Kamisama Kazoku, Vol. 1

By Tapari & Yoshikazu Kuwashima
Go Comi, 185 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Being the Son of God definitely has its perks. You’ll never be late; you’ll never be without friends; you’ll never have a wish that can’t be granted. Sounds pretty good, right? Not to Samataro Kamiyama, the protagonist of Kamisama Kazoku. Every day, life is a breeze for him, his godly family, and guardian angel Tenko–until Samataro decides that he wants out. He wants to learn what it means to really be human and to fall in love without any divine intervention.

You may be thinking, this could be an interesting story… I thought so too, until I got a chance to read it. Kamisama Kazoku is nothing more than your average shojo manga. About halfway through, the focus of the book turns into Samataro’s quest for the new transfer student’s love, almost excluding the idea that he is the Son of God. The writing never fully utilizes the subject potential, only focusing on Samataro’s selfish desires to be human. Samataro is only concerned with being able to understand love as all humans do. He doesn’t care much about learning about other aspects of human life, both the good and the bad. In fact, the entire Kamiyama family seems so fixated on themselves, you wonder how they actually run a smooth planet. Samataro’s dad constantly grants his son’s wishes, hoping to keep him happy. Samataro’s mother is crazy about him, constantly showing up naked around the house and in his bed. His sisters, the meddling Misa and Quiet Lolita Meme, aren’t much of a help either. Most of the characters in this book are flat and one-dimensional, accentuating the already overdone stereotypes. Tenko is the typical cute girl next door, with a die-hard crush on Samataro. His best friend is a lover-boy, and the girl Samataro has a crush on is incredibly beautiful. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before – and believe me, you’ve seen better.

Much like the writing, the artwork is very general and stereotypical, not adding anything to the overall feeling of the book. It works hand-in-hand with the story to emphasize the “plain” feeling. Every character fits their stereotype to a tee, especially Samataro’s beautiful and busty mother and sisters. Though the actual story art wasn’t anything exciting, the breaks in between chapters and the cover were very well done. You can tell that Tapari and Yoshikazu put a lot of effort into these areas and I would have to say that they were my favorite part of the book (which could be taken positively or negatively).

Don’t get me wrong, Kamisama Kazoku is not the worst manga that I’ve ever read. The story and art leave much to be desired, but it certainly has the potential to grow as the series goes on. (Kamisama Kazoku. is based off a series of novels and already has an OVA. There’s a big page on Wikipedia!) So if you’re looking for a cute little read, this the series for you, but if you want something more serious in terms of story and art, look elsewhere.

Volume one of Kamisama Kazoku is available now.

Demons who snack on dreams… vampires who suffer from split personalities… cougars who run major corporations. These are just a few of the characters you’ll encounter in this month’s column, as Chloe Ferguson and I post a fresh crop of shojo and seinen reviews that includes volume two of Metro Survive (DrMaster), volume two of Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun (Viz), volume one of Red Angel (DMP), volume one of Two Flowers for the Dragon (CMX), and volume one of Ultimate Venus (Go! Comi).

Metro Survive, Vol. 2

By Yuki Fujisawa
DrMaster, 208 pp.
Rating: 15+

The second volume of this balls-to-the-wall disaster drama pits Mishima and his ragtag band of fellow survivors against a posse of hooligans under the spell of two charismatic host club owners. And what a pimp-tastic pair they are: one sports a fur that would be the envy of Joe Namath, the other a white suit pilfered from the Superfly prop trailer. (Both look freshly pressed, despite the rivers of gasoline, sewage, and blood flooding the basement levels of Exopolis.) Artist Yuki Fujisawa doesn’t waste a panel as he steadily escalates the conflict between these two groups to a point of almost unbearable tension. Though Fujisawa attempts a few curveballs, the basic plot is fairly predictable, with expendables meeting gruesome ends while principals take turns demonstrating hidden reserves of selflessness and courage. Fujisawa wisely brings the story to a close at the end of volume two with a final act that will please—if not surprise—readers. As I noted in my review of volume one, the big drawback to Metro Survive is the art. Frankly, it’s ugly, with too many speedlines, too many muddy backgrounds, and too many characters drawn in a cartoonish manner. If you’re not a stickler for pretty pictures, however, you could do a lot worse than this brutally efficient two-volume thriller, which reads like a Quentin Tarantino remake of Earthquake.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Nightmare Inspector: Yumekui Kenbun, Vol. 2

By Shin Mashiba
Viz, 184 pp.
Rating: 13+

Nightmare Inspector is an exceptionally good retread, filled with lush visuals. The premise—a tea house with a resident baku, or dream eater, that will attend to customers’ supernatural needs at a price—calls to mind obvious comparisons to xxxHolic, but the series’ artistic tone strikes a different note. Fans of the latter may identify similar story strengths and weaknesses with the former, namely in the dark, one-shot nature of each anecdote and the generally cynical take on human nature. The stories are small, deliciously well-done tales of human viciousness and supernatural personification, in which everyone from the dead to ordinary household objects may show up with a request. That said, Nightmare Inspector’s dogged adherence to single, thirty-page tales must ultimately diversify if the series wishes to sustain readers’ interest beyond a single volume.

Even if the plot setup doesn’t compel you to pick up a copy, the art alone should prove enticing. Striking an Art Nouveau balance between Far East and Victorian West, the swirling colors and dreamy screentones create an ambiguous world in which menace hides behind the fantastic. Manga-ka Shin Mashiba turns mediums and styles into key story elements, generally to impressive ends. A middle story in which charcoal drawings play a key role is one of most ingenious uses of art to further story seen in quite a long time. Nightmare Inspector’s formula may have been done before, but this stylish series still manages to prove its shelf-worthiness several times over.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

Red Angel, Vol. 1

By Makoto Tateno
DMP, 176 pp.
Rating: YA (Young Adult, 16+)

Mika and Eru are twin vampires with an unusual arrangement: the two share a body, variously manifesting themselves as a comely girl (Mika) or an androgynously beautiful boy (Eru). The two use their good looks to lure victims into their web—or at least, that’s how the volume begins, with a suitably creepy, faintly erotic story told from the perspective of one of their conquests. None of the subsequent chapters live up to the promise of the first, however. Manga-ka Makoto Tateno reduces Mika and Eru from actual participants in the stories to passive observers of other vampires’ tortured (but not very interesting) relationships. The final chapter takes the cake for sheer absurdity, suggesting that Tateno should spend less time trawling New Age sites for angel lore and more time actually consulting a Bible for the low-down on Satan’s heavenly exile. Though some reviewers have praised the art, I found it paradoxically busy and plain, with too much attention lavished on costumes and hair and not enough on backgrounds, faces, or basic anatomy. (All of the characters have the kind of razor-sharp chins and beanstalk necks I associate with CLAMP’s debut work.) I give Tateno credit for trying to put her own stamp on the gothic vampire romance—her vamps have beautiful red wings, for example—but wish she’d spent more time developing Mika and Eru into genuine characters instead of allowing them to remain blood-sucking ciphers.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Two Flowers for the Dragon, Vol. 1

