Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee 2 by Hiroyuki Asada: C

January 30, 2010 by 3 Comments

tegamibachi2From the back cover:
Amberground is locked in darkness. A man-made star casts only a dim light over the land. The pitch-blade wilderness is infested with Gaichuu—colossal insects with metal exoskeletons. The Gaichuu make travel between the cities of Amberground extremely dangerous. But thankfully the Letter Bees, a brave corps of messengers, risk their lives in order to keep the hearts of Amberground connected.

Lag is close to becoming a Letter Bee! On the way to his final interview at the National Postal Service, he found a dingo: Niche, a feral young girl with shocking strength and hair made of golden swords. Now, as they approach the bridge to the middle-class district, they stop to rest in Kyrie, a desperado town. They meet Nelli, a friendly young man who shows them to an inn. Nelli’s so helpful that they never notice him steal Lag’s crossing pass!

Review:
Volume two of Tegami Bachi demonstrates what happens when a flawed but intriguing series picks the less interesting of the two characters introduced in its first chapter for a protagonist. Without Gauche Suede, the experienced letter carrier who inspired Lag Seeing to want to follow in his footsteps, the volume flounders for the first half as Lag and his “dingo,” Niche, make their way to his Letter Bee interview in Yuusari, a nicer part of Amberground than the area in which Lag grew up.

A lot of the problem here is Niche, an acutely uncivilized girl with hair that can turn into swords, and her antics. She apparently views her pledge to wear underwear as a symbol of her contract with Lag, so when he suggests she might be safer staying with his aunt than being his dingo, she ditches her bloomers and then nags him for dozens of pages to accept her as his dingo again. This is incredibly annoying. Also, she seems to have acquired a pet/emergency food source (think Menchi in Excel Saga) called Steak, who is a source for some regrettable pee and fart gags.

Once Lag makes it to his interview, though, things start looking up. The European-inspired architecture in Yuusari makes for some lovely backgrounds, and the other/older Letter Bees are pretty cool. Lag also does extremely well on his letter-delivery test, almost as well as Gauche, about whom he learns some surprising information.

Some of these merits are also flaws, however, since practically everything is more interesting than Lag and Niche, and looks better, too. I’d much rather read a story starring Largo Lloyd, the director of “The Beehive,” for example, and the only thing that inclines me to read the third volume is that we might learn more about Gauche. About the main duo I care practically nothing. It’s almost as if Asada wants to make his story more sophisticated, but is shackled by some Shonen Jump mandate concerning adolescent humor. Whatever the case, I’m going to give this series one more chance to win me over, but I’m not feeling too optimistic.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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RIN-NE 2 by Rumiko Takahashi: B

January 26, 2010 by 3 Comments

rinne2From the back cover:
After a mysterious encounter in her childhood, Sakura Mamiya gained the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! Then one day she meets Rinne Rokudo, a boy who is far more than what he seems.

Sakura and Rinne deal with the ghosts of an ancient warrior and a girl who drowned in the school swimming pool, but that’s just a warm-up! A wandering spirit leads them to a surprising confrontation, one that takes Sakura and Rinne on an even more amazing chase!

Review:
When RIN-NE first debuted, I used to read the chapters on The Rumic World faithfully, but after a while my interest waned. I had, therefore, already read the first few chapters of this second volume—those pertaining to the ancient warrior and the ghost of the drowned girl—and found them just as uninspiring on a second read.

The portion that I hadn’t read previously fared a little better, though. It’s the story of a high school boy named Reiji who’s traveling on his motorcycle to deliver a birthday present to his girlfriend when he runs into a telephone pole. He’s not dead yet, but his spirit has left his body and is thus vulnerable to Masato, a devil with a grudge against Rinne and the ability to corrupt Reiji into a vengeful spirit. Although Masato is unfortunately rather incompetent—the gags involving the traps he sets for Rinne are woefully unfunny—this story is still the most interesting of the volume and also provides Sakura with the opportunity to do some investigating on her own. She’s so essential, in fact, that Rinne compliments her awesomeness quite genuinely, which is kind of rare for him.

Although this volume is a quick and generally pleasant read, I’m a little disappointed that the story isn’t showing any signs of going anywhere. I know this is an unreasonable expectation: this is Rumiko Takahashi, after all, and I really shouldn’t expect movement for thirty more volumes or so. I like the characters, I like Sakura’s increased motivation to get involved, but in general, stories about helping ghosts pass on will get old after a while. A peek at forthcoming chapters shows that a new character will arrive in volume three, however, so perhaps the plot will perk up a bit then.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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

Cheeky Angel 1-10 by Hiroyuki Nishimori: B

January 8, 2010 by 1 Comment

cheekyangel1These first ten volumes of Cheeky Angel have been sitting around my house gathering dust for several years. There’s nothing like agreeing to a manga trade, however, to inspire one to finally read something before it’s gone. I’m glad I did because I ended up enjoying them a good bit.

When rambunctious nine-year-old Megumi Amatsuka and his female pal Miki defend a mysterious wizard from some other kids, Megumi receives a magic book as a reward. From the book emerges a genie and Megumi promptly wishes to be the manliest of men. Instead, the genie turns him into the womanliest of women and tries to extort ten years of Megumi’s life to undo the change. An irate Megumi hurls the book into the river and has been a girl ever since. All records and memories of Megumi ever having been a boy were altered; only Miki remembers the way things used to be.

The story picks up again six years later when Megumi and Miki, steered by the counsel of a psychic, enroll at the neighborhood high school that will theoretically lead them to the book so that the transformation can be undone. Megumi (played in my brain by Summer Glau) has grown outwardly very feminine, but still possesses some masculine attitudes, namely a certain degree of rash fearlessness. Throughout the first few volumes, her looks attract a motley crew of admirers: Genzo the former thug, Ichiro the average guy, Hitomoji the wannabe samurai, and Yasuda the geeky pervert. Although the guys really would prefer for Meg to remain a girl, they nonetheless lend their assistance to her efforts to become a guy again.

cheekyangel4I haven’t read many series that were originally published in Shonen Sunday, but Cheeky Angel does share common attributes with two that I have read—Case Closed and Inuyasha. In all three series, there is a larger plot that is touched on from time to time, but most of the story is made up of the episodic adventures (with a dash of comedy) of a likable ensemble of characters. In these ten volumes, Megumi encounters the genie twice more (on the first occasion it places a curse on her and on the second it informs her that the magic will eventually wear off of its own accord), and it’s definitely interesting each time, but more time is spent on foiling the murderous plans of some yakuza, preventing Miki from going through with an arranged marriage, et cetera. Just as no one believes anything fruitful will come of Inuyasha’s encounters with Naraku until the very end, there’s no real chance Megumi will suddenly become a boy again in the middle of this 20-volume series.

Sometimes I’m not a fan of episodic storylines, but Cheeky Angel pulls it off because Nishimori-sensei never loses sight of the most important aspect of the story: Megumi’s struggle to choose between accepting her current femininity and finding a way to return to what she once was. Even during the whole yakuza encounter, this dilemma is at the forefront of Meg’s mind and keeps the series focused even while silliness occasionally ensues. Because of her beauty, guys are continually showing their worst sides around her—coming off as horndogs, chiefly—which makes her question whether she really wants to be one, but then at other times her friends will come through for her in a big way and earn her admiration, reinforcing her “it’s cool to be a guy” belief while simultaneously inspiring some confusing semi-romantic feelings.

cheekyangel7While Megumi’s internal indecision is probably the most compelling aspect of the series, her relationships with the other characters are also rewarding. Miki is a very interesting character in her own right, the voice of reason who wants Megumi to stay a girl, but yet questions her own reasons for doing so. Although Miki claims she never thought of the male Megumi in a romantic light, there are hints from time to time that the two of them might’ve had something if Megumi had stayed a guy. Megumi’s effect on her male friends is also nice to see: Genzo makes obvious progress in thinking things through more clearly and restraining his impulses to glomp Meg, and Ichiro surprises himself by displaying courage in some dangerous situations. I also like how their perception of Meg changes from lust object to valued and respected friend, with the possible exception of terminally pervy Yasuda.

