A.I. Revolution, vol. 1

By Yuu Asami
Published in the US by GoComi


Slugline: In a world of robots, there does not seem to be very many of them.

Sui's father is the scientist-entrepreneur in a near-future world where household robots are commonplace, but has just finished a prototype of one that could pass for human. Sui is asked to help Vermillion adapt to interacting with humans. But Vermillion not only looks human, he also has advanced technology that allows him to interface with any computer. This ability attracts the wrong attention at times, putting Vermillion and Sui in danger even as they try to help each other.

Some bits of this near-future is already out of date, just another example that even a decade ago the consequences of WiFi and broadband was not really understood. Vermillion's technology that makes him a target is conceivably now within the grasp of anyone with a PDA (or considering the direction of technology, cell phones.) The art also shows, well not its age per se, but certainly the fact that it feels old, or more precisely out of fashion. But once you accept those limitations, the story is solid though treading over well-worn ground and the art itself is fine.



A.I. Revolution, vol. 1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Ferdinand

Love Master A, vol. 1

By Kyoko Hashimoto
Released in the US by GoComi


Slugline: Sometimes adding conflict to a title adds nothing at all.

Aria has transferred to a new school in order to escape her reputation as a hard luck girl in love, but within moments of arriving at the school she is pressured into becoming her class's president with a bunch of other school oddballs that had been apparently been placed there for the rest of the class's safety. Her attempt to fit in is further derailed when Aria's old nickname given to her ironically, Love Master A, is misinterpreted to mean she is good at the romance rather than having constantly struck out with it. As in often the case, wackiness ensues. This title and review was heading towards being merely average, until we hit the last chapter. In order to create conflict, we introduce the class officers of another class, who are mean and really cross my sexual abuse squick line. And at the end of the chapter, all of the horrible plans seem to be just laughed off. Annoying at best and disrespectful to the characters at worst.



Love Master A, vol. 1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Ferdinand

King of the Lamp

By Takako Shigematsu
Published in the US by GoComi


Slugline: People who fall in love have sex?!?

This is a collection of shorts by Takako Shigematsu who has also done Tenshi Ja Nai!!, with three of the chapters linked together by the same premise and gives the collection its name. The King of the Lamp is about a King who took 1000 beautiful women to serve in his harem and is now forced to be a genie granting wishes to women who are already in love. He still makes out in this deal, because his magic requires kisses on the part of the wishees. What is interesting about this title is that it definitely was intended for an older audience than the typical shoujo, because with the woman's wish fulfilled and her boyfriend now acknowledging their feelings for each other, they fall into each arms and make love. Now, this series is not porn, it has what I would call soap opera sex, lots of sparkles, smooches, suggestive lighting and closing the curtain on the scene before they have to show anything. The same thing is portrayed in one of the other stories, so I would say this is among the first of the women's romance titles I have actually managed to read rather than just hear about. Just for that, King of the Lamp manages to eke out a 3 star rating despite the rather pedestrian storytelling because it is published a type of story that just hasn't been seen much in the US.

King of the Lamp is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and

-Ferdinand

Kanna, v.1

by Takeru Kirishima
Published in the U.S. by GoComi



Slugline: Did you know you had to pay child support for a child you had in alternate reality?

Kagura is living the typical life of any student in manga of going to prep school and juggling a job when he wakes up one morning with an eight year old girl sleeping on the futon next to him. Before he can find out much more than her name, Kanna, a female co-worker shows up to remind him to go to work. They make it to work late, with Kanna sneaking along after them, but they discover that everyone there is dead, and their employer is now either possessed or always has been some evil being from another reality. The object of his attention is Kanna, who is Kagura's daughter from another reality.

After being temporarily possessed by his own other half to fend off the attack on Kanna, a good half of the book consists of Kanna and Kagura getting used to each other. Kanna eventually convinces Kagura that it would be better to go back to his home town in order to throw off any other evildoers who are seeking her. On foot. And taking a circuitous route that includes every shrine even remotely possible that is on the way. So they begin the long walk to Kagura's hometown and Kanna's non-mother (in this reality) who is a childhood sweetheart of Kagura's.

This is another title that I am not sure if the cover art or the back cover copy really prepares you for its contents. After I read the ad copy I was thinking this would be like an after-school special: college age guy has kid dumped on him from a summer romance of a few years ago, he has to adjust his life to take into account said child, and hilarity ensues. Instead we have a fantasy story that turns very dark, then flips back to being very light, then goes all comedy gold for the last chapter (with the required co-ed hot bath scene.) I am not sure how long the book will follow Kagura and Kanna walking through Japan, but the implication is that it will be a long trip. The whiplash of mood and tone makes it difficult to judge exactly what the story is aiming for and how well it is succeeding. Until its tone has settled down, even knowing what the story is really about is difficult to judge.



