Vampire Knight 5-7 by Matsuri Hino: B

October 30, 2009 by 4 Comments

vampireknight5Vampire Knight is a series with a plot that makes sense while you’re reading it, but is difficult to summarize in a coherent manner. In these three volumes, the story moves away from Zero and his angst to focus more squarely on Yuki, who is increasingly more insistent upon uncovering her missing memories. She correctly surmises that Kaname is hiding things from her and confronts him several times, only to have him evade the question. Meanwhile, whenever she attempts to remember on her own, she experiences blood-drenched hallucinations. Her visions get progressively worse, prompting Kaname to whisk her away at the end of volume seven with the words, “It’s time to wake up… before you go mad.”

vampireknight6Other things are going on in the background: political factions in the vampire world are at odds over their government, with some wanting to restore the monarchy (which would make Kaname king) and others in support of the senate; Zero is suspected of killing a pureblood vampire, but is not actually the culprit; Ichiru, Zero’s brother, enrolls at Cross Academy with the apparent goal of doing something nefarious to Yuki; and, most importantly, a rival heir to the Kuran lineage awakens and inhabits the body of his son, currently attending the school. This last personage is shaping up to be the main villain of the piece, and it’s likely that Kaname has taken various steps to both up his own power and increase Yuki’s status amongst his brethren (by acknowledging her as his lover, he essentially guarantees her a vampire guard) all in order to protect her from this creepy foe.

vampireknight7As it has progressed, the story of Vampire Knight has become increasingly engaging, and I think it’s pretty safe to say that I’m addicted by this point. Zero has stabilized somewhat—a drink of Kaname’s blood, offered solely for Yuki’s sake, has stalled the progress of his insanity—while Kaname has grown both darker and more vocal about his feelings for Yuki, declaring his love for her outright at one point. Hino has also stopped writing scenarios in which Yuki blindly rushes into a dangerous situation and then promptly requires rescue. In these three volumes, it only happens once. These factors combine to make Kaname’s feelings for Yuki more believable, thus enabling me to be more invested in their interactions, which are growing progressively more sexay. I wouldn’t say yet that I actually like Yuki, but at least I no longer feel the desire to grab her by the shoulders and shake vigorously.

The art continues to be gorgeous, dark and gloomy and full of beautifully despondent boys. Hino’s also adept at cliffhangers; the one at the end of volume seven is the most suspenseful yet. While it may not be the best shojo series in existence, Vampire Knight offers an appealing blend of angst and gloom that has me hooked.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo, Supernatural Tagged With: , ,

Ghoul Trouble by John Passarella: B-

October 29, 2009 by 1 Comment

Ghoul_TroubleFrom the back cover:
Something wicked has been preying on Sunnydale students—and whatever it is, its methods are pretty gruesome. Buffy locates some human bones that have been picked clean, and knows that she’s dealing with an unearthly evil. Some help from the Scooby Gang would be ideal, but they’ve run into trouble of their own. Oz and Xander are literally (perhaps unnaturally) mesmerized by a hottie new chick band headlining at the Bronze, and Willow has been captured by Sunnydale’s latest resident carnivores.

What they need is the Slayer. But in order to help her friends, Buffy must first dust a vampire—one that has an urgent interest in Joyce Summers, the unique ability to resist sunlight, and an open invitation to the Summers’ house…

Review:
I don’t think I even read the back cover blurb when I found this used several years ago. I think I just liked the goofy title and bought it on that fact alone. It certainly doesn’t sound very promising, does it? It turns out, though, that it’s actually pretty decent.

I’ve tallied up its various attributes into two columns: flaws and merits.

Flaws:
* The story is set in season three, but it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when it occurs. Much is made of Cordelia and Xander having broken up, which would put it after episode 3.08, “Lover’s Walk.” Willow and Oz are together, which would place it after 3.10, “Amends.” However, there’s no mention at all of why Cordelia and Xander broke up or the fact that Willow and Oz are newly reconciled, so I am uncertain. There’s no mention of Faith at all, either.