On the negative side, the biggest problem Cheeky Angel has is its repetitiveness. I cannot begin to tell you how many times Megumi encounters a couple of lecherous thugs while out in public and kicks them into submission: it happens many, many, many times. And while I completely get that her feelings for Genzo, the forerunner for her affections, would vacillate, depending on how accepting she’s feeling of her feminine side, the cycle of progress followed by backsliding (usually prompted by him doing something moronic) does get a little frustrating. In addition, some of the episodic plots are pretty lame and Meg’s family—a dad who wants to see his own daughter naked and a mother who encourages Meg to let him indulge his curiosity—is profoundly creepy. Thank goodness they appear so rarely.

cheekyangel10Artistically, Nishimori is to be commended on a few points. Yes, at first, his characters do occasionally appear to be vaguely cross-eyed, but he also employs a variety of character designs (except for the thugs) that all look Asian. Also of note: there is no fanservice at all in this series! For a manga about a hot chick who might possibly have feelings for her pretty friend, one might reasonably expect there to be something, but there never is. Megumi and Miki generally wear their school uniforms, but on casual outings are dressed either conservatively or in baggy clothing. VIZ’s production doesn’t earn as much praise, however, as there are several terms that could’ve used liner notes and a smattering of occasions where dialogue appears in the incorrect bubble.

Ultimately, Cheeky Angel is a shounen ensemble comedy with a good deal to offer. I read these ten volumes pretty much back-to-back and I could’ve gone on reading more if I’d actually owned them.

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

Fairy Tail 8-9 by Hiro Mashima: B

December 20, 2009 by Leave a Comment

fairytail8The battle between Fairy Tail and rival guild Phantom Lord rages on. Two of Phantom Lord’s elite group, Element 4, have been defeated, but Gray must finish off his opponent (Juvia, a lovelorn lady possessed of rain magic) while a wounded Erza summons the strength to achieve a victory of her own. Though they’ve foiled part of Phantom Lord’s plans, however, Lucy still ends up getting kidnapped by Gajeel, the Dragon Slayer of Phantom Lord.

After some encouragement from Erza, Natsu heads to Lucy’s rescue and several chapters of fighting between he and Gajeel ensue. Unfortunately, I didn’t find these very fun to read, since there seemed to be more speedlines than usual and sometimes the action was confusing. Also, there was an unnecessary pervy spectator who kept commenting on Lucy’s undies whenever the latest explosion of battle happened to toss her about.

While this is going on, the headquarters of both Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord are destroyed, at which point the Fairy Tail guildmaster, Makarov, recovers his powers and proceeds to be a great badass. A subsequent investigation by the Magic Council finds Fairy Tail innocent in the affair, but Lucy feels responsible (it was, after all, her wealthy father who hired Phantom Lord to retrieve her in the first place), so she heads home. I really like how this chapter plays out; I was all set for a tiresome and angsty, “Oh no, it’s my fault. You’ll all be better off without me” story where her friends have to show up and convince her that she’s worthy. Instead, Lucy goes home simply to tell her dad that if he pulls anything like that again, he’ll have made an enemy of her and Fairy Tail, which is like her second family and, so far, much better than her first one.

fairytail9Upon her return, Lucy, Natsu, Gray, and Erza officially become a team and handle a couple of episodic missions without straying too far from home. I really like that most of the focus these two volumes has been on Fairy Tail itself, which has presented many opportunities to introduce or flesh out other members of the guild. The latest character to merit that treatment is ladies’ man Loke, who has a rather surprising backstory and needs Lucy’s help in order to continue to survive. Help that she, I might add, very competently provides (although it is managed a little too easily, I thought). Even though Mashima continues to use Lucy’s appearance for fanservice, he is, at least, allowing her to grow in confidence and general usefulness as the story progresses. At first, it was inconceivable that she could be an equal member of a team with powerhouses like Natsu, Gray, and Erza, but now it doesn’t seem so unlikely at all.

Although it has its ups and downs, Fairy Tail continues to offer a fun escapist story that works on a few levels; if you aren’t thrilled by the requisite shounen battles, then perhaps Lucy’s impassioned speech about finally finding acceptance will be more your cup of tea. Or maybe it’ll be the giant cow-man. Who knows?

Review copy for volume nine provided by the publisher.

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

Black Cat 6-8 by Kentaro Yabuki: B

December 9, 2009 by 1 Comment

blackcat6Black Cat is the story of Train Heartnet, who used to be an assassin with a group known as Chronos but has left that life behind to become a bounty hunter (Sweeper). He travels about with his gizmo-making partner Sven and Eve, a young girl/weapon, trying to life as free and peaceful a life as possible while nabbing wanted criminals. Of course, his past just won’t leave him be and he’s been approached both by Chronos and their adversaries, the Apostles of the Stars, to get involved in their conflict.

In volume six, the gunman of the Apostles of the Stars grows impatient with the plans of his leader, Creed, and decides to challenge Train. He hurts Eve as a way to lure Train out, and it’s nice to see Train be furious for a while as he and the other gunman battle it out. Afterwards, Sven tries to leave Eve behind but he’s miserable without her and Train covertly engineers a reunion.

blackcat7Volume seven introduces Jenos, another of Chronos’ Numbers (an elite group of assassins), whose job is to recruit Rinslet (a thief and occasional ally of Train’s) for information-gathering purposes. While Train and friends encounter a string of various small fry—he tells Sven that he knows Creed’s going to challenge him again one day, but until that time he’s going to carry on his Sweeper work—and help a kid whose desire for revenge sparks memories of Train’s own past, the plot with Jenos and Rinslet ramps up and they seem poised to work together.

While each volume has featured its fair share of fighting, volume eight, which introduces still more of the Numbers, has perhaps the most, as Rinslet and a team of Numbers find their way/are lured to Creed’s hideout and must make their way past his minions in order to get to the man in charge. It’s kind of weird that the series’ protagonist is absent for such a long stretch, and I think I’d like this plot better if Rinslet wasn’t so obnoxious to the Chronos commander. In any case, the volume ends on a cliffhanger just as Train is about to enter the fray. In place of a final chapter is a bonus story called “Stray Cat,” which was a trial version of the series.

blackcat8Black Cat is a lot of fun in general, and my complaints about it are few. It’s to be expected that a shounen series would involve a lot of fighting, so I don’t consider that a flaw whatsoever, even if such chapters don’t afford a reviewer much to say except “the art is clean in action scenes.” The big issue is the overarching plot. It’s not difficult to understand or anything—Chronos and Creed are at odds and they both want Train on their side—but I don’t really care about it much. More, I’m enjoying the series on a purely volume-to-volume basis and while characters’ actions are propelled by this plot, it’s not as if I’m particularly invested in its resolution or anything. The real strength of the series is the camaraderie between Train and his team, and it’s for those interactions that I truly stick around.

That said, there is something nice in knowing that Black Cat wraps up in only 20 volumes. “Only?” you might scoff, but that’s actually rather short for a Shonen Jump series. With endearing characters, enjoyable action, and the promise of a story that will resolve without (hopefully) dragging on so long you no longer care, Black Cat is definitely a series worth checking out.

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Wāqwāq 2 by Ryu Fujisaki: C+

November 23, 2009 by Leave a Comment

waqwaq2On the upside, the plot of Waqwaq receives some much-needed clarification in this volume. Unfortunately, it’s still pretty convoluted.

