Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
Continuing from the previous book, Iku is trying to cope with her parents visiting her, since they don’t know the true scope (and danger) of her job. Mom wants her to leave, but Dad is convinced after a conversation with her boss. That’s an implication that’s a bit unpleasant, with overtones of the men making decisions for her because she’s too immature to be sure of her choices. I originally found Iku charming in her puppyish devotion to do a […]
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After being just the tiniest bit disappointed with volume 2 after volume 1 impressed me, I found volume 3 a welcome return to forward movement for this shojo mystery. The four chapters here move the underlying investigation along while providing character insight. Tsubasa (pretending to be twin sister Arisa) and Akira are attempting to find out who the King is. This mysterious friend promises to grant the wishes of five specially selected classmates. A game that was intended to make […]
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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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Even with its questionable gender stereotypes, Bakuman is quickly becoming one of my most-anticipated current manga series, because of its insights into the creative-process-as-business. In the last volume, the kids became professional manga creators; in this book, they deal with the aspects that make the job work, not just a dream of making art and goofing off. As the volume opens, the boys get some bad news. The editor that discovered and guided them, the one that gave them all […]
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A Bride’s Story volume 1 is simply astounding. It’s amazing that it’s so beautifully drawn and told by Kaoru Mori; that such odd subject matter — marriage customs among the nomadic tribes of Mongolia in the 19th century — could be so fascinating; that such ornately, beautifully detailed art can be manga; that such a handsome (hardcover, jacketed) volume could be produced for the manga market, which is assumed to want cheap, teen-oriented stories. Amir is 20 years old, considered […]
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Compared to the previous volume from Del Rey, the design of this book is remarkably similar. Same types of translation notes, same layout and cover look, exact same honorific page, even the same translator. When set next to each other, only the logo at the bottom of the spine differs. That’s a bonus for those of us who are a bit obsessive about that kind of thing. New to this volume and very helpful is a comprehensive “story so far” […]
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Guest review by Ed Sizemore Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths is the semi-autobiographical story (in the afterward, Shigeru Mizuki tells us 90% of it is true) of Japanese soldiers stationed on New Britain Island in the Papua New Guinean Archipelago during Word War II. Mizuki’s stand-in is Private Second Class Maruyama. Life on the tropical island is hard for the Japanese soldiers. They battle hunger, malaria, abusive squad leaders, and finally US fighting forces. One thing that stands out when […]
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I’d previously passed by this series, the newest from Natsumi Ando (Kitchen Princess), because of its lame-duck status, as one of the last releases from the now-departed Del Rey Manga. I recently picked up Arisa volume 1 on a whim (to fill out a mail order, if you must know), and now I’m glad i did, because it was a gripping and enjoyable read. At first, it reminded me of Papillon. Both are about twin sisters, reunited after significant time […]
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