It’s too bad there aren’t any manga about Thanksgiving, else we could’ve done some sort of theme week. Alas, the best we can offer is Michelle’s review of volume two of Black Bird (VIZ). She also looks at volume two of Waqwaq (VIZ) while Melinda weighs in on the long-awaited fifth volume of I.N.V.U. (TOKYOPOP), Isaac is won over by volumes two and three of Kiss All the Boys (Aurora/Deux), Ken checks out volume fourteen of Kurohime (VIZ) and finds it average, and Connie enjoys volume five of You’re So Cool (Yen Press).

Black Bird, Vol. 2

By Kanoko Sakurakoji
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Misao is the bride of demon prophecy, and marrying her will bring her childhood friend Kyo, leader of the Tengu clan, prosperity. Misao is drawn to Kyo, but she resists this arrangement because she can’t be sure whether Kyo actually loves her for herself or because of the benefits she could bring him.

The answer to this question arrives in the form of Kyo’s eight vassals, a group of young men who’ve got intimate knowledge of Kyo’s past, his real feelings for Misao, and how hard he worked to become clan leader so that he could have the right to claim her as his bride. The original heir, Kyo’s older brother Sojo, also makes an appearance and nearly ravishes Misao, but not before allowing her a glimpse of her forgotten childhood memories.

The backstories of the characters are fleshed out nicely in this volume, and I’m pleased with the rate at which information is doled out to the reader. One confusing point, though, is that Kyo is shown in flashbacks and the testimony of the vassals to be a kind, nurturing guy, but his present-day treatment of Misao runs contrary to this assessment. Sure, he comes to her rescue as needed, but he also says things like, “Shall I shut your mouth for you?” and punishes her for being a flirtatious drunk. Worse is Misao’s reaction: she accepts his use of force as his way of communicating and finds that it makes his gentle moments that much more meaningful. That’s seriously disturbing!

Ultimately, I do enjoy this series but its creepy moments ensure I feel rather guilty doing so.

Volume two of Black Bird is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

I.N.V.U., Vol. 5

By Kim Kang Won
TOKYOPOP, 192 pp.
Rating: T (13+)

After the unfortunate ramen incident involving Rea’s “borrowed” designer dress, things come to a head for her at home when Youngjun unknowingly outs her as an aspiring model to her family. Rejected by her father for her ambitions, she loses her home but unexpectedly gains an opportunity in the fashion business. Meanwhile, Sey is finally warming up to Siho (though not quickly enough to satisfy him) and Jae Eun’s crush on pastry chef Simon may not be a lost cause after all! This volume’s heavy drama, however, comes when a well-meaning neighbor shares one of Hali’s magazine spreads with Hali’s mother, forcing her to temporarily face the reality of her son’s death. This reality check sends her into a fit of violence against Hali, sending Hali straight into the arms of her teacher and reluctant suitor, Hajun.

I.N.V.U. is unapologetically soapy and certainly over-the-top, but this volume strikes an unusually nice balance between soap opera drama and real inspiration by putting Rea in the spotlight and giving her a genuinely realistic job in the fashion business—something that could easily lead her towards a satisfying career. Though the drama with Hali and Hajun is given more page time, it is Rea’s fortune that drives this volume, lending it some real (and unexpected) sparkle. It helps, too, that even the endless Hali/Hajun angst is forced to actually move forward, thanks to some serious manipulation on the part of Hajun’s conniving fiancée. That Hajun reacts to these manipulative moves with more maturity than he’s shown in the previous four volumes combined is a real bonus as well. Fans of boys’ love will appreciate Jae Eun’s subplot in this volume, too, as Simon makes a special request for future versions of his donginji boyfriend.

Five volumes in (and after a second multi-year break) I.N.V.U. seems to finally be hitting its stride. Here’s hoping the pace will pick up for publication as well!

Volume five of I.N.V.U. is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Kiss All the Boys, Vols. 2-3

By Shiuko Kano
Published by Deux Press
Rating: Mature (18+)

I’m not going to lie. This series sat on my desk for a long time before getting reviewed for a very good reason: I read the back covers and couldn’t stop snickering. The back of volume two asks, “Is it easier to Give… Than to Receive?” and “Does this mean that his [Tetsuo’s] impotence really only applied to the opposite sex? Is he, in actuality, meant to be the bottom of a male/male relationship?”. Volume three gives us this gem from punctuation mark hell: “What is Tetsuo to do?! How is he to confront Haruka (who loves the star of his wet dreams, his best friend Enomoto (who declared his love for Tetsuo), and Momoyama (his lovestruck sex partner)?!”. Needless to stay, I was expecting this series to be pure garbage. It didn’t help that the only other Shiuko Kano work I’ve read, Affair, was really boring. While short stories and coherent teasers are not Kano’s fortes, I’m delighted to say that she really shines in Kiss All the Boys’ multi-volume story.

As world’s worst dad (ever) Tetsuo attempts to come to terms with his sexuality, the world continues to go on around him. There is high drama afoot, as relationship musical chairs occurs, with previously unrelated characters ending up in compromising situations with one another. Like most yaoi manga, every man in the comic is gayer than Charlie Crist eating Burger King. What keeps this from being another yawntastic male harem manga, though, are the complex emotions and struggles that challenge the deeply flawed protagonists at every turn. Nothing quite goes the way it’s supposed to, and in the über-predictable universe of yaoi manga that’s a welcome relief.

Be warned: this manga is not for all yaoi fans. One of my favorite parts of the series is that the protagonist is not really a good person. There is some adult-on-high-school boy action here, which leads to some extremely uncomfortable power differentials. What I like, though, is that the series acknowledges the inappropriateness of what transpires and uses it to give us a window into the protagonist’s soul.

Enough rambling: this is good yaoi. Check it out if you dig this kind of thing.

Volumes two and three of Kiss All the Boys are available now.

–Reviewed by Isaac Hale

Kurohime, Vol. 14

By Masanori • Ookamigumi • Katakura
Viz, 216 pp
Rating: T + (Older Teens)

Jumping into a series this far along is always a bit hit or miss. Especially when the volume in question seems to the be climax to a story arc Essentially, Kurohime, a powerful witch-gunslinger, has traveled decades into the past to prevent a series of events that will eventually lead to the death of her present-day lover, Zero. Unfortunately, things aren’t quite as easy as they seem—they never are with time travel—and she finds herself drawn into a quick-draw contest with the mysterious and enigmatic gunslinger known as Jack, with the fates of Zero and his brother hanging in the balance. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a one-off side story about another witch-gunslinger by the name of Aohime!

While the main story itself is okay, it never struck me as anything beyond an average action-adventure yarn and none of the characters, with the exception of Jack, made any sort of impression. The Aohime side story is a little more enjoyable, most likely due to its stand-alone nature. For long-time Kurohime fans it provides a little glimpse into the history of the world and presents a possible origin for the witch-gunslingers. The art’s also fairly average: it’s serviceable but not particularly eye-catching or amazing. The character designs generally feel a bit bland, and none really makes a lasting impression. The action sequences are likewise rather forgettable, with most of them involving magic bullets flying around while the characters stand in place. Add to that the typical lack of backgrounds that plagues many shonen titles and you have a recipe for a bland-looking book.

All in all, there’s nothing offensively bad about Kurohime, but at the same time there’s nothing amazing about it, either. It sadly falls into that unfortunate area of middle-of-the-road, average and forgettable books that inspire no strong feelings about them one way or another.

Volume fourteen of Kurohime is available now.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Waqwaq, Vol. 2

By Ryu Fujisaki
VIZ, 200 pp.
Rating: Teen

On the upside, the plot of Waqwaq receives some much-needed clarification in this volume. Unfortunately, it’s still pretty convoluted.

Two thousand years in the past, three magi created a race of machines and a race of black-blooded humans and set them in conflict. They also created machines known as gojin-zou, which, when bonded with a human, become a Guardian. When machines threaten humans, Guardians engage them in battle, culiminating in the gojin-zou devouring the machine’s heart and absorbing its wish. In volume one, one of the magi summons the Kami, a red-blooded human of legend, and nudges the Guardians into competition for the right to have her grant a single wish. So basically, the gojin-zou collect wishes from the humans that wield them and the machines (including the other Guardians’ gojin-zou) they defeat. The last Guardian standing will have access to everyone’s wishes when he uses an ancient machine called Spider’s Thread to have his wish granted. What’s sorely lacking in that explanation is why the magi would hatch such a time-consuming and complicated scheme.

Clearing up the point of the story is the primary focus of this volume, but it does offer some fun shonen adventure when Shio, the hero, must face off against two other Guardians as he strives to reach the Kami, who’s been whisked off to Spider’s Thread. Clichés like the idiotic-but-spirited protagonist and his former rival turned ally abound, and the attempts at comedy fall flat, but Waqwaq still succeeds in being a fairly intriguing read. It’s a short series, too, so reading two more volumes to see how it all ends doesn’t seem like a daunting prospect.

Volume two of Waqwaq is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

You’re So Cool, Vol. 5

By YoungHee Lee
Yen Press, 192 pp.
Rating: OT (16+)

This volume was the climax of the series, so lots of dramatic stuff was at work here. Seung-Ha is the most interesting character at this point, and throughout this volume we get to see his thoughts as he struggles to process the reunion with his mother. Seung-Ha is a likable (if extremely deviant) character, but it’s hard to believe anything he says, so seeing a softer side to him here is very welcome. The outcome is less welcome, and things suddenly become rough between him and Nan-Woo. Nan-Woo, while filling the role of the stereotypical clueless and clumsy heroine, has turned out to be far more than that since she tends to change things that she’s not happy with. There are a few standard girly heartbreak scenes here, but she goes about setting things right with no encouragement, and actually speaks out when others try to stop her. Both she and Seung-Ha have grown a lot since the rather standard setup in volume one.

The side characters are still working wonderfully, too, and I can’t help but laugh every time Nan-Woo’s mother says or does anything. Jay is still working through his feelings as well, and if I had one criticism, it would be that his side story has not been developed at all. But that’s a very minor quibble, and having him on the side to worry about here does break things up when the main drama is going on.

This is everything I love about Korean girls’ comics (or sunjeong): it’s funny, romantic, stays interesting, and has really strong, oddball characters that play well off each other. I can’t wait for the final volume.

Volume five of You’re So Cool is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Review copies provided by the publishers.