Blood Honey

By Sakyou Yozukura
BLU, 178 pp.
Rating: M (Mature)

Yuki Akabane is a vampire, but descended so far down the line, the only family trait he retains is a thirst for blood. His job as a nurse at a blood donor clinic keeps him hooked up with occasional meals, but his intake gets jacked up immensely by an obsessive donor named Osamu Mayazumi. Mayazumi is a teacher with a bad temper that seems to be quelled by donating blood, and thanks to a fear of needles, the only nurse he’ll trust is Akabane. Frequent visits to the clinic shift to nightly dinners at Akabane’s home, and before they know it, the two are harboring feelings for each other more serious than those of donor and nurse.

Despite the fairly creepy premise, this series’ most consistent trait is that it is quite simply a lot of fun. Yozakura’s sense of humor fits her characters perfectly, particularly in the second half of the book, where she introduces Akabane’s precocious nephew, Kiri. The book is undoubtedly tongue-in-cheek, but it thankfully lacks the overblown ridiculousness of some humorous yaoi. As a bonus, there are some genuinely touching moments as well.

Yozukura’s artwork is quite expressive and frankly adorable, though her characters fall visually into the typical seme and uke roles, almost to the extreme. Thanks to that, both Akabane and his nephew look about fifteen, one of the book’s few major downsides.

Though it’s certainly not profound, Blood Honey is a fun, sexy, take on the current vampire trend.

Blood Honey is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Madness, Vol. 2

By Kairi Shimotsuki
Blu, 245 pp.
Rating: M (18+)

In the concluding volume, the surviving members of Madness find out that they may have been manipulated into doing nearly everything they can recall in their lives. When their hunters are uncovered and the reason behind the Madness crew is reveaed, Izaya has to take a good, hard look at his beliefs and decide for himself how to lead his life.

This series falls into the rare category of “action yaoi,” where there’s a relatively involved plot to go along with the sex/flirting. Actually, there’s very little sex to speak of, and aside from a handful of non-con harassment scenes, there might only be one or two brief encounters between the main couple. Which means that we’re left with… the rest of the book.

The simple plot becomes convoluted when explained by the plethora of characters with different personal motivations running around after Madness. The fights also suffer from poor panel layouts and flow. Madness does get points for being something other than pure smut, and while I’m not the biggest fan of dark action yaoi, at least it isn’t an interminable string of sex scenes in the middle of a convoluted plot. It also has some pretty ridiculous dialogue, and aside from a hilarious theological discussion in the middle of a fight, there are some choice cheesy lines scattered throughout.

I think there are plenty of other series out there better than this (Yellow, for instance), but there might be a lot of fans starved for this type of story that might want to give it a try.

Volume two of Madness is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

13th Boy, Vol. 4

By SangEun Lee
Yen Press, 180 pp.
Rating: Teen

Hee-So continues to look out for Sae-Bom and help her weather the teasing she receives from the other girls, causing a major split with Nam-Joo, her best friend. Teasing meant for Sae-Bom goes wrong, and Hee-So finds herself in yet another situation risking her life for the girl, only to be saved by Whie-Young. But with things getting more intense between Whie-Young and Hee-So, is Won-Jun stepping back into the picture to try for Hee-So’s affection again?

Where the other volumes introduced a lot of off-the-wall elements that made me like this series more and more, things have leveled off here as some of the relationships in the love triangle are sorted out. There’s still Hee-So’s obsession with fate, Whie-Young’s out-of-place magic, and Beatrice the talking cactus, but all that begins to work towards the noble goal of finding boyfriends and girlfriends for everyone. It’s still a lot of fun, though, and the story only gets more interesting as Hee-So and Nam-Joo begin coaching Sae-Bom on how to stand up for herself so she doesn’t get teased. Little by little, Sae-Bom begins to shake her eccentricities, and I love that her much more serious story goes right along with the silliness of Hee-So finding her destined boyfriend. We also learn a bit more about why Sae-Bom has stayed in her state of arrested development, meaning the former “playground accident” explanation isn’t nearly as inadequate as it seemed.

While nothing much new in the way of oddities gets added in this volume, the story continues to be among my favorites. It has just the right number of quirks and a pleasant mix of likable characters to make the oldest girls’ comic plot in the book very fresh and new.

Volume four of 13th Boy is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Review copies provided by the publishers.

Black Jack, Vols. 9-10

By Osamu Tezuka
Published by Vertical
Rating: 16+

Vertical gives us two more volumes of this rather fantastic and fun Tezuka classic. The real surprise of the two is volume ten, as several of its tales shed more light upon the troubled past of our esteemed doctor. If that’s not reason enough to give it a look, the volume also features an appearance by another of Tezuka’s creations in a rather prominent role for a single story.

As usual, Tezuka’s artwork is fantastic throughout the two volumes. What really surprised me were two panels that seemed fairly different from his usual style. I’m no art expert, but he seems to have played around with the line thickness, giving the artwork within the two panels some heavy, jagged edges. I haven’t seen him do anything like this before in the series, but there are a few holes in my collection. It gives the two panels a lot of extra oomph and they really jump off the page at the reader.

I’m discovering that Black Jack is my manga Pringles. I open a volume planing to read one or two stories, and the next thing I know it’s several hours later and I’m staring at the inside of the back cover wishing I had another volume.

Volumes nine and ten of Black Jack are available now.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Cute Devil

By Hiro Madarame
BLU Manga, 178 pp.
Rating: Mature

Girly-looking Fuuta Naruse has many male devotees at school, but the only guy he has eyes for is Tohru Akiyoshi, the aloof class president who has not joined his throng of admirers. Fuuta exerts all his wiles in a confession to Akiyoshi, but when that doesn’t work, he sheds the cute persona and declares, “I’ll just have to take you by force.”

And so it goes. Akiyoshi is frequently violated and humiliated by Fuuta, but can’t confide in anyone about it, because nobody would believe him. Occasionally, he attempts to grow a spine and at one point tells Fuuta, “What you’re doing is a downright crime…” but, of course, he goes all doki doki at the next opportunity, and eventually begins fantasizing about their encounters. In the end, after Fuuta experiences an unprecedented growth spurt over summer break, he does one nice thing for Akiyoshi and now we’re supposed to believe he’s an okay guy.

Ordinarily, I’d give a book like this a lower grade, but Madarame’s art is seriously cute sometimes and provides a much-needed element of levity. I’d love to see what she could achieve with a better concept featuring more likable characters. In fact, I’d love to see Hisashi, Fuuta’s hulking and adorably dim-witted bodyguard, star in a vehicle of his own. He was easily the best thing about this one.

Cute Devil is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Itazura Na Kiss, Vol. 2

By Kaoru Tada
Digital Manga Publishing, 328 pp.
Rating: 13+

One could easily expend five hundred words or more relaying all the ups and downs contained in this double-sized volume of Itazura Na Kiss, but the most important facts are these: Kotoko and Naoki graduate from high school and move on to attend the same college, where Kotoko’s attempts to fit into Naoki’s world generally meet with embarrassing results. They also share a single, somewhat spiteful, kiss, and various events lead Kotoko to proclaim her intention to give up on Naoki, just in time for a renewal of close proximity that makes this impossible to achieve.

This series is a fine example of a romantic comedy that puts equal emphasis on both factors. Not that Kotoko’s relationship with Naoki is romantic yet—he is still too mean to her for that to be true—but there are quite a few comedic scenes in which the two leads do not appear at all that serve to further flesh out the setting and supporting characters. The least amusing of these tend to feature Kin-san, a persistent classmate who carries a torch for Kotoko, while the best revolve around Naoki’s mother, who is an avid supporter of a relationship developing between Kotoko and her son.

Though it can be a little painful to observe the desperate floundering of people in love, the end result is a story that’s consistently entertaining. Even after consuming 300+ pages in one sitting, I still wanted more.