* Tying in with my first point, there’s not a lot of relationship continuity. Why not mention Xander and Willow’s illicit smoochies? There were plenty of chances, including one scene where they’re imprisoned together and she’s surprised to learn that he thinks she’s pretty. Because Wesley is nowhere in sight during scenes in the school library, this probably takes place before 3.14, “Bad Girls,” so the incident should be fresh on everyone’s mind.

* The supernatural foes are very boring. We are reminded every time we see the ghouls about their green skin and many rows of teeth, and the vampire dude, Solitaire, has cheesy affectations like leaving playing cards at the scenes of his attacks and wearing only black and red so as to represent the suits in a deck of cards. Cheesy!

Merits:
* Passarella has a really good feel for characterization and Whedony dialogue. I think it’s pretty easy to get characters like Buffy and Xander right, but when I read lines from Oz and Angel and can actually hear the characters saying them in my head, that’s a very good sign. Also, I snickered more than once.

* Action scenes are described in a manner that is easy to picture. It’s not that I enjoy details about the extent of a person’s injuries, but having a mental image of what’s going makes one feel as if one is watching an episode of the show, which I assume is the desired effect.

To sum up: the plot is dumb, but the dialogue is good. That’s not too different from many early episodes of the series, actually, and I’d ordinarily award a higher grade because of that, but Passarella really dropped the ball when it came to acknowledging the interpersonal complications among the group at this point in time. He’s written two other Buffyverse novels, both starring the cast of Angel, and I enjoyed this enough that I’ll probably seek those out as well.

Filed Under: Books, Media Tie-In, Supernatural Tagged With:

COWA! by Akira Toriyama: A-

October 28, 2009 by 9 Comments

cowaFrom the back cover:
Paifu, a half-vampire half-werekoala, is always getting into trouble with his best buddy, José the ghost. But when the Monster Flu sweeps through town, the fun and games are over. If the monsters don’t get the medicine soon, everyone will die! With all the adults sick, it’s up to the kids to save the day!

Paifu and José are off on a big adventure, but will they get the medicine in time… or will they become victims themselves?!

Review:
At first, I was pretty underwhelmed by COWA!. With a little perseverance, however, I found that if one can get past the first three chapters, which set up the world, introduce the characters, and include more than their fair share of flatulence, an absolutely charming monster road trip adventure awaits!

In the town of Batwing Ridge, all sorts of monsters live in peace and occasionally interact with their human neighbors. Paifu and his more timid buddy, José, spend their free time playing and stirring up mischief—the entire first chapter is about squandering money that was to be used to buy a watermelon and then having to pilfer one instead. When the Monster Flu outbreak hits and no adults are free to make the trip to the one witch who can make the medicine, Paifu instantly volunteers to go and drafts José to help him. When it’s pointed out that they don’t have a car, Paifu promises Maruyama, the reclusive former sumo wrestler who’s hiding out from the world after accidentally killing an opponent, $10,000 for his assistance.

Our heroes set out, joined by a braggart of a monster named Arpon, and a more linear story develops. The montages of the monsters riding in Maruyama’s car, entranced by things like a passing train and the lighted sign of a hardware store are nothing short of terrific; their wonder at the human life is depicted with warmth and fondness and serves to help soften Maruyama’s heart towards them, as well. Over the course of their quest, Paifu matures a bit and Maruyama proves that he is both compassionate and a total badass. The ending quite unexpectedly made me verklempt.

Toriyama’s depiction of the monster world adds a lot to the charm of his tale. The first chapter is in color, which is essential when you want to establish the fact that your lead character is green, his friend is blue, et cetera. Each monster family in Batwing Ridge has a home of their own, be it a cave or a giant pumpkin. I love the absurd idea that José’s family of ghosts has a mailbox and also enjoyed the random appearances by a cute little mummy kid who never actually says anything. Another fun monster awaits at the end of the quest—he reminds me of something out of The Point!—and he’s got a nifty weakness as well as a useful function.

