Skip Beat! 15-18 by Yoshiki Nakamura: B+

October 16, 2009 by 12 Comments

skipbeat15I had no idea it’d been an entire year since I’d read any Skip Beat!. At least my procrastination produced an appealing side effect: a nice little stack of volumes to catch up on!

Volume fifteen finds Kyoko shooting on location for the TV drama in which she and Ren are cast. Sho happens to be staying in the same hotel, since there’s also a ritzy recording studio nearby, and is being challenged by a band called Vie Ghoul (awesomely referred to by Kyoko throughout as “Beagle”) who has already stolen one of his songs. Reino, the psychic vocalist of Vie Ghoul, decides that it’s not enough to mess with Sho’s career; he’ll also mess with Kyoko, aiming to usurp Sho’s place as the object of her fixation.

skipbeat16This plotline has repercussions through volume seventeen. Though I don’t like Reino at all, he’s an incredibly good catalyst. The fallout from his actions includes:
– Sho protecting Kyoko from Reino. I love that her reaction is anything but docile gratitude.
– Kyoko helping Sho recover from the song theft by informing him that he can’t lose to anyone but her.
– Ren getting angry that Kyoko kept the Reino drama from him, and an awesomely awkward reconciliation ensues.
– Delicious scenes between Sho and Ren in which they push each other’s buttons in extremely entertaining ways. This includes Ren interrupting when Sho is about to confess his feelings to Kyoko (who is still insisting that no thanks for his actions is required; his saving her now only makes them even).
– Glimpses into Ren’s violent past.
– Some small and sweet progress between Ren and Kyoko, including his wonderfully adorable reaction when she tells him that his presence gives her courage and confidence. (This, in turn, leads to amusing teasing from his manager, Yashiro.)

skipbeat17 Pretty impressive, no? I could expound upon each of these points at great length but would no doubt still fail to capture just how terrific they are, especially the interactions between Sho and Ren. I have no idea how I came to enjoy Sho so much, but he’s really grown on me. Also worth praising is Kyoko’s defiance of shoujo convention: instead of being weepy and contrite when Sho rescues her, she’s furious and humiliated to have been protected by her nemesis; and instead of accepting Ren’s offer of protection, she says that his presence gives her the strength to fight back herself. Focused on her goals and seeing neither man as a romantic prospect, Kyoko is a breath of fresh air.

By volume eighteen, she’s back in Tokyo. The Dark Moon drama has begun airing and offers for more roles are coming in, but the problem is that they’re all for characters like the one Kyoko plays in Dark Moon. Moko advises her to turn them all down because accepting them won’t get her anywhere while Sho, boosted by Kyoko’s efforts, is currently setting records and dominating the charts. The famous actor Kyoko’s waiting on as a Love-Me Section assignment, however, advises her to take them all and challenge herself to play each one differently. In order to work on her ability to create characters, he challenges her to recreate the role of his son, Kuon. Readers realize that Kuon (aka Corn) is actually Ren, but Kyoko, as in most things, is oblivious. Volume eighteen’s good, and I like that the actor isn’t the jerk he seemed to be at the start, but I’m more interested in where these events will take the story, rather than in the events themselves.

skipbeat18Skip Beat! has many qualities that I love in manga, particularly its warmth, humor, and fiercely independent heroine. There are, though, a couple of things about it that bug me. The first is how the narration of a character’s inner thoughts often spans multiple pages while they’re actually engaged in doing something else. I often find myself reading ahead just to complete a thought and then going back and reading the rest, which gets annoying. Secondly, I’ve always believed that any kind of physical effect from Kyoko’s “grudge demons” was purely a comedic gag, but in one of these sidebars, Nakamura states that Kyoko’s actually capable of causing paranormal phenomena, and later, Reino’s psychic abilities come to the fore when he can detect Ren’s past ownership of Kyoko’s beloved lucky stone and also sees flashes of his past. I’m not sure I like the introduction of these elements into the story, but thankfully they don’t seem poised to occupy too much attention.

I’m torn between declaring that I’ll never let so much time lapse between volumes of <Skip Beat! again and advising others to stockpile volumes to read as I have done, since the accumulation of awesome is greater the longer one is privileged to inhabit this special world. In either case, this series is highly recommended.

