Katherine Dacey

This week, Sean, Kate, and Michelle look at recent releases from Viz Media, Kodansha Comics, and Seven Seas.

The Earl & The Fairy, Vol. 3 | By Ayuko & Mizue Tani | Viz Media – I’m afraid that Edgar and Lydia are not helping their causes when it comes to making me not want to strangle them. Edgar continues to be the sort of hero who hides everything that he does, no matter the reason, because it’s just his way. (To be fair, his upbringing likely invited this.) And Lydia keeps looking for reasons to mistrust him, and finding them, of course, as one does in a series like this. Also, despite the appearance of a bogey-beast partway through this volume, there was a lot less fantasy and a lot more romantic angst. The villain being a typical spoiled brat is also not helping its cause. I’m sure things will get more involved in the 4th (and final?) volume, but nothing in this one convinced me it shouldn’t have ended nicely with two. -Sean Gaffney

Itsuwaribito, Vol. 6 | By Yuuki Iinuma | Viz Media – Volume six of Itsuwaribito reads a lot like an early story line from InuYasha: there are killer dolls, a spider-like villain with eight arms, and a brother-sister pair who would give Kohaku and Sango a run for their money in the pathos department. Alas, that’s where the similarities between these two titles end. Though Rumiko Takahashi did a good job of allowing her story to unfold without too much authorial intervention, Yuuki Iinuma saddles his characters with info-dump dialogue and thought balloons filled with excruciatingly obvious observations. The result is a curiously unengaging story, devoid of suspense or shock; only the most inattentive reader will be surprised by the outcome of Utsusho, Yakuma, Neya, and Pochi’s battle with Naraku the deadly spider demon. -Katherine Dacey

Lizzie Newton: Victorian Mysteries, Vol. 1 | By Hey-jin Jeon and Ki-ha Lee | Seven Seas – A new manhwa series! And a mystery series, at that! As if that weren’t enough to entice me, we’ve also got an intelligent, clear-headed, marriage-averse young Victorian lady sleuth as a protagonist, and while that role might be rather cliché nowadays, it’s still a type that I enjoy reading about. Set in London in 1864, Lizzie Newton begins with the titular heroine attending a social function during which the hostess’ despondent brother turns up dead. Lizzie declares the feat a murder, though the obvious signs point to suicide, and then—with the help of her barrister suitor turned family steward, Edgar—conducts her own chemical experiments to confirm the evidence before calmly giving her testimony to an astounded Inspector who comes to call. Again, this kind of story isn’t exactly new, but it’s sort of… invigorating, all the same. I look forward to volume two! – Michelle Smith

Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 7 | By Naoko Takeuchi | Kodansha Comics – This volume comprises the meat of the “S” arc, the details of which are quite a bit different in the manga than they are in the anime. What’s not different, though, is the dramatic goodness supplied by two groups of Sailor Guardians with opposing missions. Usagi is determined that everyone ought to fight as one, but the older and more powerful “outer” Guardians are equally resolved to save the world at any cost, even if it means taking the life of an innocent girl with the potential to bring ruin and destruction. There are Guardian awakenings, Guardian revelations, and Guardian power-ups in this volume, plus a healthy dose of Haruka awesomeness. (I’m especially fond of her obvious affection for Usagi.) Chalk it up to fangirl enthusiasm if you will, but after the somewhat yawn-inducing “R” arc, it’s nice to be excited about the series again. – Michelle Smith

Psyren, Vol. 6 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | Viz Media – Having killed off the extremely likeable Elmore Wood kids easily in the previous volume, this one (now back in the past before that happens) gets to show off how they’re all actually really talented, so that it looks more impressive. Also impressive was seeing Ageha, up[on finding out that someone is going to die, immediately trying to change the future by telling them. He gets beaten up for this and told, essentially, “You can’t break the rules”, but I liked his moxie. If there’s a drawback here, it’s that this volume, which serves to develop the ‘normal’ world and show how folks can abuse psi powers, doesn’t really tie into the main plotline, leaving everything hanging a bit, Also, Sakurako’s barely in it. Still, if the excuse is ‘broadening the scope of the manga’s worldview’, it’s a good one.-Sean Gaffney

