This week’s column has something for everyone! Michelle reviews volume two of the fantasy manhwa, The Adventures of Young Det (NETCOMICS) and finds the third volume of Very! Very! Sweet (Yen Press) to be as entertaining as its predecessors; Connie looks at volume seven of one of her favorites, the shojo fantasy series Apothecarius Argentum (CMX); Sam chimes in with reviews of volume two of B. Ichi and volume six of Gimmick! (Viz); Isaac brings the boys’ love with a look at Heavenly Body (Aurora/Deux); and Melinda checks out the fourth volume of Ultimate Venus (Go! Comi).

The Adventures of Young Det, Vol. 2

By Gyojeong Kwon
NETCOMICS, 208 pp.
Rating: 13+

The prologue that began in volume one continues and is concluded in this second volume. It’s the story of Lazarus, an immensely talented human sorcerer, and the Ferat, leader of a race of seers whose prophecies always come true. As the rest of the world begins to react to the prediction that a great dragon will be summoned to lay waste to the world, Lazarus and the Ferat remain holed away, enjoying their magic lessons and each other’s company. They’re largely oblivious to the fact that sorcerers are being targeted by frightened humans seeking to prevent the summoning of the dragon, and are caught unawares when an attack is launched against the Ferat and the people she leads.

One of the things I like most about The Adventures of Young Det is how even little things can turn out to be important. For example, Lazarus and the Ferat each have a magical specialty and talk a lot about the specifics of high-level spells within their disciplines, which makes sense for a plot featuring an exchange of magical knowledge. However, it turns out that understanding how these spells work is also crucial to appreciating the prologue’s surprising outcome.

The main story begins in the second half of the volume. Det and Osen are two young men living in a secluded village. Det, in particular, is restless and can’t abide the notion of settling down there, inheriting the family shop, and never doing anything special. In the final chapter, they set off on their journey.

At first, I’d wondered why Kwon began the series with a prologue, but now I see the advantages. When Det and Osen encounter a woman who is clearly descended from the Ferat’s people, for example, we readers recognize her for what she is. Too, making it so firmly clear that the Ferat’s prophecies always come true makes it seem possible that the heroes’ quest, whenever they actually embark upon it, might actually fail, which is seldom a real concern in typical fantasy fiction.

Compelling characters, surprising plot twists, beautiful art, politics, magic, romance, and tragedy… If any appeals to you, then you should be reading The Adventures of Young Det.

Volume two of The Adventures of Young Det is available online at NETCOMICS.com. The print edition will be available on April 20, 2009.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Apothecarius Argentum, Vol. 7

By Tomomi Yamashita
CMX, 191 pp.
Rating: Teen

Argent and Soda remain in Castoria as the story begins to broaden its scope and set the stage for war. The first chapter reveals some major plot points concerning both Lulu’s business and Lulu herself. Lulu explains why her questionable services are just as necessary as her regular medical services, and also explains how her life led her down the path to becoming a doctor and knowing of the cure for basilisks. In the second chapter, the focus switches back to Beazol as Primula tries to help Daniel question the silent Corda. Things go surprisingly well as Primula uses rather subtle tactics to get Corda to talk about her alliances, but another assassin intervenes at a key moment and things go wrong again. Chapter three is mostly exposition, and lets us know of the political climate outside of Castoria and of alliances the King of Beazol has been making, as well as the underground deals in Castoria that may be fueling the south. The last chapter in the volume sheds some more light on the Castoria political situation as well as the organization that makes the Basilisks, and puts Soda and Argent on the road back to Beazol.

This is actually one of my favorite series, period, and certainly in my top five currently running. The story is kind of a subtle one, and while each chapter is usually a self-contained one-shot story, each one also helps to build and add new layers to the overall plot, which is about the country of Beazol waging war on aggressive neighbors, Primula becoming a queen, and Argent finding out how to detoxify himself so that he can be with Primula. This volume isn’t among the best, because one of the other good points of this series is the forbidden romance between Primula and Argent. Primula is hardly in this volume at all (she’s secondary to Prince Daniel in the chapter that takes place in Beazol), and while they do exchange a letter, it’s just not the same as when they interact face-to-face. All the story that happens in this volume is certainly necessary, and it’s all good in its way since it deals with Argent and Soda and helps set the stage for what appears to be an impending all-out war between the northern countries and the southern countries, but I think most people are probably going to be relieved that the setting moves back to Beazol for next time.

