Stop me if you've heard this one before. There's this clumsy, kind-hearted girl who learns she's really a princess and... Oh. You've stopped me. When the female protagonist of a series is “a completely uncoordinated fourth grader,” you just know you’re dealing with a magical girl story. Fairy Navigator Runa is an unoriginal example of the genre, starring a clumsy but … [Read more...] about Fairy Navigator Runa 1 by Miyoko Ikeda and Michiyo Kikuta: C
Reviews
Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning 1-3 by Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno: B
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
Yokan 1: Premonition by Makoto Tateno: B-
Akira is the lead singer of a visual kei band and has somewhat of an attitude. He doesn’t care about the fans’ enjoyment, only his own, and refuses to sing anything he didn’t write himself. That is, until he overhears mainstream entertainer Hiroya Sunaga singing one of his own compositions. For the first time, Akira’s obsessed by someone else’s music and makes it his mission to … [Read more...] about Yokan 1: Premonition by Makoto Tateno: B-
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+
Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono: B+
Twenty-one-year-old Nicoletta arrives in Rome with the intention of confronting her absentee mother, Olga, and revealing the fact of her existence to Olga’s husband, Lorenzo, who had believed his wife to be childless. Instead, she becomes entranced by her mother’s world and ultimately finds a place in it. Olga and Lorenzo run a restaurant, and though the food is excellent, … [Read more...] about Ristorante Paradiso by Natsume Ono: B+