“Reflection Of Me” – The One I Love (manga) – 9/10 Snowballs

There is no remedy for love but to love more. ~Henry David Thoreau

Mangaka: CLAMP

Genre: Romance

Review Status: Complete (1 Volume/1 Volume)

Licensed: Formerly licensed by Tokyopop.

Art: The stories were all authored be each of the members, 3 to a member, which means that the ones drawn by the same mangaka will look the same while the ones between members all look quite different. Some of their work will look quite familiar to readers of their other series, some will look quite a bit different. This is an older manga, so the clothing and hair is noticeably dated, but otherwise looks very good.

Summary: Combining CLAMP’s legendary storytelling, color artwork and elegant prose, The One I Love provides insight into the creators’ intimate lives and passions. This unique and romantic 12-story anthology dives into the heard of the matter of the insecurity and honesty, marriage and independence, and, of course, the single subject CLAMP seems to know best: Love. (back cover)

Review: This is one of the more memorable manga I know that speaks on the myriad of things that goes on when a girl’s in love. Jealousy, anxiety about marriage, age differences… all make an appearance here. It’s astounding how true to life these stories are, touching on things that I know I have felt, and even making the jump from anxieties women feel to ones that both genders do. With each story is a short story from the mangaka that drew it, telling the story that inspired the tale.

With 12 different stories in a very slim volume, there’s no character development or deep insight into what’s going on- it’s not that kind of manga. It’s one that every girl and woman that’s ever been in love can read and immediately step into the shoes of the characters. These are common experiences, and the relatability and how true they all ring make this something special. The stories that are inspiration are both funny and often insightful, which makes everything come alive in a way that exceeds how it was before.

Overall, this is for anyone who likes a little romance.

Recommended: All ages. There’s really nothing that objectionable in here.

Other titles you might enjoy:
NG Life (manga)
NANA (anime and manga)
Emma: A Victorian Romance (anime and manga)

“The Dance Of A Lifetime” – Swan (manga) – 9/10 Snowballs

Ballet is a dance executed by the human soul. ~Alexander Pushkin

Mangaka: Kyoko Ariyoshi

Genre: Drama/Romance/Shoujo

Review Status: Incomplete (8 Volumes/21 Volumes) *Note- CMX only published 15 of the 21 volumes before folding, and there are no scanlations of the series.

Licensed: Formerly licensed by CMX manga.

Art: While this does have some strange holdovers of styles from the 70’s, this is classic shoujo art that manages to be straight-up beautiful most of the time. The usual sparkles-and-flowers that fill the pages of a lot of modern shoujo have never worked better than in this manga about ballet, where such things are a part of the stage and scenery. The mangaka also has a wonderful sense of motion and movement in her art that makes the scenes easy to visualize, which is especially important when creating a story where that’s so central to the plot. The realistic character designs convey the look of dancers on the stage beautifully.

Summary: Swan is the story of Masumi, a young girl from a rural Japanese town, who dreams of becoming a prima ballerina. She is picked to take part in a national ballet competition but realizes that although she has the passion and talent to be a great dancer, her training lags behind that of her peers. During the competition and the subsequent professional lessons, she fights to improve her abilities and achieve her dreams. (Amazon.com)

Review: Manga is something that is often subject to the changing styles and interests of the times. The art people like to look at changes, the things that society views as important changes, what people enjoy changes. What’s wonderful about this manga is that it manages to make a story that can withstand most of these things and create a story that’s still moving and engaging, much like Tezuka’s work still manages to be relevant and- above all- good.

This does show its age. The girls head out to a disco one night. They train in the USSR-named countries (though in the post-Cold War translation keeps the Cold War names of cities), 70’s fashions abound, but those aren’t intrusive or detrimental to the story at all.

Swan keeps is focus on one place only- the story of Masumi, a burgeoning ballet dancer who wants nothing more than to dance with the greats. With nothing but raw talent, she manages to make her way into some of the toughest ballet competitions in the world. Nothing is as easy as it appears, though. Her talent isn’t enough to win. She must train and study and work for hours on end, sacrificing time with friends and learning about herself and the characters she must portray on stage. It shows some of the most brutal things that ballet dancers go through. Becoming one is hard work and can destroy anyone who isn’t going to commit themselves 100%.

Masumi struggles with it herself. She doesn’t always win, she falls to competitive pressure, and it hits her hard when her friends find themselves in situations. Watching her grow as a character is fun and often touching. Her own growth is set off by and aided by a large and varied cast of characters that are as complex characters as Masumi herself. Things aren’t beds of roses for them, but they manage to pull through situations all the better for it. The nice thing is that these characters aren’t used as mere plot devices, to be seen once and never again. Often they are recurring characters that Masumi meets time and again, who grow and change themselves.

While this can get a little melodramatic, it doesn’t always detract from the manga. It’s about ballet, something that’s often seen as something that is melodramatic in and of itself. Swan keeps the struggles and issues of the characters pretty realistic to what real dancers go through. And the actual ballets can be gorgeously depicted. This has a charm and a strong story that manages to overcome any issues that come with being almost 40 years old.

Overall, this is one of the best shoujo manga around, and definitely worth a read if you like Princess Tutu or a good story.

Recommended: 11 and up. The ballet world isn’t always a nice one- there’s fierce competition, and when one dancer is injured in a way that might end her career permanently, she attempts suicide.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Glass Mask (anime and manga)
Cat Street (manga)
Princess Tutu (anime)

“White World Around Us” – Shirahime-Syo (manga) – 6/10 Pumpkin Pies

Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind. ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Historical

Review Status: Complete (1 Volume/1 Volume)

Licensed: No, this manga was formerly licensed by Tokyopop.

Art: This is pretty early CLAMP, with a familiar art style, but this looks like it was done all in ink paintings, which is very fitting for the setting of the story and adds an elegance to it that is quite enchanting.

Summary: Legends say that when it snows, it is because the snow princess is crying. From CLAMP, creators of Chobits and Cardcaptor Sakura, comes a collection of five tragic tales, all connected by the bond of snow. (back cover)

Review: This is where CLAMP decides to depart from their usual stories, and delves into a tribute to Japanese legends, giving them the traditional look and feel of folk tales you would hear growing up. The description is slightly misleading. There aren’t five tales- there are three, which are bookended by one story that isn’t really a story- it’s just some exposition and a moral. The exposition is nice, giving the introduction into tales of the Snow Princess and those who live in her domain.

