From the gritty to the girly, we’ve got a good selection of minis for you this week! Grant starts things off with a review of volume 30 of Berserk (Dark Horse), Sam’s up next with a look at the fourth and final volume of B. Ichi (Yen Press) and returns at the end with volume two of Yokai Doctor (Del Rey), Michelle reviews the second and final volume of The Lapis Lazuli Crown (CMX), Phil isn’t much taken with volume two of Maid War Chronicle (Del Rey), and Connie weighs in on volume fourteen of Pastel (Del Rey).

Berserk, Vol. 30

By Kentaro Miura
Dark Horse, 208 pp.
Rating: 18+

Volume 30 kicks off with a blistering showdown between Guts and Serpico. It’s good to see Serpico get some more time in the spotlight and open up to the reader with some quality inner-monologue moments. He’s a complex character (unlike some other members of the cast) who spends way too much time being swept into the background. Miura also adds a delightfully darker, edgier look to him in the battle.

The duel wraps up just in time for a Kushan sneak attack on the gathered aristocrats. When a monstrous tiger crashes the party and turns the guests into hors d’oeurves, Guts and company arrive to fend off the beast and the Kushan spellcasters controlling it. The Kushan emperor, Ganishka, sends a fiery projection of himself to declare the initial attack in his war on Vritannis. He catches Guts’ attention, since he is one of the apostles who may lead him to Griffith.

From there, the group races to the docks, hoping to reach a ship before the entire harbor is destroyed in the attack. Farnese’s brother recognizes Guts from his days in the Band of the Hawk, creating a great moment where the reader can realize just how long it has been since Guts began his quest and see how much he has changed since his glory days. Quietly dismissing his past, Guts walks on.

The closing battle chapters are mostly filler at this point, merely delaying the group’s escape. Yes, it might be the first big battle where Guts restrains the berserker armor. Other than that, however, it is a sequence of “been there, done that” scenes.

Volume 30 of Berserk is available now.

–Reviewed by Grant Goodman

B. Ichi, Vol. 4

By Atsushi Ohkubo
Yen Press, 170 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

It’s sad to see such a series go, especially when its final volume is its most promising to date. That’s right, folks, B. Ichi is over at volume four, and it’s weird for me, as this is the first full series I’ve ever reviewed. Volume four throws us right in the middle of the brawl between Nofix, the notorious king of Spin, and Yohei, our aloof elder brother, armed with his silver gun. The fight escalates as Shotaro joins in, finally revealing the intense bone-related abilites that Atsushi Ohkubo had been hinting at for the whole series. In the second half of this book, Shotaro and Emine, long-lost friends, finally meet up, with Emine challenging Shotaro to stop him from ending the world.

Overall, I would say this is the strongest volume of the series because I feel like this is the volume where Ohkubo makes up his mind about what he wants to write about. Shotaro finally becomes much more powerful, Yohei gets over his past mistakes, Tool becomes a viable character and the enemies actually become really interesting. In terms of writing, I want to know more. I want to see the future these characters will be living in and I don’t feel as though this is a good stopping point for this series. Same thing goes for the art; there are some really intensive panels that drive the action.

Altogether, if you’re looking for a full read that you’ll enjoy by the end and that is fairly cheap, go get all of B. Ichi now!

Volume four of B. Ichi is available now.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

The Lapis Lazuli Crown, Vol. 2

By Natsuna Kawase
CMX, 192 pp.
Rating: Everyone

After receiving encouragement from a boy called Radi, really Prince Radian in disguise, Miel Violette has been devoting herself to her magical studies in order to earn a place as a palace magician and be of use to Radi. The events of volume two span at least eighteen months, as Miel first enrolls in a kind of prep course, then takes the entrance exam for the palace training school, earns a place in the Barrier Bureau (responsible for keeping out magical burglars, essentially), and finally clears her family name by exhibiting her profound physical strength and magical power in a ceremony to reinforce the barrier protecting the entire country of Savarin (a barrier manufactured by the lapis lazuli crown, which finally makes an appearance in the series bearing its name).

Through the author’s comments, it seems clear that a more leisurely progression through these events was originally planned but had to be accelerated to comply with “page constraints.” Despite sacrificing some elements, the story still hangs together well and offers a satisfying conclusion, one that manages to work in a little palace intrigue to boot. I like that Miel is encouraged to demonstrate both her prodigious strength and magical ability, and that the emphasis is on achieving her place through her own merits rather than by any patronage of Radi’s. The romance between them takes a backseat to the rest of the story, which is fine by me since it really is comparatively less interesting.

Kawase’s art continues to be remind me of Nari Kusakawa, which is definitely a compliment, and CMX’s packaging is lovely. The most glaring flaw in this edition, however, is how the name of Miel’s friend, Seigle, is often spelled as Seagle. It’s as if they changed it midway and forgot to make sure it was consistent throughout.

