A new volume of Oishinbo is an event at my house. I love tucking into the large, thick volume after making sure I’ve had a satisfying dinner — otherwise, I’d spend the whole time reading with my tummy rumbling. I expected Oishinbo a la Carte 4: Fish, Sushi & Sashimi by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki to cover the cuisine most identified with Japan in the Western world: sushi. The subjects of previous books, Sake and Ramen, are familiar to […]

The sports festival that started in the previous volume continues in High School Debut volume 10, only with an added complication: Yoh’s friend Asaoka has declared his interest in Yoh’s girlfriend Haruna. Asaoka has a bet with Yoh; Asaoka will only leave Haruna (who’s blissfully unaware of all this) alone if Yoh beats him at the festival events. I know things had to change once Yoh and Haruna got together — but I sometimes miss the humor of the early […]

This is a bit of a departure for the site. Usually, when it comes to manga series, we leave them up to one reviewer or the other instead of switching off. Although Ed’s previously reviewed the first two volumes, I wanted to get in on recommending this astoundingly good series by by Naoki Urasawa. 20th Century Boys volume 3 is where Kenji reaches his turning point. He now understands what’s going on — someone who knew about their childhood games […]

It’s time for that staple of shojo high school manga, the sports festival. Since Haruna and Yoh are in different grades, this will be the only time they get to share a school activity. In addition to the sports competitions, they’ll also be part of a cheerleading group, a behavior that’s uncomfortable for the reserved Yoh. Haruna, on the other hand, is full of enthusiasm, and friends speculate that her energy might break Yoh out of his shell a bit. […]

Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs volume 13 is a definite change of pace for this series about a pet shop worker, her dog, and their friends and canine companions. I appreciate the creator tackling all phases of pet ownership, though. One thing people should consider before getting a dog, or any pet, is that they are likely to outlive their animal loved one. It’s an important lesson in understanding the cycle of life. Kanako had a Pomeranian named Czerny. She doted […]