June 19, 2012 Johanna Drawn & Quarterly Manga Reviews One comment

NonNonBa

Guest review by Ed Sizemore Shigeru Mizuki is a cultural icon. His manga GeGeGe no Kitaro is credited with igniting the modern day fascination with Japanese folktales. Mizuki is recognized as a expert on yokai (supernatural beings) and was one of the first people to attempt to catalog all the local legends of yokai throughout Japan. He has truly helped the Japanese people connect with and appreciate their own cultural heritage. Mizuki has written works about World War II, Hitler, […]

May 11, 2012 Johanna Seven Seas Manga Reviews 2 comments

Young Miss Holmes Casebook 1-2

It could have gone horribly wrong, but by inserting a cute little prodigy into classic Sherlock Holmes cases, I found the mysteries taking on fresh enjoyment for me. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I ordered Young Miss Holmes blind. I was hoping for a mystery manga series, since there aren’t as many of those as I’d like to read, but any time a series is promoted based on its young female lead, there is the potential for all […]

April 23, 2012 Johanna Viz Manga Reviews 2 comments

A Devil and Her Love Song Volumes 1 and 2

If you’ve missed the enjoyable Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko series, A Devil and Her Love Song by Miyoshi Tomori is a more than suitable replacement. Although both have a charmingly grumpy protagonist learning to make friends and fit in, Devil is preferable to me because it’s less episodic. With its continuing story chapters, there’s more potential for character revelation and development. Maria, the “devil” of the title, is a new student previously at a Catholic school. She has a […]

April 10, 2012 Johanna Yen Press Manga Reviews One comment

A Bride’s Story Volume 3

We follow Mr. Smith, the English scholar who’s studying nomadic cultures, out of the previous volume into new adventures. But never fear, fans, Amir and her husband Karluk make an appearance, riding to the rescue at just the right time. Moreover, by moving the reader to a new group of characters here in volume 3, we learn more about society at the time, see more gorgeous Kaoru Mori art and costume designs, and in a way, mimic how the nomad […]

April 8, 2012 Johanna Viz Manga Reviews Leave a comment

Bakuman Volume 10

Even though they have a relatively successful series under their belt, due to various complications in previous volumes, the boy creators are once again struggling to develop a manga story that will be picked up by Shonen Jump. In a way, this is a reset, bringing Bakuman back to its core premise, but it takes on new depth and flavor, given how much they (and the reader with them) have struggled through so far. This time around, they’re returning to […]

April 7, 2012 Johanna Dark Horse Manga Reviews One comment

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Volume 12

story by Eiji Otsuka art by Housui Yamazaki It’s been a long time — 18 months since the previous volume of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service — but I found no gap in my knowledge of these characters, and I welcomed them and their grotesque misadventures back in volume 12. I was also glad to have back the annotations and endnotes by editor Carl Gustav Horn, as he’s credited for his adaptation. He begins by explaining and apologizing for the […]

April 2, 2012 Johanna Yen Press Manga Reviews One comment

Bunny Drop Volume 5

If you thought the previous book glossed over too much of Rin’s growing up, you’re going to hate this installment. It opens with a note that we’re now ten years later, so Rin’s a teenager, and Daikichi has changed from caregiver to parent worrying whether she’s ready to start dating. I admit, I miss the stories of a kid during cute toddler things and her clueless dad/nephew. (Rin is technically Daikichi’s uncle, although he’s over 20 years older than she […]

April 1, 2012 Johanna Vertical Manga Reviews Leave a comment

The Drops of God Volume 3

There’s something to be said for consistency. In structure, style, and presentation, The Drops of God Book 3 is much the same as the first two books, so if you enjoyed those, you should find the same appeal here. However, story-wise… On the plus side, we get the first “Apostle” revealed, one of the 13 wines Shizuku must identify based on clues from his father’s will. On the negative side, in a storyline set up at the very end of […]

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