The three tales start off with the weakest and end with the strongest. The first story- about a girl who sets out for revenge against a wolf- has some good atmosphere and character development, but fails to be that gripping or sorrowful. There is only a tenuous connection to the Snow Princess, which gives the last line a very out-of-place feeling that does nothing for the mood that it had built until then. The second, telling of two lovers who meet thirty years later- is definitely stronger and more tragic. A promise to never change is taken to quite an extreme, and makes it more poignant. The connection of the Snow Princess flows far better in this one. The third and best story of the three is where a man witnesses great love and is the instigator of great tragedy. This one does far better in connecting with the Snow Princess than the other two, and it’s downright tragic and beautiful. It’s unfortunate that the moralizing statement at the end of it has no bearing on what was happening in those stories and ruins the mood of the last tale.

With such a fuss made over the snow and the Snow Princess, I had expected more of this to be about her- instead, she acts as a side character in less than half of the volume. Even with that, the tales are still decent and have some deeply moving parts. When taken as it is, it’s a decent anthology of short stories.

Overall, while this would not be worth buying just to read it, this made a slightly better-than-average tragedy.

Recommended: 13+. This deals with themes of suicide and death. A few animals are shot, but there is only blood and no gore. Other than that, this is clean.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (manga)
Nobody Can Hear Me But You (manga)
Solanin (manga)

“May God Protect You” – Kamichama Karin (manga) – 7/10 Pumpkin Pies

The feeling remains that God is on the journey, too. ~Teresa of Avila

Mangaka: Koge-Donbo

Genre: Action/Comedy/Romance/Supernatural/Mahou Shoujo/Shoujo

Review Status: Complete (7 Volumes/7 Volumes)

Licensed: No. It was formerly licensed by Tokyopop.

Art: This has a very distinct chibi-like style for everyone. They’re all amazingly adorable. It’s also great that all the characters are very distinct. It’s very shoujo with almost no backgrounds and lots of toning in the backgrounds.

Summary: Karin is an average girl… at best. She’s not good at sports and gets terrible grades. On top of all that, her parents are dead and her beloved cat Shi-chan just died, too. She is miserable… but everything is about to change. Little does Karin know that her mother’s ring has the power to make her a goddess! (back cover of 1st volume)

Review: Meet Karin, your typical shoujo protagonist. She’s clumsy, she’s rather dumb, and she discovers that she has powers that she never dreamed of. Then things get good. The group of friends she falls in with- and ends up living with and fighting against- are unique in their humor and personalities, from the somewhat sexist, afraid-of-bugs buy Kazune, to the sweet bug-loving Himeka, and the not-really-evil Kirika. The way they interact and the hijinks they get into feel fresh and interesting, so different from the humor you usually find in these series.

Of course, life is not all roses and one-liners. Karin and her friends are fighting against a group that wants nothing more than to destroy them and get at Himeka. Their powers are that of the Greek Gods, borrowed from the Divine so that they can protect those that they love. The fights are simple and don’t last long, though the effects linger into their normal lives. Things ramp up around volume 5, where the stakes are raised and secrets are revealed.

This would have been a fine series if it had followed their daily lives and the occasional fights, because those moments are always hilarious. There are an incredible number of lines that set me off laughing out loud, and situations that were just as funny. They made the series shine. It was when everything tried to tie up that it started to fall apart into some poorly-done clichés and other things that didn’t seem to fit. Characters were forgotten about, plot threads were left dangling, and the status quo was maintained for characters and romances.

The first half of the series was definitely worth reading. It’s one of the best Mahou Shoujo series I’ve read and seen in that regard, and I could not be more thrilled with it. The second half... not so much. Definitely read it if you’re a completist, otherwise just drop it.

Overall, this is a hilarious, adorable series that deserved a better ending than it got.

Recommended: 8+. There’s no language, the humor is spot-on and clean, there’s no fanservice (though at one point, Karin accidentally ends up in the guy’s bath- towels are on!), and there is some suggestive humor in one of the extra stories. Comedic violence, nothing you wouldn’t see in a Looney Tunes cartoon or in a Disney movie.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Sailor Moon (anime and manga)
Pita-Ten (anime and manga)
Card Captor Sakura (anime)
Shugo Chara (anime and manga)

“Is There A Doctor In The House?” – Black Jack (manga) – 9/10 Pumpkin Pies

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ~Maria Robinson

Mangaka: Osamu Tezuka

Genre: Action/Drama/Medical/Shounen

Review Status: Incomplete (9 Volumes/17 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US.

Art: This is Tezuka- very cartoonish, with round faces and exaggerated expressions. He will throw in visual gags with the panels or in faces, or even in background items. It’s easy to read and follow. The actual medical art is fairly detailed and anatomically accurate.

Summary: Black Jack is an "unregistered" doctor with a clouded, mysterious past. He works with his little assistant Pinoko (who has a massive crush on the doctor), dealing with medical cases not very well known, which can be strange, dangerous, or not known at all. But he is a genius, and can save almost any of his patients' lives (as long as they have the money for it, that is), and is known to many around the world, especially to those of medicine and science. He's a man of science himself, and does not believe much until he has seen it, yet it is many times he is surprised by love and nature often overpowering the science he bases his life in. (ANN.com)

Review: Black Jack- a man both sunned and reviled for his apparent unrivaled greed and lack of a license, yet admired for his God-like prowess with surgical tools, saving lives like nobody’s business, holding to a moral compass that’s nigh inscrutable and dealing out justice where he deems fit. He is part cowboy and vigilante in his dealings. Yet even with his skills, he cannot save everyone, either because it simply is their time or his patients have no desire to keep going, or even unfortunate accidents that prevent his cases from surviving. Each loss hurts him deeply, and fuels his need to be the best and keep working and to keep people alive.

This manga is more of an anthology of Black Jack’s cases. There is no particular running storyline, with Pinoko, the young teratoma-cum-girl the only thing that gives it any sense of time. Each volume seems to have a theme to it, one containing stories that mostly deal with how Black Jack is shunned by society, another that has various stories dealing with the will to live, and the thematic elements give it something interesting since Tezuka manages to deal with them in so many different ways.

Not only are the stories wonderfully created, with Tezuka dealing with morality and even the occasional theological question in captivating stories, but the characters manage to pull it off well. I admit to having no fondness for Pinoko, the often-annoying comedic relief, but Black Jack himself a man with many sides to him. His greed is tempered by his kindness, often receiving his ‘payment’ in forms that allow his poorer patients to breathe a sigh of relief. Those who are corrupt or evil will often find themselves at the mercy of some trickery or deception that leaves them in unfortunate predicaments.

Even when the stories focus on those he treats, there is often something compelling to their stories and their desperation. It’s easy to see why they are acting the way they do, and how Black Jack comes off to them- why he has the heartless reputation he does.

