Kung Fu Klutz & Karate Cool

Created by D.J. Milky, Written by Mark Seidenberg with Art by Erich Owen.
Released by TokyoPop as a Manga Chapters



Slugline: Why yes, bullies are easily fended off and embarrassed and never immediately return any humiliation tenfold.

TokyoPop's Manga Chapters are a combination of manga and text pages intended for the eight-and-up audience. In this one Marvin is the Klutz of the school and is the continual target of bullies. He decides that he needs to learn Karate in order teach the bullies a lesson. Unsurprisingly, Marvin remains a klutz in karate class, despite his best imaginings otherwise. He does remember one piece of advice that his sensei gave him regarding patience, and despite his best efforts, it manages to be useful and literally trips up his tormentor.

Okay, I am always willing to give titles some slack over suspension of disbelief, but not for something as basic as human motivation and response. Bullies do not crumble that easily. Teachers would, or at least should not tolerate the amount of disruption that Marvin creates daily without some sign that he is absorbing some of the lessons. The fact that he has a rich fantasy life isn't a problem, but the fact that his fantasy life does nothing to help, and only serves to reinforce his obliviousness to the world around him, is. Not a good message and not a believable story. There was nothing in this story that was bad, per se, but it was bad idea well executed.



Kung Fu Klutz and Karate Cool vol. 1 is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Poison Cherry Drive

by Motoni Modoru
Published in the U.S. by Kitty Media



Slugline: Some guys of flexible sanity run an internet revenge site for victims of gay rape. Naturally, wackiness ensues.

Needless to say, this is an odd single-volume manga. Some of it succeeds at being funny, but some just comes across as confused and strange. Mamezo and Ai, who run the revenge service, claim to be gay and this manga seems to claim to be yaoi, but there isn't much going on in that department. There's no romance to speak of, very little sex, and in the full-frontal shots there's... nothing there. At all. So this is more of a very adult comedy than a yaoi romance or porn.

The comedy derives from outrageous claims and non sequitors, with some success... and some not so much. (What's funny about OPEC? I don't know either.) Character development is slight and the dialog is sometimes clunky, so it's not exactly a big recommendation but it's mildly amusing.



Poison Cherry Drive is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

100% Perfect Girl, v.1

Art and Story by Wann
Published in the US by NETCOMICS



Slugline: A manhwa Cinderella story where the girl dumps the boy.

Will the girl eventually get back to the boy? Probably. But Jay Jin has every right to dump the guy, since the magic of shoujo plot manipulation first arranges for J. Max first get a little too frisky and then get a little too upset. J. Max is the fairytale prince though, so it should not be too much of a surprise that he is the more unrealistic of the characters, a little too perfect and a little too unreal. J. Max is also the one that suffers from the fall-in-love-at-first- sight syndrome, something that he even mocks himself for.

Jay Jin is a student who wants to study art, but because of her older brother's medical schooling everything in the family has been sacrificed in order to pay for that, including her love of art. So when a foreigner bumbles into her path, she ends up helping him out of a sense of duty, since one of her additional jobs is being a foreigner host. J. Max on the other hand is just smitten with her, not because of any particular beauty on her part, though she is cute, but because she just fits in a way he doesn't pretend to understand.

Now of course there are the all the usual problems that shoujo likes throw at a relationship, and while there are some problems with J. Max, prince of a small European principality, Jay Jin feels more honest and true, confused, angry at her family but at the same time forgiving, and just trying to understand what J. Max means to her.



100% Perfect Girl vol. 1 is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Wishing for the Moon

by Dany & Dany
Published by Yaoi Press



Slugline: Those silly Italian theater boys! Don't they know they're in love?

Well, it's not explicitly said that they're in Italy, but it's implied. This is a single-volume romance with exactly one explicit scene, which is a bit conspicuous for being the only scene with bare butts (no full frontal) despite other opportunities.

But it's pretty well written, otherwise -- maybe a bit heavy on the narrative boxes, which is unusual for a manga and even a bit odd for current American comics. It's right-to-left reading and obviously manga-influenced, but the authors come from the European school of graphic novels and that makes for a slightly different flavor of yaoi.

From what is on their web page, it looks like there will be plenty more from Dany & Dany in the future. Maybe it's time to renew that Heavy Metal subscription and get myself back into the European fantasy/scifi/erotic side of graphic novels...



- Miranda

p.s. I wanted yaoi boys willing to take turns and boom! Here they are! Bonus points to the writers for not treating gay men like a heterosexual couple.

Series Update: Genshiken, v. 3 & 4

SERIES UPDATE

It is in these volumes that the anime and the manga start to diverge, with the differences being more issues of timing than radical changes in the story. We are introduced to Chika Ogiue, and while we don't quite get the fact that she is into yaoi (a sin that many in the US gleefully indulge in) she starts out very bitter but is brought short by Kasukabe of all people, who points out that Ogiue needs these people, these otaku, for companionship if for nothing else. Also in the manga you can see the weird trajectory of Kasukabe's and Madrame's non-relationship a little better, along with Kasukabe's journey if not to otakudom, at least to her acceptance of it. Sasahara starts growing into a leadership role by helping the Genshiken move out of their apathy and into action. This is a strong continuation of the series, with no major missteps that shows that the characters can remain true to themselves yet still grow.

