Manga Reviews

Dark Walker

2006-10-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Dark Walker
By Kisaragi Hirotaka and Yura Hikaru

Scanslated by Boku-Tachi
IRC Channel: #boku-tachi @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Action, Fantasy, Present-Day

Sumamry:
Natsumi Orihara is a regular student who has been having trouble sleeping as of late. When she falls asleep, she dreams of an arrow though she cannot tell what it means. A few days after these dreams began ofccuring, a transfer student named Ryuuto Tenkawa shows up in her class. As he walks to his assigned seat, he twlls her that her "energy is overflowing."

Later that day, she falls alseep in her homeroom and dreams of watchign the water in the pool rise, engulfing her friend. Whe she waawkens, she finds Ryuuto looking intently at her, and learns that her friend (who was swimmign at the time) has disappeared. Ryuuto explains that there are two worlds, the real world and the dream world. A water demon from the dream world has crossed the boundary and taken her friend. To get her back, Natsumi and Ryuuto enter the dream world and defeat the water demon.

It turns out that both Natsumi and Ryuuto are "Dark Walkers", people capable of entering both worlds. But since female dark walkers are very rare, the demons of the dream world often enter the real world to target them. As a result, Ryuuto has been sent to protect her and train her to defend herself. Can Natsumi learn to weild her latent abilities in Time? Or will she be be consumed like almost all the dark walkers before her?

Commentary:
So far this manga follows a fairly generic pattern, wherein the main character is unaware of her powers and she learns to master her abilities via a combination of trainnig and trials by fire. Even the concept of two worlds is very familiar to manga readers. That said, the plot is lively enough and the action varied enough to make up for the use of the tired formulas.

The art style is very detailed (with plenty of attention paid to facial features, clothes, and hair) and the backgrounds are nicely filled out with details (rather than leaving them black or white). Despite this, I disliked the art as it failed to flow nicely. Often manga is read from right to left and top to bottom, with a few variations to this rule based on frame size. But there are some pages I had to try reading multiple times to understand how the text and art fit together, and to determine in what order events occured. Having to reread pages to determine the passage of events causes constant breaks in the flow of the story.

There hasn't been enough scnaslated for me to render a sounder verdict on this series but so far the story is sufficiently interesting to warrant continued reading. Hopefully the art will begin to take on a more logical flow.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

Threads of Time

2006-07-30T11:15:00.000-07:00

Threads of Time
By Mi Young Noh
Licensed by Tokyopop

Topic: Historical Action, Mystical

Warning: Some Gore

Summary:
Moon Bin is a typical high school student in 1999 Korea: Smoking, hanging out with friends, and rating girls. He's also a member of the Kendo Club, where he's highly skilled with his shinai. But over the past few years he's been having a recurring nightmare, where he's not Moon Bin, but rather Sa Kyoung Kim, the son of a noble family sometime in the 13th century.

For these years, he's hated the dream but it's been no more than that. But recently, the past has begun to show itself in the present. The faces that Moon Bin knows in modern-day Souel are also there 1000 years ago (although they belong to different people). And he begins to suffer delusional episodes where he sees the past over-layed with the present (for example after defeating several opponents in a kendo tournament, he suddenly sees himself holding a real sword and surrounded by the corpses of many others).

One day, when he's swimming laps in the pool, a ghostlike figure of a girl appears and drags him down. Now Moon Bin is in a coma and his nightmare has become reality. He is now living the life of Sa Kyoung Kim, who has just awakened from a 5-year sickness induced coma. Korea (now known as Koryo), is under threat of attack by the Mongolians, and worst of all, he finds that he has a sister who was also knocked into a coma five years ago. That sister is the ghost who appeared before him in 1999 and dragged him under.

Which place is reality, and which one is a dream? How can so many things and people be similar between the past and the future? And if he really is Moon Bin, how can he return to his true body and life?

Commentary:
I highly enjoyed this manga as it's plot is fast-paced but does not skip any necessary information. The over-arching tension built by the coming invasion sets a wonderful background for this story and provides a nice parallel to Moon Bin's personal turmoil (in his case, his past is invading the present, or possibly visa versa).

The characters are well done although I'm surprised at the lack of "main" characters outside of Moon Bin and Atan Hadas (a mongolian warrior princess). Many other characters have recurring roles between the past and present but none of them seem to serve and purpose other than to take up space in a given scene. I do find Moon Bin's personality and actions very well done, as he acts much like any other teenager would when faced with the possibility that he might be going insane. It would be nice if there was more background story provided (such as what exactly happened 5 years ago to put Sa Kyoung Kim into that coma) but I'm sure that information will be doled out slowly, hightening the reader's anticipation.

Both the background art and the character art is amazing. Almsot ever frame has some sort of background, and the landscapes and battles are beautifully drawn. Furthermore, each character (not just the main ones) has their own clothing style, weapon, and facial features. This makes it incredibly easy to identify between all of them.

Overall, this is a very entertaining manga with plenty of psychological nuances set against a wartime background. I can't wait for the next volume to be released.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 (Reviewer's Choice)

.hack// Legend of the Twilight

2006-07-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

.hack//Legend of the Twilight

Art by Rei Isumi

Story by Tatsuya Hamazaki

Licensed by: Tokyopop
3 volumes

Topic: Action, Adventure, RPG

Warning: Ecchi, Mild Violence, Overall fairly tame

Summary:
In the enormous online adventure game "The World", the past exploits of the "dot hackers" are legendary. Two new players win a contest that grants them the use of the dot-hacker avatars. Pretty soon strange things start to happen, and the new players must band together with some other characters who knew the original dot-hackers and try to figure out what is going on, try to avoid having their characters deleted by the game administrators, and maybe save the world.

Commentary:
Can you say "gratuitous sequel"? I knew you could. To be fair, "Legends of Twilight" is fairly well done; it's a mostly pleasant read and I enjoyed many of the characters. But if you're looking for character development, meaningful conflict, a solidly constructed plot, or a satisfying ending, you're going to be disappointed. If you're already a fan of the dot-hack universe and want to hang out there a bit longer, you'll probably enjoy this series, but I don't recommend it to anyone else.

Note: There are a couple "extra" stories tacked on at the end of Volume 3. One of these drives home the lesson that it's more fun when you play by the rules, rather than trying to cheat. Yet in the main story, our heroes have abilities, items, and powers that are not available to other character and which they did nothing to earn. This seems a lot like "cheating" to me. I guess that since they didn't seek these things out but were granted them by an outside power, that makes it okay. Or something like that.

Rating: 3/10 (maybe 5/10 if you\'re already a fan of the series)

Reviewed by Forrest

Wild Life

2006-07-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

Wild Life
Scanslated by: Boku-Tachi and Yakuza
IRC Channel: #boku-tachi @ irc.irctoo.net and #yakuza @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shounen, Comedy, Veterinarian

Warning: Graphic renditions of surgery

Summary:
Iwashiro Tetsushou is a goof-ball 3rd year high-school student. He has no motivations to do anything with his life, and has no special skills save one; he has a perfect sense of hearing. That means he can clearly hear very faint sounds, or faint distortions from the norm.

One day, while sitting on his bike wondering what he's going to do with his life, he sees a man using a stray puppy as target practice. Tetsushou decides to save the dog, and his act of kindness brings him to the attention of a veterinarian who says that with his ability, he could become a veterinarian as well and save plenty of animals. Initially Tetsushou laughs off this notion as ridiculous but shortly after that, the puppy he saves begins to have a weird heart-beat that only Tetsushou can hear. After he rushes the puppy to a veterinarian, the puppy is eventually saved.

From that point on, Tetsushou becomes serious about his studies and a few years later, he's gotten his vet's license. His old high-school friend introduces him to a group called R.E.D., an internationally renowned group of vets who work to save lives rather than to enrich themselves. As a result, all the members of R.E.D. are incredibly skilled and well trained. Does Tetsushou even have a chance to make it past the entrance exam? And if he does, what's in store for him at this elite clinic?

Commentary:
Wild Life is a very innovative manga, where the antagonist is a variety of diseases and sicknesses, while the protagonist has to rely on his one talent to get through each diagnosis. Tetsushou is a well-rounded character, who's normally happy-go-lucky yet focused when he needs to be. Each chapter introduces new difficulties which he has to surmount, and the sheer breadth of these difficulties shows great imagination on the author's part.

Both the background and character art are excellent. As part of R.E.D., Tetsushou is sent to various locales (such as the arctic, or a ship in the middle of the ocean). Yet each scene is rendered with plenty of detail and even the more common panels have some background art. Meanwhile, the characters and the animals are all very well drawn. Each character is highly distinctive, and the art mirrors their personalities well (for example Tetsushou is very relaxed and his goggles and jacket exude laid-backness).

I'm definitely looking forward to more of this series as it comes out.

Rating: 9.0/10.0

Great Sword of Wah

2006-07-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Great Sword of Wah
Scanslated by: Lost Heaven and s.ADTRW
IRC Channels: #lost-heaven @ irc.irchighway.net and #adtrw @ irc.pyoko.org

Topic: Shounen, Fantasy, Swords, Comedy

Warning: Gore

Summary:
Unknown to most Japanese, demons exist. These demons live festering within the hearts of people, feeding on their hate until they finally take control of their hosts. At the end of the Shogunate period, there was massive public unrest which led to chaos throughout Japan. At this point in time, demons arose and added even more fuel to the fire. To combat the plague, a group was created, the "Devine Sword Group." Only the most talented swordsmen were chosen and trained to wield powerful weapons, allowing them to eradicate demons.

It's currently present-day Tokyo, and the group continues to exist. It's current incarnation consists of three swordsmen, Kijimiya Kazuma (the leader), Saruwata Natsume, and Kamiue Momosaburou. They attend a national Kendo tournament with the intention of scouting Sekizawa Keiichi for their group. But he's defeated in the finals by Inuzaki Takamaru, an incredibly talented and brash 15 year-old who's goal is to become the greatest sword-master in Japan.

It soon becomes apparent that Sekizawa has long harbored jealousy towards Takamaru and this hatred had grown to the point where he had been taken over by a demon. After the tournament, Sekizawa attacks Takamaru with the intention of killing him, but the Devine Sword Group intervenes, helping Takamaru kill the demon. Recognizing their strength and desiring to defeat them, Takamaru decides to join the group (now that their original candidate is dead, the group has little choice). Can Takamaru's innate gifts help him survive in the dark world he's now entering?

Commentary:
The plot for Great Sword of Wah is highly predictable as it follows the general pattern for most combat manga (new student with incredible talents appears and suffers from the training but at times shows amazing bursts of power shocking everyone around him). The comedic situations are rather fluid but once again, they are predictable. The characters are also cookie-cutter (the serious leader, the flirt, and the super-skilled kid form the original three members of the group). Yet even though it fails to break new-ground on any front, this still makes for an entertaining read.

The character art is surprisingly varied. Each character (including the various demons) has many distinctive features which allow a reader to absolutely identify each character at a glance. The characters aren't very detailed but they are highly expressive, which is sufficient and fits well with the light-hearted nature of this manga. There's very little background art which forces the reader to always focus on the characters. Most of the time, that's fine because the characters are performing important actions but in each chapter, there are a few frames which seem generally pointless.

Overall, I enjoy reading this series given that it follows a proven formula. However, the fact that it doesn't even try to throw any curve-balls leaves something to be desired.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Sui Tang Heroes

2006-07-04T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sui Tang Heroes
By Gao Yung

Scanslated by Fifaynet

Summary:
Set towards the end of the Sui dynasty (581AD - 618AD), various events are driving China towards civil war. The current Emperor has been plagued by nightmares of his downfall and of the character for water. As a result, he's ordered the assassinations of many nobles and political figures, on the basis that they have that character in their name. He has also been oppressing the peasants and several smaller uprisings have already occured.

Meanwhile, the prime minister (Yuwen) has developed some ambitions towards the throne, and has begun recruiting talented warriors towards his side, so that he may take power once the Emperor falls. At the same time, the leader of the Turkish tribes in China has raised an army to kill the Emperor and take power for himself. And in the midst of all this turmoil, the Li family, a family of nobles, is beginning to move as well. Their second son Li Shimin is a brilliant philosopher, who envisions creating a utopian words where rich and poor are equal. Furthermore, he may be the one prophesized to start the next dynasty. However, the prophet has been killed and each of the sides is vying for control through a combination of diplomacy and backstabbing. What will happen when full blown war breaks out? And who is destined to be the new Emperor?

Commentary:
I'm generally a big fan of historical fiction and this is no exception. The amount of intrigue between the characters is entertaining, as each person has his or her own agenda and given that most of the story is based off reality there are never large leaps of faith or conflicting information. The plot is very fast-paced as we get to see characters moving their subordinates around constantly, in an attempt to prepare themselves for the upcoming war.

The characters themselves are very realistic in terms of emotions and actions (as well they should be, being based in part in reality). Ambition and desires play no small part in their actions and even cloud their judgement at times. The author does a good job of conveying this. Unfortunately, there are too many characters. As of chapter 10 (the end of the second volume), there are at least 8 major characters split over the three sides and many minor ones as well. This makes it very difficult to keep track of who's who and where each person is going.

The art is the one weakness for this manga. The background art is beautiful but rare and the characters are highly detailed. Unfortunately, the characters' emotions are poorly drawn, leading many scenes to look as if they are filled with beautiful china dolls. Even worse, many of the main characters have very similar features, relying only on one feature or another to distinguish between them (often it's the hair color). The fact that you have to put effort into distinguishing between different characters is a major sticking point for the art.

Overall, this is an entertaining romp through historical China and the well crafted plot keep it an interesting read. I just wish this was in a novel form so I could rely on my own imagination to conjure up the events.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Area 88

2006-06-10T17:42:00.000-07:00

Area 88
By Kaoru Shintani
Licensed by Viz

Topic: War

Summary:
Shin Kazama was a foreign student who transfered to Japan to study flying at Yamato Airlines. In the process, he fell in love with the company president's daughter, Ryoko. Unfortunately for him, his "friend" Kanzaki is also interested in her because it's his ambition to one day own his own airline. After drinking on night, Kanzaki dupes Shin into signing an agreement to become a soldier. Shin's rudely awakened the next morning and dragged off to Area 88, a mercenary group in North Africa.

It is now two years later, Shin has been flying a jet and killing people for the last couple years. In the process he's come to learn harsh truths about the world, none more startling than the fact that any of his "fellow pilots" will leave him hanging if they get a shot at a bigger target. At Area 88, the mercanaries are paid based on kills, and they have to pay for their own fuel, ammunition, and plane. Shin has been desperately saving up money to earn his freedom and return to Japan. But will he manage to buy his freedom before he runs out of luck? And how will his experiences in each battle shape his outlook on the future?

Commentary:
Area 88 is a loose collection of stories about missions Shin has to go on, and the things he sees. It's dissimilar from your typical mangas which try to tell stories, rather it focuses more on social and psychological commentary. The reader gets to see the harshness of Shin's world, a world where the only person he can truly trust is himself. As various other characters are introduced then rapidly killed, the reader begins to feel the loss that Shin has to go through on a daily basis. Interestingly, Shin's personality does not change that much throughout the series (as he's already been there for 2 years). Rather, it's the reader's outlook on Shin's personality that changes as we begin to understand him. In some ways, this can be viewed as a bad thing (the character does not really evolve) yet in my opinion, it's necessary for this type of manga.

The character art is interesting, with very expressive faces but extremely plain bodies. The background art on the otherhand, is often elaborate with highly detailed pictures of the various planes Shin and his compatriots pilot. Overall, I enjoyed this manga but it's bittersweet at best. If you want to try a manga that does not try to escape from reality, give Area 88 a shot.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Hareluya I

2006-06-09T17:59:00.000-07:00

Hareluya I
1 Volume
Scanslated by Gomasuri
IRC Channel: #gomasuri @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Comedy

Summary:
Hareluya is a delinquent in Heaven, who enjoys spending all his time drinking, flirting with the angels, or sleeping. This is troublesome for his father Harebare, who just so happens to be the God of the 20th century. Within 8 years it will be the 21st century and Hareluya will assume the role of God. But because he hates humans, who he views as "selfish creatures", Hareluya prefers to relax and enjoy himself. Because he's too corrupt to become the new God, Hareluya is cast down to earth as a mortal to live amongst humans so that he may learn to love humans.

His first action on Earth is to beat up a group of delinquents who are harassing a nun (although in reality he does so because she's "his type"). In the scuffle he's hit over the head and knocked out. When he comes to, he's being hailed as a hero by the nun, who's taken him to her church. Of course now Hareluya has to live in a pious church and attend school because he's taken on the form of a teenager. Will he be able to survive in this new life and more importantly, can these events change him into a more compassionate person?

Commentary:
The art style is identical to that of Hareluya II Boy (which makes sense because they are drawn by the same artist). The characters rely on over-the-top expressions and poses whereas the background is usually non-existant, focusing each frame entirely on one character or another.

The characters aren't developed at all, which is rare even for a single volume manga. The author seems to have taken a bunch of comedy prototypes and thrown together a slap-stick series. (For example Hareluya is similar to a good version the road runner, he's strong, stupid and damage doesn't affect him until it occurs to him. If he were to run off a cliff he'd keep moving for several moments before looking down).

The plot isn't deep but watching Hareluya wander around acting perverted and beating up people is still pretty entertaining. If this had gone on for more than one volume I would have called it repetitive but the manga is short enough to avoid that pitfall. Overall, Hareluya I reads like a sketchbook. It plots out a general premise of God's son becoming human to learn compassion but goes nowhere with it. I'd personally read Hareluya II Boy first and if you enjoy that, read this as a side story.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

Note: Hareluya II Boy is loosely based off this one-volume manga.

Happy Hustle High

2006-05-18T23:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Hustle High by Takada Rie

Licensed by Viz

5 volumes

Topic: Shoujo, High School Romance

Warning: Non-explicit Sex, Mild Violence

Summary:
Oozora Hanabi is loud, brash, and friendly to everyone. Her classmates at all-girls' Uchino high school look up to her and rely on her for help, happily repaying her with free food. When it's announced that Uchino is being integrated with the all-boys Meibi High, most of the girls are so excited they can hardly function, but Hanabi just takes it in stride. On the first day of combined classes, Hanabi is late due to the bane of her existence - her pouffy hair, which she desperately wants to be smooth, flat, and sleek. Stopping to wet down her hair in the water fountain before going to the opening assembly, Hanabi meets a gorgeous but unfriendly guy, who turns out to be Yasuaki, the Vice-President of the Student Council.

Of course all three male student council members are so attractive that the girls are swooning with joy, but Hanabi is just jealous that the President has the kind of smooth, sleek hair she wants so badly, and pissed that the Vice-President was so rude and unfriendly! Hanabi soon becomes part of the Student Council, because she's the only girl who doesn't turn to mush when trying to deal with the male Student Council members. After successfully changing Meibi's "no dating" rule (by bribingTokihisa, the third Student Council member, stalking Yasuaki, and amusing Yoshitomo, the President), Hanabi and Yasuaki become friends of a sort, and their relationship progresses through a variety of misadventures.

Commentary:
Yes, this is a silly, fluffy, shoujo. However, it is also sweet and full of comedy in unexpected places! Hanabi is the kind of character you can't help but like: friendly and enthusiastic without being overly sweet; willing to fight when necessary but not constantly violent; not too concerned with school but not stupid either (at one point, when extremely motivated, she aces all her exams); and caring and helpful to her friends. She's also willing to make a fool of herself if that's what's necessary, and able to laugh at and apologize for her mistakes. Yasuaki is also likable and good-hearted, even though since he falls into the "aloof bishounen who doesn't like girls" category.

A lot of the comedy comes from Hanabi & Yasuaki's interactions, misunderstandings, and differing expectations, but it's never mean-spirited and always resolved fairly quickly. The story focuses on Hanabi and Yasuaki, with only a few supporting characters playing more than cursory roles. The recurring supporting characters do add a lot to the story, though, especially Yoshitomo, who can be highly and hilariously evil.

I thoroughly enjoyed Happy Hustle High (twice, in fact) but it's not a manga I'll keep on my shelves forever. The characters get bonus points for actually mentioning birth control at several points in the story, but lose a few for not mentioning it when they actually have sex. The art is pretty - lots of bishounen and cute girls - but the mangaka often draws Hanabi super-deformed while the rest of the scene is normal, which isn't a style I particularly like. I did really enjoy the way the mangaka set the story up for several of the stereotypical shoujo manga cliches, and then neatly sidestepped them and turned the story in a different direction. This is a fun and clever manga in many ways although the very fluffyness that makes it such a fun quick read also makes it easy to set aside.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Review Submitted by TofuQueen

Project ARMS

2006-05-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Projects ARMS
By Ryoji Minagawa and Kyoichi Nanatsuki
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shounen, Action-Adventure, Paranormal

Warning: Death, Gore

Summary:
Ryo Takatsuki is your average unassuming high-school student who lives what he believes to be a normal everyday life. He goes to school and hangs out with friends (especially a girl named Katsumi). But that all gets turned upside-down when Hayato Shingu transfers into the same class. After Hayato inexplicitly attacks Ryo, and Ryo counter-attacks, Hayato's left arm suddenly turns into a weapon. Meanwhile Ryo's right arm won't stop tingling.

Even weirder things begin to happen to Ryo, as various paramilitary units and even a few cyborgs begin to attack him. He's able to fend off their initial advances because of survival training his father taught him (which for some reason works surprisingly well against superior numbers of opponents). Ryo slowly learns that both he and Hayato are special children, who had a certain body-part replaced by a high-tech weapon known as ARMs. He also learns that there are two other children like them out there. But why were these ARMs created and placed into them? Why are other people constantly attacking them and trying to capture them? And will his abilities (both his training and his new-found weapons) be sufficient to protect those he loves the most? The four children will have to group together and set aside their differences if they want any chance to defeat their opponents and discover the truth.

Commentary:
The art for Project ARMs is above-average. The character art is excellent, with highly emotional and expressive facial features but the background art (although complete), fails to really evoke and feelings or add anything to the scene. The characters are surprisingly varied in terms of motivations and background stories. For example, Ryo is kind-hearted but wants to fight to protect himself and his loved ones. Hayato, on the other hand, is driven entirely by revenge for his family (which he saw murdered while hiding in a storage jar). Even the major enemies have time to develop personalities, which is a nice change from the typical "beat up one opponent, introduce and beat up the next opponent, repeat" motif that seems to pervade a lot of action mangas.

Surprisingly, the plot is both the strength and weakness of Project ARMs. The story moves along at a brisk pace, revealing secrets about the characters' pasts as it goes along. By itself, it makes for a very interesting story, full of conspiracies, biological engineering and a group more powerful than many governments, a shadow organization capable of influencing international policies. Yet there is no foreshadowing, nor any real plot-twists in Project ARMs. This keeps the reader at a distance from the events, rather than drawing the reader into the manga. You get to watch events from afar, rather then being drawn into their world and predicting what will happen next.

Project ARMs had much more potential than it realized. Afterall, who doesn't enjoy reading about kids fighting a shadowy group of super-soldiers and the government in an attempt to find out the truth behind their very existance. But the almost sterile presentation of the manga, without anyone thinking more than one-step ahead, makes for a far less engrossing read.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Today in Class 5-2

2006-05-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today in Class 5-2
By Sakuraba Koharu
1 Volume

Scanslated by Jinmen Juushin
IRC Channel: #Jinmen-Juushin @ irc.irchighway.net

Topics: Comedy, School-Life

Warning: Sexual Innuendo

Summary:
Today in Class 5-2 is a series of short stories about fifth-graders from class 5-2. Each story is merely a few pages long (on average 8-10 pages) and focuses on a single topic of discussion. For example, the first story discusses Aihara's baby teeth and one of them being loose. To deal with this, she tries to chew on various things, such as gum, candy, pencils, and her dog.

