With the Speed Racer live-action movie imminent, the moment is right, it seems, for a relative deluge of Speed Racer comics and manga to hit the English-language market. Balanced precariously on the peak of a still-rising mountain of reprinted American Speed Racer comics from the 80s and various more recently licensed efforts comes the Mach Go Go Go boxset from Digital Manga Publishing (DMP), an unabridged reproduction of the original manga by series creator Tatsuo Yoshida in two hardcover volumes.

Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go
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Like Speed himself, Yoshida is better known for his contributions to anime. In 1962, he founded Tatsunoko Studios with his brothers and eventually produced a number of classic anime series including the internationally distributed Speed Racer and Gatchaman (aka Battle of the Planets/G-Force). With only this material to judge his relative acumen as a mangaka, an argument can be made that the relative paucity of content needed to fill a thirty-minute cartoon (as opposed to serial manga) better highlighted his strengths as an infectious stylist if not a particularly imaginative storyteller.

For the six remaining people in North America who do not know, Speed Racer is a young race car driver who, along with his family who double as a pit crew, races his car, the Mach 5, in a variety of dangerous and exotic locations for progressively ridiculous reasons. The opening story, “The Great Plan”, establishes most of the recurring cast as well as a good chunk of the plot formulas that harshly govern these early Speed Racer manga. The introduction of Racer X adds some much needed narrative tension in the second installment, but later stories don’t so much build on it as they do recycle its more successful moments over and over until diluted beyond recognition.

The work is always at its strongest (both, I suspect, then and now) in those moments when the otherwise nonsensical plot insists on some outlandish racing and, gratefully, they come early and often. The early races are more visceral as Yoshida features his racers on the Japanese terrain he would know best. As the locales become more and more exotic (deserts, oceans, etc.), the Mach 5 threatens to draw attention away from Speed as it becomes laden with ever-more-complex technology to adapt to these new terrains. As an artist, Yoshida seems more comfortable (or more interested) drawing the cars than he does the people that inhabit them. His character design shows a tremendous debt of influence to Osamu Tezuka without exhibiting the nuance of character development for which Tezuka is widely celebrated.

Whatever its limitations might be, the Mach Go Go Go collection was an enjoyable read. To their credit, DMP did an excellent job with the design of this project that adds value to the presentation with its obvious reverence for the source material. While Yoshida’s Speed Racer manga may never exceed the narrative sophistication of your average Golden Age superhero comic, it is as undiluted of a glimpse as one is likely to get at his original vision of hyperstylized cars and racing that went on to inspire millions around the globe. And that, as they say, is something you just don’t see everyday.

Cesare Borgia is one of Cardinal Rodrigo’s many illegitimate children. The night he was born, his birthplace was consumed by fire and his mother died. Cesare was raised by another of Rodrigo’s mistresses, Vanozza Catanei. When Rodrigo’s affair is discovered, Vanozza is forced to wed, and Cesare is sent to live with distant relatives. His new guardians are cruel, and Cesare learns swordsmanship so he can defend himself. His father wants Cesare to become a priest so he can build his own dynasty within the Catholic Church. However, Cesare has chosen to seek his own destiny.

Cantarella Book 1
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Boy oh boy, Cantarella has a little something for everyone: there’s historical drama set in early Renaissance Italy, corrupt Cardinals acting as puppetmasters inside the Vatican, political intrigue, a touch of the occult, and beautiful young men with dark pasts and tortured souls. All told within the framework of a coming-of-age story. All these elements are well blended and make Cantarella historical fiction at its best.

Cantarella is a great read and a fine example of joesi manga. Higuri has created a rich and complex world reflective of the realities of Renaissance Italy. It’s a morally ambiguous universe where even the good people are adulators and assassins. Needless to say, there are no true heroes in this book, just men and women trying to be as honorable as their circumstances will allow them. It’s easy to sympathize with the lead characters and their struggles in a world where the leaders of the Catholic Church are despots hiding in priestly robes.

Higuri’s artwork is beautiful. She has a wonderful eye for detail and fine subtle line work perfectly suited for drawing Renaissance clothing and furnishings. In the afterword, Higuri talks about visiting Rome and doing lots of research to make the manga accurate to the story’s time and place. Her hard work paid off, as she does an excellent job of making the costumes and places believable. Higuri is also very adept at drawing pretty boys. The lead characters are young men with shoulder-length hair and delicate features. The character designs are similar to the way men look in yaoi.

