When Crocodile’s evildoing is exposed, the rebellion that will destroy Alabasta just might be averted… But the Baroque Works will do everything in their power to make sure that doesn’t happen – even if they have to kill Princess Vivi! The Straw Hats are in for the fight of their lives to keep this evil Croc from getting way! By Eiichiro Oda Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Action Price: $7.95 With their individual battles against the top of Baroque Works, the Straw Hats converge on the palace square to help Vivi stop the rebellion. It becomes a race to stop an explosion somewhere in the square that will kill everyone, rebel and palace guard alike. And Luffy still has some business with Crocodile, who seems to have a second agenda in Alabasta. One of the things that’s so great about One Piece is the action. Whether it’s one-on-one fights or big battles, Oda knows how to keep the plot moving and keep it interesting without letting the story get tedious. Even as the fighting continues both in the square, and in the palace, little bits of Crocodile’s plan continue to come out, keeping the reader interested. The reward…
The Rain Goddess Sora is back and she has help in Gimmy and his friends in trying to get her tree spirit back. The group travels to an annual festival, where they think they will be able to meet the amefurashi of the land. Hopefully that god will be able to assist them in their quest to get Sora’s tree spirit back. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Atsushi Suzumi Publisher: Del Rey Rating: 13+ Genre: Action/Adventure Price: $10.99 Unfortunately, things to go as expected for Gimmy, Sora and their group. (Do they ever?) Not only is the amefurashi quick to dismiss the validity of Sora’s claims, but she’s inclined to leap to judgments before learning the truth. Eventually, though, the group learns of a ship that crosses the desert. By crossing the desert, they could make their way to a capital where they have greater hopes of obtaining more information on the one who stole Sora’s tree. The trip through the desert and the fallout from it consume most of the volume. And it brings about in infusion in the plot, which gets an assist with a new character, although it’s somewhat predictable how that character is connected to…
Series Description: Azuma Kazuma, an energetic and dense young man, was introduced to the art of bread making when he was six. He decides to take the path of bread-making and become a baker right after graduating from middle school. Through his travels, he encounters many rivals and found work at the branch store of the most famous bread maker brand, the Pantasia. By: Takashi Hashiguchi Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Food/Comedy Price: $9.99 Volume Description: Kazuma Azuma’s team Pantasia is one defeat away from losing their shop as they enter round six of the Yakitate 25 baking competition. Their opponent is Mokoyama, a man in a panda suit whose silly exterior belies his great baking power…and otherworldly baking powder. If that weren’t enough to bear, Azuma must teach a lesson to a spoiled mini-gourmand who insists on having his bread and eating it too. Will Team Pantasia rise to the occasion or run out of steam? November begins the holiday season, both here in the US and other countries around the world. As such, I’ve been undertaking a month of cooking manga reviews. Last time, I made this comment about cooking manga: When somebody tastes great…
It is said that the road to hell is paved on good intentions, and if that particular idiom proves to be true in any manga ever published in English, Alive: The Final Evolution is the story that seems to be laying down the bricks as quickly as possible. The first volume of Alive seems to be changing gears in the middle of the first volume, changing its tone and its storytelling technique within the first 3 chapters. Written by Tadashi Kawashima and Illustrated by Adachitoka Publisher: Del Rey Age Rating: T for Teen Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Shonen Price: US $10.95 ISBN: Vol. 1 – 0345497465 The beginning seems interesting enough – Taisuke Kano and his friend Hirose always seem to be on the wrong end of the fights around school. Hirose is small and picked on, and Taisuke, while he talks a big talk, is a total wimp himself. Still, he’s an admirable guy, sticking up for his friends. The resident heroine, Megu, is a cute tomboyish girl who gives Kano and Hirose a hard time for being goofballs and getting beat up before school. It’s obvious she cares about the two of them, and she falls under the typical shonen…
