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Black Blood Brothers
2008-03-06 03:46:00
Overall Rating: D/BSynopsis: The series is a supernatural action comedy, and it focuses on Jiro Mochizuki, an "Old Blood " (i.e. really fucking old) vampire. He and his little brother Kotaro are trying to get to the Special Zone (yep, that's what it's called), a city where vampires live. You see, in BBB, humans know about vampires and have created the Order Coffin Company, who mediate between humans and vampires. Unfortunately, there is a group of really bad vampires called Kowloon Children who are pretty much the worst (as we are told over and over again). No one likes them, which is probably why they are so mean. That and they appear to be insane, but whatever. Anyway, Jiro is a total bad ass, except water and sunlight mess him up. For some reason (I think they explain this at some point) Kotaro does not give even one fuck about these things, but he sucks at everything else except laughing. Can these two get to the special zone? What will happen when they get there? Dun dun ddduu...
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Harukaze Bitter Bop
2008-02-28 15:30:00
Overall Rating: C+Synopsis: Created by Court Betten, the series follows Chiyoharu, a high school boy who used to be a troublemaker. After he and his friends set fire to the school, he became an outcast, and his friends were expelled. Now, he beats himself up over the incident and abandoning his friends. He hasn't seen them since the fire, and is worried they hate him, but he thinks that by continuing in school despite being an outkast, he can make things right. (I'm not sure how that logic works, but whatever).One morning on his way to school, Chiyoharu witnesses a man jump in front of a speeding train, but instead of going splat, he gets up and walks it off. It turns out that the man is Souza of the North Wind, but he has amnesia and can remember nothing else. He had hoped to knock some memories loose by getting hit by a train, but it appears to have no effect. For whatever fucking reason, he thinks Chiyoharu looks familiar, and wants to hang out with him. The same day, Chiyoharu...
More About: Bitter

Glass Fleet Anime
2008-02-20 21:39:00
Overall Rating: D-Synopsis: A science fiction/adventure anime series, Glass Fleet opens with a space fight between two warring factions. We aren't given much background information, but the effeminate and effete Vetti Lunard Sforza de Roselait seems to be winning. After destroying his enemy after they surrender to him, Vetti promises a new age of justice, but according to Michel (who is narrating/philosophizing) he will just be another tyrant. We then fast-forward a bit (not sure how long) to when Vetti is acting like a tyrant and Michel has begun leading the People's Army in revolution. For some reason yet to be determined, Vetti does not want to hurt Michel, but does want him captured (there are insinuations that Vetti is in love with Michel). Just when it seems Michel has finally been captured, a strange ship shows up and destroys his captors (while Michel waits unprotected in space, which bothers me. Shouldn't he have been in a suit or something so he could breathe?) The shi...
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Deathnote Manga Volumes 1-12
2008-02-18 15:46:00
Overall Rating: A++Synopsis: A psychological/supernatural thriller created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata, Death Note follows a high school student, Light Yagami, who discovers the notebook of a shinigami that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name while picturing his or her face. Light's goal is to create and lead a world cleansed of evil using the book, but where is the line between an honorable goal, and mass murder? The note book has a series of instructions written by the shinigami, Ryuk, who owned the book, and holding the book allows Light to see Ryuk. After confirming that the book works, Light begins a killing spree, wiping out all of the major criminals whose identities are televised. Soon, this attracts the attention of the International Police Organization, and a mysterious detective known only as "L". Through a stunt that kills a man sentenced to death in prison, L learns that "Kira" (the name the public gives to the mysterious k...