Genshiken vol. 3 and vol. 4 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, v.2

by Eiji Ohtsuka and Housui Yamazaki
Published in the U.S. by Dark Horse Manga



Slugline: If the victim is already dead, is it murder?

This is a strange and compelling horror story, well written, well drawn, and complete within the volume. I'm going to have to track down v.1.

Kurosagi Delivery Service is made up of people with unusual abilities who try to make a living helping the dead fulfil their final wishes. It's not a very profitable line of work. Between their attempts to get paying jobs, they are drawn into the strange goings-on at a funeral home that involve a young girl who can raise the dead -- sort of. Mostly.

The author does not feel the need to make the reader laugh much -- this is a straight-up, dark and uncensored thriller. Which is not to say that it does not have its lighter moments, or that it doesn't end on an hopeful note. It's a nice change of pace: a horror story that doesn't involve ongoing, grim situations.



The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service vol.2 is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Series Update: Genshiken v. 1 & 2

SERIES UPDATE

Genshiken is another series that we started partway through, with volume five, so here we are backtracking a little bit to talk about it. As we have said before, Genshiken is an unapologetic look at otaku life in college. If you have seen the anime series, the first 2 volumes of the manga are almost entirely used in the first 8 or so episodes of the anime. This is where the "Seduction of the Innocent" (and if you don't get the reference, read up on your comic history or look here) of our main character Sasahara begins: being introduced to the perils of the otaku lifestyle, especially the doujinshi-loving end of it. Kasukabe is introduced with her original hard edge, being far from accepting of the otaku lifestyle but desperate to lure Kousaka into her grasp. It also shows that this series is unveiling in anything but real time, with time between chapters uncertain but certainly moving quickly. I would definitely pick this up, for no other reason than that the progress of Kasukabe's character is easiest to see with this as a reference point to show the beginning of her journey.

Genshiken vol. 1 and vol. 2 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Ferdinand

Series Update: Pastel v. 4 & 5

SERIES UPDATE

The random cover story that Yuu and Mugi are related is starting to fray around the edges, but still I guess it is mostly believable. Volume 4's highlight is the appearance of a foe of Yuu, a girl who is certain that all guys are scum and when people are not, she wants to "help" them no longer hide who they truly are. For once, a romantic opponent who does not have a long term hidden crush, or has a secret hidden past? Nah, she's just mean. And by the end of the volume she has not hopelessly fallen for Mugi. Well, maybe she will in another volume, but it hasn't happened yet. In Volume 5, the interesting bit is Mugi finding a job in a restaurant so he can finally use that cooking skill that has been a running subplot so far in the book. The romantic entanglements of the restaurant just aren't interesting to me, and quite frankly smack of paternalism.

Pastel vol. 4 and vol. 5 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Ferdinand

Thunderbolt Boys Excite, v.1

By Asami Tojo
Published in the U.S. by Kitty Media



Slugline: Four guys in the modeling business are busy seducing each other.

This story is set in that manga universe where all men are gay, even the would-be rapists. These four guys spend the volume pairing up and agonizing over each other -- some more than others, and some more convicingly than others.

There's a modest amount of character development and slightly different story trajectories, but on the whole it's a fairly standard set of two romances driven by insecurity and hurt/comfort. There's some not-quite-hardcore porn which is well placed in the context of both fantasies and reality. No surprises about who's on top, either. I think it would be refreshing for the smaller guy to be the dominant one or, even wilder, that they could take turns. I mean hey, it's a lot easier for two guys to switch off than for a hetero couple -- what, these semes can dish it out, but they can't take it?



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

- Miranda

Series Update: Pastel, v. 1

SERIES UPDATE (v.2, v.3)

One of the things that we are doing here at Prospero's Manga is filling in some of the holes in our reviews. When we first started receiving out review copies from the publishers, we ended up starting up in the middle of some series, such as Pastel. My sense of completism drives me to at least try to talk about the previous volumes in the series. Sometimes when I look back at some of my earlier reviews I wonder if I was being too easy on them back then, or more appropriately after months of reviews I've become jaded and bitter. Well, more jaded and bitter than before I started reviewing manga regularly. The first volume of Pastel sets up the situation of the series and why Mugi doesn't feel like he can just admit his feeling for Yuu, and it just barely makes sense. Barely. Making that setup work requires the sort coincidences that are de rigeur in these sort of titles. I know I originally said I liked this title, but maybe it is the effect of reading a whole whack of the series in a sitting that other than the occasional moment of interest it is just not grabbing me.

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

- Ferdinand

Series Update: Suzuka 2 & 3

Series update

When I put down Suzuka 2 after reading it, I was more than a little worried. The characters were starting to degenerate into the same old same old stereotypes that moan about the lack of love in their life, and why nothing ever goes their way, and other things along those lines that make me want to pluck out my eyes and use them for racketball. But in Suzuka 3 the reason for Suzuka running hot and cold was revealed, and while not the deepest rationale, it is one that is believeable. And Yamato has decided to do something about his love rather than just mope about it, to become worthy of Suzuka's attention. Maybe it isn't the smartest or best decision he could have made, but at least it was a decision and showed that he had a little bit of spine.