At Matabi Academy, students are allowed to bring their pet cats to the dorms. For Yumi Hayakawa, whose favorite hobby is making clothes for her kitty Kansuke, Matabi seems like a sure bet. After all, nothing can possibly go wrong with her best friend at her side! But on the first day of school, the two find themselves face-to-face with a murderous demonic minion on campus! Will Yumi and Kansuke be able to defend themselves and their school against an ancient cat demon’s thirst for vengeance? By Yuji Iwahara Publisher: Yen Press Age Rating: Older Teen Genre: Supernatural/Action Price: $10.99 Usually ditzy lead characters like Yumi Hayakawa annoy me to no end, and make me dislike a series greatly. But not in this series. Why? Because Yumi has Kansuke, her no-nonsense, tough as nails cat to constantly berate her and keep her in line. And that’s the charm of this first volume; Yumi and Kansuke’s relationship and how it changes when the demonic forces come into play. When we first meet Yumi, we see how thoughtless and clueless she can be. Riding the train to her new school, she puts Kansuke in her suitcase, and forgets to let him out. …
Juvia and Gray continue to battle as the rival guild continues its assault on Fairy Tail. As the two battle, Gray is impervious to Juvia’s words. But despite their bickering, Gray manages to overcome Juvia’s obstacle and leaves just one of the Elemental 4 for Fairy Tail to take down. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Hiro Mashima Publisher: Kodansha Comics Genre: Action, Fantasy Rating: Teens (13+) Price: $10.99 Meanwhile, Natsu is taking on the best of the Elemental 4. His magic is smooth and efficient whereas Natsu’s is frenetic and disjointed. The face-off doesn’t appear to be an even match at all until other Fairy Tail guild members show up and lend an assist. Still, for their enemy, it just means the task requires more concentration; defeat is not imminent. Unfortunately for Fairy Tail, one of the enemy guild’s members, Gajeel, has Lucy. But Erza has a plan: Unleash the full power of Natsu’s potential. Master Jose plows through minions of Fairy Tail members, all while Gajeel sits and toys with Lucy, who is being held prisoner in shackles linked to a wall. During the fight of Gajeel and Natsu, the duo learn about each other and their powers…
Cosmoralia’s Prince Ithaca is about to wed Princess Lilia of Ayodoya and be crowned Astralta III. The apparently favorable celestial bearings mean he will be no mere monarch but holy king of a new “papacy”. Alas, the peaceful inhabitants of Planet Astria have no clue that they’re next in line for invasion by a ruthless machine force–a threat that seems to metaphorize the inherent perils of politics and desire in this multilayered saga. The tension slowly mounts to an unbearable pitch in this ominous first volume of three. By Keiko Takemiya Publisher: Vertical, Inc. Age Rating: 13+ Genre: Sci-Fi Price: $11.95 Short on action, and long on drama and intrigue, this first volume of Andromeda Stories sets the stage for an epic battle that has become a staple of science fiction: Man vs Machine. Before there was The Terminator, Andromeda Stories was examining the relationship between man and machine, and what it means to be human. Things start out ordinary enough. Princess Lilia, the protagonist of this first volume, prepares to marry Prince Ithaca after he is crowned King Astralta III. After much ceremony and celebration, the couple begins living happily in the palace. Astralta is a good and kind…
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…
After the gripping, eye-opening revelations of the 19th volume of the series, volume 20 has been given the unfortunate task of having to follow all of that up as the series begins to wrap things up. This volume can more or less be considered a set-up volume, as plenty of things are brought to light and loose ends are tied up from the previous volume, but the plot is nigh at a standstill. Originally reviewed by Matthew Rozier By Hiromu Arakawa Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen (13+) Genre: Adventure, Mystery Price: $9.99 The previous volume finally revealed the origins of Hoenheim Elric, and one of the key moments in volume 20 is Alphonse encountering his father in the city Lior. Alphonse finally is able to ask Hoenheim about the mysterious figure lurking beneath Central, and Hoenheim proceeds to tell Alphonse the whole story. Hoenheim also brings up the subject of the “Day of Reckoning.” This “Day of Reckoning” is the major revelation of this volume, though to call it a “revelation” is a bit of a stretch. Not all that much information is actually divulged and readers are left waiting for future volumes to learn more. Edward also learns…
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….