Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Michelle Smith

Lord Hornblower by C. S. Forester: A

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From the back cover:
The Admiral’s face was grim as he gave Commodore Hornblower his orders. The situation was critical: mutiny was an infection that could spread through the fleet like the plague and, furthermore, the defiant crew of the Flame were threatening to go over to the French. St Vincent has put his faith in Hornblower. Hornblower knows he must not fail. Yet neither man dreamt, on that day in 1813, that the mission would result in a peerage—and a death sentence—for Horatio Hornblower.

Review:
This book was totally going to get a perfect score until the last fifty pages or so. It just went on a bit too long. The material at the end felt a bit rushed, possibly just to tie up with Bonaparte’s defeat at Waterloo. It wasn’t bad by any means, just not as good as the rest. The ending was still strong.

Prior to that point, I was loving all of Hornblower’s internal struggles, his endearing insecurities and quirks, his brilliant solutions, the interesting chilly conflict between he and his wife, not to mention the quick action. This is a book that was completely engrossing from the first page, and to have it sort of sputter near the end was disappointing.

One especially neat thing Lord Hornblower did was raise of the question of what kind of man Hornblower would’ve become if there hadn’t been a war on for his entire life. It really made me excited to proceed on to the next books in the series, which take place earlier in his career chronologically, to see what sort of youth he was when he started out.

Fushigi Yûgi 18 by Yuu Watase: B-

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From the back cover:
Miaka has been fighting a battle across two different worlds to keep Taka, the human incarnation of her true love Tamahome, from vanishing. But what could it mean when Tamahome himself returns to confront Miaka and Taka? The answer to this riddle leads Miaka and the Seven Celestial Warriors to the stunning finale of the best-selling Fushigi Yûgi series!

Review:
This volume was really hit-or-miss. There are a number of good things, like Chiriko being clever, and all of the Taka-Tamahome interaction. I was a bit surprised to realize that I actually like Taka, while Tamahome was barely in my top 5 of the Suzaku Warriors.

So, on an interpersonal level, this volume is okay. Plotwise, however, is a real muddle. When explanations are given, they’re lame. Some things just made no sense at all, including a possible retcon, but I don’t really care enough to think that hard about it.

It seems the whole purpose of Plot 2 was to give Taka confidence in his own existence, and… okay. That goal was successful. I just wish the way to get there were better planned.

Bonus good bit: a blip of the happy Tama-cat family in the future.

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas: B

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From the back cover:
Houston, Sophomore Year
Steve is on top of the world. He and his friends are the talk of the school. He’s in love with a terrific girl. He can even deal with the astronaut—a world-famous hero who happens to be his father.

San Diego, Senior Year
Steve is bummed out, drugged out, flunking out. A no-nonsense counselor says he can graduate if he writes a 100-page paper. And in telling how he got to where he is, Steve discovers how to get to where he wants to be.

Review:
Rob Thomas is the creator of Veronica Mars, one of my favorite TV series, and so I was expecting a little something more than what Rats Saw God had to offer. It’s a perfectly decent little book, but I found it to be predictable, mostly on account of heavy-handed foreshadowing.

There are all kinds of little glints of what must be some of Thomas’s favorite elements—the troubled teen who has a poor relationship with his famous father, a supporting cast who fit just a bit too neatly into their stereotypical roles, the game of “I Never” used to reveal who has not done a particular thing, the popular teacher with a dark side…

That said, it was an enjoyable quick read, and I particularly liked how the blocking and gestures of various scenes were clearly and efficiently written. It’s like Thomas was seeing all of this as a TV show in his head even then.

Fushigi Yûgi 17 by Yuu Watase: C

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From the back cover:
When the demon god Tenkou steals the four stones that Miaka has already collected, is all hope lost for the return of Taka’s memories? And will Tenkou’s manipulation of Taka and Miaka’s friends slowly drive wedges between them and ensure their defeat? Once again, it’s up to Miaka to keep two worlds from falling under the dominion of the ultimate evil!