Suzuka vol. 2 and vol. 3 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Pixie Pop, v.1

by Ema Toyama
Published in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: Because of an accident, Mayu is cursed to transform whenever she drinks something.

You can believe I picked this book up reluctantly -- it has all the marks of an awful cookie-cutter story. Well, it's not perfect but it ain't half bad either.

Mayu's parents run a cafe (oddly, she hasn't been conscripted to work there, it seems) and she runs afoul of a "drink fairy," which is something like a house elf/brownie/water sprite, only chibi. As a result, drinking liquids makes Mayu transform in various ways and Pucho the fairy is acting as both the un-transformer and the comic relief/PITA.

Mayu is also slightly obsessed with The Cute Boy At School, who shows little interest in girls. (Well, they are only twelve -- girls may be hitting puberty, but it could be a year or two off for the boys.) Some aspects of the story are predictable, like transformations wearing off at the worst moment, and some parts are realistic, like using her invisibility (from drinking water) to spy on The Boy. Yes, transforming has been used plenty of times in manga, but the variety of changes balances that out somewhat.

I was expecting to write a Dishonorable Mention, but Pixie Pop beat the odds. I wonder if she will start using her ability to fight crime...



Pixie Pop is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.
- Miranda

Kedamono Damono, v.1

By Haruka Fukushima
Released in U.S. by TokyoPop



Slugline: Is it still bisexuality if you are attracted to both sexes of the same sex-changing person?

You know, I hate to bring this up, and it may shock some people, but women have sexual desires of their own at times. From manga it would seem that all women want is LOVE in the epic sense, but don't lust or think about initiating sex much. In Kedamono Damano, there is a girl who is very forward in her affections, which could be a refreshing change but since she is only a she at night -- during the day he is normal shy Japanese schoolboy -- I am not sure if this some sort of backhanded compliment for women or showing the dark side of male self-control. Or maybe I am giving the creators too much credit.

Konatsu begins the book as the manager of basketball team with a crush on Yamaguchi, the head of the team. In pursuit of her lust she discovers that Haruki, another basketball player, has a tragic condition which turns him into a girl in the evening. Once determining that Yamaguchi is a jerk not worthy of her time, Konatsu starts a relationship with Haruki by way of the usual confusion and plot twists that fill these gender-twisting romances. While those elements of the story are forgettable, the confusion of which version of Haruki Konatsu is attracted to, and her willingness to be emotionally accessible to them both, does pique my interest slightly.



- Ferdinand

Wild Adapter, v.1

by Kazuya Minekura ublished in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: We meet Makoto as his path begins to cross that of a strange new street drug.

It's taken me a week or so to sort out my opinion of this volume. There's not much that's easy about it -- particularly, it's not easy to sympathize with the characters and that makes it difficult to stick with. Makoto is an assassin, and possibly a serial killer or at least a mass murderer, and the author offers only a few hints of complexity behind the face. His friend Komiya is a bit more human, but it's not a lot to hang a story on.

And on the other hand, it's well written in the gritty action style ("noir" the back cover says, and it's a very modern, sociopathic noir.) The art is harsh and angular, which complements the story well. It comes shrink wrapped due to a few stray boobs and butts.

The other problem is that the back cover actually tells you more about the big picture than the book does. I think this all averages out to a mild recommendation, with hopes the writer cashes in on the potential this story has.



Wild Adapter is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Get Backers, v.1

Story by Yuya Aoki with Art by Rando Ayamine
Published in the U.S. by TokyoPop



Slugline: For guys that have superpowers, it does seem odd that they can't afford food out of snack machines.

Get Backers is about the specialist recovery team of Ginji and Ban, a pair of hapless guys who are barely making enough money to feed themselves despite having an "almost 100% success rate" in their job. This also is despite Ban having electric powers while Ginji has the evil eye, allowing him to inflict illusions on his victims. By the end of the first volume part of their support network is revealed, but only the most basic caricatures of them are shown.

Get Backers is a long, ongoing series that still has not been completed, but the first volume makes it hard to understand how this title survived long enough to grow in popularity. Not that it is bad, but the characters of Ban and Ginji are walking stereotypes. They want to help an old man reconcile with his daughter, but there is yakuza in the way. How the story unfolds from that premise is so predictable that as soon as a character spoke I could tell what was going to happen for the next ten pages or so, and that included the "tragic" ending that could be seen as far off as when the character was introduced. The fact that the art and layout just confused things at times didn't help either.



Get Backers is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Series Update: Kuro Gane, v.3

SERIES UPDATE

Kuro Gane started off with an interesting premise in v.1, coasted in v.2, and now that we've gotten through v.3, I have to ask. If he's got a talking sword who never seems to misunderstand him, and he eats and drinks and is wounded normally, exactly what is the point of making your hero a voiceless clockwork man? In the execution of the story, I'm not seeing any difference between Jintetsu and any other strong-and-silent samurai hero.

This does not make it a bad series, but it sure does not make it stand out from the competition.