Imaginative and entertaining, COWA! is heartily recommended as a Halloween read. In fact, I liked it so much I’m planning to check out Toriyama’s best known work: a little thing called Dragon Ball. Stay tuned!

COWA! is published in English by VIZ and is complete in one volume.

Filed Under: Manga, Shounen, Supernatural Tagged With: ,

The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder: B

October 27, 2009 by 2 Comments

headlesscupidFrom the back cover:
Eleven-year-old David is about to meet his new stepsister, Amanda, who is only one year older than he is. Amanda arrives at their big old house wearing a huge tattered shawl and carrying a sharp-eyed crow in a cage. She is hardly what David expects. Before long, she introduces David to a strange world of witchcraft and the occult.

At first, spells and potions are fun. He enjoys the spooky chants and smoky seances. Even his younger brother and sisters join in, making sure their parents suspect nothing. But when rocks of all sizes start flying around the house and strange things go crash in the night, David begins to fear the strange forces at work.

Review:
When the Stanley siblings meet their new stepsister, who has mastered the art of disdain and claims to be well-versed in the occult, they all fall under her spell to various degrees. They undergo various ordeals to become qualified wizards (annoying their parents a good deal in the process), conduct a séance, and endure a mysterious pelting of rocks throughout the house. The truth about these incidents, long obvious to the reader, eventually becomes clear and what seems on its surface to be a supernatural tale is really a story about the effects of divorce on children.

Rated for readers age twelve and up, The Headless Cupid skews a bit younger than that, and for a time its theme seems to be, “Gee, siblings are the pits.” Gradually, it heads into more subtle territory, particularly as regards Amanda’s complicated feelings towards the adults in her life. Still, as an adult, there were no surprises in the narrative for me and I admit to being somewhat disappointed that it wasn’t genuinely spookier.

It’s a pretty fun read, though, and the best thing that can be said about it is that the children are by no means idealized. Amanda is possessed of the surly, affected boredom of a twelve-year-old and the younger kids are often rambunctious and a bit rude. David is the only one that comes off as a bit too good, but he does take some ribbing for this and laments his inability to ever be cool, so that’s alright.

I don’t know that I’d recommend this to adults in general, and maybe not to any teens who’ve already achieved the surly stage themselves, but I bet it’d be great fun to read to a kid about nine or ten.

Filed Under: Books, Children's Fiction, Supernatural

Tokyo Zombie by Yusaku Hanakuma: B+

October 26, 2009 by 2 Comments

tokyozombieFrom the back cover:
Tokyo Zombie is a horror-comedy manga about two blue-collar factory workers, Mitsuo and Fujio, whose plans for martial arts fame are sidelined when zombies take over Tokyo. In this gory and hilarious tale, the survivors of the zombie apocalypse have been enslaved by the wealthy ruling class, and must cater to their every depraved whim… or be thrown outside the city to fend for themselves. When some of the survivors are enlisted to fight in an undead gladiator arena for the amusement of the rich, Mitsuo and Fujio are locked in a battle for fame, freedom, and their very lives!

Review:
Our bizarre tale begins when factory workers Fujio and Mitsuo, a pair of martial arts buffs, kill their blowhard coworker and then head to Dark Fuji, a mountain of garbage, to bury his body. It just so happens that on that same day, zombies rise from Dark Fuji’s mix of industrial sludge and disgruntled spirits and begin terrorizing society. Fujio and Mitsuo are content to continue practicing their grappling moves in peace, but when zombies invade their factory and Mitsuo gets bitten during a food run, they can avoid the world’s crisis no longer.

The story picks up five years later. Humans have erected a wall to keep the zombies out. The rich are living well while slave labor provides their power and their amusement, particularly in the form of the gladiator deathmatch show, in which humans are pitted against zombies for the benefit of a bloodthirsty and moneyed audience. Fujio is one of the fighters, disliked by the crowd for how easily he wins using skills and techniques they couldn’t begin to understand. When the promoter tries to change things up, Fujio meets his next opponent, zombiefied Mitsuo, while outside a timely slave uprising (on pigback) is brewing. The outcome must be seen to be believed.

