This week we’ve got five reviewers serving up seven minis. First up is Michelle with her views on volume nine of The Antique Gift Shop (Yen Press) and volume three of Shinobi Life (TOKYOPOP); Melinda’s up next with volume fifteen of Claymore (VIZ); Grant’s also pulling double duty with two Del Rey titles, volume eight of Fairy Tail and volume five of Pumpkin Scissors; Connie registers her disappointment with the second and final volume of Game x Rush (TOKYOPOP); and Jennifer is riveted by volume seven of Goong: The Royal Palace (Yen Press).

The Antique Gift Shop, Vol. 9

By Lee Eun
Yen Press, 176 pp.
Rating: Teen

Bun-Nyuh never wanted to be the proprietor of an antique shop, but made a bet with her grandmother that if she managed to sell all of the mystical merchandise she’d be allowed to pursue her goal of attending university instead of following family tradition and becoming a shaman. The bulk of the series has focused on episodic tales of the items Bun-Nyuh and her enigmatic employee, Mr. Yang, have sold to their customers as well as the results of those transactions.

That pattern ends in the ninth and penultimate volume, as Bun-Nyuh, desperate to be rid of the shop, decides to close it and abandon everything by running away. Despite her attempts to flee, her journey brings her to her hometown where a childhood friend she doesn’t remember claims her as his bride. Remaining by his side offers solace from things she’d rather forget, but dreams of Mr. Yang remind her there are some memories she’d like to keep. Just as she resolves not to let her memories of their time together disappear, her life is suddenly in jeopardy.

This was my first time reading The Antique Gift Shop and boy, was I confused at first. The volume begins with the conclusion to a story from volume eight, and I was completely lost. The tale of Bun-Nyuh and her friend really won me over, though, with its moody and oppressive atmosphere brought on by Bun-Nyuh’s fear of the incessant rain. Mr. Yang, though scarcely glimpsed in this volume, looks to be a very intriguing character, too, and I find that I’m both interested to learn what happens next as well as what’s gone before.

Volume nine of The Antique Gift Shop is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Claymore, Vol. 15

By Norihiro Yago
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: T+ (Older Teen)

Volume fifteen opens with the conclusion to the battle with awakened warrior “Bloody Agetha”—a battle that will soon seem utterly insignificant in comparison to what comes afterward. As the fight ends, the rebel warriors finally reveal their true intentions to Galatea, Clarice, and Miata, after which Miria goes on to divulge what she’s discovered over her many years investigating the Organization, including its origins and true purpose. The truth she’s uncovered is genuinely shocking and as the rebels (along with their new allies) prepare for what may be their final battle, Clare embarks on a side mission of her own to reunite with Raki, the boy she left behind so many years before.

This volume’s new revelations are really quite stunning, pulling the story further into darkness and creating a deeper atmosphere of pathos around both the young women whose futures were sacrificed to make warriors and all the the citizens whose villages have long been plagued by Yoma. It’s difficult to discuss any of it without ruining one of the story’s best plot twists so far, but suffice it to say that the new information is a game-changer all around, giving the series a significant boost of momentum. Adding to this fresh strength is the reemergence of Raki, now a powerful young man, still traveling with Awakened One Priscilla who has become smaller (if not weaker) thanks to several years’ abstinence from eating human flesh.

Those who have followed Claymore to this point have already reaped many of the rewards of Norihiro Yago’s slow and steady approach. Both its plot and characterization have become significantly more complex over the course of the series. Volume fifteen moves all of this yet another great step forward, transforming this series into a real must-read for fans of dark fantasy.

Volume fifteen of Claymore is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Fairy Tail, Vol. 8

By Hiro Mashima
Del Rey, 200 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

Volume eight of Fairy Tail delivers a torrent of heart-pounding, magic-filled mayhem. The characters crackle with energy and Mashima delivers scene after scene of well-choreographed battles.

Following Gray’s fight with Juvia, the Fairy Tail showdown with members of the Element 4 comes to a quick close, as Erza unleashes a powerful sword technique to save herself and Natsu. I really like how Mashima is not afraid to back his characters into corners and let them struggle. Erza, already heavily wounded, finds herself face-to-face with the leader of Phantom Lord. Natsu rushes to Lucy’s side and must battle Gajeel, another dragon slayer with tremendous power.

Dragging things down a bit are the frequent motivational speeches, which get old after a while. There should be some kind of law covering how many characters in a single volume can get beaten down before unleashing a heroic monologue. Simply letting a character rise to the occasion to prove his or her worth often times says more than enough. Fairy Tail also loses a few points for some junk exposition. Readers don’t need to be told (through dialogue) that Gajeel eating metal increases his attack power several times, or that his steel scales can nullify attacks.

The highlight of the volume is the two-page collage of images shown after a fairly big spoiler event that I won’t write about here. The mix of character expressions in stunned silence spliced with flashback panels stirs up more emotion than any of the major battle scenes.

There’s a lot to love in volume eight. It’s a fiery set of chapters that will remind you why mainstream shonen can still make for a great read.

Volume eight of Fairy Tail is available now.

–Reviewed by Grant Goodman

Game x Rush, Vol. 2

By Mizuho Kusanagi
Tokyopop, 194 pp.
Rating: OT (16+)

Memori and Yuuki’s game of cat and mouse comes to a halt here as the two explore their feelings and their dark pasts. Most of the focus is on Yuuki, who is an elaborate and compulsive liar, and Memori looks for reasons and the truth about the boy as he becomes increasingly certain that Yuuki is not an assassin.

I was extremely disappointed with the second half of this series. The things I liked about the first volume, the joking nature of Yuuki and the sense of danger that came with his unknown motivations coupled with his seeming fondness for Memori, are completely gone here, and instead Yuuki is turned into an angsty character with a backstory that isn’t very satisfying. The formula stops working right away as the tables are turned in the first chapter and Yuuki is the one being antagonized. From there, Yuuki tries unsuccessfully to flee Memori a couple times, and eventually his and Memori’s pasts are revealed. While the pasts themselves aren’t too terribly over-the-top (for a manga, anyway), both hinge on the identity of one character who provided motivation for Yuuki and… well, she was so far out of left field and unsatisfying as an explanation that she more or less spoiled the whole series for me. The eventual resolution is also unsatisfying and open-ended. I did like that the book doesn’t turn into boys’ love. There were hints about the closeness of Yuuki and Memori, but never anything concrete, and I liked that their bond was powerful without being romantic in nature.

With such an interesting first volume, I’m sad I couldn’t find much to like about the conclusion.

Volume two of Game x Rush is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Goong: The Royal Palace, Vol. 7

By Park SoHee
Yen Press, 192 pp.
Rating: T

Following on the tension between Shin and Chae-Kyung in volume six, volume seven opens with yet another crisis. This one in the realm of the court, when Daebi-Mama’s quarters catch fire. Soon afterwards, Chae-Kyung overhears a conversation between Shin and his secretary that sounds to her like an admission that he started the fire. After the immediate aftermath of the fire, there is the drama of Shin and Chae-Kyung’s class trip, where the two are to share a room. That the Crown Prince and Princess are on the class trip does not make them popular to their classmates, as the trip destination changes to an area that is more secure and less exciting for a group of high schoolers.

After six volumes of the pair getting to know one another, of Shin being a bit of a jerk and Chae-Kyung still not quite understanding the political machinations of the court, the growing affection between the two is now pushing forward to the point where neither can ignore it anymore. Chae-Kyung gets angry at Shin when he does something to try and control her, and all he sees when he looks at her is a face he’d like to kiss. For her part, Chae-Kyung has understood her feelings for Shin for a while, but only now does she see that they might be returned. Of course, it can’t be that easy—their realizations are taking place in the middle of Shin’s own father quietly attempting to shift the power balance at court so that Yul is in better and better position to become Crown Prince.

Goong continues to be one of the most riveting series I’ve read in a long time, even more so now that the romance is kicking into high gear. The only thing about this volume that frustrates me is that I don’t have the next one sitting on my desk, waiting to be read.

Volume seven of Goong: The Royal Palace is available now.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 5

By Ryotaro Iwanaga
Del Rey, 240 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

I made a promise to myself that I would not make a single smart remark regarding this manga’s title. Wish me luck.

I’ll start with the opening chapter, which was full of what are normally called cutaways. I feel that “dismemberments” would be a much more appropriate term for them here. The panels incessantly jump back and forth between Warrant Officer Machs, the Malvin sisters, a too-handsome-to-be-trusted bystander, the surrounding mob of commoners, a pudgy noble, and Alice’s knife fight. It’s a serious dose of whiplash that makes the entire chapter a worthless mess. By the time the fight ends, relief does not come from the potentially deadly situation being defused, but from a terrible chapter finally reaching its end.

Even worse, there is absolutely no sense of setting in this first chapter, as it seems that Iwanaga decided to avoid sketching backgrounds as much as possible. For a maddening number of panels, all the reader gets is a barrage of faded or solid blacks and whites.

The only complete story sequence centers around the bland-as-can-be Machs escorting a princess around the city. Princess Septieme runs away from her valet and crosses paths with Machs. From there, they set out in search of a hot dog stand. There is a chance this will play some larger role in future plot events. Until that can be confirmed, it is a limp palette cleanser of a chapter after Alice’s big showdown.

I am willing to give Pumpkin Scissors a second chance. As a standalone volume, though, this is one big dud.

Volume five of Pumpkin Scissors is available now.

–Reviewed by Grant Goodman

Shinobi Life, Vol. 3

By Shoko Conami
TOKYOPOP, 208 pp.
Rating: Teen

Beni Fujiawara’s dreams of pursuing a relationship with her ninja bodyguard from the past, Kagetora, are thwarted when her father announces that he has arranged her marriage to Rihito Iwatsuru, a classmate with an agenda of his own who is not adverse to hurting Kagetora when he gets in his way. As volume three begins, Beni has agreed to go out with Iwatsuru in exchange for him leaving Kagetora alone and is trying to keep Kagetora from finding out.

When put into words, the plot seems so simple, and yet a great deal of dramatic goodness is wrung from it. Iwatsuru’s henchman plants the seed in Beni’s head that Kagetora only sees her as a substitute for the princess he used to guard. Though she initially refuses to believe it, when her attempts to reassure Kagetora with a courageous smile remind him of her ancestress, he blurts out the wrong name and triggers all of the doubts she’d been determined to squelch. Because his code of ethics prevents him from defying her father’s orders to keep his distance, Kagetora is rather stuck when it comes to demonstrating that it’s her he truly cares for. Their dilemma makes for compelling drama as well as a satisfying conclusion to the volume.

I also appreciate that Iwatsuru is not some two-dimensional villain and is, in fact, just as much a pawn of his parents as Beni is. Speaking of Beni’s parents, the more I see her dad in action the easier I find it to believe the accusations she lodged against him in the first volume concerning his involvement in her mother’s death. With each volume, the tone of the series has become progressively darker and it now seems like major family secrets are just below the surface, waiting to emerge.

Shinobi Life hasn’t turned out to be lighthearted and fun like I was expecting and a few revelations leave me scratching my head, but I still find it quite enjoyable.

Volume three of Shinobi Life is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Review copies provided by the publishers.