“Life is kind of a pain,” thinks Chiaki Sakaguchi at the outset of this exceptional one-shot. Chiaki is bored with school; it seems so trivial compared to the painful secret guilt he carries over his father’s death. In an attempt to dull that pain, Chiaki seeks out new pain, getting involved in an abusive incestuous relationship with his stepfather and resorting to cutting … [Read more...] about CUT by Toko Kawai: A
Manga
Otomen 2 by Aya Kanno: B
This volume presents three episodic tales, two of which focus on Asuka’s challenge to be true to himself despite the expectations of others. In the first of these stories, he acquires an apprentice who wants to use him as a reference on how to be cool and masculine, requiring Asuka to suppress his girly tendencies, and in the other, his mother attempts to set him up in an … [Read more...] about Otomen 2 by Aya Kanno: B
Beauty Pop 10 by Kiyoko Arai: B-
Narumi’s father has goaded him into entering the Scissors Project into the All-Japan Beauty Tournament in order to prove he’s serious about forming his own salon with his schoolmates rather than inherit the family salon. In this final volume, the outcome of both the tournament and the love triangle between Narumi, his friend Ochiai, and protagonist Kiri, is revealed. I was … [Read more...] about Beauty Pop 10 by Kiyoko Arai: B-
Beauty Pop 9 by Kiyoko Arai: B
From the back cover: After kissing Kiri accidentally, Narumi struggles to keep his composure during the All-Japan Beauty Tournament. With everything on the line, can the Scissors Project even make it through the preliminaries? Review: Sometimes the overall feel of a volume is so cute that I can't help but like it, even though it also contains myriad things at which I roll my … [Read more...] about Beauty Pop 9 by Kiyoko Arai: B
Beauty Pop 8 by Kiyoko Arai: B-
From the back cover: Just as the Scissors Project is getting stronger than ever, forces are at work to discredit Kiri and disband the club. What's even more surprising is the person who is behind it all... Review: Most of what happens in this volume is pretty dumb. There's a rival stylist, hired by a mysterious boss, whose tasks are to get the Scissors Project to disband and … [Read more...] about Beauty Pop 8 by Kiyoko Arai: B-