Two thousand years in the past, three magi created a race of machines and a race of black-blooded humans and set them in conflict. They also created machines known as gojin-zou, which, when bonded with a human, become a Guardian. When machines threaten humans, Guardians engage them in battle, culiminating in the gojin-zou devouring the machine’s heart and absorbing its wish. In volume one, one of the magi summons the Kami, a red-blooded human of legend, and nudges the Guardians into competition for the right to have her grant a single wish. So basically, the gojin-zou collect wishes from the humans that wield them and the machines (including the other Guardians’ gojin-zou) they defeat. The last Guardian standing will have access to everyone’s wishes when he uses an ancient machine called Spider’s Thread to have his wish granted. What’s sorely lacking in that explanation is why the magi would hatch such a time-consuming and complicated scheme.

Clearing up the point of the story is the primary focus of this volume, but it does offer some fun shonen adventure when Shio, the hero, must face off against two other Guardians as he strives to reach the Kami, who’s been whisked off to Spider’s Thread. Clichés like the idiotic-but-spirited protagonist and his former rival turned ally abound, and the attempts at comedy fall flat, but Waqwaq still succeeds in being a fairly intriguing read. It’s a short series, too, so reading two more volumes to see how it all ends doesn’t seem like a daunting prospect.

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

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Nabari No Ou 2 by Yuhki Kamatani: C+

November 16, 2009 by Leave a Comment

nabari_2Middle-schooler Miharu Rokujou is the unwilling host of a great ninja power known as Shinra Banshou. He’s got allies who want to extract the power and destroy it, and enemies who want to claim the power for themselves. In this volume, his allies decide to adopt the same plan as their enemies and collect the scrolls of each clan’s forbidden arts, believing that the way to extract Shinra Banshou can be found by combining elements from the various methods. Meanwhile, Miharu is approached by a couple of people who want him to use Shinra Banshou to grant their wishes, one of whom threatens death for Miharu’s friends if he does not comply.

I really want to like Nabari No Ou. The art, relying heavily on contrasts between black and white, is nice to look at and there are some compelling characters. My favorite is Kouichi, Miharu’s studious-looking classmate who turns out to be a capable and surprisingly ruthless ninja. Everyone’s got their own agenda, but bonds are beginning to grow between Miharu and his three protectors, resulting in some nice moments that are the highlights of the series.

In between, though, it’s just so damned boring! There’s a lot of talk about forbidden arts and secret arts and “wisdom” and none of it is explained well enough to have any real impact on the reader. I quite literally fell asleep twice while trying to get through this volume. I had hoped that this second volume would somehow click with me in a way that the first did not, but I’m even more disappointed than before.

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

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Nabari No Ou 1 by Yuhki Kamatani: B-

November 15, 2009 by 6 Comments

nabari_1From the back cover:
Apathetic schoolboy Miharu Rokujou is content to meander through life in the sleepy village of Banten. But his quiet existence is shattered when the Grey Wolves of Iga, a powerful ninja clan, attempt to kidnap him in broad daylight. Only then does Miharu discover that the ultimate power of the hidden ninja realm—a power that can do both great good and great harm—is sealed within his body. As battles erupt among rival ninja clans seeking to control him, Miharu must overcome his apathy and learn the ways of the ninja if he wants any shot at survival!

Review:
Through circumstances so far left unexplained, apathetic middle schooler Miharu Rokujou has within his body the “wisdom” required to access the power to rule all things, Shinra Banshou. This makes him a hot commodity among rival ninja clans, who have persevered into the modern day solely because of their quest to find and obtain this power for themselves.

But Miharu’s not interested in any of that. He’d much rather maintain his indifference to the things around him and coast through life until such time as he inherits the family okonomiyaki shop. Despite repeated urgings from the covert ninjas in his school—a classmate and a teacher—to take the situation seriously and begin training, Miharu can’t be made to care. Eventually they wear him down and he joins the ninja club, where he begins to learn a few techniques. Later, a trip to consult a ninja expert ends in bloodshed as a rival clan is in the midst of an attack and employing a “monster” who uses his own life force to inflict terrible wounds on his opponents.

