“A Magical Adventure” - The Big Adventures of Majoko (manga) – 8/10 Pumpkin Pies

An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered. ~Gilbert K. Chesterton

Mangaka: Tomomi Mizuna

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Adventure/Supernatural/Mahou Shoujo/Kids

Review Status: Complete (5 Volumes/5 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: It has the shoujo/chibi-ish character designs, but doesn’t rely so much on shades and toning. The color pages are bright and colorful.

Summary: While cleaning her room, a young girl named Nana finds a mysterious diary. As soon as she opens it, out pops Majoko, a rambunctious wizard girl from the Land of Magic! Together, these two girls explore a fantastic world full of magic spells, wondrous creatures, and endless surprises. Every day is a big adventure when Majoko is around! (Udon)

Review: This story hits the ground running and never lets up. From the first page, where Nana is taken to the world of magic, to the last one, there is an adventure every chapter. It’s pretty episodic, with each chapter a different story, but with a few recurring characters. This sets up a great way to see the wonders of the world. It’s created like every child’s dream, from a land of snow and living snowmen, to an orchard that has apples that help you with better grades, to a place where you can buy and sell rainbows.

The various adventures that happen in these places are a mix of the obvious (being ripped off for the apples) to the humorous (having to rebuild a snowman’s face), to the fascinating (needing to borrow monsters for a haunted house). All the stories are pretty funny, and darn cute to boot!

They wouldn’t be half as amusing without the various personalities of the lead characters. Majoko is different from most shoujo leads- she’s the funny man to Nana’s straight one. With a hot temper, a strong mischievous streak, and a penchant for trouble, she really is a quirky and loveable lead. Nana takes a backseat in a lot of the adventures, but is definitely a more level-headed girl. She manages to be dragged along for the fun of it many times. The rest of the group falls more into clichés, such as the spoiled girl who is Majoko’s rival, to the smart guy, but they’re a fun bunch.

The story does fall apart at the end, though, with an unfinished storyline concerning the fate of the magical world. It’s a shame, since it was shaping up to be pretty interesting, and had been a consistent storyline for about a volume before the series ended. The extras almost make up for it, with even more funny moments in it.

Overall, while this did end up falling on a few too many tropes to get a 10, it was still a great adventure story!

Recommended: 6+. There was one chapter where they visited the land of monsters, and they might look a little frightening to younger children.

Other Titles You Might Enjoy:
Happy Happy Clover (manga)
+Anima (manga)

“A Hop In Your Step” – Happy Happy Clover (Manga) – 10/10 Pumpkin Pies

We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves. ~May Lamberton Becker

Mangaka: Sayuri Tatsuyama

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy/Kids/Shoujo

Review Status: Complete (5 Volumes/5 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: There are no complaints from this quarter. The characters are all unique and easily recognizeable, while the panels are easy to follow. There might be average detail on the backgrounds and artwork, but that makes this easy for kids to follow and read.

Summary: Clover the bunny and her fluffy friends are always making mischief in Crescent Forest! Clover makes a new best friend, uncovers the secret of a haunted spring, gets chased by a hungry farmer, and fights a big bad fox! Go, Clover, Go! (back of 1st volume)

Review: If the American show Arthur had a Japanese equivalent, it would be this. It chronicles the adventures (and misadventures) of Clover and her friends as they learn about responsibility, reflect on friendship, and grow up in Crescent Forest.
The problem most children’s … anything… have is that there’s a tendency to be saccharine. This manages to be sweet, but not overpoweringly so.

There are a lot of lighthearted, fun moments, but there is a temperance with more serious themes and stories. Usually there’s no real danger or harm for the animals of the forest, but Rambler, a recurring character, shares that he lost his entire forest and everyone in it. He shares with Clover some of the hardship he goes through as he travels, and deals with survivor’s guilt. Since this is a children’s manga, it isn’t touched on too deeply but is dealt with in a gentle and sensitive way.

This is mainly a story about Clover and her friends, though. Clover’s dream is to join Rambler in his travels, and her growth and change is the lynchpin of many of the stories or is related to others. She and her classmates deal with bad grades, getting lost, forest fires, rumors of curses (usually the misinterpretation of natural phenomena), and more. It’s fun to watch them grow from rambunctious, irresponsible kids to… slightly less rambunctious, but more responsible teens/adults.

