Venus in Love 5 by Yuki Nakaji: B

December 29, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Venus in Love is a cozy shojo romance that seems to firmly belong in the era of titles like Marmalade Boy, except without as much angst.

College students Suzuna Ashihara and Eichi Uozumi have been friends and neighbors for couple of years now. They both started off liking the same guy, but have gradually begun to realize that they might actually fancy each other instead. And when I say gradually, I mean it. A year ago, they shared a kiss at Christmas, and the holidays have just about rolled around again before they have their second smooch at an amusement park. And yet they still aren’t dating. They’ve both acknowledged their feelings to themselves at this point (and I do like that we also get Eichi’s perspective of this process, as well), but have not yet managed to confess and solidify their status as a couple.

The chapters in this volume are all self-contained and manage to make some progress toward official couplehood for Suzuna and Eichi. Mostly, though, they’re just cute. There’s the one where they go to the zoo and are happy, the one where they go to the aquarium and are happy, et cetera. My favorite is the chapter where Suzuna takes a job working nights at a convenience store in order to buy cavity-ridden Eichi a swanky toothbrush for Valentine’s Day. He gets wind of her job and secretly watches over her every night to ensure nothing bad happens to her.

The one complaint I really have about this series is its over-reliance on silly shojo clichés. I swear Suzuna must trip or stumble at least three times in this volume and accidentally falls asleep on a boy twice. It got so that I’d heave a great sigh whenever such an act was repeated, which detracts from the overall pleasant reading experience Venus in Love provides.

Review originally published at Manga Recon.

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Venus in Love 4 by Yuki Nakaji: B+

December 28, 2008 by Leave a Comment

From the back cover:
Suzuna began her college career by competing with Eichi for Fukami’s affection. Now that she’s decided she might like Eichi in a special way, newcomer Yuki entangles them in another boy-girl-boy love triangle. Then family tensions come to the forefront; first Eichi’s younger brother comes to town, then Hinako worries about keeping a secret from her parents—she’s dating her Greek teacher!

Review:
This was a really cute volume, though it had precious little to do with family tensions, despite what the back cover blurb claims.

The book covers about six months in time, during which Eichi realizes how much he needs Suzuna, Suzuna realizes that she’s in love with Eichi, and Yuki becomes less obnoxious and confesses his love to Eichi. I suppose that doesn’t sound like much, but some of those realizations took place over several scenes. It does kind of bug me a little that Yuki is apparently utterly nonchalant about being “head over heels” for a guy. From the rumors circulating about him (he’s a famous model, natch), it seems he was exclusively a ladies’ man before.

I like that everyone is usually happy and wholesome in this series. Okay, a realistic depiction of college life it is not, but I still appreciate that Yuki primarily likes Eichi because of his cuteness and enthusiasm. It’s all very low-key and kind of refreshing, in a way. It was also good to get some chapters from varying points of view—at least a little of it was Eichi’s perspective, and there was a full chapter about Hinako and her professorial love affair. (Again, completely wholesome.)

Venus in Love is not for everyone, but as far as pleasant, slowly unfolding romances go, it’s definitely a success.

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Time Stranger Kyoko 3 by Arina Tanemura: C

December 27, 2008 by 9 Comments

From the back cover:
Kyoko Suomi is the princess of Earth in the 30th century. She lives among the commoners, unwilling to reveal her true identity and ascend the throne. The king will allow Kyoko to live as she pleases if she can revive her twin sister Ui, who has been trapped in time since birth.

Kyoko has found all but one telepath and is near awakening her sister. However, Hizuki can no longer hide his feelings for Kyoko and kisses her—a crime punishable by death. Now the only way to save his life is for Kyoko to accept him as her betrothed!

Review:
I only read this final volume for the sake of completeness, since the second volume got a C-, a rating equivalent to “Blech!” on my grading scale. Volume three is a little bit better, owing to some plot twists, but not much.

So, as she tells it in her sidebar columns, Arina Tanemura couldn’t decide where this story was actually supposed to go, so she asked her editors to be allowed to end it. And so, whereas it took the first two volumes to gather four Strangers, all of a sudden six of the remaining ones (bringing the total to eleven, counting Kyoko) are introduced on a single page, and then promptly neglected. There are actually a few translation errors on this page, as the Bird, Wind, and Snow Stranger guys are all mixed up.

