Anna N

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol. 9

March 19, 2013 by Anna N

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol 9 by Kiiro Yumi

This manga is one of my go-to comfort reads. As a librarian, I am always happy to read about Library Wars‘s slight goofy premise of librarians becoming a paramilitary force to fight censorship, and while the development of the inevitable romance between overly tall rookie recruit Iku Kasahara and her intense, slightly short, and ever capable instructor Dojo might not be filled with much suspense, there are plenty of adorable and amusing moments along the way.

Iku now knows that Dojo is her fabled “Prince”, the long lost officer from her past who inspired her to join the Library Force. Dojo doesn’t yet know that she knows, but it is growing more and more difficult for the would-be couple to hide their feelings for each other. This volume is fairly episodic, but the stories do serve to push Iku and Dojo closer together. Iku takes part in a sting operation to catch a pervert that is preying on disabled women in the library, and Dojo isn’t very happy that she was placed in harm’s way even though she does manage to finish off the mission capably. Most of the volume centers around the skill test that Iku, Tezuka, and Shibazaki must pass to move up a level. Tezuka and Shibazaki don’t need to worry about passing the written part of the test, but Dojo volunteers to subject Iku to some merciless tutoring to make sure that she’ll be able to advance in her chosen profession. The skills test is where Iku will shine, because it involves leading a storytime for little kids. Tezuka has a bit of a child phobia, and he isn’t sure how to handle it. Iku seems incredibly casual about the situation but as she wanders around going on extra walks, she’s actually designing an incredibly successful active learning activity that ensures she’s going to pass the skill test with high marks. There are some great moments of awkwardness as Dojo apologizes to Iku for not having more faith in her, and she tries to give him a present in thanks for his help on the test.

In many ways, Library Wars is a standard sort of shoujo title, but Yumi’s art easily shifts between showing details of blushes and cartoonish negative emotions as the characters experience the agony of unexpressed love. The paramilitary library plotlines are amusing if one doesn’t think too hard about them, and Iku and Dojo are such a cute couple that I’d happily read many more volumes of the manga.

I didn’t realize that a live action movie adaptation was going to be released in Japan next month! Check out the trailer, what do you think?

Bringing the Drama: Stars Falling from the Sky

March 19, 2013 by Anna N, Michelle Smith, Nancy Thistlethwaite and Emily Snodgrass 1 Comment

Anna: Stars Falling From the Sky is a drama with an unusual plot twist as the circumstances of the heroine change dramatically between the first and second episode. Jin Pal Kang is the worst insurance saleswoman in Korea. She’s superficial and spends most of her time shopping and spending her meager salary on items to attract the attention of her crush, an emotionless lawyer named Won Kang Ha. Pal Kang’s family life is extremely chaotic as her parents have adopted five younger siblings. Pal Kang’s life drastically changes when her parents get killed in a car accident. She manages to secure a job as a housekeeper for the handsome lawyer, but becoming the sole provider for five adopted siblings and actually maintaining her insurance job is going to be difficult! Won Kang Ha’s house is also occupied by his feckless nephew and his overly kind brother, providing a perfect set-up for a love rectangle. Stars Falling From the Sky is available on Dramafever.

Stars Falling From the Sky!

I found this series immensely addicting and I watched all 20 episodes in a couple weeks. What were your reactions to the first few episodes?

Michelle: I went from almost violently hating everyone—except Pal Kang’s long-suffering best friend—in episode one to feeling pretty addicted myself by the end of episode two! The heroine turns around overnight, practically, and even the kids grow more distinct. I think I might end up actually making it to the end of this series (which would be a kdrama first for me), which I didn’t think would be possible when it took me several sittings to get through just the first episode.

Anna: The first episode was rough going, just because really the only characters that I liked were Pal Kang’s parents. That being said, I had a certain amount of sympathy for how selfishly she was behaving just based on her hectic home life. If I was a young 20something and was still living at home with a gaggle of siblings causing chaos everywhere, I might become overly fixated on snobby lawyers and shopping myself. I thought the ending of the first episode was so shocking I immediately started watching the second, and then I was hooked. One of the things I like so much about this series is the more realistic way the characters develop. Pal Kang becomes a much better person but it doesn’t happen overnight.

Michelle: I suppose I never did hate her dad, but her mother frustrated me with her refusal to do anything about the younger siblings destroying Pal Kang’s things and, in fact, blaming it on Pal Kang. But you’re right, the end of the first episode suddenly gets riveting starting with the parents going to the site of the proposed hospital. When I wrote that Pal Kang turns around overnight, I didn’t mean that she completes a transformation, but that she suddenly sees how frivolous she has been. And even when times are tough in her housekeeping situation and her first instinct is to complain about unfairness, she quickly follows it up with gratitude that they’ve all got a roof over their heads. She’s no saint, but she has matured a great deal quite abruptly.

Pal Kang sports the latest in apron fashions.

Emily: Yeah, this is something I really enjoyed about this series – the unconventional heroine, Pal Kang. Yes, in episode 1 she starts off as very immature and flighty and irresponsible. It is almost painful to watch. But when times get rough, she makes a difficult decision and then STICKS to it. She changes herself, and then abides by her choice even when all the other characters around her try to drag her into the usual kdrama love triangle nonsense. While it does take her some time to ramp up her skills- it’s one thing to make a decision, and another to actually have the knowledge about exactly how to make things work, she keeps pushing forward and puts family first. Other characters put her into typical kdrama situations – especially the amazingly awful and delusional obligatory female rival – but Pal Kang doesn’t have time for her crap, and pretty much says so repeatedly. She has an iron resolve.

I also enjoyed the family bond between Pal Kang and the kids. They do all develop distinct personalities and each one supports the family in a unique way. And the child actors are great.

Pal Kang, the Cranky Lawyer, and a Gaggle of Children.

Our grumpy hero doesn’t have much to work with for a while, other than, ‘be grumpy and mean,’ but he does loosen up eventually and have more to do later. Pal Kang’s influence changes him a lot, and even he learns to respect and understand her choices.

Anna: The child actors were an aspect of the show that I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. But they all had very distinct personalities, and I thought the oldest boy’s storyline portraying his anger at being suddenly orphaned was particularly good. Grumpy hero Won Kang Ha was grumpy, but I thought the writers at least gave him more history and motivation to explain his grumpiness, so I felt like his emotional remoteness was earned as opposed to being a bit of a stock character.

