From the back cover: Love and life are programmed in * Is the life of a cute, young private detective on the line? * Can love be found only half-way down the line? * Will life change in a coffee shop? * How can an earthquake shake up a relationship? * Is destiny all it’s cracked up to be for a baseball loser? * Will a playwright balance loyalty against love? * Was it really … [Read more...] about Short Program 2 by Mitsuru Adachi: B+
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Short Program by Mitsuru Adachi: A-
From the back cover: The comic-book short story is one of the most difficult areas of storytelling, but Adachi handles the challenge with deceptive ease. His low-key approach belies the power of the emotions his characters portray. The resolution of Adachi's stories are logical, dramatic, true-to-life, and completely unpredictable. Span the range of human relationships in … [Read more...] about Short Program by Mitsuru Adachi: A-
Akira 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo: A-
From the back cover: Welcome to Neo-Tokyo, built on the ashes of a Tokyo annihilated by a blast of unknown origin that triggered World War III. The lives of two streetwise teenage friends, Tetsuo and Kaneda, change forever when paranormal abilities begin to waken in Tetsuo, making him a target for a shadowy agency who will stop at nothing to prevent another catastrophe like … [Read more...] about Akira 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo: A-
S. S. Astro 1 by Negi Banno: C
The fact that I am not the intended audience for this title was made readily apparent when the eight-page color illustration collection in the front of the book contained not only a hot springs scene (complete with buoyant bosoms), but also an image of a character looking shocked to be discovered in the act of clutching a skimpy towel around her nude and glistening body while … [Read more...] about S. S. Astro 1 by Negi Banno: C
Azumanga Daioh 2 by Kiyohiko Azuma: B-
From the back cover: The second hilarious volume of Azumanga Daioh takes Chiyo and the girls from end-of-first-year hijinks into the general silliness of their second year. Includes two special edition comic segments: "Osaka's Half Day" and "A Day in the Life of Chiyo-chan!" Review: This volume was pretty much exactly the same as the first volume, except some of the cuteness … [Read more...] about Azumanga Daioh 2 by Kiyohiko Azuma: B-