Reading Pandora Hearts is like mentally treading water. There is so much going on that one is constantly churning the plot waters, trying to stay afloat. It’s not that I’m saying this is a bad thing or that I object to thinking—far from it!—but that I never appreciated episodic lulls so much as when they weren’t around to give me a chance to understand and process what just … [Read more...] about Pandora Hearts 2-5 by Jun Mochizuki
The Prince of Tennis 40-42 by Takeshi Konomi
Although the final three volumes of The Prince of Tennis contain many ridiculous things and are, objectively speaking, really not that good, I still think the story wraps up reasonably well. Volume 40 begins with the tail end of the set between Seishun's captain, Tezuka, and Sanada of the Rikkai team. Tezuka is dragging things out to buy time for absentee Ryoma to arrive, … [Read more...] about The Prince of Tennis 40-42 by Takeshi Konomi
The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit
From the back cover: It's startling enough to have a Phoenix hatch in your house, but even more startling when it reveals you have a magic carpet on the floor. Conceited it may be, but the Phoenix is also good-hearted, and obligingly accompanies the children on their adventures through time and space—which, magic being what it is, rarely turn out as they were … [Read more...] about The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit
Time and Again 6 by JiUn Yun
From the back cover: As war rips through the Tang Dynasty, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake, Baek-On and Ho-Yeon continue to eke out a living as traveling exorcists. While confronting vengeful grudges and putting to rest the lingering spirits of those long dead, Baek-On reflects on the tragic curse that led him to turn his back on the company of the living and follow … [Read more...] about Time and Again 6 by JiUn Yun
A Pair of TOKYOPOP Stragglers
Just when it seemed like none of those May TOKYOPOP titles was going to materialize, Diamond Distributors revealed that it still had a few surprises up its figurative sleeve. Stragglers, originally scheduled for an early May release, began to trickle into comic shops. I managed to acquire several, including two books—volume eight of Happy Cafe and volume three of The Stellar … [Read more...] about A Pair of TOKYOPOP Stragglers