Michelle: I definitely came to like the kids more than I expected, especially since at the beginning their storylines revolve almost exclusively around having to go to the bathroom (complete with over-the-top squirming and facial expressions). Gradually, their distinct personalities do emerge and it’s fun seeing, for example, Cho-Rok and Pa-Rang have a discussion amongst themselves whilst the older kids are out of the room. I confess that clever Cho-Rok is my favorite.

Anna: The bathroom stuff was a bit excessive, but I will say as a parent to young children it is alarming how much you end up having to deal with bathroom stuff.

Nancy: I’ll touch on a few points already brought up. I hated this drama at first. Then it became engrossing, but I’m not sure it was worth all the hours in the end. I did dub this “Defecation Drama”–there should be a drinking game for every time a character has to go the bathroom, is constipated, is grabbing their ass (like that will help?!), or is grimacing while seated on the toilet. Oh, and the baby poop scene in the car… I thought they might actually slow-mo it or do a dramatic flashback because the makers of this show seem to be so enamored with poop!

Do NOT test a bottle that way!

Pal Kang was the high point of this drama. Her struggle to survive with her young siblings was very moving. There was enough drama without adding the scheming female relatives from the Jung family. Jae Young, the wannabe fiancée, was interesting before they made her jump off the deep end. The motivations of the Jung relatives made no sense after a while. Like in so many kdramas, the focus of the story was lost to its detriment.

The inevitable confrontation between lead guy and second lead guy!

I must bring up grandpa. He collapsed so many times in this drama after hearing startling news that I found it hilarious. If you watch this drama, see if you can predict each time grandpa will keel over.

Anna: It would be easy to come up with a drinking game for this drama based on bathroom issues, housekeeping problems, and grandpa’s collapses. There was something about the pacing and the cliffhangers at the end of each episode which were particularly compelling to me. I marathoned this series in a way I haven’t done with a kdrama in quite some time. Part of what interested me so much were the aspects of the series that were a bit unusual like Pal Kang’s unsympathetic character in the beginning. But I can see Nancy’s point about the standard kdrama plot points coming in and derailing the unique aspects of the show.

Emily: I could have done without most of the subplot involving grandpa’s family/corporate maneuvering and the obligatory Birth Secret, but I suppose it can’t be a kdrama without those things :) I liked watching the bond between Grumpy Hero and Sleepwalker ^^

Michelle: I reacted much the same to the cliffhangers, Anna. There was just something so compelling about them that made me forget all about bathroom ridiculousness. And I have actually not yet gotten to the bond between the Grumpy Hero and the Sleepwalker. Do you mean Pa-Rang? I anticipate some adorableness.

Nancy: Grumpy Hero and Sleepwalker were sweet. :3

Turn a lawyer into a marshmallow by making him deal with a child with an adorable sleep disorder!

Anna: So Stars Falling From the Sky features a heroine who is maddening at the start of the show but who redeems herself by the end, an over reliance on bathroom issues as a plot point, a grumpy lawyer lead guy, cute kids, a fainting grandpa, and some adorable sleepwalking. If you are going to embark on this show, I recommend watching at least the first two episodes before making a decision to continue or not, because it really does change drastically from the first to the second episode.

The family that scams grocery store samples together, stays together?

Watch now at DramaFever

Pick of the Week: JManga Scramble

March 18, 2013 by MJ, Anna N, Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith 5 Comments

With a distinct lack of new print manga available in stores this week, we thought we’d take the opportunity to recommend a few last-ditch titles from soon-to-expire digital publisher JManga. If you’ve got extra points to spend and are looking for a great, last-minute read, here are a few titles to consider!

ANNA: I’m always on the lookout for more josei manga, and while I was disappointed in the variety of genres Jmanga offered at its initial launch, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw more Harlequin romance, Ohzora, and josei titles popping up in the months to follow. The title I was most excited to see was the fourth volume of Walkin Butterfly 4. I collected the earlier print volumes and was so happy to be able to read the end of the series on Jmanga. While there are series left unfinished with Jmanga’s closure, I feel it is good to celebrate some of the series that Jmanga finished! Walkin’ Butterfly is the story of a tall misfit tomboy named Michiko who begins to find herself when she accidentally becomes part of the fashion world. Her relationship with the temperamental up and coming designer Mihara changes them both, and the series shows how she transforms herself in an atypical way for an ugly duckling becoming a swan type story. Tamaki’s illustrations convey the world of modeling and fashion in an edgy way – while there are occasional flashes of elegance, this is much grittier than the stylized fashion portrayed in a title like Paradise Kiss.

SEAN: I think I’ve banged the gong for Wonder! and High School Girls enough, so I’ll note that my favorite aspect of JManga was that they could pick up some of the weirdest titles. Not just normal seinen weird like Ninja Papa or Anesthesiologist Hana, but stuff that no one else would license in a million years. Things like Young-kun, a stick-figure 4-koma that I still don’t think I ever understood, or Edo Nekoe Jubei Otogizoshi, a mystery-solving cat manga from Shonen Gahosha’s magazine of cat manga. And of course there was a pile of yuri titles that fans have been wanting for years, from Love My Life to Poor Poor Lips to YuruYuri. The saddest thing is that there was simply too much content I wanted to read, and I may never get the time to now. But man, it was great content.

MICHELLE: If there was just one title that I’d recommend people read while they have the chance, it would be est em’s Working Kentauros. Here’s what I said about it in a Going Digital column from last year: “Like the best speculative fiction, est em uses her offbeat “centaurs in the workplace” concept to communicate universal truths. Everyone wants to be free to be themselves, and no one wants to watch someone they love get sick and pass away. Even if they happen to be a centaur. Highly, highly recommended.”

MJ: Many of my favorite series at JManga are hard to recommend at this juncture, simply because they’re unfinished. As much as I adore titles like Sweet Blue Flowers, Dousei Ai, or Pride, I can’t wholeheartedly recommend that anyone sign themselves up for that kind of heartbreak. One of my long-touted BL favorites, however, is Haruko Kumota My Darling Kitten Hair, which, though unfinished, is so committed to its low-key, slice-of-life format that it’s guaranteed to offer no lingering angst or nail-biting cliffhangers. From my review of the second volume: “It’s so rare to read a BL series (or any relationship-driven story) that is about staying in love rather than falling in love, and there’s a reason for that. It’s hard! As difficult as it can be to write authentic, well-developed romance, much like actual romance, it’s even harder to keep that fire burning after the initial rush of first love. Thankfully, My Darling Kitten Hair stands as a lovely example of how to do exactly that. And it’s a real pleasure to read.” Two volumes are available.

