SERIES UPDATE: Kashimashi, vol. 4

Check out previous reviews of Kashimashi vol. 1 and Kashimashi vols. 2 and 3.

After the story wandering around uncertainly for a while, Kashimashi vol. 4 finds it metaphorical feet in the revelation that Hazumu's near-death experience of volume 1, the one him to a her, was fated. Fate is not something that can be denied, and Hazumu's death is approaching once again. With that sort of ticking clock in the background, suddenly the characters have something that drives them, so that things matter. True, there is a bit of soap opera business where all of the characters know that Hazumu has a month left to live but no one knows that everyone else knows, but it prevents everyone descending in maudlin crying. I do wish that the characters had handled the revelations at the end of the third volume a little better, especially the potential 'cure' for Hazumu that was introduced at the end of that volume that wasn't really followed up in this one. Overall, the introduction of the ticking clock has pushed the series back up in the 3 1/2 stars category.



The Kashimashi vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 and vol. 4 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Ferdinand

SERIES UPDATE: Eternal Sabbath (ES), vol. 8

You can read our earlier reviews of Eternal Sabbath vol. 1 here, vol. 2 here vols. 3-4 here and vols 5-7 here.

The series draws to a not-terribly-surprising end, though there's a decent twist or two along the way. After all that's happened, it's no surprise that it comes down to Shuro and Isaac to duke it out, and the end result of the fight is interesting but ultimately not a surprise either. It's a mild disappointment after such a strong start, but on average this is still a four star series aimed at the non-teenaged reader. I will be looking forward to Fuyumi Soryo's next manga.



ES vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6, vol. 7 and vol. 8 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

SERIES UPDATE: Presents, vol. 2

You can check out our review of Presents, vol. 1.

Presents continues its approach of one-off horror stories, all centered around the idea of presents, how they help, hurt and curse people that accept them. In some ways, I think this volume is stronger then the first, because it starts out immediately with a vision of Santa Claus that I suspect only a culture that hadn't been steeped in Christmas and Santa Claus could produce. Santa Claus and Death are both recurring characters, talking and giving the main character Kurumi's perspective and some suggestions on how to deal with some gift givers. Not all of the stories devolved into horror filled tales of greed gone wrong over presents, several of them were rather touching. So while I could easily got bored at too many one-off tales, Presents, at least in this volume, varied their approach enough to continue to draw me in.



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

-Ferdinand

SERIES UPDATE: Loveless, vols 4-7

Feel free to check out our previous reviews for Loveless, vol. 1 and Loveless, vol 2&3.

The story drifted a bit, introducing characters who may or may not become more interesting, some bits of intrigue and some ass-dragging on Ritsuka's part. But in vol. 6, he demands to visit this Septimal Moon that has been mentioned and lo, in vol. 7 we are making progress. A diversion of sorts is begun in vol. 7 with the likely goal of making a team of Ritsuka and Soubi. It's sure to have repercussions later, no mystery about that.

And the short stories at the end of some volumes are cute too.



Loveless vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6 and vol. 7 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

SERIES UPDATE: The Drifting Classroom, v. 7 - 9

You can read our previous reviews of Drifting Classroom vol. 1, Vols. 2 & 3, and Vols. 4-6.

The kids continue to slog through their unfolding disaster, and now some gaps are starting to show in the manga-ka's apocalyptic future. The biology does not really work. Some scenes are blatant info-dumps that don't make a lot of sense in the context offered. The abilities of sixth graders are pushed to their believable limits. And the third descent into Lord of the Flies mode is not quite as interesting as the first two.

Still, there are a few character moments and interesting context in this mid-70s look at a post-apocalyptic world. In a time when Americans were worrying about nuclear war, at least one manga-ka saw climate change as a global threat.



The Drifting Classroom vol. 7, vol. 8 and vol. 9 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

SERIES UPDATE: Eternal Sabbath, v. 5 - 7

You can read our earlier reviews of Eternal Sabbath vol. 1 here, vol. 2 here and vols. 3-4 here.

Through these volumes, Shuro and Mine try to influence Isaac by way of his friend Yuri. Although they make careful moves, things take a turn for the worse. Isaac does show some signs of human emotion, but he doesn't know how to act on them correctly. In the process of erasing his "mistakes" he sets off another encounter with Shuro. When the scene escalates, Isaac actually seems off balance due to the emotional fallout from Yuri, and the plot begins to shift in a new direction.

Tough subjects are tackled in these three volumes -- child abuse, the stresses of parenting -- and this series will be staying on my short list!




ES vol. 1, vol. 2, vol. 3 vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6 and vol. 7 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

SERIES UPDATE: The Demon Ororon, vols. 3-4 of Ultimate Edition

To see our review of the first half of The Deomon Ororon, the Ultimate Edition, click here.

At the end of v. 2, Chiaki has an Akira moment and destroys most of town. For final two volumes, however, all she does is scream and cry, making no real attempts to do anything. Around her, various demons come and go, nameless flunkies get picked off, and general havok reigns.

The politics of deposing the King of Hell were more interesting to me than Chiaki's crying over Ororon's suffering, since they were more novel. However, wading through the usual philosophical monologues to get to the politics makes for slow going. As it drags to its end, this story becomes less a romance and more an exercise in masochism. And as Ororon lies bleeding, Chiaki's inability to even try to help becomes more and more annoying.



The Demon Ororon, Ultimate Edition is also available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

SERIES UPDATE: Trinity Blood vol. 2 & 3

To check out our earlier reviews of Trinity Blood, you can click here for Miranda's review of vol. 1 and here for the link to Ferdinand's review at CBGXtra. Also, here is a review of Trinity Blood: Return on the Mars, vol. 1 The Star of Sorrow.

By the end of v.3, signs of the larger plot and the factions involved are emerging. Some are more interesting than others, but on the whole they are keeping me involved in the series. On the down side, the arrival of some visually complicated opponents means that the action sequences require careful reading. Also on the down side, all Sister Esther has to do to get called "exceptional" is not be totally useless. But still, Trinity Blood will stay on my short list for the time being.



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

- Miranda

SERIES UPDATE: Crossroad, v. 4 - 7

To check out our earlier reviews of Crossroad, you can click here for the review of vol. 1, and here for the reviews of volume 2 and 3.

Volume 7 finishes the series. If nothing else, it maintains its sense of humor. However, some of the characters "resolve" their situations and then start contradicting themselves. (If you're deciding on one guy, you shouldn't let the other keep kissing and groping you.)

It's hard, in this day and age, to see a relationship between teacher and student portrayed this way without assuming he's a predator. I don't consider teenagers children, just inexperienced adults, but a lot of what goes on would legally be abuse and/or statutory rape in the U.S. I think Kajitsu and Akai have an honest relationship, despite their situation and age difference, but this element of the story could cause trouble, in certain situations.



Crossroad vol. 4, vol. 5, vol. 6 and vol. 7 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

-Miranda

Aoi House in Love, Vol.1

Story by Adam Arnold with Art by Shiei
Released by Seven Seas


Slugline: The showdown between yaoi and yuri should be more exciting than this.

Aoi House in Love continues the story of Aoi House, and should be considered as part of that larger story than a new series. Basically the folks from Aoi House go to a con, has a friendly competition of Uri House (a house of yuri fans, rather than fans of Uri Geller) and goes into a cosplay challenge with some The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fans. I really wanted to give this volume a gentleman's 3 stars, but after going back and forth on it, I just couldn't. A harder decision than you think because I know that people from Seven Seas read this blog, but too many things come up and drop out of the story with minimal explanations, the weird relationship between Alex, Elle and Morgan just doesn't feel real, and the reality TV angle that keeps on being tossed into the mix relies on the boy's cluelessness rather than the reader's cleverness to remain hidden. It also suffers in comparison to Dramacon, another manga set at a convention, whose less complicated and even sparse style makes Aoi House in Love seem messy and uncontrolled, an unfair but inevitable comparision. Many of the same concerns I had with Aoi House vol. 2 still hold true here also so that this is now more a title for people who just love harem comedies or need to see what happens . I believe the next volume is the final one, so here's hoping that they can wrap it up as well as they began it.

Oh, just to make a me a total meanie, the color 4-panel comics in the back just didn't seem that funny.



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

-Ferdinand

SERIES UPDATE: Kashimashi vols. 2 and 3

Please check out our review for the first volume of Kashimashi

First of all, Kashimashi the manga diverges significantly from Kashimashi the anime, so if you like one, you may not necessarily enjoy the other. Volume 2 is pretty much a holding pattern with Hazumu and the two other members of his/her love triangle, along with their friends, trying to have typical high school adventures and shenanigans, but the undercurrents of Hazumu's transformation into a woman and the status of his/her feelings for Tomari and Yasuna keep on reasserting themselves. In the beginning of the third book Tomari and Yasuna have come to an understanding, and even a weird kind of friendship between the three of them (try to keep your minds out of the gutter,) but a revelation at the end of the third book will undoubtedly put pressure on all three of them as they try to deal with a ticking time bomb that now is part of the story.