By Nari Kusakawa
CMX, 192 pp.
Rating: Teen

Shakuya, the plucky protagonist of Two Flowers for the Dragon, belongs to a powerful clan boasting both human and dragon bloodlines. As a child, her parents selected a fiancé for her. When he went AWOL, Shakuya cast her lot with a new suitor, only to have her original husband-to-be resurface with no memory of his past. You don’t need to be a folklorist to guess where this old-as-the-hills story is headed: Shakuya announces a contest to determine which of her two beaus will become her husband.

The plot mechanics are a little creaky, especially the contrast between Shakuya’s amnesiac fiancé—a dashing rogue with flowing locks and the kind of cocky demeanor that rankles and intrigues at the same time—and her new man—a Dudley Do-Right who can be as stiff as Al Gore on the 2000 campaign trail. The art, too, is so-so. Readers of The Recipe for Gertrude and The Palette of 12 Secret Colors will quickly discover that Nari Kusakawa has a limited repertoire of character designs in her arsenal. Yet Two Flowers of the Dragon leaves a fresh, vibrant impression. Part of the story’s appeal is attributable to Shakuya, who’s smarter and more self-possessed than most shojo heroines; one of the series’ running jokes is that she’s actually more powerful than either Lucien or Kuwan. (She can transform into a badass dragon, capable of smoking anyone in her path.) The series’ other great strength is the way Kusakawa uses slapstick and supernatural intrigue to reveal her characters’ true emotional states. Even a gambit as shameless as introducing two button-cute tiger cubs serves a genuine dramatic purpose, showing us how protective and solicitous Shakuya really is. The bottom line: Two Flowers for the Dragon surprises and delights, even when it follows shojo formula to the letter.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Ultimate Venus, Vol. 1

By Takako Shigematsu
Go! Comi, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Sometimes promotional copy can be misleading. After reading the back cover of Ultimate Venus, for example, I concluded that Takako Shigematsu had updated Pygmalion for the shojo set by making the Henry Higgins figure young and sexy, rather than fussy and middle-aged:

Poor Yuzu is an orphan who’s too clumsy to hold a job. She’s reduced to living in a playground—until a handsome stranger named Hassaku informs her that she’s the heir to a fortune, and whisks her into world of wealth, power, and more hot suitors than she can shake a scepter at! But there’s a catch: Hassaku must turn this klutz into a lady of refinement, or Yuzu will lose everything!

While the blurb is an accurate summary of the volume’s first thirty pages, the story takes an abrupt detour from the “Street Where You Live” to Knot’s Landing, as Yuzu discovers her extended family will stop at nothing to prevent her from inheriting her grandmother’s corporate empire. Hassaku morphs from etiquette coach to bodyguard, trailing Yuzu everywhere she goes to prevent an unscrupulous aunt or cousin from nabbing her. Making his task more difficult is Yuzu herself; earnest and naïve, she’s quick to judge and even quicker to fall in love, traits that guarantee she’ll need rescuing at the end of every chapter.

If the main story line is strictly paint-by-numbers, the subplot involving Yuzu’s grandmother is not. Shigematsu portrays her as a sexy business woman in her forties, the kind of sleek, powerful character that Barbara Stanwyck or Ellen Barkin was born to play. Throughout the volume, Shigematsu dangles the possibility that Hassaku and Yuzu’s grandmother have a more intimate bond than employee/employer—a pairing that’s supposed to make the target audience feel sympathy for Yuzu. For those of us entering cougar territory, however, the scenes with Yuzu’s grandmother are a blast of fresh air: funny, outrageous, and a potent reminder that confidence is much more sexy than fumbling, self-effacing naivete. If Shigematsu ever does a spin-off project featuring Yuzu’s grandmother, I’ll be the first to buy it.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Welcome to the May edition of Manga Minis! This month’s crack team of reviewers includes our anime expert Carlos Alexandre, fellow manga maniacs Chloe Ferguson and Isaac Hale, and yours truly. Our survey runs the gamut from angst-ridden shojo to fanservice comedy and includes volume seven of After School Nightmare (Go!Comi), volume one of Foxy Lady (Tokyopop), volume nine of Kaze Hikaru (Viz), and the one-volume Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-Chan (Media Blasters).

After School Nightmare, Vol. 7

By Setona Mizushiro
Go!Comi, 200 pp.
Rating: 16+

Forget gender bending—the latest installment of Setona Mizushiro’s surreal horror masterpiece snaps gender in half and throws it out the window. Girl/boy protagonist Mashiro continues to grapple with his identity in the midst of drama so thick you could practically take a knife to it. On the rocks with onetime admirer Sou and ex-girlfriend Kureha, Mashiro is shocked to see the two begin a relationship—and to realize that his interest in Sou might just be called jealousy. Mizushiro in turn sends everyone into varying bouts of angst and self-reflection, choosing to plumb the depths of character backstory in place of nightmare-world action.

It’s clear that something funky is going on just about everywhere, but with every revelation comes a new, more twisted batch of questions. Mizushiro’s evidently gunning for the slow reveal, and even has the moxie to throw a serious new romantic player into the game this late. There’s the usual dose of metaphorical blood, violence and killing in the dream world, but the action this time around remains firmly rooted in the real, determined to pressure the characters into exhibiting just what they’ve learned from six volumes of nightmares. The result is a newly invigorated series that promises a strong end—and a maddeningly engrossing journey getting there.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

Foxy Lady, Vol. 1

By Ayun Tachibana
Tokyopop, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Foxy Lady is the by-the-numbers story of a boy named Jin and an attractive, skimpily dressed half-demon named Kogane, where the latter must mate with the former in order for the latter to turn human. Between Jin’s inexperience with women, Kogane’s superhuman powers, and the supporting cast’s various quirks creating a multitude of misunderstandings, Jin looks to have his proverbial hands full for quite some time. Hilarity and hjinx supposedly ensues.

What’s that genre called, the one that is all about magical girls wanting to get it on with ordinary teenage boys, that piles on layers and layers of fanservice at the expense of little extraneous things like characterization and plot? Because Foxy Lady is a textbook example of that genre. And just like pretty much every other anime and manga that falls under that genre, it is targeted at a very specific audience. Foxy Lady will likely satiate that audience, while leaving the rest of us yearning for something with a bit more depth.

–Reviewed by Carlos Alexandre

The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-Chan

By Ai Morinaga
Anime Works, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Despite the arm-flapping, shouting, and profuse shedding of crocodile tears, not much actually happens in The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-Chan, an odd collection of short stories about a talking frog who lives at an all-boys boarding school. Calling the thirty-odd chapters that comprise Gorgeous Life “stories” exaggerates their length and coherence; each chapter is really just a vehicle for risqué humor (e.g. boys in drag, boys in compromising positions) and violent slapstick. The yaoi japes are mildly amusing, but the frogsploitation is not. Morinaga clearly intended these scenes to be funny in an Itchy-and-Scratchy sort of way—see Strawberry-Chan’s owner flatten him with a shoe! see Strawberry-Chan’s owner bury him alive!—but the cumulative effect of so much sadistic behavior is exhaustion, not amusement. Making matters worse is the art. Morinaga’s fondness for busy backdrops (e.g., psychedelic swirls, pulsing plaids), extreme facial close-ups, and dark, indeterminate patches of screentone yield something akin to a manga migraine: hard on the eyes and the frontal lobes. Perhaps the editorial staff at Anime Works shared my reservations about Gorgeous Life, as their efforts seem half-hearted at best. Typos crop up throughout the text, as do awkward sentences and grammatical errors. The layout department chose an especially ugly font for the dialogue, adding another element of visual chaos to Morinaga’s cluttered layouts. In sum, The Gorgeous Life of Strawberry-Chan may not be the worst manga of 2008, but it certainly is a contender for the short list.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 9

By Taeko Watanabe
Viz, 200 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Volume nine of Kaze Hikaru offers more of the same gender-bending shojo drama of previous volumes. Don’t be deceived by the swords and samurai outfits—this series is all about the shojo drama. Fortunately, the samurai action is hardly the main attraction of Kaze Hikaru. The true testament to Kaze Hikaru’s quality as a manga is that the gender-bending keeps a lot of the original humor it had at the beginning of the run. Even though many of the main characters are perfectly aware of the protagonist’s female identity, many of the Shinsengumi do not, resulting in humurous homosexual under/overtones. The strange gender interactions and running inside-joke is really what keeps this series at its running high quality. The series’ art is another high point. Even with the traditional hair cuts and period outfits, the character designs are still fairly attractive and unique.

Unfortunately, the gender-bending that makes Kaze Hikaru so fun is its main flaw as well. After nine volumes and lots of time passing, it seems a little silly that Sei is unclear on which characters know about her gender and which don’t. This is kind of confusing, and makes it especially difficult for readers trying to jump into the story now. Also in true romantic shojo style, not a whole lot happens in this volume. As is often frustrating in manga romances, the relationship buildup is full of self-doubt and constant backpedaling. If Sei weren’t such an entertaining character, this series would fall easily into mediocrity. Fortunately, Kaze Hikaru’s fine-tuned sense of style and character depth make it a comic worth reading.

–Reviewed by Isaac Hale

Cy-Believers, Vol. 1

By Shioko Mizuki
Go!Comi, 200 pp.
Rating: 16+

Transfer student Rui enters Domus Aurea School with hopes of a fun, decidedly normal school life- and finds anything but. Constantly harassed by an overly amorous fiancé, downsized in her club and under threat from the Public Safety Commission, Rui’s bad luck takes a turn for the strange after a chance encounter with two decidedly different boys. Armed with a secret hideout and serious robotics skills, the two nerdy introverts promise to keep Rui safe and liven things up in the process. When Rui’s club is finally terminated, the three decide to start their own secret venture, no school permission needed—and thus, the Cy-Believers are born!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the final frontier of shojo male protagonists. That’s right; this is a series perched atop the premise of improbably attractive computer nerds. Helming the show is bland everygirl Rui, who does little to suggest she’s anything but another cut-n-paste heroine there to anchor the reader against the sea of weirdness she’s afloat in. And weird it is: the campus is an ambiguous hilltop with Roman undertones, where no one ever seems to attend class and colorful cast of characters can find plenty of time to engage in school-related hijinks. Rui’s sadistic fiancé, a student government bigwig, seems relegated either to the task of menacing Rui or raging angrily, occasionally managing to do both at the same time. At the other end of the (decidedly odd) romantic spectrum lies the geek pair du jour, namely in the form of tall, dark, and supernatural Azumi and dreamy, spastic Rio.

And therein lies both the strength and weakness of Cy-Believers: it’s situation based comedy that leans heavily on the characters to pull through. Mizuki winds up her oddball cast and gleefully lets them go, choosing an almost vignette-like structure to move the plot from point to point. If the series could stand to learn anything, it would be that weirdness for the sake of weirdness does not imbue a series with a fun and engaging structure. The formula is reliant on the characters moving from location to location within a hazily imagined campus, throwing out new and quirky tidbits about their natures as crisis dictates.

This character reliance seems even to filter down into Mizuki’s art: the characters are appropriately detailed, but the backgrounds remain ambiguous or lacking. There’s nothing objectionable about the characters’ thin lined, wispy style—that’s shojo standard- but when you can put them in any kind of context, the whole package seems somewhat lacking. Mizuki is more apt to lay down tones instead of proper background forms, occasionally choosing to throw in sketchy, quick lined background drawings when tone would simply be out of the question. The result is less than perfect, and an unfortunate detractor to the story.

Cy-Believers isn’t completely devoid of genuine humor or quirkiness, but the series needs to pair a cohesive plot with its moments of weirdness to beat some structure into the story. It gets points for being wackily different, but difference alone isn’t enough to merit shelf space in a rapidly expanding shojo market. Hopefully as the series moves into the next volume, everybody’s quirks will be sufficiently out in the open, allowing Mizuki to focus on structure. Until then, the series remains a fitfully entertaining but sloppy read.

Volume one of Cy-Belivers is available now.

If you’re still solvent after last week’s tsunami of new manga, this week may send you straight for bankruptcy court, with dozens of great books headed your way. The list cants heavily towards continuing series like Basara (Viz), Flame of Recca (Viz), Samurai Deeper Kyo (Tokyopop) Sgt. Frog (Tokyopop) and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles (Del Rey), but also features such noteworthy newcomers as Kamisama Kozuko (Go! Comi) and Toto! The Wonderful Adventure (Del Rey).