Kuro Gane vol. 3 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Miranda

Innocent Bird, v.1

by Hirotaka Kisaragi
Published in the U.S. by Blu



Slugline: Angels and demons renounce their allegiances in favor of being human -- and maybe a little boy-love somewhere down the line.

Since this title is published by Blu, I'm assuming there will be some boy-love in the later volumes, but right now it's strictly early relationship drama. Karasu, an angel, and Shirasagi, a demon, both have their fallings-out with the entire angel/demon bureaucracy and declare their independence. And then, for whatever reason, there are two chapters of an entirely different story at the end of the volume.

I have no problem with most of the wild variations on Western mythology and Christianity that turn up in manga -- it's just that some of them are so far off base that the author is only confusing me by using familiar names. Innocent Bird takes some liberties with angelic mythology (I'd call gay romance a bit of a liberty) and puts its characters in some interesting situations. Shirasagi has not only given up being a demon, he's gone through seminary. And Karasu doesn't just talk back to his superiors, he cuts a deal with a devil to rescue his friend.

The filler story is quite good, and I like the clean artwork and messy blood spatters. Though these angels have the same problem as most winged people in manga: from the amount of feathers flying around, they must be constantly molting, the poor things.



Innocent Bird is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Divalicious, v. 1

Written by T Campbell and Illustrated by Amy Mebberson
Published by TokyoPop



Slugline: An idol story about a star who is all about being an idol, no modesty here.

Sometimes even very silly stories with over-the-top premises can hang together on a strong plot line. It's not usual, but Divalicious manages to have both a meaningful story and a frivolous approach. In manga, there are an entire subgenre of idol stories about people beginning music careers to become stars. Divalicious is an OEL, so it is set in the US, and Tina Young, the diva of the title, is already well on her way to stardom but there is one diva yet in her way. Her manager Shaquille tries to direct her, but despite her flighty nature she somehow manages to still keep on track, much to the disappointment of the music management company A Few Notes. The majority of the book seems to be little one-off episodes, but at the very end, the slight problem that A Few Notes has been suddenly blooms into a full blown victory for them as disparate story threads are suddenly woven together to create a prison cell for Shaquille and a gilded cage for Tina that she cannot see.

The art is very manga, with deformation being used far more extensively and organically than most other OEL titles. Though this title's genre is not my usual bag, and I can't remember how many idol manga I've had to read, I actually grinned while reading this. While the story itself is fairly standard, it is very well executed with an art style that fits perfectly.



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

- Ferdinand

Why no posts?

Just letting all our readers know that we went to the NYCC, which made us skip last Thursday's post. Our normal posting will resume on Tuesday.

-Ferdinand

The Drifting Classroom, v.1

by Kazuo Umezu
Published in the U.S. by Viz



Slugline: An entire school full of kids is transported to an alien world. No warning, no preparation, no idea where they are.

The Drifting Classroom was created in the mid-70s, so the first thing a manga fan will notice is that the artwork isn't what they are used to. But if you like horror that does not rely on splatter to scare you, I encourage you to give this a try.

Like Battle Royale (or Lord of the Flies,) Classroom puts ordinary kids in grim survival situations and then spins out gruesomely realistic stories. The first volume of Classroom sets up the regrets of our hero and the initial freakout as the kids (and teachers) start to realize they aren't in Japan anymore. And who wouldn't freak, honestly? These are ordinary school kids, not ninja masters or supermecha pilots. Their screaming and crying (and the ones trying to bolt for home) set what is sure to be a gruesome stage with few survivors.

Kazuo Umezu has been a prolific manga creator of many horror (and science fiction, such as the adapation of Ultraman, and romance as well) titles from the 1950s straight through the 90s. If you are at all interested in what came before Sailor Moon, Voltron, or even Gatchaman, Umezu is worth looking for. I'm giving this series a preemptive "Classic" tag because of its author and his tremendous influence.



Drifting Classroom is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Kilala Princess, v. 1

Art by Nao Kodaka, Story by Rika Tanaka
Released in the U.S. by TokyoPop



Slugline: Remember how they tell you that you should try to avoid Mary Sue characters in your writing? Apparently in manga you can make a nice living publishing it.

Every little girl wanted to be a princess when they were growing up, or at least that seems to be the theory. Of course, when I asked some women about that, none of them admitted to it. Kilala Princess is a story of Kilala and her best friend Erica. Erica is a shoo-in to win their school’s annual princess pageant and wear the school tiara. Two strangers arrive, looking for a princess to save their country, but their unknown enemy kidnaps Erica, leading them into a chase which goes through Snow White’s world, where Kilala and Rei, one of the searchers, face off against the Evil Queen.

This is in the manga readers format, so it shorter than most manga and is aimed at ages 8-12. As such the story is very basic and lifts bits from the Snow White movie. But what I liked about it is the friendship between Kilala and Erica, and despite Kilala not being the most popular or the most hated girl in school, she still can make a difference. Because far more girls are average (by definition) than anything else, that is a good message. So I think for its age range, this is a good title, though realize its rating is for that age range, and precocious readers may outgrow it earlier.



Kilala Princess is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Vampire Knight, v.1

Story and Art by Matsuri Hino
Published in the US by Viz Shojo Beat



Slugline: For once I would like to see some vampires that are not ethereal and hauntingly beautiful. Some pimples would be nice.