You’re likely to like Tokyo Zombie if:
* Absurd things appeal to you.
* You liked Shaun of the Dead.
* You don’t mind gore. These are zombies and they do go around biting people, sometimes in sensitive places. Humans commit acts of brutality against each other, too.
* You think dialogue like “Whoa. I think an old lady’s head just rolled by” is funny.
* You aren’t turned off by the heta uma (literally “bad, but good”) art style that works well for decomposing zombies and justice-dispensing dogs but not so well on protagonists.

I fit most of those categories, so I definitely enjoyed Tokyo Zombie. I can’t lie—it’s totally gross and I’m not entirely sure what the point is, but for sheer strangeness alone this isn’t one to be missed.

Tokyo Zombie is published in English by Last Gasp. It’s complete in one volume.

Filed Under: Horror, Manga, Seinen, Supernatural Tagged With:

Nightschool: The Weirn Books 2 by Svetlana Chmakova: B

October 26, 2009 by Leave a Comment

nightschool2Home-schooled weirn (witch) Alex Treveney had no interest in attending the nightschool that caters to her kind until her older sister went missing while on the job there. Several thwarted attempts to gain unauthorized entry leave Alex with no alternative but to enroll, and she spends her orientation tour scoping out the place and her first class proving just how ahead of the other students she is.

Meanwhile, three Hunters that encountered Alex in a graveyard the night before are still unconscious, victims of a violent magical attack that Alex has no memory of inflicting. Their leader, Daemon, is out for answers, and one of the magical sources he turns to in his search will soon become Alex’s new teacher.

After the exciting introduction to this supernatural world afforded by volume one, volume two gets down to the more mundane business of introducing Alex to the school and showing what the Hunters do while they’re at home. It’s still interesting, but it doesn’t pack as much of a punch as the debut volume. I also found it odd that the volume’s cliffhanger moment goes to a subplot about a seer under Daemon’s guardianship rather than to our main character, who shows another glimpse of a possible dark path when a classroom challenge causes her to access further levels of magical power.

If you’re looking for a fun story to put you in the Halloween spirit, you really can’t go wrong with Nightschool. This particular volume may not be full of action, but it does flesh out the world and set up some things to look forward to in installments to come.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Graphic Novel, Supernatural Tagged With:

Halloween Week!

October 25, 2009 by 5 Comments

doggiesWelcome to Soliloquy in Blue’s first annual Halloween Week! Beginning on Sunday, October 25th and continuing through the big day, I’ll be posting daily (at least!) reviews of some spooky titles that I’ve been stockpiling for the occasion. Zombies, witches, vampires, and ghosts will reign all week in comics and novels alike! Overall, the tone will be a fairly lighthearted one—feel free to suggest some darker fare for next year—so I hope you’ll return often to enjoy the fun!

To get started, check out my review of volume one of Nightschool (Yen Press).

Filed Under: Features

Nightschool: The Weirn Books 1 by Svetlana Chmakova: B+

October 25, 2009 by 5 Comments

nightschool1From the back cover:
Schools may lock up for the night, but class is in session for an entirely different set of students. In the nightschool, vampires, werewolves, and weirns (a particular breed of witches) learn the fundamentals of everything from calculus to spell casting. Alex is a young weirn whose education has always been handled through homeschooling, but circumstances seem to be drawing her closer to the nightschool. Will Alex manage to weather the dark forces gathering?

Review:
It’s hard not to think about Vampire Knight when one first learns the concept of Nightschool: after the day class has gone home, the school turns its facilities over to a night class populated by vampires, weirns, and other supernatural students. In their execution, however, the two series could not be more different. Vampire Knight might take the prize in the artistic category on account of its sheer prettiness, but the characters in Nightschool are more interesting and the story more instantly captivating.