They mature emotionally as well as physically, finding love with each other. Some of the additions seem a little last-minute, but I can’t complain too much because of how well it’s all put together.

Overall, this is a wonderful children’s manga that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Recommended: Any. If your child is old enough to read Peter Rabbit or Briar Rabbit, then they can deal with the idea that humans occasionally kill or eat rabbits that’s brought up once. There is also the implication that everyone in Rambler’s forest was killed. Rambler is treated as though he’s cursed by one town, but it’s not done cruelly- they get him food but tell him to move on. Once or twice Clover’s life is ‘endangered’ (but since it’s a children’s manga, there is no actual danger and she’s quite safe). Some Looney-Tunes and other mild cartoon acts of violence occur. The kid’s own actions occasionally get them sick or mildly injured, serving as lessons.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Erin (anime)
Happy Happy Clover (anime)

“Being Schooled” – CLAMP School Detectives (manga) – 6/10 Pumpkin Pies

You send your child to the schoolmaster, but 'tis the schoolboys who educate him. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mangaka: CLAMP

Genre: Comedy/Mystery/Scool/Shoujo/Kids

Review Status: Complete (3 Volumes/3 Volumes)

Licensed: No. It was formerly licensed by Tokyopop but has not been re-released.

Art: This was done in the 90’s, and it shows in the hairstyles and clothing styles. Sometimes they’re downright ugly, and not even CLAMP’s wonderful art style can save it. It’s rarely that bad, though. For the most part, it just looks dated, but isn’t bad. The character designs for the main three guys are virtually identical.

Summary: Welcome to the CLAMP School, Japan’s most prestigious place of learning- home to prodigies, wunderkinds and young geniuses of every make and model. In a world where the average student is smarter than the teachers, how then can the top students challenge their intellects? Why, by creating a detective service, of course! Meet the CLAMP School Detectives: Nokoru Imonoyama, the world’s smartest kid, who can detect a woman in distress from two kilometers awat; Suoh Takamura, a martial arts master who’s cool as ice; Akira Ijyuin, detective by day, master theif by night. Wherever there’s a young lady in distress, they’ll be there. After all, when you’re as smart as they are, you don’t have to study. (Back cover of 1st volume)

Review: The best way to describe this is proto-Ouran. This takes three rich boys, puts them at the service of lovely young ladies, and has fun with it. They proceed to solve very shallow mysteries that highlight how frivolous both they and everyone in the school is. They find missing peacocks, discover the owner of a silk stocking, and the like. None of the mysteries end up being very interesting, or even really mysteries.

The characters aren’t really that interesting, either. They’re as one-dimensional as pancakes, with very few defining characteristics. Two of them I couldn’t tell apart except for one’s love of cooking! The virtually identical character designs don’t help. It almost seems pointless to have those traits in some situations, since at times they show that they have the same skills at the others. You never get any background on one of them, making him perhaps the least important or memorable of the three. This might have been better off as a story about one character rather than three, in order for him to make some impression on the reader.

However, uninteresting doesn’t mean bad. The situations and jokes can make you chuckle at times. They bring this from an average to a slightly above average manga, even if it utterly fails to be a memorable one.

Overall, this would be great for younger girls that aren’t ready for Ouran’s awesomeness and PG-13 rating, but if you’re older, you should just go straight to Ouran.

Recommended: Any. There’s no language, no nudity, no violence except for some things you’d find in Saturday morning cartoons…

Other titles you might enjoy:
Ouran Host Club (anime and manga)
Arisu (manga)
Detective Conan (anime and manga)
Detective Academy Q (anime and manga)
Sket Dance (anime and manga)

“Fight On” - Megaman NT Warrior – 7/10 Black Cats

Tell me what company thou keepst, and I'll tell thee what thou art. ~Miguel de Cervantes

Mangaka: Ryo Takamisaki

Genre: Action/Mecha/Sci-fi/Shounen/Kids

Review Status: Complete (13 Volumes/13 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: If you’re familiar with the Megaman franchise, then these will look very familiar. If you’re not, then there isn’t a lot that’s going to stand out. I’m vaguely familiar with it, and still managed to mix up characters on occasion.