Readers, any last-ditch JManga titles you’d recommend?

Bookshelf Briefs 3/18/13

March 18, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, MJ and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

This week, Sean, Anna, MJ, and Michelle look at recent releases from Dark Horse Comics, VIZ Media, Kodansha Comics, and Vertical, Inc.

Blood-C, Vol. 1 | By Ranmaru Kotone, based on a concept by Production I.G. and CLAMP | Dark Horse Comics – I haven’t read any of the Blood the Last Vampire/Blood+ series that this one is supposedly part of, but I think I get the gist. A cute clumsy girl is revealed to be the last stand humanity has against demonfolk who are attacking innocents, which she then kills with her big sword. Most of this first volume focuses on her cute and sweet classmates (who will no doubt die horribly), except for one sullen guy who avoids her (who screams ‘love interest’) The battles are OK, and the character designs are sort of CLAMP-ish, but I won’t be trying any more of this for one big reason: I was bored to tears reading it. Every single page of this reeks of media tie-in, and not the good kind. Readers who like CLAMP are advised to get the Tokyo Babylon omnibus instead. – Sean Gaffney

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol 9 | By Rei Toma | VIZ Media – Nakaba’s powers of magical vision have revealed the depth of Loki’s feelings to her, and to her credit her reaction is to be very concerned about all that her faithful servant must have suffered, both due to his actions in shielding her from harm and Nakaba’s ignorance of his emotions. There isn’t much time to dwell on romance, as the political situation in Lithuanel grows even more tense, and Nakaba sees how scheming royalty use the life of an Ajin to bolster the succession. Nakaba and Caesar’s relationship is stronger than ever and I hope Loki is able eventually to find some sort of happiness. Dawn of the Arcana continues to be an entertaining fantasy manga, made more interesting by Nakaba’s use of her powers. – Anna N

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 7 | by Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – A Devil and Her Love Song is unique in the way that emotions that tend to be buried in more typical shojo series are drawn out and discussed in detail. Here Maria is dealing with the fallout of her friendship with Anna, relying more on Yusuke (at his insistence) but still being drawn towards Shin despite his attempts to distance himself from her. The manipulations of a voice coach who seems to take a marked interest in Maria makes it seem like he will play a larger role in upcoming volumes. This series continues to be a go-to read when I want a manga packed full of drama, with a few sweet moments along the way. – Anna N

Fairy Tail, Vol. 24 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – We’ve finally come to the end of the Edolas arc, with Natsu resolving things with his usual straight-ahead heroics… or in this case, villain posing. The next arc will show the characters competing in a battle to be the next S-class wizard, which promises to shed some light at last on Cana, who’s mostly just been “the pretty alcoholic” till now. But most folks remember this volume for the BIG SPOILER. I have no issues with the spoiler itself – god knows I’ll do anything for my happy endings. That said, the premise behind it coming about does require a large amount of disbelief suspension in a series that already has issues with that sort of thing. As for how it affects future volumes, who knows? After all, the extras already hint that Mashima has rewritten his future outline to be quite different from his original plan. – Sean Gaffney

Limit, Vol. 3 | By Keiko Suenobu | Vertical, Inc. – Out of the three currently-available volumes of Keiko Suenobu’s Limit, the third is perhaps the cruelest (and certainly the best). Things begin on an unexpected upswing, as most of the group begins to recover their humanity in the wake of unstable Morishige’s fall from power, which is solidified further by the appearance of another surprise survivor. But as Morishige’s mental condition deteriorates, things eventually become more frightening than ever which, by Limit‘s standards, means quite a bit. I left this volume experiencing a hopeless, sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach that felt far more real than it should have. And isn’t that a shining example of the power of good fiction? This series continues to become more compelling and addictive with each new volume. Wholeheartedly recommended. – MJ

Strobe Edge, Vol. 3 | By Io Sakisaka | Published by VIZ Media – I am officially beginning to love Strobe Edge, by which I mean I’ve developed an affection that goes beyond simply being happy to see that a new volume has come out. Slowly, and whilst tip-toeing around some stock shoujo scenarios, Strobe Edge has grown more compelling with each volume. The love… shape between Ninako, Ren, Mayuka, and Ando grows more complicated and painful, and is so well done that any accusations of this being “generic” shoujo should be firmly squashed by this volume. Not only do I love that Ren’s friends are becoming concerned that maybe he does like Ninako, but I love that Mayuka is intimidated, too, and now we have two thoroughly likeable girls both in love with the same boy and feeling awkward about the presence of the other in his life. This is so much better than malicious rivals or wacky hijinks! Highly recommended. – Michelle Smith

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 1

March 17, 2013 by Anna N

Knights of Sidonia, Vol 1 by Tsutomu Nihei

I was excited to see that Vertical was releasing Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, because I greatly enjoyed Biomega. As I was reading this manga, I realized that there really is a dearth of giant mecha manga being published in English. One viewing of the Evangelion anime was enough for me, so I haven’t been following the various manga spinoffs. Most shonen seems to be more of the monster of the week/fantasy variety now, and it wasn’t until I was reading Knights of Sidonia that I realized how much I missed GIANT ROBOTS FIGHTING IN SPACE!

Nihei’s manga centers on Nagate Tanikaze, a human on the seed spaceship Sidonia which is carrying humanity away from the destruction of the solar system by aliens called Guana. Nagate lives in an underground area, sharing his cramped apartment with his grandfather’s corpse and spending his time training in an alien combat simulation fighter. The human race has been split to an extent, with most opting for a procedure that allows them to photosynthesize. Nagate still needs regular human food and he is captured by others on the spaceship when he ventures out for rice. Nagate begins to assimilate into current human society, and he gets signed up to pilot a Garde – the mecha who fight the Guana that attack the Sidonia. Nagate is socially awkward but seems to have an odd ability to tolerate pain and heals up very quickly. Being a regular human might give him a bit of an edge over his modified compatriots?