There are a couple of nice features included in this book. The book begins with a greeting by Higuri to the American readers. There is also an afterword by her discussing the inspiration for the manga and some of the preparation she did. Cesare Borgia was an actual Italian nobleman and illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. There’s a two-page discussion of the controversy surrounding Borgia and his legacy. There’s also the promise of more extras from Higuri in future volumes.

I highly recommend this series for readers wanting manga aimed at older readers. A sample of volume 1 is available at Go! Comi’s website. A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher for this review.

The Empire is trying to recover from a long, devastating war, one that has left the country’s infrastructure in ruins and the civilians ravaged by disease and starvation. Pumpkin Scissors is the nickname for Imperial Army State Section III, a small unit dedicated to war relief and reconstruction. They travel the Empire restoring order to the landscape and the social structures. They encounter such obstacles as former soldiers turned into extortionists, collapsed mountain tunnels, a demoralized population, nobles turned into despots, and corrupt businessmen.

Pumpkin Scissors Book 1
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The platoon is lead by 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin. She comes from nobility, but she has chosen to be part of the military because she feels this is the best way to serve her county and its people. She is young, idealistic, and filled to overflowing with passion. She is deeply committed to the mission of Pumpkin Scissors and is one of the founding members of the unit. I have a real soft spot for characters like her, who are utterly sincere and driven by the highest ideals. (Perhaps because I wish I had that nobility of character.) Lt. Malvin is the heart of the series.

The soul of the series is Corporal Randel Oland. He’s literally a one-man anti-tank force, and his battle scenes are eerie. After the ceasefire, he wandered around for three years before becoming a member of Pumpkin Scissors. He’s quiet and socially awkward, which leads some in the troop (and the reader) to think he’s a little slow mentally. But when he speaks, he shows great wisdom and insight. He was trained to be a killing machine, but his heart is an endless fount of compassion. He desires to be a man of peace who builds instead of destroys, but this runs counter to his training and years of combat experience. Cpl. Oland’s struggle to reshape himself touches on the core issues of the series and can be heartbreaking at times.

There’s also a healthy dose of military intrigue as we learn more about Cpl. Orland’s past. His former platoon is one of nine covert military units that the Empire created. It’s hinted that the creation, training, and weapons of these troops were a violation of international treaties. Now during the ceasefire, the military refuses to acknowledge their existence. There’s also a creepy female military scientist lurking around looking to continue her undisclosed research. I have to admit I want to know more about what has and is going on in the military labs.

Pumpkin Scissors Book 2
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There are so many connections this series makes to past and present events. The condition of the Empire reminds me of Japan at the end of World War II. The Japanese imperial government was starving its farmers to feed the army. The American saturation bombing of Japan had left many cities devastated. On one level, the Pumpkin Scissors squad reminds me of the US and Japanese troops who spent years helping to rebuild Japan physically, politically, and emotionally. This makes me wonder what emotions and memories this series touches for the original Japanese audience. As Americans, we won’t have this kind of historical subconscious response to the series. Pumpkin Scissors could almost be read as a fictionalized reflection on the Japanese experience after WWII.

On another level, it reminds me of what American troops in Iraq and UN peacekeeping troops throughout the world are doing today. The opening page of volume one says, “There is no war, yet peace has not graced the land… This story is about the stage in between…” This was a perfect description of what is going on in so many places globally that are trying to recover and rebuilt after the chaos of war. Being a veteran myself, with friends and family still in the military, there’s a personal connection for me with the series. Pumpkin Scissors causes me to reflect on what it means to be a member of the armed forces commissioned with the construction of a nation instead of its destruction. When I served in the Navy in the 80s, we didn’t receive any training on how to be a peacekeeping presence. Now, I understand this is a work of fiction and isn’t meant to be a realistic portrayal of current military realities, but intentional or not, it does bring up these kind of questions for me.

The artwork for Pumpkin Scissors is interesting. It’s the first time I’ve read a manga series where you can actually see the art improving within the pages of one book and then from book to book. Initially, Iwanaga uses heavy lines, but as the series progresses the lines get thinner. Iwanaga isn’t adding more details as much as refining the art style over the course of each book. There’s still a lot of room for Iwanaga to grow as an artist, since this is your standard shonen house style. Hopefully, by the end of the series Iwanaga will develop a more distinctive style.

Pumpkin Scissors is a solid read. It’s a military manga with a different twist on the duties and responsibilities of being a soldier. I’m adding this series to my ‘things to read next’ list.

You can read a sample of volume one at Del Rey’s website. Complimentary copies were provided by the publisher for this review.