The only thing that irks me the slightest bit is how Black Jack is supposedly an unknown doctor except to the richest and most desperate. In virtually every story, though, somebody knows who he is, which flies in the face of that.

Overall, this is a fascinating medical drama that manages to show all the nuances of life, even in the face of death.

Recommended: 13+. There’s about one d-word per volume, and in the nine volumes I read, only three instances of any other language. No f-bombs. Patients do die, from old men to children. This deals with death in all its forms, from execution to suicide to congenital defects and diseases. The manga also holds a lot of medical information and procedures. Surgery of all sorts is performed, but is no more gruesome than a medical textbook. There is violence occasionally, with people being shot, crushed underneath beams, bitten by animals… if it can hurt you, it will appear in here.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Ode to Kirihito (manga)
Team Medical Dragon (manga)
Monster (anime and manga)

“Isn’t She a Doll?” – Dolls (manga) – 6/10 Pumpkin Pies

Yet for better or worse we love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colors and the sheen that call to mind the past that made them. ~Junichiro Tanizaki

Mangaka: Yumiko Kawahara

Genre: Drama/Fantasy/Psychological/Shoujo

Review Status: Complete (4 Volumes/4 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US.

Art: This has some lovely art, with lots of details and frills. It’s very shoujo in appearance, with lots of toning and shading.

Summary: Dolls are living plant life forms that look like beautiful women which can be purchased at a special shop for the right price. But be careful what you wish for. Set in an upside-down world combining a murky mix of science fiction, reality and moral ambiguity, Yumiko Kawahara's short stories examine the ineffable disparities that exist between the lover and the loved one. (Viz)

Review: Dolls choose who they belong to, and while the owners are charged incredibly large fees, they find themselves drawn- and sometimes repulsed- by the plants that behave as if they are alive. There are a number of different scenarios that occur, from discovering what happens when a Doll ages, to attempting to find a replacement for a dead child, to a Doll becoming the last will of a yakuza boss.

What this tries to do is get inside the minds of those people who are affected by them, the scenarios that occur when the Dolls are brought into their lives. However, most of the time the stories are completely unmemorable. They are too short to really get into any psychological fears or darkness, not only in number of pages but all the stories are stand-alone. There were a few that seemed to just start doing some wonderful things but were cut short due to time.

That’s not to say they were bad, just boring. A few of these did manage to stand above the crowd, though, such as that of the girl who told fortunes, and the man who was thought to be turning into a tree. Unfortunately, it was only when the story mainly focused on human characters and had the Dolls as a plot device that they were intriguing. Most of the ones that focused on the Dolls themselves fell short of being anything above average.

Overall, while this does present an interesting scenario, Petshop of Horrors did the psychological aspect far better.

Recommended: 12+. There’s virtually no language, no nudity, and no violence that I can recall. This does deal with some darker themes, such as the loss of loved ones.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Petshop of Horrors (manga)
Rozen Maiden (manga)

“Calling Out To You” – Voices of a Distant Star (manga) - 6/10 Pumpkin Pies

Absence diminishes small loves and increases great ones, as the wind blows out the candle and blows up the bonfire. ~Francois de la Rouchefoucauld

Mangaka: Makoto Shinkai and Sumomo Yumeka

Genre: Romance/Sci-fi/Drama/Mecha

Review Status: Complete (1 Volume/1 Volumes)

Licensed: No. this manga is not licensed in the US currently, but it was formerly licensed by Tokyopop.

Art: Light and sketch-like. There really isn’t solid shading, it’s mostly in shades of gray and done lightly. The character designs and layout are pretty solid and true to the anime.

Summary: To what distance would you go for your one true love? In the midst of an alien invasion, Mikako joins the resistance, leaving behind the one young man she loves. As she goes deeper into space, Mikako's only connection with her boyfriend is through cell-phone text messages. The war rages on and years pass, but Mikako barely ages in the timelessness of space while Noboru grows old. How can the love of two people, torn apart by war, survive? (Tokyopop)

Review: There are a few things that make a manga. One is the art and whether you can stand to look at it. The other two are the story and the characters, which combine to make something enjoyable. This manga mixed them in a way that leaves me with confused feelings.

On one hand, the characters and sentimentality this manga evokes are strong and moving. This manages to capture the longing for a loved one, impossibly far away, in a way that really speaks to anyone who has had to be far away from their own family and loved ones. Being away from them is hard in the first place- being away from them for years at a time, rarely in contact, and not knowing when you’ll ever see or speak to them is something else.

What mars that wonderful feeling of longing that is so exquisite in its presentation is the whole premise. People are randomly selected to be pilots of very large, expensive machines. The idea that any government, no matter how desperate, would throw people at random into these machines and then send them into a war zone is completely unbelievable. There’s no sign that there is some sort of shortage of people who are over the age of 18 and are smart, intelligent, and able to be pressed into service if it’s that desperately needed- one need only take a look at how Israel manages its army to see that it can and is done. However, it’s just taken as a matter of course for this lottery to exist.

Unfortunately, this means a lot of the feelings and sorrow I had were constantly interrupted by the thought that no government would ever do such a thing and made the whole storyline stupid and ridiculous.

Overall, suspension of disbelief is necessary to create a world that the reader can get lost in, and that failed hard in that respect, which ruined the emotion that the manga had.

Recommended: 10+. There are brief mentions of death- there is a war going on- but there is no language, no fanservice, and the worst there is in terms of gore are the burn scars on a victim of the attacks.

Other titles you might enjoy:
5 Centimeters Per Second (anime)
The Place Promised In Our Early Days (anime)
Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below (anime)
Saikano (anime)
Ef- A Tale Of Memories/A Tale of Melodies (anime)
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (anime)

“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)

“Otaku Inside Me” – Genshiken (manga) – 9/10 Pumpkin Pies

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. ~T. E. Lawrence

Mangaka: Kio Shimoku

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Parody/Slice-of-Life

Review Status: Complete (9 Volumes/9 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: It looks quite nice and professional. The characters are easily recognizable, they look good, the panels are clean and easy to follow… no complaints from this quarter!

Summary: It's the spring of freshman year, and Kanji Sasahara is in a quandary. Should he fulfill his long-cherished dream of joining an otaku club? Saki Kasukabe also faces a dilemma. Can she ever turn her boyfriend, anime fanboy Kousaka, into a normal guy? Kanji triumphs where Saki fails, when both Kanji and Kousaka sign up for Genshiken: The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.

Undeterred, Saki chases Kousaka through the various activities of the club, from costume-playing and comic conventions to video gaming and collecting anime figures--learning more than she ever wanted to about the humorous world of the Japanese fan . . . (Del Rey)

Review: Genshiken is a manga that both makes fun of otaku culture, at the same time it celebrates it. It’s as far from Lucky Star as you can get in tone and approach to it all, which will be great for some and not for others. The way it’s done enriches and deepens the story without making it cheesy or melodramatic- something that’s hard to do.

On the surface, this is about a bunch of guys that love anything ecchi and perverted, raiding the local comicfests for stuff that they can whack off to, while anime and manga references happen a few times a chapter (some I can pick up on, others are a little more obscure). What kept me reading was that as it went on, it got deeper, more complicated, and wonderfully realistic. A girlfriend joins to keep an eye on her brother, and the quirks and frustrations in her relationship with her boyfriend become great fodder for jokes and a great story that fits in with the rest of the club’s. More girls join, with diverse interests, from the cosplay fantatic, to the manga club reject, to the girl who’s just there to see if she can win the boyfriend.

This creates interesting dynamics in the club and between individual members. Relationships develop naturally, involving unrequited love and stubborn confessors. They find ways to work with each other to get projects and events done- something that requires work on their ends and sometimes isn’t the best. While they grow into working with each other, they also grow up. Members move on, get jobs, and disappear from the manga except for occasional mentions while others take their place. Each new ‘generation’ of Genshiken members brings something to the table, and the evolution from porn club to doujin-making club to cosplay club is both interesting and doesn’t seem forced. The club was a mishmash of things otaku to begin with, and so each evolution brings a new side of it to light.

The otaku side is never forgotten. There are comic-fests, the issues behind publishing a doujin, what it takes to cosplay… It’s hard to think of something that isn’t touched on. Something that was nice to see what how Americans were brought into the culture- Alice, a friend of one of the members from the States, is as much otaku as the rest of them, and is endearing and hilarious. Because of her interest, the issues of coming over and being an otaku are touched on. If that doesn’t say something about how many things are mentioned, then I don’t know what does.

Overall, this was a great slice-of-life that touched my otaku funny bone.

Recommended: 18+. This deals a lot with the sexual side of okatudom, with sexual doujins pretty much all the guys buy, along with porn games, hentai, and one guy is discovered to have a collection of real-life porn. The girls also get in on the action with yaoi titles for themselves, and one of them makes a yaoi doujin based off of two members of Genshiken. None of this is ever shown on the page- or in the extremely rare times it is, it is heavily censored so you can’t tell what’s in the picture. Sex is mentioned often, never graphically, but there are discussions of how many times, whether someone’s done it, and whether there is role playing. There is nudity when the girls go to the hot springs. They are clearly naked, but the page is so censored it’s Barbie-doll nudity, and non-sexual except for a joke made to get laughs.

There is very little language, perhaps two or three mentions of the d-word. There are a two or so instances of comedic violence.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Genshiken 2 (manga)
Genshiken (anime)
Lucky Star (anime or manga)
Welcome to the NHK (anime or manga)
Otaku no Video (anime)
Bakuman (anime or manga)
Kuragehime (anime or manga)

“Dream A Little Dream Of Me” – After School Nightmare (manga) – 9/10 Black Cats

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. ~Thomas Szasz

Mangaka: Setona Mizushiro

Genre: Romance/Mystery/Drama/School/Supernatural/Psychological/Gender Bender/Fantasy

Review Status: Complete (10 Volumes/10 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US.

Art: Lovely. The art is reminiscent of CLAMP’s style, with elongated limbs and some gorgeous bishies. The panels are clean and easy to read (the flow is great, too). Some of the choices in

Summary: You have just awakened to find your darkest secret revealed to a group of people who would do anything to destroy you: your classmates! That’s what happens to Ichijo Mashiro, whose elite school education turns into the most horrifying experience of his life when he’s enlisted to participate in an after-hours class. The only way for Mashiro to graduate is to enter into a nightmare world where his body and soul will be at the mercy of his worst enemies. Can Mashiro keep the life-long secret that he is not truly a “he” nor entirely a “she” – or will he finally be “outted” in the most humiliating way possible?

Review: First impressions are everything in the world, and Ichijo does the best to keep his the way he wants it- as a guy. This is harder than it seems when his top half is definitely masculine, but his bottom half is most definitely not! However, when he’s entered into a class where nightmares become reality and he must face the inner selves of himself and his classmates. The thing is, his inner fear/self happens to be himself… but with a girl’s uniform on, making him instantly recognizable to those who cross his path.

His classmates take an immediate interest- a girl that’s been broken by her abusive father and a rapist, a playboy that thinks Ichijo is the prettiest thing that he’s laid his eyes on but has inextricable ties to his sister, others that would use him as they saw fit. They all have their own demons to fight. Others come and go as they ‘graduate’, disappearing from the hearts and minds of their classmates. Some are unable to overcome their issues and merely disappear.

Watching Ichijo desperately try to figure out the feelings he has about his own identity and the romantic struggles and drama that occur while it happens is interesting, if slightly obvious by the third or fourth volume. I think most people will be able to guess what’s going to happen, and while that disappointed me because of how one of the wheels gets shunted aside, the fact that they’re able to overcome that and still be good friends who care for each other is something unique and wonderful in this genre. It also plays into them finding themselves and their inner strength.

The meaning behind needing to discover themselves and their strengths, as well as what’s happening in the school, managed to be a wonderful surprise twist. The inner struggle Ichijo goes through takes on a far greater significance, with the two sides to him perhaps not being as philosophical as suspected, and the need to graduate being more than just graduation. It all snowballs into one of the best romance/mysteries that I’ve come across in quite a while.

Overall, this was a very interesting look at the psyche and had a great twist I hadn’t expected!

Recommended: 18+. There is incest (blatantly stated but the act is merely implied). Sex is mentioned (and occurs. Genitalia is not shown and the few sections it was in were *brief* and I didn't think it was happening until I read comments that happened later. Kissing and the leadup to sex does occur. There is violence- people get slashed with swords, torn apart, dug into- but there is no gore and it's not graphic, though blood is shown. There are also a handful of minor swears.

Other titles you might enjoy:
I.S. Intersexuality (manga)
Wandering Son (anime and manga)
Revolutionary Girl Utena (anime)
Hour of the Mice (manga)
Arisa (manga)

“The Tears Of An Angel” – Wish (manga) – 9/10 Black Cats

When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers. ~Oscar Wilde

Mangaka: CLAMP

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Fantasy/Shoujo

Review Status: Complete (4 Volumes/4 Volumes)

Licensed: No. This was formerly licensed by Tokyopop but has not been picked up again.