My top picks for Wednesday:

Blood+, Vol. 2 (Dark Horse): This brooding vampire tale adopts a kitchen-sink approach to plotting, mixing military conspiracy theory with teen angst and a healthy dose of monster-slaying. The results are oddly compelling; if anything, Blood+ demonstrates that it’s entirely possible to fashion something new and exciting out of shopworn ideas. If you’re a fan of the anime, you’ll notice a few discrepancies between the manga and the TV show. The biggest difference is Saya herself. As depicted in the manga, Saya is feisty, loyal, and only a little hesitant to embrace her destiny as a human weapon—a big improvement over her shrill, conflicted persona in the anime.

Shoulder-A-Coffin, Kuro, Vol. 1 (Yen Press): The story is a take-it-or-leave-it proposition; some may find the art too cutesy for the rather serious subject, while others may find the story ill-suited to the set-up/punchline rhythms of 4-koma format. For the otaku in search of an offbeat read, however, Kuro offers a unique and satisfying blend of humor, whimsy, and melancholy.

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure, Vol. 1 (Del Rey): Yuko Osada’s boisterous romp reads like a mash-up of One Piece and Castle in the Sky, complete with a flying ship, a cute animal sidekick, a spunky heroine, and a band of pirates on the run from the authorities. The artwork has a loose, sketchy feel that nicely complements Toto’s breezy tone. And while the story is positively elemental when compared with many shonen series, its simplicity allows Osada to focus more on characters and plot and less on superpowers and backstory—a decided plus.

Ultimate Venus, Vol. 1 (Go! Comi): Like Ai Morinaga, Takako Shigematsu has a knack for spicing up a stock shojo premise—say, a showbiz melodrama—with liberal amounts of black humor and sexual tension. In Ultimate Venus, Shigematsu’s point of departure is the My Fair Lady makeover, in which a handsome Henry Higgins surrogate teaches a klutzy young woman how to comport herself among the rich and famous. Or in this case, two hot linguists teach a klutzy young woman how to talk and walk like a lady. Eliza Doolittle should be so lucky!

Yakitate!! Japan, Vol. 11 (Viz): Every volume of Yakitate!! Japan doggedly adheres to the same basic recipe: one part competition, one part risqué humor, one part yeasty puns, and one part wacky hijinks. Kazuma Azuma and the Pantasia gang are always the underdogs at a world-renown bread-baking tournament, only to pull off a stunning victory on the strength of one of Kazuma’s more outlandish creations—but not before a new, ridiculous opponent (often in a mask or outré costume) announces his intent to outbake them. All of this amounts to predictably good fun, even if the fanservice gets a little out of hand at times. Haven’t tried Yakitate!! yet? Read the first two volumes, then sample at will—you won’t have difficulty figuring out what’s happening.

One final note: from now until May 18th, RightStuf is running a promotion on current and future Tokyopop manga, novels, and tie-in products (i.e. The Fruits Basket Sticker Book). Books are 33% off the cover price; click here for the coupon code. Full shipping list after the cut.

(Continued)

Manga publisher Go! Comi announced today that they will be publishing one of the most hotly-anticipated new manga series, 07-Ghost.

Set in a gothic fantasy world, 07-Ghost tells the story of Teito, a former slave who is now pursued by the forces of the Barsburg Empire because of his exceptional ability to use a form of magic called Zaiphon. Teito’s discovery of his true nature and his subsequent quest for revenge involve him in the affairs of the Gods themselves, as he finds himself at the center of the conflict between Verloren, the God of Death, and the mysterious “beings of light” sent by Heaven to oppose him: the Seven Ghosts.

(Continued)

I went to the cupboard in search of a snappy intro for this month’s Minis, but alas—I came up empty. So I’ll dispense with the opening gambit and simply say that this month’s column looks at two new Tokyopop titles, Dragon Sister! and eV, the second volumes of Love Master A (Go! Comi) and Sakura Ganbaru! (UDON), and the best-selling Naruto handbook (Viz), which has been flying off shelves since its release.

Dragon Sister!, Vol. 1

By Nini
Tokyopop, 192 pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)




Buried beneath the slapstick, speedlines, and extreme mammary close-ups is an intriguing premise: what if ancient China’s greatest warriors were, in fact, women? Dragon Sister! begins around 184 AD, when three brothers—Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao, and Zhang Liang—acquire a set of magical scrolls capable of granting any wish. In their desire to overthrow the Han Dynasty, the brothers pray that no more heroes will be born, only beautiful women. Their scheme backfires, however, transforming them into a cabal of power-hungry girls. As the country descends further into chaos, young nobleman Liu Bei forms a volunteer army to oppose the Zhang sisters (formerly brothers), recruiting two busty babes, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, to aid his cause. None of this is explained very clearly—we never have a sense of who the various factions are, or why Liu Bei remains faithful to a corrupt emperor. Instead, manga-ka Nini treats us to a seemingly endless parade of costume failures, crude jokes, and scenes of predatory lesbianism, all delivered in speech that vacillates between present-day dudespeak and wuxia film formality. Strictly for the fanservice crowd; others are advised to look elsewhere for more enlightened tales of female empowerment.

–Reviewed by Katherine Dacey

eV, Vol. 1

Created by Roger Mincheff, Written by James Farr, Art by Alfa Robbi and Papillon Studio

Published by Tokyopop, 192 pages
Rating: Teen (13 +)




From the mind that brought us The Covenant comes eV, the tale of a brilliant young woman, Evie, who finds herself injected with über-nanomachines that give her a vast array of physical and mental abilities. Once injected, Evie is taken to the far side of the universe to serve as Earth’s ambassador in a galactic federation.

Farr does a good job with the material and the characters, crafting a fairly fun and fast paced sci-fi adventure story. The whole thing has the feel of a summer blockbuster right down to certain stock characters: a workaholic father who will do anything for his daughter, the daughter who’s bitter and resentful at her father for being away all the time, and a mother who tries to hold the family together the best she can. On the other hand, the book also manages to translate the summer blockbuster feel to the story in terms of the size, scope, and set pieces. You can practically hear the pop rock songs playing at certain parts of the story. On top of that Farr manages to throw in some nifty tweaks to keep things interesting. Evie’s powers aren’t limited to simply amazing physical feats; her subconscious manifests itself in the form of a lil’ flying talking orb, which leads to some comical moments here and there.

