manga

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Volume 1

July 8, 2009 by MJ 2 Comments

Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You, Vol. 1
By Karuho Shiina
Published by Viz Media

Sawako Kuronuma is a quiet, socially awkward girl with an unfortunate physical resemblance to “Sadako” from Ringu–enough so that her classmates call her by that name, either out of cruelty or (in many cases), ignorance. Though rumors persist that she sees ghosts, summons spirits, and places curses on those who are foolish enough to look her in the eye for more than three seconds, Sawako is actually an earnest, exceptionally kind girl who always volunteers to do the work nobody else wants to do and whose most heartfelt dreams involve helping her classmates understand their schoolwork. The only student in school who shows Sawako kindness is, inexplicably (to her), a popular boy named Kazehaya. He smiles at her and calls her by her real name–treating her no differently than anyone else, something for which Sawako is consistently grateful. What Sawako doesn’t realize is that to Kazehaya she is much different from everyone else, in a way she is honestly unable to fathom.

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Otomen, Volume 3

July 6, 2009 by MJ 3 Comments

Otomen, Vol. 3
By Aya Kanno
Published by Viz Media

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As this volume begins, Ryo asks Asuka to help her out at a nursery where she often volunteers. At first, Asuka is concerned that he must maintain a manly image, but the loneliness of a young boy in the group ends up bringing out Asuka’s feminine side, and in the end he wins the boy over with both his “girlish” skill in crafts (together they make adorable dolls from broken eggshells) and his “manly” physical prowess (he saves the boy from falling out the window). Also in this volume, Asuka takes Ryo to an amusement park hoping to get up the nerve to tell her his feelings; Juta is hiding more than just his career as a shojo mangaka; and Asuka finds out that his greatest rival in kendo keeps a secret of his own.

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Site News!

July 5, 2009 by MJ 3 Comments

I did some redesigning over the weekend, but most importantly, I added several new categories to the blog:

News: As you can see, this post is categorized as “news” which will apply to site news, linkblogging, and anything else that is not a review or feature article/essay. The front page will always display the most recent news post on top of the left-hand column.

Short Takes: In an effort to be able to cover more manga each week, I’ve started writing mini-reviews for some releases, especially later volumes of continuing series. The front page will always display the two most recent of these, below the regular “Review” section on the right-hand column (not the sidebar). My first two Short Takes are for Legend, Vol. 5 and Hikaru no Go, Vol. 16. Check them out!

Yaoi Corner: Since I’m going to be reviewing more yaoi in this blog, I thought I’d create a section just for those books. As you can see, the latest yaoi review will always be displayed at the bottom of the right-hand column, just below “Short Takes.” Please check out the first of these reviews, for the fantastic DokiDoki release, Color.

ETA: To make it easier to find what’s new, I’ve also added a “Recent Posts” widget to the top of the sidebar.

This week’s upcoming reviews include Kimi ni Todoke, Otomen Vol. 3, Hey, Class President! and more!

Hikaru no Go, Volume 16

July 5, 2009 by MJ 2 Comments

Hikaru no Go, Vol. 16
By Yumi Hotta & Takeshi Obata
Published by Viz Media

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After volume fifteen‘s intense drama, this volume begins with relative lightness as Isumi heads to China with a group of pros to play a few friendship games at the Chinese Go Association. After a couple of devastating losses, Isumi decides to stay a few extra days in order to get a rematch with the young pro who first defeated him, but at the urging of a friendly Chinese pro, a few days becomes two months. Meanwhile, the Japanese pro world is stunned by Hikaru’s growing string of forfeits as he remains determined not to play in hopes that Sai might one day return. Though Hikaru refuses anyone who asks him to play, the one request he is unable to turn down is from Isumi who, having returned to Japan, feels that he must play a clean game with Hikaru before he will be able to face the upcoming pro test.