Toradora!, Vol. 5 | By Yuyuko Tamemiya & Zekkyo | Seven Seas – I’d mentioned that I loved this manga for Minori’s goofy moments, so imagine my surprise when it’s Kitamura who proves to be the complete whackjob here, showing us far more of himself than anyone wanted to see. In fact, Minori actually gets some angst here, as we’re starting to see that her outward personality hides some self-doubt and melancholy. Ryuuji’s advice to her is pitch-perfect, and shows who he’s still a harem lead even though he and Taiga are the obvious end couple. Speaking of Taiga, she’s mostly herself here, but gets a lovely moment when Ami and company go out for a girl’s day out, and Taiga comes along. For once everyone manages to have fun, and Taiga’s thanks is heartfelt – even Ami realizes it. This is a cliched title, but works as the characters are simply so likeable. -Sean Gaffney

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

Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, Vol. 2 | By QuinRose and Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Seven Seas – Ace, the cheery yet sociopathic character who’s quickly become my favorite in this series, tells Alice he finds her most attractive when she’s upset and stressed, as the conflict makes her pretty. That’s sort of how I feel about this series as a whole. When it’s talking about whether Alice and Boris will get over their fight and become closer and maybe even move in together, it’s just another generic reverse harem title. When it’s analyzing the mechanics of the world, putting Alice on a high wire act and pitting her friends against each other, and showing why leaving Wonderland and going back continues to possibly be horrible, it’s fascinating. Hence my favorite part of the book – Boris shooting at Alice’s vial and failing to even crack it, to his annoyance. -Sean Gaffney

Bamboo Blade, Vol. 14 | By Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi | Yen Press – I was underwhelmed by the initial volumes of Bamboo Blade: I found the one-note characters and slapstick humor too familiar to be compelling. As the series unfolded, however, the artist’s ability to draw kendo matches improved steadily, yielding fight scenes that were fun to read and advanced the plot in a meaningful fashion. The final volume resolves the individual characters’ conflicts first, then features a lengthy, 100+ page epilogue in which we see the girls strut their stuff at a Burnish Academy tournament. It’s not brilliant by any means, but the matches are expertly staged, and the final pages of the story suggest that even Toraji is capable of growing up. -Katherine Dacey

The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 2 | By Shuzo Oshimi | Vertical, Inc. – Quite often I agree with MJ on matters of manga, but this series is one where our opinions differ wildly. She liked it and found the leads sympathetic; I pretty much hated it and found no one to sympathize with except Saeki, the innocent (though idealized) girl who has agreed to date Kasuga, a middle-schooler who’s being manipulated by a female classmate (Nakamura) into acknowledging his inner perversion. I know I probably should applaud the depiction of teenage sexuality and pretention, but this series is just so not my cup of tea that I can’t find anything good to say about it. It’s very disturbing to me that what Saeki believes is a sweet, if awkward, first date with Kasuga is in reality tainted by the fact that he’s been forced to wear her stolen gym clothes beneath his own. She’s being duped. To his credit, Kasuga hates himself for the ruse and the final moments of the volume find him on the verge of telling the truth in a horrible, messy way, but ugh, I just can’t see myself picking up volume three to see what happens next. – Michelle Smith

Is This a Zombie?, Vol. 2 | Comic by Sacchi, Character Design by Kobuichi • Muririn, Original Concept by Shinichi Kimura | Yen Press – Is This a Zombie? has the dubious distinction of being the worst comic I’ve read this year. The artwork is lousy, the jokes unfunny, the fanservice unrelenting, and the plot so nonsensical it often seems as if the characters themselves are confused by the rapid turn of events. In volume two, for example, there’s an extraordinarily silly fight scene in which we learn the identity of Ayumu’s killer. There are so many reversals and reveals packed into that chapter, however, that it reads more like something a six-year-old brainstormed than the work of a professional script writer. Add an unnecessary episode in which the characters go to the beach and participate in a food-eating contest, and presto! you have a recipe for a Manga Hall of Shame nomination. – Katherine Dacey