Alfa Robbi has some solid story telling abilities but the art style itself just didn’t click. Something about it had me wishing the entire thing had been in color. Maybe it was the various alien life forms, or the moments towards the end when Evie utilizes some energy manipulation abilities, but I really felt that this was a story that would have benefited from some color. Ultimately eV is fluff, but sometimes fluff can be fun.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Love Master A, Vol. 2

By Kyoko Hashimoto
Go!Comi, 200pp.
Rating: Teen (13+)

It’s hard to conjure words to describe Love Master A, and it’s certainly not because the title is breathtakingly brilliant. The second installment of Kyoko Hashimoto’s middling school-life romance is so achingly mediocre it’s hard to tell if there’s anything original at all in between all the clichés. The first year school council crew—each easily summed up in three word archetypes—finds itself faced with a healthy plethora of problems, ranging from romantic infighting to the imminent closure of the council itself.

The resolutions are, of course, vaguely heartwarming and grindingly endearing, and with bland shojo everygirl Aria helming the story, it’s hard to find any respite from the standard shojo drudgery. That said, Hashimoto’s attempt to refresh the central love story by reversing the primary perspective is at least moderately novel, and works well to prolong the romantic angst well into the last pages of the book. There’s nothing new here in terms of artistic invention, with Hashimoto bringing out plenty of flowery screentones, sometimes overly so, resulting in visuals that are sufficiently sparkling but occasionally overdone. The dialogue, however, is want to wander more freely into the realm of cheese, resulting in a love confession so unbelievably corny that most other shojo manga would only tackle the same material if they were parodying the genre. With so much else out there on the market, it’s hard to imagine recommending Love Master A to anyone—but if you’ve truly exhausted the offerings, feel free to bide your time with a copy.

–Reviewed by Chloe Ferguson

Naruto: The Official Handbook

By Masashi Kishimoto
Viz, 288 pp.

Looking at ICv2, I can see that Naruto: The Official Fanbook has moved quite a few copies. In fact, it was number fifteen on the best-selling manga list in February. After taking a peek, I’m going to say there aren’t a lot of reasons why it should be selling. The vast majority of the content is plot summary, and the parts that aren’t are generally pretty mundane. There are a ton of quizzes in this, which I found to be inane or largely uninteresting; and even the interviews with Masashi Kishimoto are totally pointless. He reveals nothing, and answers no serious questions.

This is not to say that there weren’t some pleasant surprises in the volume. After opening the book, I found a nifty two-sided color pinup. It’s one of Kishimoto’s more whimsical pictures to, so I was quite pleased to see it. Also, if you don’t feel like picking up the issue of Shonen Jump, this volume has the bonus Naruto pilot story. Despite this material, I don’t recommend buying this volume unless you’re a hardcore completist. If you want the good material (e.g. the full-color art and the pilot story), grab the issue of Shonen Jump which contains it, and grab the Naruto artbook out right now, Uzumaki. You’ll be much more pleased with your purchases.

–Reviewed by Isaac Hale

Sakura Ganbaru!, Vol. 2

By Masahiko Nakahira
UDON Entertainment, 200 pp.

Following the events of the first volume and the conclusion of Kairin’s street fighting tournament, Sakura Ganbaru! continues along the lines of a paint-by-numbers shonen, but with everything compressed into two volumes. The results are wonderful as the fights are fast paced and exciting, and plots aren’t dragged out for dozens upon dozens of volumes. Much like other shonen protagonists (or Ryu from the Street Fighter Alpha manga), Sakura grows and learns more about herself, the nature of fighting and even attempts to discover what it means to be a true fighter. Her encounters with various other characters such as Gen, Chun Li or Zangief serve to illuminate different aspects of her quest and growth, and show the pitfalls of it as well.

Nakahira’s art is as clean and strong as ever, and he does a fantastic job with the various characters and their signature abilities and fighting styles. Unlike the previous volume, this one clearly alludes to the events in the Street Fighter Alpha manga, making some of the character interactions seem a bit odd. I suppose it’s best to think of them as loosely connected. Still, you won’t need to have read the Alpha manga to understand or enjoy Sakura Ganbaru! and doing so might actually leave you scratching your head a few times. At any rate, it’s still a fun and enjoyable series, and it’s great to see a young girl who’s capable of kicking butt and not in need of rescue.

–Reviewed by Ken Haley

Last week’s shipping list looked like a well-stocked buffet, with something for every taste, from the waistline-conscious to the unapologetic meat-eater. This week’s, however, inspires as much excitement as a high school cafeteria’s salad bar with its limited offerings: a few debut volumes—Element Line, Gosick, Hellgate London (Tokyopop), and Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector (Viz)—the latest installments of long-running favorites—InuYasha (manga and ani-manga) and Zatch Bell (Viz)—and a smattering of other titles—Dragon Eye, Princess Resurrection (Del Rey). Though the list is brief, there are two must-have manga mixed in with the sprouts and ranch dressing: volume two of The Other Side of the Mirror (Tokyopop), a gritty, beautifully illustrated drama from Jo Chen, and volume three of Presents (CMX), the title that inspired John Jakala to coin the best mangablogging term of 2007: comeuppance theater. I’m not normally a horror fan, but I found Kanako Inuki’s cute-grotesque illustrations, efficient set-ups, and surprise endings a welcome antidote to such wan examples of comeuppance theater as I Wish (Tokyopop) and Nightmares for Sale (Aurora). Though there’s a moral to every present, Inuki serves up plenty of black humor as she punishes the wicked, the vain, the selfish, and the downright stupid.

Intrepid newcomer Isaac Hale will be tackling Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector later this week, so I decided to focus my efforts on two new Tokyopop titles: Element Line, a fantasy-adventure that pits a plucky teen against toothy monsters, and Gosick, a light novel set in what might be described as a Japanese author’s idea of Jazz Age Europe. (Read: heavy on the petticoats and bustles, light on the flapper dresses and cigarette holders.) Also in the mix is A Wise Man Sleeps, the latest Go! Comi release from Mick Takeuchi, creator of Her Majesty’s Dog.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK:
Dragon Eye, Vol. 4 (Del Rey)
Element Line, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Gosick, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Hellgate London, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
InuYasha, Vol. 33 (Viz)
InuYasha Ani-Manga, Vol. 26 (Viz)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 9 (Viz)
The Other Side of the Mirror, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Presents, Vol. 3 (CMX)
Princess Resurrection, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Yumekui Kenbun Nightmare Inspector, Vol. 1 (Viz)
Zatch Bell, Vol. 18 (Viz)