Review:
This just keeps getting crappier. I really am just waiting for it to be over at this point. Here’s a nugget of Miaka wisdom that especially made me want to hurl the volume away in disgust: “Whether it’s because she’s happy or sad… when a woman loves a man, she’s going to cry.”

Tenkou manipulates Tasuki into being a total git, and Watase manipulates Tasuki into suddenly having feelings for Miaka that were never present before some anvillicious hints in “Part 2.” It’s just unpleasant all around. Chichiri does get to be a badass, but all the stuff about his past is pretty lame.

Good points: Tenkou’s comments when baiting Taka that it’s actually Tamahome that Miaka loves, and that Taka is just a shadow of the real thing. Taka’s resulting questioning of why he needs someone else’s memories to be complete. The final few pages.

Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers: A-

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From the back cover:
The stark naked body was lying in the tub. Not unusual for a proper bath, but highly irregular for murder—especially with a pair of gold pince-nez deliberately perched before the sightless eyes. What’s more, the face appeared to have been shaved after death. The police assumed that the victim was a prominent financier, but Lord Peter Wimsey, who dabbled in mystery detection as a hobby, knew better. In this, his first murder case, Lord Peter untangles the ghastly mystery of the corpse in the bath.

Review:
This is a reread of a book I last read in 2002 and, for some reason, did not enjoy particularly much at the time. I liked it quite well this time around, I’m glad to say, even though I still remembered the identity of the culprit and found the mystery itself to not be as interesting as Lord Peter and his cautious friend from the Yard, Parker.

I particularly liked a conversation between the two of them regarding Peter’s view of detection as a game, at which he feels he ought to be sporting and congratulate his quarry (once caught) on providing good chase rather than be the instrument of their apprehension and subsequent punishment.

Whose Body? was as far as I got in 2002, and this solid start leaves me happily anticipating continuing on into uncharted territory.

Fushigi Yûgi 16 by Yuu Watase: C+

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From the back cover:
As enigmatic exchange student Ren slowly takes control of the minds of everyone in the school, his agenda becomes clear: he is training an army of assassins to kill Miaka! Even if Miaka is able to escape the attempt on her life, will she be able to thwart a mysterious vixen’s efforts to tear Taka from her arms?

Review:
Not even the presence of Nuriko (with correct gender pronouns!) and his cute older brother could reclaim this volume from mediocrity. I can’t even think of any good points to mention, with the possible exception of a couple of Miaka-Taka smooch scenes (at which I routinely yawn) that did a particularly nice job in capturing a sweet/sexay moment.

I could enumerate all the bits of the story that were not very interesting, but since I’m sure that would not be very interesting, I shall refrain.

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket: A

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From the back cover:
Dear Reader,

Like handshakes, house pets, or raw carrots, many things are preferable when not slippery. Unfortunately, in this miserable volume, I am afraid that Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire run into more than their fair share of slipperiness during their harrowing journey up—and down—a range of strange and distressing mountains.

In order to spare you any further repulsion, it would be best not to mention any of the unpleasant details of this story, particularly a secret message, a toboggan, a deceitful trap, a swarm of snow gnats, a scheming villain, a troupe of organized youngsters, a covered casserole dish, and a surprising survivor of a terrible fire.

Unfortunately, I have dedicated my life to researching and recording the sad tale of the Baudelaire Orphans. There is no reason for you to dedicate yourself to such things, and you might instead dedicate yourself to letting this slippery book slip from your hands into a nearby trash receptacle, or deep pit.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Review:
Hooray, lots of stuff happened! We get answers to some questions, make progress on others, and encounter a few new mysteries, to boot. Also, it seems like my prediction of what V.F.D. stands for might actually be correct.

Besides plot-related things, there’s also some interesting character growth this volume. Violet and Sunny in particular go through a few changes, and the older kids very nearly fight villainy with villainy. They have a bit of angst about possibly becoming villains themselves, what with having worn disguises the previous volume and been a bit deceitful, etc. It really gives a strong double-meaning to the title.