More About: Manga , Volumes

My Favorite Ongoing Manga Series
2008-02-11 21:47:00
I got into a car accident last week, so I've been a little behind in my reviewing. So, I thought I would tell you all which ongoing (still being released) manga series I am currently reading. These are some of my favorite series, but it doesn't include Genshiken or Death Note for example, because both of those series are finished. BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad - In Volume 10 band is trying to take off, and Koyuki is trying to figure out his relationship with Maho (or if there's even a chance to have one with her). Volume 11 is due out on March 4th.Bleach - The Bleach gang has returned from the Soul Society, now they have to deal with a new enemy, the arrancar, but are they the real enemy? Volume 23 is due out June 3rd.Fruits Basket - More of the mystery of the Sohma family unravels. Will Tohru end up with either Yuki or Kyo? Fruits Basket 19 is due out on March 18thKurosagi Corpse Delivery Service - The team is still helping the bodies of the dead find their rightful resting place. ...
More About: Series , Manga , Favorite

Good As Lily
2008-02-04 20:20:00
Overall Rating: ASynopsis: Written by Derek Kirk Kim with art by Jesse Hamm, Good As Lily follows Grace Kwon, a young woman who is Korean-American, and a senior in high school. At the beginning of the book, Grace is is about to graduate, and go to Stanford, and it's her 18th birthday. The evening of her birthday, she is visited by herself at ages 6,29, and 70. The older versions of herself have no memory of this happening when they turned 18 (or of the pináta that hit Grace on the head earlier that day).Grace has to balance the arrival of her other selves, the school play she's in falling apart, her crush on the drama teacher, her 29-year-old self's crush on the same teacher, and her parents expectations. A bit more than the average 18-year-old. I have enjoyed all of the Minx Comics that I have picked up. Minx is an imprint of DC, and they publishes comics focused on young women. I've reviewed "Clubbing" and "Re-Gifters" in the past, and have enjoyed all three. I particularly l...

Millennium Snow Volume 1
2008-01-30 19:41:00
Overall Rating: BSynopsis: Created by Bisco Hatori, this shōjo supernatural romance story follows Chiyuki Matsuoka, a young woman in high school with a weak heart. When she was born, the doctors said she would be lucky to live until she was 15. She now tries to live to see it snow as many times as possible. One evening, she sees a young man in a black coat jump off a building, and she goes to find him, only to discover that the man is unhurt. She learns that his name is Tōya Kanō, and that he is a vampire. He also has the opposite problem that Chiyuki has, he will live one thousand years. In the world of Millennium Snow , vampires also mate for life with a human whom they feed from. The human also lives one thousand years. When Chiyuki finds this out, she offers her blood to Tōya so she can live longer. Tōya refuses, claiming that he hates humans and blood. The truth is that he doesn't hate humans and he likes blood, but he doesn't want to burden anyone. However, he gives Chiy...
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Ouran High School Host Club Opening Anime
2008-01-28 22:31:00
Overall Rating: A++Synopsis: Adapted from the manga series by Bisco Hatori, the series follows Haruhi Fujioka, a scholarship student at the prestigious Ouran High School . Haruhi is a girl, but she got gum put in her hair so she cut it short, and wears boys clothes. This wouldn't be terribly important, but one day she stumbles across the school's Host Club. The Host Club is basically a place for six idly rich pretty boys to be idly rich pretty boys, and idly rich pretty girls to come and fawn over them and pretend the boys are their fiancées and boyfriends. After breaking an extremely valuable vase, it is determined that Haruhi will work off her debt by becoming a member of the club. Despite the fact that she is neither idly rich, nor a boy. Oh ho dear readers, what will happen next? I reviewed the manga version of Ouran High School Host Club back in November, but I only recently saw the anime, and I knew I had to review it as well. It's not often that I see an anime that actuall...
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Alice On Deadlines Volume 1
2008-01-23 19:44:00
Overall Rating: B+Synopsis: A Shōnen comedy and fantasy series created by Shiro Ihara, Alice On Deadlines follows the misadventures of the Shinigami Lapan and the human Alice. In the book, shinigami are more like the ones featured in Bleach, than in Deathnote. They appear human, have a bureaucracy, and collect souls for the afterlife. They cannot travel to earth in their bodies however, so they must possess a soulless body. Lapan is a degenerate shinigami who doesn't do his job and looks at porn all the time. As punishment, his boss sends him to take care of a wandering soul (similar to Hollows for those familiar with Bleach) in the form of a skeleton (Lapan was hoping for a sexy woman, though how sexy a woman might be...). However, due to a mix-up (it hasn't been determined how it happened yet), Lapan ends up in the body of Alice, a sweet, buxom, and living young woman who goes to (of course) an all-girls school. Alice, in turn, ends up in the skeleton that was meant for Lapan. ...