Commentary:
Given the disjoint nature of the stories (they each focus on a different slapstick topic, and use a variety of characters from the class), it's hard to write a summary about the story (as you can see from above). However, the high-point of this one volume manga is not the story, nor even the characters who fall into very stereotypical categories. The manga's strength lies in the concise nature of the jokes it uses as it's topics. Within 8-10 pages, a given story will lay out background on the topic, introduce which characters will be important, and then tell the joke. The precise and concise way that the jokes are potrayed is very refreshing because it leaves no need for exposition.

The character art is highly detailed whenever a character comes into the foreground. There is almost no background art to speak of, but that's because it serves no purpose. For all intents and purposes, each story is the equivalent of a verbal joke, with illustrations. It would be like drawing a background when telling a yo-mama joke. The focus of the comedy is in the characters, and possibly the interactions between them.

As mentioned above, there is no real plot to speak of. The characters themselves are completely interchangeable as none of them really get developed in their short stories. However, even if you enjoy deep engrossing sagas, I highly suggest you try this manga out. It's very short and entertaining, I only wish there was more than one volume.

Rating: 9.5/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

Revolutionary Girl Utena

2006-05-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Manga by Chiho Saito, Story by Be-PaPas

5 Volumes

Licensed by Viz

Topic: Surreal romance/adventure.
Warnings: Contains suggestions of homosexuality (which are stronger in the TV and movie versions) but nothing explicit.

Summary:
When Utena was six, her parents died. In despair, she was drawn to a canal and fell toward the dark waters, but was rescued by a mysterious man who dried her tears, spoke words of comfort and gave her a ring. He told her, "we will meet again if you do not lose your noble heart." Utenawas so impressed that she decides to become a prince herself! At school she pursues many activities and wears a boy's uniform in pink. Following clues left by her unknown rescuer, she enrolls in the exclusive Ohtori Academy.

When she defends the honor of a friend, Utena is drawn into a series of duels which take place under a floating upside-down castle. There, other people wearing rings (like the one she was given) are following instructions from "World's End," seeking "the power to revolutionize the world." Although Utena would like to remove herself from the duels, she feels increasingly protective of the "Rose Bride" a powerful yet passive girl who is "engaged" to whoever is the current champion. In addition, the duels may be the path to finding her mysterious prince. But if Utena is becoming a prince herself, will they be partners, or rivals?

Commentary:
Many aspects of "Revolutionary Girl Utena" range from the slightly odd to the totally bizarre, yet (to me, at least) it all works together in a sort of dream-logic where everything seems reasonable, even though you might have a hard time explaining just what is going on. This also makes it extremely difficult to describe the plot in any coherent way. But even though the events are often bizarre, the characters are strongly realized and behave in believable ways.

Utena's opponents are frequently unpleasant, manipulative and dangerous, but they all have their reasons for acting the way they do, no one is simply mean for the sake of being mean. Although there are many points of humor, the overall tone is fairly serious, and the stakes are high. One common problem with stories of this type is that when the "mystery" is revealed at the end, it may not live up to what the reader had been imagining. Here Utena does not disappoint - the ending manages to be surprising, yet consistent with what leads up to it, and satisfying while still leaving some things unexplained.

Utena probably will not appeal to everyone, but if you like romance, strong female characters, and a story that freely bends the rules of reality, you should definitely give it a try.

Note: There are manga, anime TV series, and movie versions of Revolutionary Girl Utena. Each tells basically the same story, but in very different ways. The TV anime is my personal favorite, but each has good qualities. If you enjoy one, I recommend checking out the others as well.

Rating: 8.0/10.0
Reviewed submitted by Forrest

Jaja Uma Grooming Up

2006-04-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

Jaja Uma Grooming Up
Scanslated by Manga! Inc

Topic: Shounen, Comedy, Romance

Summary:
Kuze Shunpei, a high school student, is on spring break going to Hokkaidou when he loses his wallet. Stranded in the mountains with no money and his motorcycle having run out of gas, he passes out in the snow on the side of the road. When he wakes up he finds that he's been saved and brought to the Watarai farm, a horse ranch that breeds race horses. There he meets a host of various people, ranging from stable hands to the owner and his family (which includes four daughters).

Shunpei is completely unsuited for the farm life, and his city upbringing contrasts sharply with the hard labor required to help the farm out. Yet despite all this, he tries his best to become accepted. However, he constantly gets into arguments with Hibiki (the second daughter), who views him as useless. Things come to a head when Shunpei scares one of the horses, who throws Hibiki (Hibiki is a rider). Ashamed, Shunpei flees back to Tokyo for the rest of the spring break. But back in Tokyo, Shunpei begins to long for the simple farm life. Will Shunpei ever be able to return and prove himself to be worthy of being a member of the farm?

Commentary:
The strong point of this manga is the character interaction. Shunpei's actions are ernest, but clumsy and his dialogue reflects that. As he slowly learns the various skills associated with running a farm, the ernest energy rubs off on the other characters, slowly bringing them to life. In many ways, the manga is not about the destination, it's about the journey.

The character art is fairly typical, with nothing special standing out about the characters. As with most mangas, the characters are better drawn when they are serious, and drawn deformed when they aren't. Even the horses aren't anything special, having almost no distinguishing marks between them. Outside of a few main characters, it's difficult to tell people apart from another. The background art on the other hand, is pretty, especially in scenic landscapes. The artist does an excellent job of drawing a realistic sky, rather than relying on white space with a few clouds. This simple action makes the scenes look that much larger.

Overall, this is a fun slow-paced manga. You're always watching Shunpei's life unfold, rather than some mangas where you get to see multiple events from different locales, because they occur concurrently. The plot isn't too compelling but the characters make up for it. The one major point I'll dock it for, is simply that the manga isn't addictive. Since there's no urgency anywhere, there's no overwhelming desire to continue reading at any point.

Rating:
6.5/10.0

Ares

2006-04-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ares by Ryu Kum Chel
Scanslated by Korean Manga Translations
IRC Channel: #k-manga @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Historical Fiction, Fighting, Shounen, Action

Summary:
Ares tells the story of four youths who join the Tample Mercenaries on the same day. Their names are Ares, Michael, Baroona, and Gohu. Each of them has dark secrets about their past, but all of them (with the exception of Gohu who's an artist) are extremely skilled fighters. Though they have nothing in common, they quickly form a tight friendship, which survives through the various battles they encounter. As Chronos, the country which hires the Tample Mercanaries, begins to wage a war after 10 years of peace, the four are inevitably pulled in. Will they be able to prove themselves or will they be struck down along the way? And how exactly did they attain such skills?

Commentary:
The art for this series is very detailed, but not in the typical manner. In most manga, where attention is paid to detail, it's the characters (especially their faces) which are the most elaborate. However, in Ares, the characters (outside the four protagonists) are often bland or hidden in the shadows. Rather, it's the entire scene, characters and background, that attains the same level of consistency. This creates an odd effect, although it does a good job of providing a sense that the characters are only a small part of the entire situation.

The characters themselves begin with plenty of question marks about them and their pasts, but over the first few volumes it becomes clear that the author has a background for each of them already planned out. The hints are always consistent, but never sufficient to reveal everything. For a mystery buff like myself, this makes the characters that much more compelling. It also enhances the plot. Without it, the manga would be about four talented soldiers going to war to establish their names. With it, the manga becomes about four youths pulled together by a common destiny of sorts, and their quest to discern what the destiny is.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Hells Angels

2006-04-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hells Angels by Hiromoto Sin Ichi
Scanslated by Tama-Chan Scans and Manga Translation
IRC Channel: #tamascans @ irc.irchighway.net and #manga-translations @ irc.irchighway.net
3 Volumes

Topics: Comedy (Twisted)

Summary:
Amagane Rinne is a student who's just transfered into a new school in the city. On her way to school for the first day, she's hit by a truck while saving a cat. As a result, she ends up in Hell, where all souls go after they've died. It turns out that, even in Hell you have to go to school and so she begins to attend the River Styx Academy, run by Principal Hellvis.

But there are strange things afoot. Why does Rinne have no memory of being killed when everyone else does? And why does she have blood even though she's supposedly dead (all the other stdunts are bloodless). It slowly becomes apparent, there was some sort of mistake which sent her to Hell, and now it's up to Rinne to return to the world of the living, using any means possible. To help her on her way are the members of her class (though they all have their own motivations), as well as the members of the student council (who oddly enough also seem to possess blood). Will their combined forces be sufficient to overthrow Principal Hellvis? And why was Rinne really brought down to Hell?

Commentary:
This manga is rather dark though humerous in an unconventional sense. Rinne's eternal optimism (constantly declaring she's not dead), is a breath of fresh air into a Hell where everyone has accepted their fate. Her presence causes people to act unlike they used to, leading to entertaining discussions and situations. The overall plot is interesting, with plenty of Biblical ties (it turns out that Hellvis is actually Cain, the first murderer). Somehow Cain has caused an imbalance in the world and created Hell, and it's up to Rinne to fix it. The story moves along at a fast clip, leaving no room for exposition but remains very focused on the ultimate goal (getting out of Hell).

The characters aren't very well developed but that's not very important given that the strength of this manga revolves around the story itself, rather than it's interchangeable characters. Outside of Rinne, Hellvis, and possibly Steela (a literally heartless student), none of the characters stick out much or do anything memorable. They're all just along for the ride, to drive Rinne towards her goal of re-establishing balance in Hell and returning back to Earth.

The art for this series is possibly the most perculiar I've ever seen. The backgrounds aren't very well defined, and the characters are all inconsistent. From one frame to another any given character's proportions, clothing style, etc may change. This seems to be part of the mangaka's art style, which relies a lot on the impression a character gives rather than the actual look of a character. Some people may like the scattered look (which I have to admit fits well into the concept of Hell), but personally I'm not a fan. It's just a bit too trippy (for lack of a better word) for my tastes. I enjoy the plot but neither the characters nor art is memorable. I'll definitely finish reading Hells Angels, given that it's only 3 volumes and I encourage you to read one chapter and give it a try. It's most definitely not everyone's cup of tea.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Princess Knight

2006-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Princess Knight
By Osamu Tezuka
Licensed by: Kodansha International (bilingual edition), 6 volumes

Topic: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure.

Warning: Themes of black magic and cross-dressing might be objectionable to some readers.

Summary:
In a medieval-style kingdom, the queen is about to give birth. If the child is a boy, it will inherit the kingdom. But if the child is a girl the law decrees that the crown will pass to the son of the evil Grand Duke Duralmin. The child is a girl, but due to a series of mistakes, the angels give the child both a boy's heart and a girl's heart, and the child is announced to be a boy. To avoid admitting the mistake, and to keep power away from Duke Duralmin, Princess Sapphire is publicly raised as a boy, though she dresses as a girl in private.

The Duke suspects that he has been tricked, and plots to reveal her secret. Other complications include a neighboring prince, a witch who is trying to gain power for herself, an angel seeking to get back the boy's heart that was given to Princess Sapphire by mistake, and the goddess Venus.

Commentary:
For a fifty-year old story (first published in 1953), Princess Knight has aged quite well. The plot tends toward the slapstick and episodic and lacks that depth, complexity, and epic scope of some later manga, but still makes for an entertaining read. The gender-bending of Princess Knight is often pointed to as the first example of themes which have continued in later titles such as Ranma ½ and Revolutionary Girl Utena. A few elements of Princess Knight may strike modern readers as somewhat sexist, but nothing too serious. Although there is some continuity, the various sections stand almost independently of each other, and new characters and complications keep being introduced. I enjoyed the characters (especially Hecate, the witch's daughter), but I felt that the story called out for some unifying structure, which never quite developed.

Note: Princess Knight was serialized four times (for details see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Knight#The_manga). The Kodansha compilation is of the 3^rd serialization, which appeared in Nakayoshi from 1963 to 1966.

Score: 7.0/10

Review submitted by Forrest

Dan Doh!!

2006-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

Dan Doh!!
Story by Sakata Nobuhiro
Art by Bandjo Daichi

Scanslated by Dragons and Tigers Manga
IRC Channel: #DTM @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Sports (Golf), Shounen

Summary:
Tadamichi Aoba is an elementry school student. He's an extremely talented batter, and spends most of his time training with his two friends, Yuka Sanada and Kohei Ooike. One day, through an odd chain of events, he ends up being introduced to golf by the principal. The prinicipal mentions in passing, the a pro-golfer can win 30 million yen by winning a single tournament. It turns out that years ago, when he was just a newborn, Tadamichi's mother left his family because of monetary issues. Driven by his desire for money (so that he may once again meet his mother), Tadamichi decides to give up baseball and pursue golf. Unwilling to let him fight on his own, Yuka and Kohei also give up on baseball and switch over to golf.

To train, they meet Mikiyasu Shinjo, a former pro-golfer who had won tournaments in the PGA tour before being injured in a car accident. Though Shinjo is initially against teaching them, their insistance and hard work pay off. After having them swing at balls for a month, he finally begins to teach them the basics of golf. Unfortunately, the three students have already been coerced into a tournament, leaving very little time to train. Will their unpolished talent be sufficient to win at a completely new game?

Note: The characters in Tadamichi can also be pronounced "Dan Doh" which is what his friends call him, as well as where the title comes from.

Commentary:
This is one of the few series I've seen where the background art is far superior to the character art. The characters unfortunately seem to rely far too much on a basic set of expressions - happy or angry. That's not to say the characters are always happy or angry, it's just that almost every expression (concentration, shock, exhaustion, etc) looks almost exactly one of the two primary expressions. The background art however, provides very pretty renditions of expansive golf courses and well trimmed greens.

The characters are very stereotypical, with Tadamichi's character bordering on annoying. No matter what he'll continue driving himself to train, and he'll always barge in on other people to learn from them at an incredibly fast pace (allowing him to acquire new abilities that he uses in tournaments). The problem with this is, a reader can only suspend his/her belief so far, after a certain point the evolution of a character at that speed causes the story to lose it's magic. Both the plot and the character development are being forced along by the author, rather than developing at a more leisurely pace. I realize this may be done to get to the "good stuff" faster, but having a character go from being a baseball player to learning about golf to training under a former-pro within a single chapter is rushing it. This hurried pace doesn't let up for the first couple volumes, further compounding the issue.

Unless you're a fan of golf, I'd suggest you look elsewhere for a manga. There's simply too much being forced in Dan Doh!!

Rating: 4.5/10.0

Noritaka

2006-04-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

Noritaka
Scanslated by Manga Daisuki and Tama-Chan Scans
IRC Channels: #manga_daisuki @ irc.irchighway.net and #tamascans @ irc.irchighway.net

Topics: Martial Arts, Comedy

Warning: Brief Nudity

Summary:
Noritaka Sawamura is a scrawny fifteen year old student who's just started high school. On the first day of middle school, he had gone to answer nature's call, and since then he's been nicknamed "Poop." He's hoping that his life will change for the better in high school, and at the beginning it does. A beautiful girl named Nakayama sits next to him in class. Although they start off on the right foot (Sawamura even manages to ask her out), things go down hill quickly when dodges a baseball that ends up hitting her. She tells him that "I hate weak people."

To redeem himself, Sawamura decides to become manly and join a sports club. But it quickly becomes evident that he has no talent whatsoever (he fails to enter the boxing, sumo, rugby, and judo clubs, etc.) Disappointed, he finds himself in front of a small wooden shack, which just so happens to be the Shudo club., a traditional version of kickboxing run by an old man named Coach Maruyama. Together with the Tchanpoua, the only other student in the club, Sawamura begins to train his body and learn kickboxing techniques.

This is a coming of age story about an idiotic boy who's driven by love. His only goal is to impress Nakayama, and so he begins to walk down the arduous path of defeating his opponents, and defeating the image of his past. But will Sawamura, who's never been disciplined, be able to continue winning solely through the power of love (and one-sided love at that)?

Commentary:
On the surface, and based on the summary above, this story seems to be mainly about fighting and martial arts. Yet it's brilliance comes not from the battles but from it's twisted humor. You'll see random scenes such as Sawamura running up to "save" Nakayama from other suitors, while only wearing his thai shorts, or dancing to the "Can't Touch This" MC Hammer video as training. There are also many subtle situations he gets into that are silly and entertaining. In many ways, Noritaka is a gag manga with fighting elements, not the other way around.

The background art is minimalistic or non-existant (aka pure white frames). The character art fluctuates between stereotypical amounts of detail (meaning not too much detail, just eyes, eyebrows, mouth and hair) and some extremely detailed facial expressions. The detailed ones are reserved solely for comedic situations (such as shock and horror), where the face becomes super-deformed yet manages to retain more realism than the average picture.

The plot is very stereotypical: Boy falls in love with girl and to prove himself, goes on a quest to better his fighting abilities, also managing to endear himself to the school in the process. However, you don't read Noritaka for bland over-arching plot, you should read it for the small moment to moment jokes. Overall I find it to be an excellent comedy.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Vagabond

2006-04-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Vagabond
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Historical, Fighting

Warning: Nudity, Gore, Death

Summary:
Shinmen Takezo is a young man who's run away from his village to join the army in an attempt to forge a name for himself. However, he's turned into a laborer rather than a soldier. At the end of the civil war, rather than return home, he decides to wander the land fighting strong opponents to increase his skills and reputation. Though he has plenty of raw talent, his skills are completely unpolished, and he relies entirely on brute strength and agression, much like a wild animal. Against the polished abilities of the various opponents he encounters, Shinmen must learn control, restraint, and ultimately learn about himself to survive.

Commentary:
Takezo will one day become Miyamoto Musashi, the most famous samurai of all time, but this manga tells the story of how he got there. It's plot is excellent and well fleshed out (given that it's based off reality, there's plenty of material to draw upon). It's a nice change of pace from typical mangas where the protagonist wants to become stronger. In Vagabond, Takezo believes himself to be the strongest and naively challenges anyone he encounters. Through these battles he learns about fear and his own short-comings.

Surprisingly, given the amount of time spent focusing on battles and killing, the manga is very inquisitive about Takezo's nature. It elaborates heavily on his mental state during the battles. Through the battles the readers learn about Takezo's frightening tenacity and strength, but also learn that those are both there to shield himself from the fact that he's actually afraid of death (despite constant statements to the contrary). The side characters are also very well fleshed out and play important roles in the development of Takezo's skills and personality. The author has done an excellent job of choosing and drawing events that had a profound effect on the shaping of Miyamoto Musashi.

The art for this series is gorgeous. Characters' faces and clothing are all highly detailed, and always realistic. The backgrounds are incredibly elaborate, and are able to convey the entire mood of the scene, whether it be one of serenity, one of bloodlust, etc. The battle scenes, while gory, are beautifully rendered, and often devoid of words. It's a testament to the art that the reader is able to follow the battle and the fighters' thoughts without any text to guide the reader. Overall, this is one of the most complete mangas I've ever read.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

Beet the Vandel Buster

2006-04-03T19:13:00.000-07:00

Beet the Vandel Buster
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Fighting, Shounen, Fantasy, Magical

Summary:
Beet is a young boy living in a world that's fallen into "The Dark Age." At some point in time, evil creatures named Vandels appeared on Earth and destroyed its peace and order. Years have passed since then, and the humans have clustered together in sheltered towns. But there are a few who dare to venture out into the world and fight the Vandels, attempting to wrestle back control of Earth. These fighters are known as Vandel Busters.

Beet's goal is to become a Vandel Buster and put an end to the dark age. Despite his youth and inexperience, he's incredibly driven, even to the point where he risks his life against a Vandel that attacks his town. At that point in time, he's mortally wounded but to save his life, the 5 greatest Vandel Busters (known as the "Zenon Warriors") give their lives to save him. As a result, Beet has been infused with the special weapons that the five use (these weapons are known as Saiga and normally a high-level Vandel Buster is able to call out a single one, but Beet now has the ability to call out 5 different ones). But why did the Zenon Warriors sacrifice themselves for Beet? And can Beet rally together other Vandel Busters to fulfill his dream of ending The Dark Age?

Commentary:
I have never read a more RPGish manga in my life. After the Vandel Busters defeat their opponents, they go to a mystical old lady who can read their memories and brands them with a mark based on their "level". The manga literally has its characters "level-up." The characters are also paid based on how many opponents they've defeated, again a la RPG. That's not to say this is a bad thing or a good thing, it's merely a statement. People who enjoy reading RPG-type manga (for example the Fire Emblem Series) will probably enjoy Beet the Vandel Buster than people looking for other categories.

The character and weapon art for the series is excellent, with plenty of cool looking weapons and highly detailed clothing on the characters. The various Vandels all have very unique features and their lowly "soldiers" are pretty imaginative as well. The background art very sparse, often just a shaded or completely white background, which is an unfortunate contrast to the relatively high level of detail in the foreground.

I haven't read too far into the series but so far, the characters and plot are both stereotypical of an RPG. You've got the hero with a somewhat mysterious past going on an epic quest and along the way he picks up various allies each of whom teaches him something new about himself. If you're looking for plot-twists, try somewhere else. I sincerely doubt this series will throw any curve-balls at you. Still, its a rather fun (albeit low-brow) read.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

666 Satan

2006-04-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

666 Satan by Kishimoto Seishi
Scanslated by Eternal Blue and Syndicate
IRC Channel: #eternal-blue @ irc.irchighway.net #syndicate @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shounen, Post-Apocolyptic

Summary:
This manga is set in a post-apocolyptic world, where people weild magical items named O-Parts which contain incredible powers. But not just any person can use O-Parts, only special people who are capable of releasing their "spirit" can use them. These people are known as O.P.T.S. The O-Parts seem to have been left behind by a powerful civilization in the past, which was powered by science. No one knows why this civilization collapsed, all that's known is that O-Parts are their legacy, and that these O-Parts are often found buried in ancient ruins.

Our story focuses on a boy named Jio and a girl named Ruby. Ruby's a treasure hunter, following in the footsteps of her father died years ago. Meanwhile Jio's a kid who's never had a friend, everyone's always called him a cursed child. As a result, his goal in life has become world domination, because if he's the ruler of the world he believes he won't need friends. However Jio has a darker side to himself. Under extreme durress, the numbers 666 will appear on his forehead and his powers will grow exponentially. However, Jio never remembers these events when he come to. Regardless, Ruby decides to hire Jio as a bodyguard, and they set off on a journey together, encountering many interesting and powerful opponents and civilizations along the way. But why was Ruby's father killed? And who or what is Jio exactly?

Commentary:
The art for this series is interesting, with relatively unique faces. Jio in particular looks very odd with two different colored eyes. The background art is usually very elaborate, especially when it comes to the large sweeping landscapes. The plot is also fairly interesting, although a bit meandering at this point in time. There are currently plenty of events and characters being introduced then vanishing, giving us a sense that the author is gearing up for a very long series. There's plenty of potential at this point, so I'm interested to see how it develops.

Unfortunately, the one crippling factor is the characters, all of whom fill emotionless, stereotypical roles. Ruby is the typical smart alec girl who's incredibly weak and constantly gets into situations where Jio needs to bail her out. Jio's the stereotypical "dark" protagonist, with a hidden past who powers up whenever need be. Undoubtedly, he'll slowly begin to learn more about his other side and be forced to tap its power more and more often as the series progresses. The opponents are all extremely evil people with surprising weaknesses, etc. In general, there is not a shred of creativity amongst any of the characters, which is a pity given that it causes the plot to suffer from predictability.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

Death Note

2006-03-29T21:32:00.000-08:00

Death Note
Author: Ohba Tsugumi
Artist: Obata Takeshi
Licensed by Viz

Topics: Shounen, Mystery, Detective

Summary:
Death Note follows the story of a boy, Light, who discovers a means to easily kill people and his desire to use this power to rid the world of evil. He stumbles upon a notebook dropped in the human world by Ryuk, a shinigami. The person whose name is written in this shinigami notebook will die if other stipulations are met. Light wants to create a "better world" of his choosing by eliminating criminals. Light, called "Kira" by the rest of the world, meets his match in an equally brilliant and mysterious figure, called "L". L makes it his mission to discover the identity of Kira and punish him for his crimes. The story weaves itself around the manipulations of both of these characters as each tries to finish ahead of the other in a struggle between the preservation of humanity as it is and the creation of a new humanity controlled by Kira.