Volume two of Itazura Na Kiss is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Yellow 2, Episode 1

By Makoto Tateno
Digital Manga Publishing, 66 pp.
Rating: 18+

Taki and Goh are retired “snatchers,” professional thieves that frequently bust criminals by stealing illegal drugs and other paraphernalia. In this sequel series, the pair have gotten together as a couple and are laying low and staying away from their former dangerous lifestyle. But when one of their old police contacts gets in touch with them and asks for a favor, both men find that they are eager to take on a new case.

If you liked the first Yellow series, this is more of the same, which was a very good thing indeed for me. The case follows almost exactly the same format as the original series, with a little bit of a puzzle and a lot of action involved in snatching drugs from a hidden location. The story moves smoothly and balances the romance and action very well, which was what made the original so addictive.

The other thing that made it such a fun read, the romantic tension between Taki and Goh, has been changed to a full-blown relationship, complete with lengthy sex scene at the end of the story. While this was precisely the goal in the original, having it is almost too much of a good thing, and I think the romantic tension worked a bit better than some of the cutesy doting here, but I can’t complain since Taki and Goh are still the same fun characters.

I love that Juné decided to go for the quick installment plan for this series, publishing episodes in 60-page segments rather than waiting for an entire graphic novel’s worth of material. It’s been four years since Yellow’s fourth and final volume came out, and as addictive as the original is, it’s great that the sequel is coming out as fast as possible. It really is more of the same, and I think most fans won’t be disappointed.

Yellow 2, Episode One is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Review copies provided by the publishers.

Children of the Sea, Vol. 2

By Daisuke Igarashi
VIZ, 320 pp.
Rating: Older Teen 16+

Daisuke Igarashi’s tremendous American debut, Children of the Sea, really comes together with its second volume. United by their significant distance from the world around them, Ruka and her aquatic allies, Umi and Sora, continue to search for answers on exactly what the boys are and the role Ruka ultimately plays in their lives. The story really expands from what we originally saw in book one. Igarashi touches on an abundance of source material to give the reader a number of possible explanations for what may really be happening. He introduces us to old Indonesian tales of meteors, fisherman’s tales of mermaids, and scientific facts about aquatic navigation tools, among other things. Each piece of fact or fiction opens another ambiguous door for the reader, urging us to go back and re-examine. In all honesty, this book has amazing reread value and will keep you questioning where the story can go from here. Four volumes have been released in Japan and there is no definite end yet, so it will be really interesting to see where this story goes.

As always, Igarashi’s art is fantastic in this book and I would say that it outclasses the first book, not only in painstaking detail and exposure to aquatic life but in creating a sense of mysticism. Igarashi really makes an effort to pair his ambiguous explanations with otherworldly illustrations. The subject matter also really gives Igarashi a chance to explore, exposing the reader not only to classical Indonesian art, but beautiful natural landscapes and intense thunderstorms. It’s these landscapes and environments in which the characters live and interact that drive the plot. The exhaustive amount of detail that Igarashi puts into these elements really helps to project the complexity of the characters, shrouding them in even more mystery.

Volume two of Children of the Sea is available now.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Croquis

By Hinako Takanaga
Blu Manga, 192 pp.
Rating: Mature

It’s stories like Croquis that leave me wondering about the Japanese perception of transsexuality. I’d dismiss it as just a BL trope, the whole gay-men-becoming-women thing, but I’ve seen it in Japanese media outside of BL as well.

Nagi, the protagonist, is a young man who has known that he is gay since he was ten years old. As a young adult, he works onstage in a drag club, but isn’t allowed major parts because he has yet to have breast augmentation. He also keeps a second job, as an artist’s model, and it’s there that he meets a student named Kaji. Their courtship is sweet, with Kaji convincing Nagi that reassignment surgery isn’t necessary just because he’s gay.

As with other manga I’ve read by Takanaga-sensei, I like both the art and the chemistry between the leads. She has a way of creating relationships that seem genuinely affectionate, and I really appreciate that. Again, I find myself made uncomfortable by the whole blurring of the lines between homosexuality and transsexuality—they’re not the same thing—but all in all, I like the story being told.

The translation done by Blu, however, makes me wince. I don’t know what happened to their editor, but he or she fell down on the job on this one. Throughout the volume, past the main story of Croquis and into the side stories at the end, there are German words present at the end of word bubbles. This happens twelve times throughout the volume. A cursory glance at Google Translate seems to indicate that each word is part of a German translation of the word bubble and not a stylistic choice. One instance is especially notable as there’s also a blank rectangular character at the beginning of the German word that signifies that the font being used doesn’t have a character to fit that keystroke. I cannot believe that they let this out to be published, and yet here it is in my hand.

Croquis will be available on February 2, 2010.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

La Satanica

By Momoko Tenzen
Digital Manga Publishing, 200 pp.
Rating: Mature (18+)

When Shoji Mashita spots his classmate Motoki Matsushima lovingly caressing his (Mashita’s) desk, he abruptly realizes that Matsuhima has feelings for him. He narrates that he’s okay with this, since he respects Matsushima as a friend, but he can’t resist tormenting him since his reactions are so violent. Eventually, Mashita realizes that he has feelings for Matsushima, too, and they share a pretty intense encounter in the boys’ bathroom until Matsushima suggests they adjourn to his home and Mashita suddenly gets cold feet.

Matsushima tries to figure out what he’s done wrong, and Mashita finally confesses that he’s afraid of the next step. From this point on, the boys become fairly obsessed with doing it. I prefer stories more about love than lust, myself, but the depiction of their awkwardness is well done and one really must appreciate that they take a whole chapter to really, really make sure that it’s what both of them want. “Are you only doing this for my sake? Are you positive about this?” “If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.” That alone earns La Satanica major points in my book.

I’ve been impressed by Tenzen’s powers of characterization in her short stories, so it’s no surprise that they’re on even better display in this full-length story. Both characters are very endearing, to the point where it’s almost embarrassing to see them in bed together, and Tenzen’s expressive art makes the heartfelt confessions of their feelings and insecurities that much more sympathetic. The result is a BL manga that manages to be sweet and sexy simultaneously, which is no small feat.

La Satanica is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Selfish Mr. Mermaid, Vol. 2

By Nabako Kamo
Digital Manga Publishing, 200 pp.
Rating: 18+

I’ll give volume two of Selfish Mr. Mermaid this: it’s more interesting than the first volume. This is because the majority of the action within takes place in Kaioh’s undersea home rather than Kanan’s mundane existence above the waves. Having said that, it’s still not all that great.

A secondary couple is introduced with Haru and his buddy the Giant Clam, now a waifish boy that Haru calls Pito. In the beginning, Pito has no voice and cannot tell Haru who he is. It’s sad—firstly because I preferred him as a giant clam, and secondly because Haru really misses his bivalve buddy. We’re spared a lot of moping, however, when the designated baddie shows up and lures Pito away.

Even with this adventure, nothing about Selfish Mr. Mermaid strikes me as interesting. The characters are stock and boring, the art is mediocre and uneven, and the artist seems to forget that the action is taking place underwater. For instance, hair behaves the same way both above the water and below, though there should be some truly beautiful billowing happening under the sea with all of these long-haired bishonen around. I’m also left wondering how the denizens of the oceans reproduce, since there are only two women introduced in the entire series, one of whom is the boyish Suoh. Unless you’re a BL completist and need every title released in English, it’s safe to give this one a miss.

Volume two of Selfish Mr. Mermaid is available now.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

Sunshine Sketch, Vol. 4

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

I’m not a particular fan of moe, but Sunshine Sketch, a 4-koma series about a group of girls living in an apartment building across from the art high school they all attend, is actually better than I thought it would be.