Element Line, Vol. 1

By Mamiya Takizaki
Tokyopop, 178 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Along the borders of a desert country, a mysterious warrior named Laolyth defends his fellow citizens from a race of man-eating monsters. No one has seen his face since the day Rizoms killed his wife and, presumably, his infant son, though numerous victories have been attributed to him in that fourteen-year interim. Laolyth’s feats of derring-do inspire Kam, a young orphan, to join the Guild, a band of soldiers who escort caravans between the country’s heavily fortified cities. There’s just one problem: Kam’s body is undergoing a hideous metamorphosis that he must hide from his fellow recruits, lest they mistake him for the enemy. Sounds like a promising mixture of “politics and high fantasy,” to borrow a phrase from Element Line’s back cover, but bad dialogue and poor pacing conspire against the story’s more interesting elements to produce an indigestible stew of protracted battles, long-winded speeches, and bolt-from-the-blue scenes that make little to no dramatic sense. The most disappointing aspect of the story, however, is the artwork. Manga-ka Mamiya Takizaki obscures the action in screentone and speed lines, making it difficult to follow the story. The character designs are flat-out ugly and betray a certain ignorance of basic anatomy; the adults would benefit from Botox treatments to iron out the odd, unnatural wrinkles that have been superimposed on their faces. Even the Rizoms are rather uninspired, looking like the unwanted progeny of kudzu and caterpillars. Not recommended unless you’re a hardcore fantasy fan.

Volume one of Element Line will be available on April 9th.

Gosick, Vol. 1 (Novel)

By Kazuki Sakuraba; Illustrations by Hinata Takeba
Tokyopop, 232 pp.

Described as a “modern twist on Holmes and Watson,” this old-fashioned murder mystery adheres to a tried-and-true formula in which a cold but brilliant detective is paired with a sincere but slightly dim sidekick who’s always a few clues behind the audience. In the case of Gosick, the Holmes stand-in is Victorique, the resident eccentric at the Saint Marguerite Academy in Sauville (a fictional European country, just in case you were about to visit the Wikipedia), while the Watson surrogate is Kazuya Kujo, the school’s sole Japanese student. Victorique is a little less degenerate than Conan Doyle’s greatest creation, favoring a pipe over a glass of absinthe; nonetheless, she shares Holmes’s contempt for small minds, superstitions, and emotionally driven decision-making. Her reputation for deductive reasoning leads the nearby town’s pretty-boy inspector to seek her advice whenever there’s a murder—which, given the size and geographical remoteness of the town, occurs with rather alarming frequency.

In the course of investigating a fortune teller’s death, Victorique and Kazuya board the Queen Berry, a ship which supposedly sank ten years earlier with a cargo of murdered children. The two endure a night of extreme violence and seemingly supernatural events as they comb the ship for clues about the old woman’s past. These scenes play like Ten Little Indians crossed with Battle Royale: the ship’s other passengers visit horrific deaths on one another, usually with sharp objects or booby traps. Interspersed with the carnage—which, despite my description, is pretty tame—are numerous conversations in which Victorique patiently debunks the notion that the Queen Berry is haunted, culminating in the kind of “if it wasn’t for those meddling kids I would have had my revenge!” ending familiar to Scooby Doo fans.

Adults may find all of this just a little too familiar to be truly satisfying. Tweens, however, should find plenty to like about Gosick, from the flamboyant characters to the over-the-top plot twists. Manga-ka Hinata Takeda’s illustrations are appealing, and actually reflect what’s happening in the story—something I can’t say for the images in many light novels I’ve read. And Tokyopop has done a great job packaging Gosick, adding an attractive floral border on every page that’s echoed in the cover design. A great book for the reluctant reader in your household.

Volume one of Gosick will be available on April 9th.

A Wise Man Sleeps, Vol. 1

By Mick Takeuchi
Go! Comi, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

While walking through the streets of Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Miharu is accosted by a handsome but clumsy stranger who pronounces her “unlucky,” and declares the “source of her misfortune” to be a ring that belonged to her mother. Miharu initially dismisses him as a quack. But when she examines her situation—her mother’s recent death, her father’s crushing debts—she begins to wonder if this odd fellow might be on to something. Rintaro promises to pay her a fortune for the seemingly worthless ring, which, he explains, contains a “wise man’s stone,” a necessary tool for a practicing alchemist. Through a series of mishaps—some comic, some serious—Miharu ingests the ring to prevent it from falling into a loan shark’s hands, only to discover she has the power to see dead people. She and Rintaro then team up to exorcise spirits who are unwilling to cross over. Yes, the premise is familiar, but the true pleasure of A Wise Man Sleeps lies with the characters. Rintaro, for example, can transform himself into a powerful, flirtacious sorcerer—for three minutes at a time. (He also goes blonde for the duration.) He keeps company with a blood-thirsty doll named Beatrice who dishes out tart one-liners with enviable timing. Even Miharu feels like a fresh creation, outwitting yakuza thugs and angry spirits with a mixture of sass and smarts that’s all too rare among shojo heroines. The artwork is clean and crisp, with plenty of atmospheric detail; in fact, I preferred it to the more minimalist approach Takeuchi uses in Her Majesty’s Dog. And speaking of Her Majesty’s Dog, A Wise Man Sleeps offers a more light-hearted gloss on themes found in the later work, and sometimes seems a little glib in comparison. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the first volume of Wise Man and hope that Go! Comi licenses more of Takeuchi’s work.

Volume one of A Wise Man Sleeps is available now.

After School Nightmare, Vol.6

By Setona Mizushiro
Go! Comi, 200 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Mashiro’s identity struggle reaches new heights as he (or she, as the case may be) grapples with the notion that his relationship with Kurehara may be purely for psychological reassurance, and that Sou might just be his knight in shining (black) armor. Meanwhile, the mysteries surrounding the dream class only get deeper, as more students vanish and the line between graduation and failure grows thin. With time running out, Mashiro has to choose: stay the “man” he’s always known, or become the girl he very well might be?

The days of willingly suspending your disbelief are over; to fully appreciate just how brilliant Setona Mizushiro’s After School Nightmare is, you’d do better to smack your disbelief out of the ballpark and gleefully watch it sail away. From sex to psychology, the rules of Mizushiro’s sixth installment remain, once again, unnervingly pliable and all the more relevant as Mashiro’s gender struggle finally reaches a turning point. After spending years convincing himself he’s male, Mashiro is devastated to realize that Kurehara is nothing more than a mirror for his idealized self-image–and that this image may diverge severely from his true nature as a female.

Mizushiro knows how to pulp character psych until it hurts, and uses her skills deftly to grill Mashiro over his budding romance with Sou and dying affair with Kurehara. But, of course, this is After School Nightmare, and that means one thing; that every bit of school life psych becomes a very vivid death struggle in the dream world. It’s an almost too-perfect plot vehicle, as adolescent angst transmutes vividly into a world of crumbling cliffs, deadly traps and, of course, plenty of carnage heightened by characters packin’ plenty of baggage. Everyone’s a ball of complexes, and the list of reasons hits every major taboo from incest to rape to plain old gender-bending, making the wan-faced heroines of most every other shoujo look shallow by comparison.

