Independent Opinions, News, and Reviews of Graphic Novels, Manga, and Comic Books
When I read the first volume of this series, I thought it was cute and silly. It’s still aiming for that, but now, the fan service is overwhelming the entertainment value for me. For instance, the non-student nature of the supposedly responsible adults is indicated by giving them boobs as big as their heads. That may be to distinguish them from Botan, one of the core trio of girls, who in spite of her medical worries, lack of exercise, and […]
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I got a press release for the upcoming thriller Bad Kids of Crestview Academy, out digitally and “in select theaters” on January 13, 2017. I don’t normally pay attention to thriller press, because I’m squeamish and can’t watch movies based around people trying to kill each other in gruesome ways, but this one caught my eye because of the prominent line “based on the best-selling graphic novel series”. I was somewhat surprised that there was a “best-selling graphic novel series” […]
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Everyone’s Getting Married is my favorite current manga romance, because it’s entertaining for me to see love among adults instead of schoolmates. It’s a cliche’ for the woman to want to get married before the man does, but I still like seeing Asuka and Nanami fall in love in spite of their different opinions on their eventual future. In Volume 2, Asuka admits her feelings for him, telling a friend she’s “going to try to persuade him to see things […]
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DC Super Hero Girls: Hits and Myths is the second graphic novel in the branded series, and I’m glad to say that I liked it better than the first, Finals Crisis. That may be because, now that the characters are established (although most of the main ones are already well-known), writer Shea Fontana and artist Yancey Labat can create a plot a little more complex than previously. They’re the same creative team from the first book, and they’ve got a […]
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In Idol Dreams volume 3, author Arina Tanemura spends more time with the adult Chikage, providing a nice balance to the previous volume. Chikage finally has the phone number of the guy she’s had a crush on since high school — thanks in part to her younger self. She even gets a date with him, but she’s so nervous she drags along Tokita, the guy who’s made her whole transformation possible. That’s him on the cover. Tokita, like the reader, […]
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Princess Princess Ever After is turning into quite the hit for Oni Press. It’s the story of two princesses (originally a webcomic) by Katie O’Neill. One is more traditional-looking, a blonde in a pretty dress. The other is dark-skinned and more adventurous, rescuing the first girl from a tower prison. Then they rescue a prince. Find out more at this Mary Sue writeup (with preview pages). It’s a fairy tale with a twist, since the two princesses fall for each […]
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While Ten Count volume 1 established the characters and premise — OCD, germ-phobic guy meets a therapist who wants to help him — volume 2 remembers that it’s a yaoi manga and concludes with an explicit sex scene. Shirotani has quit coming to work, and his co-workers are concerned. Kurose, the counselor, told Shirotani that their work together is over, which sent Shirotani into a downward spiral. This volume opens with a dramatic re-meeting and some key revelations about how […]
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A month ago, Amazon banned providing free review items (except for books). It didn’t work the way they intended. Now the same unscrupulous merchandisers trying to artificially inflate their product ratings are still giving away product, but they’re “requesting” that “reviewers” don’t include a disclaimer or disclosure that they got the item for free (which violates FTC guidelines, although the people who are shilling for free goods probably don’t care). Anyway, yesterday afternoon, Amazon top reviewers got an email that […]
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