The plot with Hizuki and his feelings for Kyoko is pretty stupid. First, he tricks her into saving his life by agreeing to marry him. Then he confesses to Sakataki that he was responsible for the destruction of their village and tries to get Sakataki to kill him. And then a few pages later everything’s fine and he’s all, “By the way, I’m the last Stranger.” And nobody is pissed about any of it.

The gathered Strangers then proceed to awaken Ui and plot twists occur. The secret of Kyoko’s identity is revealed, and I was kind of interested in the possibility that this manga would have a sad ending. But no, of course not. Mushy love must triumph. A completely stupid and kind of gross side story featuring the King’s pet cat android follows. It has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

One problem I have with this series is that every time there’s a revelation, someone goes, “I always knew.” For example, Kyoko evidently knew all along that she wasn’t really Ui’s sister, Sakataki knew all along that Hizuki was responsible for the village’s destruction, and the King knew all along what the consequences of awakening Ui would be. It’s really annoying that no one’s ever, like, shocked by these developments!

Anyway, it’s over now. Hooray. Reading this series has made me kind of worried that I won’t like the manga of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, which I own but have yet to read. I liked the anime, but maybe I just didn’t know any better at the time.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

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Phantom Dream 1 by Natsuki Takaya: C

December 27, 2008 by 1 Comment

As a Fruits Basket fan, whenever I was confronted with a survey on what manga I would like to see licensed, I always included the two series Natsuki Takaya wrote before her big hit—Genei Musou and Tsubasa wo Motsu Mono. And when TOKYOPOP announced it would be releasing them (as Phantom Dream and Tsubasa: Those With Wings, respectively), I was thrilled.

I did all this without having read either series, and armed only with the vaguest notion of what each was actually about. And so it was that, while still pleased at having the opportunity to read Takaya’s debut work, I found Phantom Dream to be somewhat of a disappointment. It’s not awful, and there are certain aspects that I like, but it can also be very confusing at times and the supernatural system isn’t adequately explained.

High school student Tamaki Otoya is the sole heir to a family line of shugoshi, though he’s not very enthused about his duties. What’s a shugoshi, you ask? I’m not exactly sure. TOKYOPOP translates some terms—like juzu, the prayer beads Tamaki uses when casting his spells—but neglects to do the same for others, possibly because they were invented by Takaya. As near as I can tell, shugoshi is just the term for someone who has the power to exorcise the evil spirits (jaki) that take over people with an excess of negative emotions (jashin). The terms for some helpmates that Tamaki can summon are explained in the text, but the word for the kind of shield he can create (shichiboujin) is not. A glossary would’ve been immensely helpful.

Tamaki’s mother, herself possessed of some power, despairs of his ever developing his abilities more fully. When a former elementary school classmate transfers into his class, however, strange things start happening and Tamaki is compelled to act. This first chapter is the most confusing of the volume, and it’s sometimes hard to follow exactly what is going on. In any case, Tamaki is successful in exorcising the jaki and thereafter begins practicing and trying to get better.

The supernatural conflict is not the only confusing aspect of Phantom Dream. Accompanying Tamaki nearly constantly is his childhood friend, Asahi. She is very open about her love for him, though he never verbally returns the feeling. No confirmation about their exact relationship status is ever given. Later, they end up sleeping together when he is on the verge of going off and doing something rash. From the lack of drama attending this scene, I am left to conclude this isn’t the first time they’ve been intimate, but again, it’s another case where I’m not exactly sure.

Asahi herself comes across as the typical shojo heroine—clumsy, good-hearted, and miserable in academics—but in at least one way, she’s a kind of proto-Tohru. In the second chapter, Tamaki is confronted with a situation where the power of the jaki is actually keeping its human host alive and an exorcism will kill the boy it’s inhabiting. The boy is fond of butterflies, and tells Tamaki that when they hover around him, they’re actually saying, “You are loved.” He notes that Asahi is Tamaki’s butterfly. Later, Tamaki realizes that this is true. When he’s feeling low, Asahi’s presence is a constant reminder that he is loved and accepted. It’s neat to see a glimmer of one of the themes that Takaya will develop more fully in a future work.