Vampire Knight is not sure whether or it is a shoujo or action title. Cross Academy has two classes, Day and Night, with the Night Class being vampires and the Day Class being normal humans not aware that the Night Class are vampires. This is so that vampires and humans can learn to live together, though how they are supposed to do that if the humans do not believe that vampires are real? Anyway, Yuki and Zero, both students who have lost their parents to vampire attacks, are on the Disciplinary Committee that tries to maintain the separation between the two. Yuki was saved from the vampire attack that killed her parents by Kaname, a powerful vampire who now leads the Night Class, but the vampires of the class still have to battle their own natures.

In order to pull this off, Yuki needed to be a strong character, even if she is infautuated with Kaname, but it doesn't come across that way. It is implied that you need something more than strong language to convince a vampire to do something he doesn't want to, but whenever she needs to convince someone to do something, either Kaname or Zero do it for her. Now at the end of the volume something has happened to Zero that forces her to be more take-charge, but I don't know if she will rise to the challenge. If she does so, this book's rating can easily improve, but at the moment it is just another shoujo with a female lead that should be strong but isn't.



Vampire Knight is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Gravitation EX, v.1

by Maki Murakami
Published in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: Seriously, who needs a plot when you've got insanity, robot pandas and boys in bunny suits?

A caveat: I did not read the original Gravitation, though I did hear the squeeing from afar. This is a sequel to that story, so there's little in the way of introductions of characters. But for the observant reader, it's no worse than any other fast-paced manga.

And I do mean fast-paced. Hang on to your kitty ears because this book doesn't let up from page two till the end. If you're ready to roll with the insanity (familiarity with Monty Python non sequitors may help), it's a fun book that did get a couple LOLs out of me (which is a respectable accomplishment.)

The story, as I figure it: Yuki and Shuichi, yaoi lovers who already have a colorful history, have not quite mastered the art of communication (though there are attempts) and are still romantically targeted by other boys. Oh, and there's a kid thrown into the mix for extra angst. In a world where a kiss is as good as a wedding band, these two are hamming up every slight misconception into robot-panda-level disasters... and it's funny and it all makes sense, just barely.

This is a boy love title, but it is not porn. Not even a little. It's all about the crazy.



Gravitation EX is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Series Update: Basilisk 2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

Action-packed ninja-fest Basilisk continues apace, pulling out some downright strange "secret ninja powers" (which I still say are on par with any Marvel or DC mutant superheroes, though stranger) and racking up the body count as the two ninja families settle into their grand duel. By the end of v. 3, the two families have evened out the number of remaining combatants (Or have they? Nobody's really dead until you see the body, and even then... just like superheroes, right?)

Basilisk vol. 2 and vol. 3 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Series Update: School Rumble 3 & 4

SERIES UPDATE

I'm sorry to say that School Rumble has, by volume 4, developed a problem. It's trying to be serious. And it's starting to set up elaborate misunderstandings based on the fact that nobody can actually speak to anybody else in a meaningful way. And even the side stories about Tenma's sister are suffering.

I'd still recommend v. 1 & 2... and maybe 3. But if you're looking for laughs, never mind v.4

School Rumble vol. 3 and vol. 4 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

StrongArm #1

Written by Steve Horton with art by David Ahn
Published by Image Comics



Slugline: In media res of the future still proves that no one understands Latin

I usually do not review single issues, but the creators of this title were looking for reviews from manga sites, and there is a manga in the title here. Hopefully they won't come to regret their decision too greatly.

StrongArm is by western creators, and falls into the Guyver genre of anime/manga: hapless guy gets possessed by the ultimate weapon that takes him over and he struggles to control himself. Or at least that is what I think the story is about, since there is very little of it explained here, thus the In Media Res joke in the slugline. You are very much dropped into the story, and while you can follow it, exactly what the characters are doing, why you should care, and what else is going on in the world around them, is lacking. These are not insurmountable problems, but if you don't give a reader some idea of what is going on in the first issue, when you are going to? The main character, Rob, prisoner/bearer of the StrongArm, is barely given a chance to sketched out.

The art is very nice, clean, with good tones, but I would have given up some of those nice looking splash pages to be further drawn into the world and the characters. This is an average title, one that most manga readers would recognize, the one weakness of the story being that the background and characters are not fully fleshed out. But that is something that could easily be fixed in a following issue.

Visit Image Comics to find out more about the title and local comic book stores. To find one, try the Comic Shop Locator Service.

- Ferdinand

Free Collars Kingdom, v. 1

By Takuya Fujima
Released in the U.S. by Del Rey



Slugline: Catboys and Catgirls in a way that almost makes sense. Except for the being otaku part.

Most stories featuring cat boys and girls have them being just like humans, but here this is just how the cats look at each other, while when people look at them they are just cats. Makes sense and is not overly cutesy. Put that together with the cats fighting over territory because some places have better otaku-friendly stores. But once you get beyond those two interesting ideas, there is not much there. At times it seems like this is going to be a fighting story, other times it seems like it will be a more relationship-based one. I think even the characters in the story are confused which one and what they are supposed to be.