Art: Very typical CLAMP. Enlongated limbs, men that also look pretty feminine (along with men that look like men, but are just handsome), Long, flowing robes, etc. This particular title can throw some off with the art for the angels- since they are depicted as neither male nor female, they decided that the easiest way to depict this was via hairstyle- half being more ‘masculine (like where half of Kohaku’s hair is cut boyishly short) and half more ‘feminine’ (the other half of Kohaku’s hair is longish and makes him look more female). Some hairstyles come across better than others, but they all end up ambiguously sexual because of it.

Summary: One moonlit night Shuichiro saved an angel stuck in a tree. The angel granted him a wish to repay his generosity. Shuichiro said, “I need no wish, I can get what I want on my own.” But they’d both soon learn that some wishes can’t be fulfilled alone.

Review: CLAMP varies from hack-and-slash titles to so-cute-it-should-be-illegal. This falls into the latter category. Kohaku needs to be saved by a overly zealous cat, and Shuichiro saves him. Thus their story is set into motion, with Kohaku determined to grant Shuichiro a wish. At the same time, he must also find his missing senpai, who has inexplicably disappeared from heaven.

With only 4 volumes, it doesn’t take long for what happened to get out. There’s forbidden love all around, as well as Kohaku learning what it means to really love someone. Even if that means defying God. Yep, that’s right! God “makes an appearance” indirectly through his messenger that looks like an adorable stuffed rabbit, sending messages back and forth to His angels. There are subplots involving Heaven, Hell, and the conflict between them, but because of the length of the story aren’t explored very deeply.

Things do take a turn for the tragic. It turns out that God does have his reasons for everything, but to try and not spoil things too much, I will only say that there is a happy ending to this. I couldn’t have been happier, because I had really come to like the characters and wanted the best for them. Even the most mischievous was adorable. Kohaku is the most developed character of all, wonderfully realized as a person. The others are too but to a lesser degree. And I adored the side comments by the birds and other creatures- they made nice asides.

There isn’t much else I could ask for in this It’s well-paced, it’s sweet, it has a happy ending… I think the only thing that I felt was off was the sexual innuendos (nothing blatant or obscene is ever said) that seemed at odds with the general innocence of the series.

Overall, this was a lovely story about true love.

Recommended: 16+. There are 3 minor swears in the whole series- I’m pretty sure all of them came from the demon that torments Kohaku. Other than that, what drives the rating up is the sexual implication (both stated directly- where Kokuyo states that he and Hisui made love, and Kouryuu makes the comment that he and Kokuyo have been intimate before- and indirectly- such as when Kouryuu pulls his two servants into bed with him. Nothing is seen but the covers for one panel before moving on, where it’s clear nothing happened but a suggestive comment is made). Some people label this as shounen-ai, but since the angels and demons are neither gender, this doesn’t really apply.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Pita-Ten (anime)
Ah! My Goddess (anime and manga)
Kobato (anime and manga)

“Everything You Wanted” – Petshop of Horrors (manga) – 9/10 Black Cats

Somewhere between chance and mystery lies imagination, the only thing that protects our freedom, despite the fact that people keep trying to reduce it or kill it off altogether. ~Luis Buñuel

Mangaka: Matsuri Akino

Genre: Comedy/Supernatural/Fantasy/Horror

Review Status: Complete (10 Volumes/10 Volumes)

Licensed: Formerly licensed by Tokyopop, currently unlicensed.

Art: It has a 90’s feel to it, but has aged better than its contemporaries. It overall has a rough feel to it, but isn’t too shabby.

Summary: A smoke-filled alley in Chinatown harbors Count D's Pet Shop. The pets sold here aren't your everyday variety and the Count prides himself on selling Love and Dreams in the form of magical creatures that come with an exclusive contract. But buyers beware. If the contract is broken the Count cannot be held accountable for whatever may happen. A fascinating and macabre look into the very soul of human nature. (Source: Tokyopop)

Review: The saying is ‘be careful what you wish for, you just might get it’. Count D’s shop is all about fulfilling wishes and dreams- at a price. Whether it’s the promise of cake or something to be gathered later, “D” gives warning to those who buy his pets that things can happen if they don’t follow his instructions- so humans ignore his instructions at their own risk, and often pay the ultimate price.

There’s a policeman onto D – the name he gives himself since he’s not actually the count, just his grandson- and Leon Orcott, member of the NYPD, isn’t going to give an inch! The reader gets to see him as he investigates the strange deaths that are connected with the shop, and is either thrown off the trail or left with nothing to book D on. That interplay is always hilarious. Hardened cop vs sugar-addict prettyboy! D is as wily as Leon is thick, and they make quite a duo as they argue and deal with one another, eventually becoming friends. Chris, a character that’s introduced a little into the series, makes an interesting in-between. Able to see the truth of the shop, but too young and unassuming to really make much of it, he can be as baffled as his older brother when it comes to what is going on.

The cases themselves range from creepy to hilarious. From the mermaid that is the spitting image of a dead bride, to trying to hatch a dragon, all manner of amazing creatures of myth and legend are contained within these pages. Often I was grateful for the pages in the back that explained the origin and tales of them, as they were from Eastern folklore that isn’t heard of much in the West. These stories manages to bring in character development and strengthen the bond between the three as Leon becomes less suspicious of the Count, knowing that there were odd creatures and things happening, but later unable to believe D really has much to do with them.

It’s a great manga up until the last volume. There was a definite environmental message that popped up from time to time, but it was never really overbearing or preachy- not until the last two volumes or so. That was where things got really odd and eye-rolling. Cloning, spiritual memory inheritance, and someone threatening to destroy all humankind because of the damage they were doing were involved.

Thankfully, D’s escape from the FBI holds up to the rest story, and the last few pages really made me smile.

Overall, while the ending didn’t quite hold up to the promise of the rest of the manga, this is definitely worth the read.

Recommended: 18+. The F-bomb is dropped a few times per volume, as well as a variety of other swears. It’s not every line, and since most of it comes from Leon and thugs, it feels as offensive as the average cop movie. There are occasional glimpses of boobs- Leon’s room happens to be decorated with half-nude posters of women, and you see it once or twice. What appears to be Count D about to have sex with a man turns out to be him attempting to lure a mythological creature (in disguise) to join his pet shop. He states that another man is bisexual, but not gay.

