Manga-ka: Izumi Tsubaki
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2010
Synopsis: “For a brief moment, Chiaki fears that another girl is giving Yosuke a massage on the sly. As graduation day approaches, she must untangle her feelings for Yosuke and tell him how she really feels. Love, romance and massage…the exciting conclusion to The Magic Touch!”
Having heard both good and bad things about this series, I decided to undertake a review of the final volume for team Kuriousity. Catching up on the series with a previous volume beforehand, reading this last instalment left me pleasantly surprised. Magic Touch takes a fairly odd concept and delivers an entertaining, offbeat shojo series.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Natsumi Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: June 2010
Synopsis: “Momoka is eager to give Ryuga the antique pocket watch she bought him for his 17th birthday, but when she gets to school, the Ryuga she meets is only 13 years old! A tiny trickster fairy who lives in the watch has taken Momoka back in time, and now Momoka must find her way back to the present day.”
As Matsumoto adds the element of dinosaur-obsession into an already panda-inclined manga, cuteness levels jump into overdrive in this volume of St. Dragon Girl. A personable narrative combines with clever design elements to make a very readable series that touches upon most of the basic elements of shojo manga for a younger audience, while also appealing to general manga readers. Everything is handled in an efficient fashion that endows it with endearing charm, whether it‘s time travel, sinister paintings or overly violent mermaids.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Natsumi Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2009
Synopsis: “During the Sports Festival, Momoka brings lunch for Ryuga so they can eat together, but Akira isn’t happy that Ryuga rejected her lunch in favour of Momoka’s. Jealous, Akira calls on three impish wind demons to break the couple apart.”
A charming mixture of Chinese pop culture with the traditional styling of Ribon manga, St. Dragon Girl is a sweet, spirited piece of manga fluff. It also slips in just enough fantasy elements and strange cuteness to avoid being overly sweet, relying on an upbeat tone that will overcome many a jaded manga fan.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Takashi Hashiguchi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2010
Synopsis: “Young Yamatoya, a spoiled brat with a thing for bread, is back – and this time he’s trying to buy a job as a bread judge. But when master taster Kuro-san decides to teach him a lesson about hard work, Yamatoya realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Later, Azuma’s team Pantasia is in a bind when their next opponent in the “Yakitate!! Japan” baking competition turns out to be an old rival who’s caught in the grip of a powerful mind-controlling substance: miso bread!”
Yakitate Japan offers some signature Shonen Sunday-brand humour, adding a dash of whimsical absurdity to the realm of cooking manga, with its strange yet involving tale of youths struggling to be the best bread-makers in all of Japan. This volume is well into the series, yet is quite accessible to new readers, piquing my curiosity to check out more of this offbeat bakery comic.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Shouko Fukaki
Publisher: CMX Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “A mysterious society is stalking Jin because his father and sister, Toko, betrayed them in the past by removing Jin before he could further their cause. At the same time, long-lost brother Soichiro tries to warn Jin’s friend Fusano that Toko and their father are not the good guys they appear to be. Fusano’s not buying it and leaves with Toko, a decision she may come to regret.”
In my previous review, I recommended The Battle of Genryu as a fun martial arts manga with an intriguing plot. That remains to be true, but it’s a little difficult to recommend now with CMX’s closure. If you don’t mind not getting an ending to your manga, you might still want to check this series out, since it sports some great art, and will hopefully be revived someday.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Mayu Fujitaka
Publisher: CMX
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “Souka and her recently divorced mother move to a new place to start over. In looking for a school to enroll in, Souka decides to leave her preppy, private high school behind and transfers into a technical high school. To her surprise, she’s the only girl student in the entire school! The first day of school is nothing like she ever imagined — boys crashing through the window, fighting for all they are worth. One day, the school’s current “Bancho” (a term for a gang leader) ambushes Souka. What Souka didn’t know was that when someone takes down the class’ leader, you became the leader of that class. This wasn’t a role she was expecting for herself, but will she be able to relinquish it?”