Kanna, v.1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

The Devil Within, v. 1

By Ryo Takagi
Published in the U.S. by GoComi!



Slugline: Okay, I was going to come up with something clever, but these are some seriously messed-in-the-head characters.

Rion, when she was way too young, watched an adult movie of her adopted father's, which has convinced her that men are devils and boys are angels. She is becoming heavily shota-con by the time she is fifteen, as in she is only attracted to underage boys. On her way home one day she meets a boy she is attracted to, but discovers that he is really her age though he has stopped aging. That matter-of-fact revelation is merely the beginning of the weirdness, for when she gets home there are three young men (devils) there, and her father is telling her she must choose from among the three of them to marry. Not to worry, they are not devils, they are really angels -- and they unfurl their wings to prove it to her. And she is really a devil, and the young-looking boy that she likes ages with just a kiss from her, and the three guys have passkeys to her apartment, and her father left that video out for Rion to find to turn her against men until he was ready to introduce her to her fiances... and I can just go on and on.

Ugh. This story is a mess and it's all over the place. I am not automatically against shota-con, but I do ask that they be handled carefully -- which this definitely is not. What the father has done to Rion, and continues to do to her, should be counted as child abuse. Her fiances are not really much better, knowing that she is at best damaged but needing to marry her in order to be rich, or because it is destiny, or for some reason justifies all of this abuse. That reason was not revealed by the end of this volume, and I really, really needed to have a some attempt at a rationale, to try to salvage what I could, but that was dashed. The cover and the back cover text makes it sound like a reverse harem comedy, and I wish it was. And considering my distaste for harem comedies, that should give you a hint about how I feel about this title. Not to say it wasn't funny at times, but once you took those times into the greater context of the story, you feel sorry for Rion and want to make a long-distance phone call to Japanese Child Protective Services.



- Ferdinand

Crossroad, v.1

by Shioko Mizuki
Published in the U.S. by Go!comi



Slugline: "Blended" families are unusual, in Japan, and here we see a little of why.

In the US, the scenario would be sad but not strange at all: three kids were dropped off at various times at Grandma's house after their footloose mom fell in and out with various men. They go their separate ways, but are drawn back together by Grandma's death -- including Mom, who ditches yet another child with them and takes off for parts unknown.

Ranging from the 20-year-old, delivery-man eldest brother to the newest, elementary schoolgirl sister, they decide to make a go at being a family. The standard-issue transfer-student dramas and the teens awkwardly attracted to each other are well and humerously written, but it's the mundane problems of getting a place to live, getting themselves into school at all, that make this title stand out. In many shojo, these things are glossed over or handled by grown-ups, if they are even mentioned at all. As a grown up who has to worry about these things, I find it fascinating to see how it's done in Japan. And since our heroine is just a teenager, she's learning the ropes right along with us.

This title was first published in the U.S. in 2003, but it's worth looking for.

We have also reviewed Crossroad vols. 2 & 3 and Crossroad vols. 4-7.



CrossRoad, vol. 1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Her Majesty's Dog, vol. 1

Story and Art by Mick Takeuchi
Published in the U.S. by Go! Comi



Her Majesty's Dog, despite the rather provocative name, is not quite the fetish-laden story that the title would make it seem. Well, no more than most other manga titles. Still, there is little fear that it will be found shrink-wrapped or up on the top rack where you need a step stool to reach it.

Her Majesty's Dog is a cross between a horror and a shoujo title. While being set in a high school, and featuring a couple who are involved, it is more than the typical high school relationship. While Amane is distant from the rest of her classmates and often bullied, she has a good reason to be a little off. She grew up in an isolated village with the power to be a powerful priestess. Still, she wanted to experience the outside world a little, and thus went to high school. Her village, concerned about the risks, insisted on sending her guardian with her. Hyoue is a typical pretty boy who is always sneaking kisses from Amane, but he is also a spirit creature that needs the energy transferred by touch to him by her to function. The fact that he has managed to convince Amane that the energy needs to be transferred by a kiss is only a bonus from his viewpoint.

The early stories of this collection are more along the lines of straight horror, including some disturbing images of a dog, but as the book progresses more typical high school concerns emerge, though they never completely submerge the horror. From my understanding, the later issues of the series does trend more toward the typical high school stories.

And as for the title, since Hyoue is dependant on Amane, he's a bit of the underdog in the relationship.

(UnderDOG, get it? I crack me up.)




- Ferdinand