From the back cover: On the island of Opal live the world's most colorful birds. The birds have attracted a school for aspiring "Palettes"—wizards who have the ability to borrow color from one object and paint its qualities on to another. Young Cello has the potential to be a great Palette, but she just can't seem to control her power. As the end of freshman year approaches … [Read more...] about The Palette of 12 Secret Colors 1 by Nari Kusakawa: A-
Manga
Three in Love 1-2 by Shioko Mizuki: C-
The title and back cover descriptions for this series are misleading, making it seem like the “three-person relationship” is one in which any one person has romantic feelings for the other two. Sadly, this isn’t the case. Instead, two girls—Machiru, a chronic overachiever, and Hanakago, an earnest first year—are both in love with the same spacey boy. Also, each girl has an … [Read more...] about Three in Love 1-2 by Shioko Mizuki: C-
Slam Dunk 2 by Takehiko Inoue: B+
Volume two of Slam Dunk sure has been a long time coming! When we left off in volume one, hot-headed Sakuragi had grown frustrated with fundamentals training and quit the team. We pick up the story with Sakuragi regretting his decision, and he soon returns to practice after quickly polishing off a thug who’d been spoiling for a fight. Although Sakuragi is still as clueless and … [Read more...] about Slam Dunk 2 by Takehiko Inoue: B+
Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka 1 by Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka: A+
In the Astro Boy story “The Greatest Robot on Earth,” available in the third volume of Dark Horse’s edition of the Astro Boy manga, a power-hungry sultan creates a robot named Pluto and gives him instructions to destroy seven other powerful robots that could challenge Pluto’s claim to the title of King of the Robots. Pluto dutifully carries out his orders but bears no personal … [Read more...] about Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka 1 by Naoki Urasawa and Osamu Tezuka: A+
Astro Boy 3 by Osamu Tezuka: A-
From the back cover: A timeless comics and animation classic, Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy is still going strong half a century after its creation, winning over readers of all ages with its combination of action, wit, and humanity. In the novel-length "The Greatest Robot on Earth," a wealthy sultan creates a giant robot to become the ruler of all other robots on Earth. But in order … [Read more...] about Astro Boy 3 by Osamu Tezuka: A-