Bookshelf Briefs

This week, Michelle, MJ, and Sean look at recent releases from VIZ Media and Vertical, Inc.

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The Drops of God: New World | By Tadashi Agi & Shu Okimoto | Vertical, Inc. – Rather than release a fifth volume of this series, which would’ve included volumes nine and ten of the original release, Vertical has jumped ahead to this New World arc (volumes 22 and 23 of the original), which focuses on wines from regions without a long-established winemaking tradition, particularly the US and Australia. It’s incredibly easy to jump back into the story even after a gap of over a dozen volumes, since so little changes with the characters., though Issei is a lot more prominent now and his hair has mysteriously gotten cuter. Highfalutin’ descriptions of wine still abound, and still make me roll my eyes with regularity, but there’s something captivating about this series that keeps me reading. Honestly, it’s more the sports manga-like themes of perseverence and presumed eventual triumph than the subject matter or the characters, but that’s enough for me. – Michelle Smith

The Flowers of Evil, Vol. 3 | By Shuzo Oshimi | Vertical, Inc. – There are a number of scenarios I might have imagined coming out of the rather stunning final pages of the second volume of The Flowers of Evil, but this series continues to be fresh and surprising in just about every way. Oshimi’s characters refuse to fall into neat categories, while still managing to ring true—in fact they feel truer with each page. Volume three is unexpectedly moving as Kasuga comes to the surprisingly insightful realization that putting his dream girl on a pedestal is not the same thing as loving her, and as all three of the series’ main characters are faced with truths they weren’t quite prepared for. If this series’ first volume read mainly as “better than Sundome” its third proves that it is really so much more. Highly recommended. – MJ

Jiu Jiu, Vol. 2 | By Touya Tobina | VIZ Media – After being so thoroughly unimpressed with the first volume of Jiu Jiu, I wasn’t expecting much from the second volume. Perhaps, then, my low expectations are the reason that I somehow now feel more kindly disposed towards the series, even though it’s still pretty generic and aimless and has weirdly proportioned art. I haven’t been moved to care more about Takamichi, Snow, and Night as characters, but I don’t hate the plot wherein the boys/dogs want to assert their independence, or that they’re prodded in this direction by Meru, a mischievous new character who spends part of his time in the form of a super-cute vampire pig. I hate to think a vampire pig is all it takes to sway me, but at least it’s something unique, which this series desperately needed. – Michelle Smith

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 11 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | VIZ Media – In a contest for ‘Jump manga that varies most in quality’, Nura may not have any serious competition. This particular volume is mostly one long battle, which I generally don’t like to begin with, and unfortunately the author does not manage to save much of it from excessive tedium. There’s a focus in the middle on Awashima, who changes sex depending on whether it’s light or dark (so is rather grumpy about the darkness of Kyoto, keeping her female all the time), which is meant to show her accepting both sides of her, I think, but simply reads as an annoying diversion. At least towards the end we get a really nasty bad guy, who proceeds to take all our heroes and crumple them into little balls of failure. I suspect Nura will get his revenge in Vol. 12, hopefully in a more interesting way. -Sean Gaffney

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 8 | By Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino | VIZ Media – It really is startling how much I’ve come to love this series. I think it’s the fact that all the court intrigue and scheming is presented in both a positive *and* negative light, with the best schemers winning because they are smarter and more devious than the bad guy. This is a series that has a lot of handsome men relying on people underestimating them, which is nice but means the author has to have them be savvy enough to back that up. It works very well here. Our heroine Shurei does very well keeping up with everyone, and is starting to chip away at the ‘she is a woman and therefore weak’ attitude in the court. Well, given the last chapter, she’s going to get a lot more chances to do that in the future. All this plus a tiny bit of romance again. Saiunkoku is simply a great story, full stop. -Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 12 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – Toriko fares much better than Nura this time around, mostly as it’s between arcs and has therefore gotten away from the standard Jump ‘2-3 volumes of people punching each other hard’ syndrome. Instead, we get to see the results of Century Soup, and then set out on a new arc, as Toriko is told he’s not really strong enough yet to take on the Gourmet World. So he does some training by climbing a ten-thousand-meter plus vine to a sky garden with the best vegetables in the world. Actually, Komatsu is the one who really impresses here – not that he does anything, but his simple willingness to carry on is amazing. Toriko is all about world building, which is what makes it so much fun – the combination of food, fighting, and larger than life characters. I also suspect our hero is in for some harsh reality soon, though… -Sean Gaffney

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

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Arata: The Legend, Vol. 11 | By Yuu Watase | VIZ Media – The last time I wrote about Arata, I described it as consistently entertaining. Alas, I haven’t really been feeling these two most recent volumes. So much seems to be repeating the same pattern—Arata encounters a hostile bishounen shinsho and employs his shoujo-heroine-in-a-shounen-manga mojo to discover the fellow’s true feelings, which he soothes before the two become allies—that when important things do happen, like the revelation that a pair of characters changed places (between modern Japan and Amawakuni) in their infancy, it fails to register any sort of impact. Things begin to look up slightly towards the end of the volume, though, as the group heads into the territory of the most hostile bishounen of them all: Akachi. Somehow I doubt he’s going to want to talk about his feelings for, oh, at least two volumes. – Michelle Smith

The Drops of God: New World | By Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto | Vertical, Inc. – If Drops of God had sold better, this would be half of Vol. 11 and half of 12, and we’d be reading it a couple years from now. As it is, this is the last planned volume, and I understand the publisher in Japan asked that it jump ahead to focus on American (and Australian) wines. Honestly, there isn’t that much missed – the biggest change is that Loulan, Issei’s hookup from Vol. 4, is now in Japan and acting as his Miyabi. (It’s unclear if they’re married, still lovers, or what have you.) And Issei is the one who clearly has gotten the most character development – he almost seems like a 2nd protagonist than a rival by now, and has mellowed out considerably. Shizuku, on the other hand, still feels as if he’s lagging behind and unable to progress. Which, to be honest, is true – he’s much the same as he was in V. 1-4. I do hope we eventually see more of this. -Sean Gaffney

Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden, Vol. 10 | By Yuu Watase | VIZ Media – In my experience, a long wait between volumes of a manga series can be either a blessing or a curse—maybe even both. On one hand, anticipation is undoubtedly sweet, and a wait of nearly three years certainly provides plenty of that. On the other hand, anticipation can shift quickly to expectation, and after nearly three years… well, you get the idea. Fortunately, Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden delivers, at least where it most counts. Despite the long wait, Watase’s well-paced storytelling and energetic artwork pull us right back into the story (and its awesomely giddy primary romance), as though no time has passed at all. On the downside (or is it?), the volume’s final pages are likely to throw readers right back into the clutches of sweet (and painful!) anticipation once again. – MJ

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 5 | By Toru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – One of the main reasons we enjoy reading GTO is to see Onizuka kick the crap out of people as he tells them how they’re screwing things up. That said, he is meant to be a teacher, and pass on his example to others. This volume doesn’t have quite as much Onizuka in person, but it has him leading by inspiration – including a long mid-volume sequence starring Uchiyamada, the antagonistic vice-principal from the GTO series proper. It’s easy to see Onizuka dealing with young, impressionable teens. But just because folks are adults doesn’t mean they’re wise and all-knowing, or that their problems go away. So seeing Uchiyamada preparing to confront 50 gang members, or Ayame beating the crap out of a yakuza in order to confront the twins behind all this, is just as awesome as Onizuka himself. -Sean Gaffney

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 6 | Story by Isuna Kasekua, Art by Keito Koume, Character Design by Jyuu Ayakura | Yen Press – Here are eight words I never thought I’d type: I liked volume six of Spice & Wolf. Yes, there was some gratuitous nudity, and yes, there was some limp flirtation between Holo and Lawrence, but on balance, volume six delivered enough action to erase the memory of all those Economics for Dummies speeches in previous volumes. Better still, Holo spent most of the volume as a wisewolf, inflicting bodily harm on soldiers, extracting confessions from enemies, and menacing her (perceived) romantic rival Norah. I’ll take Holo in her feral form any day; she’s funny and fierce, using her physical strength, rather than her feminine wiles, to get the job done. I’m not sure that a handful of decent chapters are enough to make me revisit earlier volumes, but they did, at last, help me understand why this series has been such a phenomenon among American otaku. – Katherine Dacey

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 8 | Art by Kairi Yura, Story by Sai Yukino | VIZ Media – Never underestimate the power of Cover Girl — that’s my takeaway from volume eight, in which Shurei decides her only chance of claiming her rightful position as a civil servant is to show her male peers she’s 100% woman… by donning makeup. The resolution of that conflict is a little too tidy, relying on narration rather than dramatization to show us how Shurei establishes her civil servant credentials. On the whole, however, volume eight is a solid installment in this period soap opera, serving up an appealing mixture of comedy, drama, intrigue, and romance, and ending with the kind of cliffhanger that promises to advance the story in a new and meaningful direction. Still recommended. – Katherine Dacey

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 11 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – It’s been nearly a year since I last read any Yotsuba&!. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until I started to read and the first chapter, in which Yotsuba invites herself into the kitchen of an udon shop to watch how it’s made, completely reminded me of everything that is great about this series. Seriously, this is the kind of manga where you suddenly realize you’re smiling and wonder how long you’ve been sitting there, doing that. Pizza, bubbles, cameras… these are a few of the things that fill Yotsuba with wonder in these pages, but the last page of the volume is the one that really made me laugh out loud and get verklempt all at the same time. Is this praise copious enough? If you haven’t read Yotsuba&!, what are you waiting for? Jeez, man. Get with it! – Michelle Smith

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

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Attack on Titan, Vol. 2 | By Hajime Isayama | Kodansha Comics – This grim and downbeat story continues to intrigue almost despite itself, as we see humanity battle against the seemingly unstoppable titans. Luckily, they are helped out this time by a mysterious titan who turns against its own, tearing them apart in messy ways. The revelation of the titan’s identity is not as much of a surprise as the author wants, I think, but still well done – particularly Mikasa’s reaction. The main problem with this series, though, continues to be the artwork – I simply can’t tell many of the characters apart, and their being soldiers in the same uniform isn’t helping. At one point I thought I saw one of the soldiers we knew shoot himself in the head, only for it to turn out to be another, similar crew-cut soldier. A character guide at the front of the volume is no help – it only has the three leads. -Sean Gaffney

Blue Exorcist, Vol. 7 | By Kazue Kato | VIZ Media – One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about Blue Exorcist is Kazue Kato’s ability to tell an intricate story while still providing enough points of entry that a newcomer can follow what’s happening. In volume seven, for example, we learn more about Mamushi and Todo’s true purpose in stealing the Impure King’s eyes. Though these scenes are more emotionally engaging for a well-informed reader, a newbie can readily grasp the basics: Kyoto will be toast if the Impure King’s seal is broken. You don’t need to know much else to appreciate Kato’s smart pacing, crisp artwork, and flair for the grotesque; the Impure King looks like the unholy love child of InuYasha‘s Naraku and AKIRA‘s Tetsuo, and haunted me for several days after I’d finished the volume. Still highly recommended. -Katherine Dacey

Durarara!!, Vol. 3 | Created by Ryohgo Narita, Character Design by Suzuhito Yasuda, and Art by Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – Durarara!! is 50% great, and 50% irritating. The good parts involve Celty, a headless Irish spirit who rides through Tokyo on a sleek motorcycle; Celty is tough, funny, and more human than the high school students, thugs, and evil scientists who also inhabit her world. Her quest to be reunited with her head provides the story’s best comic and dramatic moments, including an agonizing scene in which she must decide whether to reclaim it from its new owner. The not-so-good parts involve the rest of the cast, none of whom behave like real human beings. The worst offender is Namie Yagiri, whose obsessive interest in her younger brother crosses the line between eccentric and just plain icky. More frustrating still is how labored these scenes feel; a judicious trimming of secondary characters and subplots would make Durarara!! a more consistently entertaining series. -Katherine Dacey

Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations, Vol. 2 | By Kenji Kuroda & Kazuo Maekawa | Kodansha Comics – As with Volume One of this series, the only regulars from the games are Miles and Detective Gumshoe, which makes me sad. Things are simply less silly here, as Miles doesn’t have everything go wrong as much as Phoenix does. The first case is fairly straightforward and obvious, though I loved Miles casually pointing his finger and saying ‘Objection” to an officer, as if he uses it in conversation all the time. The second case is stronger, with a better gimmick – the so-called Gentlemen Thieves. It also has a Maya/Kay surrogate in Monet Kreskin, and a very clever solution – I had figured out half the mystery, but not the other half, and the revelation was quite well done. Mystery fans will enjoy this as a quick, non-filling read.-Sean Gaffney

Yotsuba&!, Vol. 11 | By Kiyohiko Azuma | Yen Press – One thing I’ve always loved about the Yotsuba series is that the title character is not presented as a weirdo in a world of normal people. Yotsuba can do strange things, yes, but less so as the series has gone by – she’s no longer prone to climbing telephone poles, and is content to buzz around the neighborhood with a camera. Likewise, the adults and teens all have quirks of their own, from Fuuka’s strange sense of humor (which also seems to drive her relationship with Shimau – sorry, Miss Stake) to Yotsuba’s father’s tendency towards overacting. I’ve even grown to tolerate Yanda, their annoying friend, who is growing more tolerant of everyone messing with him – and in fact seems bothered by Yotsuba’s inability to do so because of depression. Lastly, Asagi is the best big sister ever. That is all.-Sean Gaffney

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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, Michelle, MJ, and Sean look at recent releases from Seven Seas, VIZ Media, Yen Press, Kodansha Comics, and Dark Horse Manga.

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Alice in the Country of Clover: Cheshire Cat Waltz, Vol. 1 | By QuinRose & Mamenosuke Fujimaru | Published by Seven Seas – I am pleased to report that, so far, Cheshire Cat Waltz is much better than the prior “country of Clover” installment, Bloody Twins! Some of the elements that made Alice in the Country of Hearts so surprisingly good are back, like ominous hints about a particular character and Alice experiencing culture clash with the various attitudes and mysteries of Wonderland. However, because this is much more obviously a romance—here, Alice is paired up with Boris, the Cheshire Cat—the story’s more intriguing aspects must occasionally take a backseat to Alice being confused about her motives for remaining in Wonderland, Alice being pounced upon, Alice getting smooched, and lovers’ quarrels born of jealousy. Although I am sure I’m being duped again and that nothing significant of Wonderland will be revealed, I remain interested enough that I’ll probably come back for volume two. – Michelle Smith

Bakuman, Vol. 13 | By Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata | VIZ Media – Bakuman‘s heroes, Mashiro and Takagi, are always the most interesting when they are at odds, and this volume is a perfect example of exactly why that is. As all the young Jump mangaka throw themselves into a rather unusual competition (writing romantic one-shots), it isn’t Nizuma’s sudden display of inexperience or even Hiramaru’s over-the-top romantic hero act that make the volume work, hilarious though they may be. What really steals the volume are a few scattered scenes between Mashiro and Takagi’s wife, Kaya, as they try to make sense of their shared partner. These moments are uncharacteristically honest and sincere for an Ohba/Obata manga, and it’s a real pleasure to discover them amidst all the slick shounen meta. On a personal note, Kaya has long been my favorite of Bakuman‘s characters, and I’ll admit that a scene in which she receives a basket of flowers from Shueisha as thanks for her work on her husband’s series was surprisingly gratifying. Still recommended. – MJ

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 4 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – As “Devil” Maria’s class finally prepares for their choral performance, everything falls (rather predictably) apart, but fortunately this is shoujo manga, and even in a story with a heroine as prickly and jaded as Maria, a little romance can save the day. Any feelings of frustration one might have as the choral competition story drags interminably on are blown away completely by the impact of a wholly surprising confession by the character from whom you least expect it. Despite this series’ cynical bent, its romantic thread reads as genuinely sincere and even sweet—a mashup of contrasting tones that apparently works very well. Even as the series appears to be gearing up for a typical romantic triangle, it seems clear that Miyoshi Tomori’s gift for injecting raw emotional truth into standard shoujo tropes will continue to keep things interesting. – MJ

Drifters, Vol. 2 | By Kohta Hirano | Dark Horse Comics – Volume Two of this series continues to do what the series does best – give us a lot of people trying to kill other people in nasty ways. It’s great fun for those who don’t mind that sort of thing – Hirano draws battles that are easy to follow, and the ‘nasty’ aspect of the combat is not remotely glossed over here – Nobunaga’s treated arrows are as disgusting as possible, and the rape of the elven women is not played for laughs. As for our hero, Shimazu, well, he does seem to be strategizing a little more, almost despite himself, and is also forming a deep bond with Nobunaga that involves a lot of yelling and punching. Meanwhile, for those wondering when this ‘warlords in a fantasy world’ would reach Hitler, it didn’t take long at all. Still good fun, even if it plays mostly to the 12-year-old in all of us. –Sean Gaffney