But to show just how otaku-focused the title is, the character who is a gifted natural fighter learned all of his moves by watching video games. If that isn't an otaku dream come to life, I don't know what is. And there is a character which they even call Moe, as in the Three Stooges. So while there are some interesting ideas, and at first glance the story seems novel, some of the some tropes and other stylistic devices that you see all over other manga start showing up. There were a couple times the art of the story was handled in a confusing manner. Still, if cat-people are your thing, this is certainly a different take from most.



Free Collars Kingdom is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.


- Ferdinand

Mushishi, v. 1

by Yuki Urushibara
Published in the U.S. by Del Rey



Slugline: Ginko diagnoses and cures strange, supernaturally-caused diseases.

Ferdinand compared this to the good old days of X-Files, and I can see why. Ginko knows a lot about mushi (primitive supernatural critters) but not everything, and he travels a very traditional Japan helping the afflicted. Where he's from and why he wears modern Westernized clothes isn't explained, nor does it need to be. These stories aren't really about him.

The afflictions are strange and in their way nasty, the way fairy afflictions are in traditional Western tales. There's no gore or big magical battles, only riddles and hope. It's a bit like a medical drama too, in that way. It's a welcome (for me) break from the teenage melodrama, the cute animal sidekicks and the current obsession with scythe-based weapons. The ties to Japanese folklore are a big plus for me, too.

So kids, if you want to convince your parents that manga isn't all gigantic eyes, short skirts and gay boys, offer them a copy of Mushishi. And if you're looking for a change of pace, definitely pick up a copy. I'm adding this to my short list of titles to follow closely.



Mushishi is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

My Dead Girlfriend, v.1

by Eric Wight
Published by Tokyopop



Slugline: Finney Black, doomed to die bizarrely, finds out his girlfriend is a ghost.

Eric Wight comes with a creative pedigree longer than his arm and this book is covered with endorsements from people whose work I've enjoyed, so I expected good times from Girlfriend.

Um. Yeah. This is awkward.

We're introduced to Finney, a 10-to-12-year-old (or is he younger?) scion of a family noted for bizarre deaths. He's persecuted by most everybody at his monster-themed school. He has one lovely day with a girl at a carnival. Turns out she died soon after and still wants to be friends. Good thing she has ghostly superpowers because he's in trouble with the local bullies.

Did I just spoil it? Trust me, this book is so chained to the Misfit Template that only a newbie would be surprised by any of these plot points. It's all presented with standard-issue snarking and pranks. The only distinctive point is Mr. Wight's artwork, which is completely his own and deserves better than this.

And the pseudo-sexual-ghostzap she gave him toward the end pushes more of the wrong buttons the more I think about it. I have no idea what plot plans there are beyond beating up on bullies, in v.2, but I can't say I'm eager to find out.



My Dead Girlfriend is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Kitchen Princess, v. 1

Manga by Natsumi Ando, Story by Miyuki Kobayashi
Released in the U.S. by Del Rey



Slugline: The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. And for once this is not a sword technique

Poor girl is saved as a child by mysterious stranger who gives her a token, and years later as a teenager she goes to the school she thinks said stranger attends, only she is hated by the other girls and thinks that one of the two hottest guys in the school may be her long lost savior.

Quick, which manga have I described?

Yeah, twenty at least. The special skills that make Najika stand out, because the female leads always have something "special" about them, are her tasting and cooking abilities. The book actually has some recipes in the back for people to experiment with if they feel like it. The story is executed by the numbers, there are no real surprises other than for once the female lead is not always relentlessly upbeat, and has doubts to the point of almost leaving and not coming back. But other than that, this feels just like other shoujo titles, competent but nothing that I would go out of my way for.



Kitchen Princess is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Council of Carnality Unlimited

Council of Carnality Unlimited and all other explicit titles have been moved to Prospero’s Manga – Mature, a review blog for explicit manga titles. Please check there for reviews of such titles.

Series Update: Loveless, v.2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

Loveless v.1 surprised me with its complexities and the dark characters, and I made the effort to follow the series (and see some anime) rather than coasting on review freebies. Volumes 2 and 3 introduce some more typical anime aspects (some clueless females, some unfounded use of the word "love") but remains compelling through Soubi's deep manipulation of Ritsuka, clever use of word magic and a few calculated scraps of info about the organizations behind all this. I could write a huge essay on the use of "love" as a shackle rather than as freedom, because of Loveless. (but I don't have time to, don't worry.)

Loveless vol. 2 and vol. 3 are both available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Series Update: Kami Kaze, v.2

SERIES UPDATE

I gave Kami Kaze, v.1 a decent review, but there was a considerable gap before I picked up the second volume. A combination of factors gave me a bad initial reaction to v.2, such as: similar-looking characters, people being conveniently "weak", unimaginative rituals and a lot of big names for too many different groups of people. After reviewing v.1, I've modified that dislike to "no comment." Though I still get a laugh from the fact that 88 ravening, massively powerful "beasts" were unleashed upon the world... and nobody seemed to notice. In the next scene, literally, the two girls are talking some months later about how nice their new sailor uniforms are. WTF?