Other titles you might enjoy:
xxxHolic (anime and manga)
The Tarot Café (manga)
Nightmare Inspector (manga)

“The Trials Of War “- Andromeda Stories (manga) – 5/10 Black Cats

On a large enough time line, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. ~Chuck Palahniuk

Mangaka:Keiko Takemiya (art), Ryu Mitsuse (story)

Genre: Sci-fi/Action/Drama

Review Status: Complete (3 Volumes/3 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: The art and character designs are kind of girly (pretty boys and large, sparkly eyes), with lots of sparkles and flowing hair to be found. It’s not bad, though- all the characters are pretty distinct and easy to recognize. And this particular art is pretty distinctive to this mangaka.

Summary: 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. (back cover of V. 1)

Review: An overlooked omen turns out to not be an omen at all- it’s the actual ship of machines that spell doom for the world. Twins are born as the country is slowly taken over, that are separated and one sent away in hopes of keeping a fight over the inheritance of the throne from occurring between them. However, as they grow, darker forces bring them together again.

This has a solid start, building the love between the queen and king of Cosmoralia, and how grave it would be if there were twins vying for the throne. Characters that are important are introduced. The beginning of the end takes root in the kingdom. And one twin is discovered to be the bearer or a mark that could signal the fulfillment of a vague prophecy.

From the second volume onward, things get a little shaky. Some plot threads are forgotten about, such as the mark and prophecy of one of the twins, others are brought in (the computers that can resist the temptations of the program that’s ravaging the planet) which have nothing done with them. The general plot remains solid, with the machines that invaded taking over bit by bit. To put it simply, ‘resistance is futile’. For everything the rebels do, the machines follow close after, destroying quickly and relentlessly. Machines can be made on assembly lines- humans can’t.

All the while, we’re seeing how the people deal with the effects of the extermination and following the stories of those who have been told that they’re destined to save the world and lead the humans to victory. It’s hard not to like them. Affle, who’s had his true identity suppressed for his own safety, is distrustful of others and does not welcome his brother with open arms. Slowly but surely, bonds grow, and it turns to strong feelings. Jimsa is more open to the prospect of a long-lost sibling, and is intrigued by his brother from the beginning. Going out of his way to protect Affle, he’s even willing to sacrifice himself as his feelings of love grow. Both are tossed about by the desires and ambitions of others but manage to take a stand for themselves as doom encroaches on them.

So how to save the world? Well, that would be spoiling it. However, I’m not fond of how the story kind of jumped the shark at the end. It decides to take a route that could have worked in other circumstances, but given the plot threads that were dropped or ignored, feels more like a cop-out. It also doesn’t really make any sense, which is even more of a shame.

Overall, this was an interesting premise but a bit of a letdown in execution.

Recommended: 16+. There is virtually no gore outside of the occasional body and bloodspill. The only thing that might cause some to pause is the implication of sex, a panel glimpse of boobs (important to revealing something plot-wise), and there is incest.

Other titles you might enjoy:
To Terra… (manga and anime)
Bokurano (anime and manga)
Historie (manga)
Cesare (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)

“On To Adventure!” – One Piece (manga) – 9/10 Black Cats

A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably. ~William Penn

Mangaka: Eiichiro Oda

Genre: Action/Adventure/Shounen

Review Status: Incomplete (20 Volumes/? Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: It’s definitely more along the lines of traditional cartoon art than many of its counterparts. However, this allows for far more unique character designs than most manga. If you’ve read or seen Osamu Tezuka, then you’ll have no problem with this series.

Summary: Leffy has always wanted to be a pirate- and when he’s old enough, he takes the first chance he gets! Starting out with a barrel and some luck, his adventures take him to a few places where he gains crewmates and a ship. When he finally reaches the Grand Line, a sea that’s legendary because only the toughest of the pirates can survive on it, he becomes embroiled in the wars between the pirate lords, is chased by the navy, and has to deal with all the crazy things that can happen both on the ocean and the islands!

Review: This is me, writing about a manga that I said I’d never read but got out from the library since they have every volume published to date, and saying that it’s not the disaster I thought it would be. Actually, this is a really good shounen, and there’s a reason it’s one of the top anime and manga. There’s a distinct dearth of good pirate-related anything outside of Pirates of the Carribean, and One Piece manages to be successful where so manga have failed.

Memorable characters are a dime a dozen, from Buggy the Clown to Jango the hypnotist, and Nami the thief to Coby the budding Marine. With their own ambitions and dreams, strange powers, and fun abilities, they all make a mark. The main characters get more development than a number of the sides, but they’re the main characters. Some of the stories are downright tragic, but make the characters stand out with believable motivations and flesh them out into people you can get behind.

The setting is also an incredible test of the imagination. There is nothing too wacky to make an appearance- and seem totally normal in the world that Oda has created! There’s an unending amount of abilities and powers, which makes this fun as you see what is going to come up next. The varied cultures of each of the islands also gives this a lot of variety that you won’t see in a lot of anime or manga.

Does it have some issues? Yes- there was one instance where I could tell a power had been written in since it would have come in handy earlier (thankfully it was an enemy that will never be seen again), but in the grand scheme of it all, it really seems pretty minor- the same issue is avoided hard both before and after that incident. Luffy is a typical happy-go-lucky protagonist, oddly different from his counterparts simply because he wanted to go on an adventure and followed his dreams instead of having a sad or tragic past motivating him. And then there’s the attack names that are called out during battle.

It is a shounen, though, so I can’t say that I’m surprised. And even with those little things, One Piece still manages to be fun and exciting. I can’t wait for the next adventure!

Overall, this is a fun, exciting series that I’m definitely going to be keeping up with.

Recommended: 11+. There’s rarely death, or if there is, it’s implied. There’s violence- kicking, punching, some stabbing occasionally. Nothing terribly gory or violent, but it’s there. Some of it is comedic violence that you’d find on Cartoon Network. Language-wise, ‘crap’ is said quite a number of times. I can’t remember anything else. One time a villain uses his abilities to transform into Nami and opens her shirt to show the boys what’s underneath. He attempts the same tactic a second time but doesn’t get very far. There is no nudity actually on the page. Other than that, there’s nothing that wouldn’t be out of place on the beach or even in some cartoons.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Fairy Tale (anime and manga)
Toriko (anime and manga)
Groove Adventure Rave (manga)
Jing: King of Bandits (manga)

“Trapped In Your Head” – Dragon Head (manga) – 10/10 Black Cats

All that is really necessary for survival of the fittest, it seems, is an interest in life, good, bad or peculiar. ~Grace Paley

Mangaka: Minetaro Mochizuki

Genre: Action/Mystery/Psychological/Drama/Horror

Review Status: Complete (10 Volumes/10 Volumes)

Licensed: No. It was formerly licensed by Tokyopop, but has not been relicensed.

Art: It’s a more realistic style than most, more like Satoshi Kon’s work than Studio Ghibli. In short- they look like people you could meet on the street.

