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 […]

It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with this entertaining game competition series. (In part, that’s because of a Diamond hiccup soliciting volume 14, which meant I had 15 but had to wait to get the books in order.) I’m glad I could read all three of these volumes together, since they make up a major turning point in Hikaru’s life. Hikaru has become a professional go player, and as volume 13 begins, he’s dressing up for the recognition […]

Solanin has little in common with how many readers think about manga. It’s a self-contained volume, slightly larger in size than the usual manga digest and much thicker. More important is the content, a story about young adults seeking to find themselves and their directions in life. If the book was described to me, I would be more likely to guess Top Shelf or Drawn & Quarterly instead of Viz. I welcome seeing this diversity from them as part of […]