The Lizard Prince 1 by Asuka Izumi: B-

November 6, 2009 by 2 Comments

lizardprinceFrom the back cover:
Canary is the princess of the kingdom of Linaria. Her father, the king, has promised her hand in marriage to Heath, the handsome prince of the kingdom of Gazania. Canary isn’t crazy about this, because Heath has a bad reputation. The Prince has his own reservations, and gets his brother Sienna to pose as him on their first date, convinced he’ll drive her away. But the plan backfires when chemistry ignites between the two. The only problem is, Sienna’s been under a spell, which turned him into a lizard. And once he’s done posing as his brother, he reverts back to that form! Will love really conquer all in this mixed-up triangle?

Review:
CMX does a great job finding all-ages shoujo fantasy titles that also appeal to older readers. I enjoyed both The Palette of 12 Secret Colors and Lapis Lazuli Crown, and while I think The Lizard Prince has some problems, it’s still a decent read.

When Princess Canary’s father announces that the time has come to discuss an arranged marriage, she is pragmatic enough to have been expecting it, though she is not so sanguine about her proposed mate. Prince Heath, heir to a neighboring kingdom, is rumored to be a drunken, womanizing lout and Canary wants nothing to do with him. Her father assures her that she need only meet him once and can then call things off, and she agrees. Meanwhile, Prince Heath has acquired some magical 24-hour body swap medicine and prevails upon his talking lizard pal/minion to switch places with him.

With the lizard inhabiting his body, the Prince Heath Canary meets is sweet and kind, and she falls in love with him. Awesomely, when Canary later meets the real Prince Heath she can tell instantly that he’s not the same person and, when she learns the truth behind the masquerade, unselfconsciously professes her love for the lizard. The moment she does so, the curse upon the lizard is lifted and he’s revealed to be Heath’s older brother, Sienna.

It’s patently clear that The Lizard Prince was meant to be a one-shot story. Events wrap up so neatly at the end of the first chapter that there’s not much else to be done. And yet, the tale continues with Canary and Sienna having a variety of episodic (and rather lame) adventures, like dealing with an imposter, helping some ghosts achieve closure, and caring for an infant. After fifteen years of living as a lizard, Sienna now possesses the ability to become one at will (though he has no control over when he becomes human again), and frequently faces peril while in this form. It’s sometimes amusing, but not often.

Though it may be similar in feel to Lapis Lazuli Crown, The Lizard Prince suffers in comparison because there’s no point to the story. Both Canary and Sienna are likable characters—a “strong woman and pathetic man” combo that the author professes to prefer—and much of the enjoyment derived from reading the volume is on account of them, but it’s disappointing that they’re not given more to actually do.

Izumi’s artistic style isn’t particularly distinctive, but it is nice to look at. Sienna doesn’t look much like any lizard I’ve ever seen—he kind of looks like a plushy comma with teeny legs—but I doubt realism was even attempted. The biggest problem is that it’s occasionally hard to determine in what order the panels should be read; I made the wrong choice a few times.

The Lizard Prince is pleasant but forgettable. If the series were any longer, I’m not sure I’d bother continuing, but since it’s only two volumes long, I will likely seek out the second for the sake of completion.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Manga, Shoujo Tagged With:

Case Closed 4-5 by Gosho Aoyama: B

November 3, 2009 by 1 Comment

caseclosed4I find that one has to be in a certain mood for Case Closed. If one’s not into it, its episodic nature and the knowledge that even 60 volumes in, Conan’s secret still hasn’t been discovered can be annoyances. If you’re in the mood for a short mystery, though, the series can be a lot of fun.

Five cases of varying lengths get solved over the span of these two volumes. There’s the one where the nefarious Men in Black have planted a bomb on a train, the mystery of a coded treasure map, and the mysterious poisoning of a musician in front of several witnesses. As ever, Conan relies on the various gadgets he’s been given by Doc Agasa to both conduct his sleuthing and reveal the solution. The repeated motif of tranquilizing an adult and using the voice modulator in his bowtie (yes, really) to accuse the culprit used to bug me, but now I’m resigned/used to it.

caseclosed5My two favorite cases are each the first in their respective volumes. In volume four, a museum has been purchased by a greedy businessman who is on the verge of closing it down when he seems to be killed by a suit of armor in a medieval gallery. This one was low on gadget usage and featured some neat things like reviewing the murder on a surveillance camera and particularities of ballpoint pens.

In volume five, a group of college friends has gathered at a villa where they are menaced by an axe-wielding man wrapped in bandages. This one reminded me of a story in another volume (25, perhaps), but that’s a fairly common occurrence in this series. I actually figured out a little bit of the mystery before Conan did, which is usually difficult considering how unlikely some of these scenarios can be. It occurs to me that the stories I’ve singled out for praise also had the goriest moments in these two volumes. I’m not going to think about what that says about me.

Ultimately, Case Closed is not the best thing I’ve ever read, but when I finished volume five I wished I had the next one on hand, and that’s worth something, at least.