The final chapter brings more plot complications in the form of a rival family that wants to convert as many people into jaki as possible. I suppose this addition to the tale is welcome—an episodic sequence of exorcisms would get boring pretty quickly—but it’s not exactly helping to clear things up. That said, I liked the bleak way in which the volume ended.

Phantom Dream is not Natsuki Takaya’s best work. Even if I can’t quite recommend it on its own merits, it’s still interesting to see how her storytelling and artistic skills have improved and evolved since her debut.

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

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Monster 4 by Naoki Urasawa: B+

December 25, 2008 by 5 Comments

From the back cover:
Johan is a cold and calculating killer with a mysterious past, and brilliant Dr. Kenzo Tenma is the only one who can stop him! Conspiracy and serial murder open the door to a compelling, intricately woven plot in this masterpiece manga thriller.

As Tenma uncovers more about the infamous 511 Kinderheim orphanage, Johan’s twin sister Anna sets out on her own to stop her brother. Their separate searches lead them both to a powerful neo-Nazi organization conspiring to establish Johan as their new superleader! Can Tenma and Anna stop Johan from becoming another Hitler?

Review:
In the last volume, Tenma received a clue from one of the officials involved with the orphanage. He was told to seek out General Wolf. So, what is he doing as volume four opens? Is he seeking out General Wolf?

He is not. Instead, he has gone back to investigating the murder of Nina’s parents and looking for one of the suspicious police detectives who were on the scene that night. The leads he follows eventually (and completely accidentally) lead him to a meeting with General Wolf, so at least that thread isn’t utterly abandoned, but his lack of immedate follow-up left me quite confused.

Most of this volume has to do with some men involved with the orphanage who want to lure Johan back to lead their neo-nazi group. They plan to do this by setting fire to the Turkish part of town. Johan’s sister Anna returns, also on the hunt for her murderous sibling, and agrees to serve as bait for her brother. But, of course, Johan doesn’t care for petty issues like racism, so he kills all the neo-nazi dudes instead. Tenma and Anna separately work to stop the fires, and eventually encounter each other in a climactic scene in a factory.

The fire plot is largely unrelated to the actual story of the manga, but it did provide some suspense, and it was good to see the characters acting so nobly. I really like Deiter, Tenma’s boy sidekick, who is brave and honest. Anna, too, has become a strong character; my favorite chapter of the volume reveals how she (like Tenma) spent months learning how to shoot in preparation for a confrontation with Johan.

Artwise, I didn’t notice any of the Tenma-headshot-on-white-background panels this time, which I appreciate. The visual pacing of the action scenes is terrific, as usual, but so are some of the quieter scenes, like those Anna shares with the former hitman in whose restaurant she was once employed. I absolutely love the panel where he’s standing forlornly on the station platform as her train pulls away.

I’m not sure how I feel about the new information about Johan that is revealed in this volume. I can easily picture it leading to lameness or to awesomeness, so I’ll have to wait and see before I form an opinion on it.

Filed Under: Manga, Seinen, Suspense Tagged With: , ,

Monster 3 by Naoki Urasawa: B+

December 21, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Tenma’s on the run! A wanted man, he’s the prime suspect for the serial killings he’s trying to stop. But he still manages to edge closer to the truth about Johan’s mysterious past, and everything seems to point to a now defunct institution of East Berlin—an infamous “experimental” orphanage called 511 Kinderheim!

Review:
The pace is pretty slow in this volume, making it seem less like Tenma’s on the run and more like he’s on the mosey. He travels about, forming temporary alliances with locals (both virtuous and not so) and performing medical procedures when necessary. In between, he meets with a government official with information about 511 Kinderheim, the government-run orphanage where Johan once resided, and obtains a sidekick.

