I was a bit stunned to see the cover on this installment of the series by Mitsuba Takanashi, especially in comparison to the first book. That volume showed a girl in traditional dress struggling to play volleyball, indicating a culture clash aspect that seems to have gone by the wayside. Now, it looks as though it’s sun, sex, and oh, yeah, sport. The cover is a bit misleading, as advertising sometimes is. But it is true that the driving force […]

The latest entry in the “I must be the best at ___” manga genre combines cooking and competition in an unusual way in Yakitate!! Japan volume 1. Kazuma is determined to become a world-class baker and create a national bread worthy of Japan, one that tastes better than rice. (It’s a pun, you see, since “pan” is Japanese for bread.) Kazuma leaves his family and hometown to apprentice at a “super-famous” Tokyo bakery. It’s been an uphill battle for him. […]

Like an episode of a good television serial, the latest edition of Case Closed by Gosho Aoyama may not be outstanding or unique, but it is entertaining in a fashion consistent with the series overall. (The most recent entry in the series I’ve reviewed was volume 11.) First comes the conclusion to the last case from the previous book. I do wish that they would divvy up the chapters better, or more prominently label the books — I would have […]

I’m still enjoying the competition demonstrated in this story of a girl’s attempt to build a volleyball team, but this entry by Mitsuba Takanashi wasn’t as much fun as the earlier volumes. There are two reasons for that: the first is my memory. The book opens with the girls’ volleyball team finally forming and playing together. There are six team members … and I only remember the back story and characterizations for three of them. I wish I had the […]

This second volume opens with a story that unfortunately doesn’t really demonstrate the appeal of the series. Takuya’s being harassed by a classmate due to a misunderstanding over a girl. Little brother Minoru is irrelevant to much of the story, although his presence does demonstrate that Takuya, who won’t be teased or otherwise badgered into fighting, will do whatever’s necessary to defend his charge. I enjoy watching the two interact; Takuya’s learning to take care of another, dependent human, and […]

The series concludes in this volume with a distinct lack of resolution or satisfaction. The family drama from volume 4 is solved with a little conversation, not a bad message, but the way Mom’s attitudes turn on a dime make her seem a bit… unhinged, at best. Creepy brief bit of dialogue between Mimori’s parents: Dad: Leave them alone. They’re only going to talk. Mom: No! I won’t allow her to see that delinquent! Dad: Stop it, Mama! We’re adults! […]

Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga by Koji Aihara & Kentaro Takekuma hides useful information about creating and analyzing readable, marketable comic stories inside savage parody of the industry. Inspired by the crap people read and publish, two manga creators decide to lay bare the secrets of success, using the rationale “if they can do it, anyone can”. They aim to create popular series that become anime, spawn character merchandising, and make them rich. The first lesson is therefore choosing […]

Volume 11 is a great place to sample the Case Closed series by Gosho Aoyama, since this volume contains three complete cases and the solution to a fourth, with no cliffhangers. The first chapter shows boy detective Conan concluding a case from the last book. Like many of his stories, it’s Encyclopedia Brown-like — if you can find the single wrong item or recall the obscure knowledge that forms a clue, you’re well on your way to solving the case […]