Planetes is the story of Hachirota Hoshino, dubbed “Hachimaki” by his crewmates for his propensity to wear a headband (hachimaki), who dreams of earning enough fame and fortune to buy his own spaceship and achieve complete freedom. As the series begins, however, he’s part of a crew of “extraplanetary sanitation workers” who clean up space debris. The first volume introduces … [Read more...] about Planetes 1-3 by Makoto Yukimura: B+
Manga
After School Nightmare 1 by Setona Mizushiro: A-
From the back cover: You have just awakened to find your darkest secret revealed to a group of people who would do anything to destroy you: your classmates! That's what happens to Ichijo Mashiro, whose elite school education turns into the most horrifying experience of his life when he's enlisted to participate in an after-hours class. The only way for Mashiro to graduate is to … [Read more...] about After School Nightmare 1 by Setona Mizushiro: A-
Café Latte Rhapsody by Toko Kawai: A-
I reviewed this cute yet complicated love story for this month's BL Bookrack column at Manga Bookshelf. I really, really enjoyed the romance between a somewhat relationship-scarred bookstore employee and his huge younger lover, and it made me realize I haven't read anything by Toko Kawai that I didn't like! You can find that review here. Review copy provided by the … [Read more...] about Café Latte Rhapsody by Toko Kawai: A-
Garden Sky by Yuko Kuwabara: C+
I reviewed this quasi-BL collection for this week's BL Bookrack column at Manga Bookshelf. The book is divided into two sets of stories that are boring while underway, feature extremely similar characters, and go nowhere in the end. This makes for quite a dull read. You can find that review here. Review copy provided by the publisher. … [Read more...] about Garden Sky by Yuko Kuwabara: C+
Eyeshield 21 1-3 by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata: B
Though I've long professed an ardent love for sports manga, I did secretly wonder if my enthusiasm would wane when the featured sport is one in which I have zero interest, like, say, football. Would the inherent charms of sports manga be able to compensate for my real-world disinterest? Eyeshield 21 has proven to me that the answer to this question is “yes.” Sena Kobayakawa … [Read more...] about Eyeshield 21 1-3 by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata: B