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,

Vampire Knight 1-4 by Matsuri Hino: B-

October 14, 2009 by 26 Comments

vampireknight1The first memory Yuki Cross can remember happened ten years ago when she was five: she’s attacked by one vampire but saved by another, the beautiful and pureblooded Kaname. Kaname brings the human girl to the home of a human he knows and his frequent visits throughout her childhood result in her growing very attached to him. Six years later, the introduction of a boy named Zero, sole survivor of a vampire attack against his vampire-hunting family, diverts Yuki’s attentions from Kaname somewhat, since she’s compelled to try to cure Zero of his misery and hatred. When Yuki’s adopted father decides to open Cross Academy as a way to foster peaceful relations between humans (the day class) and vampires (the night class), the three central characters attend, with Zero and Yuki serving as the disciplinary committee (tasked with keeping the peace as well as the secret about the true nature of the students in the night class) and Kaname as the main draw for the vampire contingent, since it turns out purebloods inspire devotion amongst their brethren.

vampireknight2Yuki still carries a torch for Kaname, even confesses to yearning for him, but she’s also very protective of Zero, especially when she learns his secret: as a result of the pureblood’s bite he suffered as a child, he’s turning into a vampire. What’s more, vampires that used to be humans are fated to go insane, at which time they’re hunted down by the vampire elite. Yuki, in earnest shoujo heroine fashion, declares that she will not let this happen and offers Zero her blood so that he may satisfy his cravings without preying on others. Kaname isn’t keen on this arrangement—uttering the gem of a line, “I can’t keep my composure when my dear girl has been pierced by someone else”—and knows he should rightly be preparing to hunt Zero down, but looks the other way because Zero’s the only one in the day class who could protect Yuki if danger should ensue. Aside from the introduction of the vampire responsible for killing Zero’s family, this is essentially where matters stand at the end of the fourth volume.

vampireknight3Thus far, Vampire Knight is an exceptionally pretty bowl of angsty soup that offers a sprinkling of legitimately good scenes amidst a broth of cheesy and/or eyeroll-inducing ones. Yuki is a big problem, since she is completely and totally ineffectual. She’s one of those types who’ll rush headlong into a dangerous scene, usually intent on helping, and make matters worse by getting attacked or having her anti-vampire gun plucked from her grasp within two seconds of her arrival. She’s got a special weapon—the Artemis Rod—and occasionally demonstrates feats of athletic prowess, but proves incapable of saving herself time and time again. One wonders why on earth this dismally dim girl has two hot vampire boys competing for her affections.

The boys are somewhat more compelling, though not exactly likable. Zero is perpetually unhappy and often sour in disposition, though Yuki’s fretting on his behalf occasionally inspires brief displays of affection. I don’t begrudge him his angst—he is turning into the thing he hates, after all—but his seemingly constant vampireknight4dilemma about whether to give up or try to keep living for Yuki’s sake doesn’t do much for me. Kaname, for his part, is refined yet inscrutable. Even dialogue like, “I can’t bear losing you. Ever.” doesn’t manage to convince me that he’s in any sort of real emotional turmoil. The enjoyable flashbacks in volume three help somewhat to establish his connection with Yuki, though not greatly.

And yet, Vampire Knight possesses attributes that make it not only readable, but also somewhat of a guilty pleasure. For one, the art is very lovely, with bishounen eye candy galore. It’s slathered with screen tone, something I don’t normally like, but that ultimately works well in cultivating a gloomy and oppressive mood. Too, Hino occasionally creates scenes of surprising sexiness and drama, like the first time Zero drinks Yuki’s blood or the shocking final pages in volume four. This series may be blatantly silly at times, but as long as my (awesome) local library continues to carry it, I’m likely to keep reading.

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

InuYasha 41 by Rumiko Takahashi: B

October 12, 2009 by Leave a Comment

inuyasha41In the past few volumes, it’s begun to feel like the final confrontation between Inuyasha and the evil Naraku is drawing nigh. First, however, Inuyasha and friends must defeat Moryomaru, a living demonic armor constructed by and to protect the scheming infant that houses Naraku’s heart. Unless the heart is destroyed, Naraku will never truly die. Naraku, for his part, wants Moryomaru dead, too, and is seemingly content to let his enemies fight each other without getting involved.

Moryomaru absorbs powers from other demons to increase his offensive and defensive capabilities, so he’s a tough opponent. Luckily, Inuyasha has just acquired a handy new power for his sword, but it’s one that he’s having trouble controlling. Still, if he’s to have any chance at all against Moryomaru, he might have to use it.

