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Archive for July, 2007

Review: Lovely Sick (Vol. 02)


Manga-ka: Shoko Ohmine
Publisher: DramaQueen
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: March 2007

Synopsis: “In the emergency room where he and his parents were brought after a fatal car accident, Sumi-sensei was one of the surgeons who helped save Naoyuki’s life. During the time that Naoyuki recovered under Sumi’s care, the two developed a bond that transcended that of doctor and patient. For Naoyuki, this was his first step towards believing he was worthy of love. For Sumi, their burgeoning relationship represented all the possibilities and goodness that love brings.”

Lovely Sick is a classic Florence-Nightingale story, a caretaker finding himself falling in love with his patient during their time of need. In this case, the young boy’s time of need spans to nearly his whole life, going through the slow rehabilitation process after the accident that left his legs shattered. In this second volume, we are brought back five years to when the two characters first met. It is also through this that we are reminded just how far apart in age doctor and patient are, and through what means their relationship comes to be, leaving, for this reviewer at least, a bit of a sour taste left behind.

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Review: Surge


Author: Kyle Green
Artist: Studio Kosaru
Publisher: YaoiPress
Rating: Teen (16+)

Synopsis: “The gorgeous surfer Shawn needs to pass Marine Biology or else he’ll flunk out of college. Luckily for him, the cute nerd Alan is dying to learn how to surf. The two are brought into each others’ worlds and romantic sparks fly. It seems like a dream for Alan until Shawn’s former boyfriend Clay gives him a harsh reality check. “

One of Yaoi Press’s most notable artist teams, Studio Kosaru, takes a break from their popular online comic to bring us Kyle Green’s story of mix-matched lovers, set on sandy beaches and foamy surfs. A cute premise and eye-catching artwork makes story and art flow seamlessly together in this touching culture-clash love story.

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Review: TMNT

Release Date: March 23, 2007

Created for the enjoyment of nostalgic young adults and cartoon loving children, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return to the big screen once again! This time sporting wonderfully done 3D graphics, it’s a positive change for the turtles as they return to find a new place among today’s heroes and box office-hits.

Taking place as a sequel to the three live action movies released almost a decade ago, this movie takes place after Shredder’s defeat, meaning you won’t be seeing exactly the same plot recycled yet again. In this movie the turtles must reunite and take on a 3000 year old war general who seeks to reopen a portal to another dimension with the aid of his super powerful siblings. This time it isn’t just New York they find themselves saving but the whole world; in fact the movie even begins in the jungle depths of South America. Of course it couldn’t be called a TMNT movie without all classic elements including the character’s unique personalities and pizza eating, slang talking, ninja mayhem. This movie delivers all of it that, including a depth to the characters not seen since the earlier movies.

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Review: Don’t Say Anymore, Darling


Manga-ka: Fumi Yoshinaga
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: July 2007

Synopsis: “The only thing keeping Tadashi, a struggling song lyricist, alive is food handouts from Kouhei, a successful doctor. In fact, Tadashi has been leeching off of Kouhei for practically their entire professional lives. But Kouhei’s parents want nothing more than to see their son settling down. As Kouhei is pushed ever more forcefully into an arranged marriage, will he finally admit that he sees Tadashi as something more than just a friend?”

Don’t Say Anymore, Darling is a compilation of short stories by the manga-ka, Fumi Yoshinaga, famous for her character driven works such as Antique Bakery and Flower of Life. This collection brings together five short stories ranging from the trials of a futuristic world to the failings of a present day piano prodigy. Each story stands on its own as a unique tale portraying the trials of love and loss in different ways.

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Review: La Esperanca (Vol. 07)


Manga-ka: Chigusa Kawai
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Teens (13+)
Released: June 2007

Synopsis: “Georges takes off on a manic qyest to find the only person who can fill the painful gaps in his memory, but he’s adandoned a group of his dearest friends… and left them full of unanswered questions. While Georges struggles to make sense of his family’s heartbreaking history, Robert reaches out to the one he cares for more than any other. It’s a race against time for both boys.”

La Esperanca, volume seven, is the final book in this long running series by Chigusa Kawai. It’s the thicket book thus far, needing every page to bring to a close this dramatic tale of two strangers and they’re intertwined pasts.