Summary: The year is 200X and everyone is now connected to the Cyber Network. People carry their own PET (Personal Terminal) and are paired up with an artificial intelligence program called a NetNavi (or NetNavigator). Computers have turned the world into a bright and shiny utopia but there's always trouble in paradise. While the invention of the PET and NetNavis has brought great benefits to the world, computer hacking, virus spreading and other high-tech crimes are becoming a major problem. A sinister organization by the name of World Three has appeared and they've vowed to destroy this technological wonderland. Enter our young hero, Lan Hikari, an intensely curious and cheerful fifth grader. Synchronized with his NetNavigator, MegaMan, he becomes a super-charged dynamo. In and out of the Net, Lan and MegaMan do their best to thwart World Three's never-ending quest to take over the world! (Amazon.com summary)

Review: First off, I want to clarify that the score on top is scoring it as a children’s manga, and how good it is for that age bracket. I would give it a seven because it’s a very typical story, with characters that could be ripped from any storyline from the same age bracket. Lan and Megaman are both upbeat and determined, who fight for their friends and refuse to fight against them. They’re always willing to risk themselves from others. His friends aren’t any better off, nor are his opponents, except for Blaze, who is the sole character that shows actual depth, though it’s not explored since this is an action manga.

The story also doesn’t stand out too much from others like Digimon or the like. He encounters low-level thugs, gets stronger, finds out there’s high-level thugs that he needs to defeat to save the cyberworld, gets stronger and defeats them, and finally saves the world. It would be more effective and moving if there was actual characterization, but for a kid’s story, it’s pretty solid and I can’t make many complaints- except for one.

The major drawback is that this is so shallow that the two girls (Roll and her NaviOp) that get more than one appearance suffer from ‘Daphne syndrome’. They exist only to be saved/protected/be a general burden and distraction. This ends up being both confusing and frustrating when Roll is brought to an ‘ultimate level’ alongside other super-strong Navi’s, must be saved, and then is completely forgotten about plot-wise.

As an adult reading this manga, I have to score it a 5/10, possibly lower. There were some genuinely funny moments, rare as they were, and the story is somewhat solid, but this has flaws out the wazoo. I would never want to live in this world since the security of the network is so poor that in the space of a few days (once a volume for about 5 volumes straight) the appliances in houses explode and start fires. Apparently, the terrorists have nothing better to do than burn down a small city. Fighting online is illegal without a license, but PETs are sold with the ability instead of the stuff to block it that they put in Lan’s PET at one point in the manga. And of course, the ability to synchronize NetNavis with NetOps without any sort of machinery or technological link to facilitate it- which comes off as realistic as me being able to synch with my Pokemon game while holding a Nintendo DS. It just isn’t going to happen.

To top it off was, of course, the ever-present ‘Daphne syndrome’, which was old by the second volume. Please note that none of the major players were female in this story. I found it to be sexist and discriminatory and definitely brought down my rating a notch or two.

Overall, while it’s an okay children’s manga, it has a few too many issues to really be enjoyed by an adult.

Recommended: 5+. This has no language, no fanservice of any kind, cartoon violence (except for one scene where they show the hand of someone who had been crushed). If your kid can handle that, then they're good to go.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Dennou Coil (anime)
½ Prince (manga)
Real Drive (anime)
.hack//Sign (anime)
Digimon Adventure: War Game (anime)
Summer Wars (anime)
Angelic Layer (anime)
Yureka (manga)

“Being Free” – Beast Player Erin (anime) – 10/10 Flowers

In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony. ~Eva Burrows quotes

Genre: Fantasy/Drama

Review Status: Complete (50 Episodes/50 Episodes)

Licensed: Yes, this anime is licensed in the US. It's only availible for streaming on Crunchyroll.

Art/Animation: The OP and ED are bright and colorful, with unusual and stylized art and animation. The art through the series uses bright colors, and is simple but effective and well-done. The animation is consistently high-quality.