Kami Kaze vol. 2 is available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution, v. 1

By Hiroyuki Tamakoshi
Published in the U.S. by Del Rey



Slugline: Someone finally gets to see a woman's breast in a sauna!

It just seems that I am reviewing a lot of adult material lately. The next title in this trend is Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution from Del Rey. It is an ecchi title, which means it features lots of skimpy clothing and teasing, but what earns this title its M rating is the artist's courage to show the characters topless. Usually that's a no-no, but it's actually a relief for me after years of transparent cowardice and the fact that the story is actually willing to draw a simple female breast makes it bold!

Well, maybe not really, but I am willing to give them points for breaking the rules. I do like the art, and the character designs and costumes are very nice. But it does suffer from the old "guy turns into a girl in order to be close to a girl he likes" tropes. Now, not all of his desires are lewd, he wants to be friends with her, but by the same token he does enjoy the moments when he physically gets close to her. So it's not irredeemable, but neither is it particularly exiciting, just an above average ecchi title, which is still a damning with faint praise sort of thing.



Gacha Gacha: The Next Revolution is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Calling You

by Otsuichi, art by Setsuri Tsuzuki
Published in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: Two stories, both intended to be tear-jerkers of the first water but also showing some cleverness.

Both of these stories, "Calling You" and "Kiz/Kids" follow tear-jerker templates but do have their better details. Those details stem from consistency of character (don't want to spoil anything, though) in the Shakespearian tragedy sense (that these character aspects mean there could be no other outcome,) so I approve.

There are mild fantasy elements -- psychic "cell phones" in the first and wound transferrence in the second -- but otherwise these stories are set in the here and now, focused on realistic people and problems. Angst, anguish and alienation are plentiful and described at length. But the dialogue is good, the plots are sound and the characters consistent, so I won't say too much and spoil anything in case you don't see the twists coming.



Calling You is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Good Luck, v.1

by E-Jin Kang
Published in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: They say Shi-Hyun's bad luck, so she's singled out... and she's actually tough enough to handle it.

Sadly, most of the manhwa we've reviewed here has been a disappointment. (notable exception: Dokebi Bride) They've mostly been rehashed mediocre manga with a too-small dash of Korean flavor.

Good Luck is different. The dialog pops and snarks and the art is both pleasantly clean and developed beyond merely manga standard-issue. Shi-Hyun and her brother are character types we've seen before, but she actually has a tough shell (Rather than either just smiling now and crying later, or breaking out into comedic violence, which are what pass for "tough girl" in a lot of manga. Neither of which, I would say, treat female anger with much honesty.) And her brother isn't quite a cross-dresser... yet.

There are several small tweaks to the staple new-girl-at-school story, all of them refreshing even when they're a bit confusing. I was just so glad to meet a female character who wasn't aspiring to be a door mat for the Cute Boy and so charmed by the art that I'm overlooking the lack of plot (it will probably be a series of small episodes, loosely tied together) and recommending this one, especially to middle-school girls.



Good Luck is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: White Maze

Written by Junichi Fujisaku
Published in the U.S. by Dark Horse



Slugline: Guns go boom. It's Ghost in the Shell, what else could happen?

Ghost in the Shell manga (this is a novel) that are released by Dark Horse have an interesting sense of hyper-reality to them as they attempt to illustrate some concepts of science fiction/futurism in a more concrete form, such as the idea of augmented reality. But in this novel only the very basic concepts are used, making it no more than another cyberpunk tale. Not that it is a bad cyberpunk tale, but it is a fairly straightforward and not a very complicated one.

Bad man makes a virus with vampiric overtones that is quickly lost, and Motoko Kusanagi finds the bad man, who turns out, surprise, surprise, to be not so bad. But some even worse folks want to use him for worse ends. Look, I am not trying to be snarky; it is executed decently and there are some interesting character moments, but if you are looking for some hardcore cyperpunk/action or a big Ghost in the Shell post-modern metaphysics brainstorm, this may be disappointing. I suspect I will forget most of the plot of this book within a week.



Ghost in the Shell: White Maze is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

Trinity Blood, v.1

Story by Sunao Yoshida, art by Kiyo Kyujo
Published in the U.S. by Tokyopop



Slugline: Goofy-but-dangerous Abel Nightroad takes out a vampire plot to destroy Rome.

Great art can carry mediocre writing, and great writing can carry mediocre art. This is an example of the former.

Maybe not "mediocre" so much as just sloppy -- it's nothing a good editor could not have tightened up or nudged them to be clearer, more precise. But it's the kind of lovingly detailed, uber-manga art (influenced by Geiger, I'd bet) that makes you forgive vagueness. And unlikely weapons. And standard-issue characters. And... well, you get the idea.

Abel Nightroad is the sort of goofy-when-he's-not-deadly guy that comes from the same mold as Vash in Trigun (right down to the glasses). Sister Esther is the usual victim/window dressing girl, so far. Dietrich, Iqus, Radcon and Gyula are decently sketched, character-wise, even amusing in some ways. The plot does have one unexpected bit of treason to flavor the melodrama.

But the strong point is most definitely the art and the costuming that throws down a big gauntlet to cosplayers. My first anime convention of the year is only a few weeks away, and I'm wondering how many Nightroads I'll see.