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Speed Grapher Anime
2008-01-21 20:30:00
Overall Rating: BSynopsis: A drama/supernatural mystery anime from Gonzo, the series follows Tatsumi Saiga, a semi-famous photographer who took photographs during the Bubble War. Speed Grapher is set 10 years after the war in Tokyo, where the rich have become depraved sex addicts, who attend private clubs, and make deals to get access to what they want. Not too different from real life, right? Saiga is out to photograph one of these exclusive fetish clubs that revolves around a 15-year-old "Goddess" named Kagura. That's where things start to get messed up. As he is trying to take a photograph of Kagura, he's discovered. The members of the club prepare to kill him, but Kagura kisses him first, granting him the ability to destroy anything he photographs. As it turns out, Kagura's bodily fluids can grant people bizarre powers related to their fetishes or obsessions. The club has been hypnotizing her and abusing her to grant those powers to the wealthy. Fun, right?Kagura naturally wa...
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Princess Princess Anime Disc 1 - Boys Will Be Girls
2008-01-16 22:52:00
Overall Rating: ASynopsis: Princess Princess is a Shōjo series based on the manga of the same name. The anime follows Toru Kouno on his first day at a new all-boys school, Fujimori, the most elite school in the area. Things are a bit strange at the school, and Toru immediately notices all the other boys looking at him, and obviously happy to see him. To make things even weirder, his homeroom teacher (who is also male) comments on how attractive Toru is.As it turns out, the school has a very interesting tradition. Each year they select the most attractive boys to become Hime, or princesses in order to add some excitement for the other boys. The princesses dress up as girls and attend school functions and act as fake idols. When Toru arrives, there are already two other Princesses, Yujiro and Mikoto, who treat the job very differently. Yujiro seems to enjoy it, while Mikoto obviously hates the job (it turns out that he has a girlfriend and is worried about what she will think). We al...
More About: Girls , Anime , Boys , Disc

Pumpkin Scissors Volume 1
2008-01-14 19:22:00
Overall Rating: BSynopsis: Pumpkin Scissors is a military drama manga with a healthy dose of comedy created by Ryoutarou Iwanaga. The series is set in a fictional world, similar to Western Europe that does not have wireless communication or automatic weapons. The manga is set five years after the end of the war between the Royal Empire and the Republic of the Frost. Starvation, pestilence, and soldiers who have turned into bandits plague the countryside, and in response the military has created "Imperial Army State Section III" also known as "Pumpkin Scissors" to aid in the war relief effort. Led by a member of one of the noble families, 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin, the group is a rag tag team with little funding and even less respect. Some consider the group a waste of resources, and others consider them a propaganda tool for the military, but the team itself seems to take the matter seriously (at least sometimes). Things start to change when they meet Corporal Randel Oland, a ...
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Venus Versus Virus Anime Disc 1
2008-01-11 20:39:00
Overall Rating: DAn anime series based on the manga of the same name, Venus Versus Virus follows Sumire, a school girl with the ability to see Viruses. These Viruses are demons who devour the souls of humans. She has teamed up with Lucia and the Venus Vanguard, a team dedicated to fighting the Viruses, and can even turn into a human anti-virus to fight them. Unfortunately, this power is a double-edged sword, and in her berserker state, she is also a threat to her allies.Some of you may remember when I reviewed the manga here, and gave it a glowing review. When I heard they were making an anime of the manga, I was excited to say the least. That excitement quickly turned to disappointment and confusion less than five minutes into the anime.The anime version of the series doesn't introduce the characters, drops you into the middle of plot with no explanation, and has inserted a random small girl into the story for apparently no reason other than to pander to the audience. The characte...