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 8 | By Kiiro Yumi and Hiro Arikawa | VIZ Media – And now, at last, after eight volumes, we get some resolution, as Tezuka’s horribly smug brother jogs Iku’s memory and forces her to realize who her prince is. And so now she’s freaking out, which is fun and yet also a bit predictable. Hopefully they’ll talk about it next volume after dealing with a molester who haunts libraries. What really impressed me, though, is Shibazaki’s plot thread. There’s lots of revelations here, some of which I found rather unpleasaant – but then that was the point – and you hope that someone (coughTezukacough) is able to take a hold of her and get her out of this ‘no one can ever really love me for who I am’ spiral she seems to be in. In comparison, Iku has it easier, but then Iku is a less complex person – as Shibazaki knows and envies. Good shoujo fluff. – Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 10 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – Longtime readers should now by now how much I love the humor in this title, and how I think it’s at its best when everyone is being as thick as planks. That said, I was surprised that my favorite moments in this volume were the more emotional ones. Hojo, the new Student Council member introduced here (another female character? How did that happen?) is comparatively ‘normal’, and thus we empathize even more with her obsession/frustration with Yui, who continues to vacillate between being cool and intelligent and being the dumbest, most clueless guy ever. As for our heroine, Mafuyu’s reaction to Takaomi reaching around to tie up her hair shows that, despite Western fandom’s dislike of student/teacher relationships, she’s still got it bad for him. All this, plus the return of SUPER BUN! – Sean Gaffney

This week, Sean and Kate look at recent releases from Yen Press, VIZ Media, and Dark Horse Comics.

13th Boy, Vol. 12 | By SangEun Lee | Yen Press – For a series that featured a talking cactus in a doo-rag and a sassy stuffed rabbit, 13th Boy has a surprisingly restrained finale. Yes, there are dramatic moments, but author SangEun Lee focuses more on what her characters don’t say to one another than what they do; she honors the intensity of their feelings while reminding us that teenagers don’t usually express themselves in complete paragraphs outside the world of Dawson’s Creek. Readers who became attached to 13th Boys‘s supporting cast won’t leave disappointed, either; Lee includes a lengthy postscript explaining, in comic detail, what happened to Nam-Joo, Sae Bom, and Hee-So’s sisters. In short, 13th Boy‘s last installment offers readers a happy ending that’s ever-so-slightly tinged with sadness, remaining true to the spirit of earlier volumes. -Katherine Dacey

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 4 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – OK, first of all, that teacher has to go. Seriously, I cannot take nine more volumes of him. That said, apart from him, there was an excellent attempt made at humanizing all the kids in this volume. There’s still the usual high school melodrama, with everyone believing the worst of everyone else – especially Maria – but her blunt forthrightness is actually starting to pay dividends, as we see one of the class pretty yet petty girls (she has princess curls, so you know she’s a brat) attempting to follow that path… and finding, as Maria has, that it’s full of thorns. So the other kids are finding that Maria is not this hideous ‘other’ that she was painted as, but Maria still can’t quite see herself as being just like them. Also, kisses out of nowhere. That can be bad for a girl’s fragile heart. Can’t wait for the next volume. –Sean Gaffney

The Earl and the Fairy, Vol. 3 | Story and Art by Ayuko, Original Concept by Mizue Tani | VIZ Media – The Earl and the Fairy is a quintessential Shojo Beat title: it has a handsome male lead who’s both a rogue and a romantic, a spunky heroine who won’t admit she likes him, and a pretty female rival who schemes to separate the heroine from her prince. In volume three, for example, Lydia finds herself locked in a battle of wits with Rosalie, a spoiled girl who’s enlisted a “bogey-beast” to dispatch any woman who shows so much as a faint interest in Edgar. Lydia and Rosalie’s catty exchanges wouldn’t be out of place in a high school melodrama, but the supernatural elements and Victorian setting add an element of dramatic interest that distracts the reader from the sheer predictability of the scenario. That the volume ends with a genuine cliffhanger is one its most pleasant surprises; we may not have much difficulty guessing the outcome, but there’s enough at stake for the reader to wait patiently for the next installment in December. -Katherine Dacey

