I’ve been thinking lately, as Tokyopop’s OEL series come to their ends, about whether these young creators have been given the help and support they need. Tokyopop claims shared copyrights on these works, for which one presumes they had some input into them. (The suspicious say that it’s just a way to manipulate creators unaware of their business choices and take more profit and control.) However, judging solely by the way I’ve found the final series volumes severely disappointing, the […]

My, Moyoco Anno’s Happy Mania moves quickly. In the first volume, Shigeta’s problem is “why can’t I get a boyfriend?” Now, after a failed fling with a DJ, she’s loudly insisting she doesn’t need a man and she’s “going to live for work.” Once she gets a job, that is. She’s still depending on nice-guy Takahashi, though, to help in times of crisis (which with her is every other day) and to take her out and cheer her up. Then […]

INVU Volume 4 by Kim Kang Won I was a bit concerned, since the previous books came out five years ago, that I’d be lost trying to pick the series back up. Surprisingly, I wasn’t. I jumped right back into this high school drama (the only Korean manhwa I follow). The “story so far” page was a big help, but it could have been much improved by including captioning the art shots with the character names. The storylines are easy […]

I’m very glad I waited until now to read this. I’ve been curious about Moyoco Anno’s Happy Mania for years (since it came out five years ago), because it was one of the earliest josei manga translated in the US. (Josei is manga aimed at women instead of girls.) If I’d read it back, then, though, I don’t think I’d have gotten the humor or been able to approach it with the lightheartedness required. Now, with more manga under my […]

Makato Shinkai’s The Voices of a Distant Star is one of the most unusual manga I’ve read. First, it was originally a short anime. (Many manga go the opposite way, appearing in print first before being adapted to film. This story was adapted into comic format by Mizu Sahara.) Second, it’s complete in one volume. Mostly, it takes some standard elements and uses them to tell a completely unusual story. It’s about unrealized young love that can never be, and […]

The short series by Amy Kim Ganter concludes in this second volume. (I previously recommended the first book.) As it opens, Nicole has told Josh that she doesn’t want to see him any more, choosing the perceived demands of her writing over real-life friendships. She quickly learns better, that relationships help your art instead of getting in its way. Josh, demonstrating unexpected depth for someone previously chasing girls just because he could get them easily, doesn’t let her get away […]

Divalicious! is a frothy, episodic ramble through the life of a self-obsessed teen pop star. Tina’s got it all — career, fans, a rival, and manager Shaquille. Watching her overreact to all of it is hilarious. Writer T Campbell (Penny and Aggie) covers the gamut of modern celebrity culture in content-packed chapters, while Amy Mebberson’s art more than keeps up with how over-the-top everything is. Her characters are friendly, even when they’re self-absorbed or stupid. Tina’s into every trend, whether […]

It’s high school teen drama… in space! I’m not sure what to say about Earthlight. I want to like it, but it’s not quite there for me. The artist, Christopher Schons, is great with near-future technology, and he’s also good with creating expressive figures in the kids, so that’s not it. The writer, Stuart Moore, crafts excellent scenes and is good at introducing story events and characters efficiently, even if most of the people are predictable types (but still likable). […]