I've been curious about Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning for a long time, and after really enjoying The Record of a Fallen Vampire by the same author, I decided to choose it for one of my Shounen Sunday picks. It's been two years since Kiyotaka Narumi, a brilliant young detective, disappeared after announcing he was pursuing the mystery of the “Blade Children.” Now, his wife … [Read more...] about Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning 1-3 by Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno: B
Shounen
Fullmetal Alchemist 1-2 by Hiromu Arakawa: B+
I've been hoarding volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist for several years. Having heard it praised for its impressive storytelling, I decided to wait until it was nearer to being finished in Japan before starting it, with the idea that I might be spared some of the long waits between volumes that other fans have endured. But now, word is that the end is nigh, and with MJ recommending … [Read more...] about Fullmetal Alchemist 1-2 by Hiromu Arakawa: B+
The Record of a Fallen Vampire 1-3 by Kyo Shirodaira and Yuri Kimura: B+
For the first two volumes of The Record of a Fallen Vampire, one thinks one has things figured out. There’s the vampire king, Akabara Strauss, who has tirelessly searched for his imprisoned queen for 1000 years despite being hunted by both human and supernatural foes, inspiring much romantic speculation. There’s the dhampire (a human/vampire mix) Jin Renka, who is also … [Read more...] about The Record of a Fallen Vampire 1-3 by Kyo Shirodaira and Yuri Kimura: B+
To Terra… 1 by Keiko Takemiya: A
From the back cover: The future. Having driven Terra to the brink of environmental collapse, humanity decides to reform itself by ushering in the age of Superior Domination (S.D.), a system of social control in which children are no longer the offspring of parents but the progeny of a universal computer. The new social order, however, results in an unexpected byproduct: the Mu, … [Read more...] about To Terra… 1 by Keiko Takemiya: A
switch 1-2 by naked ape: C+
Although I knew of the existence of switch, I hadn’t been motivated to read it until David Welsh likened it to Wild Adapter fan fiction. Since I’m pining for new Wild Adapter rather ardently, I decided to check it out. switch tells the story of a government-run Narcotics Control Division, specifically a pair of rookie investigators, as they attempt to get dangerous drugs off … [Read more...] about switch 1-2 by naked ape: C+