After I read the first two volumes of SangEun Lee’s 13th Boy, in which a pertinacious girl named Hee-So Eun does everything in her power to win the love of the handsome Won-Jun Kang, I had high hopes for the quirky series but apparently not high enough because, starting with volume three, the story veers into unexpectedly (and awesomely) dark territory. That’s not to say that … [Read more...] about 13th Boy 3-6 by SangEun Lee
Comics
Kamisama Kiss 2 by Julietta Suzuki
From the back cover: Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity! Nanami … [Read more...] about Kamisama Kiss 2 by Julietta Suzuki
Alice in the Country of Hearts 6 (Japanese) by QuinRose and Soumei Hoshino
When TOKYOPOP announced in April that they'd be shutting down, I was bummed that we wouldn't get the sixth and final volume of the surprisingly fun Alice in the Country of Hearts, which had been scheduled for July release. Happily, however, the volume is easily available in Japanese (I got mine from YesAsia.com). Unhappily, it’s a disappointing conclusion to the series. When … [Read more...] about Alice in the Country of Hearts 6 (Japanese) by QuinRose and Soumei Hoshino
Cross Game 2-3 by Mitsuru Adachi
The first volume of Cross Game (well, the first collected volume from VIZ, which includes the first three volumes of the Japanese version) introduced the characters and established the motivation for average boy Ko Kitamura to devote himself to becoming a good enough pitcher to reach the Koshien tournament. It’s very good, but there’s little actual baseball. Volumes two and … [Read more...] about Cross Game 2-3 by Mitsuru Adachi
Full House 1-4 by Sooyeon Won
There’s certainly plenty of precedent for romantic comedies in which a feisty, average girl exchanges snarky banter with a rich and handsome fellow (to whom she is often secretly attracted even while deeming him odious). It may just be a licensing fluke, but it seems that a large portion of the sunjeong manhwa that I’ve read (Very! Very! Sweet, Sugarholic, Goong: The Royal … [Read more...] about Full House 1-4 by Sooyeon Won