Commentary:
Death Note is interesting for the first few volumes; the mangaka presents good tactics and gives decent character interactions. The manga is suspenseful and hard to predict at times. However, with the more recent volumes, the tone of the manga changes. While the art is still good (by the mangaka of Hikaru no Go), the story loses value. It often seems the author forgot what the main idea of the whole story was - he has become too fixated on Kira and whatever hacked scheme is being cooked up. As a friend put it, Death Note has become like the poison scene of The Princess Bride in which that little bald man and our dashing hero try to outwit each other. Except Death Note does this for volumes on end without the humor or sarcasm. While the byplays are still interesting at times, they seem pointless. The characters are also too smart for the author. He has a hard time elaborating schemes to the extent he used to in the first few volumes. However, despite its shortcomings, Death Note is very popular among the shonen crowd. If you are able to forget what the story was originally about, it is still possible for you to enjoy the plot.

Rating: 5.0/10.0

-- Submitted by Snewcee

Bleach

2006-03-26T23:27:00.000-08:00

Bleach
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, Superpowers, Comedy

Summary:
Kurosaki Ichigo is a high school student with a secret. He has the ability to see ghosts that haven't risen to heaven yet. One day a mysterious girl appears in his bedroom. Her name is Kuchiki Rukia, a shinigami (god of death). She explains that she comes from a place called Soul Society and that her job is to defeat "hollows." When a person dies, his/her spirit goes up to heaven. However, if the spirit has a strong attachment to something, that spirit will remain on earth. If the spirit is evil, its evil will slowly grow until the spirit is consumed and all that remains is a monster that lives to eat other spirits (namely a "hollow").

At that moment, a hollow attacks Ichigo's house and wounds his father and sisters. Rukia attempts to fight it off but is knocked aside. Their only hope is for Ichigo to become a shinigami in her place, as her powers are far too weakened at the moment. And so Rukia stabs Ichigo, infusing him with her abilities and turning him into a shinigami. It soon becomes apparent, that Ichigo has amazing latent powers which were released when he became a shinigami. But are Ichigo's newfound powers sufficient to defeat the enemies he never even knew existed? And will he (and Rukia because she's been temporarily drained of her power) be able to lead double lives as shinigami and as humans?

Commentary:
The first time I read Bleach I hated it. The first 40ish chapters covers various short stories involving Ichigo fighting various hollows in classic "good-guy vs. bad-guy" confrontations. After having set it aside for nearly a year, I came back to it and forced myself to read past the point where I had previously stopped. I won't spoil it for you, but soon after that point, the first major story arc began. It was still comprised of Ichigo (and friends) versus various opponents but there was an overarcing storyline, with a bit of intrigue and backstabbing involved. It also spent the time to elaborate on many of the questions that surrounded the first 40 chapters, both about Ichigo's new found powers and Rukia's past.

The art style for this manga evolves a lot. The characters are always somewhat detailed, although they change appearance (to look more mature) as the manga progresses. The backgrounds are mostly non-existant, outside of a few two-page spreads. However this does allow one to concentrate more closely on the battles themselves, which is fine. Overall, I enjoy this series, although I do fault it for taking so long to get off the ground. If you're looking for a popular shounen manga with super-powered people fighting supernatural creatues, I'd suggest you try out Bleach. But just be warned, the first few volumes are full of rather disjoint stories, as opposed to the more coherent later volumes.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Black God

2006-03-25T23:08:00.000-08:00

Black God
Scanslated by NULL
IRC Channel: #null @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Supernatural

Summary:
Ibuki Keita is a game programmer whose mother vanished many years ago. This happened the day after his mother encountered a woman looking exactly like her. Since then he's been taken care of by Sano Akane, a childhood friend, who raised him in lieu of his father (who was always at work).

Now, year later, he encounters a young girl one night at a ramen stand. For some reason, he's compelled the tell the owner of the ramen stand about the doppelganger which made his mother die, but the girl explains that the correct term is "doppel-liner." Apparently, for each person born, there are two others born with the same body and same mind, although they may be born in different places in the world. Effectively, there is 1 spirit split amongst 3 people, in the proportions 50%, 30%, and 20%. If the three come in contact with eachother, the 50% one absorbs the other two into itself, reuniting the spirit. So Keita's mother must've been one of the lesser two portions of the spirit, and that's why she died.

The girl's name is Kuro, a mototsunmitama. She's a superior being, who's capable of using supernatural forces in combat. Unfortunately, right after meeting Keita, she's attacked and Keita loses his arm in the ensuing conflict. In order to help him survive, she attaches her arm to Keita, and attaches Keita's arm to herself (her innate regenerative powers will help both of them heal properly before re-swapping the arms again). However that means that she's currently weakened, being able to bring forth only around 50% of her abilities when she's not around Keita. Now Keita has been drawn into a battle between various mototsunmitama clans. Will he ever be able to return to his former lifestyle?

Commentary:
The art for this series is amazing. The characters (both facial features and clothing) are highly detailed, and the background are gorgeous. There's plenty of color pages as well. The battle scenes are very well rendered, allowing the reader to follow the battle even without text. So far, since only 8 chapters have been scanslated, there's been very little character development. That said, I do enjoy the characters so far, as their reactions to the situations are realistic. For example, upon learning that his arm was replaced, Keita says that Kuro's lying and tries to throw her out of his house, without even listening to the complete explaination.

The plot hasn't developed too far (although that's to be expect after only 8 chapters). I've got high hopes for the plot, although I'm a bit worried it will fall into the typical two-person tag-team fighting pit (where the two keep reinforcing each other to defeat ever stronger opponents, without really developing any other characters). If you're looking for a series with great art, try Black God.

Rating: 7.0/10.0 (Pending more chapters)

Naruto

2006-03-22T18:36:00.000-08:00

Naruto
By Kishimoto Masashi
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, Superpowers

Summary:
Uzumaki Naruto is an orphan, who lives in the Hidden Leaf village, a village of ninjas. Though he's the bottom of his class, he aspires to become the Hokage, the strongest ninja in the village. After having failed to graduate 3 years in a row, Naruto finally graduates and joins Uchiha Sasuke (the top student in their class) and Haruno Sakura (a girl Naruto has a crush on) to form team 7. Their team leader is Kakashi, a highly ranked ninja in the village.

But there is a dark secret about Naruto. When he was born, a 9-tailed fox demon attacked the village and the 4th hokage gave up his life to defeat the demon and seal it within Naruto. As a result, people begin to target Naruto for the demon, even though he himself does not realize it's existance. And so Naruto and the others (who also have their own dark pasts) must learn to fulfill their potential as ninjas, before it's too late.

Commentary:
This manga plays out in story arcs which, outside of using the same characters, tend to be somewhat independent of each other. In each arc the opponent is someone different and each arc just involves the 4 members of team seven dealing with their pasts and "leveling up." Because of the disjoint nature, some of the story arcs are amazing whereas others are dull and drag on.

The characters all have very distinct personalities although they don't seem to change very much. Naruto was a ramen-loving, arrogantly annoying yet lovable character in chapter 1 and 200+ chapters later he still falls into that category. The only real change any of them go through is a change in their abilities and power level.

On the other hand, the art goes through a drastic change. This is Kishimoto Masashi's first serialized manga so it's interesting to watch how his art style evolves. On the whole, the characters are never highly detailed but the backgrounds are excellent, especially during fight scenes. Overall this is a fun manga which requires very little thought to read. My personal suggestion is, try and read a few volumes before passing judgement. I hated the first story arc (around 4 volumes worth) but the subsequent arcs seemed better paced and more action-filled (which is what I assume someone reading about ninjas is looking for).

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Kurozakuro

2006-03-20T20:22:00.000-08:00

Kurozakuro
Scanslated by Hanashi
IRC Channel: #Hanashi @ irc.irchighway.net

Topics: Shounen, Action

Summary:
Sakurai Mikito is a weak student who's constantly being bullied. He thinks of himself at the bottom of the food pyramid. One day when he's sitting on the bank of a river, unbeknownst to him, a small ball rolls into his school bag. After he goes home and falls asleep, the ball jumps out of his bag, hops across the room, and into Mikito's mouth. That night, Mikito has a dream, he meets a weird looking boy (named Zakuro) in front of a leafless tree. The boy asks him what his wish is, and Mikito says he wishes to become stronger. In return, the boy asks for him to make the tree bloom. From that day hence, Mikito is blessed with superhuman strength, speed, and abilities. But he's struck by an overwhelming urge to eat all types of meat.

Several weeks later he encounters a hunter, who tries to kill him. It turns out Mikito has consumed an "ogre seed", a small ball that turns the consumer from a human into an ogre. Ogres are former humans who've lost their sense of identity, live relying solely on their physical abilities and eat human flesh. Mikito manages to convince the hunter that he's no threat, but the hunter decides that either Mikito has to come with him (where he can keep an eye on Mikito), or he'll kill Mikito right there. So Mikito sets out on a journey to find a way to reverse his transformation. But will Mikito be able to reverse it before he can no longer supress his urges? And who is Zakuro, the boy from his dreams? What role does he play in the world of ogres and humans?

Commentary:
The art style for this series is pretty nice. The characters are well done, and the backgrounds (especially during battle) are detailed. The character development is also decent, with plenty of exposition and character evolution in the first 2 volumes. Within that span of time, we're able to meet the main characters, and begin watching Mikito's losing battle against his alter-ego. We're also able to see glimpses into the ogre and hunter societies, although the author leaves enough clouded to keep both suspenseful.

The plot so far is excellent, with a lot of potential going forward. The series introduces a third "race" fairly early on, a being even more powerful than the ogres that even the hunters didn't know about. The tentative balance of power in the world and how the three sides use Mikito as a potential tipping point is well done. So far only 2+ volumes have been scanslated but there's a lot of potential for this series. I'm definitely going to keep up to date with this one.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

History's Strongest Disciple: Kenichi

2006-03-19T23:07:00.000-08:00

History's Strongest Disciple: Kenichi
Scanslated by Eternal Blue
IRC Channel: #eternal-blue @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Fighting, Comedy, Mild Ecchi

Summary:
Shirahama Kenichi is an incredibly weak high school student, who aspires to become strong. He reads tons of "How to" manuals, and joins the Karate club but is mercilessly picked on by his sempai in the Karate club. One day, about a month into high school, he meets a new transfer student - Fuurinji Miu. She looks like a foolish ditzy girl but displays amazing combat prowess (she defeats multiple yakuza in the span of a few seconds.) Kenichi is amazed and begs her to teach him martial arts.

Happily, Miu agrees (because Kenichi is her first friend, everyone else has been scared off by her) and takes Kenichi to the dojo where she lives. There he meets five talented martial artists: Aphachai Hopachai (an expert in Muay Thai), Kensai Ma (an expert in Kung Fu), Shio Sakaki (a general all around martial artist), Akisame Koetsuji (a "fighting philosopher"), and Kosaka Shigure (an expert in weapons). Though Kenichi rapidly begins to have second thoughts, the experts all decide to take him under their wings. And thus begins Kenichi's hellish training, in 5 different schools of martial arts. Will Kenichi be able to survive the brutal training? Or will he wimp out and return to his weakling days?

Commentary:
The character art for this series is very good, with highly detailed faces and elaborate clothing. Amongst the five "sensei"s, there's a wide variety of art styles. The background art is very simplistic, often relying on action lines or single-shade backgrounds. The plot is very simplistic - Kenichi starts off weak and through the training of his various senseis learns to defend himself against an every increasing variety of opponents (who conveniently show up).

There are some mangas where the plot is meant to take a back seat to other features (such as art, or character development). Unfortunately, the character development in this series is also lacking. Despite the fact that Kenichi gets stronger, nothing about his attitude, outlook on life, etc. really changes. He's quite a bit like a doll, always going through the same motions without evolving. This manga has only had a couple volumes scanslated so there's still room for improvement but while this manga is entertaining in short bursts, there's nothing in there that leaves you thirsting for more.

Rating: 5.5/10.0

Godhand Teru

2006-03-19T02:24:00.000-08:00

Godhand Teru
Scanslated by Manga-Daisuki and Tama-Chan Scans
IRC Channels: #manga-daisuki @ irc.irchighway.net and #tamascans @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shounen, Doctors

Summary:
Mahigashi Teru is the only son of the famous Dr. Mahigashi. 15 years ago, there was a plane crash and Teru was the only survivor. He was found with an imprint of his father's hand in his chest - many believe his father revived him using a heart massage, just before his father died himself. Now 15 years later, Teru has recently graduated from medical school and is joining the prestigious Yasuda Memorial Hospital to learn how to be a good doctor.

At the hospital, Teru meets Kitami Shuichi, the head of the surgery department. The two are polar opposites, with Teru being a clumsy and carefree individual while Shuichi is cold and harsh. Teru learns that Shuichi once killed a patient in surgery because he was unable to contain his emotion after learning one of his friends had died. As a result, Shuichi closed off his heart, relying entirely on data and precision to become the head of the surgery department. Teru on the other hand, refuses to follow this path, claiming that he will "never let a patient die." Will a new graduate be able to succeed in such a daunting task? Can Teru live up to his father's name, even though he's still developing his skills?

Commentary:
This manga falls under the category of "extreme" manga, where everyday occurances are drawn and written to be more action-packed than normal. Usually that's alright, although in parts of Godhand Teru, the actions goes so far over the top it's laughable. The characters are very well drawn, with plenty of detail although there's almost no background drawings in any of the frames.

Since only a couple of volumes have been scanslated, there's not much to talk about concerning plot and character development. The plot (as summarized above) seems to have potential, although the characters have been fairly well laid out at this point. Given the stereotypes of this genre, I don't see the characters developing in the future (outside of "evolving" new techniques). That's a shame because it often leaves characters as one dimensional. So far, the plot has involved individual operations, without any over-arching story. So, until more has been scanslated, I'd recommend this manga for a quick entertaining read, but not something to look into if you're looking for substance.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Konjiki No Gash

2006-03-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

Konjiki No Gash (Aka Zatch Bell)
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Fighting, Supernatural, Comedy

Warning: Mild Nudity

Summary:
Takamine Kiyomaro is a brilliant middle school student, but because of his intelligence he's ostracized at school. As a result, he's turned the cold shoulder towards his classmates and has no friends, prefering solitude to being "friends with such low-level people." One day, as he's contemplating skipping school again, a naked child appears outside his window, wearing a giant yellowtail (a type of fish) strapped to his back, carrying a red book, and hanging from an eagle. This child's name is Gash Bell, and he was sent by Kiyomaro's father (a professor in England) to train Kiyomaro to no longer be a "sissy".

Of course Kiyomaro tries to throw Gash out, and when he fails he runs off to school taking Gash's book with him. Gash follows him there in an attempt to help Kiyomaro make some friends. Because of Gash's intervention, Kiyomaro ends up fighting the class bully. In the fight, Kiyomaro learns that Gash has the ability to shoot lightning from his mouth, assuming Kiyomaro says the magic word while holding the red book.

Apparently, Gash is a demon child. 100 demon children are sent to the world every 1000 years to do battle and the survivor becomes the next king of hell. Each of them has to find a book master - someone who can read their books and help them call forth their power. However, shortly after he entered this world, Gash was attacked and lost his memory. Now it's up to Gash and Kiyomaro to discover the truth about Gash, while fighting off other demons who've come to destroy both of them. Along the way they learn to trust eachother and work as a team to survive. They also encounter many other demons, and many types of book masters. Will Gash and Kiyomaro survive long enough to discover the truth? Or will they be struck down by the powerful demons which have been unleashed upon the world?

Commentary:
Konjiki No Gash has very pretty, although rare, background art. That is to say, when the background art is drawn (often in battle scenes) it's highly detailed. But often the author relies on almost white backgrounds and/or speed lines. The character art is consistent, although nothing really stands out about any of the characters. Their faces and clothing can be very detailed but much like the background art, it's often drawn in a simplistic manner.

The character development is very sappy, and follows all the stereotypes. The two have to fight someone hard, they start to lose, then they begin to realize some sort of greater connection and power up just in time to finish the fight. However, it is nice to see Kiyomaro use his intelligence in many of the battles rather than rely on the same "power-up" formula in each fight. I do have to admit that, despite the sappiness and predictability, the development is done very well. You can actually see the characters truly developing in every sense, which is fairly rare amongst manga.

The plot is where Konjiki No Gash really shines. The story had the potential to be predictable, but the various locales and the different opponents (all of who have drastically different powers) make it a constantly entertaining read. Furthermore, the author has thrown several twists and turns into the plot, hinting at certain events that occured 1000 years ago (during the previous battle). The evolution of the characters and the plot make for an entertaining and addictive storyline. I highly recommend you try out Konjiki No Gash.

Rating: 8.5/10.0

Flame of Recca

2006-03-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

Flame of Recca
Licensed by Viz
33 Volumes (Complete in Japan)

Topic: Fighting, Supernatural, Superhuman

Summary:
Hanabishi Recca is a young man who's fascinated with ninjas, and desperate to be one himself. The only problem is he was born a few hundred years too late, and lives in modern day Japan. Nevertheless, he keeps stealing fireworks from his father (who makes them for a living), and uses them as his "ninja-tools" to fight other people. One day he meets and saves a young girl named Sakoshita Yanagi. For some reason that he cannot explain, he feels a deeper connection to her and decides that it's his duty to protect her no matter what happens.

To repay him for helping her, Yanagi shows him her special power, the ability to heal wounds. In return, Recca also shows off his secret ability, the ability to make flames appear from his body. Ever since he was born he's had this power although he has no idea how or why he can do it. Unfortunately for Recca, who's perfectly willing to live a peaceful life serving his new "master," other people seem to be aware of Yanagi's powers as well. One man in particular, Kouran Mori, is obsessed with her powers, believing them to be the key to immortality. As a result, he sends his adopted son Kurei to kidnap Yanagi, forcing Recca and his friends to spring into action.

As they battle their way through the different opponents on their way to Kurei, and eventually Kouran Mori, they each obtain various "madogu." These are powerful items that allow the users to incredible feats, such as turning the user's body into iron for short periods of time. Recca himself learns that he's the descendant of a ninja clan which was supposedly completely wiped out 400 years ago. Not only that but there may be other survivors in the world too.

Commentary:
This is a manga drawn by Nobuyuki Anzai who later went on to write and drawn Märchen Awakens Romance. As a result, the character designs are incredibly similar, not only in terms of art but also attitude, weapons, and abilities etc. Much like many other fighting manga, this falls into the pithole of repetitiveness. Over the first few volumes Recca defeats various people who eventually become his allies in their battle against Kurei and Mori. Then they have to go into out of the way places to do battle with powerful (but not TOO powerful) opponents who leave behind valuably "madogu." As with most fighting, tournament-esque mangas, they grow stronger during each battle, just enough so that they can defeat their opponents at the last minute.

Normally, I'm not too concerned with stereotypes, but this series embodies every stereotype and ability from the entire genre without really introducing anything new. Not even the plot twists are anything special, given that they're either hinted at heavily or they're done so poorly it looks like it was added at the last moment. The plot is incredibly linear and predictable throughout the 33 volumes.

The characters aren't anything special either. Outside of Yanagi, the protagonists all seem completely mindless, all going forward in their battles without ever questioning their surrounding, opponents, or even themselves. Almost no one ever asks "why?" which gives rise to emotionless puppets as characters.

The one redeeming factor is the art, which although unusual is pretty. This being Nobuyuki Anzai's first long manga (his first manga being Rocket Princess), the art style gradually changes through the series. The battle scenes are well done with nice looking powerups and ability effects. The backgrounds are also very nice in the later volumes, where we begin to get more and more 2-page panning views of the battlegrounds. If you're looking for a mindless, action manga Flame of Recca is a decent choice. If you're looking for something with a deeper plot or more character development look elsewhere, you'll be sorely disappointed.

Rating: 4.5/10.0

Samurai Deeper Kyo

2006-03-06T20:32:00.000-08:00

Samurai Deeper Kyo
Licensed by Tokyopop

Topic: Historical, Action, Shounen

Warning: Mild Nudity, Extreme Violence

Summary:
Set after the end of the Japanese Civil War (around 1600 AD), this manga tells the story of Yuya Shiina, a bounty hunter who's looking hunting for the legendary killer, Demon Eyes Kyo and his 1,000,000 ryo bounty. Kyo was rumored to have slain 1000 people during the war but after it, he vanished. She mistakenly captures the easy-going chemist, Mibu Kyoshiro, because the two resemble each other. Even though Kyoshiro claims to prefer love and peace, Yuya remains suspicious and decides to keep him in her sight.

Her suspicions pay off when the two of them are hired to defeat a pair of notorious bandits (well Yuya's hired, and she ties Kyoshiro up to act as bait). The bandits try to kill Yuya, and Kyoshiro's other side awakens, revealing Demon Eyes Kyo, who defeats the bandits in a flash. But after the battle Kyo acts as if he's being supressed by Kyoshiro, and then reverts back to Kyoshiro.

As the story progresses (over 33 volumes in Japan as of now) the reader begins to learn that Kyoshiro and Kyo are two different people. But how did they come to inhabit the same body? And what is the past between them? To find out the truth, Yuya vows to follow them and learn everything she can. However on their journey, she begins to learn that there are darker forces at work in the world, and perhaps Kyoshiro and Kyo are the only two who can stop it.

Commentary:
The art for this series is gorgeous. The characters are well drawn and expressive and the backgrounds are elaborate. The fight scenes are well done and well paced, allowing the reader to easily follow the battle without words. I will warn the squeamish that there is a lot of blood flying in the battles, but I personally find that it's done elegantly and that it's necessary for Demon Eyes Kyo to maintain his persona.

The plot is decent, with plenty of twists and turns. The author continuously hints are events in the past, whether between Kyo and Kyoshiro, or between one of them and others they slowly encounter. Yet these events are never revealed, leaving the reader longing for more details. For the most part this is well done, although some of the revelations could be timed better and a few are rushed. Nonetheless, the level of intrigue in the plot keeps you hooked.

Unfortunately, the characters themselves are not well developed. This is in part because of that sense of mystery mentioned before. If they were fully developed, the readers would know too much about them, and that aura would be gone. Even so, this manga goes through a very high number of "main" characters, and most of these characters have their own backstories that are never revealed. Unless the author begins tying up some of the loose ends soon, there will either be several volumes dedicated to tying them up, or those questions will never be answered. Overall, I enjoy this manga a lot as it's well paced and continues to interest me. I have high hopes for it's plot progression, but mild worries that it may end up with a rapid conclusion leaving many questions unanswered.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

2006-03-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle
Licensed by Del Rey

Topics: Magic, Fantasy, Action

Summary:
Syaoran is a young archeologist excavating the ruins of the Clow Country. His father convinced the king to start excavation of the ruins a little over a year ago, but he died before it could be finished. As a result, Syaoran has taken on the project. One of his childhood friends is the princess of the country, Princess Sakura. Although she can't admit it, Sakura has feelings for Syaoran. One day Sakura ventures into the ruins and touches an ancient glyph, activating a burst of energy. As this energy courses upwards, wings spring out of Sakura's back and then shatter, sending the feathers flying.

Apparently, certain individuals have discovered that Sakura has great magical potential buried within her, and that those feathers each contain immense power. Combined, they have the power to cross dimensions, although why those individuals want that power is uncertain. Unfortunately, those feathers also hold Sakura's life and memories within them. To save her, Syaoran is sent with her to the Witch of Dimensions, a powerful lady who can help them traverse the multiverse in an attempt to find Sakura's feathers.

At the same moment, two other people appear before the Witch as well: Kurogane, a ninja who was banished from his dimension to learn not to use excessive force, and Fye a powerful magician who's fleeing a king in his country. All three of them have different motivations for wanting to be able to travel the dimensions so the Witch takes each person's most valuable possession and provides them with Mokona, a furry little creature capable of randomly transporting them through the dimensions. Now Syaoran must wander through the dimensions, correcting the wrongs that the powerful feathers have created, and returning them to Sakura so that she might live. However those in possession of the feathers are not so willing to part with them, and there are more sinister forces also trying to collect the feathers. Will Syaoran, Kurogane, and Fye have enough power to fix the mulitverse?

