story by Yuma Ando; art by Yuki Sato Nothing has changed about this series — Sherdog and Takeru are still solving mysteries based on the puppy’s observations — which means if you liked the previous volumes, you should like Sherlock Bones volume 4. (Although pace yourself. Too much at once makes the repetition even more obvious. This might be one of those rare manga that read better as chapters than collected volumes, since there aren’t a lot of complicated plot […]

I enjoyed Sherlock Bones volume 3 enough that I tracked down the two previous volumes. I found that the cases covered there followed the same pattern, making this a read better spread out instead of tackled all at once, where it risks becoming repetitive. The first book opens with Takeru adopting Sherdog. I had wondered if there were details to how they got together beyond the brief version in the Story So Far section (or at the beginning of some […]

What if Sherlock Holmes were reincarnated as an adorable puppy dog? That ran around with a pipe in his mouth because that’s the only way he could magically communicate? And only with Takeru, his Watson, because the pipe was a family heirloom? It would make for fun and cute mysteries, that’s what. Sherlock Bones is a light-hearted romp written by Yuma Ando and drawn by Yuki Sato. The series is actually short on deduction — the reader sees the crime […]

When I wrote about volume 1, I wasn’t as impressed by the battle scenes as I was by those of Viking home life. That’s changed in this volume, because the strategy and maneuvering among various factions are more compelling. Makoto Yukimura’s Vinland Saga is a fascinating read on multiple levels. It’s the beginning of the 11th century, and the Vikings are invading England. The first chapter begins quietly, as an outspoken mother embarrasses her daughter by ranting about politics — […]

I don’t read zombie comics. Most frequent readers of this site know that. So it took me a while to decide to try Mitsuru Hattori’s Sankarea: Undying Love, the romance between a boy, Chihiro, and a zombie girl, Rea. I was willing to try it because it’s not really about her being a zombie — instead, it’s about her trying to fit in and be normal, given unusual circumstances. She could as easily have been a foreigner as undead, only […]

The long-anticipated series from Makoto Yukimura, creator of the much-loved Planetes, is Kodansha’s first hardcover manga, a double-sized volume with twice the amount of tough-guy content. Vinland Saga is the story of Thorfinn, an Icelandic orphan raised by Viking pirates to be one of them. He’s a super-fighter, fast and tough, motivated by revenge for his father’s death, particularly since he’s working under the man who killed him. Thorfinn’s father was a great, noble warrior, one of a tribe who […]

As I predicted when I reviewed the first book, I liked Genshiken: Second Season by Shimoku Kio more on the second try. With the odd fan personalities, it takes a while to get comfortable with them, but more time spent makes them more acceptable, just like having a weird friend. You take them as they are, quirks and all. I should have mentioned, when writing about volume 1, that the internal volume and chapter numbering continues from volume 9 of […]

I very much dislike the tendency for snappy manga heroines, the observant ones with a bit more bite to them than the usual good girl, to lose their spark as soon as love enters the picture. It’s too old-school “taming of the shrew” for me, playing into the idea that a smart girl who refuses to hold her tongue just needs romance to calm down and be properly feminine. Which is why I find the way this series has turned […]