Durarara!!, Vol. 3 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda & Akiyo Satorigi | Yen Press – There’s a lot of big reveals in this volume, which would be churlish of me to talk about, so I will merely note that one of the weaker of our heroes turns out to have far more strength than we had imagined. Elsewhere, Shizuo shows once more how incredibly tough he is, Izaya is one of the most obnoxious S.O.B.s in all of the universe, and Celty is cute, if frantic. But then, she has reason to be frantic. There’s also a fantastic parody of Doraemon about 1/3 through, when the art style shifts to that in order to demonstrate Mikado’s disbelief at the latest plot twist. And of course there’s Namie and Seiji, whose creepy desires are something completely amped up in this manga, to the point where even the novel’s author was impressed. A solid adaptation. –Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 10 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – I have to say, Nanami is starting to remind me a bit of Tohru in Fruits Basket, who sometimes felt as if she existed to interact with the screwed-up Sohmas and heal them with her magical power of niceness. Tohru turned out to be just as screwed-up, though, whereas Nanami is shiny all around. Her interaction with Jiro (who irritates Tomoe as he reminds him of himself) is fairly predictable, though that doesn’t necessarily mean bad – there’s a wonderful bit towards the end where she notes Tomoe’s strength as something that might not be a positive. In the end, though, this arc wrapped up a lot easier than I’d anticipated, and I’m left with a feeling that things are simply going too well for our protagonists right now. Of course, I’m sure that will change – the manga is not ending anytime soon… –Sean Gaffney

Miles Edgeworth: Ace Attorney Investigations, Vol. 1 | By Kenji Kuroda & Kazuo Maekawa | Kodansha Comics – I try not to review Volume Ones in the Briefs category, but with something like this title there’s little choice, as there’s so little *to* it. Heck, we don’t even get to see Kay Faraday, which I was expecting given the title – the only regulars are Miles and Detective Gumshoe. The cases are both pretty good, though the first is extremely short, and the writing is much the same as it was in the Phoenix Wright books. The trouble is that Miles is not Phoenix – he doesn’t make screwups or say dumb things on occasion. He’s simply too smart to make this anything but a foregone conclusion. Indeed, in the first case he solves things so quickly that everyone around him just stares. Let’s hope future books find more of a challenge – and maybe more faces we know? –Sean Gaffney

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Vol. 10 | By Hiroshi Shiibashi | VIZ Media – The cliffhanger from last volume is resolved incredibly quickly, leaving us with two major plotlines for this volume consisting mostly of fighting sequences. First we see the conflict between Yura and her siblings, which shows us how even the purest of heart can be ruined by just a tiny sliver of pride and jealousy. Meanwhile, Rikuo and company are taking their airship to Kyoto (still being destroyed bit by bit), but infighting may destroy them before the enemy can. Here we see just how much trust Rikuo has gained over these ten volumes – and how much more he has yet to earn, though the greater control of his power here helps. Unfortunately, this conflict doesn’t look nearly like it’s reaching the end, so expect Volume 11 to me more fight, fight, fight.-Sean Gaffney

Toriko, Vol. 11 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | VIZ Media – Thankfully, the fighting briefly pauses here in this volume of Toriko, which is especially a relief as it means we don’t have to see more of the repulsive Tommyrod. Instead, our heroes leave the Ice Hell for their own separate quests – Toriko to somehow regrow the arm that he lost in the last book, and Komatsu to try to recreate the Century Soup from the brief sip that he got. Komatsu continues to be my favorite part of Toriko – he’s smart enough to know he has to make his own soup and can’t simply duplicate another, and stubborn enough to keep at it even knowing it might take years. Of course, in his own way Komatsu is as badass as Toriko, so we know it won’t take that long. In the meantime, there’s more weird food and weird creatures, which is the main reason to read this fun manga. –Sean Gaffney

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

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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

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

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Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 10 | By Kyousuke Motomi | VIZ Media – It is interesting that, despite the fact that we are all rooting for Teru and Kurosaki to get together in the end, the fact that she’s still a student and he’s about 8 years older than her is never allowed to be forgotten. There’s that vague element of discomfort to the whole thing, which is why we’re happy that Kurosaki is never overly affectionate with Teru, even if everyone else is pushing him to be. As for Teru, here she finds that being the one always protected and always in danger sucks, especially when she gets beaten (literally) by Akira, who the author is clearly trying to show is a troubled child but we haven’t seen enough of his past to sympathize yet. Teru ends up wanting to get stronger and the the one who’s protecting. Admirable sentiment, especially as her friend Rena may be in trouble soon. We’ve caught up with Japan, so it will be a wait till the next volume, but always highly recommended. –Sean Gaffney

Fairy Tail, Vol. 20 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – Nirvana is taken care of right at the very beginning of this volume, leading us to expect most of thee volume will be a ‘breather’ and more comedic. Not at all. From Jellal’s arrest (I’m sure we’ll never see him again, wink wink) to the fate of Wendy’s Guild, this is a volume filled with heavy emotional moments. And Mashima is very good at those, better perhaps than his big shonen fights. I particularly liked Natsu’s talk with Gildarts – the clueless mage asks about Lisanna, and Natsu’s reaction is like nothing we’ve ever seen before – clearly her death affected him greatly. (Gildarts himself is fun, being that powerful yet goofy ‘dad’ type the guild has needed for a while.) As the volume ends, though, we start a new arc, with Natsu and Wendy in a land filled with opposite-personality duplicates of everyone. No doubt hijinks will ensue. –Sean Gaffney

Kobato, Vol. 6 | By CLAMP | Yen Press – CLAMP has a long and not-so-proud history of leaving series unfinished: witness X/1999, Clover, and Legal Drug, three stories that never got the ending they deserved. I’m pleased to report that CLAMP provides a satisfactory resolution to Kobato, tying up all the plot threads in a manner that should appease all but the most cynical of readers. If the storytelling is lazy at times — and what says “lazy” more than characters explaining things to one another that they’d presumably know? — CLAMP wins points for its elegant, graceful artwork and warm-hearted portrayal of even the most difficult characters. Their redemption may strike some readers as unbearably sappy, but honors the story’s greater message of selflessness and courage. – Kate Dacey