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Fall In Love Like A Comic Volume 1
2008-01-09 16:47:00
Overall Rating: DSynopsis: Fall in Love Like a Comic ! (should be Like a Manga) is a romantic comedy shōjo manga by Chitose Yagami. The story centers around Rena Sakura, a mangaka and high school student, and Tomoya Okita, a hot high school boy. Rena wants to get a boyfriend in order to write better romances, so she proposes that Tomoya be her boyfriend to help her. This leads to the inevitable "I'm actually in love with you" moment, where Tomoya declares his love for Rena. This leads to shenanigans as their relationship is tested by Rena's success as a mangaka, and Tomoya gets an acting role in a movie adaptation of her work.You know those series where the male and female lead have a clear attraction, but never seem to get together? That's frustrating, but can be interesting. Fall in Love Like a Comic! is frustrating because the plot is about a mangaka making her work more believable by falling in love herself. If we apply this concept (you have to be in love to write a good rom...
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Last Exile Anime Review - Disc 1
2008-01-07 17:40:00
Overall Rating: A-Synopsis: A steampunk anime by Gonzo Studios, and falls squarely in the adventure category. The story follows Claus Valca and Lavie Head, two orphans who make their living as couriers. Claus is an expert pilot (apparently, just like his father), and Lavie is his navigator in the steampunk world of Prester. Of course, they make some money on the side running races in their vanship.Unfortunately for Claus and Lavie, they get caught in the middle of a war between two countries, Anatole and Dysis, when they run into (almost literally) another courier with a package with a 7 Star (they had just finished a 3 star run, their most difficult one yet) danger rating. The "package" is a small girl named Alvis Hamilton, whom they must deliver to the battleship "Silvana". Silavana is a neutral party in the war, and everyone seems to be afraid of them. Probably because when they enter one fight, they might help you or shoot you down. You don't fucking know, they're crazy like t...
More About: Anime , Review , Exile , Disc

Socrates In Love
2008-01-03 16:50:00
Overall Rating: A+Synopsis: Also known as "Crying Out Love , In the Center of the World" in Japan, this manga is an adaptation of the Japanese novel written by Kyoichi Katayama. The story follows Sakutaro "Saku" Matsumoto as he looks back on his relationship with Aki Hirose. From the beginning, we know how the story ends, with Aki's death, but the journey there is compelling and touching. The two meet in junior high, and from the beginning have a clear connection to each other. Everyone else thinks they're dating, and it's pretty clear they both want to be with one another. They share audio diaries, go on excursions together, and enjoy summer vacation. In High School, they finally give in to their feelings, and start dating. Unfortunately, it's then that things start going wrong, Aki develops Leukemia and it doesn't look like she's getting better. Can young love survive this tragedy? Socrates in Love made me cry. I'm struggling to describe why I like it so much without soundin...

Mail Volume 1
2007-12-17 22:52:00
Overall Rating: BSynopsis: Created by the artist from Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Housui Yamazaki, the series follows private detective Reiji Akiba, who specializes in the paranormal. Volume 1 opens with a nude model shoot, which immediately tells you why the books are wrapped in plastic. The shoot is in a river, and according to the location scout, it was beautiful. Apparently, it flooded, and everything from trash to a skeleton got washed into the area. The photos reveal even more creepiness. Aside from the nude woman, there is also a headless girl in the photo. This is when we're introduced to the eccentric (a nice way of saying very weird) Akiba. He believes that the dead try to communicate with us every day, and that if we read their "mail", then we can help put them to rest. Sometimes, the dead aren't cooperative, so he also has special bullets with prayers on them that help put the more unruly spirits to rest as well.I like Mail , but I hope it picks up steam. There ar...