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Legend, Volume 5

July 4, 2009 by MJ 1 Comment

Legend, Vol. 5
By Kara & Woo SooJung
Published by Yen Press

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As this volume begins, No-Ah is still recovering from his nearly lethal encounter at the end of the last volume, and as she watches over his sleeping form, Eun-Gyo wonders for the first time just how difficult No-Ah’s path has been. Though No-Ah’s poison-induced injury seems to heal with miraculous speed, Eun-Gyo has found a new determination to protect him instead of the other way around. Refusing to be protected, No-Ah stubbornly heads off on his own, unfortunately leaving the window open for a new enemy to sweep in and capture Eun-Gyo. The enemy takes the form of deceased customs officer Sook-Chung Park, but his true identity is far more disquieting.

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Color

July 3, 2009 by MJ 2 Comments

Color
By Eiki Eiki & Taishi Zaou
Published by Digital Manga Publishing

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Takashiro is a young art student whose painting, “Color,” has been chosen for display in an exhibition of amateur works at a local gallery. When he arrives at the gallery to view his painting (bumping into another boy on the way in), he is shocked to discover that hanging right next to it is a strikingly similar painting with the identical title. Eager to meet the artist, Sakae Fujiwara, who so obviously shares his sensibilities, he rushes to confront the gallery owner, only to find that the other artist has just left the exhibit. The gallery owner lets him know, however, that the other artist (whom he refers to as “Sakae-chan”) is planning to attend the same prestigious Tokyo art high school as Takashiro, leaving Takashiro anxious to pass his exams and begin classes where he can finally seek out this person who seems to have a window into his soul. After his school exams, Takashiro (literally) runs into the same young man he encountered that day at the art gallery. Laughing at the coincidence, the two walk together to the bus stop, becoming fast friends. The other boy’s bus arrives and he hurries to jump aboard, but not before leaving Takashiro with his name: Sakae Fujuwara.

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Sarasah, Volume 1

July 1, 2009 by MJ 10 Comments

Sarasah, Vol. 1
By Ryu Rang
Published by Yen Press

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High school student Ji-Hae has an obsessive, long-time crush on her classmate Seung-Hyu. She pursues him relentlessly–so much so that she’s pushed him to the point of utter disgust. When her elaborate birthday scheme (involving an enormous banner, a hall full of floating feathers, and a note reading, “You are mine. You can’t get away.”) finally pushes him to the brink, he accidentally pushes her down the school stairwell to her probable death. Ji-Hae finds herself waking in a new world, where she is told that it is not yet her time to die and that she must return to the living world. Horrified by the prospect of returning to a life of humiliation and unrequited love, Ji-Hae begs to be able to just stay dead, but instead is granted the opportunity to return to a former life–the original source of her discord with Seung-Hyu–to rewrite her soul’s own history in hopes of earning a second chance at love.

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Monday links

June 29, 2009 by MJ 2 Comments

A few quick links for today! First off, I have a review in today’s Manga Minis, for the first volume of Tokyopop’s KimiKiss. This was a fairly depressing read and the best I can think of to say about it is that it is too bland to be offensive. It breaks my heart that this is the kind of manga Tokyopop is putting money into nowadays, while more deserving works languish in cancellation limbo. I realize that sales are (and must be) the driving force behind it all, but really, this? I read the story synopsis of the game it is based on, and it sounded more interesting than the manga. That’s pretty sad.

Secondly, don’t miss my reviews from the weekend! Yuri Monogatari is a fantastic look at lesbian comics from across the globe and a must-read for female comics fans, and Children of the Sea is a gorgeous, thoughtful supernatural mystery story nobody should miss out on.

Looking at this week’s shipping news (thanks, Kate Dacey), I see we have yet another adaptation of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time coming our way–this time of the animated film. I must admit I’m fan enough of this story to be interested in more, so I’ll probably be looking to pick that up. It might be interesting to compare it to CMX’s The Girl Who Runs Through Time, which I own but have never reviewed.