It wasn’t a good sign when the character introduction page summed up each girl in three sentences, including facts like “She is always on a budget and hungry,” but the strips within seldom rely on these traits for punchlines, so it turned out not to be so bad. Instead, most of the chapters are about everyday things like failing an exam, greeting some new first years, or looking forward to trying a new dish at the cafeteria only to find it sold out. Nothing objectionable occurs and there aren’t any obviously pervy elements (aside from an exhibitionist teacher, the one character I actively disliked) to remind one that this series runs in a seinen magazine.

The main problem is that Sunshine Sketch is boring. Here’s the plot of one chapter for an example: Yuno fails her grammar exam and must take a make-up test. She studies. She passes. The end.

The best chapter in the volume is one in which the gang takes a trip to a home improvement store because one of the new first years wants some curtains. Mangaka Ume Aoki perfectly captures the feeling of vague creative inspiration that such places can induce. If only the whole volume had been the girls checking out doorknobs and dish towels, I probably would’ve liked it more.

Volume four of Sunshine Sketch is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

V. B. Rose, Vol. 7

By Banri Hidaka
Tokyopop, 191 pp.
Rating: T (13+)

The great game of love continues as Ageha and Yukari again fail to communicate their feelings to one another and grow increasingly awkward together. A revelation about new-to-Ageha V. B. Rose staff member Kana complicates the love affair on her end, while Ageha’s aspiring beau Nat-chan complicates things for Yukari.

This is still by far one of the girliest manga I’m reading, being a shojo romance about employees at a wedding dress boutique, and I am still enjoying it immensely. Yukari and Ageha have developed to the point where I no longer notice the age and maturity difference between the two, and throughout the volume, I was sincerely rooting for what seemed like an imminent confession from one or the other. Looking back at some of my thoughts for volume five, however, I realized that not much has changed since then. The plot still revolves almost entirely around the shy, unacknowledged romance between Ageha and Yukari, and while it seems like the situation has reached critical mass and a confession is forthcoming any time… the fact remains one more volume has passed without it.

Having said that, it’s probably not fair to criticize this series for being a simple, upbeat, and easy-to-enjoy romance between likable characters. I like it for what it is, and I’ll probably continue to enjoy it even if the confession doesn’t happen for another five volumes. Aside from Yukari and Ageha, there’s also a lot to like about the quirky cast of side characters and their unusual occupation as wedding dress designers, makers, and accessorizers. It’s just girly for the sake of being girly, and there’s something inherently pleasant about it.

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

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Review copies provided by the publishers.

Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea

By Nakaba Higurashi and Seiichi Morimura
CMX, 194 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

First a novel, then a film, and now finally a media tie-in, Genghis Khan once again proves that adaptations, however competently rendered, are nonetheless too often victims of a very particular breed of mediocrity. The problem of compressing a multi-hundred page novel into194 pages of spacious (some might say overly spacious) comic frames becomes readily apparent from the get-go. Stuffed into nineteen hardworking pages, Temujin’s (later Genghis Khan) first thirty years and ostensible psychological motivations are shoved at the reader in possibly the fastest episode of stage-setting in comics history. The rest of the book reads like a mix of Hollywood biography and History Channel reenactment on fast forward; see Temujin have sons, win wars and build an empire, all in fewer than 180 pages! Granted, it’s plenty of bang for your buck, but likely not in the way most manga fans would prefer.

Pacing problems aside, Nakaba Higurashi’s solid, staid renderings of Temujin and his world provide a thoroughly serviceable and occasionally beautiful canvas to the drama. With dark lines and humanistic expressions, Higurashi’s art calls to mind the heavier stylings of seinen with a few snatches of French BD. It’s good stuff, and, when paired with equally powerful paneling, easily delivers on the visual punch. In her first serial effort, Higurashi has proved her artistic prowess; if she can find better original material than Genghis, she’ll certainly be one to watch.

Genghis Khan: To the Ends of the Earth and Sea is available now.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

Gestalt, Vol. 4

By Yun Kouga
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

I’ve been really impressed with how Gestalt has shaped up from volume to volume. Even though it falls short of being spectacular, the story itself is nothing short of enjoyable.

Here’s what the characters are up to: Father Olivier, now armless, has taken up residence with Suzu and Sakata in a mansion owned by a (creepy) old man. Suzu forms a friendship with one of the house maids and Olivier is charged with teaching the old man’s mute granddaughter. Ouri, who blames himself for the loss of Olivier’s arms, has decided to stop running away and go back to Olivier. Shazan finds himself working with two of Ouri’s siblings before regrouping with Olivier.

When the time comes to battle his younger brother and sister, Ouri summons two gods to do battle, ending the fight instantly. This leads to one of the standout events in this volume when, later that evening, Ouri converses with the summoned gods about how to restore lost limbs. Kouga places Ouri in a grass-covered swatch of night, where his darker moods resurface. It’s a very well-done sequence that offers some excellent illustrations and some of the strongest dialogue found in the series so far.

A weirdly confusing incident punctuates Ouri’s discussion with the gods when the old man’s granddaughter reappears as a middle-aged woman and leaves Ouri with a baby. The baby, she reveals, is part of a curse placed on Ouri. I have no idea where this can lead, but I’m curious to see if it becomes anything meaningful.

Volume four is a worthy addition to this fun, magic-filled drama.

Volume four of Gestalt is available now.

–Reviewed by Grant Goodman

Love Hurts: Aishiatteru Futari

By Suzuki Tanaka
BLU Manga, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

From the creator of Menkui! comes this collection of intriguing (and chaste!) boys’ love stories.

“The Fate of a Crime Fighter’s Love” features childhood friends Seigo and Touma, who hail from a village where everyone has super powers. Some seek to do evil with their abilities, while others work to stop them. This story has a fairly comedic tone, but the characters are likeable and their relationship evolves into love pretty organically. “Kanako’s Story” is actually not BL at all, but fits in with the others because it’s all about a boy’s feelings of love for his “stupid and weird… but cute” childhood friend and classmate, Kana. She’s been telling him her whole life that she converses with an alien, but he’d only nodded politely until it turns out that it was all true.

While the sci-fi tales are both enjoyable, the real standouts are the first two stories, “Unforgivable” and “Two in Love.” In the former, Koji has just discovered the corpse of his lover. While he’s still in shock, a guy named Kohaku arrives and, after talking to him and a mysterious stranger, Koji ends up declaring that he’s the killer. In “Two in Love,” we follow Kohaku and his lover, Kimihara, who share a violent relationship. On top of this, Kimihara is pestered by a psychotic student where he teaches who likes to confess her misdeeds to him. This time, she admits to killing a person. The link between these two stories is very interesting and my one real complaint about Love Hurts is that there’s no follow-through here.

All in all, I was very pleasantly surprised by how good and unique these stories are. Definitely recommended.

Love Hurts: Aishiatteru Futari is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Shiki Tsukai, Vol. 6

By To-Ru Zekuu and Yuna Takanagi
Del Rey, 208 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

Shiki Tsukai is hard to talk about. While I was really interested in the concept (the power to change seasons) promised on the back cover, the plot just doesn’t follow through at all. The story centers around Akira Kizuki, a young boy who is known as the Shinra with the power to control all the seasons, and his protector (and possible future love interest) Koyomi, who is the shiki tsukai of March. Shiki tsukai are very much like magicians, each specializing in a particular skill or element based on their month. Akira is caught up in the middle of the war of shiki tsukai and in volume six, Akira; Koyomi; Akira’s childhood friend, Satsuki; and their teacher, Rei, are on an island of Kijyuu, hoping to gain new abilities to battle their opposing forces. What they encounter instead is a mysterious young man who holds the power over several months and who isn’t ready to give that up to anyone.

As straightforward and predictable as the story appears to be, the volume actually isn’t terrible, though it’s not good enough in any way to make me consider reading more. While this is a battle-heavy volume, each fight is paced well. Nothing ends too soon and Akira and some supporting characters are given an opportunity to grow. Artistically, however, this book isn’t anything to write home about. Most of the characters have a very vapid, empty-eyed expression the entire time and the fan service seems really out of place. One thing that really threw me for a loop was the description of the overall use of abilities: each ability is summoned by chanting an incantation but almost all of the character can somehow bypass this. It’s never been cool to make limits and then forget about them!