Kobato, Vol. 6 | By CLAMP | Published by Yen Press – And so Kobato comes to an end. It actually wraps up better than I expected it to, though I would’ve vastly preferred the ending if the final chapter had been omitted. Even now, there are several elements of the story that still feel half-formed—I feel like it could’ve truly been compelling if only I could’ve cared about anyone, but I never managed to do so. And while I would stop short of saying it all feels rushed, CLAMP takes the shortcut approach of having large amounts of backstory conveyed via dialogue, which gets a bit tiresome. At one point, one of the characters, having been lectured at length about a past for which he was present, cries, “I recall it all!” I doubt CLAMP was making commentary on the awkwardness of the exchange, but that remark still prompted a snicker from me. Ultimately, not bad but not a keeper, either. – Michelle Smith

Rin-Ne, Vol. 9 | By Rumiko Takahashi | VIZ Media – I really wish that Rin-Ne had more obvious flaws and faults, as it’s just not quite dull or bad enough to justify my dropping it. At the same time, however, there’s so little substance here that it’s like reading air. There’s no forward plot momentum here – even when Rinne’s father appears again, it’s in a fairly comedic story about a dead ramen owner. What we get instead are basic short stories about ghosts who cannot pass on unless they have aired out their grievances. That said, one thing that Takahashi’s work has kept throughout, from UY to Ranma to now, is that humans are basically horrible jerks. The ghosts are petty and perfectly happy damning others to their fate, while the loved ones they left behind are cruel cheaters who didn’t care in the first place. It lends a tart air to this otherwise generic supernatural comedy. –Sean Gaffney

Skip Beat!, Vol. 28 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – For those who wanted more focus on the not-quite-romance between Kyoko and Ren, this is the volume for you. A near-deadly car accident leaves Ren having post-traumatic flashbacks to his time in America, and at last we start to get an idea of what actually happened that broke him so much. I liked the fact that, even though Kyoko is once again his guiding light and moral conscience, he also relies on advice from his friend Rick, which is… actually used in a pretty funny way, but whatever seems to work for him. As for Kyoko, it seems to finally be dawning on her what her feelings for Ren are, and she’s none too happy about it. That said, things seem to finally be moving forward for those two, so no doubt Vol. 29 will be filled with hideous complications that will screw everything up. Just as we like it. –Sean Gaffney

Slam Dunk, Vol. 22 | By Takehiko Inou | Published by VIZ Media – This is one of those in-between volumes, where the excitement of the Prefectural Tournament has passed but the Nationals have not yet begun. A few important things happen, though, with the most significant being that Hanamichi finally seems to grasp that, at his present skill level, he’s nowhere near as good as Rukawa. When the rest of the team goes off to a week-long training camp, Hanamichi stays behind with Coach Anzai for some rigorous practice. Although I prefer the fast-paced, volume-spanning games, there is still something satisfying about a volume like this, in which intense hard work pays off with measurable, definitive progress. If only real life were as simple as sports manga! – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vol. 10 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | VIZ Media – Jump manga, especially the type brought over here, tend to follow certain patterns. Thus you know that there’s going to be a volume or two – or four – that are 200 pages of nothing but fights. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have to like it, though, and this volume had me flicking pages quickly to try and see what would happen after our heroes eventually triumphed over the bad guys. Not to say there isn’t a bit of cost – Toriko has now lost an arm, and I wonder what plot contrivance will let it grow back – and Teppei is another in a string of powerful yet dumb/weird guys we’ve seen in this series. But this volume didn’t even have people eating food – it was just punching, punching, punching. MORE FOOD, PLEASE. –Sean Gaffney

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

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Case Closed, Vol. 43 | By Gosho Aoyama | VIZ Media – In the latest volume of Case Closed, Conan and the gang solve three mysteries: one involving a lost cell phone, another involving a toy company president, and yet another featuring a bomb-wielding maniac. The stories are a little hit-or-miss, relying heavily on surprise twists that few readers will be able to anticipate from the available clues. Of the three, “One Demon Among 53,000” is the best, a crisply executed beat-the-clock thriller in which Conan must find a terrorist who’s threatening to blow up Koshien Stadium during the national baseball championships. Smart pacing and effective jump cuts convey the urgency of the situation, making it all the more frustrating that volume 43 ends without resolving this promising storyline. Guess I’m on the hook for 44! – Katherine Dacey

Dawn of the Arcana, Vol. 4 | By Rei Toma | Published by VIZ Media – While this volume doesn’t play up my favorite aspect of Dawn of the Arcana—Nakaba’s inner struggle between her loyalty to her protector, Loki, and her burgeoning feelings for her new husband, Caesar—as much as I would like, it’s still quite an important volume. Nakaba’s influence on Caesar continues to be profound, and when he learns that his father is planning an attack on a village of Loki’s people, he sets out to foil the plan. Meanwhile, Nakaba begins to explore her powers of foresight and starts to think she may be able to use it to help people, only she can’t tell Caesar because the king would execute her if he were to catch wind of her ability. She’s shaping up to be a strong and capable heroine, and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here! – Michelle Smith

The Drops of God, Vol. 4 | By Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto | Vertical, Inc. – The moment that Shizuku won the battle for the first Apostle, I was ready for the second battle to be Issei’s. He has to be a formidable foe, after all. To that end, he gets the bulk of the character development here, going to the Tibetan desert in order to find the perfect inspiration and also to acquire another love interest (in a sequence which is both heartwarming and laughable in its cliche). Shizuku, meanwhile, seems the odd one out this time – in a volume that is filled with lovers reconnecting and familial bonds, he can’t even understand why Miyabi seems so grumpy when he notes they’re just colleagues. No surprise, then, that he ends the volume with need of some serious soul-searching. Hopefully he’s found it by the next omnibus, which jumps ahead about a dozen or so volumes. –Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 8 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – The kami conference wraps up quickly here, and I liked that they did show Kayako again just to have a bit of closure. The bulk of the volume, however, deals with Kurama and his tengu family, as Nanami and Tomoe get involved in a tortuous succession battle. There are sprinklings of the main romance here and there, but for the most part this volume works like many of the previous ones – a new character meets Nanami and takes an instant dislike to her, only to eventually fall for her on account of her gumption, stick-to-it-ive-ness, and general main character syndrome. I don’t expect Jiro to be any different, especially as he’s already noting the differences between men and women. Provided you haven’t grown weary of everything revolving around how swell Nanami is (she needs more obvious flaws), this series still entertains. –Sean Gaffney