Fushigi Yûgi 15 by Yuu Watase: B

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From the back cover:
Miaka must reenter The Universe of the Four Gods and collect the seven magic stones that contain her soulmate Taka’s lost memories… or else risk losing him forever! Taka has always been the one who protected Miaka, so will she be able to handle this new responsibility? And there’s something unsettling about the new exchange student at Miaka’s high school…

Review:
This volume was a little better than its predecessor, but Part 2 as a whole is still strange. I kind of get more of an Alice 19th vibe from it, with the focus on school and freaky incidents abounding. This isn’t bad, precisely, it just feels like a completely different manga in these sections. Hardly any time is spent in the world of the book, but at least there’s a couple of nice chapters with Hotohori, Houki, and Boushin.

I still don’t get why these magic stones are important to Suzaku or the demon god. Okay, so Suzaku needs to stay powerful so he can keep the demon god bound. Got that bit. Apparently the fact that a wall in an ancient shrine bearing his image has been damaged somehow affects his ability to do this. Oookay. Suzaku said his power was based on love. Eh? So… Suzaku can only be powerful if Miaka saves Taka and the two of them live happily ever after? What a lame god!

Good points: Boushin! Yui, being feisty and confident. A student election including creepy new exchange student with neat crowd reactions.

Fushigi Yûgi 14 by Yuu Watase: B-

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From the back cover:
The voice of the god Suzaku is invading Miaka’s thoughts, and she is given a new mission: to restore the balance of power between the four gods. To do it, Miaka must defeat a new foe—a rising, monstrous power with ambitions to take over all of the universes!

Review:
Meh.

Here’s a quote from one of Watase’s little sidebars that completely applies to my feelings about this volume: “It seems that since volume 13 ended so satisfyingly, there are some people who find it hard to read Part 2!”

Even though we’re seeing the characters some more, and this should probably make me glad, I really believe it should’ve ended in the last volume. The impact of the story is now lessened by having it continue. Even though the villain makes a lot more sense to me now than it did when I saw the OVA, overall the whole plot is rather weak, and I still don’t understand how finding a bunch of stones helps out Suzaku.

Good points: a few genuinely amusing panels and a wonderful cover image of Miaka.

Fushigi Yûgi 13 by Yuu Watase: A+

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From the back cover:
Nakago has entered the real world to collect on Yui’s promise to grant him the third and final Seiryu wish. But his wish may have the greatest consequence of all for Yui! Miaka summons Suzaku, but is it too late to protect her world and the world of the book?

Review:
This volume was incredibly sniff-inducing! Starting on page 142, I must’ve teared up at least three separate times. Even Nakago gains some sympathy, but I wish we’d learned who the one person who could fulfill him was (he mentioned this to Soi a volume or so back.)

The real world awesomeness continues, especially the reactions of the regular folk to all the bizarre goings-on. I also really liked the end, and seeing a much more mature-looking Miaka preparing to enter high school. I hope she retains this courageous, non-spazzy personality for the rest of the volumes. I don’t remember the OVA well enough to say for certain.

Fushigi Yûgi 12 by Yuu Watase: A+

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From the back cover:
A god is summoned, a wish granted, and all is not right with Miaka Yuuki! The good empire of Konan is overrun with enemies; Celestial Warrior powers are useless; and Miaka finds herself back in the real world unable to help her friends! Can a young woman transform herself from a priestess back into a simple girlfriend?

Review:
I really wanted to watch the corresponding anime episodes after reading this page-turner! I’d forgotten a lot of what happened, like Yui’s wishes and all of their consequences.

The conflict between countries has resulted in war, with the Suzaku warriors participating in the battle. Perhaps this should be the most interesting part of the story, but I personally really loved all the stuff going on back in the real world. I’m not normally a particular Tamahome fan, but I quite liked him in this volume.

Fushigi Yûgi 11 by Yuu Watase: A-

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From the back cover:
The first shinzahou treasure from the northern country of Hokkan was stolen from Miaka, and the only treasure left is in the western country of Sairou—and both Miaka and her friend-turned-mortal-enemy Yui are intent on getting the treasure for themselves! But Sairou isn’t a frozen wasteland of forgotten dreams and ghosts like Hokkan. It’s a vibrant, living desert country, whose inhabitants are veterans of the last clash between priestesses and gods!