Summary: Erin is a young girl who lives with her mother in a village which raises war-lizards, called Touda. We see her daily life, which changes as she grows up. Meanwhile, there is growing tension between the two provinces of the country she lives in. (MAL.net)

Review: When I first heard that this was written by the same person who wrote Seirei no Moribito, I knew that I would be in for a fabulous story. I was not disappointed. At first, this series appears like it’s mainly for children. You have a sweet, upbeat heroine, a fairly typical ‘impending war’ scenario…. But you quickly realize that still waters run deep. People are really getting hurt and dying. Politics aren’t as simple as they appear, with double-dealing and backstabbing and double-agents. And in her little village, Erin and her mother face racism and the inherent fear of being different.

I am astounded at how beautifully and well this was written and made. It’s really Miyazaki made for TV (except Miyazaki drew the line at obnoxiously irritating comedic relief. This is for an age set even younger than Miyazaki, as amazing as that seems). The story flows well and builds on itself. The pacing of every episode seems very deliberate, with one filler episode and two recaps episodes out of 50. The rest are used to build the characters, the world, and move the plot forward. The story is surprisingly complex, with a wide cast of characters and political incidents that are happening, but it’s never hard to follow since it has the basic formula of someone trying to take over the throne.

It’s the incidental happenings, such as the Seh-Zan (the world’s version of the secret service) having internal fights over what’s happening, Erin needing to show why breeding the world’s animals a certain way is better for everyone, the love between two rulers-to-be, that give the story richness and depth. Very few side-plots are left hanging by the end of this story, even though there are enough to make one’s head spin if I mentioned them all. It would also seem unlikely that they could be dealt with in a way that was easy to understand and follow, but they are.

A story like this is nothing without the characters. Erin herself stands as a wonderful character and role model. She faces the loss of loved ones, lessons on how life isn’t necessarily fair, but through it all keeps a strong face. This is no Disney show. There is the death of someone near and dear to Erin within the first ten episodes, and it’s not a kind one though it is in no way graphic. You see her deal with grief in a very realistic, sympathetic manner. It tempers her and makes her stronger in her determination and dreams than ever before. And even when she does make a mistake- a very permanent, painful one- she acknowledges that she was at fault and learns from it.

The rest of the characters are fleshed out almost as deeply as Erin, and if not, definitely play a role in filling out the story and Erin’s character. The villagers from her youth are excellent at showing both sides of mercy and intolerance. While there is never full acceptance of Erin and her mother, some villagers are tolerant of them. Some could even consider themselves Erin’s friends. You also have the ones that show intolerance and anger when things go wrong, and see how quick some of them are to change their attitude towards them. Erin’s mother is also a wonderful character. You see how she hides or shields Erin from the worst of the treatment, yet when Erin does question some things Soyon never fails to explain it without anger in a way that is mature and easy for Erin to understand. Soyon’s wisdom and teachings stay with Erin her whole life.

When you have the time-skip from Erin’s youth to young womanhood, you find other characters that are just as interesting, from Iaru the Seh-Zan that doesn’t know which side he’s fighting for, and must face his own mentor in a battle to figure out what’s right, to many others that bring life to the story. While not all the characters are fleshed-out well, they all have recognizable, distinct, and are not cookie-cutter people. This statement does have two exceptions- Nukku and Mooku, the bumbling villains-turned-good-guys that are constant background characters/companions to our young heroine. If there ever were two stereotypical characters, these would be it. Thankfully, they are relegated to the background except in one episode that they have to spotlight on them.

The characters and story combine to create a show that us undeniably an interesting watch. The world itself is clearly defined, with two opposing factions vying for power, potential rivalries within the kingdom, soldiers that are tired of war… and Erin herself becomes key to preventing a horrible tragedy that happened once before, years ago, and may repeat with horrific results. While the ending may seems somewhat rushed to some, it was still a good one.

This was a joy to watch, and I hope that at some point they decide to put this to DVD. I would be hard-pressed to think of any voice actors who could match the wonderful jobs the Japanese Seiyuu did with the characters, though. The only issue I had was with the translation job that the company streaming it did- one of the animals is a female, this is mentioned within the show, yet the subs would refer to her as ‘he’ or ‘him’. Sometimes they would use both genders in referring to the animal, one right after another! This inconsistency was very irritating.