Book One begins with Leila Mikami and her classmates receiving final instructions before taking the practical skills portion of the VIUS candidates exam. VIUS is an organization formed forty years ago to fight Dracules, humans or animals who have been mutated into homicidal monsters by the D-virus. During the exam things go horribly wrong. Leila and her classmates must be rescued by Issa Kazuma, the Squad Zero captain, who’s disguised as a candidate to proctor the exam.

Dragon Eye Book 1
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Leila is extended a personal invitation by Kazuma to join his squad. However, Squad Zero is known by the three D’s: 1) Dangerous, 2) Difficult, and 3) its captain is Detested. To make matters worst, she is the only other squad member. The same day she reports for duty, Squad Zero gets an assignment and three temporary personnel to help with the mission. Among the helpers is Sosei Yukimura, who has a personal vendetta against Captain Kazuma. After completing the mission, Yukimura asks to be temporarily assigned to Squad Zero. He shows up to report in and the squad is off on their second mission. Book One ends with a cliffhanger in the middle of the second mission.

Book Two picks up the exact second Book One ended. The second mission is completed in an unorthodox manner. Captain Kazuma finds himself in deeper trouble with the VIUS ruling council and is put on probation with the threat of demotion. The squad is given their third mission, including a monitor who will assess Kazuma and report his recommendations to the council. Book Two ends on a cliffhanger in the middle of their third mission.

Dragon Eye is a great sci-fi & fantasy action manga. (more…)

Crayon Shinchan is a comedy manga about the adventures of a 5-year-old boy, Shin. Each episode is three pages long. Shin is basically an R-rated Dennis the Menace. He’s willful, crude, and completely uninhibited. He lacks ‘book smarts’ but has the street savvy of professional con artist. Most of the jokes are based on his ability to manipulate the adults into doing what he wants.

Crayon Shinchan Book 1
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I wanted to read this manga because I enjoy the dubbed anime currently showing on Adult Swim. The book is a bit of a disappointment. First, the adults in the manga are much more passive and one-dimensional than in the anime. Only Shin’s parents have any depth and resistance, but even they simply become fodder for the punch line. In the anime, most of the characters are more fully developed, and this allows for great character-based jokes and humor.

Second, the humor in the manga is too broad and general for my taste. What’s surprising is how universal the jokes are in this book. There is a joke about Shin’s parents trying to have sex without getting caught, only to have their plans ruined. A couple episodes revolve around Shin wanting a dog, but not the responsibility that comes with pet ownership. There are jokes about Shin saying or doing inappropriate things in public. Most of the jokes could have taken place in any country without altering the setup or the punch line.

It’s this lack of cultural specificity that makes the jokes fall flat for me. The humor in the anime is centered around American culture. The English version of the anime uses lots of US pop culture references and makes fun of American social conventions. The concrete references give the punch lines a bite missing in the manga.

The artwork was a pleasant surprise. The anime artwork is very crude with unattractive character designs. Usui’s artwork is a polished simplified style that suits the characters and jokes rather well. It’s easy to overlook the amount of detail he puts into each panel. The biggest difference between the anime and the manga is the design of Shin’s mother. In the manga, she is an average-looking Japanese women. In the anime, she has almost a chimpanzee face. I don’t know why she was the most radically redesigned character. After seeing Usui’s original art, I’m disappointed in the anime’s artwork.

Overall, Crayon Shinchan is readable, and will kill a half hour, but that’s about all it will do. I recommend the anime over the manga. Of course, if you’re looking for a good humor manga, then I recommend Azumanga Daioh any day.

Given the highly subjective nature of humor, you can sample the manga at CMX’s website, and episodes of the anime can be viewed online at Adult Swim’s website (NFSW). So you can decide for yourself which, if either, tickle your funny bone.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Most of my manga/manhwa acquisitions happen because I am familiar with the artist or because a trusted critic recommends it for my attention. Kingdom of the Winds got my money the old-fashioned way, with a striking cover and an intriguing premise well-articulated by the marketing blurb on the back. It also helps that the story is not only historical fiction, but it covers a geographic area and time period (Korea around the time of Augustus’ reign in Rome) about which I know almost nothing.

Kingdom of the Winds Book 1
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Kingdom of the Winds focuses on the royal family of the kingdom of Goguryeo, one of three kingdoms that were the cultural foundation for modern Korea. While the story has as many characters as King Yuri has wives and children (hint: it’s a bunch), the reader is invited to experience the story through Prince Muhyul, who will someday become king himself. Kingdom thrives on conflict and balances the threat of invasion from neighboring kingdoms with the internal power struggles taking place as King Yuri advances rather menacingly towards his own death.