Mizushiro’s art is spot on, from her dreamlike watercolors to her detailed renderings of a world beyond the edge of reason. Her school scenes may not bring up much in the way of new subject matter, but they provide an almost necessary “normal” contrast to the dream world’s school-gone-wild. The shoujo flowers are here too, but are markedly overshadowed by the blood and gore of the dream students. It’s easy to see the “nightmare” aspect of the title when the whole affair smacks of a shoujo setup that accidentally ingested a very dark tale.

The mark of a good manga has always been its ability to do something new; to take a cliché and reinvent it, or to breathe new life into old ideas. After School Nightmare does none of these things– instead, it simply disdains the whole act of reinventing and does something completely new. There is nothing out there quite like it, and After School Nightmare is without a doubt one of the freshest and most impressive titles to hit stateside in quite a while. This is one dream you’ll want to have.

Volume six of After School Nightmare is available now.

Paging Helen Mirren! This week’s shipping list includes several titles worthy of The Queen herself, as well as a healthy selection of manhwa and shonen series. I haven’t had an opportunity to read Queens or The Queen’s Knight (Tokyopop), however, so my top pick is Keiko Takemiya’s Andromeda Stories (Vertical, Inc.), a totally awesome mixture of sci-fi paranoia—the machines are taking over!—shocking plot twists, and taboo-busting romance. Takemiya’s artwork is flat-out gorgeous; her gloriously old-school character designs, dynamic layouts, and meticulous attention to detail put her on equal footing with manga gods Osamu Tezuka and Hiroshi Hinata. If you’re not a fan of sparkly-eyed shojo, fear not—there are plenty of other titles worth adding to your shopping basket, including the second volume of Dororthy of Oz (UDON Entertainment), a Korean update of the Frank L. Baum classic; the second volume of Pumpkin Scissors (Del Rey), a military drama with so-so artwork but a timely premise; the first volume of A Seduction More Beautiful Than Love (Tokyopop), a new manhwa in a josei vein; and the eleventh volume of xxxHolic (Del Rey), a series that proves just how versatile the CLAMP collective really is.

Beginning today, the Weekly Recon moves permanently to Mondays. To mark the occasion, I’ve taken a page from the network television playbook and staged an event worthy of sweeps week: a shojo spectacular of super-sized proportions. This week’s column focuses on six recent releases: A.I. Revolution (Go! Comi), Black Sun, Silver Moon (Go! Comi), Minima (Del Rey), Monkey High! (Viz), and Be With You (Viz), which Viz has released in both its original form—a light novel—and its subsequent manga adaptation.

One final note for the budget-conscious otaku: from now until March 5th, Right Stuf! is discounting all CMX titles by 33%. Click here for the coupon code.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK
Andromeda Stories, Vol. 3 (Vertical, Inc.)
Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad, Vol. 11 (Tokyopop)
The Devil’s Bride, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Dorothy of Oz, Vol. 2 (UDON Entertainment)
Fever, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Go Go Heaven, Vol. 5 (CMX)
Guin Saga Manga: The Seven Magi, Vol. 3 (Vertical, Inc.)
King of Hell, Vol. 18 (Tokyopop)
Kung Fu Klutz & Karate Cool, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Life, Vol. 8 (Tokyopop)
MPD Psycho, Vol. 4 (Dark Horse)
Negima, Vol. 17 (Del Rey)
Never Give Up, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
Psychic Power Nanaki, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Pumpkin Scissors, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
Queens, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
The Queen’s Knight, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
Samurai Deeper Kyo, Vol. 27 (Tokyopop)
A Seduction More Beautiful Than Love, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Spy Goddess, Volume 1: The Chase for the Chalice (Tokyopop)
Star Project Chiro, Vol. 2 (UDON Entertainment)
Tactics, Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
Teru Teru X Shonen, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Voice or Noise, Vol. 2 (BLU Manga)
xxxHolic, Vol. 11 (Del Rey)
Zig Zag, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)

A.I. Revolution, Vol. 1

By Yuu Asami
Go! Comi, 206 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

David Welsh beat me to the punch with his excellent review of A.I. Revolution, noting the fluid script and elegant artwork. I haven’t seen too many other bloggers tackle this title, however, so I decided to post my two cents in the hopes of inspiring more readers to try it. The story itself isn’t anything remarkable; fans of Isaac Asimov or even Yuu Watase have encountered similar tales of human-robot relationships. What makes Asami’s drama so compelling is its marriage of familiar sci-fi themes—what differentiates man from machine? can robots have a theory of the mind? do ethics govern human/robot interactions?—and shojo drama. The human protagonist, Sui, initially view robots as household appliances, not unlike vacuum cleaners or toasters. But when her father builds a companion for her, Sui develops a strong bond with Vermillion, discovering that he has a capacity for feeling that far outstrips her expectations. (In a neat twist, Vermillion proves more sensitive than Sui’s human fiancé.) Asami doesn’t shy away from action scenes, but the emphasis remains squarely on relationships. In Vermillion’s interactions with Sui and her father, we see different types of love dramatized; Sui’s father, for example, has modeled Vermillion in the image of a colleague that he admired, leading to a few funny, awkward moments of human-robot homoeroticism, while Sui seesaws between sisterly protectiveness and romantic attachment to her handsome companion. (Really, is there any other kind of robot in shojo manga?) Asami’s art reminds me of Keiko Nishi’s with its slightly stylized character designs, delicate linework, and sparing use of screentone. It’s a little dated perhaps, but a welcome change of pace from the slicker, busier layouts characteristic of the titles licensed by CMX, Tokyopop, and Viz. Highly recommended for fans of old-school shojo.

Volume one of A.I. Revolution is available now.

Be With You (Manga)

Written by Takuji Ichikawa, Art by Sai Kawashima, Script by Yoko Iino
Viz, 216 pp.
Rating: Teen

Be With You (Novel)

By Takuji Ichikawa, Translated by Terry Gallagher
Viz, 268 pp.

First published in 2003, Be With You enthralled millions of Japanese readers before enjoying even greater popularity as a movie, television show, and manga. The story focuses on Takumi, a widower struggling to raise his six-year-old son Yuji. While strolling through a forest, Takumi encounters a young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Mio, his recently deceased wife. This woman suffers from complete amnesia, however, and doesn’t recognize Takumi or Yuji. Takumi brings her home knowing that he faces a difficult choice: should he inform this woman that she’s a ghost, or should he convince her that she’s his wife and carry on as if she’d never died?

As portrayed in the novel, Takumi is a neurotic whose grief and crippling anxiety make him a less-than-ideal parent to his fragile son. The manga, however, offers a kinder, gentler Takumi whose chief fault is his inability to keep a clean house. Yuji, too, morphs from odd, morose little boy to energetic, resourceful character who demonstrates maturity well beyond his years. In softening their personalities, script writer Yoko Iino may have made the manga more teen-friendly, but she’s also eliminated the novel’s chief source of interest: Takumi’s tartly self-aware narrative. Throughout the novel, Takumi acknowledges his failings as a parent and a husband, revealing himself to be a difficult, selfish, and awkward man whose wife was his salvation. His blunt voice adds some badly needed edges to a story that grows increasingly sentimental in its third act, culminating in an ending that ties up all the narrative threads into an overly neat little package.

Readers unfamiliar with the original novel may find the manga’s introductory pages confusing, as Yoko Iino has compressed several chapters’ worth of material into a mere twenty pages. These first scenes have a choppy, hectic feel, introducing several characters who play little role in the main story and giving us a brief (and irrelevant) peek at Takumi’s job. The art has a bland quality to it that conveys little of the novel’s bittersweet tone, a problem reflected in the generic character designs and clip-and-paste backgrounds. My suggestion to fans of the “Pure Love” genre: read the novel or wait for Viz Pictures to acquire the movie rights.

Both the Be With You novel and manga are available now.

Black Sun, Silver Moon, Vol. 4

By Tomo Maeda
Go! Comi, 194 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

The first two volumes of Black Sun Silver Moon were an agreeable mess, notable for their button-cute character designs, faint whiff of shonen-ai, and abrupt shifts between scenes of domestic comedy and scenes of zombie slaying. Midway through volume three, however, manga-ka Tomo Maeda found her footing with the material, moving away from the Odd Couple squabbling of volumes one and two (Shikimi, the priest, is a slob, while Taki, his demon-slaying apprentice, is a neat freak) and beginning a longer story arc of surprising emotional depth. Volume four picks up where volume three left off, revealing the devastating events that transformed Shikimi from mere mortal to lethal demon. Maeda creates an atmosphere of palpable dread, decluttering her once busy layouts and using a dark palette to underscore the parishioner’s growing sense of fear and suspicion that Shikimi is, in fact, the cause of the mysterious illness that’s thinning their ranks. There are a few slightly confusing moments in the narrative; it’s never entirely clear if Shikimi’s helpmate and friend Eva turns on him or remains loyal, nor is it clear whether Shikimi’s love interest is, in fact, the cause of the town’s misfortune. That said, volume four of Black Sun Silver Moon is a solid, entertaining exercise in psychological terror. And if Maeda can figure out how to reintroduce Taki and his ridiculously cute undead dog without spoiling the mood, I’m upgrading this series to an A.

Volume four of Black Sun Silver Moon is available now.

Minima!, Vol. 1

By Machiko Sakurai
Del Rey, 182 pp.
Rating: 13+

If you’ve ever thought that the basic premise of The Velveteen Rabbit was nifty, but found its passive hero too much of a sad sack, have I got the manga for you: Minima!. Nicori, the stuffed mouse who comes to life in this tale, is a feisty, media-savvy fellow who’d never allow real rodents to mock him. Nicori’s story begins when he’s rescued from a discount bin by Ame, a lonely girl with an unreliable group of friends. In a display of gratitude, Nicori punishes Ame’s classmates for their unkind words with a stinging rebuke and some perfectly timed karate chops. Word of Nicori’s incredible feat quickly reaches the press, forcing him to choose between a life of celebrity (and probable exploitation by unscrupulous handlers) and a life with Ame, who isn’t certain that she wants to be in the spotlight with her talking toy.

Machiko Sakurai’s artwork is bit unsatisfying; she has a limited repertoire of character designs, and a tendency to draw vaguely alien faces with bulging eyes and foreheads. Still, she delivers the goods when the story calls for real displays of emotion, conveying Ame’s frustration at being ostracized by her peers through simple but effective close-ups of Ame’s tearful face. Sakurai also does a good job of revealing Nicori’s character through the artwork; though crudely rendered, his body language and huge eyes speak volumes about his true nature, a mixture of selfish desire to be famous and selfless interest in Ame’s welfare. Throughout volume one, Sakurai strikes a good balance between broad physical comedy, showbiz intrigue, and romantic drama, crafting a funny, engaging story that should appeal to teens who’ve outgrown their favorite stuffed animal.

Volume one of Minima is available now.

Monkey High!, Vol. 1

By Shouko Akira
Viz, 186 pp.
Rating: Teen

Haruna Aizawa, the prickly protagonist of Monkey High!, is the daughter of an ambitious politician. After her father is implicated in a scandal, Haruna transfers from an elite private school to a decidedly less fancy public school. In her mind, however, not much has changed; as she explains in the early pages of chapter one,

School life is like being on a monkey mountain. Monkeys in the same gang constantly fight and get back together again and a hierarchy gets established. There may be slight differences, but it’s pretty much the same anywhere you go.

As one might infer from Haruna’s comments, she views herself as a kind of anthropologist, watching her classmates pair off, squabble, and form new alliances from a safe distance. Her efforts to remain invisible to her classmates are quickly thwarted by two boys, Kido and Macharu, both of whom take a shine to her. Though Macharu is the shorter and less suave of the two, his sincerity and enthusiasm crack Haruna’s cool façade. Is romance in the cards for this improbable pair? (Is the Pope Catholic? C’mon, people, this is Shojo Beat—the question isn’t if, but when!)

Though the monkey mountain metaphor isn’t terribly profound—and may remind you of a similar motif in Mean Girls—it proves an effective gambit for revealing what kind of girl Haruna is: intellectual, aloof, and deeply afraid of being rejected. Shouko Akira tries, with varying degrees of success, to extend the analogy to other characters, even chibi-fying Macharu by giving him a tail and a Curious George grin in several panels. Her character designs are cute and appealing (if a little two-dimensional), and her layouts clean and unfussy—a rarity in shojo comedies, which are often a riot of muttered asides, in-jokes, and panels-within-panels. But what really puts Monkey High! at the head of the class is Akira’s ability to depict ordinary moments—awkward conversations, jokes, classroom banter—and make them a compelling part of the drama instead of weigh stations between comic misunderstandings and tearful confessions of love. Her story is a potent (and amusing) reminder that life is what happens when you least expect it.

Volume one of Monkey High! is available now.