La Corda D’Oro, Vol. 16 | By Yuki Kure | VIZ Media – This dating-sim-cum-manga would be a true guilty pleasure if Kahoko, the heroine, wasn’t such a dithering idiot. Alas, her doormat behavior and lack of focus make her an unlikely candidate for classical music greatness, as she spends more time mooning over cute guys than she does practicing her etudes. In volume sixteen, for example, she nearly flops in competition because she’s become utterly preoccupied with aloof but handsome violinist Len. Len’s big revelation — and the fallout from it — could have been handled in five or ten pages, but Yuki Kure milks it for nearly three chapters, treating us to repeated scenes of Kahoko blushing, stammering, and playing sour notes as she frets about Len. Worse still, these scenes feel like they’ve been pilfered from earlier chapters; even the characters seem bored with their lines, sleep-walking through an all-too-familiar tournament scenario. Wake me up when the backstage backstabbing resumes! – Katherine Dacey

Natsume’s Book of Friends, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Midorikawa | VIZ Media – For the most part, this manga is content to be a series of short one-shots and two-parters dealing with the yokai world, and the new yokai Natsume has to deal with. We have seen him slowly starting to open up, however, and the three-parter here shows how it’s affecting both him and Tanuma. This is the classic ‘if I’m not close to them, they won’t be in danger’ hero dilemma for Natsume, but we not only see Tanuma’s side – wanting to help but feeling completely inadequate about it – but also Nitori’s, who it is implied made his choice earlier in life and is trying to ensure Natsume does not duplicate it. There’s a lot more action here as well, as if the increase in emotions lends itself to a faster, more frantic pace. Loneliness has plagued Natsume’s life as it did his grandmothers. Can he stop the cycle? Addicting. –Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 9 | By Izumi Tsubaki | VIZ Media – It’s great to see Tsubaki’s abilities improve with each volume. In particular, the focus issue she’s always had is almost entirely absent here, mostly due to the fact that there’s only one real plot here – the attempt to crush Okegawa. It’s his story more than Mafuyu’s here, which is why he takes her out right before the final battle – and also why he is seemingly finally allowed to see through her disguise. Okegawa is fantastic here, as we see that being a bancho is not just about thugging it up, but almost a military calling – planning the battle, caring for your subordinates. And loving a good fight as well, of course. Lest you think that this is a serious volume, however, fear not – the author can’t go three pages without sticking in something hilarious, with this particular volume ending in what amounts to a giant pie fight. I still like this series better than most. Listen to me, though, as I’m the correct one. –Sean Gaffney

Ouran High School Host Club, Vol. 18 | By Bisco Hatori | Published by VIZ Media – I read the first volume of Ouran back in June 2006, so getting to this final volume has been a six-year journey. Staying true to itself to the end, the conclusion is simultaneously so silly it’s positively ridiculous and so sunny that it’s pretty endearing. I’d say this is a satisfying ending for the most part, though the special side story, about Kyoya’s ambition and his thoroughly Slytherin family, was really kind of dull. I wanted more Tamaki and Haruhi cuteness! Throughout the volume, Hatori includes illustrations and sidebars about the futures of various characters, and some of those are adorable, and we also get one final cameo by Mori’s chicken! I can’t adequately express how much I love that durn chicken. Not without flaws, but still recommended. – Michelle Smith

Toriko, Vols. 10-11 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | VIZ Media – The latest installments of Toriko illustrate what’s bad — and good — about this goofy series. Whenever the story’s focus shifts from food to fighting — as it does in volume ten — Toriko becomes a dreary slog, filled with ugly characters engaged in sadistically violent combat. Making these battle scenes even more tedious is the dialogue, as bad guys pause to outline their plans, or explain the source of their power, thus providing Toriko an opportunity to gain the upper hand. When the story focuses on food and friendship, however, it’s a cheerful, if occasionally stomach-churning, parody of Iron Chef, as Toriko and his sidekick Komatsu scour the globe in search of rare ingredients. For my taste, there’s too much combat and not enough cuisine in Toriko; even the reappearance of master chef Setsuno, one of the series’ most memorable characters, wasn’t enough to erase the memory of volume ten’s endless wrangling. – Katherine Dacey

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

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Fairy Tail, Vol. 19 | By Hiro Mashima | Kodansha Comics – I suspect that this arc will wrap up in the next volume, which is good. Of course, that means that this volume is all fighting, which is bad. Not that it makes for a bad volume, it’s just harder to know what to say about it. Our heroes get an assist from the Blue Pegasus Guild, who arrive to tell everyone how to defeat the bad guy. Jellal starts to remember some things – particularly Natsu hating him, which is sort of amusing. And Erza gets to kick ass, which is probably the main reason anyone reads Fairy Tail. There’s a cute little short story right near the end which shows Lucy putting Fairy Tail over love, to no one’s surprise. Overall, though, it’s a fighting volume, so sit back and watch the punches and magic as we crawl closer to a climax. –Sean Gaffney

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 3 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – Certain situations in stories (no matter the medium) never fail to make me feel antsy, and right at the top is “misunderstandings that could be cleared up by communication,” followed closely by “no no no, don’t trust that girl, something terrible is going to happen!” The third volume of A Devil and Her Love Song had me on edge because both elements are in play, as a superficially sunny student returns to class and proceeds to make herself appear to be Maria’s victim. One really does feel for Maria throughout, as she is honestly confused, and there are some great scenes where she gets support from the three friends she has thus far managed to make. Maria may be prickly, but she’s always honest and never fake, and this volume really makes it clear how much potential she has to be a truly fabulous friend. Heartily recommended. – Michelle Smith

