There’s a lot to introduce this week, so I’m just gonna dive right in! Ken starts us off with his review of final two volumes of Black Cat (Viz); Chloe sees the potential and the flaws in volume two of Bound Beauty (Go! Comi); Grant enjoys all the yelling in volume thirteen of D. Gray-Man (Viz); Sam’s also looking at a final volume—of Akira Toriyama’s debut manga, Dr. Slump (Viz)—as well as volume seven of Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun (Viz); Michelle is truly hooked by volume four of Goong: The Royal Palace (Yen Press); Erin reconsiders her opinion of Sunshine Sketch (Yen Press) with a look at volume two; and Connie enjoys the girly entertainment offered by volume five of V.B. Rose (TOKYOPOP).

Black Cat, Vols. 19-20

By Kentaro Yabuki
Published by Viz
Rating: T + (Older Teens)

This is it. After eighteen volumes the adventures of Train Heartnet, Sven, Eve, Creed and the rest reach their conclusion in the final two volumes of Black Cat! Train and company have infiltrated Creed’s fortress, only to discover that the Sweeper Alliance was created to serve as a diversion for the Chronos Numbers own attack! And now, as Sephiria engages Creed in battle, Train and his friends find themselves face to face with Creed’s ultra secret, experimental cadre of cybernetic warriors known as the Kisetei.

The story’s been moving at a good clip and these final two volumes are no exception. Yabuki’s art is energetic and his action scenes are imaginative and fast-paced, with the final showdown between Train and Creed reaching all sorts of levels of over-the-top crazy. The last-minute introduction of the Kisetei felt like it came out of left field at first—they’re mainly there to give Sven and Eve something to do in lieu of taking part in the main event—but frankly, they fulfill their purpose wonderfully. For bit characters, Yabuki gives them some really slick looking character designs and interesting capabilities that make for engaging side battles to back up the main event.

Talking about these two volumes without giving away the ending is a bit difficult, but suffice it to say that the conclusion should be satisfactory to fans and while leaving the door open for possible Black Cat stories in the future. In fact, Yabuki even mentions his desire to do more with the characters at some point in time, so hopefully any hanging plot threads will be wrapped up at a later date.

All in all, I’ve enjoyed Black Cat far more than I thought I would when volume thirteen turned up in the mail. It’s been a fun, enjoyable ride with some nice action sequences and decent artwork. While it’s not the most ground breaking or revolutionary work, it has been a solid and fun shonen series.

Volume nineteen of Black Cat is available now and volume 20 will be available on May 5, 2009.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Bound Beauty, Vol. 2

By Mick Takeuchi
Go!Comi, 200 pp.
Rating: 13+

There’s much to appreciate about the second installment of Bound Beauty, but inherent structural flaws and uneven quality keep the series from achieving the heights it may be capable of. Volume two opens with yet another case for the Tyers (can anyone have supernatural powers these days without peddling them as a side job?) which, while appropriately gory and vaguely revelatory is nonetheless a rote exercise in the case o’ the week format. Takeuchi has the good sense to inject a little more central plot drama into the last two cases, as Chiko learns of the unfortunate side effects of her powers (possible consumption by them, unfortunate predisposition to experience the victim’s last gory moments in first person) and set ups future conflict between Chiko and the Tyer’s main regulatory body.

Takeuchi’s characters are rendered with a standard degree of detail and competence, but sparse background art and run of the mill toning place the series’ art firmly into the realm of “acceptable.” The introduction of a fifth Tyer to spruce up the character lineup—a cold beauty with prodigal control of her particular thread—isn’t exactly the most inspired move either, as Takeuchi practically affronts the reader with her eagerness to prove that yes, indeed, she is the character foil here for Chiko. (My bet? After much travail on the part of Chiko, she’ll grudgingly accept the protagonist. Dynamic stuff, this is.) This isn’t to say that Bound Beauty is completely mired in mediocrity; rather, if Takeuchi can build off of the end of the second volume and pull out all the right stops, Bound Beauty may transcend its trope-y structure and become quite the enjoyable supernatural read.

Volume two of Bound Beauty is available now.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

D. Gray-Man, Vol. 13

By Katsura Hoshino
Viz Media, 200 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

This volume of D. Gray-Man is one-third yelling, one-third fighting, and one-third pure adrenaline. You won’t find anything deep here, although you will be thoroughly entertained. Most of the fight scenes are punctuated by someone yelling, either in triumph or in agony, and there are enough “Ahhh” and “Waaah” captions to fill a volume all on their own.

On the plus side, villain Tyki Mikk’s mid-volume transformation is dark and beautiful, as wreaths of shadow spiral out and around his body before coalescing into a jaw-dropping suit of armor. It must have been a tall task to draw him this way scene after scene, but the effort pays off.

The battle scenes all crush a million details into every panel, but it’s the simple scenes that pack the biggest emotional wallop. Allen’s decision to search for the fallen members of his crew takes place against a blank background and makes wonderful use of the empty space to allow the reader to focus on the characters, their words, and their emotions. Hoshino adds another masterful touch when she freezes a furious battle to spend a single panel depicting Mikk licking blood from his own palm. It is a truly chilling moment to behold.

Volume thirteen of D. Gray-Man will be available on May 5, 2009.

–Reviewed by Grant Goodman

Dr. Slump, Vol. 18

By Akira Toriyama
VIZ, 235 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

Where has this series been all my life? Dr. Slump, Akira Toriyama’s first published series and ultimately one of his best, is the story of Senbei Norimaki, his robot daughter Arale, and all the crazy citizens of Penguin Village. Dr. Slump shows a very different side of Toriyama, exhibiting a lighter approach than his normally violent and serious style. The series is filled with puns, bathroom jokes, and parodies of both Japanese and American culture.

Volume eighteen marks the end of the series, wrapping itself up with an impressive tale. The writer of the manga (who just happens to be a main character) consults the major on ideas for keeping the series exciting. The major suggests a race for a new mayor, since he has been getting tired, and so, they’re off! Toriyama knows how to make the idea of a race fun and easy, throwing a few silly challenges in along the way. The rest of the book followed the same tone, chock full of poop jokes, delinquents becoming cops, the trials and tribulations of the driver’s test and a motorcyclist that can never stop.

As for the art, its Akira Toriyama! His character design is outstanding as usual, making everyone a little extra cute for the finale! As another added bonus, there are interviews with Toriyama, his assistants, editors, friends and even his wife in between pages! I’ve always felt that Toriyama brings a very personal element to his work, whether it be Dragonball or his designs for Dragon Quest, and Dr. Slump is the pinnacle!

Volume eighteen of Dr. Slump will be available on May 5, 2009.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Goong: The Royal Palace, Vol. 4

By Park SoHee
Yen Press, 192 pp.
Rating: 13+

A promise between their grandfathers leads to the wedding of regular girl Chae-Kyung to the crown prince, Shin. Their relationship was antagonistic at first, but Chae-Kyung eventually realizes she’s fallen for the mercurial prince while formerly friendless Shin gets a taste of what it feels like to have someone always by his side.

In this volume, the thawing of relations between the married couple continues while unforeseen political enemies grow in power. By wrangling to have a posthumous honor bestowed upon her late husband, Shin’s aunt earns a place for herself in the palace with the power to make Chae-Kyung’s life miserable. Both the romantic and political aspects to the story are interesting, and I’m continually impressed with Park SoHee’s ability to make a simple conversation between two people such a riveting thing.

Particularly worthy of praise is the development of Shin’s cousin, Yul. When initially introduced, Yul was a sympathetic character, a former royal grandson who lost his title, his home, and his fiancée to Shin upon the death of his father. The gradual revelation of his sly manipulation of Chae-Kyung has been well done, throwing new light on all of their prior, seemingly innocent, interactions.

One minor flaw the series possesses is the unattractive artwork that crops up during comedic moments. Most of the time the art is very pretty, though, and it’s true that these ugly episodes are occurring less frequently as the series progresses. I also wasn’t keen on the gag occurring at the end of the volume.

With its engaging characters, (generally) attractive art, and political intrigue, Goong has me pretty well hooked. How long ‘til volume five?

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

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 7

By Shin Mashiba
VIZ, 180 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

Hiruko the Baku is a detective of sorts, but instead of scouring the streets for clues, he specializes in dreams. Working out of the Silver Star Tea House, he is visited by those who are haunted by their own nightmares. Using a special cane that makes people fall asleep, Hiruko gets inside their heads and uses his wits and cunning to help people finally get some rest. His payoff: nightmares are his main source of food. He has to eat them or he will perish.

Volume seven was a vivid look into the series. The book was filled with vignettes, all short and to the point yet utterly gruesome and filled with a sense of darkness that is only paralleled by someone like Kazuo Umezu. In one story, two boys steal from one’s uncle. They part ways and plan to spilt the treasure up at a secret location, using a manga as their main source of communication. When one arrives there, however, he is greeted not by a treasure, but by a spiked pit. Others include a gender-confused bathhouse attendant, a canine murder witness, a photographer striving to get his perfect shot, a lover haunted by the choice of a board game, and a modern day Rapunzel.

I really liked this aspect of the series, because I felt like I got enough content that I wasn’t getting lost and the stories wrapped up in a pretty memorable way. Sadly, though, I can’t say the same for the art of this book. While Mashiba’s style is well done and his character design fits the feel of the stories, I thought there was too much going on on literally every page. The pages, even the panels, felt crowded, making it difficult to read.

I would recommend the series if you enjoy a quick and rather shocking read.

Volume seven of Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun will be available on April 14, 2009.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Sunshine Sketch, Vol. 2

By Ume Aoki
Yen Press, 112 pp.
Rating: Teen

If you remember my scathing review of the first volume of Sunshine Sketch, you might understand why I procrastinated in reading volume two. In retrospect, I think I may have mistaken crappy writing for the dread specter of moe.

I can’t tell if my expectations were so lowered by volume one that I actually thought volume two was funny, or if volume two really is legitimately funny due a drastic improvement in writing on Aoki’s part. Much of the book plays out like every high school manga ever—the characters take a trip to the pool, Sports Day and the school festival go by, it’s New Years, etc. The events themselves are unremarkable, but the gags have improved by leaps and bounds.

In one chapter, the sculpture class is asked to replicate their shoes in clay. Miyako ends up sculpting boys’ shoes and ends up using them to prank Sae. This incident struck me as original and hilarious. The final chapter is particularly sweet in an uncreepy way.

All the volumes of Sunshine Sketch were on prominent display in Akihabara’s manga shops when I was in Tokyo last month. Apparently the series is hugely popular—at least with otaku.

Volume two of Sunshine Sketch is available now. Volume three will be available April 21, 2009.

V.B. Rose, Vol. 5

By Banri Hidaka
Tokyopop, 200 pp.
Rating: T Ages 13+

Ageha, an amateur purse designer of note at her high school, finds part-time work at a boutique wedding dress shop called V.B. Rose. While helping the owners Yukari and Kuromine bring wedding dreams to reality, Ageha slowly starts to fall in love with Yukari. As volume five begins, Ageha and Yukari are reeling from the aftereffects of their first date, but neither is willing to share their feelings with the other, or even entertain the possibility that the other could feel the same way they do. Later, a new character named Ichihashi is introduced. Ichihashi does some of the beadwork that V.B. Rose uses in their dresses, and in addition to being a classmate of Yukari, she also has a… strange relationship with Kuromine. Later, Hibari has her baby, and Yukari and Kuromine go over to see it.

If nothing else, this series is unabashedly girly. It’s got two very feminine men that run a company that make wedding dresses, a weird two-way crush between the female main character and one of these men, lots of angsting about feelings, lots of discussion of purses and accessories, and lots of asides about cute things and what makes the characters very happy. Despite the fact I had somewhat of a problem with the relationship between Ageha and Yukari because of the age and maturity difference, I sort of got swept up in this volume and enjoyed the pair of them constantly worrying about each other. That is the majority of the volume’s focus, and even when something else is going on, it will always, always come back to how Ageha and Yukari are interpreting one another. On one hand, it’s a little disappointing that not much happened plot-wise and that the series is already going in circles around the main couple, but on the other hand, somehow it was fun to watch, likely because seeing Yukari fretting and being very serious about his emotions while Ageha is… well, acting like a schoolgirl in love is pretty entertaining.

Volume five of V.B. Rose is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.