Volume six of Shiki Tsukai is available now.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Tactics, Vol. 8

By Sakura Kinoshita and Kazuko Higashiyama
TOKYOPOP, 192 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

This volume opens with the conclusion to Kantarou’s latest conflict with Raikou Minamoto and his underlings. Haruka arrives to save the day (and to reassure Kantarou of his loyalty) but though Minamoto’s immediate plans are destroyed, the fight ultimately ends in a draw. Things are looking up for Kantarou, however, as Haruka makes a promise to one day tell him about his past. The story then takes a break to make way for a string of short “Bedtime Stories” featuring the series’ regular characters, which provide filler for the latter two-thirds of the volume.

Though the volume starts strong, thanks to the underlying tension between Kantarou and Haruka, it quickly falls apart with the introduction of its short story series, “Record of One Hundred Goblins.” With a single exception, these shorts provide neither humor nor substance sufficient to hold readers’ attention. Fortunately, the volume’s final story, “Otoshi,” about an artist whose ability to paint youkai (supernatural creatures) has mysteriously failed him, has enough strength of its own to turn things around. Focusing on relationships between humans and youkai, this story provides one of the most poignant moments of the series so far, rescuing the volume from its flat middle chapters. “… How precious an ‘existence’ is to youkai,” muses Kantarou, having finally returned the artist’s ability to him. “… That’s why I use my writing to make them immortal and [the artist] uses his art to pass on to future generations.”

Despite its uneven storytelling and tone, the eighth volume of Tactics manages its way out of complete destruction with a healthy dose of true feeling.

Volume eight of Tactics is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Yokai Doctor, Vol. 3

By Yuki Sato
Del Rey, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

The third volume of Yokai Doctor brings a more serious tone, as Kuro faces off against his former best friend, Kaie, who is being mysteriously controlled from the shadows. It seems that certain yokai just aren’t comfortable with the fact that Kuro is trying to create a bridge between yokai and humans with his medical practices. This is a nice story element because it really draws out more of Kuro’s humanistic qualities. Fighting against your friends can be tough. This is the main focus of this volume, introducing a larger overreaching story arc, which ultimately becomes the reason behind the introduction of new supporting characters (this time a yokai thief!) and a great amount of insight into the complexity of Kuro and his relationship with the human world.

While it’s nice to see the story begin to plump up and begin to show the promise of bigger things, Yokai Doctor hasn’t lost the episodic storytelling that attracted me to it initially. In the confines of this volume, there are still wonderful, short tales of yokai and their world-weary problems. My new favorite is about a stumpy rock creature that just wants to make friends with human children. He tries to accomplish this in a variety of ways, by handing out candy and acting as a monster in a superhero show. This volume is essentially the best one yet of the series and I am hoping that the later ones are just as eye-opening.

Volume three of Yokai Doctor is available now.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Review copies provided by the publishers.

In a post-apocalyptic future world, society is ruled by violent gangs, and none are as ruthless as Madness, headed by Kyo. Kyo was killed three years ago, but the rest of the members of Madness remain at large. At the beginning of the story, we find out that Kyo has been kept alive in the basement of a church by a priest named Izaya, and his bloodlust is awakened once again when a former Madness member rolls into town and tries to steal Kyo’s old sword. The story picks up from there, with Kyo turning into his former savage self and dragging Izaya along with him for the ride as he hunts down and collects bounties and allies among the former members of Madness.

This is one of those action-oriented shojo/shonen-ai series that I lack a term for; they’re like mild seinen series with pretty men who have sex. These are usually pretty hit-and-miss for me, and Madness is no exception. As a BLU manga, I was expecting it to be very romantic, or at the very least, to have a lot of sex. The pieces are there, including Izaya, an aggressively wimpy priest who looks just like a girl, and Kyo, the power-crazed muscled maniac. They seem fond of each other at first, but then there is absolutely no romance, or even chemistry, between the two for most of the book.

Later, we find out that Kyo has a split personality and it’s the mild Kyo that likes Izaya, but the person we see most of the time is angry Kyo, who seems to want nothing to do with him. There are hints that Kyo’s brother and others want to dally with Izaya, but this is restricted mostly to crude jokes and one dangerous situation. Surprisingly, there are only two graphic sex scenes, and one of them is with a big-breasted woman and a comically rotund man. Make of that what you will.

Romance aside, the plot is rudimentary and frequently doesn’t quite make sense to me. There are a lot of fights between Kyo and others, but the confusing art makes it next to impossible for me to follow what is going on in the action scenes. The outcomes are always clear, but there are frequently panels or even pages that are a complete mystery. This, coupled with what appears to be a simple power trip for Kyo and a standard ally collection, make the plot of the series not much of a draw, either.

The characters are also unpleasant, and it doesn’t take long for Izaya’s whining for Kyo not to kill or hurt anyone to wear thin. Basically, Kyo will engage in a fight, and Izaya will always try to stop him. Kyo takes Izaya along with him as a “suppress,” but it’s not clear what function that serves. The characters make it sound like Izaya is supposed to stop Kyo from going insane and killing people, but I’m not sure why Kyo would willingly handicap himself like that among bloodthirsty bounty hunters. Plus, whenever Izaya’s “suppress” powers activate, it looks more like he brings Kyo back from the dead, so I’m not sure if that will eventually go somewhere or not.

I couldn’t find much to like in this story at all. Aside from the action scenes, the art is pretty nice, with lots of nice detail, but that’s completely negated during the frequent fights. With a weak plot, unlikable characters, no romance, and no sex or gore, I’m not entirely sure what the draw is supposed to be.

Volume one of Madness is available now.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Amefurashi: The Rain Goddess, Vol. 2

By Atsushi Suzumi
Del Rey, 240 pp.
Rating: T (13+)

At the end of volume one, Sora, Gimmy, Mil, and Mel set off on a quest to retrieve the core of Sora’s tree. Volume two opens with this quest well underway, though Mil and Mel are mysteriously absent and Gimmy’s guardian is with the group instead. The volume starts strong as Sora and Gimmy face off with two other Amefurashi in order to prove Sora’s claim to the title. Sora learns the value of letting herself get to know humans and Gimmy learns to show Sora that he cares, all over the backdrop of a standard adventure as they head toward a final battle with the power-hungry Amefurashi, Ciel.

Sora and Gimmy’s adventure begins well, but what comes as a surprise as the volume nears its end is that this is, apparently, the final volume of the series. One can’t help but wonder if this was a surprise to the mangaka as well, since the beginning of the volume is paced as though it is the start of something truly epic. The final battle arrives abruptly, tying up loose ends in startling (and not quite graceful) haste. The result is rather jarring and even disappointing as things wrap up just as the story was finally finding its groove. The series’ ending is not entirely unsatisfying but there is a sense that much has been left untold, and it’s rather sad to wave goodbye to the story’s young characters before they’ve really had time to grow.

Though this volume shows great promise in the beginning, easily surpassing the strength of the first, a rush to conclusion in its final chapters keeps it from truly building on that promise.

Volume two of Amefurashi: The Rain Goddess is available now.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

Aria, Vol. 5

By Kozue Amano
Tokyopop, 180 pp.
Rating: OT (16+)

We return to Neo-Venezia once again to find the season has turned to autumn, and we are treated to stories about wasting time, learning from a different gondola teacher, watching a meteor shower, and spending a day in the life of a mail carrier.

I always find myself at a bit of a loss to describe this series. It’s hard to put into words what makes reading each book a pleasure. In this volume, the best example of the nature of the series is probably the chapter where Akari decides to wait for Alicia at a cafe for several hours and ponders the nature of how one spends free time, and how even spending free time simply thinking about how to spend free time can be a joy. The narrative meanders through a meeting with a gentleman, an explanation of “shadow chasing” to preserve the taste of wine, where latte comes from, and some history about San Marco Square in Venice.