High School Debut Volume 1
2007-12-12 22:59:00
Overall Rating: CSynopsis: A shōjo manga created by Kazune Kawahara, the series follows Haruna Nagashima, who has just entered high school. In Middle School , Haruna was dedicated to softball, and didn't get involved in much else. Now, in High School , she has decided to apply the same dedication to finding a boyfriend. There's only one problem, she doesn't have a clue how to get started.At the beginning of the manga, we see Haruna in ridiculous outfits (well, not that ridiculous, but pretty bad), and awkwardly standing around at dating spots. Fortunately, she accidentally runs into Yoh, who gives her some advice. She decides she wants him to coach her, and help her find a boyfriend. It doesn't hurt that he is a hottie. At first, Yoh refuses, but eventually he relents, on one condition. Haruna is not allowed to fall in love with him!So far, High School Debut seems thoroughly average. The plot is your standard high school makeover, with the hot guy coaching the plain girl on how t...
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Hell Girl Volume 1
2007-12-11 03:15:00
Overall Rating: B+Synopsis: Hell Girl is a series of short stories that detail the suffering of different people. Typically, there is an antagonist who causes them to suffer, making the individual's life miserable. Fortunately, there is hope for these unfortunate souls (OOoooo dramatic!). Heard about through whispers and rumors, there is a website that can only be accessed at midnight. Known as Jigoku Tsūshin (Hell Correspondence), should someone submit the name of their persecutor (or really just anyone you hate), the Jigoku Shōjo (Hell Girl) will visit them. She has a creepy voice and red eyes, and will offer you a straw doll with a red string wound about its neck. If the string is pulled, she will send your persecutor to Hell by way of trippy hallucinations. However, if you condemn your persecutor to Hell, your soul will also be sent to Hell when you die.I really like Hell Girl so far. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is there is a lot of repetition of the way the Hell...
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Tekkonkinkreet
2007-12-05 17:19:00
Overall Rating: BSynopsis: Originally titled Tekkon Kinkreet in the Japanese release, the title is a play on "Tekkin Concrete" the Japanese term for reinforced concrete. The movie was directed by Michael Arias, animated by Studio 4°C, and adapted from "Black and White", a one-volume seinen manga series by Taiyō Matsumoto. Set in the fictional Treasure Town, the movie centers around a pair of orphan kids who live on the city's streets, Black and White. Black is older and tougher (some say he's the toughest kid in the city), and protects the child-like (and perpetually snot-nosed) White). Together they make up the gang known as Neko (or Cats). Black & White seem to have some special abilities, such as the ability to fly (or at least jump and glide further than a normal person could), and being pretty fucking bad-ass for a couple of kids. The first part of the movie focuses on the duo as they confront rival orphan gangs and even the local yakuza. Things are going well for Black & W...

Yume Kira Dream Shoppe
2007-12-03 22:22:00
Overall Rating: DSynopsis: This fantasy shōjo, created by Aqua Mizuto, we meet Rin. A mysterious shopkeeper, Rin makes dreams come true, but only for a steep price. The shop in question, Yume Kira Dream Shoppe, is magical and (as is driven home at the beginning and end of almost every chapter) flies through the sky at dusk. If you happen across the shop, or Rin hears your wish, he may grant it in exchange for something valuable in return. For example, in one story a tree wishes to become human. In exchange for granting the wish, Rin asks for the trees leaves. He travels with a stuffed animal named Alpha, who has been animated by Rin's magic. I picked this book up on a whim, and regret it. From the description, I was hoping for something along the lines of xxxHolic, which has similar (but darker and more interesting) themes. Unfortunately, Yume Kira Dream Shoppe insists on ending every story with a sugary sweet happy ending and a reminder about how awesome the shop is. That was fin...