As Nagate trains to fight he meets Izana, a human who can be both genders. He also meets a variety of photosynthesizing clones. Nagate’s isolation causes him to be several years behind with recent developments, but he throws himself into piloting the Tsugumori, the Guarde unit he is assigned to. There isn’t anything else going on with his life. The space battles are where a horror element comes in as the semi-sentient Guana can shift their shapes, even taking on the outward appearance of a human that they’ve killed. They’re blobby and somewhat fetus-like, if a fetus was a giant shifting alien.

One of the things I like about Nihei’s work is that he tells a compelling story without over-explaining everything. I’m getting to the point where having an origin spelled out in the first couple chapters of a manga starts making my eyes glaze over, but Knights of Sidonia manages to be intriguing without being frustrating. I’m interested to find out more about the human society on the Sidonia, the reasons for Nagate’s previous exile, and to learn more about his progress as a Guarde pilot. Knights of Sidonia doesn’t yet have some of the great desolate scenes of beauty that I enjoyed so much in Biomega, but one of the things I enjoy about Nihei’s art is his ability to convey scale and space in his backgrounds. When Nagate falls through a hole into an enormous rice storage bin, it is easy to get a sense of just how massive the Sidonia is.

Most importantly for fans of Biomega, there is a talking bear in Knights of Sidonia. She doesn’t have a machine gun yet, but she does have an artificial arm. Seriously, a talking bear in outer space with an artificial arm is reason enough to buy this manga, and all the great mecha/alien battle scenes and Nagate’s journey are really just a bonus.

Goodbye JManga

March 14, 2013 by Anna N

Well, I’ve been wondering why JManga seemed to be spinning its wheels a bit in terms of new releases, and I got my answer today when the notice was posted on the site that the service was going to be terminated. It is really too bad, because they were a unique outlet for niche manga, but as much as I would like to think that there are thousands upon thousands of North American manga fans wanting to read obscure josei manga and manga about train station bento boxes, maybe there are only about fifty or so people willing to pay for it.

Jmanga gave me review points, which I greatly appreciated. I did sign up and pay for the service at the beginning, but at launch time there wasn’t enough content on there to keep me busy. While I greatly enjoyed the few series from Jmanga I was able to read, it was only in more recent months that they started releasing more titles in the genres I enjoy from publishers like Ohzora and Shueisha. Some people have pointed to a lack of support for iPads as one reason why they didn’t subscribe more to JManga, and the titles I read on JManga I read because I was so interested in them that I was willing to read them in my browser, which isn’t really my preferred viewing methods for digital comics.

Jmanga was an ambitious effort, and it is unfortunate that it is shutting down. I imagine this will have a chilling effect on digital manga distribution in the future. I’ll always be delighted that JManga gave me a chance to read the last volume of a josei series that I thought I’d never get to finish, Walkin’ Butterfly. Jmanga had some fun Harlequin and romance manga, and it enabled me to read Est Em’s manga about Centaur Salarymen. Those were some great reading experiences, and I’ll miss Jmanga for what it was and what it had the potential to be. I’m going to be rereading some of my favorite titles before the site goes dark.

Manga the Week of 3/20

March 14, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N, Michelle Smith and MJ 1 Comment

SEAN: So yeah, remember me bragging I got Yen releases a week early? Not this month.

What does that mean?

It means Vagabond 34, that’s what it means. And that’s it. Luckily, Vagabond is pretty damn awesome. So for Vagabond fans, new volume!

ANNA: Vagabond is pretty great.

SEAN: For everyone else, catching up on the stacks of manga to read next to you, like me?

MICHELLE: And how! Seriously, there are literally stacks.

MJ: What she said!

Bookshelf Briefs 3/11/13

March 11, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N Leave a Comment

This week, Sean, MJ, Michelle, and Anna look at recent releases from Seven Seas, VIZ Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc.

Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, Vol. 4 | By QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – One thing I recall about Bloody Twins is that Alice and the Twins got physical almost immediately, and it felt rushed. With Boris, we’ve waited 4 volumes for him to finally get together with Alice, and the waiting has made it much sweeter. There’s likely trouble on the horizon, though. The spectre of Alice’s sister which haunts every single one of these books is still around, and it’s noted that Alice is the sort who’s likely to destroy herself with guilt – is her love with Boris helping, just a distraction, or actively making things worse? Things are not helped by an ongoing mob war between the Hatter and another family, and Peter White’s attempts at doing his best for Alice while still being jealous and clinging. This series is really hitting its stride.– Sean Gaffney

Demon Love Spell, Vol. 2 | By Mayu Shinjo | VIZ Media – OK, Mayu Shinjo, you win. I’ll just put Ai Ore! down to being a clunker in and of itself and settle in with Demon Love Spell, which is far more to my taste. I like that she’s thinking carefully about what it would really be like for an incubus to be living with Miko… and how doing so is actually changing Kagura, making him more receptive to her less lustful feelings. And it certainly helps that life seems to be conspiring against him getting anywhere with her except in dreams. There’s also some touching storytelling here, with the fox subplot resolved in a very bittersweet yet satisfying way (her author’s notes on this are hilarious, by the way.) The balance between seduction and consent, always difficult to keep in many other shoujo manga (hi, Hot Gimmick!) is just right here, and it makes for a sexy, fun read.– Sean Gaffney

Demon Love Spell, Vol. 2 | By Mayu Shinjo | VIZ Media – I’m not as charmed as MJ by the second volume of Demon Love Spell, but I will grant that it’s probably the best volume of any Mayu Shinjo manga that I have read. It begins with the story of a seriously adorable fox (who is significantly less adorable in his human form) who confuses Miko with the girl he loves. The conclusion to this is genuinely touching, and along the way Kagura realizes that Miko’s feelings of love for him are superior sustenance to mere physical intimacy. Not that he’s given up on getting into her pants, of course, though she’s able to deflect and distract him easily enough in subsequent chapters that it doesn’t feel like there’s a serious power imbalance in their relationship. This will probably never be my favorite series, but it doesn’t piss me off, which is more than I can say for Ai Ore!. – Michelle Smith

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 13 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – For all that they’re enemies, Saeki and Miyabi’s groups both have a basic goal, whether it’s intended or not. Saeki takes the delinquent loner types and brings them closer together, and Miyabi takes the eccentric weirdos and gives them a purpose. This means that it’s quite hard to root against the Student Council, something lampshaded in the series itself. (“Wait, are we the enemy?”) This volume we meet Kanon, who has a chip on her shoulder against men but who warms up to Natsuo fairly quickly. That none of this is the least bit surprising isn’t an issue – no one reads Oresama Teacher for the plot. But if it’s lots of laughs and occasional heartwarming scenes, this is for you. Not to mention the final cliffhanger, which features a fantastic dynamic entry by… well, that would spoil it.– Sean Gaffney