Kingdom of the Winds also expands on the exploration of Korean natural mysticism that is used to such striking effect in manhwa like Bride of the Water God and Dokebi Bride. The cosmology in Kingdom hews closer to Dokebi Bride in the sense of danger that accompanies the manipulation of these primal forces. Kingdom, however, uses these gods and their powers as the engine for elaborate battles that can stretch on for several pages.

Artist Kimjin’s character design for the supernatural beings, in particular, is imaginative and the battle scenes frenetic sometimes to the point of abstraction. The human characters suffer some, though, from a reliance on costuming over iconic design to keep them differentiated. Visually, overall, I think Kingdom of the Winds has a lot to offer a potential reader. Kimjin makes excellent use of setting in the opening chapter, the pitch black of a rainy night to create a kind of atmospherics I might associate with Lone Wolf and Cub.

The story, however, is Kingdom’s stronger selling point. Prince Muhyul’s dilemma of keeping peace within his family as his father grows more paranoid by the day, while maintaining his vigilance against foreign enemies, is a compelling one. Kimjin aggressively uses flashbacks to give the kind of context needed to fully appreciate the complex relationships that bind each character together. The sum is a dense story that rewards multiple reads and even comes with a little map and historical essays at the end to draw it all together. While the large cast and occasional histrionic battle sequences may put off some readers, the well-researched and compelling story was more than enough to leave me looking forward to the next volume.

[Space is collected along with Yamato in the third volume of the English language editions of Phoenix. Interested parties can read my review of Yamato.]

Phoenix: Yamato/Space
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True to its name, Space is the first of the Phoenix cycle that takes place predominantly in space. It is set during a time alluded to as past events in Tezuka’s dour opening to Future (volume 2): a time of deep space exploration as the final expression of human curiosity and know-how. What sets Space immediately apart from those portions of the cycle which proceed it is its radical departure from the worldbuilding that dominates the other openings.

Tezuka instead opts to open the book with one of the more viscerally engaging experiments in visual storytelling from his entire body of work. Here’s the set-up. Five humans are piloting a ship back to Earth over a distance so extraordinary that the voyage will consume most of their lives. An emergency claxon brings four of them out of their hibernation only to discover that the crewmen currently on active duty is not only dead (apparently of old age), but that the ship has been damaged and is nearly exhausted of its fuel. With no chance of surviving with their vessel, the four reluctantly enter separate escape pods and are ejected into the black of space. With a year and half of oxygen and six months’ worth of rations, their chance for survival is non-existent.
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Kamikaze Girls is composed of four short stories. The first is an adaptation of Takemoto’s novel. The second story takes place shortly after the novel and is written by Takemoto. The third and fourth stories are written by Kanesada. The third story is about Ririka, a high school girl, forcing Kashiwagi to take her on a date. (He’s a business man who frequents the jewelry store run by her mother.) The fourth story takes place after they’ve become a couple.

Kamikaze Girls
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The adaptation of Kamikaze Girls is atrocious. Everything that made the novel charming and fun is missing. The novel is told in first person by Momoko, the lolita girl. She’s intelligent with a sardonic wit. The first person narration lets the reader watch her mature as the story unfolds. It’s her coming into adulthood that gives the novel its emotional core.

The manga compresses the events of the novel. The quickened pace really hurts the story. The reader isn’t given the time needed to get to know the characters. Also, it makes the emotional moments feel forced and flat. The manga has all the main plot but none of the heart of the novel.

The short story by Takemoto suffers from similar problems. The relationship between Ichigo, the yanki (gangster) girl in the novel, and Raichi moves too quickly to be believable. I find the use of an identical twin brother to be a cop out by Takemoto. It’s suppose to be a way to give Ichigo what she couldn’t have in the novel, but it’s too contrived for me.

The third and fourth stories creep me out. I’m not comfortable with business men dating high school students. I wish I could say this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of relationship in a manga. In the third story, Ririka is tired of being treated like a kid. She thinks that going on a date and having sex with an older mature man will transform her into a woman. They end up spending a platonic night together. Ririka falls in love with Kashiwagi and a couple days later begs him for a second date. They end up becoming a couple.

Ririka isn’t a pleasant person. She’s selfish and immature. Why Kashiwagi didn’t immediately go to her mother when she first proposed a date is never explained. Kashiwagi is an enigma throughout the story. We don’t really know what he’s thinking or what he sees in Ririka. This lack of insight into Kashiwagi’s motives undermines the story’s credibility.