Commentary:
This series draws on characters from almost ever CLAMP manga imaginable (such as XXXholic, Card Captor Sakura, and Chobits etc.) As the characters wander through the dimensions, they encounter plenty of characters from other series, although often just in passing. Luckily the plot avoids the easy way out. Rather than relying on the other characters and intertwining with their pre-existing stories, Tsubasa: Resevoir Chronicle has it's own elaborate story, and the other characters are merely mentioned in passing or drawn in the background. It's fun to see them without having them detract from the plot progression.

The character art is typical CLAMP fare, if you've read any other CLAMP series, you'll know what to expect. If you haven't, try it out, either you'll love it or you'll hate it. The background art is very elaborate, with plenty of 2-page panoramic views and bursts of energy that are drawn with more than speed-lines.

The main characters don't get much backstory development but that's alright because their motivations are completely transparent. Also, their actions are always inline with their characters rather than warping to the situation, which is a nice change from mangas where the heros always power-up sufficiently at the last moment. The side characters, though very few exist, get no development. The nature of the manga is for the protagonists to wander through the multiverse, meaning they'll constantly be meeting new people in every dimension they travel to. As a result, the side characters are never elaborated upon. This makes for a very fast-paced storyline, flitting from one dimension to the other. Usually this works but there are few dimensions where the story is either drawn out or compressed too much. Nonetheless, Tsubasa: Resevoir Chronicle is an interesting story that breaks out of the typical molds.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Gantz

2006-02-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

Gantz
Scanslated by: Omanga, Shocwave, Evil Genius
IRC Channel: #omanga @ irc.irchighway.net, #shocwave @ irc.rizon.net, #[Evil_Genius] @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Fighting, Aliens, Supernatural

Warning: Death, Gore, Nudity, Sex, Strong Language

Summary:
Kurono Kei and Masaru Kato, are a couple of teenagers, who get killed in a subway accident when they go down to help a drunk man get off the tracks and get crushed instead. However, instead of dying, they're teleported to a mysterious room with a large round ball and a locked door. The room has several other people who all seem to have died. Slowly they all come to the realization that they have not died, but rather have been whisked away at the last moment to this mysterious room.

Before they can fully come to grips with their situation, the ball begins to display messages for them, telling them that they have to go destroy an alien on the earth. The ball then opens up revealing high-tech guns and suits. These suits amplify the wearer's reflexes and strength. Kei has always wanted to be a hero, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to go out and help the world fight these weird creatures. Unfortunately, this is a game of life and death. If a "contestant" dies while fighting these creatures, he'll die permanently. Furthermore, all the contestants are unable to finish off the monsters within the 1 hour time limit, or if they try to run away, they will die from explosives implanted in their skulls.

After Kei and Kato survive the first battle, they return to the room and are able to exit and return to their normal lives. However, a few days later they're summoned back to compete in another elimination. They discover that, to permanently free themselves from the room, they have to acquire 100 points, and that they earn points based on their performances in each mission. Can they survive long enough to earn 100 points? This becomes extremely difficult due to the fact that new contestants are rolled in to replace dead ones, and the new ones have difficulty believing the truth of their situation.

Commentary:
This is an incredibly dark manga, with each battle leaving over 50% of the contestants blown apart (with guts and blood everywhere due to the high-tech weaponry). Because of this, it leaves very little time to allow characters (outside the main characters) to develop backgrounds. Normally this would be ok, but when the author makes an attempt to develop a story for a character, then kills off that character, it leaves the reader feeling somewhat confused. It would be better to spend that space further developing the main characters or hurrying up the plot, which has a tendancy to drag on during fight sequences.

I'm not a fan of the characters themselves, as all the main characters have serious flaws such as arrogance or extreme hormones that leads to rape, all graphically portrayed. However, it's very nice to see an author willing to make his main characters realistic, despite the fact that it makes those same characters unlikeable. The plot, as mentioned before, drags on far too much for my tastes. The battles are predictable and rely too heavily on gratuitous explosions and blood, while the exposition scenes between battles are short and infrequent. This is a typical recipe for a slow moving story, large pointless battles.

The one saving factor for this manga is it's art. Both character art and background art are near the top of what I've seen. The backgrounds are usually sweeping and detailed, while the characters are realistic and highly expressive. The aliens are incredible works of imagination as well, with peculiarly deformed shapes and actions which lend realism to the series. Sadly, in my book the art is insufficient to make up for the lack of an interesting storyline. If you're looking for a beautiful manga with sex and violence, this is definitely for you. But be ready to settle in for the long haul, as this manga shows no signs of really moving anywhere.

Rating: 5.0/10.0

Karakuri Circus

2006-02-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

Karakuri Circus by Fujita Kazuhiro
Scanslated by: BlackOut, Manga-Sketchbook
IRC Channel: #blackout @ irc.irchighway.net, #manga-sketchbook @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Fighting, Comedy

Summary:
Our hero is a 18 year-old named Narumi Kato. His father used to work in the export industry so he lived in China for a time, and became skilled at kung-fu. Unfortunately, one day he collapsed and learned that he suffers from the same rare disease as his grandfather, "Zonapha Syndrome." In essence, he becomes extremely sensitive towards the feelings of people around him. The upshot of this is that, unless he can make people laugh, he'll have an attack and be unable to breathe.

One day, when advertising the circus, he sees a young boy named Masaru Saiga being abducted by strange men in black. Since Masaru was one of the few people Narumi could actually convince to laugh, Narumi jumps in to save him. However, despite all his attacks, he cannot leave a scratch on the abductors. Grabbing the boy, he jumps onto a train to get away. It turns out that Masaru is the heir to the vast fortune of the Saiga family, which runs an electronics empire. His father recently died in a mysterious accident and strange people have been following him ever since. Masaru begs Narumi to take him to the circus, where someone named 'Shirogane' is supposed to take care of him.

At the circus, the men reappear but Shirogane pulls a puppet out of the suitcase that Masaru was carrying, and defeats the pursuers, who are also puppets. Narumi slowly begins to realize that he's entered a very odd world where there are puppet masters, capable of controlling puppets with incredible precision, and these puppets possess superhuman abilities. Narumi, driven by his need to be near someone that he can make laugh, has now been sucked into this world and the enemies that come along with protecting Masaru.

Commentary:
The plot for Karakuri Circus seems very typical at first but quickly deviates from the norm. The storyline is well done, and the idea of combat puppets is simultaneously innovative and entertaining. It's also nice to see the protagonists actually have difficulty with opponents, sometimes to the point where they have to elist the aid of other "evil" people.

The main characters are well designed and their actions are hilarious. Both Shirogane and Narumi have differing reasons for wanting to protect Masaru, and this often puts them at odds with one another. Meanwhile Masaru is desperate to keep them from fighting and the poor kid gets caught up in several confrontations. Later on, there are a few romantic implications but up to the point I've read, they haven't developed yet.

The character art is very distinctive, I can't think of any other series drawn like it. It's very highly detailed, especially when concerning the puppets, but the characters themselves are hit or miss. The chracter art grew on me, but I realize there are probably many people who wouldn't like this style. The background art is usually low resolution or non-existant, relying instead on plenty of speed lines. This doesn't detract as much as one would expect, as it brings the characters into greater focus, but it does leave the series looking a little uglier than some others. Overall, I highly enjoyed this series for its plot and it's characters. If you're looking for something beautiful, you might look elsewhere, but this is a very deep entertaining manga.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

One Piece

2006-02-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

One Piece
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, Comedy

Summary:
Twenty years ago the world's greatest pirate, Gold D. Roger, was executed. Before he died, he revealed that he had hidden his greatest treasures, known as "One Piece" somewhere and that it was available to whoever found it. This announcement caused the beginning of the Pirate Era. Ten years ago, the Red Haired Shanks crew stopped at a small port town. There, our hero Monkey D. Luffy, became infatuated with Shanks and vowed to become the greatest pirate ever. Unfortunately for Luffy, he also ate a treasure that Shanks had found, one of the mystical devil fruits. The Gomu Gomu fruit (Gomu means rubber in Japanese), gave Luffy the ability to stretch his body like rubber but also cursed him to become a dead weight in water, unable to ever learn to swim.

Regardless, Luffy demands that Shanks takes him along to become a pirate but Shanks refuses telling Luffy that he's not old enough to enter the world of pirates. However, Shanks gives Luffy his straw hat before he sets sail, telling Luffy to one day return it to him. Ten years later, Luffy sets out to recruit a crew of his own, so that they too can enter the Grand Line (the special ocean where One Piece is supposedly hidden).

Commentary:
I highly enjoy the characters from One Piece, as each of them has extremely different attitudes and their motivations play off one another nicely. For example, Luffy is very bold and strong but not too bright. His navigator, Nami, is brilliant but obsessed with money (even loaning out money with interest to other members of the crew). Their doctor, Tony Chopper, is actually a half-reindeer who's incredibly timid, etc. Yet despite their different attitudes, they all manage to have their own roles in every battle the group comes across. Furthermore, these are not small roles they have, they each get at least several chapters to themselves in the battles, allowing the reader to see the full extent of their abilities.

The characters all have very distinctive art, with accentuated features. It may look a little odd to begin with, but the art style quickly grew on me. The background art is fairly detailed although nothing special. The real back-breaker for One Piece is the plot. The plot moves in story arcs, as of this writing there have been nearly 10 story arcs. Each of these arcs seems to have ties with some event in the past, giving rise to a large number of flash back chapters where the plot is expounded upon. As a result, some of the arcs are excellent and exciting, leaving you salivating for more, whereas other arcs are dry and mundane. This is unfortunate, given that the entertaining arcs really are some of the best plot layout I've ever seen in a fighting manga, but at the same time the dull arcs make you want to quit reading the series.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Kodocha: Sana's Stage

2006-02-24T00:10:00.000-08:00

Kodocha: Sana's Stage (Original Title: Kodomo no Omocha) by Miho Obana
10 volumes
Licensed by TokyoPop
Topics: Shoujo, Comedy, Romance, Drama

Warning: Mature Themes, Language

Summary:
Kurata Sana is an 11-year-old TV star who works hard, plays hard, and solves any problem that gets in her way - even if it's class bully Hayama Akito, who terrorizes the teacher and causes daily chaos. At first her schemes to put Akito in his place go hilariously awry, but eventually Sana does get him to back off. In the process, however, she starts to understand why he is the way he is, and of course decides that this is something else she needs to "fix." Being Sana, she won't give up until she succeeds!

At the same time, Sana is serious about her acting career. With the help of her mother, a famous writer who allows a squirrel to live on her head, and her manager (and gigolo) Rei, who never EVER takes off his sunglasses, she's very successful. There is a reason why this success is so important to her, though - a reason known only to Sana and her mother. That's just another situation Sana will have to do her best to "fix".

Commentary:
Don't let the ages of the main characters and the lighthearted beginning fool you, this manga is not for the kids. There's plenty of humor throughout, some of it on the bizarre side, but Sana and her friends and family also face many major issues in a very realistic way. All of the characters are well developed and authentic, including Sana's mother, her manager, Akito's family, and Sana and Akito's friends and rivals.

Everyone grows and matures throughout the manga, and even when the events push the borders of realism, the characters still ring true. I love that, though the overall tone of the story is sweet and heartwarming, there are enough bizarre, comic, and smart-mouthed moments to keep it safely distant from sickly-sweetness.

Rating: 8.5/10

-- Review Submitted by TofuQueen

Marmalade Boy

2006-02-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

Marmalade Boy by Yoshizumi Wataru
8 volumes
Licensed by TokyoPop
Topic: Shoujo, Romance, Drama

Summary:
Miki is shocked when her parents return from vacation and announce that they've each fallen in love with someone else so they're getting a divorce and will marry their new loves. To make things even odder, the people they've fallen in love with are a couple who are also divorcing, and the two newly-formed couples plan to live together in the same house! Just to top things off, the other couple have a son the same age as Miki who will be living with them all and going to the same school as Miki. It's a good thing Miki has close friends at school, because gaining a new step-father, step-mother, and prickly but very good looking step-brother all at once is about enough to drive a girl crazy. Of course sometimes friends can cause problems too, as love triangles form and disintegrate, and misunderstandings abound.

Commentary:
Marmalade Boy contains a lot of "typical shoujo" elements (love triangles, step-sibling romance, secrets to be revealed, misunderstandings to overcome, etc.) but the way it all comes together is definitely out of the ordinary and includes a lot of humor and unexpected touches. The characters are genuine and likable, and though they may sometimes do bad or mean things, it's always for a reason (though sometimes a rather twisted reason). Though most of the story focuses on Miki and her new step brother Yuu, their friends' lives are also explored enough that the reader really gets to know them. By the end of the final volume all the secrets have been revealed and the loose ends are tied up. My only real criticism is that a little date checking could have solved the big problem and saved everyone a lot of the angst and misery of the last couple volumes, but even with that caveat, it's a very enjoyable manga.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

-- Review Submitted by TofuQueen

Ren Ai Shijo Shugi

2006-02-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

Ren Ai Shijo Shugi, by Kanan Minami
8 volumes
Scanslated by Shoujo Magic
IRC Channel: #shoujomagic @ irc.irctoo.net

Topic: Shoujo, Drama, Smut

Warning: Nudity

Summary:
As children, Seri and Tamaki were friends and took karate together. Shortly after starting middle school, Seri quit karate (and didn't see Tamaki anymore) but she kept her habit of doing karate moves when excited or stressed out. Now in high school, it's the end of summer break, and the two meet again on a group date. Seri is determined to get a boyfriend and not reveal her rowdy "karate girl" side, while Tamaki is just as determined to bring that side of her out. By the end of the evening the two are well on the way to becoming a couple, but once they're back in school there is a challenger for Seri's affections, another boy who likes her "karate girl" side. There's also a sensei who seems to like Tamaki a bit more than is appropriate, and will go to great lengths to break up Tamaki and Seri.

Commentary:
This manga starts out well enough, and there are some pretty amusing moments in the first volume. However, By volume two the comedy has become drama and the rowdy "karate girl" has somehow become someone who can barely fight back when molested and can't seem to do much except wait to be rescued. This continues through at least volume six (as far as I've read, and as far as I will read). The challengers for both Seri's and Tamaki's affections are never honestly in love with either of them, they're generally out for revenge of one sort or another and don't care who they hurt in the process - usually Seri, sometimes Tamaki, sometimes both.

There's a sex scene in just about every chapter, sometimes Seri and Tamaki, sometimes Seri being molested, sometimes side characters, and it becomes sleazy pretty fast. Seri and Tamaki are supposedly in love with each other, but all they seem to do together is have sex and somehow get through various dramas and traumas. As a result, I never felt like they knew each other very well, never mind honestly loved each other. Each volume also includes an unrelated one-shot story, which I thought were much better - but then again, a single installment doesn't really give the author time to slide into the sleazy "let's have another creep molest the heroine" mode that took over Ren Ai Shijo Shugi.

Rating: 4.0/10.0

-- Review Submitted by TofuQueen

Hayate the Combat Butler

2006-02-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hayater the Combat Butler
Scanslated by AT-Translations
IRC Channel: #zg-fansubs @ irc.rizon.net

Topics: Comedy, Romance, Mild Ecchi

Summary:
Our hero is a young man named Hayate Ayasaki. He's a 10th grader who's parents both suffer from gambling addictions. Though he tries to save up his own money by working a job as a bicycling delivery boy, his parents take that money and promptly lose it at a casino. To make it even worse, they sell him to the yakuza to pay off their 150 million yen debt. Hayate decides that the only way to save his life is to come up with that 150 million yen himself and so, on Christmas eve, he decides to find someone to kidnap and hold for ransom.

The first person he encounters is a 13 year old girl named Nagi Sanzenin, the heiress to the entire Sanzenin family's fortune. Unfortunately, Hayate is not cut out to be a kidnapper, giving the girl his coat and walking to a public phone to make the ransom call. While he's away, someone else really kidnaps Nagi and forces her into a car. Seeing his "mark" get away, Hayate jumps onto a bicycle, chases down the speeding car, and forces it to stop (getting hit in the process). Nagi misunderstands all of Hayate's actions as acts of benevolence and falls in love with him. In return for saving her life, she pays off his debt for him, and turns him into her butler.

But Hayate's troubles are just beginning. Being a butler can be dangerous work, especially when you have to fight off talking tigers, maid robots, and other staff (some of which are desperate to play dress up with him). Will Hayate be able to survive in his new home? And will he really have to work the rest of his life to pay off the debt he owes Nagi?

Commentary:
This is a hilarious manga, full of all sorts of odd characters. For example, Nagi has a pet tiger and a robotic maid, neither of whom are pleased with the new "intruder." To prove himself, Hayate will have to fight them off with his bare hands. The side characters are quickly added for the appropriate gags then disappear again without being drawn out. The main characters are all well developed and intelligent, which makes the entire situation (Hayate was originally trying to kidnap Nagi in the first place) that much sillier. Though there is very little backstory, that fits well with the episodic nature of the manga.

The beauty of the plot is that the gags used don't fall under the stereotypes of this genre. Early on, Hayate ends up in the bath with a maid. Most ecchi comedies would involve the maid punching him out through the roof or Hayate's nose bleeding until he fainted. However in this manga, they both realize it's a mistake, laugh, and then Hayate passes out from a wound reopenning (the same wound he suffered from getting hit by the car). These small touches keep the story and humorous situations fresh.

The characters' art is very cute; their faces express a lot of information and their clothing is extremely detailed. Unfortunately the backgrounds are very simplistic or non-existant. Most of the panels include a white or black background with characters and speech bubbles overlayed on it. This doesn't matter too much to me, because I enjoy this manga's cute plot, but if you're picky about eye-candy, you might want to look elsewhere. Overall, this is a surprisingly fresh romantic comedy, which pushes the boundaries of the genre.

Rating: 8.5/10.0

Galaxy Angel

2006-02-21T22:10:00.000-08:00

Galaxy Angel By Kanan, supervised by Ryo Mizuno
5 Volumes
Licensed Broccoli USA

Topic: Science Fiction, Comedy, Romance

Summary:
The Transbal empire is the biggest empire in the known universe, spanning hundreds of systems across the galaxy. It's governed by the Transbal royal family and protected by the moon goddess Shatoyan, who lives in the White moon -- a strange artefact, known as lost technology, which was left behind by a previous human civilization. This civilization was destroyed 600 years ago by the Chrono Quake, a space phenomenon which nearly destroyed the entire galaxy and threw humans back to an age without space travel technology. After a 200 year dark age, the moon goddess appeared and gave the survivors the gift of lost technology, allowing them to reclaim what was once theirs.

Eonia Transbal is a former member of the royal family. He was exiled 6 years ago for "a terrible crime." Years later, he returned with a strange new fleet and lost technology of his own. He then proceeded to execute every member of the royal family. Fearing for the fate of the empire, Shatoyan took Prince Shiva Transbal, the last living member of the ruling family and placed him on the Elle Ciel, the biggest and most powerful lost technology star ship. She told him to flee, to prevent Eonia from killing him.

The Elle Ciel is home of the Angel-Tai, the Moon Goddess' elite guards -- Milfeulle Sakuraba, Ranpha Framboise, Mint Blamanche, Forte Stollen and Vanilla H. They are the only girls able to pilot Emblem Frames, special lost technology ships that require harmony between the pilot and the craft. The story follows Commander Takuto Meyer, a rather fresh military officer, who is given command of the Elle Ciel and the mission of escorting Prince Shiva to the white moon. This manga series is based on a series of video games created by Broccoli, and unlike it's well known anime counterpart, it tries to remain faithful to the game's original story.

Commentary:
Before we go to that review, it's my duty to inform you, that even though I try to be very objective and non-biased in this review, I am the biggest fan of the Galaxy Angel franchise, and I live, breath, and eat Galaxy Angel. Therefore it would be a good idea to take my review with a whole spoonful of salt.

When you take it for what it is, a bishoujo romantic comedy based on a video game, Galaxy Angel is an excellent manga. It doesn't delve into all the terrible stereotypes this types of series tend to resort to. Not everybody falls in love in Takuto, and the relationship between Takuto and Milfeulle is not stalled during the whole series. In fact, it evolves, and Takuto himself doesn't fit into the typical cookie-cuter type of male lead these series have. He's neither the wussy loser, nor an angry jerk. Takuto is pretty cool and manages to have a personality of his own, even if he can be a bit dense.

The story is interesting enough, with a few twists, and a bit of depth into the characters. The GA series' popularity comes from the unique character design, and naturally, the characters in the manga are drawn by Kanan herself, the original character designer. The art in the manga is superb, sometime cute and silly, sometime beautiful and detailed, and sometime downright sexy. All the characters are lovely, even though my favorite, Vanilla H, doesn’t get as much attention as I wish she did.

If I had anything to complain about, it's that the space battles can sometime feel a bit rushed and lacking in the fireworks department. But that's only natural, it's hard to take a video game and translate its game play into a static manga. Galaxy Angel is the first part of a two-part manga and therefore doesn't get a full ending. It ends at Volume 5, but the story picks up in Galaxy Angel Beta, the second manga series, which has also been licensed by Broccoli and is currently being published by them. I thoroughly enjoyed Galaxy Angel, especially because it had a lot more substance than its anime counterpart. For anyone who wants a good romance series that doesn't succumb to all the genre's stereotypes, and delivers a good story with lots of charm, you can't go wrong with the Galaxy Angels!

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

-- Review Submitted by Ribonizer

Groove Adventure Rave

2006-02-20T19:36:00.000-08:00

Groove Adventure Rave (aka Rave Master) by Hiro Mashima
Licensed by Tokyopop

Topic: Magical, Fighting

Summary:
Haru Glory was living a peaceful life on Garage Island with his older sister Cattleya. Their mother had died and their father had left on some sort of epic quest 10 years ago. Their peaceful life was interrupted one day when Haru fishes up a "fish" that looks like the cross between a bug and a dog. On the same day, an old man named Shiba returns to the island after having been gone for 50 years. He's followed by member of a dark organization known as Demon Card. Haru protects Shiba and in return, Shiba reveals the state of the world outside the isolated Garage Island.

50 years ago, there was a demonic stone known as the Dark Bring which has the power to threaten all of mankind. To counter it, there's a sacred stone known as Rave which has the power of light. Shiba was the weilder of Rave 50 years ago along with Plue (the name of the bug/dog). Together they struck down the Dark Bring but he failed to finish the job. There was a massive explosion known as the Overdrive which destroyed over a tenth of the world, and the Dark Bring flew away. At the same time, the Rave shattered, sending portions of itself flying to the ends of the earth and Plue also vanished. Now 50 years later, Dark Bring has healed up from it's damage and reawakened, so Shiba's trying to find all the Rave pieces again. For this purpose he needs Plue, the only creature in the world that can sense Rave power.

Unfortunately, Shiba has grown too old and weak in the last 50 years, so Haru must take his place and venture out into the world to find Rave and destroy Dark Bring. To help him begin his quest, Shiba gives him one piece of Rave, a miniature sword that can be attached to a larger sword known as the "Ten Commandments" because it can take on 10 different forms, each which has it's own magical power. And so Haru, a boy from a reclusive island, sets off to save a much larger world. Along the way he meets many interesting characters. But will he be able to survive the rigors of being the "Rave Master"? And who are the Demon Card, that are so interested in destroying Rave? And most importantly, why did Haru's father leave 10 years ago?

Commentary:
The character art is incredibly varied and imaginative. The people look like people, although often deformed in some way. However it's the creatures of the world that really shine. For example, on Haru's house there's a large talking flower with arms, and Plue looks like a dog with a horn for a nose. This in part makes up for the absolute lack of character development that this series suffers from. Though the author tries to spin various tales about the characters' pasts, they all take the simple way out rather than more thoroughly exploring the characters and their motivations. The only interesting character is ELIE, a young woman who has no memory of the past and only bears a tattoo saying ELIE. She's being hunted by various people because there's a rumor that she might have the power to destroy the world. I hope her story plays out a bit more, rather than succumbing to a quick solution such as discovering it's all a misunderstanding.