Overall, this is a great show for the whole family.

Recommended: Yes. 5+, or whatever age you think can handle the idea of someone being disabled (not graphically), and non-graphic death. There are also perhaps one or two instances of the d-word being used, though it is when someone is being gravely injured. There is some sword fighting, and very little blood is shown.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Seirei no Moribito (anime)
Princess Mononoke (anime)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (anime or manga)
Planetes (anime or manga)
Monster (anime or manga)
Dennou Coil (anime)
Summer Wars (anime)
Macross Frontier (anime)

"No Place Like Home" - Tarepanda Goes On An Adventure! (manga)- 10/10 Turkeys

The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure. ~Joseph Campbell

Genre: Fantasy/ Comedy

Review Status: Complete (1 Chapter/ 1 Chapter)

Licensed: Unlicensed in the US

Art/Animation: Nice, clear, cute. Bright colors and easy to follow and understand. There's very little dialogue- it's mostly pictures.

Summary: Cute little Tarepanda one days wants to go on an adventure. But, after a few bad turns, he realizes he misses home. (MAL.net)

Review: Well, this was an adorable one-shot. A little stuffed panda decided that he should go on a walk, gets lost, and has a little adventure of his own, before finding his way back home. Along the way he comes across many things- from artists painting in a park, homeless in the streets, kittens waiting to be adopted. He also goes through many things, from being hit with a soccer ball, to falling off a cliff into the ocean, being sold at a fish market. Tarepanda often depends on the help of humans to get from one place to another, and sees many things in the city. But with everything Tarepanda goes through, Tarepanda finds that adventuring can be exhausting, and gets some help to do so. And in the end, there really is no place like home!

Recommended: Any age. It's cute and easy to understand, and nothing offensive.

Other titles you might enjoy: Cowa! (manga)
Aria (manga or anime)
Yotsuba&! (manga)

"It's All Fun And Games Until Somebody Gets The Monster Flu" - Cowa! (Manga) - 7/10 Sugar Cubes

There are very few monsters who warrant the fear we have of them. ~Andre Gide

Genre: Supernatural/ Comedy/ Drama

Review Status: Full (1 Volume/ 1 Volume)

Licensed: Licensed in the US

Art: Simple but effective. You have decent-looking characters and backgrounds, which maks it easier for kids to read.

Summary:A contagious Monster Flu is spreading around town like wildfire. Can the town's troublemaker, a half-vampire, half-werekoala and his friends get the medicine in time to save everyone?! Paifu, a half-vampire half-werekoala, is always getting into trouble with his best buddy, José the ghost. But when the Monster Flu sweeps through town, the fun and games are over. If the sick monsters don't get the medicine they need in a month, everyone will die! With all the adults sick, it's up to the boys to get the medicine and save the day! Paifu and José are off on a big adventure, but will they get the medicine in time...or will they become victims themselves?!

Review: This was adorable. It was short, had a simple storyline, was easy to follow, and would definitely appeal to the younger set. This story is rife with things that kids will eat up- jokes about farting, 'bravery tests' where the monsters are afraid of the humans, character interactions that they'll understand (seriously, have you ever seen to little kids fighting over who gets the front seat? Yep, that and more).

There's not much to tell- you see that some of the monsters aren't very nice, some of the humans aren't very nice. But there are good people of both kinds. There's lots of comedic violence- bad guys getting knocked out, etc., but not too much considering how short this series is. It's most definately not all about the fighting. There's also many misadventures along the way to get the medicine, like wrecking a car and having to deal with a monster at the base of the mountain that will kill you.

But overall, this shows kids being kids, however weird they might be. And that's the charm that this series holds.

Overall, this is a cute series for the younger ones.

Recommended: Sure, if you have younger brothers or sisters around the house. 5 and up.

Other series you might like:
Chibi Vampire (manga),
Kamichu! (manga and anime),
Ghost Hunt (manga)
Natsume's Book of Friends (anime and manga)
Bizenghast (manga)