After my rave (possibly raving) review of Kimi ni Todoke, I was excited to pick up the second volume in the growing series. We venture on our way with our extremely shy heroine Sawako (who constantly gets teased and mistreated because she looks like the girl Sadako from The Ring) as she continues to clumsily maneuver through social situations she doesn’t fully comprehend. Her awkwardness causes more than a few problems for her in this volume, which focuses on two of the background characters from last edition – Yano and Yoshida, girls in Sawako’s class that become friends with her. Due to a misunderstanding, rumors start flying around the school about the pair of brash, confident friends, and Sawako is at the center of it all.She of course, in her simple way, has to make things right, which provides most of the drama of the volume. By Karuho Shiina Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $9.99 In a wonderful way, Sawako’s appeal as a manga heroine stems partially from her social anxiety and awkwardness, which I feel is something that many people can relate to. I wasn’t necessarily socially inept in my formative years, but I do…
On with the shojo parade, this week with the intensely wonderful first volume of Kimi ni Todoke. There, I’ve said it. If you were looking for a diss, go ahead and pass on my review. You won’t find anything of the sort here. By Karuho Shiina Publisher: Viz Media Age Rating: Teen Genre: Romance Price: $8.99 The main character, Sawako, is a girl who, despite her gentle, friendly demeanor, looks a bit like Sadako, the evil ghost from Ringu (or The Ring as we know it here in the States) and is the victim of some pretty mean rumors. If you believe her classmates, she can summon ghosts to haunt you, and if you look into her eyes for longer than three seconds, you’ll be cursed. Or at least, that’s what the kids say. It isn’t until Kazehaya, the nice-guy heart-throb of the school starts talking to Sawako that things turn around for her, and she starts airing out her inverted personality to new people. It’s a story of positive change that surrounds a misunderstood, painfully shy girl who not only finds friends, but also a bit of romance. If I’m gushing, slap me. Well, not too hard. Kimi ni…
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…
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…
Miel is a bit out of sorts with the rest of her family. Unlike them, she isn’t really interested in developing her magical powers, which are quite common in Savarin, the kingdom she lives in. As a member of the Violette family, which had been employed as sorcerers in the palace as recently as a couple of generations ago. Originally reviewed by Dan Polley By Natsuna Kawase Publisher: CMX Genre: Fantasy/Romance Rating: Everyone Price: $9.99 It’s under those conditions that Miel brews while taking a walk. And she absent-mindedly lets go of her purse. And it ends up hitting a boy, who was out walking just up the street, right in the head. She apologies and tries to make it up to the boy, who happens to have the same popular nickname — Radi — as the prince, by taking him out to lunch. The guy seems to think Miel is trying to pick him up, and they appear to be on different pages. The two seem to bond quickly. Radi gently tries to glide Miel to understand the path of magic and to help her want to learn, even while Miel doesn’t realize that he is doing this. And…
Rosemarie is content with life in the humble kingdom of Ardela. But Mache, her brother, believes they need to align with the bigger and wealthier nation of Yurinela so he promises her hand in marriage to Reynol, Yurinela’s mysterious young Prince. Not a girl to just go along with such an arrangement, Rosemarie decides to get a peek at this Prince and maybe sabotage the wedding plans while she’s at it. Assuming the identity of “Marie,” she shows up at the Prince’s castle as a maid and begins her role as a spy. But could it turn out that Reynol is not the ogre she imagined? By Natsuna Kawase Publisher: CMX Age Rating: Everyone Genre: Romance/Fantasy Price: $9.99 A strong female lead is a great way to pull me into a story, but add interesting supporting characters, and a premise that’s simple but layered, and you’ve got me hooked! A Tale of an Unknown Country does all of this, creating a fun read. I love reading stories with strong female characters, and Rosemarie, Princess of the small, relatively poor country of Ardela is exactly that. She isn’t your average princess. Outspoken and impulsive, Rosemarie doesn’t take the announcement of her…
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…
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…
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,…