Lastly, please read Erica Friedman’s post at Ozaku where she discusses the “Girls Read Comics” project that was developed recently via Twitter as a response to some of the deeply sexist press revolving around Comic Con this year. This is a very exciting project and I’ll be advertising it more here when there is more to advertise, but if you’re interested in participating, especially as an artist, please read Erica’s post and contact project organizer Deb Aoki ASAP!

Yuri Monogatari, Volume 6

June 28, 2009 by MJ 2 Comments

Yuri Monogatari, Vol. 6
Published by ALC Publishing

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Yuri Monogatari, now in its sixth volume, is an anthology of short comics featuring lesbian life and love, special in both its unity of theme and diversity of art. Written and drawn by artists from across the globe, the vast differences in style and storytelling could easily create a fractured feel over the length of the volume, but instead there is the sense that there is simply something for everyone. Though there were certainly stories that appealed to me less than others, no story was easily pigeonholed from the beginning and I found that I ended up really enjoying some stories much more than I would have expected based only on a first glance at the artwork.

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Children of the Sea, Volume 1

June 27, 2009 by MJ 12 Comments

Children of the Sea, Vol. 1
By Daisuke Igarashi
Published by Viz Media

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Though summer has just begun, Ruka’s temper has gotten her kicked off her handball team, leaving her with nothing to do. Taking the train to Tokyo on a whim, she encounters a young boy at the ocean who seems to intuitively understand her thoughts. When the boy turns up later at the aquarium where her father works, she discovers that he was one of two young boys found swimming with a herd of dugongs, by whom they had most likely been raised. Though she tells her mother she is still attending handball practice, Ruka continues to return to the aquarium to see the boy, Umi, and eventually her father gives her the job of entertaining Umi (and his less friendly brother, Sora) as “punishment” for her behavior. As she spends time with the boys, Ruka finds out that they have experienced the same strange sight she did as a young child–a fish that turned into light and disappeared before her eyes–something they call the “ghost of the sea.” Drawn to these boys and to the mysterious world of the sea, Ruka’s long, strange summer truly begins.

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News in Brief

June 26, 2009 by MJ 8 Comments

Reviews have been appearing here in short bursts lately, but I should be back to a more rigorous schedule soon. Shouldn’t the summer be relaxing? :) A few short items:

– For those curious about my non-manga-related activities, I have joined the staff at Act Too Studio, coaching young singers and actors alongside two incredible teachers who also happen to be my parents. I’m pretty excited. Here is some information about us, and here is a page full of people saying we (and by “we” I mean mostly my folks) are great. We are also developing our website as we go, so if that’s your kind of thing, keep an eye out for new content!

– Just yesterday, I got myself on the list to review 801 Media titles, so look for a little more yaoi content here from time-to-time! They also introduced me as a new reviewer in their blog!

– As a testament to my deep love for Yen Press’ One Thousand and One Nights, my review copy of volume eight arrived on my doorstep just yesterday and was immediately pushed to the front of the line (and believe me, it’s become quite a long line). Don’t miss my review!

– On a very different note, I reviewed a new volume in another of my favorite series this week–volume seven of Mushishi. I suppose the contrasting nature of these two series should put aside any lingering worry I might have about this blog not representing me (or my tastes) fully. :) ETA: Also, translator William Flanagan has linked to my review on his Facebook page, filling my fangirlish heart with glee!

– The ever-fabulous Danielle Leigh posted a shojo round-up a day or two ago, and we ended up rambling on together in comments about NANA. Look for more of this to come. /cryptic

I wonder how much of this actually constitutes “news”? Ah, well. More reviews tomorrow!

