Apothecarius Argentum Volume 2

by Tomomi Yamashita The shojo fantasy about a princess and her poisonous healer continues in a surprising fashion. (I reviewed volume 1 last year.) Instead of developing their romance explicitly, the story chooses instead to develop and deepen her character, making her more mature and appealing. Much of this development is accomplished through flashback. Young Soda, who wants to be Argent’s apprentice, reminds the older healer of his childhood days with Princess Primula. Argent doesn’t want anyone around him, since […]

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Honey Hunt Volume 2

The addiction I worried about developing after reading book 1 may not be as big a problem after all, because the manic energy and emotion of that volume is missing from volume 2. Without her mother and her demented family situation to play off of, the story becomes just another “girl tries to become a star” tale. And it’s a darned repetitive one. Yura has a crisis — her costume’s been damaged by a jealous co-star! her family secret is […]

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Oishinbo a la Carte 3: Ramen & Gyoza

The more I read this series by Tetsu Kariya and Akira Hanasaki, the more I enjoy it. I just have to learn not to read it when I’m hungry, because I start craving food that I can’t find! Oh, some types of ramen (noodle soup) and gyoza (dumplings) are available in my area, but I never dreamed of the possible variations covered here. And it’s not just about the food: The first two stories in Oishinbo a la Carte 3: […]

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The Lapis Lazuli Crown Volume 1

Miel Violette comes from a family of magicians, but she’s not good at magic. Her super-strength serves her just fine… until she meets a prince in disguise after clocking him with her purse. Becoming involved with him shows her that there might be reason to improve her skills in The Lapis Lazuli Crown volume 1 by Natsuna Kawase. The title comes from the idea that lapis lazuli is “associated with intelligence, insight, and good judgment”, a nice symbol for a […]

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Oishinbo a la Carte 1: Japanese Cuisine

A journalist is given the task of finding the Ultimate Menu, the best of all his country’s food, for his newspaper’s 100th anniversary. The series that catalogs his quest has been running for over 25 years and 100 books in its native Japan, and highlights have been collected in the Viz manga series Oishinbo a la Carte. The first volume, Japanese Cuisine, focuses on several key meal ingredients, starting with dashi (stock/broth). Additional chapters cover rice and miso soup; sashimi; […]

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Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei Volume 1

Subtitled The Power of Negative Thinking, this series by Koji Kumeta is the story of depressed, suicidal schoolteacher Nozomu. (The title translates as “Goodbye, Mr. Despair”.) Except, not really. It’s really a device to tell stories about his various students, all of which have their own unusual problems. I found it first shocking and then wonderful, because I like black humor. In the opening scene, the eternally optimistic and hopeful Kafuka comes across her teacher trying to hang himself, as […]

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Otomen Volume 2

The continuing story from the first volume by Aya Kanno here turns into episodic comedy chapters, becoming rather sitcom-like. When I started reading the first story in Otomen volume 2, about a younger, feminine-looking boy who idolizes the macho-seeming Asuka, I thought I’d forgotten too much of the previous book, since I obviously had overlooked Yamato’s introduction. I dug it out only to see that no, he’s just a new character introduced abruptly. Now that Ryo and Juta accept Asuka’s […]

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Orange Planet Volume 1 and Male Harem Manga

When I hear the term “harem manga”, I think of one of those series where a goofy guy has his pick of zaftig girls. I’d never seen the opposite — but I may just not have been looking hard enough. It seems that harem manga aimed at girls differs from that aimed at boys in three major ways: There are fewer boys involved, usually 3, instead of a half-dozen or more girls. There may be some plot beyond “falling in […]

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