The plot is extremely predictable. Haru and his friends go from place to place tracking down the remaining Raves and at each place they have to fight protectors who want the Rave pieces for their own reasons. Interspersed amongst these battles are other battles with various opponenets, ranging from air pirates to members of Demon Card. The one redeeming factor is that these battle all involve people with wildly varying abilities in incredibly diverse locations. Unfortunately, we can always predict the outcome with absolute certainty as this manga uses every popular cliche in the book.

The world this manga is set in is incredible diverse and magical. The abilities employed by various people, the people themselves, the animals, and the locations are all wonderfully imaginative. Unfortunately, this is tied together by a weak plot that seems more interested in giving the reader snapshots of the world than actually forwarding the storyline. In the end, it's a waste of a very well crafted land.

Rating: 4.0/10.0

Yu-Gi-Oh!

2006-02-20T00:54:00.000-08:00

Yu-Gi-Oh! by Kazuki Takahashi
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Games, Supernatural

Summary:
Yugi Mutou is a high school student who's obsessed with various types of games, from board games, to card games, to puzzles. He's always alone until one day he manages to put together the legendary Millenium Puzzle, one of seven magical Millenium items. By being able to complete it, he's granted his wish of having friends. However, he also unleashes the soul of a 3000 year old pharoah from within the millenium puzzle. The pharoah's soul takes up residence within Yugi's body and comes out to protect him when Yugi's under extreme duress.

The completion of the Millenium Puzzle, and the unleashing of the pharoah's soul has put great events into motion. The other millenium items are scattered throughout the world and are not all in the hands of good people. They too have spirits residing in them, and some of those spirits are capable of using the items' powers for great evil. For example, Maxamillion Pegasus, the owner of the Millenium Eye, has the power to extract people's souls and place them in other objects. Yugi slowly learns about his alter-ego, and discovers that the two of them must fight together to fulfill their destiny and learn of the pharoah's past. If they falter on any step, the Millenium items might fall into the hands of the wrong person, and that could cause the entire world to fall into darkness.

To do battle with the other Millenium item users, Yugi plays a card game known as duel monsters (in fact Yu-Gi-Oh literally means King of Games). As he plays, he learns more about the game's mysterious past (the game seems to have originated 3000 years ago in Egypt) as well as his connection to that past. Furthermore, not only he is connected to that past, various other people he knows are linked to that past as well, for example his arch-rival Seto Kaiba. What exactly happened 3000 years ago and what's the truth behind Duel Monsters and the Millenium items? Can Yugi survive long enough to discover his origins and his fate? Or will he falter along the way and plunge the world into darkness?

Commentary:
Yu-Gi-Oh! was a single series in Japan but has been broken into three series in America. The first series, Yu-Gi-Oh!, discusses how Yugi first solved the Millenium puzzle and introduces many of his friends and rivals. The second series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist, discusses his games of duel monsters and the various tournaments he has to participate in to help his alter-ego find out what happened in the past. The final series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Millenium World, explores the past 3000 years ago, finally revealing what events occured and the reason behind the Millenium items. As you can imagine, this is a very long series and the art evolves with it. At the beginning, most of the characters are drawn rather inconsistently, and all have childish demeanors. But as the story evolves, they all take on more adult-like figures. The background art also becomes more elaborate from as the series progresses. Some of the early two page spreads are very simple buildings with empty expanses, whereas some of the later spreads are very detailed drawings of large cityscapes.

The characters of Yu-Gi-Oh's strong suit. Kazuki Takahashi (the author) does a good job of constantly refering to the past to keep the reader interested. The actual battles are entertaining but become repetitive. The reader soon learns that Yugi will face ever stronger opponents and start to lose, only to return on some amazing technicality or incredible luck. But unlike other manga which use this formula, not even Yugi understands why he's doing this. That sense of mystery helps the reader maintain interest a lot longer than if there was no backstory. However, outside that mystery, there's very little to recommend about the plot. As mentioned above, Yugi ends up battling newer and more powerful opponents in each story arc, always using some special trick or lucky card to defeat his opponent at the last moment. If you actually play the card game you might be somewhat entertained, although many of the cards and their abilities in this manga differ from their real-world counterparts or don't even exist.

The primary issue I have with this series is pacing. To be able to obtain information on any of the other Millenium items, Yugi ends up having to battle through multiple volumes worth of opponents and cryptic riddles. It's much like playing an rpg where, to defeat the next boss and advance the story, you have to spend hours grinding until you're high enough level to defeat the boss. This type of pacing forces the story to drag on without introducing any compelling subplots that might warrant this extension.

Rating: 5.0/10.0

Kannade

2006-02-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

Kannade By Horibe Takeo
Scanslated by Aku-Tenshi
IRC Channel:

Topics: Fighting, Shounen, Exploration

Summary:
Akito is a young man who's mother left him six years ago. His mother was a counterfeit artist, she would create amazingly accurate recreations of famous works of art. It turns out she was able to do this because she had a magical power known as a Kannade. Hers allowed her to channel the feelings and emotions of the original painters, so she could create almost perfect replicas. Six years ago, she was taken by a group of yakuza and Akito has never seen her since. To fill the emptiness in his heart, Akito became "God Hand" the master thief. He goes through museums and private collections, stealing back the works that his mother made.

One night, he gets captured by the same yakuza who took his mother in the first place. They had his mother make plenty of counterfeits for them, which they sold for a lot of money. But they pushed her too hard and she died three years ago. The yakuza now want Akito to take over her place and draw for them, but he doesn't have his mother's ability. Frustrated, the yakuza threaten to kill him. At that moment, Akito's own Kannade awakens. He's able to show people illusions through the power of his Kannade, extremely realistic illusions. He also gains the ability to hear the thoughts that his mother left in her various paintings. Akito discovers that his mother has left a roadmap from one painting to another. She's trying to lead him somewhere but where? What is the purpose of this map and what's at the end of it? And how many other people with Kannades will stand in the way of Akito's newfound journey?

Commentary:
For the most part this plays out like a fighting manga. Akito has certain items he has to retrieve in a specific order, with ever stronger opponents guarding them. As a result he has to get stronger in each of his battles, and learn more about his Kannade. There are a few mysterious parts tied into this plot line (such as what are Kannades, and why did his mother go through such trouble to leave a roadmap for him), but forthe most part these take second place to the battling aspect. The battles themselves are interesting because Akito's ability is that of illusions, meaning he has to come up with creative ways to defeat his opponents as opposed to brute force. Still, this falls squarely into the supernatural fighting genre, like other series such as Flame of Recca.

The characters are well drawn, with a lot of detail for each of their faces and heads. However there's very rarely any background art and when there is, it's all minimalistic. The fact that the foreground looks so much more superior to the background gives a bit of a disjoint sense. If you enjoy mangas with a balance of action and a well defined plot direction, I suggest Kannade.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Eyeshield 21

2006-02-18T20:02:00.000-08:00

Eyeshield 21
Licensed by Viz

Topics: Sports, Comedy

Summary:
Kobayakawa Sena is an incoming freshman to high school. All throughout middle school he was bullied and forced to run errands for other students. As a result, he has become incredibly fast and adept at making sharp cuts, whether to avoid the bullies or to quickly get the things they ask for. A few days later, the middle school bullies, who've also entered the same high school, decide to beat up Sena. As he's running away, he catches the eye of Hiruma Youichi, the most feared student in the school. Hiruma also happens to be the captain of the American Football team (which is known as the Devil Bats).

He's impressed by Sena's abilities and "recruits" him for the team (using rope and machine guns). Sena merely wants to be the manager for the team but Hiruma demands that he become the team's running back. Despite Sena's insistance, Hiruma makes him run a 40-yard dash, which he manages to do in 4.2 seconds. So Sena has been recruited, albeit unwillingly, into the football team. But there are only 3 players on the team. Will they be able to collect the other players necessary to become a good enough team to compete for the Christmas Bowl (the equivalent of the Japanese High School superbowl)?

Commentary:
Like many other sports manga, this story focuses on motivation and drive as it's two main themes. The various players all push themselves the hardest to form a coherent team while they still have time before the tournament. Despite the fact that the plot has been used repeatedly, there are some new aspects to this series. Firstly, the story relies quite a bit of humor, with completely absurd situations befalling the various players during their training. Secondly, this is not a team immune to difficulties. Rather than constantly winning and following each with with training, the team actually loses very early on in the series. That failure motivates the members even more, although there is plenty of pain and sadness associated with the loss. Also, each of the players suffers from periods of self-doubt, which allows the reader to explore their motivations more thoroughly, as opposed to most sports manga where the players' driving motivatoin is glossed over.

The characters are well developed and the humor is excellent. The background art is beautiful, especially when there are scenes on the fields. Character art is also good and matches their personalities well, although some of the characters are drawn to the extreme. For example, Kurita Ryukan is a lineman who's drawn much like a ball. And various opponents are drawn as if they are 5 to 10 times larger than the Devil Bat players. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a humerous sports manga, but be warned that every sports cliche out there is used here too.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Family Compo

2006-02-18T12:04:00.000-08:00

Family Compo
Scanslated by Omanga, AE Nisei, Nojay
IRC Channels: #omanga @ irc.irchighway.net, #ae-nisei @ irc.chatspike.net, N/A
14 Volumes (Completed)

Topic: Romance, Comedy, Shoujo

Summary:
Family Compo is a twisted romance comedy written by Hojo Tsukasa. The main character is Masahiko Yanagiba also known as Giba. He's a young university student who had lost both of his parents. Yanagiba was living alone until a strange young woman who claimed to be his aunt Yukari visited him. She proposed that he live with the Wakanae family just after death of Yanagiba"s father. His "uncle" Wakanae Sora is a mangaka who draws manga in his chaotic studio with his crossdressing assistants. His "aunt" Wakanae Yukari is a busy housewife and their "daughter" Shion is a pretty 16 years old college student. Yanagiba soon finds out why his mother severed all ties with her siblings. Now it's your turn to read and find out why.

Commentary:
Family Compo is a funny family romance revolving around Yanagiba. It shows Yanagiba's difficulties getting through normal society and everyday life, while dealing with the taboo secrets of Wakanae family. It gets funnier each chapter, with Yanagiba being placed in various dilemmas every time. I find this to be one of the best stories after W-Juliet. If you enjoy twisted comedy and don't mind mention of various taboos such as transvestites, I suggest you give Family Compo a try.

Rating: 8.5/10.0

-- Review submitted by Ejudo

+Anima

2006-02-17T19:10:00.001-08:00

+Anima
Licensed by Tokyopop

Topic: Supernatural

Summary:
+Anima are creatures of the world that have the abilities of animals. Husky is a kid who can turn his lower torso into that of a fish (much like a mermaid), and breathe underwater. One day, while working at a circus, he encounters Cooro. Cooro is a crow +Anima, one who can sprout black wings and fly. They decide to leave the circus and venture out into the wide world. Along the way they encounter various other +Anima, who are attracted to their group by Cooro's honest charm. However the people of the world are suspicious of +Anima and try to avoid them. This is a series of short stories about a group of youngsters trying to fit into the world without forsaking their true identities.

Commentary:
The character art for this series is incredibly detailed, with elaborate clothing for each character. Even the side characters are well drawn and the expressions on all the characters convey a lot of emotion. The background art is also gorgeous, with perspective scenery shots almost every chapter. The character development is almost non-existant because the author forgoes any backstory about how the +Anima came to be. Instead, the stories focus completely on the present, and each character is introduced without a hint of their past. Unlike most manga, which at least make reference to previous events in a character's life to progress the plot, +Anima makes no such references at all.

If the plot were only a collection of short stories revolving around these characters, I would have given this series a higher rating. Unfortunately, there are mentions every once in a while about some more sinister plot being played out. But these have not yet been elaborated on, usually only taking up a couple pages a volume. Even worse, that sort of unifying story doesn't fit well with the light-hearted, directionless nature of the rest of the manga. It's almost as if the author was pressured into adding these so that the story could be artificially prolonged in the future. I'll continue reading +Anima and revise this statement if the backstory turns out to be well done, but right now it feels forced and doesn't fit.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Love Hina

2006-02-16T22:34:00.000-08:00

Love Hina
Licensed by Tokyopop
14 Volumes (Complete)

Topic: Harem, Romance, Ecchi, Comedy

Summary:
Urashima Keitaro is a third year ronin, a student who has failed the university entrance exams twice so far. The problem is that, when he was four years old, he made a promise with a girl that they would both make it into Tokyo U, the most prestigious university in Japan. That girl then moved away and he hasn't seen her since. Since Keitaro isn't too bright, he's failed the exam twice already. After having failed the second time, his family gets fed up and kicks him out of the house, so he's forced to go live with his grandmother, who just so happens to own a female only hot-spring inn.

At the inn, he meets five different girls, with completely different attitudes. Yet one of them, Naru Narusegawa, seems to have a connection to Keitaro's past. Could she be the girl that he remembers? And will it even matter? Keitaro's clumsiness constantly lands him in bad situations, causing the people around him to hate him. Will his naive charm and ernestness be sufficient to win over the inn's tenants before they get fed up and boot him out as well?

Commentary:
This manga is full of fan-service, with panty shots and shameless situations in every chapter. If you can get past that (or if you enjoy that sort of situation), this manga has quite a lot to offer, including a fairly elaborate storyline. The author manages to make the story progress decently, while inserting many comedic situations involving Keitarou's incompetence and his earnet naivete. My primary plot complaint is that the author runs out of story at around volume 10, and tacks on a fairly useless second "story arc" to artificially prolong the series.

The background art for Love Hina is fairly detailed, with plenty of distant perspective shots. The character art is excellent, with each character having his or her own quirks. The expressions are very well drawn and manage to convey more information than the average manga face. I found that the character development was sub-par. Outside of Naru and Keitarou, the other characters have cursoury backstories told but never finished. The two main characters are explored more thoroughly but their actions still come across as a bit forced, as though the author didn't plan out the pacing of their relationship from the beginning. That said, all the characters do grow on you and it becomes easier to overlook these shortcomings.

I'd recommend this manga for those who are in search of a fan-service manga with a bit of a love story behind it. If you're emphasis is on the love-story portion rather than the fan-service portion, I'd point you towards Living Game instead.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

Houshin Engi

2006-02-15T20:33:00.000-08:00

Houshin Engi
Scanslated by Snoopycool
IRC Channel: #snoopycool @ irc.irchighway.net
23 Volumes (Completed)

Summary:
This manga is based off a very famous Chinese myth, set in 11th century BC China, during the Yin dynasty. At this time there were two worlds, the Sennin world where the "gods" lived, and Earth, where humans lived. For the most part the Sennins kept to themselves, rarely interfering with human life. However one powerful Sennin, named Dakki decided to break that trend. She went down to Earth and used her powerful magic to seduce the king of China, Young Chuuoh. She then used her place of power and called forth her comrades. Other evil Sennin quickly assumed various positions of leadership.

Their extravagant and brutal ways decimated the lives of the peasants, who were constantly being killed or forced to pay ever higher taxes. One family which was killed had a son named Taikoubou. He had the abilities that 1 in 1 million people had, so he was chosen by the Sennins to go up to the Sennin world to train. Unfortunately it was his nature to slack off rather than train, so finally the most powerful Sennin gave him a task. Taikoubou was to take the Houshin List (which contained 365 names) and defeat each of the special people marked on it. When he does this, those spirits will be sealed away forever, unable to reincarnate. And so, Taikoubou is forced off on a journey to seal the people on the list. But who are all these people? Why are some good people on the list? And can Taikoubou defeat Dakki, one of the most powerful sennin ever?

Commentary:
Portions of this manga follow the stereotypical fighting manga premise, with multiple chapters spanning epic one on one duels. However the thing that differentiates this from many other fighting mangas is that Taikoubou spends a lot of his effort avoiding fights via guile, rather than actively partaking in them.

The background art is very simplistic, often mostly filled with images of the sky and clouds. The character designs are extremely peculiar, with oblong heads, huge hands, and gigantic shoes. Some people will be put off by this, as I was initially, but eventually it grows on you. The characters are well thought out, with each one consistently acting his or her role, rather than some series where the characters switch sides at a drop of a hat. The backstories for everyone except Taikoubou and Dakki are a bit lacking. I would have enjoyed it if the story was fleshed out a bit more at the expense of plot progression, which sometimes moves at too brisk a pace.

The core plot is very entertaining, as compared with most fighting mangas. In most mangas of this genre, the opponent is already known and the goal is to fight through the opponent's "guards" to get to him and defeat him. However Houshin Engi takes plenty of twists and turns, leaving you constantly questioning who the true evil is, and what various people's motivations really are. Its not as elaborate as a mystery manga but that constant touch of doubt is refreshing.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Detective Conan

2006-02-14T22:34:00.000-08:00

Detective Conan (Licensed as Case Closed)
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Mystery

Warning: Mild Gore, Death

Summary:
Kudo Shinichi is a famous high school detective, with a brilliant mind. He uses his abilities to help the police solve many mysteries, almost all involving murders. One day he goes to an amusement park on a date with his girlfriend Mouri Ran. At the park he encounters a couple of shady looking men and follows them. He discovers that they're smuggling guns but before he can call the police, he gets caught. Instead of shooting him, which would leave evidence, the men in black feed him a poison that "The Organization" recently created. Instead of killing Shinichi, the poison (which had never been tested before) turned him into a little kid. Shinichi has become a brilliant high schooler, trapped in a 6 year-old's body.

Only he and his neighbor Professor Agasa know who he really is, and Agasa warns him that if the secret of his identity ever leaks out, it will put all those around him at risk. As a result, Shinichi takes on a new identity, that of Edogawa Conan (named after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes books). He goes to live with Ran, who's father is also a detective. Shinichi's hope is that, by helping Ran's father solve cases, he'll one day meet up with the men in black again so that he can find a cure to the drug which changed him.

This manga is a series of mysteries, each one spanning several chapters. Shinichi uses his keen observation and deductive skills to trace out the truth behind each crime. To help him reveal the truth, without revealing his identity, Professor Agase creates a series of tools for him, ranging from a tranquilizer gun in his watch to a voice modulator in his bow tie.

Commentary:
This manga plays out a lot like the Sherlock Holmes novels. Shinichi is obviously modeled after Holmes, having great observation skills and impressive deductive powers. However, like Sherlock Holmes novels, not all the clues are presented to the reader until the detective begins analyzing the truth. So if you're looking for a manga where you get all the clues first and attempt to solve it yourself, you might not want to look here.

The characters are developed slowly, which is alright given that the author has been using the same set of characters to solve mysteries for 40+ volumes. The background art is very elaborate, which contrasts somewhat with the simplistic facial and body art of the characters. The characters look fine by themselves as does the background art but together they give off a sense of disjointedness that you have to get used to.

The plot is entertaining because each mystery differentiates a lot from the others. Furthermore, the author makes sure to add mysteries concerning the men in black every once in a while, to give the manga a sense of continuity. As mentioned before, this is not a series for people who enjoy solving things themselves. You'll see Shinichi make large jumps in logic off very small amounts of information, and then you'll see the criminal confess, even when it seems like the conclusion Shinichi drew was pure speculation. The series is a lot more entertaining if you just read, following the story rather than if you try to immerse yourself in that world.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Shaman King

2006-02-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Shaman King
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, Supernatural (Spirits)

Summary:
Oyamada Manta is your average student who spends all of his time studying until one day he encounters Asakura Yoh, who's transfered into Manta's class. Yoh is a shaman, one who has the ability to see and use spirits who have not yet left the earth. For example, Yoh chooses Amidamaru, a samurai who slew 1000 soldiers 600 years ago. When they combine, Yoh is able to use Amidamaru's experiences and techniques. He's come to Tokyo to train for a tournament that will determine who the Shaman King will be. Whoever becomes the Shaman King has the power to manipulate events in the world for the next 500 years, whether for good or for evil. Yoh's goal is to make a world where he can be lazy and doesn't have to work at anything.

Along the way, he encounters many other types of shamans: Those who use zombies, those who manipulate multiple weaker spirits, those who temporarily summon spirits down from heaven, etc. His easy going nature manages to win him several friends but also puts him at much greater risk against powerful enemies. His greatest opponent will be his twin brother, Asakura Hao, who is the reincarnation of a powerful shaman. Asakura Hao has reappeared in the past multiple times to compete in the Shaman King tournament, in attempts to take over the world for his own.

Commentary:
The character art for this series is excellent although very extreme. Manta is drawn with his head, torso and legs almost all the same height, and most of the other characters have some peculiarities that serve to vastly differentiate each of them. The background art is well done, with detailed drawings in almost all the frames. However I'm not a fan of the character development, which is severely lacking. All the characters are either over the top, or emotionless. Furthermore, all their motivations are briefly glossed over and usually very shallow. For example, Mic wishes to be the Shaman King so he can tell good jokes.

The plot of Shaman King is entertaining, although a bit redundant. As with most tournament mangas, the characters must defeat each other and powerful opponents to continue on in the tournament. What makes this manga's plot a bit more interesting is the sheer variety of opponents and powers the author was able to come up with. The battles also take place all over the world, sparing the reader of seeing the same backdrop over and over again.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Hunter X Hunter

2006-02-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

Hunter X Hunter
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Fighting, Shounen, Supernatural

Summary:
Gon Freaks is a young boy living with his aunt Mito because he believes his mother and father are dead. On day he encounters a strange man named Kato, who is searching for Gon's father. Kato tells Gon that his father is one of the world's greatest "Hunters" -- a group of special people who specialize in finding different sorts of things, from criminals and ancient artifacts down to exotic recipies. Kato's final test to become a hunter is to find Gon's father. At that moment, Gon makes it his goal to go find his father as well.

Three years later Gon has aged to the point where he can go take the hunter exam, a test run by current hunters to determine who has the qualifications to be a hunter. This exam is held once a year and although thousands attempt it each year, only a handful make it. To become a hunter he'll have to survive a series of inhuman tests and defeat incredibly strong opponents. Along the way he becomes friends with Killua Zoladick (a former assassin), Leorio (a student who wants to become a doctor, and Kurapika (the last survivor of his clan). Together they forge through the tests to try and become hunters.

Yet even though Gon becomes a hunter, his journey to find his father is just beginning. By stepping into the world of the hunters Gon has stepped into a much larger world where spiritual powers play roles in every day life. To survive in this world, against the new evils that he'll encounter, he must learn to tap his vast potential, and just maybe, that will bring his a few steps closer to finding his father.

Commentary:
Once again we are dealing with a prototypical fighting manga, where the protagonists face ever stronger opponents, interspersed around periods of intense training. The major difference between many of those and Hunter X Hunter is that here, the opponents are quite often stronger than the protagonists, which leads to plenty of situations where Gon and his friends must use their minds rather than their strength.

The character development is above average with backstory arcs for both Gon and Killua (who are the two primary characters). The author also makes sure the opponents have motivations for their actions, although sometimes those motivations are slapped together in a couple chapters, almost as an after thought. That said, most other mangas forgo this simple step and merely make opponents appear and disappear on a whim.

The art for the series goes from sloppy to decent and back to sloppy. This is because at the beginning, the author was still getting a feel for the characters, and as of late the author has been physically ill. However, if you're looking for something with more beautiful art, you might want to look elsewhere because parts of Hunter X Hunter will disappoint. Overall it's an enjoyable, if a bit mindless, fighting series that focuses on perserverence and faith over pure strength.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Sirius Scars

2006-02-12T01:38:00.000-08:00

Titles: Siriusu no Kizuoto (Cicatrice of the Sirius, Sirius Scars)
Author: Shinichiro Takada
Scanslated by: Studio Robb, Tsuzuku Jinsei O
IRC Channel: N/A, #TJO @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Fighting, Robots

Warning: Mild nudity, Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Adult Content

Summary:
Life was going great for Sayoko, until the Schwalle invaded her home. Both her parents were killed in the sudden attack, and her little brother Takeru was left in the hospital in intensive care. Sayoko was afraid of being alone, eventually selling her own brain to the Albion corporation to pay off Takeru's medical bills.