Paradise Kiss, Vol. 3 | By Ai Yazaka | Vertical, Inc. – Volume three wraps up Vertical’s edition of Paradise Kiss, and oh what a wrap-up it is! I’d forgotten just how wonderfully complex this story becomes before its close and how brilliant Yazawa’s artwork is throughout. Her panel designs and page layouts are extraordinarily expressive—she’s able to put more raw emotion in just a pair of eyes than many artists can manage over the course of an entire work. Though this story revolves around high school students, its realistic focus on adult concerns like recognizing personal limitations and making hard career choices (and its refusal to romanticize its primary romantic pairing) reminds us why Paradise Kiss is a josei manga. Vertical’s new edition makes the most of all of this by both declining to gloss over the characters’ less mainstream idiosyncrasies and showing off Yazawa’s artwork to its best advantage. It’s a must-buy for any fan. – MJ

Slam Dunk, Vol. 27 | By Takehiko Inoue | VIZ Media – The game against Sannoh enters the second half and our heroes start to fall apart. In particular the normally solid center and captain Akagi has trouble managing the opposition. Sannoh goes on an unanswered scoring streak, making the gap almost impossible to close. The only people who still seem to have faith are Coach Anzai and Sakuragi, who is either going to become an offensive rebound machine or do something incredibly stupid. Perhaps both! This is another stellar volume of Slam Dunk. I would be happy if this basketball game lasted forever, but instead I will wait impatiently for the next volume to see if Sakuragi gets to play out his basketball hero fantasies. – Anna N

Strobe Edge, Vol. 3 | By Io Sakisaka | VIZ Media – Given that I originally began this series thinking, “I’m so bored,” it’s important to note that it has become one that I now rush to consume the moment it arrives at my doorstep. Everyone’s relationships take on new complications in this volume as Ninako and Ren stumble over a few mutual misunderstandings, Ando finally confesses his growing feelings for Ninako, and Ren and Mayuka (unsuccessfully) try to pretend that nothing at all is going wrong. What’s especially refreshing about the way this series is handling its romantic complications is that everyone is genuinely likable (even playboy Ando is turning into a stand-up guy), everyone’s feelings are equally relatable, and there’s no sign of a typical, overblown shoujo villain in sight. While this certainly complicates things for readers, it’s immensely satisfying. I’m on the edge of my seat and ready for heartbreak, one way or another. Definitely recommended. – MJ

Umineko: When They Cry Episode 1: Legend of the Golden Witch, Vol. 2 | By Ryukishi07 and Kei Natsumi | Yen Press – The only thing longer than the title of this volume is the book itself, which is truly enormous. Unfortunately, the vast majority of it is tedious. Battler utters his “flip over the chessboard” catchphrase approximately 31 times as he goes back and forth on whether the ritualistic murders happening on an isolated family island are the work of a human or supernatural culprit. The moment when he realizes his theories are all useless is played as a tremendous shock, but it was obvious to readers from the start. Ultimately, despite the body count and the relentlessly creepy/irritating little girl serving as the witch’s mouthpiece, Umineko is boring. It’s impossible to care about these characters or feel anything when they’re killed off, and even though there is more to this story after this volume, I think I am well and truly done now. – Michelle Smith

Vampire Knight, Vol. 16 | By Matsuri Hino | VIZ Media – Maybe I’m remembering it a little easier, or it just wasn’t as convoluted, but I found it easier to get back into the swing of Vampire Knight this time around. Things seem to be drawing closer to a crisis point – Kaname and the Headmaster’s battle is fraught with tension, and Sara continues to make a very Carmilla-esque villain. But really, this series is at its best when it’s examining the relationships between Yuki, Zero and Kaname, and we get a lot of that here. They’re both pushing Yuki away as far as they can, and to her credit she’s not really having it from either of them (though with Zero she acquiesces a bit more). This leads up to the cliffhanger, showing the three of them together once more. It’s still high shoujo soap opera, and I’m not sure who’s going to survive to a happy ending, but I’ll be sticking around.– Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Tokyo Babylon

March 11, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Michelle Smith and Anna N 16 Comments

SEAN: Far be it from me to break with what I suspect is going to be unanimous. The clear pick this week is the first omnibus re-release of CLAMP’s Tokyo Babylon. I joked about it being the story of Hokuto and those two other guys, but it is certainly true that Hokuto is my favorite thing about it, and I’ll likely be digging into this volume especially for her. That said, the tragic story of Subaru and Seishirou is no slouch, and if I want to pretend things end happily I can just stop with this first volume anyway. This is one of the books that made CLAMP famous, and justifiably so.

MJ: I’m sure that by now it’s obvious I concur. Though there are at least two series I love just as much on this week’s list (Fullmetal Alchemist and Paradise Kiss) Dark Horse’s re-release of Tokyo Babylon is one of my most euphorically anticipated of the year, and there’s no way I can turn down the opportunity to try to bring more readers into the fold. I love everything about this series—its overblown comedy, its sometimes-clunky drama, and its eighties fashion sense—but mostly I love it for its slow-developing characterization and, well, its cruelty. CLAMP goes at this story with full force, and isn’t satisfied until they’ve beaten you into an hysterical, bloody heap. If you think I’m exaggerating, you haven’t read Tokyo Babylon. So go to it!

MICHELLE: I’m not gonna be the one to buck the trend! The best thing about the series being in print again is that readers who missed out the first time will be able to discover it. I hope we see some reviews from first-time readers in the near future!

ANNA: I think all of this peer pressure means I have to give this series a second chance.

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 3/13

March 7, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 3 Comments

SEAN: I have a sneaky suspicion I know what the Pick of the Week is going to be next week… regardless of that, let’s see what publishers have to offer.

Blade of the Immortal may have come to a close recently in Japan, but Dark Horse still has a few more to go. The back cover to Vol. 26 hints that Tonight Someone Dies, so it is no doubt very important that everyone grab this.

MICHELLE: Someday I will continue with this series.

SEAN: And then there’s the first Tokyo Babylon omnibus. Which is filled with Hokuto, who is awesome and the only real reason to read this early CLAMP title! Oh yeah, there’s her brother as well. And some guy. I suppose a few people might read it for them instead.

