Have you ever seen anyone claim, in defense of Vampire Knight, “It gets better! Wait until you get to chapter 35!”? Well, it turns out that they’re half right. Chapter 35 is a game-changer, with the full details of Yuki’s forgotten past coming to light along with unexpected revelations and their attendant complications. I found part of what occurs easy to predict, given the … [Read more...] about Vampire Knight 8 by Matsuri Hino: B
Shoujo
Ouran High School Host Club 13 by Bisco Hatori: B
Feelings. That’s entirely what this volume is about. First, you’ve got Haruhi taking a love quiz and finally realizing that what she feels for Tamaki isn’t just admiration of his many good qualities, but actually love. Not that she’s ready to deal with that just yet, so she resolves to take his advice and start accumulating more life experience. Next, Hikaru informs Tamaki that … [Read more...] about Ouran High School Host Club 13 by Bisco Hatori: B
Ouran High School Host Club 12 by Bisco Hatori: B+
From the back cover: Hikaru and Kaoru's fight over Haruhi is taking its toll on Hunny and Mori, who are trying to watch over the estranged twins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Tamaki, Kyoya starts looking for Tamaki's mother in France. Review: Three plot threads are simultaneously underway in this volume, though they converge nicely by the end. In the first, Kyoya is using the … [Read more...] about Ouran High School Host Club 12 by Bisco Hatori: B+
Vampire Knight 5-7 by Matsuri Hino: B
Vampire Knight is a series with a plot that makes sense while you’re reading it, but is difficult to summarize in a coherent manner. In these three volumes, the story moves away from Zero and his angst to focus more squarely on Yuki, who is increasingly more insistent upon uncovering her missing memories. She correctly surmises that Kaname is hiding things from her and … [Read more...] about Vampire Knight 5-7 by Matsuri Hino: B
Karakuri Odette 1 by Julietta Suzuki: B+
“What is the difference between me and humans?” asks Odette, android creation of Professor Yoshizawa, two weeks into her existence. It’s a question that continues to puzzle her and one day, after seeing some schoolgirls on TV, she stuns the professor by telling him she wants to go to high school. The principal takes some convincing, and Odette’s required to keep her true nature … [Read more...] about Karakuri Odette 1 by Julietta Suzuki: B+