Filed Under: Manga, Mystery, Shounen Tagged With:

Vampire Knight 8 by Matsuri Hino: B

November 2, 2009 by 2 Comments

vampireknight8Have you ever seen anyone claim, in defense of Vampire Knight, “It gets better! Wait until you get to chapter 35!”? Well, it turns out that they’re half right.

Chapter 35 is a game-changer, with the full details of Yuki’s forgotten past coming to light along with unexpected revelations and their attendant complications. I found part of what occurs easy to predict, given the final moments of volume seven, but was genuinely surprised by a few things and absolutely delighted by Zero’s tortured reaction. (And yes, I am being terribly vague on purpose. It really is that big of a spoiler.)

However, I wouldn’t say that the series is necessarily better as a result of this dramatic turn. Kaname’s evil relative, Rido, has emerged as the villain of the piece, but he’s a recent addition and woefully undeveloped. Shifting allegiances are tough to pin down, Kaname behaves inscrutably, and the political maneuverings of the vampire realm can be confusing.

These flaws aren’t anything new—and are ameliorated somewhat by the gorgeous art—so I’d advise against developing unrealistically high expectations. Shocking developments aside, volume eight essentially offers more of the same.

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

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

Ouran High School Host Club 13 by Bisco Hatori: B

November 2, 2009 by Leave a Comment

ouran13Feelings. That’s entirely what this volume is about. First, you’ve got Haruhi taking a love quiz and finally realizing that what she feels for Tamaki isn’t just admiration of his many good qualities, but actually love. Not that she’s ready to deal with that just yet, so she resolves to take his advice and start accumulating more life experience. Next, Hikaru informs Tamaki that he loves Haruhi, which sends Tamaki into a tizzy that still doesn’t result in him realizing his own feelings.

Even though I get the sense that not too much about this series is planned in advance, Hatori-sensei does at least offer a credible explanation for Tamaki’s family fixation and exactly why he may be unable to acknowledge his feelings for Haruhi. I also like how Haruhi realizes that Tamaki’s been encouraging her to be less apathetic for quite some time now and how he, who is pursuing his new career goals with much energy, has actually become her role model in a lot of ways.

This series is nothing if not lighthearted, but sometimes the side trips into comedy (or unnecessary appearances by other host club members) get in the way of the love story. Still, it’s fundamentally a warm, fuzzy, and satisfying read.

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

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

Ouran High School Host Club 12 by Bisco Hatori: B+

November 1, 2009 by 3 Comments

ouran12From the back cover:
Hikaru and Kaoru’s fight over Haruhi is taking its toll on Hunny and Mori, who are trying to watch over the estranged twins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tamaki, Kyoya starts looking for Tamaki’s mother in France.

Review:
Three plot threads are simultaneously underway in this volume, though they converge nicely by the end. In the first, Kyoya is using the class trip to France to look for Tamaki’s mother. In the second, Kaoru and Hikaru are fighting over their feelings for Haruhi and Kaoru launches a plan to spur Hikaru into action. And in the third, Tamaki is trying to decide what he wants to do with his life, and a job offer from his dad gives him a lot to consider.

Although I like the twins and enjoyed the chapters focusing on them—wherein Kaoru rightly sees the need for him and Hikaru to establish themselves as individuals but has a rather convoluted way of going about it—the heart of this series for me will always be Haruhi and Tamaki. Tamaki has backed out on the class trip to France at the last minute, but everyone else believes he has gone. There’s a priceless scene around the middle of the book where Haruhi’s on the phone with Kyoya asking how Tamaki’s doing and then spots him lurking in front of her house. There’s a lot more to the scene than that, but I don’t want to spoil it.

Haruhi and Tamaki proceed to have a lovely scene with just the two of them, wherein he gives her license to ask anything about his childhood. He also confides in her that his desire to make people happy comes from a vow to his mother and that he’d also like to carry this oath further into a career. Haruhi’s encouragement clearly means the world to him, and it’s also clear that Haruhi admires him and is getting a bit flustered in his presence (something that completely failed to happen during an outing with Kaoru in the volume’s earlier chapters). When Kyoya is later able to report that Tamaki’s mother is doing well (sniffle alert!), Tamaki decides to embrace his place in the Suoh family and accept his father’s offer to work with a chain of hotels the Suoh corporation owns.

So here we have a volume that features several characters maturing, two reticent characters displaying fondness for Tamaki, a classic bit of comedy, and a scene that brought tears to my eyes. I guess that may not seem like much, but for a largely episodic series like this one, it really is quite a lot. It also, as someone mentions in uncredited narration, is starting to feel like the beginning of the end. I think the timing’s perfect—we’ve had quite a while to enjoy these characters in a variety of situations and now it’s time for some of them to grow up enough to realize that it’s not a bad thing if relationships evolve from their current states. From all present indicators, it would seem the ending is shaping up to be a satisfying one.

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

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: , ,

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: ,

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:

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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