Pretty much this entire volume is about Inuyasha trying to master his sword’s new power while Moryomaru causes a reanimated turtle demon to wreak havoc. Later, the gang and their goodish allies reunite to beat on Moryomaru for a bit, but he escapes. For fans of the series, this actually qualifies as progress, but even speaking as someone who really likes InuYasha, I rather doubt anyone else would enjoy starting here.

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

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

InuYasha 38-40 by Rumiko Takahashi: B

October 11, 2009 by 1 Comment

inuyasha38Fans of InuYasha have long been resigned to the fact that nothing much seems to happen to further the main plot of the series along. Imagine my surprise, therefore, when several very major things happen in the 38th volume of the series. Afterwards, alas, we plunge back into more episodic fare, but it’s definitely starting to feel like the beginning of the end.

Volume 38 is a first on several levels. It’s the first volume to be published as part of VIZ’s new monthly release schedule for the series. It’s the first volume to be published under the Shonen Sunday imprint. And, most importantly, it’s the first volume of the series with unflipped artwork; to see earlier volumes unflipped, one will need to buy the VIZBIG editions of the series that will begin coming out next month. Unfortunately, the new packaging approach does not include refreshing the same old “Story So Far” section or providing actual chapter numbers instead of simply numbering them scrolls one through ten.

inuyasha39It seems only right, therefore, that this volume would also provide our first glimpse of some real plot movement in quite some time. When last we left off, Naraku’s minions were conspiring against him, some seeking only their freedom while others strove to take his place. When Naraku gets wind of their plans, he takes care of business and man, is it gratifying to witness something permanent actually happen in this series! While this is going on, Moryomaru, the demon that houses Naraku’s heart, is after the few remaining shards of the Shikon Jewel, which means that Kohaku is a target. We get a few nice scenes between Kohaku and Sango before the end of the volume brings new complications: Kikyo has absorbed the spirit of the priestess who originally created the Shikon Jewel and is on a quest to use the reformed jewel to defeat Naraku, never mind that doing so will cause Kohaku’s death.

The final battle appears nigh, as our heroes, who refuse to condone Kikyo’s plans, resolve to defeat Naraku before the jewel is completed. To that end, they spend the next two volumes engaged in the grand shounen tradition of powering up. Koga acquires a legendary weapon imbued with spirits of wolf demons. Inuyasha, who has been told that inuyasha40Naraku cannot be defeated by any sword, learns of a blade with the ability to absorb the power of demons, so he tracks it down with the intent of incorporating its attributes into his own weapon, Tetsusaiga. He conveniently locates it right away and, after a bunch of fighting, acquires its power. It soon becomes apparent, however, that this new ability is darker and more dangerous than he had presumed; this whole storyline reminds me of Bleach, in which Ichigo takes on some qualities of his enemy in order to obtain the power required to defeat his enemy.

The power ups are important, to be sure, and I really do like it when our heroes acquire new fighting techniques and shiny weaponry and all that, but after the goodies offered in volume 38, I found the subsequent two to be rather bland in comparison. Still, I guess a bit of a lull is generally required before the big climactic battle and they’d sort of have to obtain some new tricks in order to actually, like, win this time.

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

Kaze Hikaru 3-5 by Taeko Watanabe: A-

October 10, 2009 by 3 Comments

kaze3Tominaga Sei, a teenaged girl who has assumed the male identity of Kamiya Seizaburo in order to join the Mibu-Roshi and avenge the deaths of her brother and father, has achieved her revenge. As volume three begins, her mentor and unrequited love, Okita Soji, is urging her to leave because she has accomplished her task, but Sei doesn’t want to go and demands acceptance as a man. They engage in a wager in which Okita agrees that she can stay if she manages to score one hit on him. The way she manages to do this is rather underhanded, and I can’t cheer her methods, but I do like that Sei chooses a life of honing her skills in order to be able to protect the one she loves rather than returning to her original gender, even if it would mean a better chance at living a romantic life with him.

After this entertaining but uneventful start, I was unprepared for the utter awesome that comes next. It begins when Serizawa, a drunken hothead who nonetheless deserves much of the credit for the Mibu-Roshi’s existence, is visited by the beautiful wife of a merchant to whom he is indebted. He’s enchanted by her loveliness and is initially content to just moon about over her. When Sei finds out that the woman is actually not the wife but a mistress, and therefore available, she thinks she’s doing the right thing when she encourages Serizawa to go for it. Of course, his behavior only worsens from that kaze4point on, further sullying his reputation with the public. These events coincide with the Mibu-Roshi earning the name Shinsengumi (for their bravery during a coup attempt) and an order from on high to rid the group of troublesome elements.