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Review: Little Crybaby


Manga-ka: Keiko Kinoshita
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Young Adults (16+)
Released: July 2007

Synopsis: “A shy and clumsy university student; a salary man trapped in an arranged marriage; a not-so-skilled novice magician; two high school boys who have been fighting it out since they were kids; and a humanoid dog… what could they possibly have in common? Well, they’re about to find love in the most unexpected of places. Oh, and there’s another thing about them as well – they all seem to cry over the simplest of things.”

Little Crybaby is the second Keiko Kinoshita release by DMP. It’s a collection of short stories all brought together under a simple similarity, someone always cries. Though the description on the back of the book, “…they all seem to cry over the simplest of things”, does prove to be a bit of an exaggeration, it acts alongside the title to make the act of crying in these stories stand out to the reader, bringing the book together as a notably theme-oriented collection. The book contains six chapters, two of which are connected as one story. In total there are five different stories.

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Review: Kilala Princess (Vol. 01)


Manga-ka: Nao Kodaka
Writer: Rika Tanaka
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Everyone
Released: January 2007

Synopsis: “When Kilala awakens a sleeping prince named Rei, she magically gains the power of the princesses! But her friend Erica is kidnapped, so she and Rei must set off on a quest to rescue her!”

Clearly coasting comfortably on the tidal wave that is the Kingdom Hearts franchise, Kilala Princess takes a stereotypical, manga main character and plops her into multiple worlds where she meets up with Disney characters, princesses in particular playing the most important of roles, all in the hope of finding her friend, lost somewhere in the clutches of an evil group. Hmmm… sounds a bit familiar. However, the manga so far never tries to be anything it isn’t claiming to be. What you see on the cover is exactly what you’ll get, a painfully cute, simple (but surprisingly charming) story about a child who just wants to live every girl’s dream and become a princess. Oh and don’t forget prince charming.

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Review: Innocent Bird (Vol. 01)


Manga-ka: Hirotaka Kisaragi
Publisher: BLU
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: March 2007

Synopsis: “Part of the angelic bureaucracy, Karasu is sent to Earth to retrieve a demon living among humans. However, he’s surprised to discover that the demon Shirasagi wants to throw away his heritage and his powers, and live as a human – and a holy human at that. As he works out of a bar in the city, Shirasagi teaches children and is generally an all-around wonderful person. But Heaven and Hell both want him back and it’s going to be quite a battle…”

Delving into a world of angels versus devils, we have another entertaining Kisaragi work, guaranteed to, at the very least, intrigue you with its beautiful artwork and interesting designs.

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Review: Last Portrait


Manga-ka: Akira Honma
Publisher: DramaQueen
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: April 2007

Synopsis: “Yamato works for his father’s company, is subordinate to his older sister’s fiancé, Sakaguchi-san, and harbours a secret affection for him. That day before his sister’s wedding, Yamato privately confesses his feelings to Sakaguchi. The answer he receives is surprisingly and unexpected, but at this last hour, can Yamato face the consequences of having his wish fulfilled…?” Extra Story: Stairway to Heaven

The story begins with Yamato, a talented artist with little self-esteem. He is crushed by the words his father spoke to him of the uselessness of art. Leaving his sketchbook to the hands of some stranger in the rain, Yamato attempts to move on. Six months later, he’s an employee in his father’s company. It’s here he meets, seemingly for the first time, the older Sakaguchi, his boss and soon to be brother-in-law. Unfortunately for the already emotionally troubled Yamato, it was love at first sight.

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Review: YAOI, Anthology of Boys’ Love Stories (Vol. 01)


Author/Artists: Various
Publisher: YaoiPress
Rating: 18+
Released: March 2007

Synopsis: “This is brand new anthology series of Boys Love. First, prisoners of a medieval circus unite against their wicked ringmaster. Then a tale of forbidden love between members or two rival gangs in modern Tokyo. The final tale is of a boy who escapes his sadistic hillbilly captors, and recovers from their torture with the help of a romantically vulnerable cop. The best Global Yaoi talent comes together for this steamy yaoi anthology.”

Continuing a strong new trend of original yaois created by fans and artists outside of Japan, Yaoi Anthology is a unique and varied collection of short stories. Written and drawn by the usual teams we’ve come to recognize from Yaoi Press, you’ll find few surprises here but some things do manage to find a way to stand out.

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