There’s a lot going on in this first volume—though it spans but a single night—and we follow several characters at different times, but the protagonist seems to be Alex Treveney, a young weirn (witch) who is being homeschooled by her older sister, Sarah. Sarah has just recently been hired as the night keeper at the school and tries to convince her sister to attend, but Alex will have none of it. Alex can be a little prickly, but she obviously cares about her sister, even if she doesn’t always follow her rules. Sarah is more extroverted and really gets into her job at the school, forming extracurricular clubs for the supernatural students and campaigning for them to finally get their own yearbook. We’re also introduced to some Hunters, a band of teens tasked with hunting down dangerous vampires and weirns, and seem to have quite an extensive organization backing their efforts.

An intriguing story is brewing here, with hints that Alex may unknowingly be susceptible to an evil influence and an appearance by a mysterious black-winged student who imprisons Sarah and eradicates her memory from all except for Alex. Could this be an attempt to lure Alex to the school? I’m not sure how all of the elements will eventually fit together, but it seems to’ve been well-planned and I’m looking forward to Alex’s journey to rescue her sister. The worldbuilding is nifty, too, with spell casting having a certain look, references to a treaty between humans and vampires, and young weirns being accompanied by little astral beings (Alex’s is particularly endearing). Also, there’s some snappy dialogue—I detect some Buffy the Vampire Slayer influences—though the presence of emoticons in the speech bubbles is an amateurish touch.

Chmakova’s art has obvious manga influences, utilizing the occasional chibi form as well as shorthand like sweatdrops, veinpops, et cetera. It still retains a certain Western feel, though, since she doesn’t try to make the characters into Japanese clones and, in fact, has assembled an admirably multi-ethnic cast. The occasional sprinkles of cute don’t hurt, either. Take a look at this adorable panel:

oohscary

I’m so easy to please sometimes. Seriously, it just takes a cute little bat.

If you’re looking for a spooky and original story to get you into the Halloween mood, Nightschool is a great choice. The first volume ends in a place that made me glad to have volume two on hand, though, so keep that in mind.

Nightschool: The Weirn Books is published by Yen Press. Two volumes have been released so far and a third is planned for October 2010.

Filed Under: Graphic Novel, Supernatural Tagged With:

Karakuri Odette 1 by Julietta Suzuki: B+

October 25, 2009 by 4 Comments

karakuriodette1“What is the difference between me and humans?” asks Odette, android creation of Professor Yoshizawa, two weeks into her existence. It’s a question that continues to puzzle her and one day, after seeing some schoolgirls on TV, she stuns the professor by telling him she wants to go to high school. The principal takes some convincing, and Odette’s required to keep her true nature a secret from the other students, but her request is eventually granted. Karakuri Odette is a slice-of-life story about Odette’s experiences in school as she makes friends, attempts to be more like a human, and comes to develop an understanding of human feelings and attachments.

It’s not difficult to imagine a story like this taking the route of a madcap comedy, but in Julietta Suzuki’s hands, the result is positively charming. Odette’s curious about her surroundings, and is content to be more of an observer while she works to understand the significance and nuances of things going on around her. There’s definitely humor, but it’s more likely to be something brief like the professor’s reaction to Odette’s mosquito-extermination methods than any kind of prolonged zaniness brought on by her ignorance of human behavior.

Indeed, Odette’s ignorance makes for some poignant moments, particularly in the first chapter. On her first day at school, the other girls notice that she isn’t eating and tell her that she’s missing out on enjoying tasty food. When she comes home, she tells the professor that she wants to be able to eat, and when the reconfiguration’s complete, thinks, “Now I’m just like them.” The next day, however, the gym teacher won’t let Odette participate in a volleyball game, spurring Odette to request that her strength be downgraded to that of a normal human’s. “Now I’m the same as everyone else,” she thinks afterwards.

Eventually, though, Odette gives up on trying to physically be like a human, but surprisingly succeeds in feeling like one when she cries genuine tears of frustration that her reduced strength leaves her unable to help a friend in a medical emergency. As Odette’s comprehension grows, she begins to become sensitive to things that even other humans miss out on, like the feelings of a classmate who’s been dismissed as a thug, as well as how important the opinion of someone you care about can be. One gets the sense she’s transcending her original programming, particularly when another robot, Asia, arrives for a brief visit. Asia seems to develop a quicker rapport with the humans around her, making Odette feel insecure, but it soon becomes clear that she has no real feelings at all.