Matters come to a head in volume four. If I had been a better student of this period of Japanese history, instead of barely able to grasp the political maneuverings, I would’ve known what was going to happen, but in this case I can firmly attest that ignorance is bliss! With this storyline, Kaze Hikaru shows its real power to be dramatic, moving, and brutal, and has seriously hooked me for the long haul. The recurring theme of the series seems to be “Sei gets more than she bargained for,” and that idea is front and center here as she has serious problems with the way discipline is being carried out, though she comes to see the necessity for these new rules—and enforces them—after a condemned man, to whom she was inclined to show mercy, kills another during his escape attempt.

After the dark days in volume four, the story shifts into more lighthearted territory, featuring chapters that reveal more about some other Shinsengumi members. Despite encountering certain grim truths—and unpleasant revelations upon the nature of men—Sei kaze5manages to remain her optmistic self, a quality which prompts the laconic Saito Hajime to develop feelings for her. He fights his attraction, which could not be more unrequited, as Sei continually confuses him with her older brother, whom he apparently resembles greatly. This is a recurring thread throughout volume five, which also features tales about the captain, Kondo Isami, who the men think has been going out whoring; details about Okita’s past; a woman seeking revenge against vice-captain Hijikata for the death of her brother; Sei trying to learn a new sword technique that’s too advanced for her; and the appearance of a man who proclaims his love for Hijikata before promptly absconding with his valuable katana.

All in all, this was an excellent trio of volumes to read together, as they exemplify all the things that Kaze Hikaru does well. The balance between human interest stories and historical drama is well-maintained, aided by beautiful art and likeable characters. If I could be said to have a problem with the series, it would be that Sei frequently raises objections to matters decided upon by the leaders and has to be shown by Okita how she is wrong. He almost always manages to do this without being patronizing, but I’d like to see her grow into a more hardened warrior. Now that I’ve seen the darkness of which the series is capable, this seems at least somewhat possible.

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

One Piece 13-15 by Eiichiro Oda: B

October 7, 2009 by 5 Comments

onepiece13Ah, shounen. It’s always somewhat of a relief to take a break with some shounen because things tend to be blissfully uncomplicated. Encounter a bad guy? Fight him. When he whips out a backstory that suddenly makes him your ally? Befriend him. That’s the central idea behind these three volumes.

We begin on Cactus Island in a town called Whiskey Peak, where the residents—who, unbeknownst to our heroes, are bounty hunters—have wined and dined the Straw Hat Pirates in an attempt to make them easier to capture. The most diligent are from Baroque Works, a secret criminal organization that deals in espionage, assassination, and bounty hunting. Zolo fights off a few agents, but then some other agents show up and accuse the first ones of being spies and then suddenly, the Straw Hats are agreeing to convey one of the spies, who’s really a princess, to her home island so that she can prevent a takeover attempt by the boss of Baroque Works.

Alas, Princess Vivi spills the beans about the identity of said boss, so the Straw Hats are pursued on their journey by Baroque Works agents tasked with silencing them. They end up on an island called Little Garden, where two giants have been engaged in honorable battle for a hundred years. I actually rather like the giants, but the ensuing battle with a Baroque Works agent, Mr. 3, who has the power of the Wax Wax Fruit, quickly grows chaotic, complete with quacking ducks running around and a dude with explosive bogeys who spouts cheesy lines like, “You’ll never dodge the bullets from my 6-shot .44 caliber flintlock revolver.” There are some amusing bits, like Zolo, who is about to be turned into a wax figure, adopting a heroic pose so he’ll look cool for perpetuity, but mostly it’s just fighting.

onepiece14 In volume fifteen, the Straw Hats are once again on their way toward Princess Vivi’s homeland, Alabasta, when Nami takes ill. They detour to the nearby Drum Island in search of a doctor. I’m really enjoying the Drum Island folk so far. They had a corrupt king who fled with all the court doctors when pirates threatened the island and are now trying to set up democratic rule, so they’re very sympathetic, especially Dalton, the one honorable guy from the king’s administration who has remained behind to protect the people. Also, the killer bunnies that menace Luffy and Sanji as they carry Nami up a snowy mountain to the one remaining doctor are pretty awesome.