Nothing really happens, which is generally the case in all chapters of Aria. But the charm in the series lies in how the characters spend their time admiring their surroundings and take time to pause and appreciate life. It’s a breath of fresh air to read this amid fast-paced shonen or high-drama shojo series, and Aria is made even better by its extremely well-realized setting and the likable cast of characters. It’s a different kind of read, and while not everyone will appreciate the lack of narrative thrust (it’s there, a little bit, and the issue of becoming Primas promises to come up next volume), it’s great for anyone who wants to take a little extra time to savor it.

Volume five of Aria is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

Boys Love

By Kaim Tachibana
Digital Manga Publishing, 200 pp.
Rating: 16+

When magazine editor Taishin Mamiya is assigned to do a profile of teen model Noeru Kisaragi, the last thing he expects is for Noeru to make a pass at him. By “pass,” I mean that Noeru gets Taishin drunk on expensive champagne and goes down on him in the men’s room. The next day, Noeru’s agency calls to complain to Taishin’s magazine, prompting Taishin to go back and see Noeru again to “fix” the article. Another pass at him, and Taishin gives up the article to someone else—he can’t deal with it anymore.

After the article is published, Taishin tries to go see Noeru and meets Chidori, a (male) childhood friend of Noeru’s. Chidori is clearly in love with Noeru, but has never told the other boy. Instead, he does things like housekeeping and shopping and sitting by while Noeru sleeps around with men as if he’s training for some sort of x-rated tournament. Taishin isn’t there for romance, he’s there for answers, but that doesn’t stop jealousy from rearing its ugly head. There’s something in Noeru and Chidori’s shared childhood, the death of an older friend, that has left a scar on both of these young men. There’s something of the dead boy in Taishin, and it pulls at both Noeru and Chidori in different ways.

The story here is told well, and I believe the journey Taishin takes as he gets to know Noeru and develops feelings for the younger man. Their relationship isn’t easy, nor is it portrayed as something blatant. Instead, it’s told through character moments and conversations, the interactions treading a line between a platonic brotherly friendship and something more. Chidori’s childish jealousy adds a complication, blaming Taishin when the real problem is that he’s not capable of relating his true feelings to Noeru until it’s too late. The biggest problem I have is with the ending, which is both predictable and lame. I’m not saying that I necessarily want happy endings on the stories I read, but when previously intelligent characters leap into moronic inaction in order for the author to exact a specific result, it leaves me feeling empty and flat.

Boys Love is available now.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

Dark Edge, Vols. 7-8

By Yu Aikawa
Published by DrMaster
Rating: Ages 15+

With only two volumes of Dark Edge under my belt, I wouldn’t dare call myself an expert. The plot of the series, as far as I can tell, involves a school in which the teaching staff is made up of vampires and zombies, the former of whom feed upon the student body after sundown. Actually, they don’t feed on everyone since certain students are “carriers,” meaning they have an “evil gene” in their blood, and if a vampire tries to make a supper from one, they disintegrate or something. I have no idea what part zombies play in any of this.

I mention all this, not because I’m making fun, but to illustrate what new readers’ experiences are likely to be. Neither volume represents an ideal jumping-on point; there’s already an ongoing storyline involving something called the “seed,” which designates the next king of the vampires, provided the bearer dies. Volume seven does feature a character named Kikuchi discovering the school’s carnivorous, supernatural element for the first time. This brings her into contact with Dark Edge’s main cast; however, it proves less of a proper “in” than one might expect, if only because the central protagonists’ backstories are treated like common knowledge.

What newbies will likely take away is the somber atmosphere communicated by Yu’s artwork, which befits the main characters, many of whom are dejected-looking males with beautiful features and longing stares. Some of the vampires also seem patterned after the bishonen aesthetic, and there is a homoerotic subplot involving a young male student who tempts a vampire teacher with his blood in exchange for immortality. Such scenes, as well as the occasional interesting creature design—severed body parts reanimated with bat wings, in one instance—give this series whatever edge it has.

Volumes seven and eight of Dark Edge are available now.

–Reviewed by Phil Guie

Liberty Liberty!

By Hinako Takanaga
Blu, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Kouki Kuwabara, cameraman for a tiny cable station in Osaka, has been tasked with watching the garbage of a woman who lives on 3rd Street in hopes of discovering the identity of the person stalking her. What he finds in the trash, however, is not a stalker. It’s Itaru Yaichi, a young man who has stumbled drunkenly onto the pile and passed out atop it. Kouki, being only human and finding the sight of a college-age boy giggling at himself in a pool of his own vomit to be quite funny, laughs at him. This is a mistake. Itaru leaps into drunken action, tossing a bag of garbage at Kouki and breaking the $2,000 video camera he’s holding.

So Kouki takes him home, sobers him up, and informs him the next morning that he owes the station the cost of the camera. Itaru is a sweet-hearted boy—a writer who had his story idea stolen by his best friend and has run home to Osaka—and offers to volunteer for the station until he finds a job. All the while, he continues to stay with Kouki and strikes up a friendship that very quietly shifts into something more.

No, Liberty Liberty! is not the best BL manga I’ve ever read, but it’s pretty good. It has steady, energetic art and a side cast of characters who make me want to know more about them. The other employees of the station are interesting and fun, especially the anchor, a drag queen named Kurumi who passes well enough that Itaru doesn’t recognize her as biologically male until Kouki tells him. If you’re in the mood for something light and fun to read, you couldn’t go wrong with Liberty Liberty!

Liberty Liberty! is available now.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 10

By Akihisa Ikeda
Viz Media, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

By volume ten, Rosario+Vampire has spiraled back into the same old schlock that is constantly peddled by the harem genre. Any semblance of deeper storytelling is abandoned in favor of several plot arcs that lead to the girls clamoring after Tsukune and losing various articles of clothing (and only the tiniest shreds of dignity) in the process.

After Tsukune’s fully human cousin, Kyoko, arrives at school with a mysterious envelope, complete chaos ensues. The campus quickly devolves into full-on monster form due the content of the envelope: a spirit and her magic mirror that breaks disguises of those who gaze into it. It turns out the mirror spirit is evil and has to be vanquished to restore order. Unfortunately, everyone in a position to do so is reduced to their base desires and hatreds. This results in all sorts of gratuitous fan service and a cat fight among the girls. The headmaster proves to be completely worthless (what a surprise!) and Kyoko is whisked away by the Bus Driver and is never mentioned again. I guess she is expected to be good about keeping secrets when it comes to the campus.

The campus has to be shut down for repairs after the mirror incident, which results in a trip home for Tsukune. His relaxing downtime quickly turns crazy, as it turns out he was followed home by pretty much all of his female friends from school. It all comes to a boiling point when Tsukune is trailed into the shower, which results in an all-out brawl in his neighborhood. All of this prompted me to say, “Hasn’t this been done before?” My reply to myself: “Yeah, actually. In the previous chapters. And several times in past volumes.”

Those of you who love Rosario+Vampire for its light tales and not-so-light fan service will find plenty to love here. Me? I was hoping Ikeda would offer something that was more than skin deep. He’s proven before that it’s possible.

Volume ten of Rosario+Vampire is available now.

–Reviewed by Grant Goodman

Tsubasa: Those with Wings, Vol. 3

By Natsuki Takaya
TOKYOPOP, 400 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

After a disappointing start and lackluster middle, Natsuki Takaya finally delivers a mostly satisfying conclusion in this, the final volume of Tsubasa: Those with Wings.

We begin with Kotobuki and friends (sans Raimon, who is prohibited from leaving the country by a bomb in his brain) in Japan, where they conveniently meet the Tsubasa’s creator and learn the secrets of its origin. After several tedious chapters featuring characters sitting around and talking, the plot picks up when Raimon is captured by the army. Kotobuki wants to rescue him but lacks confidence so Rikuro, a mysterious boy who has helped her on a few occasions, shows up and replays Raimon’s past for her so that she can see how much she has helped him already. Painful backstories are Takaya-sensei’s forte, and Raimon’s proves to be unexpectedly touching.