The art is a little bit on the plain side, with a professor that looks like a teen and bodies that are sometimes awkwardly posed. The paneling itself is good, though, and I really appreciate how facial expressions are used as punchlines of comedic moments. Also, Odette’s all-encompassing curiosity is evident throughout, even when she’s silent.

Considering that Karakuri Odette is Suzuki-sensei’s debut series, the end product is very impressive indeed. I’ll eagerly be awaiting the next installment!

Karakuri Odette is published in English by TOKYOPOP. Only one of a total of six volumes has been released so far.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Manga, Sci-Fi, Shoujo Tagged With:

Oh! My Brother 1 by Ken Saito: B-

October 23, 2009 by 2 Comments

ohmybrother1-125Masago Kamoguchi is a normal girl: normal looks, normal grades, and normal athletic ability. But normal isn’t good enough for Masago when she’s constantly being compared to her older brother, Shiro, who is smart, good-looking, popular, and someone who draws people to him wherever he goes. As the story begins, Shiro is leading the student council in preparations for the school’s Cultural Festival and Masago is keeping a relatively low profile. All of that changes when Shiro dies saving Masago’s life and his consciousness somehow ends up sharing his sister’s body. Assuming that the incomplete plans for the festival are the “unfinished business” keeping Shiro around, Masago (with some oratorical assistance from her brother) convinces the remaining members of the student council to put aside their grief and make the festival a success in his honor. The students do just that, and though Shiro doesn’t move on as a result, that’s okay with Masago, who has decided she likes having him around.

The name Ken Saito might be familiar to some as the creator of The Name of the Flower. I like that series a lot, so I’d been looking forward to Oh! My Brother ever since the license acquisition was announced. Unfortunately, I found it to be somewhat of a disappointment. There are quite a few characters introduced all at once, and their various reactions to Shiro’s death—stemming from unrequited love or unfulfilled soccer rivalry—lack poignancy when we’ve only just met them; the tone is inconsistent, with the comedic aspect of the body-sharing predicament vying with teary moments for dominance; and I literally groaned aloud when the first page revealed the series was entering well-trod school festival territory already. Also, the relationship between the siblings is kind of icky at times: seriously, who blushes furiously when their brother gives them a peck on the cheek?

That isn’t to say it’s without good moments or the potential for a compelling story. When the successful completion of the festival fails to free Shiro’s spirit from this earthly plane, Masago realizes that his unfinished business is actually her and that his wish is for his sister to live life more fully. Of course, one of the ways in which she might do this is by allowing her feelings for Shiro’s friend, Kurouma-sempai, to flourish (and most likely be reciprocated), a path that Shiro seems determined to thwart by taking control of her body any time he thinks they’re getting too close. This dichotomy in Shiro’s intentions is interesting; I hope it’ll be explored later in the series. Also, it’s always completely clear which sibling is in control of Masago’s body at any given time, either by mannerism, expression, or dialogue. That can’t have been easy to achieve.

Artistically, Oh! My Brother has a cute style, though it’s a little too sketchy sometimes, particularly where light-haired characters are concerned. There’s one panel in particular in which a wispy-looking Masago appears right next to a solid-looking, dark-haired Kurouma-sempai. Perhaps there’s actually some deep symbolism going on here—she’s not fully here while he’s got both feet firmly on the ground?—but I rather doubt it. Also, there are a few errors in CMX’s script, a “your” that should be a “you’re,” and a “thoese” that should be either a “those” or a “these,” but definitely not both at once.

Ultimately, while I am slightly disappointed in this first volume, I plan to continue reading. Maybe this one just needs a little time to grow.

Oh! My Brother is published by CMX. The series is complete in Japan with four volumes, though only one has been published in English so far.

Review copy provided by the publisher. Review originally published at Manga Recon.

Filed Under: Gender Hijinks, Manga, Shoujo, Supernatural Tagged With: ,
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