Maybe it's just my fondness for yuri, but some of the problems of Hazumu's transformation come up in the third volume, along with a compelling reason (even if it involves a lot of handwaving to believe) that the status quo of their relationship/non-relationship has to be upset, make it more interesting for me. The second volume is actually fairly skippable, with some of the character's traits being revealed, especially among the supporting characters, but what I feel as the main drive of the story is starting get into gear only at the end of volume three. And I think it has a good ending, suggesting that everyone's relationship will have to change but not invalidating what has gone on before. It also gives the main character Hazumu a reason to stop being a pushover, which is good. Right now I would say that the 3 1/2 stars I gave to the first volume is teetering down to a 3 star rating, but if the fourth volume lives up to the promise of the end of volume 3, it will easily keep its current rating and possibly climb.

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

- Ferdinand

Series Update: Crossroad 2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

To see our review of Crossroad, vol. 1, click here. We followed up this review with one of Crossroad vols. 4-7.

These two volumes are full of romantic pining, confusion, and comedy -- which is standard fare for shojo manga, but the dialog is so fresh and believeable that it singlehandedly keeps the story from going stale. Kudos to Go!comi for having the guts to publish a manga where a high school student dates a teacher, risky as that is.

I would give these two volumes a 3.5, same as the first volume, for injecting fun into familiar relationship problems (everyone's too terrified to actually speak their minds, of course...) and handling a tricky subject (students dating teachers) with humor, yet drama. From how volume 3 ends, I'm guessing 4 will begin a new problem cycle. Check the bargain bins for this one -- I cleaned out the dealers at Otakon and got these cheap!

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

- Miranda

Series Update: The Drifting Classroom, v. 4 - 6

SERIES UPDATE

The numbers are whittled further and further down, as tends to happen in horror stories, by increasingly strange, unlikely, and a situations that might be convincing if I didn't already know that bubonic plague is transmitted by fleas, not by touch. And believe me -- if you've got fleas, you know about it. Those kids should be itching up a storm if they've got fleas. And then there was the mummy, which starts out great, even funny, and devolves into a plot device.

But despite the occasional stretching of credulity, Umezu-sensei continues to present scathingly honest reactions to outrageous situations. We take a right turn at Lord of the Flies and head into pogrom territory -- all the more grimly realistic because history is littered with purges like this.

I thought volume 6 would be the end, but there's more to come. Our narrator is safe, we know, but will anybody else be left when it's all over?

The Drifting Classroom vol. 4, vol. 5 and vol. 6 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Series Update: Deathnote 7 - 10

SERIES UPDATE

Volume 7 wraps up the first story arc, and then we skip a few years to start round two with some new characters. How do you keep a story fresh and interesting, especially one so saddled with exposition and complexity?

Well, leather pants would not have been my first choice but it works. The Deathnote show moves to the U.S. for a little while and the portrayal of Americans, particularly the president, does not ring very true. (Particularly if you try placing Bush in the role.) On the other hand, the story does begin to branch in some new and complicated ways -- and the writer runs the risk of it all turning into deadwood now that the novelty of the series has worn off.

We'll see what happens.

Check out our review for Deathnote vols 1-6 also on Prospero's Manga.



Deathnote vol. 7, vol. 8, vol. 9 and vol. 10 are all available from Right Stuf, Intl., an online retailer specializing in anime and manga.

- Miranda

Series Update: Kuro Gane 4 & 5

SERIES UPDATE

Volume 5 ends the series, and this is still a series of individual adventures with some recurring characters and a lot of recurring themes. I hadn't realized that yakuza, moneylenders and vengeance-driven youngsters were so thick on the ground in 19th-century Japan. Jintetsu doesn't seem to have made a dent in their numbers, despite his efforts.

I would average the series out at two and a half stars -- some interesting elements, more predictable elements, and characters who are not very unusual for this genre.

- Miranda

Series Update: Basilisk 4 & 5

SERIES UPDATE

The series wraps up in volume 5, after much bloodshed, much anguish, and some really bizarre death scenes. I haven't mentioned Segawa-sama's lovely artwork, which makes his women look soft and lush even while they're dishing out the pain. Needless to say, this war of attrition between superpowered ninjas comes to a very Japanese ending (or Shakespearian tragedy, if you prefer) and in the end, despite some serious contenders, I have to give the award for Most Bizarre "Ninja Technique" to the superpowered nose hairs. Yes, you read that right.

Links to reviews of v. 1, v. 2 & 3

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

- Miranda

Series Update: OldBoy 2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

In the original review, I mostly talked about the movie version of this story. To give the manga a fair shake, it's well written and drawn, but it's still slow-paced (even for a manga) and our hero's revenge still depends entirely on those he is pursuing. He hasn't become proactive, yet.

Goto, our hero, pursues his revenge with great deliberation, and it's only when the enemy reaches out to contact him that things start happening. The artist also spends a great deal of time -- too much, actually -- establishing the mood and the surroundings and how many cigarettes everyone is smoking. I think I'll stick with the movie, mean-spirited as it was.

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

- Miranda

Series Update: The Devil Does Exist, v. 2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

Wow.

I was sorta expecting after the first volume for the series to take a sharp turn downhill, into the land of suck. Because often that is how stories end up, that the girl would go crazy and start debating back and forth, or what have you. I am not saying that the series breaks bold new ground -- they do have the mandatory so-sick-with-a-cold-he-passes-out storyline, and the everyone-goes-to-an-amusement-park-storyline -- but what happens are events I can sorta see happening, in that time of your life when everything seems so important and life as you know it hangs by a thread. And the problems people have don't just come from everyone not talking to each other and refusing to even attempt it, but make some sort of sense. You do not have to completely suspend your disbelief to follow this series and enjoy it. You just need to take it out for a night on the town and ply it with sake for a little bit.

Kayano and Takeru move closer together, but Takeru has severe mother abandonment issues which I sense are going to come up, and may turn into a wedge because no girl likes being compared to her mother. Ignore the covers, they are attractive but meaningless and do not represent anything story-wise.

I know people gave CMX in general a bad rap, but if you want a shoujo series that treats the creepy guy who professes love at the drop of a hat as actually creepy rather than annoyingly cute -- which seems a little more connected with reality and with a girl that seems almost normal and sane -- try this.

style="font-family:verdana;">such a way that you don't really think about it until you try to break it down. The secret of Neo is revealed -- and it's something more complicated and more reasonable than just a prehistoric creature -- and how this ties into Misaki's own background. The series ends with a mild recommendation. I wanted to give it a stronger recommendation due to the story and the characters, but the lack of background is holding it back.

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

- Ferdinand

Series Update: Chikyu Misaki, v. 2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

For a manga, this seems to be a rather short series, done in three volumes. Something I would like to bring up is that the lettering at times seems to have been poorly done, making it hard to read, though that might have simply have been the limitations of the panel layout. The story pulls together the separate storylines into an ending that seems to wrap up most of the major plot points, and at the same time doesn't really answer a lot of questions but handles them in such a way that you don't really think about it until you try to break it down. The secret of Neo is revealed -- and it's something more complicated and more reasonable than just a prehistoric creature -- and how this ties into Misaki's own background. The series ends with a mild recommendation. I wanted to give it a stronger recommendation due to the story and the characters, but the lack of background is holding it back.

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

- Ferdinand

Series Update: Aishiteruze Baby v. 2 & 3

SERIES UPDATE

You know how I said the first volume of Aishiteruze Baby did stuff that I had rarely seen in manga? Well, never mind that. In the second and third volumes they didn't forge new ground or keep up the inventiveness, but instead just started using all of the cookie-cutter plot points that I have seen before in manga, especially in shoujo style titles. In retrospect, the relationship between the two now seems to spring up fully formed, and this odd relationship that Kippei and Kokoro have now seems to be based on Kokoro's trauma of a lost mother and since her father is moving away with his new wife, well, remember what I said about how most manga characters don't seem to have a full set of parents? True, it has become rarer in real life, but I am not asking for happy shiny people. Still -- maybe Miranda said this -- it appears that the most dangerous occupation in Japan is parenting, since they seem to die with unusual frequency. Does no one get divorced? I know it is infrequent in Japan, but it has to be less infrequent than this...

Short version: what was interesting and special about the first volume of Aishiteruze Baby gets covered up with standard shoujo fare in the following two volumes.

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

- Ferdinand