After all the recent goings on regarding CMX, namely its demise, reviewing this volume was a little sad. However, while the series might go unfinished, My Darling! Miss Bancho’s first volume still has a lot to offer its readers. A decidedly off beat take on the generic Cinderella “guys transform plain girl into campus princess” genre, Souka finds herself the unwanted leader of an entire school of goofy, unrefined young men.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Shinobu Ohtaka
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: October 2009
Synopsis: “As if being the target of Momoko’s affections isn’t bad enough, now Koushi is a target for assassination! Iroha Miyamoto is the next to make a move, determined to regain the honour of her fallen clan. But there’s more than one way to break up the union of Kuzuryuu and Inuzuka. Why kill Koushi off? Why not marry him instead?!”
The bizarre misadventures of Koushi and his wannabe bride continue as Shinobu Ohtaka brings us more of this surreal series. Like its energetic heroine, Sumomomo Momomo’s pretty low on brain cells and focuses on merrily skipping along, allowing you to witness as it smacks your mind around lest you think you’re reading a normal manga. Engaging in yet more offensive territory, Sumomomo Momomo is a not something for everyone, but it certainly is something.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Q Hayashida
Publisher: Sig Ikki
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “Caiman was not lucky. A sorcerer cursed him with a reptile head and left him with no memory of his life before the transformation. Adding to the mystery, there’s a spectre of a man living inside him. But Caiman has one key advantage: he’s now completely immune to magic. Along with his best friend, Nikaido, Caiman is hunting down sorcerers in the Hole, searching for the one who can undo his curse and killing the rest. But when En, the head Sorcerer, gets word of a lizard-man slaughtering sorcerers, he sends a crew of “cleaners” into the Hole, igniting a war between two worlds.”
A kinetic mix of action, dark comedy and gore, Dorohedoro offers a feast of strangeness as a lizard headed man hunts down the sorcerers who plague his city, cavorts with a deceptively harmless-looking restaurant owner, and enjoys good meals in between all the decapitations.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Ayami Kazama
Publisher: CMX Manga
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: January 2010
Synopsis: “Being a “Projectionist” can bring lots of money and fame, but only if you are good at it. If you want to become one, first you need to have the power to cast a four-dimensional image. Then it’s really important to be able to hone and perfect your projecting abilities. The best place to do that, of course, is at a high school filled with other aspiring Projectionists. Step into this multidimensional world with a very special student body!”
A gentle walk into the world of fantasy and romance, The World I Create offers a bit of sweet whimsy that never overstays its welcome. Taking fairly standard school and fantasy manga aspects, its strong focus on character relationships and endearing art style makes for an appealing stand-alone volume of work. Offering a more complete story then most stand-alone manga works as well, it makes a great addition to any collection.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Nakaba Higurashi
Publisher: CMX Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: May 2009
Synopsis: “Temujin (later to be called Genghis Khan) was born to the leader of a Mongolian clan with all portents of greatness: a glowing face and fire in his eyes. When Temujin is 11 years old, he meets a boy from another tribe–Jamuqa–while hunting down a deer. Before they can decide who will keep the kill, they save each other from stalking wolves. To honour their newly established friendship, the two boys become blood brothers, swearing eternal loyalty to each other as long as they shall live. After some years, however, both Temujin and Jamuqa have the ambition to contend for supremacy of Mongolia, and they become enemies. ”
Adaptations can be a difficult process, and despite some solid artistic skills, Nakaba Higurashi’s presentation of Morimura’s story leaves a bit to be desired. Full of sweeping nomadic images, it’s impact is softened by frequent jumps in narrative, a lack of focus, and a more sedate pace then usual for action manga. Ultimately it emerges as a pleasant yet flawed work, conveying a fragmented tale of tragedy as Khan starts his quest for greatness.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Shouko Fukaki
Publisher: CMX Manga
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2009
Synopsis: “Jin’s a happy, irresponsible high school kid with extraordinary powers. The problem is, they only show up once a month. He’s got a great group of friends, including the attractive Fusano, who takes her own fighting skills way more seriously than Jin does. But that all changes when some tough guys challenge him on one of the days when he isn’t powered up. Turns out they were hired by his estranged brother Soichiro, who is after something that Jin possesses. And when Soichiro later attacks Fusano, the war between brothers is on.”