Re-Gifters
2007-11-30 16:18:00
Overall Rating: ASynopsis: The series is created by writer Mike Carey and artists Sonny Liew and Marc Hempel for DC Comics' Minx line. It follows Jen Dik Seong (or "Dixie"), a high school girl from a poor Korean American family. Dixie's passion is training in the ancient martial art of hapkido. The only problem is that her training keeps getting messed up, because she has a HUGE crush on a boy in her class, Adam. In order to impress him, she buys him a very expensive statue of one of the first Hapkido warriors with the money her parents gave her to enter a Hapkido tournament. Now, Dixie has to figure out how to get into the tournament, and win Adam's affections.I really enjoyed this book. Hell, I could almost just leave it at that. Re-Gifters is a fun, cute book with realistic characters and a well-done plot. It reminded me a little of the Karate Kid, if the main character was a young Korean American girl, and the story was a lot better. Oh, and Daniel-san had a crush on "Sweep t...

The Wallflower Volume 1
2007-11-29 03:49:00
Overall Rating: BSynopsis: A Shōjo comedy/romance manga created by Tomoko Hayakawa. At the beginning of the manga, Sunako Nakahara confesses her love to a boy, who utterly rejects her and tells her she's ugly. As any reasonably young person would do, Sunako then discards all traces of her femininity, and retreats into odd and morbid hobbies, such as collecting skulls. Fortunately, Sunako's aunt owns a mansion that four gorgeous boys live in (huh?). Apparently, the boys pay rent to live in the mansion, and the aunt offers them free rent if they give Sunako a Pygmalian-esque makeover, and she becomes a "perfect lady". The boys set to work, and hilarity ensues. Often, Sunako is shown as an exaggerated version of her true self that looks like a female version Cartman from Southpark. Will these gorgeous boys succeed? Will Sunako's inner beauty shine through?I passed over The Wallflower several times before checking it out. I'm not a huge fan of the art, but I love the ridiculous plo...
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XS Hybrid Volume 1
2007-11-21 23:06:00
Overall Rating: B Synopsis: Created by S. Ji-Hyung, the series is a science fiction story, and one of Dark Horse's new Manwha (South Korean manga) titles. The story is set in a future where some humans have become "hybrids", with special powers, and follows Mina, a tomboy with psychic powers (clearly one of the hybrids). These hybrids police the planet, or kill many, many people, or both. A lot of the plot in the first volume focuses on Hinchang, a normal kid who is in love with Mina (despite the fact that she put him in a coma years before. That's love.) Hinchang spends most of the book saving Mina from being attacked by another hybrid (who looks cool and has psychic powers), and various other mysterious men (re: bad guys) who are trying to capture/kill Mina.I like XS Hybrid , but I don't love it. I don't think there are enough really good science fiction manga/manwha, and this one comes close. Basically, I want to love it, but it hasn't grabbed me yet. I think it's because I...
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Shugo Chara! Volume 1
2007-11-19 22:15:00
Overall Rating: B+Synopsis: Created by Peach-Pit, the series is a shōjo manga that follows Amu Hinamori, a student at Seiyo Elementary. Amu has a reputation for being stylish and cool (that's her to the left), but she's really very shy. One night, she makes a wish that she could be her real self, and the next morning she finds three brightly colored eggs in her bed. Each egg eventually hatches a Guardian Character, angel-like beings able to change Amu into a new personality. She also has to deal with the Guardians of Seiyo Elementary, a student council group who have their own Guardian Characters (and a really stupid looking cape). Of course, the current Guardian King at Seiyo (Guardians are based on cards, so you have King, Queen, Jack and Ace) is Tadase Hotori, Amu's love interest. As an example of how a Guardian Character can affect someone, whenever someone refers to Tadase as "Prince" (his nickname), he changes into a violent, egotistical king who wishes to rule the world. ...
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Zombie Powder Volume 1
2007-11-05 20:13:00
Overall Rating: D-Synopsis: Created by Tite Kubo (creator of Bleach), Zombie Powder is an unfinished manga with a futuristic-western setting (not unlike Trigun). The main characters is Gamma Akutabi, a mysterious man wrapped in a past shrouded in enigma (or something). He is hunting the Zombie Powder, which supposedly can bring the dead back to life and give the living immortality. Gamma has mastered an art of fighting called Karin Zanjutsu (which normally takes 32 years to master) in only 4 years. He is helped in his search for the Zombie Powder by a pickpocket named Elwood, his partner CT, and Wolfina, a female "journalist of justice". I picked up Zombie Powder because I love Bleach, and the same creator did both series. However, the quality of work on this manga is much lower. The plot and characters have a recycled feel to them, and none of it really draws you in. I kept waiting to get into the series more (I've read the first two volumes), but I kept being disappointed. The on...