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 8 | Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi, Original Concept by Hiro Arakawa | VIZ Media – I’ve been something of a skeptic about Library Wars — not because I disliked the premise, but because I found story too pat. Volume eight has almost made me into a convert, as it strikes a better balance between Ray Bradburian intrigue and shojo romance, introducing a subplot with a radical anti-censorship group and a possible court martial for Kasahara. What prevents it from being a slam dunk is Kasahara’s impenetrable cluelessness; she spends almost half of volume eight berating herself for not recognizing Dojo as the “prince” who inspired her to join the Library Forces — an epiphany that all but the least astute reader had in the very first chapter of the series. Let’s hope Kasahara’s Saul-on-the-road-to-Damascus moment frees Kiiro Yumi to move the story in a more compelling — and dramatically fruitful — direction in volume nine. -Katherine Dacey

Oh My Goddess!, Vol. 42 | By Kosuke Fujishima | Dark Horse Comics – Skuld graces the cover of this volume, and that’s appropriate as she’s the focus for most of it as well. Skuld’s growing power and growing maturity has been an ongoing plot point in this series, and it ties in well to the overall subplot of ‘inanimate objects need love too, and will reward you if you treat them right’. Skuld faces off against a demon with a better set of machines, but she triumphs because her machines are sentient beings with feelings to her, and she doesn’t destroy them so casually. We also see a sign she may pass her sisters some day – she doesn’t need the big spell buildup the other two do. Apart from her, though, the plot churns along slowly, as we advance from boss fight to boss fight, waiting for the inevitable climax. Which is very slow in arriving. –Sean Gaffney

Soul Eater, Vol. 10 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – There’s a whole lot going on in this volume. Our heroes finish their battle against Mosquito, with the help of Soul’s piano (it makes sense in context), but fail to obtain their objective… which is, of course, in the enemy’s hands. Maka finds that Crona may be a double agent. Black*Star is having issues with his power destroying him, and his bullheadedness leads to a fight with Death The Kid. And a new character from Marie’s past comes to the DWMA to try and ferret out a traitor. If you’ve read stories like these, you can guess how that’s going to end up. Impressively, the author manages to make these all work together, and invest some real emotion in their fates, especially B.J. and Black*Star. I still love the weird art deco art style, but it’s not longer just about that. This is a dark, addicting rush of a manga.-Sean Gaffney

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

Ai Ore!, Vol. 6 | By Mayu Shinjo | VIZ Media – It really is astonishing what changing magazines/publishers has done for this title. It still has its issues, but the way that it handles them is more acceptable and more mature. This is not to say that the premise is completely different, however. Akira is still trying to prove that he’s a manly man for Mizuki, Mizuki is still getting embarrassed and misunderstanding everything, and Ran and Rui trade off between being comedic creepers and serious creepers. At one point, Rui tries to seduce Misaki, to the point almost of sexual assault. But Misaki doesn’t buy it, and neither do we – unlike Vol. 1 of this series, the danger doesn’t feel genuine. You can argue this makes the series fluffier and less electrically charged, but it also makes Akira and Mizuki’s relationship far sweeter and more tolerable. –Sean Gaffney

Bunny Drop, Vol. 6 | By Yumi Unita | Yen Press – As the series continues with its new switch to Rin as its primary POV character, the story begins to revolve around Rin’s increasingly awkward relationship with her childhood friend Kouki, whose (supposedly) ex-girlfriend deliberately alienates Rin. Fortunately, this plotline is more nuanced than it sounds, deftly avoiding most of the “evil rival” territory common in manga for female readers. Unfortunately, Unita seems less comfortable writing Rin’s voice than she was writing Daikichi’s—or maybe Daikichi is just infinitely more comfortable than Rin herself—which means that there is often a noticeable distance between the reader and the series’ protagonist. On the upside, Rin’s evolving balance between dependence and independence creates unexpected difficulties in Daikichi’s own personal life, allowing us back (however briefly) into his somewhat more forthcoming mind. Though the series’ new direction seems to still be settling in, there’s enough solid ground left for nearly any fan to stand on. Still recommended. – MJ

