Manga-ka: Yukiya Sakuragi
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Older Teen(16+)
Released: February 2007
Synopsis: “Alone except for her loyal mutt, Lupin, Suguri moves from the country side to the big city to find a career and a new life. In her first job at a pet store, she meets an assortment of quirky dogs and even stranger owners! On a walk to check out their new home, Lupin “courts” another dog while owner Teppei isn’t looking, shattering his dream of a litter of purebred puppies. To make up for her mongrel’s wayward wooing, Suguri offers to work at the pet store Tepeei manages.”
Inubaka is the story of Suguri, a young teenage girl out in the big city trying to find herself a home and a career. After a mishap with her dog, Lupin, getting a little too friendly with a female dog they came across, Suguri deems herself indebted to the female dog’s owner, Teppei. To make up for it, she offers to work in his pet store. It doesn’t take long for Teppei to realize that Suguri seems to have a sixth sense for dogs, a natural at taking care of them and hardworking, even if she is a bit clumsy and air-headed.
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A little change of pace today with a series overview review of the popular, Death Note. Beware, it’s wordy and plot vague for new readers’ convenience.
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Author: Tsugumi Ohba
Manga-ka: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Volumes: 12
Synopsis: “Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects but he’s bored out of his mind. All that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a Shinigami death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil. But when criminals begin dropping dead, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer. With L hot on his heels, will Light lose sight of his noble goal…or his life?”
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At this point who hasn’t heard of the popular sensation, Death Note? With surging popularity around the world even before it’s English release, it was no surprise that Viz’s release of the manga, and eventual follow up with the animated series, caused the number of fans to rise without measure. But with just cause?
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Manga-ka: Aoi Futaba/Kurenai Mistuba
Publisher: Kitty Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: May 2005
Synopsis: “Loneliness and uncertainty no longer scare us… This is our first, true love, and we will make it last forever. The love story of Mizuki and Kazuomi starts today. Mizuki and Kazuomi were complete strangers, but their time together drew them close. Unfortunately there are those with petty jealousy that will try to break them apart. Mizuki and Kazuomi will have to work hard to make their relationship work. Can they beat the odds and find true love?”
The first chapter of volume two drops sets out to remind readers what kind of series they’ve gotten themselves into. A sex scene between Mizuki and Kazuomi stalls when Mizuki realizes his lover is going away on a business trip. Ten days later, Kazuomi returns and promptly rapes Mizuki. Following the vein of yaoi logic (which Level C often abuses), Kazuomi is promptly forgiven for his violent outbreak of lust and their ‘romance’ continues.
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Manga-ka: Yuen Wong Yu
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Youth (7+)
Released: March 2003
Synopsis: “Seven kids at summer camp are unexpectedly transported by digivices to a colourful and enigmatic world. Lost and alone, Tai, Matt, Sora, Izzy, Joe, Mimi and TK are befriended by small digital monsters called Digimons. In times of crisis, these cute little creatures digivolve to defend the children from the dangerous of the Digital World. Join Tai and his friends (with their Digimon pals) in their fight for survival as they search for a way home!”
For those who missed the smash hit when it was on television, Digimon is the story of seven children who are teleported to the ‘Digital World’ after receiving Digivices while attending summer camp. Upon arrival in the strange new world, they are met by Digimon (Digital Monsters), small energetic little creatures who claim to be their partners. From then on it’s a matter of discovering where they are and why and the power of the Digimon, both friend and foe.
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Author: Tsuneo Takano
Manga-ka: Takeshi Obata
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Older Teen(16+)
Released: January 2008
Synopsis: “During a bloody war, a child is born at cost of his mother’s life. From this baby comes forth a huge and powerful dragon born of shadow that lays waste to the landscape. A quick-thinking knight locks the baby in a cage of darkness, where he grows to be a young man, knowing only the kindness of his female tutor. Until the day the Shadows attack…”
After a powerful dragon is found born inside the body of an infant, the child is locked away in a dark cell for fifteen years. When the demonic beings known as Shadows finally overtake the castle, the boy is released in order to defend them all. Of course, like any good shonen story, the now teenage boy, Ral, does indeed save them all… in exchange for some boob groping and women lessons. What? Thus the book has been essentially summed up.
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Manga-ka: Motoni Modoru
Publisher: Kitty Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released:
Synopsis: “The rumors are flying all over the net, there exists an unknown group of jack-of-all-trades heroes who will do anything and anyone to grant the wishes of hot hot guys. But there’s always a price for the service – what could they possibly want in exchange?”
Cherry Drive is a group of guys who have put together a jack-of-all-trades service offering themselves up to do whatever their clients ask (of course preferring their clients to be young, virgin gay men). The president, Ai Iida is a sex-crazed individual who created Cherry Drive so he could deflower virgins, or ‘cherries’, while vice president Mamezo Takano believes himself to be a 94 year old man who replenishes himself on the essence of young men. It’s not that difficult to get a kind grasp on what kind of book readers have found themselves with.