With this entry into martial arts manga, CMX’s Flex Comics offers a fairly solid, action-oriented series to its readers. While similar to many “teen randomly has extreme natural talent in beating people up“ plots, an air of mystery and a blend of kinetic, distinctive artwork puts this title slightly ahead of the pack.
Read more…
Manga-ka: GooGoo Gong
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “Jae-Gyu and Whie-Hwan’s romantic charade is put to the test at President Ko’s engagement party. Jae-Gyu slips away while Whie-Hwan falters before his former girlfriend, Hae-Mee, who seems eager to reignite the flame despite her engagement. But what does Whie-Hwan want? If it’s Jae-Gyu, he’d better hurry. Accosted by Sung-Jun from the slave auction, Jae-Gyu’s put in a frantic call to Hee-Do, and the rock star is already on his way to snatch her out of danger…and out of Whie-Hwan’s life as well!”
After the previous volumes’ shenanigans of pretend relationships, unwanted drunken encounters and mandatory love triangles, it seems volume three brings us more of the same, including a return of the previously introduced scuzzy antagonist. A fluffy, light read with occasionally surprising silliness and some mild dark moments, Sugarholic is a manwha that floats between shojo and josei with it’s older yet naïve 20 year old lead, Jae-Gyu. For a book that could be an outright mess given it’s subject matter, Sugarholic somehow finds a way to entertain its readers and rise above its cliché subject matter. That said, this volume doesn’t fare as well as it could.
Read more…
Author: Masashiro Totsuka
Manga-ka: Aguri Igarashi
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: March 2010
Synopsis: “When word of Kojiro’s angry outburst at the supermarket gets around to the chairman of the school board, Kojiro’s future at Muroe High is in jeopardy! But there’s really nothing the kendo club can do to help…or is there? Surely the principal wouldn’t dismiss the coach of the kendo team that won the National Tournament?!”
Our technical protagonist Kojiro runs into trouble, while the team begins the search for the next member of the Kendo club. Totsuka and Igarashi continue to deliver the goods as we encounter even more nostalgic school days bliss, the horrors of being a newly employed recent college graduate, and the horrors hidden in a teenage girls’ relatively short past.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Akira Ishida
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: January 2010
Synopsis: “Average schoolgirl Nanami’s life is now anything but average! Having learned she’s the descendent of a powerful demon princess and gained herself three demonic minions – Tsurugi, Kusabi, and Mori – the poor girl has no time to let it all sink in… because she still has to go to class! And as if that’s not bad enough, Tomotaka, the demon slayer who wanted Nanami’s head on a silver platter when they first met, no longer sees Nanami as a demon to slay; now she’s the bait to lure in other demons!”
Leaping into the second volume for my first exposure to the franchise, I encountered a fairly standard manga representative of current trends in Japan, though not one without its charms. OniNagi stands solidly in the realm of myth-based manga, playing with the concept of the Oni to give us yet another demon slaying manga, but mixing things up slightly by making the protagonist a demon of sorts herself.
Read more…
Manga-ka: Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: February 2010
Synopsis: “With the Imperial Army in hot pursuit, Housei leads Taitou and the others on a little detour to the home of his master. But the “mean old devil woman” he had described turns out to be nothing of the sort. Master Kouei is a veritable font of wisdom; in addition to knowing a more covert route into the capital, she is well versed in the legends of the Hokushin-Tenkun. There is much she can teach Taitou as he struggles to control the overwhelming power of his star, but will she have enough time to impart her wisdom before tragedy strikes?”
Hiromu Arakawa brings us yet more of her delightful side project, Hero Tales. She moves the story along at a brisk pace as Taitou meets more of the other destined stars, and we get to take in more of the lush surroundings of this mystical version of ancient China, along with its harsh realities of poverty and corruption. Arakawa excels at creating a fun cast and playing with readers emotions, similar to her work in Full Metal Alchemist, while also creating a compelling view of the lives and scenery of ancient China.
Read more…