Cage of Eden, Vol. 6 | By Yoshinobu Yamada | Kodansha Comics – This really is the perfect series for 12-year-old boys, though I would not recommend it to parents of those boys. There’s far too much casual nudity, casual violence, and general skeevy fanservice. But it also has bears vs. wolves, in which our hero teams up with the wolf because of their similar roles in their groups. It’s almost pure shonen at its finest. We meet two more regulars here. I suspect Rei is there entirely to be a large-breasted woman (you know, in case there weren’t enough of those), but Maya seems to be more of an action girl, and backs it up. She seems a bit *too* eager for battle, though, and I wonder if she’ll last long. Then again, the only people in this series who seem to be killed are the irredeemable ones, such as manipulative Kotomi or stalker Ryoichi.-Sean Gaffney

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Vol. 13 | By Gaku Tsugano and Nagaru Tanigawa | Yen Press – I haven’t reviewed this series for a while, but since it’s moved on to stories that aren’t animated, it has managed to improve – finally, it can be 2nd best, rather than 3rd! It has a difficult job here, as Editor in Chief, the short story adapted for this volume, does not lend itself well to the visual. Still, it manages pretty well, and also throws in an original short story chapter, featuring Miyoko, the girl from Kyon’s story, arriving to ask the SOS-Dan to help her investigate a haunted house. It shakes things up by having Taniguchi and Kunikida there rather than Yuki and Mikuru, and also has an ending that undercuts the tension but still is nicely sentimental. The art is still only fair, and I’d rather read the novels, but this is now an acceptable alternative. –Sean Gaffney

Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Vol. 7 | By Fumi Yoshinaga | VIZ Media – Ever since the end of volume one, the latest Tokugawa Shogun, Yoshimune, has been reading Chronicle of a Dying Day, which tells the story of how women came to rule Japan. Readers have followed along, and here in volume seven we finally return to the “present,” but not before realizing just how much scheming Yoshimune—or perhaps simply her ever-faithful attendant, Hisamichi—has engaged in to become the next Shogun. It’s just another lesson that nearly everyone in this tale, no matter how likeable, has sinned in pursuit of power, sometimes inflicting misfortune upon the innocent. Maybe it’s because of this that Ooku, despite being interesting and boasting some impressive art, doesn’t stand a chance of becoming my favorite Yoshinaga manga. Oh, I’ll keep following it, but Antique Bakery‘s place in my heart is secure. – Michelle Smith

Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Vol. 2 | Story by Magica Quartet, Art by Hanokage | Yen Press – If your chief aversion to magical-girl manga is its earnest, perky wholesomeness, then Puella Magi Madoka Magica is for you. The series is dark and violent, using the magical-girl concept as a metaphor for adolescence in all its ugliness. In volume two, for example, we see the corrosive influence of jealousy, as Sayaka begins to regret wishing for her friend Kamijou’s full recovery. Sayaka’s rapid descent into anger and self-pity is one of the most astonishing developments in the volume — and that’s saying something, given the healthy sprinkling of fight scenes, dramatic confrontations, and plot twists. As terrific as some of these scenes are, Puella often feels rushed. Most of the fight sequences are too brief and too busy to make much sense; one gets the sense that the writers were trying too hard to cover all the major plot points of the anime, rather than tailoring the story to a different medium. That said, Puella has consistently surprised me with its ability to both faithfully observe and thoroughly subvert magical-girl tropes, and continues to grow on me with each volume. -Katherine Dacey

This week, Kate, Sean, and Michelle look at recent releases from Vertical, Inc., Viz Media, and Kodansha Comics.