Summary: In the horror of witnessing so many classmates perish before his eyes in a violent train wreck, Teru discovers two survivors in the tunnel: Ako and Nobuo. But salvation from this bloody carnage is far from their grasp. As they try to dig out from the wreck in order to come up with a plan to stay alive, the lack of light and food, combined with the stench of death and decay, will lead one member of the group down a dark and demented path. And with sudden, violent earthquakes shaking the tunnel, escaping to the outside world may lead them to an even greater danger... (Tokyopop)

Review: When a disaster happens, sometimes what matters more is actually surviving instead of finding out what happened. In the aftermath of the crash, that’s the priority of the three survivors. However, trapped in a tunnel for days on end, they aren’t left with much to do except speculate and worry.

The first part of Dragon Head delves into the psychosis that can occur in extreme isolation, when people must face conditions not much different than sensory deprivation. Their fears become paranoia, that perhaps there’s something in the dark, or someone that survived but isn’t showing themselves. A monster eventually takes form in their minds, and between it and sudden changes that could spell their doom if they don’t think on their feet, two escape into a world that’s desperately changed and may never be the same.

Hard philosophical questions are asked, and none of the answers are easy and clear-cut. When is it okay to take a life? At what point do you stop helping others and start looking out for yourself? When do you stop searching for answers and accept the world around you?

The biggest challenge they have to face is the world outside. A disaster of unimaginable proportions has occurred that has flattened towns, raised huge ash clouds, and sunk the coasts into the sea. The disasters they face grow worse as they travel onward towards Tokyo. People have become crazed by the events, creating both allies and enemies to the pair.

When you think things can’t get worse for them, they can. They do. As Ako and Teru continue their journey to Tokyo, they deal with all the things the disaster can throw at them. Earthquakes, food and water shortages, flooding, death, and have to deal with it all when they’re still suffering from the psychological effects of being trapped underground and not knowing what had happened for two weeks. The not knowing becomes their drive- they need to know what happened to their families and what’s happening to Japan and gives them one of their reasons to survive. The other is their own fears that haunt them.

Overall, this is a moving, engaging story of two people trying to survive in an apocalyptic world. It may not be pretty, but it is pretty good.

Recommended: 18+. There are two brief instances of partial nudity on Ako’s part, one where she’s unconscious and being groped, another where she’s in a bath. You only see her breasts briefly. There is also the implication of her having been dry-humped, and two instances of attempted rape. This is very violent, with people committing suicide and murder. There are people shot, stabbed, and beaten. You only see one corpse more than once, but the wounds aren’t gruesome. For the rest of the story they’re usually covered in ash or mud.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Drifting Classroom (manga)
Metro Survive (manga)
7Seeds (manga)
Akira (manga)
Jisatsu Circle (manga)
Doubt (manga)

“The Windy City” – Chicago (manga) – 4/10 Black Cats

Everything in the universe goes by indirection. There are no straight lines. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Mangaka: Yumi Tamura

Genre: Action/Romance/Shoujo

Review Status: Complete (2 Volumes/2 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manga is licensed in the US

Art: This looks more like a rough sketch than a manga. Unfortunately, the messy artwork makes it hard to tell what’s going on, and in some places is downright unattractive. It also seems dated for when the manga ran.

Summary: Rescue workers Rei and her handsome partner Uozumi are looking for survivors after Tokyo’s worst earthquake of the 21st century. But their efforts uncover man-made violence- they are suddenly attacked and their entire squad murdered! Some secret plot is lurking in the ruins of Tokyo Bay District D, and to find it, Rei and Uozumi must join a privately funded hostage rescue organization run out of a Tokyo bar called Chicago. Now, Rei saves the lives of others while she searches for her own salvation. (back cover of 1st volume)

Review: I’d always wondered what a shoujo action title would be like. Now I know! It’s… not that impressive. Rei works in a recovery unit, to help find those who are injured or trapped in the aftermaths of disasters. The first thing she says about herself is that her hair is long because it helps her sense danger. This should give you a clue to the quality of the rest of the series.

Unrequited love, government cover-ups, and terrorist plots pervade these two volumes. Apparently rescue workers are common targets for mad killers, because Rei and Uozumi know how to handle their guns and can detect and dismantle bombs. Their escape from a massacre and the subsequent cover-up lead to their recruitment into a special agency that investigates these issues and deals with kidnappings and murders outside of the jurisdiction of the police.

Rei’s longing for the love of her partner comes to the forefront at the most inconvenient and annoying times. The ‘mysterious third partner’ that she starts being attracted to is the stereotypical tall, dark, and handsome that pervades these types of stories. He’s also flawless, able to assess a situation in a single glance, and find his partners with the barest of hints. The partner? Injured but trying.
The focus is all over the place, story-wise. Everything that occurs is connected in the story, but why they all have those connection is up in the air. Some of the plots bank on kidnappers being really dumb (not double-checking or triple-checking their victim’s identity, for instance, and only going off of one photograph). Apparently their methods of stalking are also incredibly lacking, as they don’t discover his identity over the days they watch him. Others bank on just being outright unbelievable, such as the utopia that was being built, and the people not leaving when the earthquake hit. To boot, they added in a super-dramatic past for Rei.

The end of this was abrupt and an utter letdown… even though the rest of the manga meant I wasn’t expecting much in that regard. There’s no resolution to the plot or the relationships between the characters. The only reason I’m not giving this a ‘3’ is because of one character that has perhaps two lines in the manga and an omake dedicated to him- the doctor. I found him to be utterly hilarious, though the omake will probably only appeal to those who have a darker sense of humor.

Overall, this barely works as an action title, and is barely a romance one. Go for something else.

Recommended: No. Well, if you’re into action and aren’t looking or care about a strong plot. 13+. There is some slight blood- people are shot, explosions happen- but almost no gore to speak of. One guy is outright killed on the page. No nudity, no language.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Yomigaeru Sora: Rescue Wings (anime)
Flag (anime)
Zipang (anime)
Taiyo no Mokushiroku: A Spirit of the Sun (anime)

“Sibling Rivalry” – Ibitsu (manga) – 10/10 Black Cats

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

Mangaka: Haruka Ryou

Genre: Horror, Seinen

Review Status: Complete (2 Volumes/2 Volumes)

Licensed: No, this manga isn’t licensed in the US

Art: Under normal circumstances they wouldn’t be that memorable- under these ones, you can’t forget them. The Lolita girl herself sticks in the mind long after the story has ended. It’s also very expressive.