One thing I continue to admire about One Piece is the continuity and planning that’s clearly evident. For example, Princess Vivi, in her Baroque Works persona, first showed up a few volumes ago and only now does her impact upon the story become evident. And in volume fifteen we get some glimpses of both the Navy, on their way to Alabasta, and Mr. 2 Bon Clay, one of the higher-ups in Baroque Works who’s been tasked with eliminating Mr. 3, but neither figures into the tale immediately. (Side note: the coat on Mr. 2 Bon Clay’s back says okama (along with some kanji I can’t read) but hasn’t been translated. Maybe VIZ is shying away from introducing Shonen Jump readers to the concept of drag queens.)

onepiece15Another thing I enjoy is the art. The cartoonish style and ridiculous foes used to bother me, but they don’t anymore. Now I notice more how Oda uses what I can only describe as “camera angles” in his paneling to excellent effect. In volume fourteen, for example, there’s a nice panel where Luffy and crew are seen from a giant’s perspective, and on several occasions throughout these three volumes, Oda pulls back for a wide shot showing events from a more distant perspective, be it people falling from buildings, exploding ships, or the whole party staring in disbelief a friendly yet enormous bear. The end result approaches something cinematic, which I like a lot.

Lastly, I appreciate that the women in this series are portrayed as capable and smart and that Princess Vivi is pretty immediately likable once her true circumstances are known. Too, in an important moment, she’s the one who tells Luffy that “impulsiveness doesn’t solve anything” and actually manages to get him to listen. Luffy often gets on my nerves with his stupid actions and I wish I could believe that he’d really begin to grow as a result of this realization. I doubt he will, but I liked it anyway.

Filed Under: Manga, Shounen Tagged With: ,

Dokebi Bride 1-6 by Marley: B

October 4, 2009 by 7 Comments

dokebi1Dokebi Bride is very difficult to describe because it’s a little bit like a lot of things, but isn’t fully any one of them. On the surface, it’s the tale of a girl named Sunbi Shin who can see spirits, and those are a dime a dozen, though few incorporate myth and folklore so creatively. In later volumes, it morphs into the story of a supernaturally gifted protagonist who travels and somehow helps to ease the problems of others; I’ve never read Mushishi, but wouldn’t be surprised to learn the vibe is similar. At its core, though, it’s the story of a girl who has been deserted by those she loved and is angry about that and who tries to act as if nothing really affects her.

As we learn in the first volume, Sunbi has been raised in a rural village by her grandmother after the death of her mother. She and her grandmother, the village shaman, are close and Sunbi learns all sorts of things about dragon spirits and feeding sea dokebis. Unfortunately, she’s ostracized in school for her strangeness and learns to hide her ability to see spirits. Upon her grandmother’s death, Sunbi moves to Seoul to live with her father and his new family where she could not possibly feel more unwanted.

dokebi2Sunbi has bigger problems than her new living arrangements, however, as she seems to have no defense against the spirits that she encounters every day. An untimely encounter with a spirit at school only serves to ensure that her ostracism continues and the only friend she makes is Taehoon, a boy who’s interested in some weird energy fields around Sunbi that he’s picked up on a special camera. After a particularly traumatic spiritual visitation results in a devastating loss, Sunbi finally decides to take some action. After consulting with a professor of folklore, she performs the ritual to summon dokebis and ends up forming a contract with the strongest one of the lot, whom she names Gwangsoo. The generally comedic Gwangsoo considers Sunbi his bride, and has a vision of her as some kind of warrior, though she doesn’t seem to be aware of these facts just yet.

dokebi3With Gwangsoo at her beck and call, Sunbi has more confidence and random spirits leave her alone. She also starts helping people, beginning with the spiritual problem keeping Taehoon’s mother’s restaurant from prospering and, after leaving her father’s house when another shaman comes to claim her grandmother’s artifacts, extending to runaways with violent tendencies and a woman who blames her disabled mother for all of her life’s difficulties. Meanwhile, a mysterious guy shows up and moves in with Sunbi’s family in Seoul and something strange is going on with her right arm.

As a character, Sunbi is the personification of prickly, as if she’s refusing to let anyone in after the pain of losing her loved ones. She refuses to lean on others, even though her stepmother does try (through regrettably manipulative ways) dokebi4 to get her to confide in someone, and is disinterested in her surroundings. After losing the shamanic artifacts, the last mementos of her grandmother, she runs away but not before the spirits attending the shaman tell her that all of the pain and suffering she’s enduring is serving to make her better able to understand those who have lost and been hurt.

As Sunbi heads out on the road, this new compassion doesn’t manifest right away, but by the end of volume six she seems to be a little bit more kindly disposed to those around her, though noticeably more towards creatures than other humans. It’s when she’s with Gwangsoo, for example, that she seems the most relaxed: she can’t trust people, but she trusts him. The art reflects this too, actually, with the creatures beautifully drawn (particularly the dragon in volume one) but humans far less so.

dokebi5While Dokebi Bride is always interesting, occasionally fascinating, and sometimes very moving—and ought to be read if only for Gwangsoo and his brethren, who would be right at home in the movie Labyrinth—it does have some problems. My main issue with it is that all six volumes feel like exposition to a bigger story that hasn’t yet begun. A lot of plot threads have been advanced—Sunbi as warrior, the itchy patch on her arm, hints at a significant role that she’ll play—but they don’t seem to go anywhere. For the first four volumes I felt pretty secure that Marley was going to get to the point someday, but after the fifth volume and its wholly unpleasant detour into the life of a girlfriend-abusing former runaway I am not so sure. It seems to be back on track with the sixth volume, but many unexplained elements remain.

dokebi6Also, while I am usually delighted when a series doesn’t insult a reader’s intelligence and allows them to figure things out for themselves, I find that I actually want a bit more spoonfeeding from this series. A large portion of my synopsis, for example, is what I suppose happened based on observing the events rather than what I know happened based on a character remarking upon it in any way. The story doesn’t come right out and say, for example, why Sunbi is no longer plagued by spirits. It’s an extrapolation that I’ve made and can only hope is correct.

Dokebi Bride is definitely unique, and I feel safe in recommending it for that fact alone, but be forewarned that it might not be the most satisfying reading experience you’ve ever had. Maybe it’ll turn into something amazing down the line, if it’s ever continued, but so far it hasn’t quite managed it.

Filed Under: Manhwa, Supernatural Tagged With:

RIN-NE 1 by Rumiko Takahashi: B+

October 1, 2009 by 9 Comments

rin-ne1From the back cover:
As a child, Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma’s home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year. Then one day her always-absent classmate Rinne Rokudo shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!

Sakura’s curiosity about the mysterious Rinne draws her deeper into an amazing world on the boundary between the living and the dead. Helping Rinne is one thing, but will tagging along with him leave her trapped in the afterlife? And does Rinne really know what he’s doing? Dealing with the afterlife isn’t easy, especially when you don’t know all the rules!

Review:
When Sakura Mamiya was a little girl, she was lured into the afterlife by a corrupt shinigami. A kind lady rescued her and sent her home, but ever since then Sakura has been able to see ghosts. Having lately begun her first year in high school, Sakura had hoped that by this point in her life things would’ve changed, but she continues to see spirits. Still, her wish is granted in a way when she is the sole witness to her mysterious classmate, Rinne, banishing a chihuahua spirit in the middle of class. She’s the first person who’s ever been able to see him performing his spiritual duties, and he’s the first person who’s ever been able to see the things she can, including a persistent male ghost who’s starting to get a little too attached to her. After dealing with beings both amorphous and amorous, Rinne and Sakura work together on a couple of other cases, with Sakura sending “business” Rinne’s way when her friends have supernatural problems.

There could never be any doubt that RIN-NE is a Rumiko Takahashi manga. If her distinctive art weren’t enough of a clue—and it really looks gorgeous here—there’s her gift for creating characters; the building of camaraderie via episodic adventure; the gentle, never zany humor; and an amazing sense of pacing and paneling to bring the point home. Weekly chapters of RIN-NE are published online by VIZ and I’ve actually already read the eight chapters collected in this volume, but somehow I enjoyed them so much better in this print edition. The story flows well and I firmly believe Takahashi’s art simply looks better on paper.

The series is off to an intriguing start, but it’s too soon to tell whether a long arc will materialize or if the episodic adventures will continue indefinitely. I like the characters and setup enough to enjoy several volumes in that vein, but I might grow tired of it eventually. Also, the characters in RIN-NE will likely feel rather familiar to InuYasha fans. You have the schoolgirl heroine with special sensitivity; the half-human, half-supernatural boy she encounters and who says “feh” at least once; and the pint-sized, animalesque character with the ability to create illusions. The specifics are different, of course, and I can understand why Takahashi would stick with a formula that has proven successful, but if a tough chick and a lecherous guy join the group I am going to have to cry foul.