I was a little disappointed in the reveal about 511 Kinderheim because, just like in Blank Slate and other stories before it, it turns out to be an experimental program to mold kids into perfect soldiers, cold-hearted and compassionless. The official, who gets progressively more creepy until he reveals an obsession with Johan, claims that the program isn’t responsible for Johan’s murderous ways, however, since he was a monster from the start. He does, at least, give Tenma a clue about where to go next, and I thought it was cool that Tenma ends up rescuing an abused boy from his clutches. I thought for sure something terrible would end up happening there.

The art is a mixed bag. Some images are gorgeous, the exteriors of homes particularly. Urasawa uses a wide variety of character designs, and I particularly like the way Tenma is drawn. However, some of the panel framing gets repetitive. There are many, many panels that focus on Tenma’s face against a white background as he reacts to something or other, for example. By contrast, Urasawa does exceptionally well with scenes where characters are in motion. I particularly love the scene where Tenma is trying to leave the abused boy (Dieter) at a bus stop on a desolate stretch of road but keeps turning back.

Tenma doesn’t follow up with the official’s tip immediately and, after an interlude helping out at a rural clinic, the story shifts to focus on relentless Inspector Lunge, who has now lost everything in his life except the conviction that Tenma is a murderer. Looks like things will be heating up soon!

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Bleach 25 by Tite Kubo: C+

December 19, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Ichigo’s recent battles with the Arrancars have proven that if he wants to protect his friends he must get stronger, and the only way to do that is to control his inner Hollow. Ichigo turns to the Visoreds*, ex-Soul Reapers who have been Hollowfied, to teach him. But before his training begins, Ichigo must do battle against his Hollow self—winner takes his soul!

* Referred to as “Vizards” in previous volumes.

Review:
This was essentially a training volume, in which Ichigo must first prove his worthiness to the Visoreds (spelling changed, I think, because of the newly-revealed connection between their Hollow masks and their power) in order to be taught how to “Hollowfy,” and then fight an internal battle to control the Hollow within.

The fights with the Visoreds are not very interesting, but the battle with the Inner Hollow is pretty good, if occasionally confusing. Even though I suppose it’s silly that the Inner Hollow’s sword and garment are white where Ichigo’s are black, it still looks neat and allows for some symbolic representations of who is exerting dominance over whom. The Inner Hollow gives a lot of advice about how Ichigo needs a killer instinct to be “the king,” and then there’s a section where Ichigo thinks about instinct and battle and fighting and then suddenly he’s winning. I don’t really understand what went on there internally, but at least the outcome is clear.

Unfortunately, some of the pivotal moments in the battle felt a little unsatisfying because the chapters were so short. You’d get, like, 2 truly cool pages in each one and the rest would be talking or things crumbling. There was a lot of crumbling in this volume.

Very little is seen of other characters in this volume, which could be a blessing since Rangiku’s boobs are not referenced once, but at the very end, details on Aizen’s latest objective are revealed. It involves a hitherto-unmentioned royal family of the Soul Society, which is a shade retconny, but whatever. It sounds like it could be a reason for bringing the gang together again and going on a group quest, which is when this series is at its best. I’m looking forward to it.

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

Cat Street 2 (Japanese) by Yoko Kamio: B+

December 17, 2008 by 1 Comment

From the back cover:
Ever since she entered the school El Liston, Keito’s life has begun to change. Recovering from social withdrawal, she has made friends for the first time in seven years. There’s Rei, a formerly famous soccer player; Kouichi, a genius with an IQ of 200; and Momiji, a Gothic Lolita. As she slowly starts building new relationships with people, she begins to develop a little passion, and then… ?!

Review:
I’d praised Cat Street last time because the focus was not on romance, and just as I was thinking, “Well, maybe a little would be good,” Keito realized that she had feelings for her childhood friend, Taiyou. How it played out was quite different from other shoujo I’ve read.

Taiyou is an interesting character. Rather than allow Keito’s friend Rei, who used to be a phenomenal soccer player, to wallow in his past failures, he keeps engaging him on the topic and eventually helps him return to the sport he loves. Keito realizes he did the same with her while she was a shut-in, visiting her house frequently to try to get her to come back to school. So, essentially, she begins to like him because he is a good person, not because he is hot.

