I reviewed the omnibus edition of this shoujo manga based on the Darker Than Black anime for Comics Should Be Good. Basically, all of the elements borrowed from the anime are pretty intriguing, but the manga's storyline just doesn't hang together very well. You can find that review here. Darker Than Black is published in English by Yen Press in a 384-page omnibus edition … [Read more...] about Darker Than Black by BONES, et al.: C+
Comics
Honey and Clover 9-10 by Chica Umeno: A
These are the final two volumes of Honey and Clover, so there will be spoilers here. Beware. Be sure to have some mental palate cleanser on hand—fluffy shoujo may work for you but I turned to shoot-’em-up seinen—when you finish Honey and Clover, because, man, is it depressing! It’s not that I’d expected everything to turn out rosy, since much of the plot revolves around two … [Read more...] about Honey and Clover 9-10 by Chica Umeno: A
Paradise Kiss 1-5 by Ai Yazawa: A
Like Yazawa's later series, NANA, Paradise Kiss is the story of a normal girl who wanders into the path of young people with ambition, becomes invested in seeing their dream come true, and must ultimately find her own path to happiness. The Basic Story Yukari Hayasaka is a hardworking high school student who has never been in trouble. Since early childhood her main … [Read more...] about Paradise Kiss 1-5 by Ai Yazawa: A
Solfege by Fumi Yoshinaga: B+
I reviewed this one-shot BL story for the new BL Bookrack feature at Manga Bookshelf. It's less of a romance than it is a character study of a really crappy person, and I liked it all the better for that! You can find that review here. … [Read more...] about Solfege by Fumi Yoshinaga: B+
Don’t Say Any More, Darling by Fumi Yoshinaga: B
I reviewed this collection of short stories, some BL and some not, for the inaugural edition of a new feature at Manga Bookshelf called BL Bookrack. A couple of the stories are really quite weird, but I truly loved the final story, "The Pianist," about an aging musician who has convinced himself he's a "debauched fallen genius" rather than someone who simply didn't have the … [Read more...] about Don’t Say Any More, Darling by Fumi Yoshinaga: B