On the whole, The Lapis Lazuli Crown is a cute and enjoyable series, and because of its rating would definitely be a good choice for kids and libraries.

Volume two of The Lapis Lazuli Crown is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Maid War Chronicle, Vol. 2

By Ran
Del Rey, 202 pgs.
Rating: Older Teen 16+

Imagine if Sailor Moon traded in her schoolgirl outfit for a maid uniform. If you’re hyperventilating, then Maid War Chronicle could be the title for you; it features fast-paced action and a cast of Lolitas decked out in big dresses with ruffled sleeves and white aprons. It’s also full of trashy fan service, which will either cement it as a “must buy” or cause you to run away screaming.

This title really frustrates me, because art is quite good in spots and the plot serviceable: there’s a kingdom in ruins and a young prince on the run, his only companions a handful of maids. One could sympathize with a dethroned would-be monarch, but Prince Alex also happens to be a pervert and all-around brat. That’s a problem, since he’s positioned as a character we shouldn’t want to see drawn and quartered.

Admittedly, by the end of volume two, author Ran has set up a situation that might take advantage of his bad boy image to ironic effect: the cast finds itself in a kingdom where, as awful as Prince Alex is, he might make a better ruler than the current one. Or would he? Unfortunately, picking up another volume means having to slog through 200 additional pages of his obnoxiousness. But at least Prince Alex elicits some reaction from us; most of the maids are distinguishable by hair and skin color, and little else.

Of them, the aptly-named Cacao Sardonyx has the most potential to be interesting, if only because she’s willing to slug the prince whenever he peeps or gropes her. But any notion of her as a strong female character gets repeatedly undermined by exploitative panty flashes and nude scenes. Amazingly, despite all the maids, this book is dirty at times.

Volume two of Maid War Chronicle is available now.

–Reviewed by Phil Guie

Pastel, Vol. 14

By Toshihiko Kobayashi
Del Rey, 198 pp.
Rating: OT (Ages 16+)

In a continuation of the story from last volume, Hinako and Mugi continue to grow closer while Yuu watches from the sidelines. Uncharacteristically, the series grows a backbone and Hinako confesses her feelings to Mugi. Mugi then makes a choice. No foolin’.

My past experiences with Pastel have been mostly negative, but the series occasionally shines with surprisingly touching and subtle bits of story among all the filler and fanservice (which, to be fair, is what shonen romances are made of). When it’s good, it’s very good, and this is one such volume. One of the more interesting aspects of the series is Yuu, which I mention whenever I talk about Pastel. She keeps a poker face that conceals her emotions rather than acting with complete cluelessness regarding Mugi’s obvious feelings for her, so the question of how she feels in return is truly open. It’s one of the best dynamics the series has going for it, and it is used to maximum effectiveness during this Hinako storyline. She backs off and lets Hinako monopolize Mugi as a favor to Hinako, who silently thanks her repeatedly. But is she sad because she likes Mugi, or happy for Mugi since he has a chance to get back together with Hinako? You can tell something major is about to happen when other characters begin hinting at Yuu’s feelings. It was an interesting way to display something major is about to happen.

And then “it” does. It’s a little underwhelming, honestly, but it also fits in with the mood of Pastel perfectly, since such situations rarely have much fanfare. It’s not quite as good as similar scenes in other shonen romance series (I”s, for example), but it feels very, very right in the context of the series. Honestly, though, I feel this volume was owed to me after sitting through all those Mako stories.

Volume fourteen of Pastel is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Yokai Doctor, Vol. 2

By Yuki Sato
Del Rey, 210 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

The second volume of Yokai Doctor is a volume that surprised me, much like my reactions to the developments in B. Ichi. While still retaining the same wit and carefree attitude that makes this series such a pleasing read, the writing takes a turn for the better, imparting actually touching tales onto its pages. Such tales include a young yokai who just wants to make the best tofu he can, a yokai posing as a human doctor, helping children come into the world, and a very cute love story involving Kuro and the Futakuchi-Onna, a woman with two mouths. Not only do we get a primetime view into the world of demonic medicine but we get to see what initially pushed Kuro into doing this crazy job!

As I mentioned before in this review, the writing does get a lot better. I had high hopes for it to go in these directions when I first read the series and I’m glad to see that it’s retaining those same elements. The ending does promise a bit of a genre turn, though, moving from more touching and comedic stories to darker, action-filled tales. I look forward to this because, though Yuki Sato really likes to sprinkle in the action, at times I feel like I’m not getting enough of the good stuff! Artisitically, no big improvements but the book is still a very strong showing of Sato’s talent as an artist, especially the monster designs.

Volume two of Yokai Doctor is available now.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek