When a manga’s back cover features the lines “She's a hot robot in high school! What's the worst that could happen?” one might be forgiven for expecting some sort of titillating romp to ensue. In reality, Karakuri Odette is about as far from that as it’s possible to get. Odette is the crowning achievement of her creator, the genius roboticist Professor Yoshizawa, and when she … [Read more...] about Karakuri Odette 4-5 by Julietta Suzuki: A-
Sci-Fi
Bokurano: Ours 1-2 by Mohiro Kitoh: B
Fifteen kids—most of them, except for one boy’s kid sister, in 7th grade—are taking part in a summer program called “Seaside Friendship and Nature School.” Chafing at the instruction to go out and observe nature, the kids decide to explore a nearby cave, where they inexplicably discover a computer lab and a strange guy who calls himself Kokopelli. Kokopelli tells the kids … [Read more...] about Bokurano: Ours 1-2 by Mohiro Kitoh: B
BLAME! 1-10 by Tsutomu Nihei: B+
While I do my best to appreciate manga art, I generally do not choose to read a particular series solely because of it. The exception to this is BLAME!, a ten-volume series by Tsutomu Nihei that boasts “an endless labyrinth of cyberdungeons filled with concrete and steel.” Thinking that sounded pretty durn awesome, and prepared to encounter an occasionally incomprehensible … [Read more...] about BLAME! 1-10 by Tsutomu Nihei: B+
Planetes 1-3 by Makoto Yukimura: B+
Planetes is the story of Hachirota Hoshino, dubbed “Hachimaki” by his crewmates for his propensity to wear a headband (hachimaki), who dreams of earning enough fame and fortune to buy his own spaceship and achieve complete freedom. As the series begins, however, he’s part of a crew of “extraplanetary sanitation workers” who clean up space debris. The first volume introduces … [Read more...] about Planetes 1-3 by Makoto Yukimura: B+
Darker Than Black by BONES, et al.: C+
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+