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Black God Volume 1
2007-11-01 17:24:00
Overall Rating: B-Synopsis: Written by Dall-Young Lim and with art by Sung-Woo Park, Black God follows Keita Ibuki, an immature computer programmer who mooches off of his girlfriend, Akane Sano. One night on his way home from getting wasted, Keita meets a young woman named Kuro (who refers to herself in the third person) in a ramen stand. Feeling sorry for someone he mistakes as homeless (though technically she is), he gives her his soup. Unbeknownst to Keita, Kuro is a Mototsumitama (a godlike creature charged with maintaining balance in the world). When a fight between Kuro and a mysterious man breaks out, Keita is caught in the crossfire and loses an arm. He blacks out, only to wake up the next morning in his apartment, arm intact. Keita soon realizes that the arm attached to him is Kuro's, and that the arm now connects him to her. As long as she is near him, she is more powerful, but if they are separated, she weakens. Keita's life just got a lot more complicated!I like giving...
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St. Lunatic High School Volume 1
2007-10-29 15:51:00
Overall Rating: D+Synopsis: Created by Majiko, St. Lunatic High School (also known as Yoru nimo Makezu) follows Niko Kanzaki and her brother Atchan. At the beginning of volume 1, we find them jumping out the window of their apartment because they are several months late on rent, and Atchan just got a job at the prestigious St. Lunatic High School . Niko is enrolled in night classes, which are full of demons. What wild hijinks will happen when you mix a human girl with a bunch of demon kids?The answer, as far as I can tell, to my own question is inanity. I found little to like about the first volume of St. Lunatic High School, other than that the art is very cute (which is what drew me in initially). Beyond that, the plot seems weak and the characters haven't drawn me in. Some of the demon/human interaction is funny (the demons keep picking on and making fun of Niko because shes a human), but otherwise I just found myself bored.
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Welcome to the NHK Volume 1
2007-10-25 19:28:00
Overall Rating: Synopsis: It's difficult to summarize "Welcome to the NHK". Written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto with art by Kendi Oiwa, the series follows Tatsuhiro Satō, a 22-year-old hikikomori (a shut in) who has no job. His only source of income is his parents giving him money. He is also a massive pervert. In the first volume, he learns that Kaoru Yamazaki, a fellow otaku from the same High School, is living next door (and playing anime soundtracks loudly). Tatsuhiro also meets Misaki Nakahara, a mysterious young woman who claims to be part of a group that helps hikikomori. Tatsuhiro and Kaoru decide to develop a porn video game, and hijinks ensue.I kept running across Welcome to the NHK in stores and considered buying the first volume. Then Amazon started recommending I buy it. I don't know if it was the fact that I kept running in to the title, or whether the concept eventually convinced me to give it a try, or what, but I recently decided to take the plunge and read volume 1. H...
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Shinshoku Kiss Volume 1
2007-10-23 02:40:00
Overall Rating: D-Summary: Shinshoku Kiss by Kazuko Higashiyama is the story of Kashiwagi Kotoko, an amateur dollmaker who idolizes Fool, her favorite doll designer. Unfortunately, the old adage "Be careful what you wish for" applies in this case. She gets to work as his assistant, but Fool curses her with a "shinshoku" kiss. If she doesn't do as he says, she will turn into an old woman. I picked this one up, because it sounded like an interesting premise, and it is. Unfortunately, after reading the first volume, that's all it has so far. The most interesting character is fool's mute brother, who has a mysterious bandage on his neck. Where does Fool get his powers? What does Star (Fool's mysterious masterpiece) look like? These questions may eventually be answered, but I'm not sure if I care or not.
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