The fourth story focuses on Ririka coming to grips with being in a relationship with an older man, especially having to cope with his past romantic partners. In this story, Ririka doesn’t seem to have matured much. There’s still nothing to recommend her as Kashiwagi’s girlfriend. Kashiwagi treats her like a child. It feels like she is simply a plaything for him until he’s ready for his next serious relationship with a woman his own age.

The only enjoyable aspect of the book is the artwork. Kanesada shows real potential to be a great artist. She has a good eye for fashion and clothes. The characters are well drawn, with the expection of Ichigo. (For some reason she makes her look like a boy, which runs counter to her description in the book.) Kanesada does a great job of expressing a wide variety of emotions in her characters. It’s a shame the writing doesn’t live up to the artwork.

I had high hopes for the Kamikaze Girls manga. I loved both the original novel and its film adaptation. The poor storytelling makes this book a major disappointment. Even for the most die-hard Kamikaze Girls fan, I would recommend leaving this book on the shelf.

Usagi is a female ninja in training. She is undercover in Kyoto when her true identity is discovered. Her finance and fellow ninja, Hanzo, rescues her and takes her to his safe house in the city. Ranmaru, a retainer for the local lord, is scouring the city to find the ninja spies and restore his honor. Usagi must stay hidden in the house while Hanzo continues their information-gathering mission. She stays busy trying to create a medicine that will help improve the failing eyesight of Mitsuhide, a newfound ally.

Tail of the Moon Book 9
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I was surprisingly impressed with the writing in this manga. First, even though this is volume nine of the series, the book was accessible to a new reader like myself. You can tell that you’re coming into a story already in progress, but you never feel lost because of what you’ve missed. Any information needed from the previous volumes is introduced within the narrative flow. Of course, this also works well for faithful readers of the series. You don’t have to worry about memorizing every detail of the story in order to understand each new volume. (A couple of American comic companies could take lessons from this writer.)

Second, there is a lot of back story revealed in this book, but you never feel overwhelmed by what you’re learning. In fact, I didn’t realize how much had been communicated until I thought back over the book for this review. Suddenly, I found out I knew a lot about Usagi, her relationship with Hanzo, and even her relationship with an old friend who shows up at the end of the book. The author, Ueda, does a wonderful job of delivering little bits of information throughout the narrative, instead of flooding the reader with pages of back story all at once. (Did I mention, some superhero comic writers might want to use this book as a study guide?)

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Honey and Clover Book 1
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The opening portrait of student life won me over, in which roommates can be bought with free food, griping all the while about the lack of meat in their diet. They’re familiar with each other, sharing living quarters, but they still have their own secrets and histories. Take, for example, freaky Morita. He disappears for days or weeks at a time, returning with lots of money only to fall into a coma-like sleep. It’s a mystery, and not one answered in this volume, although he’s the first character I felt like I had a handle on, due to his distinctive behavior.

With the others, it took a while for me to be able to distinguish them, just like getting to know a new acquaintance. Sophomore Takemoto’s the nice, loyal one, the closest to a regular guy. He’s still figuring out what he wants to do with his life. Mayama’s the third male, involved with two women, and then there’s Hagumi. She’s an 18-year-old prodigy sculptor, but she looks about 8 (that’s her on the cover). Takemoto and Morita promptly fall in love with her, although in Morito’s case, it manifests as taking of pictures of her as a fairy, which creeps her (and me) out.

The chapters are short slice-of-life stories that gradually reveal more about the group and their motivations. Especially Morita, where they conclude that his extreme independence, not knowing or caring what others think of him, make him both attractive and someone you don’t want to get too close to, because his not caring extends to everyone around him.

Not a lot happens, in terms of plot, but the cast is intriguing, with plenty of revelations and a whole range of emotional response. They’re drawn in a sketchy fashion, like the unfinished people they are. They grow on you, as you develop friendships with them. It’s just like college, with sudden realizations about what things mean and how people feel.

A live-action movie adaptation will be available on DVD in May.

Real Love
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The first (title) story focuses on the love lives of twins, a boy and a girl. The female, Shu, runs into an ex, an actor she hasn’t seen for three years. Her brother Shun tries to talk her into ignoring him, but she’s intrigued. The idea behind the story, exploring sibling jealousy and how to balance romantic and family love, has a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, the end of chapter one turns on date rape. The ex-boyfriend locks Shu in a room and starts fondling her, asserting that because she responds to him physically she must still care about him. She’s confused and refuses to speak up for herself. It’s a repulsive message; the implication is that it’s ok for him to strip and violate her because it will show her how she really feels.