MJ: TOKYO BABYLON TOKYO BABYLON TOKYO BABYLON. Okay, yes, I’m a fangirl on a massive level, here, but there are so many reasons why this is my favorite CLAMP series (and one of my favorite manga series of all time). I’ll save my loudest raving for Pick of the Week (and Off the Shelf), but out of all the CLAMP re-releases Dark Horse has undertaken over the past few years, this is the one I’ve anticipated most eagerly. I’m so looking forward to re-reading the series.

MICHELLE: I agree, but cannot possibly match MJfor sheer enthusiasm!

ANNA: Maybe I should give this series another try? I read the first few volume and found it so much less gripping than X\1999 that I don’t think I ever finished it. That being said I do have feelings of pleasant nostalgia whenever I think of early CLAMP series in general.

SEAN: SubLime has the third volume of His Favorite, whose cover makes it look like this is a manga about Luffy the uke and Robin the seme. I’m sure it’s not about that at all. Not that that would not be a highly entertaining title in its own right.

MJ: This is one of my favorite recent series from SuBLime, though your comment adds an element of hilarity I hadn’t considered!

MICHELLE: Wow, I had never noticed the similarity in scars before.

SEAN: Vertical has the 3rd and final re-release of Paradise Kiss, which most everyone else got this week. It’s a terrific series, and I particularly love the ending. If you didn’t get it yet, get it.

MJ: I’m a bit sad that the debut of Dark Horse’s Tokyo Babylon omnibus will probably overshadow the end of Paradise Kiss, so I’ll do my best to rave about both. I had some quibbles early on regarding Vertical’s adaptation of some beginning chapters, but these have long since been made up for by subsequent volumes. And if I had to choose the loveliest of Vertical’s work on this series, I’d have to go with volume three, which is stunning in every way. This is absolutely a must-buy this week. It’s on my personal top ten as well!

MICHELLE: There are things about the ending to Paradise Kiss that give me geekbumps to even *recall*, even though it’s been years since I last read it.

ANNA: I’ve been enjoying the Vertical editions of this series and plan on buying this!

SEAN: The rest is all Viz. 07-Ghost hits Vol. 3 and shows us that the best answer for ‘who is ready to lead the Church’ is ‘how much TRAINING have they had’? I bet the Papal Conclave doesn’t concentrate on that at all.

MJ: I never got any further than volume one of this series, but I’ll catch up eventually! And I’m looking forward to it, too.

MICHELLE: Ditto.

ANNA: I have been hoarding the 2nd and 3rd volumes and plan to read them together very soon. I enjoyed the world building and action in the first volume very much.

SEAN: Arata the Legend hits lucky Vol. 13, whose luck is to come out a week after a Fushigi Yuugi release and thus likely be ignored. Shame.

MICHELLE: Aw. Arata is quite good, too, though it’s true I don’t love it as well as Genbu Kaiden.

ANNA: I don’t think Genbu Kaiden can help it though because it is so intrinsically loveable.

SEAN: Fullmetal Alchemist has a 3-in-1 out, covering Vols. 10-12. This is, in my opinion, the only shonen manga to give One Piece a run for its money at perfection. It’s that good.

MJ: Since this series also made my all-time top ten list, I certainly agree with you. Wow, it’s a banner week for my favorites, isn’t it?

MICHELLE: It is. And it’s high time you read some One Piece, missy, so that could be your favorite, too!

ANNA: I agree that Fullmetal Alchemist is a magnificent series and it is unfortunately one that I stopped reading due to it having so many volumes. I intend to reread the whole thing and finally finish it one day though.

SEAN: Neon Genesis Evangelion also says it’s a 3-in-1, but the first volume was deluxe, more like their VizBIG line. Re-reading the start of the series re-kindled my interest in it again, so I’ll definitely be taking a look at it.

Lastly, RIN-NE Vol. 11 continues to have cute little one-shots, occasional dramatic mini-plots, and no forward progression. (sniffle) It makes me so nostalgic for Ranma and UY’s lack of any progress… it’s like Takahashi has come home!

MICHELLE: I really enjoy RIN-NE for what it is, and without any expectations for it to be anything else. I’ve described Takahashi’s comforting, homey works before as “manga meatloaf,” and I think RIN-NE epitomizes that ethos.

SEAN: What are you folks reading this week?

Strobe Edge, Vol. 3

March 6, 2013 by Anna N

Strobe Edge is the manga equivalent of comfort food and I find myself liking it more and more with each volume. The third volume explores the emerging love triangle between Ninako, reformed womanizer Ando, and unavailable but perfect Ren. Ninako is struggling a bit with wanting to be friends with Ren after being rejected previously, and things become even more emotionally traumatic when it seems like Ren is deliberately acting cold to her. Ren actually being a good guy, he is attempting to protect Ninako from the attentions of the Rejected by Ren Girl Squad, who have targeted Ninako with their bullying ways. This gets cleared up relatively quickly, but more complications are on the way as Ando’s feelings towards Ninako grow and deepen. The two guys in love with a slightly oblivious girl is a well-word shoujo plot device, but Ninako is oblivious and friendly that it is difficult to get annoyed with her. Sakisaka does a good job portraying the subtle ways that Ren and Ninako continue to be drawn towards each other. They have a random conversation about sweets and Ren reveals that he doesn’t think that his girlfriend even knows that fact about himself because he pretends to dislike them around her because she’s always watching her figure. Ren’s general protectiveness towards Ninako is unusual given is general indifference towards other girls. Ren’s actions like helping Ninako out at a school festival and providing extra math tutoring seem to go a bit beyond the limits of normal guy niceness.

Ando has plenty of feelings for Ninako but seems to be holding back both due to his awareness of her feelings for Ren and his realization that she probably couldn’t handle it. He hints around about his feelings and even confronts Ninako about her feelings for Ren, saying “You can’t love someone forever…without getting something back from them.” Ando’s brash personality is a big contrast to Ren’s more quiet thoughtfulness, but it is clear that he does actually care about Ninako and isn’t trifling with the idea of having a relationship with her.

I feel like Sakisaka’s art has grown a bit after three volumes. While the first volume focused a bit too much on Ninako’s blushing naivete, there are more comedic moments in this volume, mostly at Ando’s expense as he gets crushed in a subway car while Ren protects Ninako. When Ninako, Ren, and Ando all start a part-time job in a cafe, Ren and Ando are portrayed as the ultimate desirable waiters, smoothly taking care of everything, while Ninako’s enthusiasm almost makes up for her clumsiness. It is easy to see how well Strobe Edge fits into the Shojo Beat line and with so many series ending or about to end, I’m glad to have a newer series to follow.