5 years later, a cyborg known as Le Blanc Treizieme (The White Thirteen) wins her 30th dogfight, claiming the rank of Sirius, Grand Champion of the dogfights. During that same battle, Sirius was able to re-awaken her old self, once more returning to the Sayoko of before. Sayoko's brother, Takeru, had managed to sneak into her pit crew and noticed the change immediately. Somehow, they were able to steal a medical ship, The Prokeon, and escape together.

Unfortunately, outside of the 'Kennels' Sayoko is unable to produce Vitamin B, a substance vital for her survival. Without it, her brain will swell, to the point where she will die from it in one week. As if that weren't bad enough, Albion also wants their property back. They have dispatched several agents to retake Sayoko's body at all costs.

Commentary:
The story has a very good premise and the art work is very detail and befitting of the story. It does not suffer from the 'Oppenent of the Day' syndrome as many other fighting mangas do. Instead, it focuses largely on the story, spanning a mere 4 volumes until the finish. I especially enjoyed finding out the secrets behind Sayoko's amazing strength, as well as what Albion's true intent was. However, there is a lot of fighting, some of which portrays various entrails and blood. If you do not like seeing gratuitous amounts of violence , then this manga is probably not for you. If this does not bother you, then I would suggest that you give it a read. Even on my second time reading this series, it still hasn't lost any of its flavor or appeal.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

-- Review Submitted by du

Kiseijuu

2006-02-10T15:51:00.000-08:00

Kiseijuu (Aka Parasyte)
Licensed by Tokyopop

Topic: Horror, Supernatural, Fighting

Warning: Gore, Death

Summary:
Small wormlike creatures have floated down from space to invade the brains of those they encounter. Having done so, they take complete control of the human. The humans who are being invaded lose all sense of themselves, becoming mindless puppets for the aliens. Unfortunately for humanity, these parasites eat other humans as their food source, meaning those humans who have been take over become nothing but weapons for the parasite to go harvest food with.

Shinji is a middle school student who's lying on his bed listening to music when a parasite decides to infect him. Luckily, Shinji manages to grab the parasite, preventing it from entering his head. The parasite burrows into Shinji's right arm instead to survive. Initially Shinji thinks it was just a dream, but he quickly realizes that his hand is no longer his own. His right hand has been taken over by the parasite but because the parasite was unable to take over Shinji's mind, they have two seperate conciousnesses. Being a parasite, it will die if Shinji dies so it grudgingly accepts its role as Shinji's protector.

Meanwhile in the world, a rash of "monsters" has burst out killing millions of humans and consuming them. Humans everywhere are panicing because they have no idea what's going on. While this is going on, Shinji is slowly getting acquainted with "Migi" (right hand in japanese), which is what he names the parasite. Migi has no emotions, only pure rationality and the fact that it's so willing to destroy life scares Shinji. Shinji just wants to live a normal life, even though the attacks in the world are increasing.

The tipping point happens one day when Shinji's mother is killed by a parasite, who then takes over her body and stabs Shinji in the heart. Migi is able to stem the flow of blood and save Shinji's life but in the process the two have mixed DNA even more thoroughly. Now Shinji is capable of superhuman movement and strength, and his right hand can turn into whatever weapon he desires. He has become the last line of defense between the parasites and the rest of humanity. But can he actually hunt down his own mother? How does one fight against opponents who can shape shift at will and possess superhuman abilities? And as the world slowly begins to realize the truth will they see him as a friend or foe?

Commentary:
Kiseijuu has one of the most original plots I've seen in a while. The plot is very well developed, balancing between fighting other parasites and dealing with the world coming to grips with the new reality. Shinji has to conceal his reality from his friends and family, bearing the burden himself. He must defend those he holds dear while keeping them from learning the truth, lest they turn him in for research or become a target for the other parasites.

The characters are very well developed, in a surprisingly small number of chapters. Shinji starts as a stereotypical student, very afraid of the events going on around him. But as he fights more and more parasites he begins to harden himself, even throwing a dead dog out in a trash can. His girlfriend becomes afraid of him, saying that he's changed into something other than what he used to be, hinting that maybe Migi's and his psyches are beginning to merge. This forces Shinji to walk a tightrope between remaining human (too weak to fight parasites and protect those he loves) and becoming a full blown parasite (loses all emotion and becomes a ruthless hunter). That constant tug-of-war keeps you on the edge of your seat in every chapter.

The character art is very innovating, with very odd shapes and forms for the parasites, especially when they're attacking. Their facial expressions are perfect for the situation, with the parasites often taking on expressionless faces except when feeling extreme emotion. The fight scenes are also very skillfully drawn, with plenty of detail. The background art is almost non-existant, which actually is alright for this series given the sheer amount of text. Your average pannel will have a couple bubbles of text and a single large image in the foreground with almost nothing in the background.

I found this series to be very refreshing. The characters and plot are able to maintain tension without having to resort to superpowered opponents or odd plot twists. I do want to warn readers that there is a large amount of death and gore in this manga so if you're averse to that you'll probably want to avoid this series. For everyone else, this is a very interesting divergence from the norm.

Rating: 8.5/10.0

Full Metal Alchemist

2006-02-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

Full Metal Alchemist
Licensed by VIZ

Topic: Supernatural, Fighting, Shounen

Warning: Gore

Summary:
Edward and Alphonse Elric are brothers, both of whom can use a power called Alchemy. The concept behind alchemy is "Exact Trade." You destroy something to create sometime using the same component parts. For example Al breaks a radio and fixes it by putting it in an alchemy circle and applying his power to it. Since all the parts of the radio are there, he doesn't have to add anything to it, to fix it again.

Years ago, Ed and Al lost their mother to a disease. At the time they were children and, disregarding the rules of alchemy, they attempted to bring their mother back to life using a forbidden technique. As a result Al's body was destroyed and Ed's leg was consumed in the failure. Ed then sacrificed his arm to bind Al's soul into a suit of armor. Ever since then Ed has walked around with a prosthetic arm and leg, made of a material called auto-mail, while Al has been forced to live his life as a hollow suit of armor.

In an attempt to bring themselves back to their original forms, Ed and Al join the military to procure information about a fabled item known as the Philosopher's stone. This stone is reported to be able to amplify an alchemist's power, bypassing the universal law of equivalent exchange. But as they get closer to the truth of the philosopher's stone, they uncover dark secrets about the military, artificial people, and the stone itself.

Commentary:
This is an incredibly dark manga, with characters being killed left and right. However these aren't minor characters being slaughtered, they are fairly major ones, who play important roles in revealing the truth of the entire military government. As a result, the storyline plays out in bits and pieces, with the reader getting only glimpses of the truth before people are eliminated. This makes for a thrilling read as you never know whom to trust and whether a statement is true or not. You're left grasping for the truth amongst the web of lies, much like the protagonists are.

The art is also excellent, with completely different faces and body types of each character. Some mangas tend to use similar traits amongst varied characters but this one avoids it. My only dislike for this series is that the story relies a bit too much on death and blood to cover up everything. It gets a bit repetitive when the author decides to constantly kill off characters at the most crucial moments, rather than finding new and innovative ways to silence them. That said, it is an excellent manga if you don't mind it's darkness.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Show Me The Money

2006-02-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

Show Me The Money
Scanslated by NULL
2 Volumes (Complete)
IRC Channel: #null @ irc.irchighway.net

Topics: Romance, High School, Comedy

Summary:
Dahsau Zuhn used to be the son of an incredibly rich man. He had 6 cars, platinum credit cards, and went to the elite Nobel High School. Unfortunately, last week his father was arrested for fraud and everything went down hill from there. All his belongings were confiscated, along with his estate. His mother ran away with another man and he was booted out of Nobel High School because he could no longer afford the tuition. As a result, he transfered to the extremely run-down and poor Freedom High School next door.

There he meets a cute girl named Aimei Jin, who promptly saves his life and demands a protection fee. Aimei's goal is to raise $100 million before she graduates high school via any means possible, and poor Dahsau, with no place to live, is forced into being her assistant. Initially he absolutely detests her and thinks of her as a money grubber, but he slowly learns that her reasons for wanting the money are more altruistic than she lets on. As the story develops, Dahsau begins to realize his feelings for her.

Commentary:
This manga breaks down into two different chunks. The first chunk, encompassing the first volume, focuses mainly on short stories where Aimei forces Dahsau earn her money, and Dahsau's hilarious reactions to these demands. The second chunk, elapsing most of the second volume, focuses on Aimei's past and the reason why she has to get $100 million dollars. I enjoyed the first portion a lot, as the actions and reactions of the characters were often over the top, though still hilarious. The second portion was also decent although the story was finished up way too rapidly, as if the author was on a deadline to complete the entire story by. The art is beautiful, with expressive characters and lovely backgrounds. If some situations weren't gimmicked in order to finish them faster, and had the all the loose ends been tied up properly, this would have been a Reviewer's Choice.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Psychometrer Eiji

2006-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

Psychometrer Eiji
Scanslated by Omanga
IRC Channel: #omanga @ irc.irchighway.net

Topics: Crime, Supernatural, Fighting, Shounen

Warning: Gore, Sexual Situations

Summary:
Eiji Asuma has a special power called "psychometry." It's the ability to read emotions and memories left behind within an object or a person. However he can only see flashes of those thoughts, he's unable to see entire scenes. Furthermore when the memories are too intense it often has a backlash on himself, sometimes even causing him to pass out.

To avoid getting his licensed revoked (for driving a motorcycle without a helmet), he agrees to help Miss Shima (a policewoman) solve a crime being committed by a mysterious serial killer named "Moebius." By combining the imagery he pulls from items left at the crime scenes, and by the detective work done by Miss Shima, they're slowly getting closer to the criminal. But at the same time the murderer has targetted Eiji's sister as his next victim. Though Eiji manages to thwart this first serial murderer, he's been drawn into the world of fighting psychotic criminals.

Each "story" spans multiple volumes and shows off Eiji and Shima hunting down ever more twisted characters, while trying to make Shima's boss understand that Eiji's supernatural power has a place within the police department.

Commentary:
The art for this series is excellent, with highly detailed characters and beautiful backgrounds. The character development is pretty good, although it tends to focus a bit more on the development of the criminals and their motivations, than it does on the protagonists. The stories themselves are very suspenseful, although they tend to have excessive amounts of gore (for example a girl gets blown up and we get images of her boyfriend holding her severed hand). However, if you can get past the bloodyness, this is a top notch manga with an intriguing plot that keeps you coming back for more.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

Yotsuba &!

2006-02-07T22:14:00.000-08:00

Yotsuba to!
by Kyohiko Azuma
3+ volumes

Licensed by ADV (Licensed Title -- Yotsuba &!)

Topic: Humor, Slice-of-Life

Summary:
Six year old Koiwai Yotsuba and her father have just moved to a new house, and the neighborhood will never be quite the same again. Before they've even unpacked, Yotsuba has wandered off though her father isn't concerned. Instead he merely tells the new neighbor, a cute high school girl named Fuka, "If you find a girl who you think is really strange... that's probably her." In her wandrings, Yotsuba meets up with Fuka's little sister Ena and big sister Asagi, plays on (and flies off of) a swing for the first time, and climbs a telephone pole to impersonate a cicada. She eventually makes her way back home while fleeing from Fuka, who has recognized Yotsuba from her Dad's description. Each chapter of the manga focuses on Yotsuba and something else (the first three are Moving, Manners, and Global Warming). The story revolves around her as Yotsuba gets to know her new neighbors, her new neighborhood, and the world.

Review:
Yotsuba &! is absolutely the funniest manga I have ever read, and I've read a quite a few. Yotsuba is adorable, and weird enough that the story is never in danger of a sugar overload, while her father, the neighbor family, and all their assorted friends are unusual and well developed characters. Yotsuba's unique personality and outlook turn everyday experiences into adventures for everyone around her, regardless of whether they really wanted an adventure or not. While the manga is quite episodic and any given chapter could be read alone and still enjoyed, the stories do build on each other. The art is nice throughout, and the author is an expert at drawing facial expressions that tell more than words ever could. At risk of sounding like a rabid fangirl - GO READ IT!!

Rating: 10.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

-- Submitted by Tofuqueen

Battle Angel Alita

2006-02-07T21:58:00.000-08:00

Battle Angel Alita (aka GUNNM)
By Yukito Kishiro
Licensed by VIZ

Topics: Shounen, Philosophical, Fighting, Post-Apocolyptic

Summary:
On a base level, Yukito Kishiro’s Battle Angel Alita relates the story to of a girl’s struggle to find answers in a world gone mad. Set in a dystopic vision of the future, Kishiro echoes concerns addressed in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis. The tale opens in the Scrapyard, a sprawling heap of refuse created by the supposed paradisiacal city Tiphares. This looming bastion hangs in midair, suspended above a veritable ocean of waste. Under its imposing shadow, wallowing in debris, the citizens of the Scrapyard forage through the garbage of their Tipharean rulers and struggle to survive.

Enter the enigmatic Doctor Ido, a skilled cybertechnician. While scavenging for parts in the Scrapyard he stumbles upon the remains of an ancient female cyborg. Much to his astonishment he realizes she’s still showing vital signs, so Ido quickly goes to work repairing her. Ido proceeds to assume an essentially paternal role with the amnesic girl, whom he christens “Alita” after a feisty cat he’d once owned. But when circumstances reveal her innate, almost superhuman martial arts abilities, Alita is forced to investigate her forgotten past and sully her hands in order to better understand who or what she is.

Battle Angel is also about relationships and personal growth. Alita’s journey mirrors that of the typical human life cycle in numerous ways. Her early grappling with who she is precipitates her ultimate decision to become a bounty hunter, a choice which sets into motion a chain of events which propels her down the long, circuitous path towards the answers she so desperately seeks. As her journey progresses the momentum grows exponentially toward something epic in scale. Alita’s decision to pursue bounty hunting is also motivated in part by her natural rebellion against her father figure Ido. She is an idealist by nature, living by her own tenets and walking a path dictated by her own decisions. As she matures she’s also forced to confront a plethora of philosophical and moral dilemmas. Why we exist, human nature, the ideal society, and even the very definition of humanity are addressed. As Alita progresses and learns about love she becomes ensnared in one of the most bittersweet romances ever conceived. An eclectic array of other important relationships examined on a progressively grander scale: the bond between parent and child, lovers, friends, and citizen and state are closely scrutinized.

Commentary:
There is no absolutism in Battle Angel. The characters, whether heroes or villains, are rich and complex, motivated by a variety of convoluted ideologies. Battle Angel is also notable for containing some of the most rounded, intriguing villains ever to grace the printed page. Even the most despicable persons are depicted as multifaceted enigmas. This is a captivating decision, contrasting sharply with the cardboard caricatures that suffice for villains in many mangas. If you’re looking for easy answers, or a clear adversary to point one’s finger at, you’ll be at a loss to find one in the Scrapyard. The heroes are equally complex and profoundly affable. Indeed even the less significant characters are each substantial and memorable in their own way.

Lastly, one should not disregard the overabundance of explosive action within which this is all framed. Yukito flawlessly reconciles martial arts, philosophy, science fiction and melodrama. There is also a gripping period where Alita participates in a sport flagrantly appropriated from the film Rollerball, which in itself spawned a noteworthy spinoff. I highly suggest this series.

Rating: 10.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

-- Submitted by AorticNomenclature

Gokusen

2006-02-07T00:40:00.000-08:00

Gokusen
By Kozueko Morimoto
8 Volumes (On-Going)
Scanslated by Ushi, Impossibility
IRC Channel: #ushi @ irc.rizon.net, #possible-soup @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, School, Comedy

Summary:
Yamaguchi Kumiko has always dreamed of being a teacher. Finally, she has gotten the chance to have her own class at Shirokin Gakuen, an all male school full of delinquents. At first, the students don't accept her and give her a very difficult time. However, classroom bullies are nothing for Kumiko, the heir to the Kuroda yakuza kumi (a yakuza group). She uses her background and fighting skills to slowly turn around the wayward school, while filling her yakuza role within the kumi (group) at the same time. Only the leader of the 2nd year students, Sawada Shin, realizes that something is odd about Yankumi (a nickname given to her by the students). He soon begins to chase after her 'other life.'

Commentary:
Gokusen at first comes off as another GTO (Great Teacher Onizuka -- Licensed by Tokyopop), but whereas GTO was centered mainly around Onizuka, Gokusen dances between Kumiko, her school, and her family, centering on a combination of the three. The story is always building and expanding. School life mixes with yakuza life to weave an increasingly entertaining plot that gets better as her students come closer to the truth. Gokusen is a definite read on my list.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

-- Review Submitted by du

Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl

2006-02-07T00:17:00.000-08:00

Kashimashi Girl Meets Girl
by Akahori Satoru
2+ volumes (ongoing)
Scanslated by Dynasty Scans
IRC Channel: #dynasty-scans @ irc.rizon.net

Topic: Shoujo-ai, Gender-bender, Fantasy

Warning: Mild Nudity/Sexuality

Summary:
High school student Hazumu has never been especially "manly" (he talks to flowers, is easily bullied, and is afraid of the dark). However after being crashed into by an alien spaceship, he actually becomes female right down to his DNA. With the unmistakable evidence of the DNA (and a couple of aliens, who move in with Hazumu's family to study humans and Earth), Hazumu's friends and family have to accept the change and (s)he begins a new life. Of course things would be simpler if the girl who rejected Hazumu's confession shortly before the spaceship incident didn't like the new female version quite so much; if Hazumu's childhood friend Tomari-chan didn't discover that her feelings for Hazumu were just as strong whether Hazumu was male or female; and if Hazumu's best friend Hasuta wasn't so torn between liking Hazumu as a friend and appreciating how cute and curvy the new Hazumu is.

The aliens are from a society that eliminated emotions in an effort to reduce wars and fighting, but because of that lack of emotions their population is dwindling. They've come to Earth to study humans and learn about emotions. Naturally they're fascinated by Hazumu and his/her friends, so they are definitely not above meddling in order to provoke emotional reactions.

Review:
It's a little hard to tell just where this one's going, but at volume two it *looks* like it's settling into a love-geometrical-shape of some sort... with the complication that two girls and one boy are all in love with a girl who used to be a boy and isn't used to being a girl yet, and of course there are also the observing/meddling aliens. However it's not quite as confusing as it sounds when you're actually reading the manga because it's better paced. The main characters are all very likable and are developing well, the supporting characters are entertaining, and the art is attractive. Be warned that this is most definitely shoujo-ai. If girls holding hands romantically and kissing each other bothers you, then this is not the manga for you. However at this point it's all really very sweet and innocent. I'm enjoying it a lot.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

-- Review Submitted by Tofuqueen

Busou Renkin

2006-02-06T22:00:00.000-08:00

Busou Renkin
Scanslated by Be With You Scans
IRC Channel: #bwys @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Supernatural, Fighting, Shounen

Summary:
Mutou Kazuki is killed in a fight between a Homunculus (an artificial life form made from the power of alchemy), and a Busou Renkin user (Busou Renking is the research of weapons through alchemy). The user's name is Tsumura Tokiko, and she replaces his heart with a supernatural alloy that's been refined through alchemy. As a result Kazuki is revived and has the power to turn his "heart" into a spear. However if the spear is broken, he too will die.
Kazuki quickly learns that Homunculus are not merely artificial lifeforms, they are creatures that can take on the shape of humans and attempt to eat humans. Only the Busou Renkin users can destroy those Homunculii. Though Tokiko tells Kazuki to leave the fighting to the professionals, he decides that he won't let anyone else get harmed. Grudgingly, Tokiko takes him on as her apprentice, and they begin their fight against these Homunculii.

Commentary:
This manga was written by Watsuki Nobuhiro, of Rurouni Kenshin fame. Unfortunately the magic that Kenshin exuded was not captured in this manga. The art is fantastic and the fighting is excellent. However the characters are very simplistic cookie cutter characters, that could be drawn from a plethora of other mangas. On the one hand you have the more experienced "teacher" and on the other, you have the incredibly talented "student" who somehow has the potential to surpass all others. The plot is also very basic -- Protagonists have to keep fighting ever stronger enemies to protect a world that is unaware these enemies even exist. Unless you adore predictable series and are only looking for pretty fights, I suggest you bypass this one.

Rating: 4.0/10.0

Nodame Cantabile

2006-02-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

Nodame Cantabile
Licensed by Del Rey

Topic: Shoujo, Romance, Music

Summary:
Chiaki Masanoki is an elite pianist at Momogaoka Music Academy. But even though he's incredibly talented, his true goal is to become a conductor. When he was a child he saw a famous conductor named Sebastiano Viera conduct an orchestra and was hooked. Viera taught him many things but eventually he had to return to Japan after his parents divorced. On the way back he was in an emergency landing which traumatized him, preventing him from ever flying again. As a result Chiaki has been stuck in Japan unable to pursue his greatest dream.

One day he meets Noda Megumi, a fellow student who has a gift for playing music with great emotional feeling. The two of them are in stark contrast with one another, Chiaki desiring to one day conduct a famous orchestra with exact precision, and Megumi living in the present through her innovative music.

This is a story about Megumi's influence on Chiaki, showing him (through her actions) that to become truly great at anything, you must feel for it emotionally. That precision and perfection are not always the correct answer. Along the way they meet up with various other musicians who are also influenced by the two of them and their polar dynamics.

Commentary:
If you are looking for a manga that moves at a fast pace, look elsewhere. This manga is about the journey that Chiaki takes and how that journey is affected by the people around him (most importantly Megumi). The characters are well developed and extremely emotional without going over the top. The story is also very relaxing without crossing the line into being dull. However I'm not a fan of the art, which features uninspired backgrounds and incredibly simplistic characters (often featuring no shadows whatsoever).

If you're in the mood for a meandering story that takes its time fully developing and fleshing out itself, you're in for a treat. If you're looking for something a bit more superficial and fast paced, you'll probably throw down this manga in disgust.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

Märchen Awakens Romance

2006-02-06T00:34:00.000-08:00

Märchen Awakens Romance (aka MÄR)
Licensed by VIZ

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, Tournament

Summary:
MÄR is about a middle-school boy named Toramizu Ginta. He loves playing video games and pretending he's a great hero. He's always bullied because of this but one day a portal opens in his classroom. Everyone else runs in fear but Ginta, seeing this as a chance to go on an adventure decides to hop through the portal. He appears on the other side in a magical world named MÄR-Heaven. This is a world filled with typical rpg fare: Talking rocks, magical powers, etc.

Furthermore, the people in this world weild magical weapons known as ärms. They are able to use their internal magical energy, through these artifacts, to summon various weapons or creatures to battle for them. Ginta manages to stumble across a very rare arm which is actually sentient. This ärm calls itself Babbo.

As Ginta explores the world more, he begins to discover that there is a dark group at work known as the Chess No Koma, whose goal is to destroy MÄR-Heaven. Somehow Babbo used to be linked to this group although it no longer retains any of its memories. Even more startling it appears that the Chess No Koma actually tried to destroy the world 6 years ago. However they were thwarted when Ginta's father also appeared through the portal and "killed" the leader of the Chess. Unfortunately he was also killed in the process. Over the past 6 years the leader has ressurected and is beginning his war again.

Now only Ginta and a band of warriors stand between the Chess and the rest of the world. They are to face off in a tournament known as the "War Game." What other secrets does this world hold and how is it tied to Ginta and Babbo's past and future?

Commentary:
This is the most recent work of Nobuyuki Anzai, who was the author and artist for Flame of Recca. Many of the characters share similar art between the two mangas. That said, the art quality for both the characters and the background are is top notch, with wonderful variety in locales and characters. The plot is also entertaining, although extremely predictable. Since it's a tournament manga it involves rounds of fighting where the characters show off their newest abilities. These are interspersed around chapters showing the characters training and "leveling-up" for the next round.

Very little backstory has been introduced over the first 10 volumes, which means either the author plans to create a backstory plot arc, or the author will forgo the backstory and just give it a cursory summary. Given the way Flame of Recca developed I tend to lean towards the latter. So if you're in the mood for a fun manga that has very little intellectual depth, give MÄR a try. If you're looking for something deeper and more psychological, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Kekkaishi

2006-02-05T09:28:00.000-08:00

Kekkaishi
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Supernatural

Summary:
Ayakashi are creatures of darkness that live in the night. They have the potential to harm humans so people who have inherited certain powers are needed to destroy these Ayakashi. These people are known as Kekkaishi.

Sumimura Yoshimori and Yukimura Tokine are friends who live next-door to one another. They have both inherited the power to destroy Ayakashi (although their grand-parents each claim the other family's power is a sham). One day, when they are out fighting Ayakashi, Tokine gets injured while protecting Yoshimori. At that point he vows never to let anyone else get hurt when he's around.

The first few chapters are mini-stories focusing on various Ayakashi that the two have to defeat but towards the end of the second volume a mysterious group of Kekkaishi known as the Urakai is introduced. Who are these people with such incredible power and what ties do they have to the families of the two main characters?

Commentary:
The character art is fairly typical, without any highly detailed features or a unique art style. On the other hand, the background art is highly detailed, especially during the battle scenes. Also, while the protagonists aren’t very innovative (either in character or in art), the opponents are fairly interesting and artistically varied.

The plot is fairly innovative although a bit clichéd at times (Tokine will no doubt keep helping Yoshimori until some catastrophic event occurs which only Yoshimori can defeat). I dislike the fact that the main character was forcibly made childish and foolish in the beginning so that it's easier to show growth. It’s very typical throughout the manga world to do this, but it’s incredibly forced in Kekkaishi. You’re repeatedly shown, over the first few mini-series, that Yoshimori is an idiot who always needs help, just so that later on, when he develops his independence he’ll appear that much more powerful.

That said, at this point it seems like there is a lot of potential for a deeper story going forward, we'll see once more volumes are released. So far it hasn't devolved into a constant repetition of training and combating ever stronger opponents, I hope it remains that way.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Hareluya II Boy

2006-02-05T09:01:00.000-08:00

Hareluya II Boy
Scanslated by: Akatsuki-Manga, Eternal-Blue
IRC Channels: #Akatsuki-manga @ irc.irchighway.net, #Eternal-Blude @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Fighting

Summary:
Okamoto Kyoshiro is a wimpy high-school student who's working a part-time job so that he can save up money to study art in France. Because of his size he's often picked on by delinquents. One night when he's going home, he gets jumped by some members of the Black Skull gang. They try to beat him up for his money but he's saved by Hibino Hareluya, a fellow student. Hibino's incredibly strong and his goal in life is to conquer the world, through combat.

This manga focuses on their adventures as Kyoshiro tries to live a normal life with Hibino protecting him. They meet various other characters such as Michiru Yamana (a girl Kyoshiro develops a crush on), and Ichijyo (an aspiring rock-star). The stories revolve around them all following their aspirations as Hibino watches over them and protects them in the name of "conquering the world."

Comments:
There's absolutely nothing special about this manga that sets it apart from other fighting mangas. The art is average, the storyline is average, and the comedy that the author tries to insert is sub-par. It is interesting to see how the author tries to tie together storylines when there are multiple protagonists that don't work as one cohesive unit. But even though the author manages to balance the different stories decently, there's still nothing that sets this series apart from any other fighting manga.

Rating: 5.0/10.0

Otogi Matsuri

2006-02-02T13:09:00.000-08:00

Otogi Matsuri
Licensed by Comic Park Media

Topic: Supernatural

Warning: Gore

Summary:
This story takes place in Miyakono Town, where a murder has just taken place. There is insufficient evidence to discover the culprit although there are rumors that a huge monster is responsible.

Yousuke is eating lunch one day when he accidentally bumps into a small shrine, breaking it. At that moment a bright flash enters his body. It turns out to be a Jingi (sacred weapon) known as Suzaku's Bow. He uses this new found power to help protect the new transfer student, named Inaba Yomogi. But the price of being able to weild this power is that it cost him his future. Yomogi, who is the only other person with the spiritual power to see the Jingi says this might mean Yousuke will die soon.

To prevent this from occuring, Yousuke must defeat the 12 Kensoku (demonic creatures representing the balance of ying and yang) which are beginning to attack the town. To help him are three other people, also cursed with Jingi. Will they succeed in time? Or will all their sacrifices be for naught?

Commentary:
I love the art for this series, the characters are very expressive and the backgrounds are gorgeous. The plot moves along at a steady pace, sacrificing backstory in favor of current action. This is not a critique against the story though, there is no need for a backstory because all the relevant events began when the manga began.

Rating: 9.5/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

Togari

2006-02-02T12:20:00.000-08:00

Togari
8 Volumes (Completed)
Scanslated by Manga-Sketchbook (Volumes 1-3) and Blackout (Volumes 4-8)
IRC Channel: #manga-sketchbook @ irc.irchighway.net and #blackout @ irc.irchighway.net

Summary:
Tobe is a youth in hell. He committed many so many crimes when he was alive that he was tortured and beheaded at the age of sixteen. Though he has been beaten and killed again and again for hundred of years in hell, he's still unrepenting. Lady Emma, a high ranking "devil" (a person who punishes the evil souls in hell) gives Tobe a chance to leave hell. To do so he must take up a magical sword called "Togari" and return to earth to vanquish the evil spirits called "Togas."

These Togas are the manifestations of people's evil desires -- dark beings brought into existance through hatred, that eventually take complete control of the people who had those feelings. He has 108 days to defeat 108 Togas, but in the process he cannot harm normal humans or else he will be harmed in turn. Can Tobe adapt to the modern world, hundred of years from when he was killed? Will he be able to defeat all the strong Togas who try to kill him? And most importantly will he obtain the trust of those around him, or will he revert back to his evil ways?

Comments:
Togari had a lot of potential. The various Togas that Tobe fights are innovative and Tobe's inner turmoil (helping the weak rather than killing the weak as he used to) is fascinating. Were this manga to have gone on longer there was much that could have been discussed. However, the mangaka goes on to introduce a powerful enemy for Tobe, an enemy who's power is to create Togas from nothing, not requiring the concentrated evil of twisted people. And then the manga ends, there is no show down between the newest opponent, nothing. The ending is meant to be open-ended and would have worked if the manga was more philosophical. However the strong point of the story was it's decisive action, this ending completely ruined the series for me.

Rating: 4.5/10.0

Spiral

2006-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Spiral
Scanslated by Inane
IRC Channel: #mangareaders @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shounen

Summary:
Narumi Ayumu is a 10th grader who's older brother was a world famous detective. Two years ago his brother vanished while trying to discover the truth behind a group called the "Blade Children." These "Blade Children" are responsible for many crimes, such as murder and terrorism, yet no one understands their motivations. Recently Narumi helped his sister-in-law (a policewoman) solve a pair of murders. Unbeknownst to him, one of the murdered was a "Blade Child." As a result, he has been sucked into this dark world. But the more he investigates the more he comes across his brother's influence, and he begins to find that he might be a key to helping the Blade Children. Who are these children and what drives them to commit such attrocities?

Commentary:
The plot is told in small arcs, each arc a seperate crime that Narumi must solve, and each crime somehow tied to the Blade Children. However, to label this a detective manga would be untruthful because the manga does not focus on Narumi solving the crimes (much like Detective Conan), nor does it focus on explaining how the crime was perpetrated (often the explainations on only a few pages long). Instead, the story focuses on the criminals themselves, and Narumi's ever deepening search to find the ties between them and his brother. As a result, the story moves along at a very rapid pace, although this is actually a good thing.

The mangaka doesn't delve very deeply into the background of the characters at any time, prefering to reveal tidbits as the readers go through the story. If this was done poorly it would be merely frustrating, but it is done well so the reader is constantly kept hanging by each new revelation.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Miyuki

2006-02-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

Miyuki by Adachi Mitsuru
12 volumes
Scanslated by Mugen-Manga
IRC Channel: #mugen @ irc.enterthegame.com

Topic: Shounen, Romance

Summary:
Sixteen year old Wakamatsu Masato's life is complicated by two Miyukis -- Kashima Miyuki, the cute classmate he likes but who always seems to catch him in bad situations (for example inadvertently stealing her swimsuit bottom), and Wakamatsu Miyuki, his beloved younger "sister." Wakamatsu Miyuki is actually a step-sister with no blood connection, who has lived abroad with their father for the past six years but has come back to Japan to live with him. Between the two Miyukis, school friends, and various other neighborhood characters, Masato's life is eventful whether he likes it or not.

Commentary:
Miyuki is a good example of Adachi's distinctive art and story-telling style. While art may not be as "pretty" as some, the body proportions are realistic and Adachi is an expert at subtly expressing his characters' emotions and actions. The story is slow-paced and understated, with feelings and events often implied or hinted at rather than explicitly spelled out. The main characters are well developed, the supporting characters are entertainingly quirky, and the events move along quickly enough that it's never boring.

Another Adachi hallmark that shows up in Miyuki is the occasional acknowledgement by the characters that they ARE characters in a manga or that events in the manga are pretty far-fetched, and occasional panels poking fun at Adachi himself at work on the manga. Some people may find it annoying, but I find it rather amusing and a nice change from the tendancy of some manga to take themselves a little too seriously.

Miyuki is based primarily in ordinary day-to-day life, with enough surprises thrown in to keep the reader from getting complacent, and a very nice ending that settles everyone happily. If you want high emotion and melodrama, look elsewhere; for a fun story with truly likable characters, give Miyuki a try.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

-- Review Submitted by Tofuqueen

Candy Life

2006-02-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

Candy Life by Yayoi Ogawa
1 volume
Scanslated by Shoujo Magic
IRC Channel: #shoujomagic @ irc.irctoo.net

Topics: Shoujo/Josei; Romance with a bit of smut

Warning: Mild Nudity

Summary:
Makoto, 24 years old, just lost her job and her boyfriend. Drowning her sorrows on the pier, she accidentally falls into the ocean and is rescued by the fabulously wealthy Aeba Takahito, who then asks her to marry him! However, before she can become his wife, she must complete a year's worth of lessons in all the skills necessary for the wife of a wealthy and powerful man. While living in his house and taking her "wife lessons", Makoto discovers that Takahito-san is a widower, that she looks just like his dead wife, and that he has a grown son... whom she soon meets under less than ideal circumstances and without realizing that he is Takahito-san's son. Who will Mokoto choose: kind, wealthy, stable Takahito-san or exciting, young, energetic Aito-san?

Commentary:
Candy Life is a different take on the classic Cinderella-type story, with the man originally cast as the Prince turning out to be a bit less than ideal in the end. This is also a story intended for older teens and above. While it's not overly smutty, there is some nudity and several fairly frank sexual references and situations. Character development is somewhat sacrificed for fast-moving plot twists that perhaps aren't as surprising as the author might hope, but it's an enjoyable story with a nice ending.

Rating: 6.0/10.0

-- Review Submitted by Tofuqueen

Beautiful Name

2006-02-01T23:32:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Name by Katayama Kosue
1-Shot
Scanslated by Impossibility
IRC Channel: #possible-soup @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shoujo, High School Romance

Summary:
First year high school student Karin holds tightly to the memory of her childhood love Yuuki-kun; so tightly that she still wears her hair in the same childhood style (two ponytails) to be sure that if they ever meet again, he'll recognize her. Delivering papers to the school infirmary, she meets up with a boy who seems to be coughing up blood (of course it's actually juice). He's an incorrigible prankster who can't resist teasing Karin constantly and pursues her even after she tells him she's still loyal to her first love, much to her consternation!

Commentary:
If you've read a lot of shoujo, this story will hold very few surprises, but it's sweet, innocent and nicely done. The characters are developed well considering the limited space and the ending is satisfying though predictable. This story is a fun short read.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

-- Review Submitted by Tofuqueen

Tokyo Underground

2006-02-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Tokyo Underground
Scanslated by Anime Empire Nisei
IRC Channel: #ae-nisei @ irc.chatspike.net

Topic: Fighting, Supernatural Powers

Summary:
Beneath Tokyo there is an underground world known as the Tokyo Underground. Initially created for scientists to perform dangerous experiments on humans, the experiments grew too strong and so the underground was sealed away. However people continue to live in the underground, which has now been taken over by a group known as "The Company."

A young girl named Ruri is the "Priestess of Life." To protect her from "The Company," her guardian (Chelsea Rorec) brings her to the surface world where they encounter Rumina Asagi. However the company's soldiers chase Ruri to the surface where they kill Rumina to get to her. In a burst of emotion Ruri's powers bring Rumina back to life, in the process unlocking his power to control wind. Nonetheless, the combined powers of Rumina and Chelsea (who can control gravity), are insufficient to protect Ruri who is kidnapped back into the underground. Now they must travel back into that world to free Ruri. What friends and foes will they meet? Why is Ruri so important to the company? How was someone on the surface world capable of even developing a power?

Commentary:
I'm not a fan of the art-style, which is very minimalistic when it comes to backgrounds. The characters themselves are well drawn but most panels include a couple characters and a blank background or at most a couple lines to depict the ground. The plot itself is entertaining although the pacing of the story is horrendous. The mangaka tends to spend large portions of time drawing fights, which is usually fine but many of these fights have repetitive flashbacks, a la DBZ. You get the feeling the mangaka got bored of writing the story and instead forced events to move at a much faster pace, just to be able to get to the fight scenes (which, as mentioned before, are nothing special).

Rating: 5.0/10.0

Uzumaki

2006-01-31T21:45:00.000-08:00

Uzumaki by Ito Junji
3 volumes
Licensed by Viz

Topics: Horror, Fantasy

Summary:
Uzumaki (the japanese word for "spiral") is the story of a town whose occupants gradually become obsessed by, and in various ways consumed by, spirals. The story centers around high school student Goshima Kirie, whose boyfriend's father is the first victim of the spiral obsession that infests the town. The spiral fascination spreads through the town until eventually everyone is drawn in, and no one can escape.

Commentary:
I'm not exactly a horror fan, so maybe that's why I found the characters in this manga extremely stupid. If your hair attacked you and your classmate turned into a giant snail, would you just keep going to school as usual? The wide variety of spiral fixations shows a lot of creativity, but it's all so bizarrely impossible and the characters are so apathetic that, while it was rather bizarre and somewhat disturbing, I didn't find it scary at all.

Rating: 4.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by Tofuqueen

Ah! My Goddess

2006-01-31T21:23:00.000-08:00

Ah! My Goddess/Ah! Megami-sama
Licensed by Dark Horse Comics
Length: 32 Volumes (ongoing)

Topic: Seinen, Romance, Comedy

Summary:
Ah! My Goddess should be a manga that needs no introduction. Serialization began in 1988, and the manga has continued running strong for over a decade and a half. AMG tells the story of Keiichi Morisato and the Goddess Belldandy, who first appeared to him to grant him one wish. Keiichi's one wish was for a goddess like her to be with him always. Ever since then (minus a few gaps here and there), she has always been at his side. Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship grows with the help of (or inspite of) Belldandy's two sisters, Urd and Skuld, and a variety of other Goddesses and Demons, along with Keiichi's family and friends.

Comments:
If you've never heard of Ah! My Goddess, you've been living under a rock for a while. In a way, it's sort of like a sit-com, moved along by the overarching story of Keiichi and Belldandy's love, but for the most part concerned with shorter story arcs, some more relavant than others. The manga's immense popularity has spawned an OVA, a feature length film, a series of shorts, and most recently an animated television series. Of course, as they say, the manga is always better.

Rating: 8.5/10.0

-- Review submitted by p00kie

Angel Sanctuary

2006-01-31T21:21:00.000-08:00

Angel Sanctuary
Licensed by Viz
Length: 20 Volumes (complete)

Topic: Shoujo, Supernatural

Warning: Occasional graphic violence

Summary:
Setsuna Mudou loves his sister, Sara Mudou. He also happens to be the reincarnation of the organic angel Alexiel, an existence greater than the angels of Heaven and the demons of Hell. Unfortunately for him, Alexiel's twin brother, Rociel, has set into motion plans to awaken the spirit laying dormant in Setsuna's body. And if that wasn't enough, the fruits of those plans act as a catalyst for conspiracies reaching all the way to God himself. Join Setsuna and a wide cast of angels, demons, monsters, and creatures of all shapes and sizes on a journey through the spiritual realm in his quest to realize his true love, righting the wrongs of the universe along the way.

Comments:
This is a hard read. You won't be able to really appreciate it just skimming along and looking at the pictures, and it may take more than one read-through to really get all the details. The characters all have complex motivations and personalities, and the story in general is rife with mythological references (though not true to their religious origins). But if you do get through it, it's an incredibly rewarding manga, with one of the best stories I've had the pleasure of reading, some of the most compelling characters, gorgeous art (especially in the later volumes), and a solid ending to wrap things up.

Rating: 9.5/10 -- Reviewer's Choice

-- Review submitted by p00kie

Pretty Face

2006-01-31T21:18:00.000-08:00

Pretty Face
Scanslated by Akatsuki-Manga
Length: 6 Volumes

Topic: Shonen, Romance, Ecchi, Comedy

Summary:
Randoh Masashi is a skilled fighter who has a crush on one of his classmates, Kurumi Rina. Going home one day, his bus swerves off a mountain road, and he is presumed dead. He wakes up in the clinic of Dr. Manabe, who has taken the liberty of performing reconstructive surgery on Randoh to repair the damage from the accident. Of course, Dr. Manabe didn't know what Randoh looked like, so he used a picture in Randoh's pocket as reference. Kurumi Rina's picture. With a face identical to that of his crush, and abandoned by his family who has long believed their son to be dead, Randoh assumes the identity of Rina's sister Yuna, who disappeared a few years ago. Randoh must now avoid being revealed while playing the role of Rina's sister until his appearance can be restored and Rina reunited with the true Yuna.

Comments:
Just a light fun manga that'll give you a lot of laughs. Art isn't bad, but isn't spectacular either. Some of the jokes can be a bit predictable though, but in the end, it makes for a good read. At the time of this review's writing, the main story has been completely scanslated, with just one bonus side story to go.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by p00kie

Salad Days

2006-01-31T21:15:00.000-08:00

Salad Days
Scanslated by Salad Dressings
Length: 18 Volumes (complete)

Topic: Romance

Warning: Mild Nudity

Summary:
A collection of short and often unrelated love stories, ranging from fairly standard schoolyard romances to the occasional tale of supernatural romance. Some of the stories are happy and heartwarming, while some are more bittersweet. The "central" storyline doesn't begin until a few volumes into the compilation, but nevertheless is one of the most memorable. It tells the story of Yuuki and Futaba, how the two meet, and the different ups and downs of their relationship. Along the way, different characters make cameo appearances, and many have their own stories of love and heartbreak to tell.

Comments:
The scanslation quality is far from great, but the stories really are worth it. If you're new to manga and image quality can turn you on or off a story, this may not be for you, but if you're in the mood for something sweet and a bit sappy, Salad Days hits the spot.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by p00kie

Lilim Kiss

2006-01-31T21:13:00.000-08:00

Lilim Kiss
Scanslated by Solaris-SVU
Length: 2 Volumes (complete)
IRC Channel: #solaris-svu @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shonen, Romance, Ecchi

Summary:
Lilim is a succubus who visits men in their dreams, feeding off their life force through a kiss. When freed from a pendant by Saiki Takaya, she kisses him to replenish her energy, and it turns out that his kiss suits her tastes, not to mention he seems to have an abundance of life force to give. Lilim Kiss tells the story of Takaya and Lilim, and how their relationship grows from simply a demon and her food source into something more.

Comments:
Lilim Kiss's mangaka, Kawashita Mizuki, is notorious for bad endings. Lilim Kiss, fortunately, is one of her better works, and though it was cut short, still ends on something of a strong note. Cute and funny with a bit of romance and fanservice, Lilim Kiss makes for a pretty good light read.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by p00kie

Kirara

2006-01-31T21:11:00.000-08:00

Kirara
Scanslated by Solaris-SVU
Length: 6 Volumes (complete)
IRC Channel: #solaris-svu @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shonen Romance, Comedy, Ecchi, Supernatural

Warning: Nudity, Sexual Content

Summary:
Kirara is engaged to Konpei, but on the way to her own wedding, she is killed in a car accident. Her spirit is sent back in time to when she and her future fiance first meet. Her love for Konpei of the past is just as strong though, and though she may be a spirit, that doesn't stop her from trying to make a move on him. Complicating the situation is Kirara herself in the past, resulting in a love triangle between Kirara, Kirara, and Konpei.

Comments:
Okay, so there's a lot of nudity here. Ghost Kirara likes being naked, and likes putting the moves on Konpei. Maybe that's a good thing, maybe it isn't, depends on your tastes. In any case, the story is funny and silly, with a pretty decent love story holding everything together. Not a manga for everyone, but for some, it can be pretty entertaining.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

-- Review Submitted by p00kie

Ai-Ren

2006-01-31T21:09:00.000-08:00

Ai-Ren
Scanslated by Solaris-SVU
Length: 5 Volumes (complete)
IRC Channel: #Solaris-SVU @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Seinen, Science-Fiction, Slice of Lfe

Warning: Mild nudity and sexual content

Summary:
Ikuru is a boy who is confronted with his own death. To ease his loneliness and pain, he requests an Ai-ren, an artificial human being who exists for the sole purpose of comforting the terminally ill. That Ai-ren is Ai. Together, the two of them provide each other with strength and love, allowing each other to come to terms with the beauty and sadness of their own mortality, and discover what it means to be human. Along the way, we learn the story of Camelo Carelen, a government official, and humanity's encounter with a mysterious and seemingly alien existence known only as Hito.

Comments:
There's two storylines in this manga - that of Ikuru and Ai, and of Camelo Carelen and Hito. The two stories complement each other, but aside from the setting, are largely unrelated. Also, the manga has a few scenes with nudity and sexual content towards the beginning that may turn some people off, but if you can keep that from bothering you too much, the rest of the story is truly touching. The mangaka, Yutaka Tanaka, also demonstrates exceptional skill with the medium, contrasting light and dark and varying style and levels of detail to really tell the story rather than simply narrate and illustrate it.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by p00kie

Team Medical Dragon

2006-01-30T20:45:00.000-08:00

Team Medical Dragon
Scanslated by Nexgear

Warning: Nudity, Graphic pictures of organs

Summary:
Doctor Katou is an assistant professor at the Meishin University Medical Center. She's become sickened by the corrupt and subservient ways that doctors are trained in the universities -- In the universities the professors have absolute say over who graduates and who fails, putting them in a position of absolute power. With this power they are able to prescribe whatever medication or procedures they want, for their own gain. The only people promoted are those who dedicate themselves to the professors. Therefore Katou wants to become a professor herself in order to change this rotten "feudal society."

She will be writing her thesis on "the batista," a very difficult open-heart procedure which has never been successfully completed in Japan. If it succeeds she hopes that her professorship will be guaranteed. But firstly she must recruit a team capable of performing the batista. The lead doctor will be Doctor Asada, an incredibly talented surgeon who was fired from the universities for refusing to bend to the professors' will. How will the professors deal with this insolent doctor returning to the medical world? And who will Doctor Asada recruit for his surgery team?

Commentary:
This manga is fairly interesting. The various characters' stories and motivations are well developed forming a realistic situation. Unfortunately the plot itself is not all that engrossing. Each chapter in and of itself is interesting and entertaining but when more than a few chapters are read at a time, all that's left is a sense of how little the author respects the Japanese medical world. This may be an accurate portrayal, or it may not be, but the mounting level of disdain after a few chapters overrides any entertainment you'd find from just reading the manga for fun.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Prince of Tennis

2006-01-29T22:48:00.000-08:00

Prince of Tennis
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shounen, Sports

Summary:
Echizen Ryoma is a tennis prodigy who won many tournaments in America. His family recently moved back to Japan where he begins to attend Sheishun Gakuen (affectionately shortened to "Seigaku"), a middle school with an extremely talented tennis team. There he's joined by a host of skilled team-mates as they fight together to obtain their goal of being the best in the nation. Along the way they have to defeat plenty of tough schools and players.

Commentary:
This is your prototypical shounen manga -- facing adversity the protagonist will "level-up" again and again in the quest for his goal. That said I enjoyed the beginning of the series a lot. The action is fast paced and the special techniques used are cool. However as the manga has continued on the series seems to be drifting further and further its roots as a tennis manga. For example, in the earlier volumes Ryoma is shown to have an extremely powerful twist-serve, but even with that he struggles to defeat some opponents. In this struggle he shows his growth.

However as the series continues it has become more a story of "finishing techniques." Each teammate, and their opponents develops a repetoire of super finishing moves which get pitted against eachother continually. Tennis is no longer the focus of the series, it is merely a tool to show off ever increasing levels of "badassness." The current lowpoint for me is one match where Ryoma and an opponent each continue to get service aces until the tiebreaker, simply because neither player can break the other player's "super service."

On the upside the characters are very well developed and the series still retains some of it freshness from time to time, though it has definitely lost much of its appeal over the last 25+ volumes. The art is pretty and I'll definitely read this series to the end, just for closure's sake.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

Saiyuki Gaiden

2006-01-29T16:05:00.000-08:00

Saiyuki Gaiden
1 Volume (On hold in Japan)
Scanslated by Mangacity

Topic: Historical-Fiction, Action

Warning: Brief Nudity

Summary:
This summary assumes you've already read Saiyuki. Set 500 years before the events of Saiyuki, this series finds the four heros as previous incarnations of themselves in heaven. Goku is a creature recently born from a rock, a child of nature, who has come to the attention of the heavenly dieties. Sanzo is known as Konzen and is the nephew of the Bosatsu-sama, the most powerful goddess. Gojyo is Kenren, a general in the military while Hakkai is Tenpou Gensui, a marshal in the military.

Recently, there has been unrest in the heavens, in part because of the demon lord Gyumaoh causing havoc on earth. In response to Gyumaoh's actions, Nataku (the son of the war god) is sent down to earth to defeat Gyumaoh. Eventually Gyumaoh is suppressed but Nataku is seriously injured in the process. His father takes the opportunity to rise through the ranks of the gods. Meanwhile a plot is going on amongst the upper ranks of the military. What happened 500 years ago to bind the four companions together so thoroughly that they came together again in a subsequent life? What treachery is afoot in heaven? And what role will those four play in the events to come?

Commentary:
As of right now only 1 volume worth of material has been released in Japan so it's hard to see where this story will be going. I do enjoy the intrigue being played out amongst the various "cliques" of gods and the way that the four protagonists deal with the time of upheaval. It's very interesting to see the characters from their pasts fleshed out in detail like this, as it makes the stories that are set in the present (Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload) more understandable. Given that this entire series is based off a pre-existing mythology, I have faith that the prequel will turn out alright. However the rating below is subject to change as more of the series is released.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

Change Guy / Quantum Mistake

2006-01-29T11:36:00.000-08:00

Change Guy
Licensed by ADV as Quantum Mistake
26+ volumes (Incomplete in Japan

Topic: Shounen, Fighting, Science-Fiction

Summary:
A botched experiment by a mad scientist results in Too-Ji, a tough fighter, and Woo-Soo, a studious nerd, swapping bodies. As an added complication, at the time of the experiment both high school students were unconscious after being hit by a car, so they have no idea what caused the switch. Most of the story focuses on Woo-Soo in Too-Ji's body, as he adjusts to a totally different life and becomes an almost legendary fighter, with only brief glimpses of Too-Ji in Woo-Soo's body.

Commentary:
The body-switch isn't a new idea, but done well, it can make for a good story. This one starts out well enough, but then spends most of its pages on fights against ever-stronger, more amazing opponents who pop up from anywhere and everywhere and inspire Too-Ji to ever more astounding fighting prowess. When both boys are coming to grips with their new realities, interacting with their friends, etc. it's pretty entertaining, but those times are too few and far between. If you like DBZ-style ever-escalating fights that go on forever, this may be the manga for you; if you prefer more character development, then it's time to look elsewhere.

Rating: 5.0/10.0

-- Reviewed by Tofuqueen

Saiyuki

2006-01-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Saiyuki
Licensed by Tokyopop
9 Volumes (Complete in Japan)

Topic: Historical-Fiction, Action

Summary:
Based on the chinese legend Journey to the West (pronounced Shee-You-Jee in China), this manga is a story about the monk Genjyo Sanzo and his 3 companions (Son Goku, Sha Gojyo and Cho Hakkai). Genjyo, is a powerful buddhist priest who has learned that the youkai (demons) who used to live in harmony with humans, have begun to rise up and attack humans. The reason for this is Gyuu-ma-ou, a great youkai leader who was slain 500 years ago, is being revived using a forbidden technique. This magic is having ripple effects on the world throwing its balance off and causing the bloodshed.

Genjyo is ordered to go to the western lands and put an end to the resurrection, so that the world may once again return to its proper balance. Along with him are Goku, Gojyo and Hakkai -- 3 skilled warriors who have certain secrets about their pasts. But in their way are thousands of youkai hordes who have been commanded to stop them. Will their combined strength be sufficient to defeat the various foes in their path, and will they arrive in time to stop the resurrection?

Commentary:
I'm very entertained by this series although it takes plenty of liberties with the original story. The character development and backstory development for both the main characters and main villains are excellent. The action and humorous interplay between the protagonists are also top notch. It should be noted that by the end of these 9 volumes the story has not even come close to an end. Instead it ends with plenty of cliff-hanger questions to be addressed in it's sequal Saiyuki Reload. I do chalk that point up against the series (even though Saiyuki Reload is also being published -- see a seperate review), because I feel that a series should come to some sort of conclusion at its end, even if there's always an intention to write a sequel.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Note: Also see the prequel: Saiyuki Gaiden (Scanslated by MangaCity) and the sequel: Saiyuki Reload (Licensed by Tokyopop). I suggest you read Saiyuki first before reading it's "prequel" because the prequel fills in plenty of backstory which won't make any sense anyways if you haven't read the original.

Black Cat

2006-01-26T22:52:00.000-08:00

Black Cat
Licensed by VIZ

Topic: Shounen, Action

Summary:
Train Heartnet and his partner Sven Volfield are "sweepers" -- people who hunt down criminals for the bounty money on their heads. Their carefree life begins to unravel as Train's past comes back to haunt him, for Train used to be Number XIII, a member of a group of highly trained assassins called the "Chronos Numbers." They carry out the orders of the elders of Chronos, a shadowy organization that manipulates the events of the world from behind the scenes.

Train's former partner in Chronos, a man named Creed Diskence, has obtained a magical power named Tao and using it, has rallied together dissenters who hate the way the world is being manipulated. They begin a war against Chronos and Train is sucked in against his will.

Commentary:
There's absolutely nothing subtle about this series. Just straight forward fighting with a bit of backstory thrown in. However the story itself moves along briskly and the characters are diverse enough to keep the reader entertained. I do wish there had been more character development, especially with the other Numbers and even Train. However overall still an enjoyable, though very simplistic, read.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Berserk

2006-01-25T22:24:00.000-08:00

BERSERK
Licensed Dark Horse

Topic: Action
Warning: Full Nudity, Violence, Gore

Summary:
Gattsu is a "berserker," bringing forth swaths of destruction wherever he goes. He calls himself the "Black Swordsman" due to the huge black sword he weilds. The first few volumes tell of his story in the present, fighting off demonic creatues that have infested the world. However, unlike most protagonists, he does not care about collateral damage. If innocents are harmed in the process, so be it.

The next portion of the manga focuses on Gattsu's past, and his meeting with Griffith, the man who forever changed his life. Griffith was a chosen one, destined to become a demon king. In the process he condemned all his fellow soldiers (of whom Gattsu is a member), to become sacrifices. But Gattsu escaped, and began his battle for revenge.

Commentary:
This is one of the most boring mangas I've ever read. The story progresses very slowly, interspersed with long fight or sex sequences. The problem I found with it was that the primary selling point of this manga is it's pure unadultered violence, nudity, and general carnal desires. That's fine but after a certain point, it begins to get very old, very fast.

I think the author is trying to discuss humans purest desires, and the lengths at which people will go for love, revenge, and power. But somewhere along the line it seems he lost track of the message and the manga became one of pure twisted fanservice. I have nothing against fanservice, as long as it doesn't detract from the story progression, but this does.

If you absolutely must read this manga, I suggest reading it in small doses to keep from developing apathy towards the wanton destruction protrayed here.

Rating: 3.0/10.0

Arcana

2006-01-23T18:15:00.000-08:00

Arcana
2 Volumes (Complete)
Scanslated by Hikaru No Go Translations and Eternal Blue
IRC Channel: #hng0-trans@irc.irchighway.net and #Eternal-Blue@irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Science-Fiction, Psychic, Comedy

Summary:
Inspector Murakami and Inspector Nakabayashi are two policemen on a case trying to hunt down a bomber who's targetting schools. They find out that a phone call was made to the schools before the explosions, warning them to evacuate. The call is traced to a young girl in a psychiatric ward, who has no memory of her name or any family. However she claims to be able to see spirits, who tell her where the bomber is going to strike next.

Murakami and Nakabayashi slowly begin to accept her "talent" with Murakami even beginning to fall for her, but who is she anyways and how can she do what she does? The two volumes explore her story as she meets various other people who can also interact with spirits.

Commentary:
This manga falls into two portions. The first portion involves the anonymous girl (who eventually becomes nicknamed "Maki") and the policemen, as they try to thwart various crimes. The second half of the series focuses more on who Maki is, and how she came about. In the process the second half introduces several new characters and a few plot twists.

I enjoyed the first portion of the story far more than the second portion, because the first half was merely a collection of short stories, whereas the second half attempted to wrap up the whole story in a hurried and haphazard fashion. Several questions are left unanswered and the entire conclusion seems rushed.

Rating: 5.5/10.0

20th Century Boys

2006-01-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa
Licensed by VIZ

Topic: Seinen, Mystery, Science-Fiction
Warning: Mild Nudity, Some Violence

Summary:
This series fluctuates between 3 time-periods, jumping back and forth to fill in gaps in the reader's knowledge. In the 1960s Kenji and his friends are young children pretending that they are heros who will save the world from a mysterious villian. The villian's plots are written out by Kenji is a book called "The book of prophecy."

Flash-forward to the late 1990s, where Kenji and his friends are reunited after the mysterious suicide of Donkey, one of them. As Kenji delves deeper into Donkey's suicide, he begins to discover that there are sinister forces at work. A cult is rallying itself around a charismatic leader, known only as "Friend." Not only that, but "Friend" seems intent on carrying out the doomsday scenario created in Kenji's "Book of Prophecy," which calls for a giant robot attack to ring in the new millenium. This means that "Friend" must know about the book, but how is that possible? What ties does "Friend" have to Kenji?

Flash-forward again to 2014, where Kenji and several of his friends are presumed dead, and most of the others on the run. At this point Kenji's niece, Kanna, is 17 and is trying to discover the truth of what happened on New Years Eve 1999. This is no simple task because "Friend" has become the ruler of the world and can suppress the truth at will.

Commentary:
This is a very hit or miss manga. Either you enjoy the constant twists and turns, the constant questions and suspense, or you don't. Personally I enjoy the way the author keeps us in the dark about "Friend's" identity, and all the false trails the author lays down. The fact that the reader is kept out of the loop, makes it so that we can discover the truth among the tangles lies, at the same time the characters do. This means we're not left yelling, "It's so obvious who it is!" Being able to relate to the characters, and watching them fight their David Vs. Goliath struggle, is very inspiring.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

100 Ways of an Exorcist

2006-01-17T19:12:00.000-08:00

100 Ways of an Exorcist, by Kusonoki Kei
3 volumes(?)
Scanslated by Solaris-SVU
IRC Channel: #solaris-svu @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Shoujo, Romance, Paranormal, Children's

Summary:
When newly transferred 5th grader Kodabutsu Mayu receives a love letter from Hai Yuuko, the cutest girl in his class, he's thrilled... and then confused, when instead of being envious, his classmates feel sorry for him. Yuuko is an exorcist, and every boyfriend she's ever had has fallen victim to the spirits that flock to her. Though he's been warned, and even experienced some of the supernatural events that surround Yuuko, Mayu just can't turn her down when she asks him to go out with her because she's just *so cute*!

Commentary:
In spite of the name, this manga is not scary AT ALL. It's intended for elementary school kids, and as such, it's all pretty simple and wholesome. The spirits are not particularly gruesome and Yuuko generally dispatches them quickly. I'm not fond of the "tiny bodies with huge heads and saucer eyes" art style, but it works fairly well for this manga. If you want something light, fluffy, and sweet, without a lot of substance, this could be the manga you're looking for.

Rating: 5.5/10

-- Reviewed by Tofuqueen

Yakitate! Japan

2006-01-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

Yakitate! Japan
19 Volumes (Continuing in Japan)
Scanslated by Snoopycool
IRC Channel: #snoopycool @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Comedy, Cooking

Summary:
Azuma Kazuma is a 16 year-old who leaves his home to become a baker in Tokyo. 10 years ago, he met a man who baked amazing bread and since then he has become infatuated with making different types of breads, which he calls Japans (one of many puns throughout the series, as the word "pan" in japanese means bread). His goal is to create the ultimate japanese bread, on that can be named after the country, much like there's French bread and German Bread. But in the process he must overcome many obstacles and defeat strong opponents, all by using his amazing breads.

Comments:
Although the summary makes this sound like a heavily cooking based manga, it's not. Rather, it uses the cooking battles as a stage to set up many puns and comedic antics. I rapidly grew to love the silly jokes the author puts in every chapter. Though almost all the antics are over-the-top, they aren't over-done; They fit perfectly into the story being told, without detracting from it. I definitely recommend you read at least the first couple chapters of this title and try it out.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

Daa! Daa! Daa!

2006-01-16T16:17:00.000-08:00

Daa! Daa! Daa! by Kawamura Mika
9 volumes
Scanslated by Manga Art
IRC Channel: #MangaArt @ irc.irctoo.net

Topic: Shoujo, Fantasy, Romance

Summary:
When teenager Miyu's parents go to America so her mother can become an astronaut, they arrange for Miyu to stay in Japan with a family friend. The friend lives in a Buddhist temple, and soon after Miyu arrives he abruptly departs for special training - leaving Miyu living alone with his teenage son Kanata. Miyu objects, but as she's trying to leave an infant in a flying saucer crash lands at the temple. The infant alien, Ruu, can't get back to his home world, and so Miyu and Kanata (along with Ruu's "baby sitter pet" Wanya) decide to care for him on their own until someone comes to retrieve him.

Commentary:
This manga is cute, sweet, and funny... a little excessively cute and sweet; it could cause sugar-shock if you're not careful. However, it's also a lot of fun if you enjoy fluffy, silly mangas with likable characters having improbable but entertaining adventures.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by Tofuqueen

7 Seeds

2006-01-14T02:26:00.000-08:00

7 Seeds by Tamura Yumi
6 volumes
Scanslated by Boku-Tachi
IRC Channel: #boku-tachi @ irc.irctoo.net

Topic: Shoujo, Adventure, Fantasy/Science Fiction

Summary:
Natsu wakes up on a storm-tossed and sinking ship, the only other passengers two boys around her age (high school) and a slightly older woman, none of whom have any memory of boarding the ship. After surviving the storm in a life raft, they drift ashore a deserted island, and discover a world where little is as they expect. With no one but each other to rely on, they set about exploring the island and trying to piece together the events that brought them there.

Commentary:
If you've read other manga by Tamura Yumi, such as Basara or Chicago, you have some idea of what to expect here - intense situations, strong characters, and sometimes-violent conflicts. As of this writing (January 14, 2006) releases of this manga have only reached the first chapter of volume 2, but already mysteries are simultaneously unraveling and growing deeper, and the characters are developing steadily. I have no idea what the rest of this manga will bring, but I'm anxiously awaiting further chapters.

Rating: 7.0/10.0 (Subject to change as more becomes available)

-- Review submitted by Tofuqueen

Hana Yori Dango

2006-01-14T01:34:00.000-08:00

Boys Over Flowers (original title: Hana Yori Dango)
by Kamio Yoko
36 volumes (complete)
Licensed by Viz

Summary:
Makino Tsukushi's family is poor, but they scrimp and save to send her to elite Eitoku High. She is shunned and ignored by the other students, who are rich, snobbish, and downright nasty. One day she protects another girl who's being bullied and draws the attention of the school's elite quartet of handsome rich boys, the F4, and her school life goes from bad to worse as she becomes the target of their intense and violent bullying. As if that wasn't enough trouble for one girl, one of the F4 decides he wants her for his girlfriend, whether she likes it or not...and the drama never stops.

Commentary:
This manga is the kind of thing most people think of when they hear "shoujo manga" - bishounen, drama, and angst on every page. It's a wild ride, but also a mostly fun one. Though there is a fair amount of character development, and lots of action/adventures, I had a hard time really liking or caring about the characters. Some of the F4's early actions were just too much for me to forgive (no matter how lousy their home lives were), and Tsukushi's forgiveness was hard for me to accept. Furthermore, I was hoping for more growth/maturity in certain characters than actually happened. In spite of all that, it's good melodramatic shoujo with a fairly satisfying ending.

Rating: 6.5/10.0

-- Review submitted by Tofuqueen

Beck

2006-01-14T00:58:00.000-08:00

Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad
19 Volumes (Continuing in Japan)
Licensed by Tokyopop

Topic: Music, Drama

Summary:
Tanaka Yukio led a boring average school-life until one day, he met Ryusuke. Ryusuke was a wild 16 year-old, living on the edge with very little respect for the rules. Though Tanaka was afraid of Ryusuke, he couldn't deny Ryusuke's mysterious charm and found himself drawn to Ryusuke. After watching the performance of Ryusuke's band, he's inspired to begin learning the guitar. However Tanaka's greatest musical talent is not his playing, it's his singing, and that powerful voice will pull together an amazing band.

Comments:
This series is quite dramatic, and at some points, over the top. Yet for the most part the story flows along at a decent pace, and the drama makes the band's chemistry all that more powerful. The characters are very well fleshed out, full of realistic character flaws and elaborate backstories, which actually play a role in the current story. I would have given this a higher score but the story's first few volumes have too much development and not enough actual plot progression so it's difficult to keep interested. If you can make it to the formation of Beck, you're in for a treat.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

Angel Densetsu

2006-01-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Angel Densetsu
15 Volumes (Incomplete)
Scanslated By: Manga-Sketchbook
IRC Channel: #Manga-Sketchbook @ irc.wondernet.nu

Topic: Comedy

Summary:
Kitano Seiichirou is a new student who recently transferred to a new high school. He's a kind-hearted student, with one flaw: His face is scary. Though he tries his best to fit in and help others, everyone merely judges him from their first impressions. Through a series of freak coincidences he ends up becoming the "Guardian" of the school, which puts him in the unenviable position of having to protect students from rival gangs, and which brings plenty of unwanted attention upon him. How will he deal with delinquents looking up to him? And how can he preserve his naive helpfulness while under such trying circumstances?

Comments:
This manga is full of humerous situations that evolve around Kitano, even though he is oblivious to them. How he, and the small group of friends he eventually builds, deal with these situations is entertaining. There is a constant underlying theme of judging people by their appearances, and the problems that can arise from this, but the manga does not force this upon you. If you wish to read it for entertainment, it provides plenty. If you wish to read it for psychological insight, there's also plenty of that. The art is somewhat minimalistic.

Rating: 7.5/10.0

W-Juliet

2006-01-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

W-Juliet by Emura
14 volumes (complete)
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shoujo

Summary:
When Amano Makoto transfers in, Miura Ito shows her around the high school and becomes her mentor in the drama club. Ito, though tall, athletic, and very boyish, is actually a girl - and Makoto, though beautiful, graceful, and feminine, is actually a boy! Ito just wears the boys' uniform because she's more comfortable in it, but because of a bargain with his father, Makoto must live the rest of his high school years as a girl or he will be forced to carry on the family business (a dojo) rather than be able to choose his own path (acting). The two of them have quite a variety of adventures as they try to keep Makoto's secret while going about their high school lives (including plays with the drama club, field trips, festivals, etc.) and occasionally trying to spend time together without Makoto's disguise.

Commentary:
As with most gender bending/masquerade mangas, you have to suspend a certain amount of disbelief and just enjoy the story and the characters. One of the big draws for me is that the two main characters so obviously know each other well, love each other, and actually ACT like they care about each other! Their adventures are fun (if sometimes pretty outrageous), the supporting characters are developed enough to be interesting, and it's just a great story. As a bonus, the art is very pretty and doesn't have the overly huge eyes so common to shoujo manga.

Rating: 9.0/10.0 -- Reviewer's Choice

-- Review submitted by Tofuqueen

Hana Kimi

2006-01-13T01:23:00.000-08:00

Hana Kimi (original title: Hanazakari no Kimitachi e) by Hisaya Nakajo

23 volumes (complete)
Licensed by Viz

Topic: Shoujo

Summary:
Japanese-American high school girl Ashiya Mizuki idolizes Japanese high school high-jump star Izumi Sano, so she transfers to his high school in Japan so she can be close to him. The fact that it's an all-boys boarding school hardly slows her down, and soon she is not only attending the same school as Sano, they're also roommates. Various complications involving Mizuki's masquerade ensue (of course), but the author also explores the other characters and takes the whole crew on various adventures in and out of school.

Commentary:
In reality, it would be scary and stalker-ish for a girl to go to the lengths that Mizuki does to be near Sano, but in this story it works because of the well developed characters (even the less-central ones), and the dynamics between the whole cast are a lot of fun. There's plenty of comedy/drama/angst provided by Mizuki's masquerade as a boy, but it's very well done and never too heavy. There is quite a bit of shounen ai, though nothing more graphic than a kiss, but if that bothers you, be warned. Fun, funny, and sweet without being overly saccharine, this is one of the better shoujo manga around.

Rating: 8.0/10.0

-- Review submitted by Tofuqueen

Addicted to Curry

2006-01-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

Addicted to Curry
Scanslated By: Yanime
IRC Channel: #yanime @ irc.irchighway.net

Topic: Cooking, Ecchi, Comedy

Summary:
Sonezaki Yui is a young girl left in charge of a curry restaurant when her father goes away. Because she is only in highschool, she is unable to keep the curry shop afloat by herself, so it's slated to be closed. But right before it closes, she manages to save the life of Koenji Makito, a curry chef who came to Tokyo to meet his teacher, who just so happens to be Yui's father. In return, he offers to help her revive the restaurant by becoming the chef there.

But why is Koenji so fascinated by curry, and how will he be able to thwart the ruthless goons from Suiren, a rival restaurant chain bent on purchasing Yui's restaurant? And what has become of Yui's father?

Comments:
This is mainly a fanservice manga, with plenty of panty shots and rare partial nudity. Yet the cooking aspect of it is entertaining and provides a surprisingly solid backstory. The one thing that seperates this manga from all others I've read, is that each chapter features a unique curry and a translated recipe to create that curry has been included in each chapter. So if you so desire, you can cook along with the characters.

Rating: 7.0/10.0

Rurouni Kenshin

2006-01-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

Rurouni Kenshin
Licensed by VIZ
Website: www.viz.com
Topic: Historical, Action

Summary:
Himura Kenshin is a rurouni, a wandering samurai with no place to call home. Yet in reality he is Hitokiri Battousai, the greatest assassin of the Bakumatsu period. His work from the shadows led to the downfall of the old government and the rise of the Meiji Era. He now lives his life fighting for justice, in an attempt to absolve himself of the sins he committed as the Hitokiri (Man-Slayer). The story starts 10 years after the downfall of the old government, when Kenshin runs into Kamiya Kaoru, the adjutant master of a dojo. After saving her life, he decides to settle down there for a bit, but it seems Kenshin's past refuses to let him go.

Comments:
For those of you who enjoy action, this series features entertaining (if unrealistic) sword-fights. There are many battles against subsequently stronger opponents (a la DBZ), but Rurouni Kenshin's mix of humor and historical background do give it a refreshingly unique flavor. It's a very easy read.

Rating: 7.0/10.0