Review:
Flaws in this volume are few. Aside from a very annoying response to some breakup angst (wondering if she’d done something that made Tamahome hate her), Miaka isn’t too annoying. Another person is added to the tally of those who’ve glimpsed her rack, however. Oh, and there are panty shots, too.

The good stuff includes dramatic losses on both sides, touching bonding between Tasuki and Chiriko, progress on the summoning front, and the appearance of three celestial warriors of Byakko. The love story of Suzuno and Tatara parallels that of Miaka and Tamahome and actually makes the latest breakup angst between the latter pair have some impact. I totally want Byakko Kaiden now.

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket: B

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From the back cover:
Dear Reader,

The word “carnivorous,” which appears in the title of this book, means “meat-eating,” and once you have read such a bloodthirsty word, there is no reason to read any further. This carnivorous volume contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than even the most imbalanced meal.

To avoid causing discomfort, it would be best if I didn’t mention any of the unnerving ingredients of this story, particularly a confusing map, an ambidextrous person, an unruly crowd, a wooden plank, and Chabo the Wolf Baby.

Sadly for me, my time is filled with researching and recording the displeasing and disenchanting lives of the Baudelaire orphans. But your time might be better filled with something more palatable, such as eating your vegetables, or feeding them to someone else.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Review:
I had trouble getting into this one, and read it in a few spurts separated by as much as a week. Again, not much happens. Pretty much the main thing of note is that one question that had been around since the beginning of the series is answered. Nice, but…

As the orphans themselves admit, they didn’t really learn anything new in this attempt. And since I primarily enjoy these because of the overarching mysteries and not because of the supposed dangers of the plight in which the siblings now find themselves, I came away underwhelmed.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: B+

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From the back cover:
The light that streams from the Moonstone, a yellow diamond of unearthly quality, is like that of the harvest moon. Rachel Verinder receives the stone for her 18th birthday. But on that very night, it is stolen. Although all members of the household must give account for the day’s events, Betteredge offers the most insightful renderings. His story is made all the more enjoyable by his uproariously honest assessments of human nature and his reliance on Robinson Crusoe, a book he firmly believes answers the fundamental questions of life.

Review:
The Moonstone has been hailed as the first English detective story, and is well worth reading for historical merits alone. That said, I found the mystery here to be a shade lackluster. From my modern perspective, certain conclusions that were obvious to me were overly explained, and I didn’t find it very hard to guess the perpetrator after a number of facts came to light.

So, as a mystery, it’s not going to be the tightest or cleverest you’ve ever read. As a story, however, it’s very entertaining and often quite funny! It’s told from a variety of first person narratives, as each person concerned with the loss of the moonstone has been charged with committing the things they witnessed to paper, but not to comment on the things that they personally did not know at the time. Particularly amusing are Gabriel Betteredge, the steward of the house, and Miss Clack, a proselytizing cousin whom everyone finds extremely distasteful.

Fushigi Yûgi 10 by Yuu Watase: B

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From the back cover:
Miaka Yuuki is an ordinary junior-high-school student who is transported into the world of a book, The Universe of the Four Gods. Thinking that her mission has failed, she runs off to the land of Sairou, where a warrior of her arch enemy, the God Seiryu, finds her! And before the adventure is over, Miaka will find out who are allies, who are enemies, and who is determined to see her dead!

Review:
This volume was pretty durn silly, but not precisely bad. First of all, I lost track of how many times Miaka wound up with a guy on top of her. That was, like, the recurring theme of the volume. She acted plenty stupid, as well, and I’m going to need to start a tally box of how many times the names Miaka or Tamahome are called out into the void with lots of exclamation points. Lastly, there’s no progress on the shinzahou front—just a lot of trials and tribulations at the hands of the Seiryu folk.

Still, Miaka learns a couple of important things this volume, someone returns and acts unexpectedly, and Tomo’s illusions are cool. I quite liked the one to which he subjects Miaka, particularly seeing Yui and another classmate teasing her about a boy.