Alphabetical Index of Other Manga Reviews

The Summit of the Gods Volume 3

After reading Volume 2 recently for the Jiro Taniguchi Manga Moveable Feast, I’m thrilled that I had a chance to dive right into the third volume. It’s because we hosted the MMF that the publisher provided an advance digital review copy; the book is due out in May. It’s by Jiro Taniguchi based on a story by Baku Yumemakura. For those who haven’t so recently read the gripping mountaineering mystery — involving determined climbers, a photographer in Nepal trying to […]

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The Summit of the Gods Volume 2

When I read the first volume of The Summit of the Gods, I wrote it off as men’s adventure. Sure, it was beautifully drawn, but who cares about demonically motivated mountain climbers? Now, sitting in my cozy kitchen listening to the rain fall outside, I realize that I underestimated the story. (Or I’m just at a different place — the reader matters as much as the work in determining a good match.) I now understand how the story isn’t just […]

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Wandering Son Volume 2

While I thought the first book of this series by Shimura Takako was a little slow to get started, this volume realizes the promise of the premise by showing us the daily lives of two teens with complicated identities. Shuichi (a boy who wants to be a girl) and Yoshino (a girl who wants to be a boy) have settled into a pattern of indulging their true selves together. They dress as they want to be treated and visit other […]

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Mangaman

This dynamite concept didn’t quite come together for me, although I’ve been anticipating Mangaman since it was first announced. The idea — a manga-styled character transfers universes to the “real” world, where what he considers normal is perceived as freaky — is terrific and playful, but the execution tries to combine too many elements, and the result winds up short-changing some of the themes. Artist Colleen Doran is certainly well aware of and capable of drawing in the stereotypical manga […]

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Wandering Son Volume 1 and Anime

Guest review by Ed Sizemore ***Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers*** Shuichi Nitori and Yoshino Takatsuki are mirror images of each other. Both are in fifth grade and have just recently transferred to a new school. They are classmates who sit next to each other and quickly become good friends. Both share a secret. Shuichi is a feminine-looking boy who dreams of being a girl. Yoshino is a masculine-looking girl who dreams of being a boy. Wandering Son by Takako Shimura […]

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Future Lovers

I’ve found the best yaoi series. Future Lovers by Saika Kunieda is so good that I can recommend it without reservation to manga readers (except those put off by the concept of a male/male love story, because that romance does include a physical component). It’s a shame that Aurora’s Deux imprint is now defunct, although these books are still easily available. Kento has just been dumped by Yukie. He proposed to her, but his approach was practical, not romantic, and […]

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Age Called Blue

I’d been looking forward to seeing the work of est em, since she was recommended by Matt Thorn, and I need to expose myself to more of the best yaoi. Age Called Blue (published by Netcomics) had an immediately gripping hook — it’s about wannabe rockers, British guys struggling to make a go of music. Unfortunately, my entrance into the book was stymied by the atrocious computer lettering. It’s so wrong for the passionate material that I kept being reminded […]

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The Story of Lee

I liked the idea behind The Story of Lee, but the execution wasn’t as successful as I hoped. It seems like it should work well — it’s the story of a Chinese girl in Hong Kong who gets involved with a visiting Scot (to the horror of her traditional father), written by a Scot living in Japan (Sean Michael Wilson) and drawn by a Japanese living in London (Chie Kutsuwada). If anyone should understand cross-cultural stories, this team should. But […]

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