In this week’s column, Ken Haley, Michelle Smith, and I shift the focus from shojo to shonen, with reviews of Aspirin (Tokyopop), a Korean comedy documenting the misadventures of a bumbling teen and a chain-smoking demon hunter; Togari (Viz), a supernatural thriller about a killer trying to redeem his soul; and two anime-cum-manga, Samurai Champloo: The Complete Edition (Tokyopop) and Sola (Broccoli Books). Shojo fans need not worry—we’ve also included a brief review of Very! Very! Sweet, a new romantic comedy from Yen Press.

Aspirin, Vol. 1

By Eun-Jeong Kim
Tokyopop, 200 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Naming a manhwa Aspirin is a bit like naming a movie D.O.A.: if it’s good, no one will think twice about the title; if it’s bad, all but the most restrained critics will have a field day riffing on the title. Alas, Aspirin falls into the latter category owing to a headache-inducing combination of stale jokes, ugly artwork, and confusing storylines.

The set-up is pure shonen. Ondar, a not-so-bright young man, finds himself on a quest to round up the four “Direction Gods,” a quartet of powerful demons accidentally released from captivity by the bumbling King Dan-Goon. Should he accomplish his mission, Ondar will marry the king’s daughter; if he fails, he’ll be permanently exiled from the kingdom. Helping Ondar on his quest is the foul-mouthed, foul-tempered Haemosoo, a demon hunter and inveterate womanizer whose romantic conquests cause almost as many complications for the pair as the Direction Gods themselves. As one might infer from my summary, Ondar and Haemosoo’s mission is really just a pretext for extended fight scenes and wacky hijinks. Reading many of the chapters, it’s easy to forget who, exactly, the pair are supposed to be hunting, as they engage in hand-to-hand combat with a wizard named David Cupperfield, a pistol-packing nun, and a pair of high-kicking twins who appear to have escaped from Street Fighter Alpha. The artwork does little to clarify the story; too many pages are marred by clashing patterns, heavy speed lines, and grotesque close-ups of shouting characters. By the end of volume one, I found myself reaching for something stronger than aspirin to purge the memory of this unfunny train wreck.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Samurai Champloo: The Complete Series

Created by manglobe, Written and Illustrated by Masaru Gotsubo
Tokyopop, 352 pp.
Rating: Teen (13 +)

Samurai Champloo: The Complete Seriescollects volumes one and two of the Samurai Champloo manga, a series of short stories involving the trio of Jin, Mugen and Fuu that otaku know and love from the anime series of the same name. The manga contains a short remake of the first episode, showing how the three characters fall in together and the beginning of their search for Fuu’s mysterious “Sunflower Samurai,” but aside from that, it contains new and original tales set during their journey.

It’s an OK read. None of the stories are particularly amazing, though a few are interesting enough to make me wish that they had been turned into episodes, particularly a two-parter involving a Russian otaku. Most of the stories split the group up, focusing on one or two of the trio, while others seemingly focus on new original characters with the trio stumbling into their stories. The art is nice and loose, managing to convey a nice sense of movements and action while resembling the anime’s style (without being beholden to it). In addition to the stories there’s also some nifty extras tossed in: two short letters from the Tokyopop editor for the series, a sketchbook section, and a bonus volume involving zombies.

The bottom line: fans jonesing for more of Fuu, Mugen and Jin might want to give Samurai Champloo a look, but don’t expect new revelations or character development.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Sola, Vol. 1

Art by Chaco Abeno, Story by Naoki Hisaya, Character Designs by Naru Nanao
Broccoli Books, 216 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

There’s an unspoken understanding among otaku that manga adaptations of popular anime leave something to be desired: think of the Cowboy Bebop or Wolf’s Rain manga, both of which are pallid imitations of the originals. I haven’t seen the thirteen-episode anime on which Sola is based, though I’m guessing it’s a more satisfying experience than reading its poorly paced adaptation. The manga unfolds in a herky-jerky fashion, with tedious slice-of-life scenes punctuated by occasional fights and off-putting panels of fanservice featuring girls in towels, ridiculously short skirts, and thigh-high patent leather boots. (Because when you’re facing an unspeakable evil, nothing says “ready for combat” like fierce footwear and a garter belt.) The action scenes are surprisingly static; characters spend more time striking dramatic or provocative poses than they do inflicting damage on one another.

About the best I can say for Sola is that Broccoli Books has done a first-rate job with the packaging, offering fans the kind of bells and whistles that are all too scarce on this side of the Pacific: gorgeous full-color plates, high quality paper stock, and a generous assortment of bonus features that includes translator’s notes, gag manga, character sketches, and a detailed synopsis of the anime. The translation isn’t too bad, though the text includes a few typos and unintentional howlers. (One character describes her first shopping trip as a “revolution,” a sentiment that would strike most Marxists as terribly bourgeois.) The bottom line: anime buffs and moe enthusiasts may want to add Sola to their collection, but most manga readers won’t find much to love except the cover art.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Togari, Vol. 6

By Yoshinori Natsume
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: T + (Older Teens)

Returned to earth after spending centuries in hell as punishment for his evil ways, Tobei is now tasked with hunting down and returning 108 sins that have escaped Hell. Armed with the mystic sword Togari he must face the challenges of the 21st first century while tracking down these supernatural entities. But is this job an offer or redemption, or another form of punishment?

Togari is a fairly straightforward action series: kid on a quest who slowly begins to discover things about himself. In this volume, we see him beginning to notice some internal changes in the way he relates to people and the world. Where once he was an angry monster of a boy, he’s now beginning to connect and relate to others. Of course the catch is, the nicer and less hateful he becomes, the less powerful Togari seems to be. Manga-ka Yoshinori Natsumue’s artwork is actually really lovely. (DC junkies may recognize his name as the creator of CMX’s Batman: Death Mask.) There’s a nice angular feel to it at times, and he mixes cross-hatching and toning for shading to wonderful effect. The action sequences can be a bit iffy at times, but I get the feeling that comes more from the nature of the fights in this volume (creatures made out of water and smoke) than the art itself.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 1

By JiSang Shin and Geo
Yen Press, 176 pp.
Rating: Teen

If you had stripped this book of all identifying marks and given it to me to read, I never would’ve guessed it was from the same creative team behind Rolling, which I reviewed in last week’s Manga Minis column. It’s got solid characterization for one thing, and a plot that looks like it’ll actually go somewhere!

Both of the main characters are likable in their own way. Be-Ri is an animal-lover who’s raising money to protect some land from development. She’s obsessively frugal and has the awesome hobby of collecting junk to refurbish and sell online. Tsuyoshi is a coddled rich boy who has been sent to Korea by his grandfather as a way to curb his misbehavior. He comes across as bratty, but isn’t really all that bad. Any teen who is willing to heed the earnest advice of his mother earns points in my book.

Although Be-Ri and Tsuyoshi get off on the wrong foot, the potential for each to positively impact the other’s life is easy to spot. A couple other things I like about the story are the deftly handled love polygon forming between several of the characters and the way Tsuyoshi’s partial grasp of Korean is portrayed. His dialogue makes sense, but is imperfect, resulting in sentences like, “I also discomfort.”

To be sure, there are some rough spots, but the charm of the series remains intact despite the clunky expository dialogue and irrational grandpas. I look forward to seeing how the story will unfold.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith