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 […]

I am very glad anthology collections like AX: Alternative Manga exist, but I don’t care much for actually reading them. It’s an important book, and it’s a good thing that this kind of material is being translated into English, to give a more diverse portrait of what kind of manga is being created, but the male-centric viewpoint of many of them is off-putting, and I don’t find these stories particularly enjoyable or enlightening. That’s probably because I don’t find it […]

Guest review by Ed Sizemore As the title indicates, A Drunken Dream and Other Stories is a collection of short stories spanning the career of Moto Hagio. Hagio is considered one of the pioneers, not only of shoujo manga, but also the boys love genre (non-explicit, romantic stories of boys/young men) and by extension yaoi (explicit, romantic stories featuring men). This book serves as an introduction to both Hagio and her body of work. Drunken Dream contains a wide variety […]

This final volume of one of my favorite CMX series comes at a sad time — not only is The Name of the Flower ending, but so is the manga line overall. This may be the last CMX book I review, which adds a melancholy air that’s well-suited to the bittersweet tone of the story. It’s all about learning to survive the pain of loss, and the hope of love afterwards to fight depression and give life some purpose again. […]

by Mayu Fujikata This cute school story is great “brain popcorn” — something entertaining that only occupies your attention while you’re reading it. No nutritional value, no lasting effects, but enjoyable while it lasts. The first thing you need to know is that “bancho” means something like “gang boss” or “chief”, since it’s untranslated throughout the book. And it’s key to understanding the situation in My Darling! Miss Bancho. Whoever defeats the current bancho becomes the new one, ruler of […]

Those attracted to manga for its air of exoticism will find this cute shojo romance especially entertaining. In Stolen Hearts by Miku Sakamoto, Shinobu works as a kimono model, demonstrating some very attractive fabrics and patterns, while finding love with the scariest boy in class. After an accidental encounter, Shinobu is dragged to the kimono shop run by Koguma’s grandmother. Koguma is tall, silent, and has a dangerous reputation. He’s also named after a cuddly bear cub, providing a hint […]

I had thought this charming series ended last year, when the title character, a Victorian maid, captured the heart of her beloved, an upper-class gentleman. However, this year saw the release of three more volumes. These additional books collected short stories featuring other characters from the series, providing additional glimpses into the detailed world built by artist Kaoru Mori. Now, with this final volume, the series really is over, and it’s quite a shame. Mori’s portrayal of the Victorian world […]

Guest review by Ed Sizemore **Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers** Hiroshi Nakahara is a 48-year-old architect who finds himself mysteriously transported back to when he was 14 with all his knowledge and memories intact. He soon realizes that this is the period just before his father mysteriously abandoned his family, and he has resolved to stop him. Since Hiroshi has already successfully altered portions of his past, he’s confident he can make this change, too, in A Distant Neighborhood volume […]