Then her brother greets her, after her return, with “Welcome home, Miss Slut.” I quit reading at that point. I’d found the storytelling confusing up until then anyway — I think that we were seeing flashbacks mixed in with present-day events, but I had a hard time telling which scenes were set when as well as following the flow from panel to panel. Between being disgusted and lost, I gave up.

I had high hopes for this line, because I’d love to see more manga aimed at women (not just girls), but I’m not going to put up with sub-par romance-novel fodder and wimpy female characters just because the book is labeled mature. I want true adult content, not just curse words and breast shots.

(A complimentary copy for this review was provided by the publisher.)

Switch Book 1
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Kai Eto is brand new to the Narcotics Control Division (NCD). He’s kind-hearted, has no former police experience, and his compassion tends to get in the way of his police work. Hal Kurabayashi has been with the NCD only a short time himself. He’s a chain smoker whose only focus is on catching the prep. From the moment Hal saw Kai, he’s called Kai a good for nothing. The Division Chief has made them partners. Their main focus is to find the Ryugen, a Chinese smuggling ring responsible for distributing a new designer drug called Dragon Speed.

Switch is a royal mess. Let’s start with the basic setup. First, who partners two rookie cops? Since there are thirty people in this division of the NCD, why isn’t Kai assigned to a senior investigator who can properly mentor him? Second, given how badly Kai screws up this first two assignments, why does he still have a badge? His first day on the job, he shows up late and brings a injured child he found with him to a police raid. I can’t think of any law enforcement agency that would let Kai keep his badge after bringing a minor into such a dangerous situation. The author, Saki, tries to play this off like it’s just a harmless eccentricity. Kojak sucked on lollipops, Kai brings civilians to drug busts, what can you do?

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Happy Mania Book 9
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Takahashi’s faux-fiancee is the freaky one here. She hears “congratulations” and thinks “they’re plotting against me.” She refuses to leave, even when Takahashi tries to break up their non-existent relationship. Artistically, there’s a lot more shading and background in the early chapters of this volume, which grounds the characters as they try to act more responsibly.

There’s also a lot of playing with perceptions here. Fuku sets Shigeta up with a nice guy, who looks like a Buddha. Even though he’s considerate, successful, honest, Shigeta can’t get past his appearance. Fuku tells her the hard truth that the men they want — handsome, rich, nice guys — have better choices than them available to them. The women aren’t young, they aren’t successful, they have spotty histories, and they’re mean. And stupid, if you ask me, but that’s not part of Fuku’s list.

Still, that’s what makes them entertaining. There’s enjoyment in thinking “my life is/was bad, but at least it’s not THAT bad.” When Takahashi’s fiancee confronts Shigeta, we also see contrasting expectations, as the country girl thinks of Shigeta as “pretty, skinny, a hip downtown woman”. She doesn’t know Shigeta like the readers do, but it’s a good reminder that even someone disappointed with their own life might be envied by others.

Takahashi comes to get his fiancee, and because of the distance caused by his amnesia, Shigeta finds him attractive. There’s no better example of wanting only what you can’t have, and not wanting what you’ve got. She abused him for years, and he kept coming back. Now, he’s a different person, and only then does she want him. She equates love with pain — of uncertainty about how the other person feels, of wanting someone more than they want you — and she doesn’t understand that true love can be comfortable.

There’s also a supporting story in which Fuku and her friend (Shigeta’s former boss) are involved with the same younger man, a boy who takes everything for granted. I previously talked about book eight. This’ll be the last volume of the series I cover, so if you want spoilers about the ending, here’s another review.

Viu Bannes is a nine year-old boy who wants to be a gunslinger and head out West to prove himself. He meets Underdog Marcus Homer, a gunslinger just returning from the West with his tail between his legs. Marcus tells Viu about a place beyond the West, called Gun Blaze West. A city where only those confident in their abilities can enter. Once every ten years, the city holds a contest and the winner is awarded the best gun ever made.

Gun Blaze West Book 1
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Marcus and Viu begin to train together to so they can be strong enough to head out West. Unfortunately, the outlaw Bill Kenbrown and his gang show up, causing trouble. Once Kenbrown and his boys are dealt with, Viu continues his training. The book then jumps ahead five years to the day Viu finally leaves for the West. His first stop is St. Louis, gateway to the West. There Viu finds another clue to the location of Gun Blaze West and more trouble with outlaws.

