Bust out those number two pencils, folks, because it’s time for a brief quiz. Complete the following analogy:

SHOJO MANGA :: VALENTINE’S DAY

(a) Tokyo :: Godzilla
(b) Fireworks :: Independence Day
(c) Green beer :: St. Patrick’s Day
(d) Bichons :: Westminster Dog Show
(e) Slasher flick :: Halloween

If you picked e, you’re right—Valentine’s Day chocolate exchanges appear almost as frequently in shojo manga as Halloween-obsessed slashers appear in horror flicks. Given the strong shojo-Valentine’s Day connection, one might have assumed that this week’s list would be heavy on romantic comedies and light on action-oriented titles. But in a quirky bit of counter-programming, Tokyopop has chosen this week to release some of its bloodiest action titles, from volume two of Battle Royale: Ultimate Edition to volume one of Dark Metro, a spooky thriller set in the Tokyo subway system. Your best bet is Matsuri Akino’s Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo. Don’t let the fact that this series is (a) a sequel and (b) set in a wish-granting (or, more accurately, careful-what-you-wish-for) emporium deter you from trying it. Hino is a skillful storyteller, weaving elements of horror, folklore, and history into her soap opera about a Chinese count who sells unusual pets.

For those of you seeking an alternative to roses, diamonds, or bonbons, why not consider giving your sweetie a sexy manga? The fujoshi in your life is sure to appreciate one of this week’s new yaoi titles (three of which helpfully contain the word “love” in the title), while your favorite otaku might find Manga Sutra: Futari H the most amusing how-to book since Dr. Ruth Westheimer published her Guide for Married Lovers in 1986. And for those of us who take a dimmer view of Valentine’s Day, there are plenty of other great titles to choose from: volume eighteen of Blade of the Immortal (Dark Horse), volume ten of CLAMP no Kiseki (Tokyopop), volume three of Translucent (Dark Horse), volume three of “>Uzumaki (Viz), and volume two of Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan (Del Rey).

REVIEWED LAST WEEK
The Guin Saga, Book One: The Leopard Mask (Vertical, Inc.); Now You’re One of Us (Vertical, Inc.); Shinjuku Shark (Vertical, Inc.); Welcome to the NHK (Tokyopop)

REVIEWED THIS WEEK
Canon, Vol. 4 (CMX); Dark Metro, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop); Doors of Chaos, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop); Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)

SHIPPING THIS WEEK
.hack//GU, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Air Gear, Vol. 7 (Del Rey)
Archlord, Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
Basara, Vol. 26 (Viz)
Battle Royale Ultimate Edition HC, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Beowulf Color Manga, Vol. 1
Blade of the Immortal, Vol. 18 (Dark Horse)
Boys Over Flowers, Vol. 28 (Viz)
Camera Camera Camera, Vol. 2
Chibi Vampire, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
CLAMP no Kiseki, Vol. 10 (Tokyopop)
Dark Metro, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop; reviewed below)
Demon Prince Children of Gaia, Vol. 1
Dokkoida, Vol. 1 (CMX)
Dominion Conflict, Vol. 1: No More Noise (Dark Horse)
Doors of Chaos, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop; reviewed below)
Eiken, Vol. 8 (Bandai)
Enchanter, Vol. 7 (CMX)
Family Complex (DMP)
Flame of Recca, Vol. 26 (Viz)
Fruits Basket Ultimate Edition HC, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Hayate the Combat Butler, Vol. 6 (Viz)
I Shall Never Return, Vol. 2 (Aurora/Deux)
In the End, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
InuYasha Ani-Manga, Vol. 25 (Viz)
Kami-Kaze, Vol. 7 (Tokyopop)
Law of Ueki, Vol. 10 (Viz)
Love Mode, Vol. 8 (BLU Manga)
Love Pistols, Vol. 4 (BLU Manga)
Love Training (DMP)
No Need for Tenchi, Vol. 12 (Viz)
O-Parts Hunter, Vol. 8 (Viz)
Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Prince Charming, Vol. 2 (DMP)
Rose Hip Zero, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
Shin Megami Tensei Kahn, Vol. 1 (Tokyopop)
Shinsoku Kiss, Vol. 2 (Tokyopop)
Shugo Chara, Vol. 3 (Del Rey)
Translucent, Vol. 3 (Dark Horse)
Trinity Blood, Vol. 5 (Tokyopop)
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles, Vol. 16 (Del Rey)
Uzumaki, Vol. 3 (Viz; click here for Ken’s review)
Vanilla, Vol. 2 (DMP)
Venus in Love, Vol. 2 (CMX)
Wild Adapter, Vol. 4 (Tokyopop)
Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan, Vol. 2 (Del Rey)
Zatch Bell, Vol. 17 (Viz)

Canon, Vol. 4

By Chika Shiomi
CMX, pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

The fourth and final volume of Canon should have been the dramatic culmination of the double-crosses, confessions, and new alliances forged in volume three. Instead, it left me feeling confused and cheated—confused, because most of the finale’s hundred pages were devoted to a battle fought by characters who looked so much alike I couldn’t distinguish the bad guy (Glenn) from the good (Sakaki) and cheated, because Shiomi wouldn’t commit to a tragic ending for her angsty tale of vampire love, resorting to a third-act resurrection scene that sapped the story’s tension. What redeems this installment are the two bonus stories. The first, “Tatsumi,” is billed as a “Canon side story,” and explores the relationship between Sakaki and the half-vampire who rescued him from his parents’ executioners, while the second, “From the City of Sin,” is a stand-alone story about a college student who begins to suspect that her parents’ new lodger is, in fact, a suspect in a murder. Both showcase what Shiomi does best: create flawed but appealing characters that audiences will root for. And if they look like refugees from a Duran Duran video, so much the better. I hear shoulder pads are staging a comeback.

Volume four of Canon is available now.

Dark Metro, Vol. 1

Story by Tokyo Calen, Art by Yoshiken
Tokyopop, 192 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

If, like me, you’ve ever relied on the New York City subway system for transportation, you’ve probably accumulated a few horror stories of your own involving muggers, rats, rude MTA employees, or buskers with more lungpower than talent. I always thought the Tokyo subway was the antithesis of New York’s, with its immaculate stations, state-of-the-art trains, and functioning PA systems. But now, courtesy of Dark Metro, I learned that Tokyo’s tunnels harbor something far more sinister than the Dianetics pollsters who haunt Times Square: the portal to hell.

The five stories that comprise Dark Metro follow a time-honored B-movie formula in which angry ghosts menace attractive young men and women in dark, gloomy, isolated places… like subway stations! Though every story follows the same basic formula, each has a slightly different rhythm: the second, for example, is a classic example of comeuppance theater in which three boys pay the price for running an unsavory scheme (ok, pimping), while the third story is an exercise in psychological terror in which a new conductor faces every driver’s worst nightmare: a track jumper. Linking the five stories together is Seiya, a brooding bishonen tasked with policing the boundary between life and death. In the first four stories, he functions primarily as a deus ex machina, designed to rescue sympathetic victims from unsavory fates. By the end of volume one, however, he begins to evolve from plot device to character as we learn more about his past. In less capable hands, this material would be horribly dull or laughably familiar, yet Tokyo Calen and Yoshiken manage to produce a surprisingly tight, entertaining package with briskly paced stories and clean, unfussy layouts that strike a good balance between atmosphere and ick.

Volume one of Dark Metro will be available on February 13th.

Doors of Chaos, Vol. 1

By Ryoko Mitsuki
Tokyopop, 190 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Doors of Chaos wins this year’s Truth in Advertising Award for Most Apt Title: it’s one seriously confusing manga. The problems begin in the very first chapter, as we’re introduced to the series’ principal characters, Clarissa and Mizeria Rezelput. The twins are “harmonizers,” blessed with the ability to open and close four portals between the Diurnal and Nocturnal Worlds. At the twins’ coming-of-age ceremony, their handsome guardian Rikhter kidnaps Clarissa, escaping through one of the portals and unleashing hordes of bloodthirsty demons into the Diurnal World. At least, I think that’s what happened. The story seems to have been written by someone with an acute case of ADD, abruptly cutting from one character to another without properly explaining their relationship to the main trio or where, exactly, they fit into the Diurnal World. The layout does little to clarify matters; many of the action sequences seem to be missing critical panels that would show how events progressed from one moment to the next. But the biggest disappointment of Doors of Chaos is the artwork. Ryoko Mitsuki lavishes considerable attention on her heroines’ Gothic costumes—petticoats, corsets, bonnets, lace-up boots—but has difficulty rendering their faces in profile or three-quarter view. Her bishonen characters look too much alike, differentiated only by hair color and preferred outerwear (frock coat vs. hooded cape), and her monsters—though drawn with flair—borrow too heavily from Miyazaki’s Spirited Away to make a fresh impression. Unless you’re a glutton for punishment or a Lolita fetishist, I strongly advise you leave these Doors closed.

Volume one of Doors of Chaos will be available on January 13th.

Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo, Vol. 1

By Matsuri Akino
Tokyopop, 208 pp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Whether you’re a Twilight Zone buff or a CLAMP devotee, the basic premise of Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo is a familiar one. Count D, a rather androgynous, ageless figure, operates a pet store. You won’t mistake his emporium for PETCO or PetSmart, however—the animals he sells are, in fact, demons, demi-gods, and shape-shifters who assume various guises, from dogs to kirins. (One of the series’ running jokes is that some pets take human form, arousing the landlord’s suspicions that Count D actually runs a brothel.) The count selects a pet for each customer, choosing an animal that will help its owner realize a long-repressed dream. In the second story, for example, an angry, withdrawn young woman demands that Count D find her a “really grotesque” pet, “something that will give everyone else the creeps… that weird pet you can’t ever seem to get rid of… something that is scarred or old.” He then presents her with a cicada larva, whose transformation from monstrosity to insect will be mirrored in Reiko’s journey from bitter obscurity—she’s a failed fantasy novelist—to commercial success.

Of course, Count D’s services don’t come cheap, and his clientele pays dearly for their wishes. And it’s here, in the denouements of each story, that Matsuri Akino distinguishes herself from hundreds of other storytellers working in this genre. Akino’s characters and their plights elicit pathos; though we want the characters to find happiness, we can see that their own wishes are sometimes selfish or unwise. The sacrifices they make truly reflect what’s at stake in their situations, whether it’s a young mother who fears her murderous ex-husband or a low-level yakuza soldier who falls in love with the head honcho’s moll. The only story that flunks the compassion test is the final one. Set in Berlin in 1938, this convoluted mess purports to show how Eva Braun became Hitler’s mistress—with the aid of Count D’s pet shop. Akino tosses in a pair of vampires and an imaginary creature for good measure, but her gloss on the Third Reich’s philosophy of racial and cultural hegemony results in a dangerously superficial story. (My suggestion: read the first four and skip the final one.)

As the title indicates, Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo is a sequel to Hino’s ten-volume series Pet Shop of Horrors (1995-98). Those unfamiliar with the first series needn’t worry; volume one of Tokyo opens with a simple, one-page prologue that will provide adequate context for newcomers. The only caveat I offer (besides my recommendation about the final story) is that Akino is a better storyteller than artist; her layouts are often too fussy, with too many overlapping panels and clashing patterns. Her character designs, too, are a little clumsy; all of her characters have unusually large foreheads that make them look vaguely Cro-Magnon. Yet somehow it works, perhaps because Akino devotes as much attention to facial expression and body language as she does to fabric and hair, or perhaps because she demonstrates a talent for drawing animals. So if you can overlook a few riotously busy pages and stiffly posed bodies, you’re in for a rare treat: an intelligent example of monkey paw theater.

Volume one of Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo will be available on February 13th.