The Earl and the Fairy, Vol. 2 | By Mizue Tani and Ayuko | VIZ Media – This volume of EaF is a bit darker than the first one, and there seems to be an air of melancholy about the whole thing. When one of our protagonists betrays Edgar, he seems less surprised than simply resigned. Unfortunately, we still don’t have a lot of his backstory yet. Which, while it adds to the air of mystery around him, makes him hard to take seriously as an ‘antagonist’. He’s not really bad enough for Lydia to be doubting him as much as she is, so we just end up frustrated with her. That said, the volume’s climax, with Lydia displaying some amazing gumption *and* cleverly resolving the whole ‘title’ thing, is well-handled, and actually makes the rewards feel earned. The volume ends with a brief tease for the future two volumes, but it also marks a good stopping place for those who find this series OK, but not great. –Sean Gaffney

GTO: 14 Days in Shonan, Vol. 3 | By Toru Fujisawa | Vertical, Inc. – It’s no secret that the first two volumes of GTO: 14 Days in Shonan were an unexpected success with me, so it should be no surprise that I had a similar experience with the third. Onizuka continues to be my new favorite shounen anti-hero even when he’s creepy, which is certainly the case in this volume. Thankfully, Onizuka’s creepiness is easily trumped by his badass brand of insightful compassion, though it’s worth mentioning that this volume’s most poignant moments belong to the White Swan kids themselves, whose tragic histories are laid out for us with honesty and true pathos. Less successful is a middle chapter revolving around the White Swan’s perverted headmaster, rendered tolerable only by its brevity. Fortunately, no amount of questionably tasteful vagina metaphors can cancel out this series’ general awesomeness. Still recommended. – MJ

This week, Michelle, Kate, and Sean look at recent releases from Viz Media, Yen Press, and Sweatdrop Studios.

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Ai Ore!, Vol. 5 | By Mayu Shinjo | Viz Media – Ai Ore! in its fifth volume is pretty different than its first. Almost entirely gone is Akira’s manipulative/disturbing behavior (though he’s still fixated on making Mizuki “his”), which is definitely a good thing, and the series has settled into a fairly generic romantic comedy groove. Unfortunately, it seems like Mayu Shinjo may already be out of ideas, since we’re treated to yet another “Mizuki thinks Akira has secretly been gay all this time” bout of melodrama. I continued to be disappointed that Mizuki, who occasionally looks ravishingly boyish, is not a cooler and stronger character, but it’s pretty much a lost cause at this point. Still, even though I stop short of calling Ai Ore! good, it is compulsively readable, and I see myself finishing out the series, though I’m not looking forward to the beachy hijinks advertised for the next volume. – Michelle Smith

Bamboo Blade, Vol. 13 | By Masahiro Totsuka and Aguri Igarashi | Yen Press – There’s some big surprises here, though many of them were signposted earlier. TV Savant Erina is not who she appears to be, and it’s her backstory and growth that is the focus of this volume. The reason that it’s her, by the way, is that Tama loses – genuinely and honestly. This is exactly what her coach has wanted all along, and now we get to see what she will gain from it. Tama has always sort of done kendo as it’s expected of her. Now she sees true kendo passion – both from Erina and from Ura Sakaki, whose delusions of sentai are finally thrashed out of her in one of the most awesome sports battles I’ve seen in a long time. So we’ve one volume to go, and I’ve no doubt that volume will have Tamaki finally seeking the real reason she fights kendo matches. Highly recommended. –Sean Gaffney

Oresama Teacher, Vol. 8 | By Izumi Tsubaki | Viz Media – I sense that Tsubaki-san was told be her editors at Hana to Yume around this point in the manga that the series was a success, and in no danger of ending soon, so it was time to break out the new characters and plot complications. There’s a sense of gearing up for the next big battle here. Unfortunately, as always, Tsubaki’s plotting always seems flaky and scattered. So we get a chapter giving a bit of depth to the main villain, then some background for Takaomi, then a whole passel of new minor villains (some even female – gasp!) are introduced, and then Mafuyu’s two suitors find out about her relationship with Takaomi. There’s some fun stuff here – I was, as always, laughing a lot throughout – but Tsubaki needs a stronger editor than the ones Hakusensha provides. –Sean Gaffney

Soul Eater, Vol. 9 | By Atsushi Ohkubo | Yen Press – Soul Eater is another title, like Oresama Teacher, that is finishing one plot and getting ready to gear up for another. It, however, handles this much better, with plot threads from Vol. 6 onwards just now starting to pay off. The focus here is on our three meisters, rather than their weapons, and I was impressed with how the manga handled Black*Star, everyone’s favorite insufferable talented jerk. We get a lesson seemingly set up for teaching him humility and learning to hold back for the sake of the others – then it turns out this is a fakeout, and that it’s Maka who has to learn not to hold her fellow student back. Finally, our team goes off on its next big battle, where they’re acting as backup for an increasingly unstable Doctor Stein – and they promptly disobey his orders and charge in to the rescue. Kids, sheesh. Good shonen fun. –Sean Gaffney

The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 7 | By Kaira Yura and Sai Yukino | Viz Media – The ongoing hazing and abuse of Shurei and Eigetsu sort of percolates along through this entire volume, driving many plots but not quite coming to a head – no doubt that will happen in the next volume. Instead, we get to see that ‘slow and steady wins the race’ seems to be the moral lesson for the entire cast – the villains always seem to overplay their hands by overdoing things and making fast, impetuous choices. Our heroes, meanwhile, are the picture of calm and serenity, even when they’re being arrested for favoritism or held captive so as not to testify at a trial. Of course, one can be *too* serene and unreadable – there’s a great story here about Koyu’s frustration with his lord, and being unable to tell the difference between not caring and not wanting to hold back. It’s all about the small, quiet moments here. –Sean Gaffney