Summary: A boy went to take his trash out late one night, and found a strange, creepy, lolita woman sitting amongst the garbage bags. She asked if he had a little sister, and he answered her, hurrying afterwards back to his apartment. When he looked out the window, she was gone. Who is the strange woman, and why does she give him such a bad feeling? (MAL.net)

Review: The reason Urban Legends survive so long is because deep down, there’s a little part of us that thinks that maybe, just maybe, it could be true. Too bad Kazuki hasn’t heard about this particular urban legend until he’s already encountered it- and by then, it’s already far too late. She’s looking for an older brother, and thinks she’s found it in Kazuki. Little Miss Lolita weasles her way into his life in the most horrifying ways possible. Cleaning his room, fooling the landlady, and eventually going after his own little sister, Kazuki discovers that she’s twisted to the core.

Both these characters end up being surprisingly memorable. Lolita Girl is one of the most psychotic creatures to grace the pages of manga. She isn’t afraid to kill anyone who gets in her way of a good sibling relationship, or even anyone who happens to be peripherally involved in her plans. Kazuki finds himself being drawn into the madness that another man she knew succumbed to.

While a few horror clichés grace these pages, this manages to be fresh and twisted, and horrifying for it. Madness and obsession mix in terrible ways.

A special note must be made for the side stories- both manage to be just as terrifying, even though one isn’t as unique or memorable as the other or the main story.

Overall, this is a manga that will leave you awake at night. Remember- don’t talk to strangers!

Recommended: YES! 18+. While this has no language that I noted, there is a lot of violence. While nothing is ever done outright, you will see the outlines and some of the implications of what happened will be very clear. There is also a brief scene of almost-fanservice… that is, Kazuki’s little sister wets herself from fear (understandable), and Lolita Girl goes to ‘clean her up’ with an iron. You do see panties in about 4 panels. Kazuki’s friend does give him a porno dvd to watch, but he just throws it in the trash.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Higurashi (anime and manga)
Tomie (manga)
Bizenghast (manga)

“For Love Or…” – Kimi Ga Suki (manga) – 4/10 Black Cats

Love is friendship set on fire. ~Jeremy Taylor

Mangaka: Ayu Watanabe

Genre: Romance/School/Shoujo

Review Status: Complete (3 Volumes/3 Volumes)

Licensed: No, this manga is not licensed in the US

Art: Pretty typically shoujo. Big eyes, lots of toner. Little to no detail in the backgrounds. The character designs are unremarkable. The panels are uncluttered and flow well.

Summary: Aki and Mase have always played basketball together, and their feelings have blossomed into those of love. Before she can confess, Aki gets a confession from a boy from a rival school. An unfortunate accident throws a wrench into everything, as Aki finds herself riddled with guilt and needing to make up what happened somehow. Her feelings end up mixed up, and she can’t decide what to do.

Review: This is definitely one of the poorer romance manga I have read. When you have characters that are only recognizable for their hair, and can’t be remembered a few hours after reading the manga, there’s a problem. Why should I care about their romance when I can’t care about the characters themselves?

I can think of one reason: Aki pity-dates the guy who’s injured on their date and tries to convince herself that it’s love. That’s the crux of the relationship- she’s guilty, and forces herself into an unfulfilling relationship because of it. What makes this doubly terrible is that he really likes her! Aki lies repeatedly, to herself, to the guy, to her friend, to Mase about her feelings.

Mase isn’t much better, using another girl in order to get over Maki. Quite frankly, that’s not cool.

Both need a firm slap over the heads, and they get them. They get broken up with so that they can be together. A happy ending that they went through a whole lot of shallow drama for.

Overall, this wasn’t worth my time to read. Pass!

Recommended: No. 13+, though, since the scanlations did have two swears. One instance of the a-word, and the word for illegitimate child. No fanservice, no violence except for a scene where the guy gets hit with a car. This isn’t graphic or lingered on at all. The worst he gets is a broken leg.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Fruits Basket (manga)
NANA (manga and anime)
Moe Kare!! (manga)
Kimi ni Todoke (manga and anime)

“Running Out Of Time” - Chrono Crusade (manga) – 9/10 Black Cats

Clocks slay time... time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life. ~William Faulkner

Mangaka: Daisuke Moriyama

Genre: Action/Adventure/Historical/Romance/Supernatural/Shounen

Review Status: Complete (8 Volumes/8 Volumes)

Art: Nice, sleek lines. It seems like a cross between shoujo and shounen, with more
shoujo-ish eyes (big and shiny and expressive), but more shounen styles for everything else. The backgrounds tend to be surprisingly detailed. The color pages are vivid and well-done.

Summary: America in the Roaring 20s. On the surface, it's a positive, peaceful time after the violence of the Great War. But lurking in the shadows is a dark element ready to snatch that peace away. Sister Rosette Christopher, an exorcist working as a part of the Magdala Order, has a duty to fight the demons which appear and cause destruction. But along with her companion Chrono, she usually ends up causing more destruction than the demons themselves! On one particular mission, they meet a young girl with a beautiful voice named Azmaria, who is being targeted by her own stepfather. As Rosette and Chrno work to save her, more is revealed about the relationship between them. There is more to these two than meets the eye. (ADV)

Review: Action, adventure, romance… This is a manga that has it all, and wraps it in a lovely coat of bittersweetness. The story seems pretty simple- a nun and her demon companion are fighting others that want to destroy the world. As you go along, the story becomes less straightforward. Her brother was overcome by evil long ago, and now seeks to destroy humanity. They must dredge up skeletons in the closet- hers, Chrono’s, and find the courage to defeat him before the world can end.

With great characters, this manga makes it all work. Rosette is almost impossible not to root for, with an indomitable spirit and loving heart. Chrono is far more level-headed, but fun and a genuinely nice guy that repents for what he’s done in the past. Their friends are awesome characters that you feel for when things happen. Things happen because they take charge and refuse to be defeated, though a fierce toll is taken in the battles they encounter.

There are a lot of elements that make this memorable, from Rosette’s slowly dwindling lifespan and the inevitability of her death, to the love between her and Chrono that seems impossible to be realized. The ending isn’t the joyful one that is expected in many of these stories. It is one that leaves you with mixed feelings, though- in the best way possible. Every ending should tug at the heartstrings like this one does.

Overall, this was a moving and memorable action manga, and definitely worth reading more than once.

Recommended: 14+. There is some fanservice here and there (less than I feared after I got through the first volume), no full-on nudity though. There is death, with some gore including bodies and parts of bodies. Nothing terribly graphic, but it is there. There are some mild curses throughout.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Black Cat (anime and manga)
Pandora Hearts (manga)
Seirei no Morinito (anime)