Tell me if this sounds familiar: young boy has both parents killed by criminals and is raised by a guardian. The boy determines to grow up to be a vigilante. I couldn’t help thinking Viu’s story reminded me of Bruce Wayne, just without the millions of dollars. Essentially, the first 3/4 of the book is the origin story for Viu. The one major difference between Bruce Wayne and Viu is that Viu doesn’t fight on the side of justice out of conscious choice, but rather as a result of circumstances. Later in the series, I imagine that Viu will make a deliberate choice to fight on the side of law and order.

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High School Debut Book 2
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Given that Haruna can’t even talk to Fumiya on the phone, they might be right. And that scene is the kind of comedy that makes this series so enjoyable. It’s so real. I could feel her shyness, and I’d been in similar situations myself. It’s funny, but it’s not mean. There’s almost a Cyrano de Bergerac-style situation on Haruna’s first date, with Yoh texting her advice (that mainly boils down to “calm down” and “act normal” — good reminders for someone overly nervous).

Working with Haruna may be causing rifts between Yoh and his sister. Asami is told to stay out of things, but when a new wardrobe is needed for Haruna, she’s ordered to share her clothes. Her brother doesn’t believe she wants to help, even though at times she gives Haruna more comforting advice than Yoh does. When she gets bored and feels left out, she schemes in hurtful ways to put herself back in the middle of things. I had no idea she could be so mean; so far, we’ve only seen her as cute and helpful.

That was a misleading attitude that it benefited Asami to project. She’s magnanimous when she’s the queen bee; but her help stops once someone else seems a real threat. That kind of twist provides unexpected depth to the characters, especially once we see inside her motivations.

And good-hearted Haruna takes even pain as a learning experience! I’ve known people like that, but they’re few and don’t come along very often. She’s inspirational in her determination and her optimism. That makes her growth even more believable.

I’ve previously reviewed Book 1.

Happy Mania Book 8
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This volume opens with a recap of her motivations in an amusing visual parody of the samurai genre. She’s mid-20s, she wants true love but doesn’t know what it is, she’s overly concerned with her appearance, and she’s desperate. However, her situation might be changing. She was sent to get a manuscript from a reclusive author, and for both of them, it was love at first sight.

She thinks it is, anyway, because she’s not nervous around him, and she trusts him when they’re apart. Big mistake. He’s crazy, and she was sent to meet him only to get her out of her boss’s hair. That’s just her luck, that she hits it off with a loon. (Two crazy people together.) And she’s still mostly about the sex.

Best friend Fuku is actually my favorite. She has her own problems — she walked out on her marriage on her wedding day. Her husband was married when she met him but fooled around with her anyway, and then she was surprised he did the same to her, moving on quickly. But she’s drawn so lovely, all flowing lines and thoughtful eyes and long hair and quiet certainty. I don’t know how she continues putting up with Shigeta, or what makes them friends. Maybe it’s their shared fear of loneliness. Regardless, even when she’s worried, Fuku still gets herself up, pulls herself together, and keeps a job. That’s in contrast to Shigeta, who at times like that crawls into the closet until someone else drags her out.

Meanwhile — and this is where things really get soap operatic, with outrageous plot twists — Takahashi has been stung by a bee and lost his memory as a result. The beekeeper’s daughter, who has a mad crush on him, followed him back to Tokyo and told his family that they were engaged.

The characters are drawn with exaggerated emotion, especially Shigeta. And regardless of how much she deserves it, it still makes me unhappy to see her deal with the loser boyfriend’s abuse or debt collectors. Love isn’t enough to overcome the problems of daily life or poverty, and it’s important to make sensible choices, not follow whims that change by the hour. She thinks she’s guided by fate, but it’s just an excuse to avoid making hard choices and a way to enjoy self-abasement.

Finally, near the end of this volume, she gets some assistance. Fuku forces some self-help books into her hands. This would have happened halfway through book two in an American series; we do love our improvement best sellers. Just buying them makes some people feel better, whether or not they ever open them.

The Silver Star Tea Room is a quiet little café where people seeking freedom from their nightmares come. Inside sits Hiruko, who appears to be a teenager lost in his daydreams, but in reality he is a baku, a dream eater. The desperate can find out the truth behind what haunts them, all for the price of letting Hiruko eat their nightmare.

