear Factory headquarters to help Yohei. But surprises await them, perhaps the biggest just as they are about to enter: Mana comes flying out of the sewer tunnel. After a few cheap laughs at her expense, the three head back in to the Fear Factory lair. Of course, the first thing they do when they get in is yell for Yohei, which certainly doesn’t help their cause but does provide some entertainment. Despite Tool’s best efforts, the natural curiosity from Mana and Shotaro bring about some more comedic situations — and, of course, a fight. Meanwhile, Yohei is being held captive and he starts to dream about his past and about NoFix. All the while, Shotaro, Tool and Mana are encoutering trouble in the headquarters. Eventually, they make it to Yohei, who finally…
“If you had half a brain you would have realized it was me a long time ago.” By Wataru Mizukami Publisher: Del Rey Manga Genre: Shoujo Age Rating: T 13+ Price: 10.99 USD Poor Sachiko is having the worst day of her life. For some reason she decides to confess her love for her long-time crush, the standoffish but handsome Akihiko, who is the four-eyed prince of the title. As expected he rejects her confession of love. Sachiko goes home to say goodbye to her grandmother guardian as she is sent to a nursing home. Sachiko is going to move back in with her mother, (Sachiko’s father died when she was younger) who hasn’t seen her, for some reason, since she was a baby. Mom has gotten remarried, but her new husband ran off to escape a massive debt. But Sachiko’s mom’s new husband had a son who, for some reason, lives with her even though there is no blood relation. Guess who that boy is. Sachiko moves into her new home to find that Akihiko is now her step-brother. His enthusiasm toward his new flat-mate is expectedly flat, but that doesn’t keep Sachiko from fantasizing about her brooding new…
If you knew a person that reacted to love with violence and hatred, what would you do? Enter Shogo, a young man whose childhood has caused him to react violently to any display of affection, be it from man or beast. His hatred is not unnoticed, though. As punishment for his aggression against love, a goddess appears before him and relates to him that he is to be punished by the gods to find the love he was never given as a child, and then have it snatched away violently from him over and over again. By Osamu Tezuka Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: 16+ Genre: Drama Price: $19.95 Often claimed to be one of Tezuka’s most erotic and dark stories, Apollo’s Song is not the Astro Boy and Black Jack you’ve been used to. There is little cheer or happiness in Apollo’s Song. Vertical Inc. has released this comic to mixed appeal from many reviewers, and for good enough reason – its age. Apollo’s Song was written in 1970, a much less progressive time, especially in Japan. With each passage, we see characters and ideas rooted in that time. Women are treated more like objects and less like characters,…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…