Sun Fish Moon Fish | By Morag Lewis | Sweatdrop Studios – Set in the fictional kingdom of The Thousand Island Archipelago, Sun Fish Moon Fish tells the story of Anciarin, a court mage who’s falsely accused of murdering Archipelago’s royal family. The premise is certainly ripe with potential, but the execution is wanting; Morag Lewis’ character designs have a faintly unnatural quality to them, with enormous, wide-set eyes and perpetually surprised expressions. The dialogue, too, tacks between medieval formality and modern-day casualness, with one character demanding, “What’s your beef?” and another making reference to “teams,” as if he were a S.W.A.T. captain. If the art and dialogue are sometimes amateurish, Lewis shows considerable promise as a writer; Sun Fish Moon Fish is briskly paced and skillfully plotted, giving equal time to Anciarin and Iashar, the soldier tasked with bringing the mage to justice. An ambitious, though uneven, work. – Katherine Dacey

This week, Kate, MJ, and Michelle look at recent releases from Yen Press, VIZ Media, JManga, and eManga.

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Amorous Women of the Floating World: Sex in Old Tokyo, Vol. 1 | By Kaoru Hazuki & Chinatsu Takamura | Leed Publishing Co., LTD – The cover copy for this manga begins, “Did you know that Japan in the 18th century was even more sexually permissive than it is today?” After reading this manga, however, it must be clarified that “sexually permissive” should be appended with”…for men.” This book is for men, of course, but it’s difficult to accept it as harmless sexual fantasy, when it works so hard to try to sell the subjugation of women as female empowerment. The book opens with lessons in “marital harmony.” “It is incredibly pleasurable for your lord to enter your mouth,” a young woman is told on the eve of her wedding night. “Do not deny him!” Later, we learn about the rural practice in which groups of local men set upon households of women in the middle of the night to ask for sex, which we’re told was empowering for the women because they were allowed to say no. While as a history of sexual behavior in Japan, this book offers some interesting information, as sexual fantasy it’s just kind of… icky. – MJ

Black Butler, Vol. 9 | By Yana Toboso | Published by Yen Press – You know the previous arc must’ve been a dark one when a murder mystery set in Phantomhive Manor seems positively lighthearted by comparison! Ciel is compelled by Her Majesty to play host to a distinguished German visitor, but when the man turns up dead (on the requisite dark and stormy night, of course), Ciel is the only one without an alibi. One guest believes in his innocence, however—a medically trained mystery writer named Arthur, whom one can only assume is meant to be Conan Doyle. Arthur narrates the tale, which is kind of neat, and though I don’t believe for one moment that Sebastian has truly become the killer’s latest victim, I must say that I was really bummed out that I didn’t have volume ten immediately to hand.– Michelle Smith

Cross Game, Vol. 7 | By Mitsuru Adachi | Published by VIZ Media – I’ve you’ve been keeping up with Cross Game, you pretty much know what to expect with this volume. The Seishu team has one last chance to make it to Koshien, and this omnibus (comprising volumes 14 and 15 of the original Japanese edition) offers lots and lots of baseball goodness as they make their way through the Tokyo tournament. Meanwhile, there’s a sort of romantic pentagram going on that provides some distractions. I really admire the elegant way that Adachi and co. depict the games—they are effortlessly easy to follow—as well as Aoba’s growing realization of Ko’s various good qualities, and am always left wanting more even after 300+ pages. Speaking of wanting more, I shall avail myself once more of the opportunity to express my wish for another Adachi series after Cross Game wraps in July. Please, VIZ? – Michelle Smith

A Devil and Her Love Song, Vol. 3 | By Miyoshi Tomori | VIZ Media – Miyoshi Tomori captures adolescence in all its messy confusion, addressing pack behavior, frenemies, and faculty bullies. To be sure, other manga explore the same terrain, but Tomori’s work is one the few that can transport an adult reader back to his or her high school days in a vivid, compelling fashion. What makes this series work is its cast: the characters are flawed, inconsistent, and sometimes unlikable — just like real people — but they’re also funny, smart, and occasionally brave in small ways — just like real people. Best of all, Tomori’s heroine is prickly and brash without being cartoonish; chances are, you knew someone just like Maria when you were 15, and secretly admired her candor, too. Recommended. -Katherine Dacey

Don’t Cry, Girl | By Tomoko Yamashita | JManga – Are wacky nudists the latest trend in manga? I ask because Don’t Cry, Girl was the second manga I’ve read that featured a naked character — in this case, Masuda, a bachelor who agrees to provide a home for Taeko, his friends’ chaste but sensible 17-year-old daughter. The story reads like an extended riff on Austin Powers, with Masuda strategically using bowls of fruit, house plants, and vacuum cleaners to block Taeko’s line of sight. It’s a giddy and stupid conceit, sustained by the chemistry between the unsparingly blunt Taeko and the irrepressibly childish Masuda. The volume is rounded out by a second story, “3322,” which explores the relationships among a trio of women who spend a summer living together. The second story is lush and atmospheric but a little disjointed, making it difficult to follow all the plot strands. Taken as a whole, however, Don’t Cry, Girl is a welcome addition to the small but growing body of josei in English. – Katherine Dacey

Rin-ne, Vol. 9 | By Rumiko Takahashi | VIZ Media – The latest volume of Rin-ne features several ghost-of-the-week stories. Some have a loopy charm: in “Ramen Kaedama,” for example, Rokudo’s feckless father teams up with another damashigami to open a noodle shop, while “The Wig’s Regret” features a possessed prop from a long-forgotten school play. Other chapters, however, feel like something that Rumiko Takahashi could produce on autopilot: the stories are pat and predictable, with magical elements that feel overdetermined. The artwork, too, lacks the detail and personality of Takahashi’s earlier efforts; the backgrounds are uncharacteristically sparse and bland, while the figure drawings look like pallid imitations of characters from Ranma and InuYasha. It’s not bad, just tired; we’ve seen Takahashi tell these kind of stories before with more spark and wit. -Katherine Dacey