From there, the story morphs into an enjoyable sci-fi action tale, with Kotobuki making her way through a sprawling military complex to rescue her love and ultimately facing off against the big villain (who, of course, has angst of his own). Along the way, she lends encouragement to allies and enemies alike, showing a profound resemblance to Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket. Indeed, this quote about Kotobuki could easy apply to Tohru, as well:

She isn’t supposed to have the time to be worrying about anyone else right now. Still… her foolishness somehow always winds up becoming much-needed support for someone else.

Coming back to the same themes and character types might, in some creators’ hands, feel like uninspired regurgitation, but with Takaya it feels more like someone playing with and fine-tuning ideas. If nothing else, Tsubasa: Those with Wings is interesting as a milestone on the way to a greater work.

Volume three of Tsubasa: Those with Wings is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

The year starts out with LOVE HURTS by Suzuki Tanaka (MENKUI!) in January—a truly unique collection of supernatural stories that are sometimes gruesome and unsettling, and often hilarious. From mysterious corpses to mystical crime lords, this manga will keep you on your toes and your thoughts spinning.

In February, the month of love, world-renowned manga-ka Hinako Takanaga (YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE and LITTLE BUTTERFLY) brings us CROQUIS. Follow Nagi’s path to love and acceptance as a fledgling drag queen saving up for some big changes! When his secret is revealed, will his dreams of love be dashed?

In March, BLOOD HONEY by Sakyou Yozakura introduces us to Yuki Akabane, a vampire’s descendant who also happens to be a popular nurse—at a blood donation clinic! He enjoys drinking the blood of the pretty women who come through, but when he tastes the blood of donation-obsessed Osamu Mayuzumi, will he be able to drink another’s blood again?

Lovers come together in many different ways in LOVE KNOT, a new collection of short stories by Lemon Ichijo. A series of chapters explores the relationship of twins and their respective lovers as they struggle to get along, while, others find love where they least expect it, whether that’s with a childhood friend, at the school nurse’s office, or even in the kitchen!

Blossoming in May is CUTE DEVIL by Hiro Madarame. The story follows Akiyoshi Tohru, a picture of the ideal student. Not only does he have perfect attendance and top grades, he’s also the student council president of his all-boys school. The school “princess,” Naruse Futa, takes a shining to Akiyoshi – and a princess ALWAYS gets what he wants. Will Akiyoshi be able to escape Naruse’s sadistic clutches?

The hot summer sun of June brings ISLE OF FORBIDDEN LOVE by Duo Brand, the creators of CRIMSON WIND and CROSS X BREAK. Aki, a detective, meets the handsome and mysterious Kuga while investigating a string of murders in ancient Edo. Will Kuga help him to solve the crime, or will he turn out to be a much different man than Aki believes him to be?

From Miu Ootsuki, the popular creator of a number of series, including EIEN NO SHICHIGATSU, STAY GOLD, UKKARI CHERRY and YURI HIME WILDROSE, comes the BLU release of CALLING in July. Kazuaki’s life is so ordinary and dull, he can’t tell the difference between one day and the next. But one night he witnesses a rather embarrassing rendezvous, which unexpectedly turns his life upside down…

SCARLET, another title from Hiro Madarame, releases in August. College student Akio is dating Ryo, a gorgeous and seemingly innocent philanderer, unable to withstand the slightest loneliness. Every time a girl approaches him, he just can’t say no! What’s Akio to do with his wandering-eye of a boyfriend?!

And mark your calendars for these new releases of ongoing series:

In April, volume 4 of TEA FOR TWO by Yaya Sakuragi hits the yaoi shelves. In this volume, Christmas is right around the corner for Tokumaru and Hasune, but a romantic night out and a sweet gift exchange is out of the question for this eccentric couple…or is it?

May brings volume 2 of YOU WILL DROWN IN LOVE, another great yaoi title by Hinako Takanaga. Reiichiro and Jinnai’s relationship may have started in volume 1, but it hasn’t stopped rocking! An old acquaintance shows up and creates waves, triggering doubts for both parties. Will this awkward couple ever understand each other?

August offers us Yamimaru Enjin’s VOICE OR NOISE volume 3. Shinichiro and Narusawa continue to explore the question: Can the ability to talk to the animals translate into the language of love? Back after his three years abroad Narusawa is ready to pick up his relationship with Shinichiro right where they left off-but how has the passage of time changed his young lover?

And lastly—September ushers in a Fall of boys’ love with the much-anticipated New York Times bestseller JUNJO ROMANTICA volume 12 by Shungiku Nakamura. The ever-lovable Misaki faces all new challenges and obstacles in life and love. Will his relationship with Akihiko be able to survive his 4th year of college and Akihiko’s pushy, jealous cousin moving in?

BLU is an imprint of TOKYOPOP.

About TOKYOPOP:
Founded by multi-cultural media visionary Stuart Levy, TOKYOPOP is hailed as a leading youth-oriented entertainment brand and an innovator of manga creation, with a revolutionary artistic vision that transcends countless platforms. From the introduction of the first-ever extensive manga publishing program in North America, to the development of its manga-originated intellectual properties into film, television and digital entertainment, TOKYOPOP has changed the way teens experience pop culture. The company’s global reach has expanded to Europe and Asia, with offices in the UK and Germany, in addition to its Los Angeles and Tokyo operations. With millions of fans logging onto the new social networking site www.TOKYOPOP.com, reading its books, which are licensed in 41 countries in more than 20 languages, and watching its DVDs and television programs, TOKYOPOP’s award-winning catalogue of licensed and original properties has made the company a visionary in an ever-growing teen entertainment marketplace. Visit www.TOKYOPOP.com for additional information.

Brilliant Blue, Vol. 2

By Saemi Yorita
Digital Manga Publishing, 220 pp.
Rating: Young Adult (16+)

Brilliant Blue ends as sweetly as it began, offering plenty of humor and warmth along the way. At first, Shouzo continues to fight his attraction for Nanami, resulting in some nice chapters told from Nanami’s perspective in which his confusion over the way Shouzo’s treating him is both adorable and sympathetic.

Eventually, Shouzo can’t resist any longer and takes the relationship to the next level. Unfortunately, after so much internal debate over whether it’s a wise move to make, there’s not much insight into his thoughts when he finally decides to take this step, robbing it of some impact. His haste to make the relationship a sexual one is also a little off-putting; his dissatisfaction with simply spending time together seems at odds with his interactions with Nanami up to this point.

After a positive but rather anticlimactic final chapter, a side story affords us a glimpse of the couple six months on. Shouzo is trying to get used to the residents of his small town knowing about his relationship with Nanami, and is meanwhile dealing with a suspicious-looking apprentice who is also beset by people making assumptions about him based on rumors. It’s a subtle parallel, but a rather nice way to end the story. I might wish more had been made of the stigma of the lead couple’s relationship, but I can’t really fault the series for remaining relentlessly sunny ’til the end.

Volume two of Brilliant Blue is available now.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Cause of My Teacher

By Temari Matsumoto
Blu, 176 pp.
Rating: Mature

BL doesn’t have the best reputation, and that’s not entirely fair. There are titles out there that are heartbreaking and beautiful, ones that are side-achingly funny, and ones that are sweet and genuine. Then there are manga like Cause of My Teacher, which reinforce most of the negative stereotypes of the genre. This is an anthology of short stories, some of them more skeevy than others. As the title suggests, most of them have the theme of pairing a student and his teacher.