Yumekui Kenbun:
Nightmare Inspector Book 1
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Nightmare Inspector is an enjoyable supernatural manga. It’s similar in style to Xxxholic, Nightmares for Sale, or Antique Gift Shop. The book has seven chapters, each composed of a different client. The stories are slightly formulaic, but they move quickly and end with great twists. It’s the twist that hooks you and keeps you reading. I don’t want to go into too much detail about any of the stories, in fear I’ll inadvertently ruin the surprise.

Part of the appeal of this book is the incredible world that Mashiba creates. The book is set in the 1920’s, when Japan was still in transition between its traditional culture and adapting a more Western look. So you get a wonderful blend of Victorian and classical Japanese styles. This gives the book a more traditional gothic feel, like that found in the stories of Poe, Hawthorne, or Doyle.

The artwork is stunning. Mashiba creates a moody and richly detailed world. There are incredible images like an Escher-style staircase or a building made completely of kanji characters. Mashiba, like Death Note’s Takeshi Obata, is a master of the comic form. I’d love to know more about Mashiba. The back page says that this is his first manga. Given his level of adeptness, Mashiba is either a manga prodigy or apprenticed under one of the other masters of manga.

Of course, I do have a couple of small complaints. First, the stories are too short and quickly resolved. When Hiruko enters a client’s dreams, he seems to immediately know everything going on. He appears bored as he swiftly guides his client to the truth they are hiding from themselves. I would prefer if Hiruko had to actually take some time to figure out the dream and its solution. Hopefully, future volumes will present Hiruko with dreams that are a challenge to his abilities.

Second, I wish Viz had included cultural notes. It would be nice to know that the Taisho Era ran from 1912-1926 without consulting outside reference material. Also, I would also have liked to be given some mythological/culture backgrounds on baku. Plus, I enjoy reading translation notes about words or phrases that prove a challenge to put into English.

However, these flaws are me nitpicking and shouldn’t prevent any from picking up this manga. It’s well-written and the book is worth owning just for the artwork alone.

Love*Com Book 5
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She wishes things could get back to normal, but it’s not that easy to forget her declaration and his response. Either she’s trying too hard to act like she doesn’t care, or things he does sets her off crying. Mixed messages from those around them don’t help. Either other kids are dashing her hopes or strangers are inspiring her with their love story. And she’s driving herself crazy reading too much into his responses.

She was honest with him, and he was honest in return, only their truths don’t match up. She’s hoping to put a “yet” on the end of that sentence, but then she finds out how he acted with a previous girlfriend. He’s totally the opposite with her, which ruins her hopes. But neither one of them seems to realize just how much someone can change as a teenager as they grow into the person they’re going to be.

This book jumps from holiday to holiday, from school trip to Christmas to Valentine’s. It’s like a high school greatest hits and the roller coaster ride of adolescence, all in one book. I also love the cartooning, which is so expressive and still easy-to-read. I never have to puzzle out what anyone’s doing or thinking. Instead, I can just enjoy the ride as these teens work out who they really like and what’s important to them.

Love*Com Book 4
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The gang heads off to the beach for summer vacation. Everyone but Otani knows about Risa’s crush, and they keep pushing her to do something about it. Her shy attempts in that direction are flustered, though, by Otani’s astounding obliviousness. The result is an amusing comedy of misinterpretation, made funnier by the realism of its underlying emotion.

It’s no fun to be young, unsure, and pressured by your coupled friends. Risa’s good intentions can’t stand up to the weight of being watched, which makes her more nervous about trying to make her feelings known.

The art’s light and easy to read, with enough background to establish setting. The characters are beautifully expressive, with every change of emotion flitting across their faces and realistic body language adding to the comedy. They’re goofy, but that’s typical of teens, where everything means so much to them. It’s highly entertaining to those of us with a more balanced perspective.

I’m rooting for these kids to find their happiness even while laughing at what they have to go through to get there.

Ame is a sullen and painfully introverted junior high student. While on a field trip with her class to an amusement park, she purchases a Nicori the Meerkat doll. To everyone’s amazement, the doll begins to speak and move on his own. Word quickly spreads throughout the park and to the local TV news, and Nicori suddenly finds himself a celebrity.

Ame also finds herself drawn into the spotlight and learns that popularity creates its own problems. Nicori is new to the world of humans and human relationships. His misunderstandings cause the shy Ame mortifying embarrassment at school. (In one panel, it appears she is trying to commit suicide by drowning herself in the toilet. Is that even possible?) Just as the relationship between Ame and Nicori begins to improve, some miscreants with their own plans for Nicori show up and bring new complications and life-threatening dangers.
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