Trinity Blood, Vol.1 is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Anyway I Want It…

Anyway I Want It… and all other explicit titles have been moved to Prospero’s Manga – Mature, a review blog for explicit manga titles. Please check there for reviews of such titles.

Last update

And for the last bit of blog updates for the foreseeable future, we have updated the Amazon Astore, so it is organized, and has ratings attached to the entries. For instance, we have a section where just our 4 and 4 1/2 star titles are listed, and so on. There has also been some neatening up here and there, and corrections/editing of some old reviews. Nothing that like changing ratings, but basically splitting up entrees that were posted together in order to make it easier to search, and things like that.

And tomorrow we go back to posting reviews again!

-Ferdinand

More blog improvements

Some more improvements...

Some people asked us to add a google search, and after a couple hours of fiddling, no google search is better than just the search function on the navbar on the top of the page. Just reminding everyone that sucker is works better than you think.

We are going to add Right Stuf, Intl., links on some of our reviews. Some of the reviewed titles (okay, the adult ones) do not have a Amazon.com presence, but do on Right Stuf., and probably vice versa. We are going to add them in to give everyone the best chance to get the titles we mention, if they want to.

We have added a donations button on the right hand side. Are we paid to do this site, no. We have no site-specific advertising (those google ad clicks are certainly not adding up), the only thing we promise companies who give us material is a review, and you can see we are not afraid to give bad ones. So if you feel generous, feel free to help keep us in manga/anime. But don't worry if you don't, we are in this for the long haul.

-Ferdinand

Blog Improvements

Added some more functions here, including a handy dandy feedburner button and creator links. Any creator who is published, or has at least been solicited, and want their webpage linked, contact us and we will make it happen.

-Ferdinand

Imadoki! v.1

By Yuu Watase
Published in the U.S. by Viz



Slugline: What else can bond a boy and a girl but a love of horticulture?

I don't know why I do this myself. Yuu Watase's Fushigi Yuugi was like junk food. You know it's bad for you, but you can't help scarfing it down anyways. In my case, it was her female lead. After a while, the lead was so clueless I was hoping that the male leads competing for her attention would decide to dump her and go yaoi. But I still watched the whole series, and this was back when there wasn't a legit copy of it circulating in the US.

Imadoki! has a similarly relentlessly cheerful heroine, Tanpopo, who has transferred from a rural high school where everyone was her friend to an elite Tokyo school. She manages to almost immediately alienate everyone by claiming the standoffish Koki as friend, for they had a brief conversation about a flower the day before school started. It turns out Koki is connected to a wealthy family and has to hide his true nature, which gets Tanpopo in trouble immediately. Her relentless cheerfulness is nice at first, but by the end of the book I was getting annoyed by it. But I still want to read the next book.

Like I said, it's like candy. Bad for you, but you can't stop reading.



Imadoki! is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

When Worlds Collide

by various artists
Published by Iris Print



Slugline: Anthology of yaoi romance titles themed on the "opposites attract" principle.

As with any anthology, some are better than others in this collection of short stories. The art is of varying quality but generally good, and the writing is necessarily condensed and requires a few leaps of faith from the readers. On the whole, it's a pretty decent book.

My main point to make is that this is not a porn anthology. There are a few explicit frames, but the emphasis here is clearly on the romance. There's nothing new about explicit romance, of course, but if you're expecting porn this isn't it.



- Miranda

Akira v. 1 - 6

by Katsuhiro Otomo
Published in the U.S. by Dark Horse Manga



Slugline: Tetsuo rides the psychic-power rollercoaster amid chaos, apocalypse, and his ex-best friend trying to kill him.

I haven't read Akira in at least ten years, and I was a bit worried it wouldn't hold up after so long in the otaku world. But it does, and I know exactly why it converted me to the fandom.

- Crystal clear action. None of those big, vague, swooshes, no wondering whose ass that weapon came out of, no fudging of geography, physics, or biology.

- Excellent application of psychic powers. It's still some of the best telekinetic combat on paper. Makes Obi-Wan look like a noob.

- Consistent, if limited, characters. Especially Kaneda, who is not only an ass, he's too clueless to realize he's clueless and is the kind who brings a knife to a gun fight. A butter knife.

- Lovingly rendered military equipment. No roses or sparkles in this one, and a couple ass-kicking ladies that I can root for.

- Mass destruction. Tokyo gets flattened, and more than once.

- Plot never loses focus, even in the chaos of a freshly ruined city. We don't get sidetracked into tangential flashbacks. Everyone's relevance to the story is quickly established and we keep moving.

All these qualities are a bit unusual for a manga, in that they are rather Western and much closer to what Hollywood et. al. have trained Americans to expect. But it's Japanese enough to stand well apart from them, too. That's what makes Akira such a good "conversion" manga (and anime) for action/scifi/apocalypse fans.

If you have a friend who's curious about manga, I'd recommend Akira unless your friend's into sensitive romances (try Utena on those friends.) And I think the bridge can work both ways: read Akira and then pick up Dark Knight Returns,
V for Vendetta, Sin City or Crisis on Infinite Earths.



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

- Miranda