Skip Beat, Vol. 30

March 4, 2013 by Anna N

Skip Beat Volume 30 by Yoshiki Nakamura

I continue to be an absolute fangirl over the current Skip Beat storyline about the Heel siblings. It says a lot that 30 volumes into this series I’m still so excited each time I pick up a new volume. Even with some of my other beloved shoujo series like Boys Over Flowers, I think I was starting to get impatient for things to wrap up around volume 30 but as far as I’m concerned I would be perfectly happy for Skip Beat to continue on indefinitely.

Nakamura is very clever about how she’s structured Skip Beat, because while there are plenty of shoujo series out there that use show business as a superficial setting, she really uses the idea of acting and the challenge of portraying other characters to highlight the inner psychological turmoil of her characters. I begin to get a better sense of why Kyoko and Ren are portraying the abnormally close punked-out Heel siblings. Ren playing a actor playing a role of a violent criminal gives him a certain amount of distance from the role in his new movie, a role that is dangerously close to the person he used to be as Kuon. This volume shows Ren’s legendary control slipping a bit as even with the protective layer of Cain Heel, the self he thought was buried starts to resurface.

Kyoko as Ren’s sibling functions as an important anchor for him, but she’s beginning to get a bit disconcerted by her physical proximity to Ren, and while she is attempting to carry out her real life role as best she can, she isn’t able to stay entirely in character. One of the things I’ve always appreciated about Skip Beat is how visually dynamic it is. There’s an extended action sequence at the start of this volume, but there’s plenty of visual interest as Kyoko and Ren both just process their thoughts about their situation. Ren cycles through different aspects of himself as we see the violent and non-reflective Kuon from the past, the grim Cain Heel role, and then glimpses of present-day Ren slip through the cracks in his performance as he interacts with Kyoko. It is nice to be able to count on Skip Beat for a reliable dose of shoujo manga goodness.

Bookshelf Briefs 3/4/13

March 4, 2013 by Sean Gaffney, MJ, Anna N and Michelle Smith 3 Comments

This week, Sean, MJ, Anna, and Michelle look at recent releases from VIZ Media, Yen Press, and Kodansha Comics.

Ai Ore!, Vol. 8 | By Mayu Shinjo | VIZ Media – Ai Ore! is now on hold in Japan while Shinjo works at other projects, which honestly is fine with me, as I’m starting to get really bored with these leads. Rolling back the canon so that they are not sexually active did get rid of some of the more rapey aspects of Akira, which I can only approve of, but it also made him slightly duller. As for Mizuki, I have to regard her as a failure even compared to other weak Shinjo heroines. When the best part of the manga for her is having a mental breakdown at losing her guitar—for 30 pages—you know something’s wrong. That said, there’s nothing actively offensive here like Vol. 1 had. It’s cute and fluffy, and mostly tame. Which is great for generic shoujo manga fans, but a disappointment to those of us who want anything but boring pablum from this artist. It’s sad that I preferred it when it offended me yet kept my interest.– Sean Gaffney

Bakuman, Vol. 18 | By Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – With the end of this series quickly approaching, Mashiro and Takagi come very close to achieving their dreams, which is actually more gratifying than I expected. Even Mashiro’s ill-conceived romance now feels like something to root for (though the manga fan in me still balks at the idea of an anime adaptation as his ultimate goal). Now that the series’ leads have become truly likable, it’s much easier to revel in their successes, and this volume offers up a lot to celebrate. Even Hiramaru’s strange romance gets a satisfying boost in this volume, and I came out pretty much adoring Aoki, which was a real surprise for me. An inside look at assistant politics adds excitement as well. Though I’ve long established myself as an addicted fan of this series, it’s nice to see it push through towards the end with such strength and verve. Still recommended.– MJ

BTOOOM!, Vol. 1 | By Junya Inoue | Yen Press – Battle Royale has a lot to answer for, even though I don’t think it anticipated creating its own genre. But “Survival horror” is very big now, and Yen’s High School of the Dead sells well enough that they’ve bought two more series in a similar vein. BTOOOM! is the first, where a NEET who is master of the gaming world but a failure at getting a real job finds himself on a deserted island with only a bunch of bombs and people trying to kill him. He’s also lost his memory, which is helpful as it allows others to explain the plot to him in detail. There’s a hot girl I’ve no doubt we’ll learn more about soon, and a few villains running around. But for the most part, this gives you lots of action, lots of explosions, and the occasional examination of morals surrounded by “who will die next” tension. It’s not breaking any new ground, but it’s perfectly decent at doing what it wants to do.– Sean Gaffney

BTOOOM!, Vol. 1 | By Junya Inoue | Yen Press – While BTOOOM! might not be able to claim the most original premise ever, it is nonetheless fairly entertaining. Unemployed Ryouta Sakamoto, a 22-year-old living with his long-suffering mother, is the best of the best at the online game BTOOOM!, even though his real life is in pretty bad shape. When he wakes, disoriented, on a remote island, he gradually realizes that he’s been drafted into a real-life version of the game, with deadly stakes. Even though a lot of what happens is completely predictable to the reader, and some of Ryouta’s anguished faces as he deliberates moral questions are actually kind of comedic, it’s still a quick and reasonably fun read. I could’ve done without the buxom competitor and the obligatory focus on her crotch, of course, but you can’t win ’em all. – Michelle Smith

Cage of Eden, Vol. 9 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – Speaking of survival horror, it’s time for a new volume of Cage of Eden, which deals with a lot of the same moral lessons. In particular, Zaji and Mariya coming to blows (well, OK, Mariya getting beaten up) over whether they should abandon Kanako, who has been kidnapped by a King Kong-alike. Mariya points out that they’re facing a lethal and intelligent beast, and have to put the safety of the whole party over just one person. Zaji says screw that. This is shounen manga, so Zaji is, of course, correct. Meanwhile, there is a brief reminder that these are a bunch of puberty-stricken teenagers on a deserted island, with both guys and girls taking a poll for best boyfriend/girlfriend. No surprises to see who wins each side. The fanservice continues to be utterly blatant, but the series still clips along and provides what readers want.– Sean Gaffney

Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 11 | By Yuu Watase | VIZ Media – Oh, the angst! The pain! The total awesomeness! With only one volume left of this fantasy-adventure to go, I can’t help being torn between joy and grief. This is unsurprisingly an action-packed installment, filled with difficult battles, epic emotional drama, and some genuine tragedy. And if some of the series’ primary conflicts are a bit too easily resolved, it’s pretty difficult to calm down one’s adrenaline long enough to notice. Overall, this series offers up a terrific example of the enduring appeal of shoujo adventure stories, and it’s gratifying to see it holding its own alongside the ever-growing stack of high school romances. Now, with the Qu-Dong army approaching and Takiko’s life hanging in the balance, the agonizing wait for volume twelve begins! Highly recommended. – MJ

Jiu Jiu, Vol. 4 | By Touya Tobina | VIZ Media – I could feel my interest in this title start to wane a bit in the third volume, and I’m sad to say that state of affairs is continuing with the fourth. The plot wrinkle for this volume is a sudden Jiu Jiu exchange where Takamichi’s familiars Snow and Night are sent away and replaced with alternates. Takamichi’s reaction to being away from her beloved companions is a sudden increase in her crafting habits, producing far too many dog plushies. Tobina’s art is as stylish as ever and there are some quirky humorous parts of the story, but I’m still not emotionally invested in what might happen to these characters. I’m sure this series has plenty of appeal to some readers because it is generally well-executed and quirky enough to be interesting, but unfortunately I am not one of them. – Anna N

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 13 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – The cover of this title is a lie! It shows Super Bun on the cover, but Mafuyu spends most of her time in this volume as her male alter ego Natsuo. The fact that the juvenile delinquent heroine of this series has secret identities both as a spastic bunny superhero and as a man is why my interest in this comedy manga shows no signs of slowing down even at the thirteenth volume. Mafuyu and her team take on a man-hating member of the student council and there’s a bonus appearance by my favorite character Bancho, which always makes me happy. – Anna N

Pandora Hearts, Vol. 14 | By Jun Mochizuki | Yen Press – Well, wow. I suspected that this volume would be dramatic, but despite my open adoration of this series, I didn’t actually expect it to be so well-executed. Volume fourteen opens with a fairly large plot twist, and then proceeds (with uncharacteristic coherence) to escalate from there. But the greatest joys in this volume are to be found in its relationships, particularly as concerns Vincent, Ada, Gilbert, and Break. That there is enough room for such careful emotional nuance amidst all this series’ action and (girl-aimed) fan service continues to be surprising, but gratifying indeed. That this series is still ongoing means that we’re still in for a long haul, but Mochizuki just continues to get better, and she’s quickly making up for her plotting issues early on. Still recommended with unabashed fangirl glee. – MJ

Pick of the Week: VIZ all around

March 4, 2013 by MJ, Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney and Anna N 2 Comments

MJ: There’s a lot to choose from this week, including a number of my traditional favorites (Bakuman, Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden), but I’m going to betray everything I thought I knew about myself and pick something from the pen of Mayu Shinjo. That’s right—I’m getting behind Demon Love Spell, the latest volume of which is due out this week. I read volume two for this weekend’s Off the Shelf, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t just charm the heck out of me. Mayu Shinjo, I judged you too soon.

MICHELLE: Given that I have only one more chance to say it after this time… my vote goes to Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden. Events are moving very briskly towards the end!

SEAN: It feels like forever since I’ve PotW’d One Piece, which almost gets taken for granted these days as simply being omnipresent. But there’s a reason why it is so popular (in Japan, at least): it’s amazing fun, week after week, balancing comedy, drama, action, and more comedy. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if it does make it to 100 volumes, even if that might make Viz cry a bit.

ANNA: I would normally go for Genbu Kaiden, which I adore, or Demon Love Spell which I expect to adore when I pick it up. But since those are taken I will go for Oresama Teacher. Bancho forever!!!!!!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Barrage, Vols. 1- 2

March 3, 2013 by Anna N

Barrage Vols 1 and 2 by Kouhei Horikoshi

Barrage is a bit of a rarity, a two volume complete shonen series. I tend to read less shonen than shoujo just because of my interests as a reader, but I also have a certain hesitation to commit to a long-running shonen series when there are so many shoujo series that I’m following. I think I enjoyed Barrage more just because at two volumes the story didn’t start to get spun out to the point where the manga overstayed its welcome.

Barrage is very loosely based on The Prince and the Pauper. Astro is a plucky slum kid in a futuristic world called Industria where the humans have completely been overrun by aliens, who function as a version of the mafia on the poor stressed planet. Astro has adopted other orphan kids and tries to hold down a job despite his difficult boss just so he can feed his adopted family. One day an arrogant prince named Barrage gets his attention called to Astro and proposes a switch in identities because the boys look so similar. A stray laser blast promptly sends the prince to his death, and a group of handlers take Astro to the palace. Astro agrees to serve as the prince, and he’s given help in the form of the Knight Tiamat, who is aces at fighting and incredibly frightened of women. Astro also demonstrates an uncanny ability to weild the weapon of the royal house, a bracelet called the Orgue which can transform into a powerful energy weapon based on the wielder’s intentions. The first volume mostly serves as set-up, as Astro takes his place in the palace despite his misgivings, and he learns that he has to travel from town to town to fight off the invading aliens. Astro’s motivation stems mainly from his desire to protect families in any form, and the stress that the aliens place on normal people trying to live their lives is almost unbearable to him. Tiamat is filled with exasperation at having to train a newly minted Prince imposter, but he also has some hope for the new state of affairs as Astro takes his responsibilities much more seriously than the previous prince.

The second volume settles in to more of an in-depth storyline as Astro and Tiamat head to a new town and meet Tiko, a young girl determined to avenge the death of her parents at the hands of the alien invaders. The art for Barrage is generally detailed and interesting, with plenty of variation in the aliens’ character designs. Barrage takes down a mountainous rock-like alien and one that looks a bit like a tadpole. Astro’s past is filled in a bit as he gears up to fight an alien who he previously knew in his life as an orphan. While by the end of the second volume I felt like there could have been at least one more volume of story, things were wrapped up nicely and I enjoyed being able to read a complete, short, shonen series. While there might not be anything super innovative about Barrage, it was fun to read and I thought that using the Prince and the Pauper as a set up made the basic story a bit more interesting that I would otherwise expect.