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+
Seinen
Yotsuba&! 2-8 by Kiyohiko Azuma: A
The theme of this month's Manga Moveable Feast is a Kids' Table featuring discussion of Yotsuba&! and other kid-friendly manga. Here is my take on the former; be sure to check out this week's Off the Shelf where MJ and I will talk about the latter! My opinions on these seven delightful volumes of Yotsuba&! can be summed up as: "Yep, still awesome!" I really don't have … [Read more...] about Yotsuba&! 2-8 by Kiyohiko Azuma: A
Black Lagoon 1-3 by Rei Hiroe: A-
If asked for a one-word description of Rei Hiroe's seinen action series, Black Lagoon, my response would be “kick-ass.” I'd quickly follow that up, however, with “and a lot more intelligent than one might assume.” Black Lagoon is the story of the Lagoon Traders, a group of seafaring couriers based out of the fictional city of Roanapur, Thailand. African-American Dutch, an … [Read more...] about Black Lagoon 1-3 by Rei Hiroe: A-
Afterschool Charisma 1 by Kumiko Suekane: B-
Sigmund Freud. Florence Nightingale. Napoleon Bonaparte. These are not merely the names of eminent historical figures. They are also the names of students at a certain high school. These children are the fruit of leading-edge genetic engineering technology. In other words… they are clones. It’s the year 2XXX A.D. and St. Kleio Academy is home to many students, all clones of … [Read more...] about Afterschool Charisma 1 by Kumiko Suekane: B-
Saturn Apartments 1 by Hisae Iwaoka: B+
In this low-key, dystopic sci-fi story, a boy named Mitsu takes up his missing father’s occupation as a window washer in the hopes that it will yield answers about his disappearance, or maybe just life in general. Humanity has vacated Earth. They were not, however, willing to move too far away from their former home, now declared a vast nature preserve, and have instead … [Read more...] about Saturn Apartments 1 by Hisae Iwaoka: B+