I've been hoarding volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist for several years. Having heard it praised for its impressive storytelling, I decided to wait until it was nearer to being finished in Japan before starting it, with the idea that I might be spared some of the long waits between volumes that other fans have endured. But now, word is that the end is nigh, and with MJ recommending … [Read more...] about Fullmetal Alchemist 1-2 by Hiromu Arakawa: B+
Manga
Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono: B+
Twenty-one-year-old Nicoletta arrives in Rome with the intention of confronting her absentee mother, Olga, and revealing the fact of her existence to Olga’s husband, Lorenzo, who had believed his wife to be childless. Instead, she becomes entranced by her mother’s world and ultimately finds a place in it. Olga and Lorenzo run a restaurant, and though the food is excellent, … [Read more...] about Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono: B+
The Record of a Fallen Vampire 1-3 by Kyo Shirodaira and Yuri Kimura: B+
For the first two volumes of The Record of a Fallen Vampire, one thinks one has things figured out. There’s the vampire king, Akabara Strauss, who has tirelessly searched for his imprisoned queen for 1000 years despite being hunted by both human and supernatural foes, inspiring much romantic speculation. There’s the dhampire (a human/vampire mix) Jin Renka, who is also … [Read more...] about The Record of a Fallen Vampire 1-3 by Kyo Shirodaira and Yuri Kimura: B+
Cactus’s Secret 2 by Nana Haruta: B-
Miku Yamada has finally managed to make her dense crush, Kyohei Fujioka, understand that she has feelings for him, even though he doesn’t reciprocate. Meanwhile, a pompous classmate publicly declares his affections for Miku and attempts to get Kyohei expelled for stealing the answers to the midterm exams. Later, Miku and Kyohei are both assigned to the Sports Day Planning … [Read more...] about Cactus’s Secret 2 by Nana Haruta: B-
Blood+: Kowloon Nights by Hirotaka Kisaragi: B-
In the world of Blood+, a girl named Saya and her trusty servant Hagi battle against chiropterans, a race of blood-sucking creatures. This one-volume prequel focuses on Hagi’s 1993 stay in Hong Kong, during which he teams up with a hot-headed cop named Nishi to put down a man-made pack of chiropterans that’s been leaving corpses in a certain area of town. Unlike the other … [Read more...] about Blood+: Kowloon Nights by Hirotaka Kisaragi: B-