5 Centimeters Per Second | By Makoto Shinkai and Yukiko Senkei | Vertical, Inc. – In this skillful adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s film, middle schooler Tohno Takaki falls in love with classmate Akari Shinohara. First love is a common manga subject, but Shinkai and collaborator Yukiko Senkei resist the temptation to idealize Tohno’s formative romantic experiences; rather, Shinkai and Senkei show us how that relationship’s gradual disintegration soured Tohno on love, making him loathe to form similar attachments to anyone else — even in adulthood. Tohno’s quest to achieve closure on this first love is carefully and beautifully observed, making 5 Centimeters Per Second a compelling read. – Katherine Dacey

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 3 | By Tohru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – Reading a new installment of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan is a lot like listening to a comedian perform “The Aristocrats”: the humor lies less with the punchline than with the telling of the joke. In the third volume of Shonan, for example, Onizuka has his share of lady troubles. Though anyone familiar with Onizuka’s track record can anticipate the outcome of his encounters with the White Swan’s female staffers, watching Onizuka strike out with both women is excruciatingly funny. As in previous volumes, some of the jokes cross the line from raunchy but funny to just plain rude; I could have done without the cameo from Eikichi, canine sidekick to Onizuka’s supervisor at Holy Forest Academy. Still, the gags yield laughs more often than not, and the sprinkling of heart-warming dramatic moments prevent the story from becoming too silly. Still recommended. – Katherine Dacey

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 9 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – After a couple of not-so-great volumes, the ninth volume of Oresama Teacher represents a (likely temporary) turn for the better. It’s the first school festival in three years (a riot at the last one ruined the school’s reputation), so Mafuyu dons her (male) Natsuo guise to make sure it goes off without a hitch. I can’t claim that the plot here is really very good—the reveal about why students keep disappearing at 5 o’clock is particularly groan-inducing—but I like Natsuo, and I like Okegawa, the reluctant bancho of the school’s gang. Somehow, the stories about Mafuyu’s former gangmates bore me to tears, but Okegawa’s gang dynamics are more interesting. It probably helps that none of them are one-note masochists. Anyway, I will probably keep reading Oresama Teacher, but I think it’s gotten to the point where I’ll be checking it out from the local library rather than making it a permanent part of my collection. – Michelle Smith

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Vol. 5 | By Kenji Kuroda and Kazuo Maekawa | Kodansha Comics – I’ve noted before that the only people who should be reading this series are hardcore fans of the games. That said, the manga does actually do a good job at keeping the feel of those games. Both the cases in this final volume of PW:AA feel like events that could, if drawn out a bit more, have appeared somewhere in the third game or so. Indeed, it even features a Franziska Von Karma who helps out our heroes, although it’s subtle and she denies it when asked. But the humor, the mysteries, the stunned poses of overdramatic guilt from everyone: this is exactly what a media tie-in should be like. Given that the manga will never ‘fill in the blanks’ between Phoenix and Apollo, that is. It’s not groundbreaking, but it’s fun. – Sean Gaffney

Psyren, Vol. 5 | By Toshiaki Iwashiro | VIZ Media – Ah, another one of those ‘fighting’ volumes we see so often in Jump manga. It was nice to see Kabuto actually gain a useful power, though it seems to be something designed more around his cowardly personality than anything else. The opening of the volume was rather startling, showing us the gruesome deaths of the Elmore Wood kids trying to defend the Earth. Clearly we’re going to be looking at changing that future. But mostly this volume is lots of villains bragging about how resistance is useless against them, and then heroes kicking their asses. Generally, I think volumes like this should be saved and read with one of the more ‘plot’ oriented books – which Volume 6 should be, given the pattern of ‘plot – fight – plot’ the manga has established. Not bad, but clearly second-tier Jump. – Sean Gaffney

Vampire Knight, Vol. 14 | By Matsuri Hino | VIZ Media – I’ve given up on following the plot in this series. It comes out too infrequently now that it’s caught up with Japan, and so I find it impossible to keep track of anything even with the guide at the front and back. Yuki, meanwhile, has recovered from Kaname’s induced flashback, and feels closer to him in that vaguely romantic, vaguely familial way we’ve grown used to. Sara continues to be the real genuine villain here, contrasting with Kaname’s tortured ‘I do what I must’ personality. Her little yuri harem of thralls is disturbing in the extreme. But despite her rule-breaking, the real shocker in the volume is the fate of Aido’s father, which results in Yuki being arrested – no doubt to meet up with Zero again. So pretty, but so utterly confusing. – Sean Gaffney