One Thousand and One Nights, Volume 8

June 25, 2009 by MJ 1 Comment

One Thousand and One Nights, Vol. 8
By Han SeungHee and Jeon JinSeok
Published by Yen Press

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At the end of volume seven, Sehara sacrificed himself to save his sultan by offering to accompany the crusaders out of Baghdad as Lord McCloud’s bard in exchange for the safety of Shahryar and company. This volume begins as the events are being relayed to Sehara’s sister, Dunya, revealing further details of the exchange including an unexpectedly touching (and unusually erotic) good-bye from Sehara in which he kisses the end of Shahryar’s sword. …

Mushishi, Volume 7

June 24, 2009 by MJ 6 Comments

Mushishi, Vol. 7
By Yuki Urushibara
Published by Del Rey Manga

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The seventh volume Yuki Urushibara’s quiet, supernatural series strikes a particularly sinister tone as nearly all its stories expose the ugliest aspects of humanity. First, “Lost in Blossoms” involves a family who has been keeping one woman alive for hundreds of years by feeding her on a sap-like mushi and grafting her head onto younger bodies whenever hers is about to die. “At the Foot of Lightning” studies a mother who is utterly unable to love her own child or even care that he exists. “The Ragged Road,” told in two parts, delves into the darkest secrets of the Minai family–the most ancient line of mushishi–and what they are willing to do to themselves (and each other) in order to maintain their calling. Only the second story, “The Mirror in the Muck,” displays any kind of real hope for humanity, as its heartbroken heroine makes the choice to live on, even in pain, instead of allowing a mushi to steal her existence. Though these tales are almost uniformly bleak, the series remains no less beautiful or mysterious than it has from the beginning.

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Black Bird, Volume 1

June 20, 2009 by MJ 7 Comments

Black Bird, Vol. 1
By Kanoko Sakurakoji
Published by Viz Media

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Misao Harada has been able to see demons and spirits all her life, though they are invisible to everyone else. As she’s gotten older, they seem to follow her more and more, making her daily existence difficult to tolerate. The only good thing she associates with this hidden world is the memory of a little boy who lived next door when she was a child and who could also see the strange things that followed her. He left ten years ago, promising to return, and though Misao treasures her memories of him as her first love, as her sixteenth birthday approaches she is starting to wish she could let him go and just find a normal boyfriend. Unfortunately, when she is finally approached by a boy she likes–a popular school athlete–he turns out to be possessed by a demon who wants to eat her in order to obtain eternal youth. Evidently, Misao is a very special kind of human of which only one is born every hundred years. Her blood and flesh offer extended life to any demon who tastes it, and marriage to her will grant prosperity to his entire clan. Misao’s childhood love, Kyo, comes to her rescue just in time, but he reveals himself to be a demon as well (a powerful tengu with spectacular black wings), determined to marry her as the head of his clan. Though it becomes clear that Misao requires Kyo’s protection to keep from being eaten or snatched up by other eager demons, she is heartbroken by the discovery of his motives and does her best to resist him and the seemingly inevitable future he insists that she accept.

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Tea for Two and Assorted Links

June 19, 2009 by MJ Leave a Comment

Just a quick collection of links to share today! As my Anime Boston coverage finally went up early this morning, I realized that there were a few recent reviews of mine at Manga Recon that I’ve failed to link to from here. Check out the AB coverage for discussion of some of the panels I attended, particularly Saturday’s “What Is Boys’ Love?” which I know I tweeted from in some distress at the time.

Recent reviews at PCS include GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Tail of the Moon Prequel, and (by far my favorite of the three) the first two volumes of Tea for Two, an engaging BL series from Tokyopop.

Also, I’ve reviewed a couple of fantastic volumes here over the past few days–volume five of Yen Press’ addictive girls’ manhwa Goong and volume 17 of one of my personal favorites, NANA, which was in my possession for only a few hours before I allowed myself to read it (and would not have lasted that long if I hadn’t set it up as my incentive to finally finish the AB coverage).

I have more reviews of upcoming Viz titles on the way, as well as Yuri Monogatari and The Manga Guide to Physics, so stay tuned!