Even better, all of Keito’s new friends begin to support her in her efforts to get together with Taiyou. This isn’t limited to Momiji, the girl; the boys who would also be after Keito in most other series are also encouraging and helping her in her efforts. Alas, it turns out Taiyou has recently begun dating one of his classmates. In a completely awesome example of showing not telling, a weeping Keito encounters this girl, Hirano-san, who proves how like Taiyou she is by refusing to leave Keito alone, comforting her, and even crying on her behalf. I love that the romantic rival is not some evil wench, but also a thoroughly nice and good person.

Less successful is a subplot in which Keito’s old theatrical rival engages the help of a student studying cosmetology at El Liston to get a photograph of Keito, which he accomplishes by giving her a makeover and claiming he wants to save images of his work. Pretty smooth. It’s sad, though, that the nudging he gave Keito about returning to the acting world seems only to’ve been so the rival could face her in that realm once more and achieve a proper victory over her.

Cat Street is a very enjoyable series so far; I love that the heroine has a network of supportive friends. I guess it’s inevitable that Keito will return to the world of acting, but I hope the story won’t drift into silly confrontations with overly-devious foes.

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Gaba Kawa by Rie Takada: B-

December 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Rara is a demon who has come to the mortal world for the first time. She’d told everyone back home that her goal was to drag human souls into darkness, but really she just wants to meet the celebrity demon du jour, Hiroshi Akusawa, and become his girlfriend. When a dashing boy called Aku saves her from falling off a building, she’s convinced she’s met Akusawa. That is, until she meets the real Akusawa, who is not at all dreamy, and realizes that the other boy is a mere human.

It’d be easy for Rara to claim Aku’s heart using magic, but she wants him to fall in love with her for real. Some of her female classmates (yes, the younger demons all attend high school) advise against pursuing him, claiming that he is weird (on account of having been abducted by aliens) and gay (on account of having been spotted hugging his best friend). Rara, undaunted and clueless, decides that donning a boy’s uniform is the way to win his love, leading to my favorite line of the volume:

I don’t care if he is a gay alien. Once he gets a look at me in this, his heart will be mine.

Rara is warned several times not to use her magic to benefit a human, but as she gets closer to Aku, she can’t help lending him a hand when he could use it, like when his ability to see spirits results in him being pestered by wayward souls. As a result, she begins to lose her demon powers, which include things like invisibility and flight, and faces punishment for her actions from her demon brethren.

The concept is fairly unique, but Rara is still more or less your traditional clumsy, not-too-bright shojo heroine who somehow manages to make the hottest guy in school fall for her. Add to that the clichés of the boy who can see spirits and the old “trip and smooch” maneuver, and it winds up being pretty well-trod territory after all.

Still, while Gaba Kawa may be fluffy and familiar, it’s also pretty fun. I’m inspired to check out more by its creator.

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

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Blank Slate 2 by Aya Kanno: B

December 16, 2008 by Leave a Comment

If there’s one thing notorious criminal Zen can’t stand, it’s being controlled. At the end of the first volume, while he and his doctor companion, Hyakka, were liberating Amatan prisoners from a Galay Army facility, he fell into an involuntary trance after which he awoke with no memory of his violent actions. Now, he resolves to find the person responsible, which means finally getting some answers about his forgotten past.

Said answers are gradually revealed throughout the volume, and manage to be interesting but more or less what I had expected. Perhaps that’s why this volume, like its predecessor, was a little difficult to get into at first. Also, one major revelation that I hadn’t seen coming was telegraphed in advance. Alert readers get suspicious when you only show us parts of someone’s face, you know!

That said, I have to admire the economy of the storytelling—no extraneous information is offered nor is any essential detail lacking—as well as the way the series ends. Aspects of the climactic conclusion are melodramatic, but I like that we actually end up rooting for Zen, even after witnessing the evil of which he is capable.

Blank Slate presents an entertaining and thought-provoking story, even if the execution stumbles here and there. And at two volumes, it’s short and affordable. An afternoon spent on this series would not be wasted.

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

Filed Under: Manga, Shoujo Tagged With: , ,
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