Ultimately, volume one of RIN-NE is entertaining and fun in that special Takahashi way. If you’re already a fan of hers, you’ll probably like this series, too.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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

13th Boy 1-2 by SangEun Lee: B

September 30, 2009 by 2 Comments

13thboy_1There’s really no way to describe 13th Boy other than “odd,” but it’s odd in the best possible way.

It’s the story of Hee-So Eun, a fifteen-year-old girl who is already on her twelfth boyfriend, Won-Jun Kang, to whom she confessed on a national TV program. Alas, their relationship only lasts a month before Won-Jun unexpectedly breaks up with her. Hee-So refuses to give up, however, and concocts various schemes to get closer to her “destined love,” like stealing his wallet and contriving to get into the girl scouts so that she can go on a camping trip with him. Her efforts are unwillingly aided by Whie-Young, a boy with feelings for Hee-So, and Beatrice, a (male) talking cactus.

On its surface, 13th Boy reminds me a bit of Sarasah. With her unquenchable persistence in the face of rejection, Hee-So is similar to Ji-Hae, and they both seem to share a taste for cool and aloof boys with nothing to recommend them but their looks. Quickly, though, 13th Boy proves itself the better series by actually giving Won-Jun a semi-pleasant personality, though Hee-So is still clearly more in love with the idea of him than any qualities he may possess. There are also many unexpectedly strange elements like, oh, say, a talking cactus, a weird connection between Won-Jun and some former kindergarten classmates, and the magical abilities that Whie-Young possesses and keeps using to help out Hee-So even though he knows that using his power shortens his life span.

13thboy_2Often when a series tries to juggle this many weird elements it ends up an awful mess, but that doesn’t happen with 13th Boy. There’s enough of a forward momentum with the main story that the subplots are free to develop more slowly, and I never got the sense that the creator didn’t know where she was going with all of this. By the end of the second volume, for example, several things are already more clear and the possible directions the story could take are numerous.

I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where this unpredictable tale goes, but I do have one fairly major problem with the series: I don’t like Hee-So. She does some dumb stuff in pursuit of “love,” which is kind of irritating, but what’s worse is her frequent reliance on “I’m a weak girl” as an excuse for why she can’t be expected to do certain things. With Whie-Young there to bail her out at every turn, she never has to take responsibility for her ill-considered actions at all and clearly expects to be able to coast along on cuteness all while simultaneously criticizing another girl who takes the same ploy—if it is a ploy in her case—to extreme levels. I can only hope that she matures as the series continues, else all the loquacious cacti in the world won’t be able to save it.

Review copies provided by the publisher.

Filed Under: Fantasy, Manhwa Tagged With:

Boys Over Flowers: Jewelry Box by Yoko Kamio: B

September 28, 2009 by Leave a Comment

jewelryboxAfter Boys Over Flowers ended its serialization in 2003, Yoko Kamio published two follow-up stories—one about the wedding of Shizuka and another told from Rui’s perspective—that take place a year after the events of volume 36. These stories were released (along with some supplemental material) in 2008 as volume 37 of the series and immediately topped the shojo charts. VIZ has opted to give this volume the subtitle Jewelry Box instead.

The first story, in which Tsukushi and Tsukasa briefly reunite in France while attending Shizuka’s wedding, is a bit of a disappointment, since their first time seeing each other in a year is full of crazy derelicts trying to stab Tsukushi and Tsukasa calling her an idiot. The second story, though, is quite good, focusing on Rui and maintaining that lovely, melancholic air that he possesses. Rui is wondering whether he’ll ever fall in love again, and though he concedes that things with Tsukushi are over, there are still faint traces of his feelings remaining that spur him to do things for her that he’d do for no one else. Tsukushi and Tsukasa also meet up again in this story and, though fans are still denied an undeniably conclusive happy ending, there’s at least a strong suggestion of one.

The supplemental material is comprised of a series chronology, character growth analysis, quiz, and interview with Kamio. The chronology in particular is extremely helpful and furnished most of the facts in my first paragraph.

Fans of Boys Over Flowers shouldn’t expect anything earth-shattering in this release, but it’s worth the read and can serve as a handy resource, to boot.

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

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: ,
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