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Manga-ka: Housui Yamazaki
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: December 2006
Synopsis: “Private detective Reiji Akiba has a theory about those weird coincidences we all encounter in life. There are actually encounters with the dead – their way of sending us a message. But you may not want to open such strange mail from beyond – not unless you can see the ghostly attachment, like Akiba can. And not unless you carry a tool that can kill what isn’t alive, like Akiba’s sanctified gun Kagutsuchi… digging a divine grave to lay to rest the evil dead!”
From the artist of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery, comes Mail, a horror manga showcasing several short stories of people’s encounters with the deceased and the mysterious detective, Akiba, who comes to their aid.
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Something which I’m sure will interest some of my site visitors, the sneak peek for the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight DVD release has popped up on YouTube. Produced by Bruce Timm (automatic point on the awesome scale), the straight to DVD movie is the combination of segments animated by several anime studios. It’s shaping up to look pretty snazzy so far with some real talent behind it and some classy reimaginings. I definately recommend fans of the dark knight check it out.
Watch the sneak peek here.
Go!Comi is currently seeking an artist or artist team to work on an existing project aimed at teen manga fans. It’ll begin as a webcomic then be compiled into a graphic novel for publication.
More information can be read here.
Writer: Alex de Campi
Artist: Federica Manfredi
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: All Ages
Released: January 2007
Synopsis: “Since her arrival at Dover Academy, the one person Kat has been able to depend on is her best friend Mee-Seen, better known as Mouse. But when Mouse gets a crush on the new art teacher, a misunderstanding comes between the two friends – and a class trip to the art museum only makes it worse! When a famous painting is stolen right under their noses, will Kat and Mouse be able to smooth things out in time to catch the thief?”
School life continues and Kat seems to be fitting in better and better as time goes on but she still can’t get her mind off the ‘Artful Dodger’. With a string of thefts occuring at the school, it’s no wonder people are thinking the thief is back to their old tricks. But there’s other issues needing to be dealt with, such as Mouse’s crush on the new art teacher and thus the insuing drama between best friends.
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Manga-ka: Hiroaki Samura
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2006
Synopsis: “Hiroaki Samura’s modern-era romantic comedies are finally available in English! These stories are told with the same bold, kinetic art style and brilliantly paced storytelling that Samura’s Blade of the Immortal epic is famous for – but with a decidedly different attitude. The main offering, Ohikkoshi, follows the turbulent paths of several university students as they fall in lust, form rock bands, ride motorbikes, and try to avoid making life decisions while drunk.”
Ohikkoshi is a small collection of stories set in modern day, following the lives and trials of various people. The first few chapters focus on a group of friends, their changing lives and romantic trials that they juggle amidst rock concerts and alcohol binges. The second story is a more out there tale of a manga creator’s “quest for love” and the often unbelievable, but thus amusing, life struggles she finds herself in.
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Manga-ka: Uki Ogasawara
Publisher: DramaQueen
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: December 2006
Synopsis: “Kenzo Shinozuka is a talented but under-appreciated pianist, so when wealthy noblemen Lorenzo Carlucci offers to be his patron, he leaps at the chance. However, being patronized by Carlucci exacts a price that the pianist may not want to pay. For Carlucci is an eccentric and demanding patron, whose temperant often clashes with Kenzo’s own stubbornness. The friction between patron and artist threatens to drive them both to the brink of madness, or that of desire.”
Kenzo Shinozuka finds himself employed by the mysterious and rich Lorenzo Carlucci, a man who asks nothing else of the young talented pianist but to live in his home and play the piano for him. Kenzo is a bit unsure about Lorenzo’s intentions but realizes that the men seems very familiar to him, a figure from his past. With Lorenzo breathing down his neck to be a better pianist, and the two of them soon embracing to do more than play piano together, Kenzo finds himself swept up in the man’s troubled present and both their turmoil pasts.
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Looks like it didn’t take long for yaoi fans to make their guesses over at Yaoi Suki’s Guess the Name contest for Yaoi Press’s upcoming line of books. Created to replace Yaoi Press’s Yaoi Hentai line of books, the new line is being called Happy Yaoi Yum Yum. No comment. YaoiSuki however offers an explanation via YP’s Yamila Abraham.
Author: Satosumi Takaguchi
Manga-ka: Yukine Honami
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Young Adults (16+)
Released: January 2008
Synopsis: “When class president Sango Tsutsui and the other student administrators end up sequestered away at a director’s meeting, Yuuhi-kun is left back at the school, alone and defenseless. Will Yuuhi’s naive, country ways make him fair game for the Ezaki trio? Or will Tsutsui-san return in the nick of time to save him? Could it be that absence truly makes the heart grow fonder – are Yuuhi and Sango ready to take their strange relationship to (gasp!)… the next level?!”
The escapades and exploits of the Shuuki Academy continue in volume two of Can’t Win With You! Yuuhi continues to struggle against the law-ignoring Ezaki trio, who are bent are living how they see fit in the school despite what their new resident advisor has to say about it. Meanwhile Miki and Houjou seem to be struggling through one lover’s spat after another and it’s making things even harder to deal with around the already drama-drenched school!
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