Volume seven of Apothecarius Argentum is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

B. Ichi, Vol. 2

By Atsushi Ohkubo
Yen Press, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

B. Ichi is still very much the kids’ comic it was in volume one, but some things have changed (I don’t really buy the older teen rating). It is still simple, fun and easy to follow, yet the violence has been taken up a notch. With the introduction of Nofix, the King of Spin, and Emine and his Dokeshi Federation, lots of people have been getting beaten up or, worse, killed. As someone who saw B. Ichi as a friendly kids’ comic, I was a bit taken back by this excessive violence. I hope it doesn’t continue to grow, or I might have to take back my statement.

Overall, the story is changing, also. It is getting darker than it previously was, focusing more on the fact that Dokeshi used to be a hunted race and many are out to take revenge. The matter of segregation is addressed in a small opening chapter, where a young ogre boy and older farmer must find peace together, though the ogre fears humans due to the death of his parents. Ultimately, with the help of Shotaro and company, they find a peaceful coexistence. I wonder if the same can be said for Dokeshi and the rest of the human race. The book is going in an interesting direction, somewhat breaking out of its kid-friendly shell into a more adult story; however, it still retains a lot of what made it a kids’ book. I’d be interested to see where it finally ends up in book three.

Volume two of B. Ichi is available now.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Gimmick!, Vol. 6

By Youzaburou Kanari and Kuroko Yabuguchi
Viz Media, 224 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Gimmick! is a series that has always been chock full of good laughs, tear-jerking stories and enticing action. In a sense, the series is very much like a movie, which is funny because the book is about special effects in movies! Volume six keeps the tone of a feature film, focusing on four engrossing stories.

Youzaburou Kanari closes out the Maria story arc rather melodramatically. I wasn’t terribly moved by the story between the pop idol and her involvement with her politician father, but it did make a very nice reference to “The Sound of Music.” The other tales brought more of a focus to the minor characters and how ultimately they are affected by both the movie industry and by the protagonist, Kohei. In “The Last Action Hero,” everyone’s favorite stuntman, Kannazuki, must confront an enraged pretty boy actor and his mother by pulling off the ultimate and possibly life-threatening stunt. Then in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and “Mr.Doubt,” Kohei teaches a young boy and another SFX worker the truth behind the joys of creation.

As always, I think the real strength of Gimmick! has been the artwork. Yabuguchi’s style has always been very meticulous, capturing ever pore, scratch, and hit, as well as a wide array of emotions, that Kohei and Co. experience. It exemplifies the subject matter, stressing how hard it is to work in this business, literally and figuratively. For instance, Kannazuki is covered in cuts and bruises, however his true pain is captured in his solemn expression when around his mother and in flashbacks. The stories were well written but I wasn’t kept on edge as much as I would’ve liked to be. I found some of the action to be predictable. What I enjoyed the most was the reference to real films, like Jurassic Park. Gimmick! has always gone the extra mile in terms of speaking its mind about how the industry works and how it affects the world around it. This is what makes it a good manga all over.

Volume six of Gimmick! will be available on April 14, 2009.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Heavenly Body

By Takashi Kanzaki
Published by Deux Press
Rating: Mature

Heavenly Body by Takashi Kanzaki is a compilation volume containing the main story, “Heavenly Body,” and two one-shots, “A Ballad For You” and “Beloved.” Despite the fact that Kanzaki’s art is attractive and sexy in all of her stories, it doesn’t make up for the fact that “Heavenly Body,” which makes up most of this volume, got hit with the stupid stick. Hard.

In “Heavenly Body,” an incredibly average kid called Hazumi is roommates with two attractive foreigners who sexually harass and molest him to no end. Naturally, of course, Hazumi is completely fine with this, summarizing his feelings with a rhetorical question in the middle of having sex one of them: “Are all foreigners… sex maniacs?!”. The dialogue and plotting in Heavenly Body only get better, as Hazumi’s roommates are a demon and an angel, both inexplicably tasked with seducing Hazumi. The fate of the world hangs in the balance, of course, and Hazumi ends the chapter with a particular gem of a proclamation: “I know my decision may cause others pain. But I can’t change my feelings…even if I end up destroying the earth.” At this point I could barely stop laughing long enough to remember that this statement was more than dumb: it was emblematic of how terrible the whole story is. In just the previous page, Hazumi vapidly declared, “Bearing the fate of the world… isn’t much fun! Besides, the three of us were just getting started!” to which the angel and devil readily agree, rendering moot the entire battle for the fate of the world. To use a phrase from the manga itself this story is a few tacos short of a combo plate.