The first of the stories is about a boy named Tohru who develops a crush on his glasses-wearing teacher. They begin “dating,” but Tohru is concerned because his teacher takes his glasses off every time they kiss. After that one gets resolved, next is a story that shakes it up a bit. In this one, high school boy Kazunari Soma is the seme, and his teacher is this quiet man named Hajime Fukuzawa. The other students call him Hajime-chan, which strikes me as more unrealistic than anything else I see in this book… which says quite a bit. Then there are a few shorts that don’t involve teacher/student relationships—one’s about a pair of childhood friends, one is about a pair of ninja, and one about a young swordsman and his ninja retainer. Then it’s back to a story about a teacher, though the boy he ends up with isn’t one of his students. The volume is rounded out by a couple of vignettes with couples from elsewhere in the book.

Of these, I was most uncomfortable with the first story and the last original story before the vignettes. Though they are set in different time periods and universes, there is something about each relationship that seems predatory. None of the stories in this volume rises above skeevy, and in fact, most of them wallow in it. The art is full of heavy, uneven lines and high contrast, and I don’t really like it much either.

All said, there is so much better BL out there. I can’t recommend this to anyone.

Cause of My Teacher is available now.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

Crimson Shell

By Jun Mochizuki
Yen Press, 224 pp.
Rating: Older Teen

Somewhere in the southwest of England, a lone castle sits in the middle of the wild. It’s the headquarters of an organization called Red Rose, protecting the world against beings called Black Roses. At some point in the past, a mad scientist (there’s gotta be a mad scientist!) experimented on humans, implanting them with the seed of something called the “Premier Rose.” This seed filled its victims with poison, giving them the gifts of superhuman strength, the ability to turn others to their will, control over vines that come out of their body, and utter insanity. There is only one who didn’t succumb to madness, a girl named Claudia, otherwise known as the Rose Witch. She is kept at Red Rose like a bird in a gilded cage.

The plot of Crimson Shell starts with a boy named Shion and his first day at work at Red Rose. This coincides with the return of an operative named Xeno, a young man who has a special relationship with Claudia that teeters between siblingesque and crush, and his subsequent betrayal of the organization and an attack on the compound by several Black Roses. Claudia refuses to accept that Xeno would betray her, and with a group of three teenage operatives, tries to get to the bottom of the matter.

This was Mochizuki-sensei’s first work, and it shows. The art is good, but the storytelling is abrupt and doesn’t really innovate in any way. Having said that, Crimson Shell also shows promise; I did end the volume caring about what became of Claudia and the other protagonists. I’m looking forward to reading more titles by this author.

Crimson Shell will be available in November 2009.

–Reviewed by Jennifer Dunbar

Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom, Vol. 8

By Kazunari Kakei
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: T + (Older Teens)

As the battle with Fall continues, Nora’s body has been put under the control of Fall’s ally, Deuce, whom Fall later kills without a moment’s hesitation when she is overcome by the combined efforts of Nora and Kazuma, an action which shocks Nora to his core. When Fall uses his power to transport their battle into the human world, Nora’s determination not to let any more of his friends die lends him enormous power, but in the end it is his relationship with Kazuma that gives him the power he needs to fight against Fall’s efforts to absorb his power.

After two volumes of action, revelation, and fairly significant character development, this volume, which consists mainly of action without all that much of the other two, is a bit of a letdown. Granted, there are some new developments for Fall, especially in terms of his relationship with the former Cerberus, Deigree, but Nora’s big declaration, “I’ll win ’cause I’ve got something worth fighting for!!!” seems anticlimactic now that his awareness of the importance of friends is a couple of volumes old. The relationship between Nora and Kazuma is still the most compelling thing about the series and there are definitely advancements made here, but they are a bit lost in the din of battle.

What would have been a pretty exciting volume earlier on in the series fails to quite live up to the new heights reached in the last two volumes, but the conclusion to this storyline is still quite satisfying in the end. Whether Kakai can continue to build on the series’ new strength from this point forward remains to be seen.

Volume eight of Nora: The Last Chronicle of Devildom will be available on December 1, 2009.

–Reviewed by Melinda Beasi

O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 19

By Seishi Kishimoto
Viz, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Another series that I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing here on Manga Recon ends on its nineteenth volume, making O-Parts Hunter a medium-sized but still very engrossing tale. The volume opens with our haphazard team—comprised of O-Parts Technicians, angels, devils, two talking dogs and a pickle-loving swordsman—at the bottom of the belly of a whale, finally facing the head officer of Zenom. Ruby, our intrepid heroine and resident angel, is shocked to find that Zenom’s leader is none other than her long-lost father. Due to his infusion with a pair of devils, he has promptly forgotten his past and, ultimately, his daughter. A fight escalates between Zenom, Satan (our hero, Jio, whom everyone is after) and Amaterasu Miko, a woman bent on world domination and immortality. The series ends in a rather existential way, focusing on the importance of individuality and friendship.

I still really like this book artistically (almost more than Seishi Kishimoto’s brother’s Naruto). The end is certainly a step-up from the rest of the series, providing the most detail we’ve ever seen. You can tell that Seishi really put his heart into the pen. As for the writing, there were a few “huh?” moments for me. I think that as the story progressed, there were too many issues concerning the characters (Ruby’s daddy issues, Cross’s dead sister baggage, et cetera). I understand wanting to come full circle with the story but at times, they really distracted me as a reader from the overall message. It would’ve been nice to see them solve their issues earlier on. Either way, I would recommend this series on a whole; I think it’s a creative step from traditional shonen and it’s a good great laugh factor. In short, go buy it.

Volume nineteen of O-Parts Hunter will be available on December 8, 2009.

–Reviewed by Sam Kusek

Review copies provided by the publishers.

Black God, Vol. 6

Story by Dall-Young Lim, Art by Sung-Woo Park
Yen Press, 208 pp
Rating: Older Teen

The events that lead up the current troubles are at last revealed as we get a glimpse at Kuro’s life prior to her arrival on Earth. Meanwhile Steiner and Excel clash with the duo who just might be behind everything.

I’m running out of ways to praise this series. While I haven’t been reading it from the beginning, what I have read has been a consistently good and enjoyable read and this volume is no different. Half the volume is given over to detailing the events of Kuro’s life prior to the start of the series and offers us a glimpse into the world of the mototsumitama as well as the motivations of one of the major villains, Kuro’s older brother Reishi. Sadly, these motivations are a bit formulaic but the surprising relish and playfulness he displays later in the book would seem to hint at possibly darker underlying motives.

The artwork is as lovely as ever with the detailed artwork and backgrounds being complimented by smart and thoughtful usage of toning. The action sequence between Steiner, Excel and Reishi that dominates the second half of the book is clear and easy to follow without sacrificing any of the excitement that one would expect from a clash which virtually levels the top of an office building.

If all of the above wasn’t enough, we also get a side story focusing on Akina’s relationship with Keita set before the events of the series. Personally I wasn’t too keen on it–feels too much like a teen fantasy–but I suppose it does help elaborate on things a bit more.

All in all Black God continues to be a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable action adventure series, despite Kuro’s insistence on referring to herself in the third person.

Volume six of Black God is available now.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Chocolat, Vols. 6-7

By Ji-Sang Shin & Geo
Yen Press, 192 pp.
Rating: 13+

Why bother with the love triangles when you can have polygons? Chocolat’s tangled romantic web is a straightforward exercise in missed signals, poor communication and emotionally dense teenagers with a side of star power for good measure. The “two boys, one girl” structure is as old as the hills, and the addition of two diametrically opposite personalities (icy and sunny) only heightens the sense that Chocolat is slim pickin’s when it comes to original material. Lanky yet competent art and the usual slightly spunky, decidedly average heroine round out the genre staples and will make for a familiar read for many.

Mediocrity aside, the celebrity aspect of Chocolat inadvertently functions as a bizarrely fascinating look at decidedly Asia-only fan behaviors, from overblown BBS postings to obsessively devoted fan squads (of which the heroine is a member, even.) This is the classic star-oriented manga from the flipside, with a hefty dose of fan’s eye view in place of the usual “climbing the celebrity ladder” protagonist. Fans who take their manga soapy will delight in the ensemble of boys with designs on the protagonist, and the inevitable romantic tension that ensues. (More grounded readers may find it a tad much for their tastes.) It’s a shame Yen seems to have put the series on hiatus—with its cliffhanger end, the seventh volume is sure to leave fans of the series scrabbling for more and facing an unpleasant surprise.

Volumes six and seven of Chocolat are available now.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Vol. 9

Story By Eiji Otsuka, Art By Housui Yamazaki
Dark Horse, 220 pp.
Rating: 18+

This volume covers a wide range of shorter stories, from an obnoxious pop idol being stalked by dolls cursed by a dead man, to the story of a man who developed a fiberoptic invisibility suit in order to peep in the women’s bathroom, to a story rooted in World War II about a group of children and a man with the ability to “hear” the future and how the ability is used in the modern day and from beyond the grave, and one final story about the tragic childhoods of Yata and Makino.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is one of my absolute favorite current series, and this volume is a good example of why. The series mixes humor, horror, and a vast array of supernatural topics in oneshot cases that always manage to be entertaining. This volume covers serious-minded historical and political topics as well as the dead man whose last request is to prop him up on a top shelf in the ladies’ changing room. The latter manages to be less pervy than it sounds since this man also develops a perfect invisibility suit that he refuses to share with others since it would inevitably be applied in military strategy/evil rather than the fun/peeping that he had in mind.

This volume is also less character-focused than the others, aside from the last chapter. Usually there is at least one long, character-driven story, but this volume seems to have opted more for variety, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The Yata and Makino chapter was probably my favorite, though, since Yata’s explanation of where Kereellis, his hand puppet, comes from originally (before it was inhabited by an alien), is heartbreaking. I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little baffled as to why both Yata and Makino had similar gristly family histories, but I couldn’t help but like it.

It would be wrong of me not to mention the volume notes in the back, which are always the first thing I read. They are extensive, entertaining, funny, and insightful–the best you will find in any English-language manga.

Volume nine of The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is available now.

–Reviewed by Connie C.

The Loudest Whisper: Uwasa no Futari, Vol. 1

By Temari Matsumoto
BLU Manga, 192 pp.
Rating: Mature

The Loudest Whisper tells the wholly unremarkable tale of school friends Aoyama and Akabane as they experiment with acting like a couple (since rumors at school pair them up anyway). There’s nothing distinctive about the characters or the plot, resulting in a shallow and unsatisfying read.

Only 67 pages of this volume are devoted to the main series; the other two-thirds is occupied by unrelated short stories, which are all either bland, ridiculous, or icky. The only one that starts out semi-promisingly—“Cure for the Common Crush,” involving a business man who makes regular nightly stops at a pharmacy—derails into inanity when he accidentally receives aphrodisiacs instead of cold medicine.

The real problem with The Loudest Whisper, though, is the ick factor. In two linked stories, “First Stroll” and “First Help,” there are some story elements that I find disturbing, including an apparently significant age difference between the lead characters. Even “Cure for the Common Crush,” which contains a line that implies the pharmacist uke may actually be older than the seme, exagerrates his diminutive frame to such an extent as to invite misinterpretation.

Let’s recap all the adjectives used to describe this book: unremarkable, shallow, unsatisfying, bland, ridiculous, icky, inane, and disturbing. Need I say more?

Volume one of The Loudest Whisper: Uwasa no Futari will be available on July 14, 2009.

–Reviewed by Michelle Smith

Madoka Tokumaru is, to put it simply, a spaz. He is verbally crude, physically out of control, and lacks grace and composure on every level–something his sister is certain can be cured by forcing him into their school’s Tea Ceremony Club. Fortunately, the club’s president, Kazuma Hasune, whose family maintains the tea ceremony traditions, is up to the seemingly impossible task. Madoka’s progress is slow. He is crude, clumsy, and has difficulty maintaining seiza for any period of time. Still, as the school’s cultural festival rolls around, Madoka is deemed presentable enough to put on a kimono and serve tea.

Madoka’s newfound composure is quickly broken, however, when he discovers that some students are taking advantage of the festival chaos to rob the Tea Ceremony Club room of its valuable teacup collection–specifically Kazuma’s personal cup, which, despite being of lesser monetary value than any others in the room, has great sentimental value for Kazuma. Determined to retrieve the cup, Madoka chases after the culprits and gives them a sound beating, only to drop the cup himself immediately upon his return. Devastated by his failure, Madoka falls to pieces, but Kazuma is touched by his actions and thanks him warmly. This is really the beginning of a closer relationship between the two and as the first volume continues, Modoka and Kazuma begin to fall in love, though it requires some encouragement from Keigo (an openly gay friend of Kazuma’s) to really loosen up Kazuma’s heart and get things going.

Volume two follows the protagonists as they face questions about their future. Madoka feels directionless and Kazuma begins to question his place as the future head of his family, where he is expected to take over the tea ceremony. Adding further complication is the return of a close friend of Madoka’s who has been living overseas and who inspires some jealousy in Kazuma.

Though this series isn’t remarkably original or groundbreaking in any sense, it is a very satisfying romance story which bests much of its genre by actually discussing the characters’ sexuality in clear terms, at least by its second volume. Though initially appearing to play into the tired female fantasy of two (one, at the very least) apparently straight schoolboys falling in love with each other, as the story continues, the two not only must face how their relationship is viewed by family and friends and how it affects their future, but they even have a conversation about it in which they actually use the word, “gay.” Though it is sad that this is such a rarity in a boys’ love story, the reality of it makes this manga a rare jewel. That said, the mangaka does pull a cop-out by making most of the story’s queer characters actually bisexual (including the two protagonists)–Madoka even continues to ogle girly magazines after he begins a sexual relationship with Kazuma–though this only costs her a few points.

Speaking of gay characters, though the story’s primary relationship is quite touching and definitely a satisfying read, the real gem of the series is Kazuma’s friend Keigo, whose relationship with an artist who illustrates erotic novels begins as a side story in the first volume and continues into the second (actually culminating in a joke about the lack of “realism” in yaoi). Keigo is flamboyant and fun and serves as a sort of mentor for Kazuma who is too serious for his age. “Let me tell you something, Kazuma-kun,” Keigo says, supposedly discussing the broken cup but obviously hinting at deeper things. “Even when you think you’re taking good care of something… if it’s cracked, someday it’s going to break. You should fix things before it’s too late.” Though he never becomes more than a supporting character, it is his presence that really makes the story work–providing much-needed insight and offering a role model for both Kazuma and Madoka, neither of whom are as comfortable with their sexuality and what it means for them as Keigo is.

This is not to belittle either of the story’s protagonists. Kazuma is quiet and intriguing–deeply serious and afraid of letting either his youth or his fears show. When he experiences second thoughts about his career path, it is really quite moving and dramatic, and it’s nice that even at the end of the second volume nothing has been truly resolved there except for the fact that it does not yet need to be. Madoka is brash and wonderfully honest, and he provides much of the story’s real truth as well as a lot of its humor. Humor is actually one of this series’ best strengths and manifests itself with a sense of subtle whimsy unusual for this kind of manga (Madoka exclaiming, “I’ve just never seen a real gay couple before,” while wearing a shirt that says, “Buttocks,” is an oddly funny moment).

Though the story’s character designs are not especially attractive, they are at least distinctive and there’s never a question of telling the characters apart. The art overall is very nice, however–expressive, detailed, and easy to follow.

Tea for Two may not be an epic masterpiece, but it is down-to-earth, funny, occasionally sexy, and above all, a nicely nuanced romance. Though the two volumes published here stand very solidly on their own, it is exciting to note that a third is scheduled for December of this year, possibly answering some of the questions left open at the end of the second volume–something for boy’s love fans to truly look forward to!

Volumes one and two of Tea for Two are available now.