Although it picks up towards the end of the volume, with the battle scenes and the revelation that Kumohira-sensei, ninja club advisor and Miharu’s self-appointed protector, harbors a dark secret, I found the first half of this volume to be extremely dull. There’s a repeating pattern that goes like this:

Kumohira-sensei: You should join the club and train!
Miharu: Don’t wanna.
Rival ninjas: *attack*
Kumohira-sensei: See?!
Miharu: Nope.

Rinse and repeat about four times before he finally ends up in the club, though without any significant change of heart. It’s pretty frustrating. He does, at least, begin reading up and shows incredible aptitude when he actually applies himself. It’s a good sign that, towards the end of the volume, he actually gets adamant about something. Perhaps he’ll finally begin to care about his situation and the people willing to give everything to protect him.

The comedic gags didn’t really work for me, either. I don’t think I smiled at a single one. These range from Miharu using his uke-like looks to get his way—seriously, he’s so scrawny that in one panel his head is, like, twice as big as his butt—to the others’ over-the-top reactions to the unfashionable garb Miharu wears to the train station. I get that the author is trying to establish some camaraderie between the characters, but it’s just not funny.

I have no complaints about Kamatani’s art, and the packaging from Yen Press, including some smooth and swanky paper, is quite nice. This is the first manga published by them, as opposed to manhwa, that I’ve read so I’d never previously noticed, being unable to read Korean, that they faithfully translate the sound of the original sound effect and then include its meaning in parenthesis, like “basa (flap).” I like it.

Ultimately, while I’m not wild about Nabari No Ou so far, the uptick in the last couple of chapters means I’m not quite ready to give up on it yet.

Nabari No Ou is published in English by Yen Press; two volumes have been released so far. The series is still ongoing in Japan and is up to eleven volumes.

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Gestalt 4 by Yun Kouga: B-

November 14, 2009 by 1 Comment

gestalt4From the back cover:
Olivier continues his slow and roundabout trek to G, accompanied by Suzu and Sakata. Along the way they meet an old man who offers to aid Olivier in exchange for tutoring his granddaughter, Roxanne. The girl turns out to be much more than she seems, with hidden powers and a history with Ouri as well. With all the various plots starting to come together, Olivier and his friends head back to Salsaroa for some answers—but the real game is just beginning!

Review:
Wouldn’t you know it? A review copy of volume four arrived at my doorstep the very day I posted my review of volumes one through three.

When last we left off, Ouri had left the group, blaming herself for the drastic measures she had to take to stop the progress of a corrosive poison Father Olivier’s dark persona had spilled on his arms. Now, she’s on her way back. Shazan and a couple of her siblings are out looking for her and meanwhile, Olivier and his two “trackers” have been invited to stay at a ritzy manor by an old guy who seems a little too enraptured by Olivier’s pretty face.

Things proceed pretty predictably from there. Ouri meets up with Shazan first, shows some increased powers when battling her siblings, then turns up just in time to rescue Olivier from his creepy host’s intentions. Although the main plot is not very exciting, along the way we learn more about the purpose of the game Ouri and her siblings are playing and are introduced to a new foe, a sorceress who somehow curses Ouri with an infant. Too, the group has a new goal, as the consciousness within Ouri informs her of a way that Olivier’s arms might be restored.

In terms of the overall merits and flaws of the series, I haven’t much to add at this point that would differ from what I wrote in my earlier review. I’m pleased to note, however, that the interstitial comedy episodes are missing from this volume, which greatly improves the flow of the story. While many mysteries remain, the new nugget of information about the siblings’ game continues the well-paced dissemination of clues that makes even a rather episodic volume like this one feel like it has a part to play in the grander scheme of the story.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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Silent Möbius: Complete Edition 1 by Kia Asamiya: B

November 13, 2009 by Leave a Comment

silentmobius1With an all-new translation, new scans of the original artwork, and extras like color image galleries and interviews, UDON Entertainment’s really going all out with their reissue of this shounen manga classic. I reviewed the first volume for Comics Should Be Good.

You can find that review here.

Silent Möbius is complete in twelve volumes, but UDON has only released the first volume so far. They also have plans to release a one-volume prequel and a two-volume set of short stories.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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