The other two stories are fortunately much better, but not enough to save this volume from utter mediocrity. “A Ballad For You” features love between an RA(!) and his sadistic resident and the drama that comes along for the ride. This story actually features sexier character designs and a more intelligible plot, which puts it head and shoulders over the last story. Also, I always grin at RA romance, considering that I’m an RA at my school. The best story of the volume, “Beloved,” follows a male prostitute and a school counselor who fall in love and overcome their mutual mistrust. This story, unlike the vast majority of this volume, was actually a pleasure to read and was a terrific mixture of sexiness and romance.

Despite the strength of the last one shot of the volume, “Beloved”, I cannot in good conscience recommend Heavenly Body. The art is nice enough, but I expect much more from a veteran mangaka like Tanzaki. Would a story and three-dimensional characters be too much to ask for?

Heavenly Body is available now.

–Reviewed by Isaac Hale

Ultimate Venus, Vol. 4

By Takako Shigematsu
Published by Go!Comi, 200 pp.
Rating: OT (16+)

At the end of the last volume, Yuzu had determined to foil her grandmother’s plan to force her into an engagement announcement at the wedding hall’s grand opening, and as volume four begins, she struggles for a way to follow through. Just as her plans are finally coming together, her bodyguard, Hassaku, figures out what’s going on and at first Yuzu worries that he’ll betray her plans out of loyalty to her grandmother. Thankfully he does not, and the plot works beautifully but this is not the end of Yuzu’s problems as her grandmother makes it clear that she will marry one of the three men chosen for her whether she likes it or not. After a painful rejection from Hassaku, Yuzu agrees to meet the other men, unaware that one of them would be her childhood friend Sudachi who has his own reasons for not wanting to be forced into an arranged marriage. Unfortunately, it seems inevitable that Yuzu will continue to cling to feelings for Hassaku, despite the fact that there are so many more interesting men around her.

After a fun start, this volume drags in the middle as Sudachi’s reluctant courtship begins. Still, there are some interesting moments, particularly with Masaya, the first of Yuzu’s so-called fiancés, and the book ends with a fairly troublesome misunderstanding that is sure to shake things up in the next volume. The premise of this story is startlingly similar to that of Kiyo Fijuwara’s Wild Ones, yet Ultimate Venus is so much more fun. Each of the characters is likable and idiosyncratic, and elements that feel tired and contrived in Wild Ones read as whimsical here.

Though this is far from the series’ strongest volume, it provides an opportunity for some nice character development and sets up some intriguing plot points as well. Ultimate Venus may not be a shojo masterpiece, but it continues to be a fresh, fun read.

Volume four of Ultimate Venus is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Very! Very! Sweet, Vol. 3

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

When volume two left off, Tsuyoshi’s girlfriend from Japan, Erica, had made the trip to Korea to see him. In this volume, it’s made clear that the relocation is permanent and she enrolls in the school that he and Be-Ri attend. She proceeds to be incredibly irritating for the duration of the volume.

While I dislike Erica extremely, she is at least useful in prompting some cool moments from the two leads. For instance, it’s very satisfying when Be-Ri criticizes her for not caring about anything but Tsuyoshi, saying, “It’s sad that you think the most fun thing in life is a guy. Personally, I think it’s disgusting.” Similarly pleasing is the scene where Tsuyoshi calmly informs her that coming to Korea is “a life-changing decision” for him and that he’d like her to stay out of the picture.

On the negative side, it seemed that Be-Ri is more crude and profane in this volume than she has been before, though it never really approaches the point of tastelessness. And even I had to giggle at the discovery that the precious ceramic item treasured by Tsuyoshi’s family as an heirloom of their Korean ancestry is actually a chamber pot.

When a series can be consistently entertaining despite the intrusion of an unlikable character, I’d say that makes it a keeper.

Volume three of Very! Very! Sweet is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith