Bun-Nyuh never wanted to be the proprietor of an antique shop, but made a bet with her grandmother that if she managed to sell all of the mystical merchandise she’d be allowed to pursue her goal of attending university instead of following family tradition and becoming a shaman. The bulk of the series has focused on episodic tales of the items Bun-Nyuh and her enigmatic … [Read more...] about The Antique Gift Shop 9 by Lee Eun: B-
Comics
Shinobi Life 3 by Shoko Conami: B+
Beni Fujiawara’s dreams of pursuing a relationship with her ninja bodyguard from the past, Kagetora, are thwarted when her father announces that he has arranged her marriage to Rihito Iwatsuru, a classmate with an agenda of his own who is not adverse to hurting Kagetora when he gets in his way. As volume three begins, Beni has agreed to go out with Iwatsuru in exchange for him … [Read more...] about Shinobi Life 3 by Shoko Conami: B+
Shinobi Life 2 by Shoko Conami: B
From the back cover: Beni convinces Kagetora to go back with her to the future—as a student! Everything is going fine until they meet a strange and mysterious classmate, Iwatsuru. As Kagetora and Beni's interest in one another blossoms, Beni's father reminds Kagetora that he is only a mere bodyguard and nothing more! What's worse, he reveals that he has already arranged for … [Read more...] about Shinobi Life 2 by Shoko Conami: B
The Lizard Prince 1 by Asuka Izumi: B-
From the back cover: Canary is the princess of the kingdom of Linaria. Her father, the king, has promised her hand in marriage to Heath, the handsome prince of the kingdom of Gazania. Canary isn't crazy about this, because Heath has a bad reputation. The Prince has his own reservations, and gets his brother Sienna to pose as him on their first date, convinced he'll drive her … [Read more...] about The Lizard Prince 1 by Asuka Izumi: B-
Case Closed 4-5 by Gosho Aoyama: B
I find that one has to be in a certain mood for Case Closed. If one's not into it, its episodic nature and the knowledge that even 60 volumes in, Conan's secret still hasn't been discovered can be annoyances. If you're in the mood for a short mystery, though, the series can be a lot of fun. Five cases of varying lengths get solved over the span of these two volumes. There's … [Read more...] about Case Closed 4-5 by Gosho Aoyama: B