MJ, Danielle Leigh, and I have completed our penultimate (for now!) edition of the NANA Project over at Comics Should Be Good. You can find that post here. Volumes seventeen and eighteen are full of drama, most notably when a tabloid prints a story about Nana's long-lost mother and when Shin, lost after the end of his relationship with Reira, makes a real mess of things and … [Read more...] about NANA Project #9
The Story of Saiunkoku 2 by Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino: B+
From the back cover: Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne'er-do-well ruler to … [Read more...] about The Story of Saiunkoku 2 by Kairi Yura and Sai Yukino: B+
Tidbits: A TOKYOPOP Assortment
TOKYOPOP released a slew of books towards the end of 2010 and quite a few among them are from series I'm either reading or buying and hoarding (as is my wont). In a desperate effort to stay current, I'm tackling some of them in Tidbits format! Alice in the Country of Hearts is up first, with my take on volumes four and five, followed by volumes four through six of Happy Cafe, … [Read more...] about Tidbits: A TOKYOPOP Assortment
Let’s Get Visual: The Verklempt-Makers
MICHELLE: It's time for another installment of Let's Get Visual, the monthly column in which MJ and I attempt to better understand the visual aspects of manga! This month we're looking at scenes that have impacted us emotionally. Personally, I had always assumed that a sympathetic reaction to an emotional scene was due purely to my empathy for the characters and whatever they … [Read more...] about Let’s Get Visual: The Verklempt-Makers
Off the Shelf: Ayako
MJ and I have deviated from our typical Off the Shelf routine to bring you a column devoted entirely to Osamu Tezuka's Ayako. We both agree that the work is problematic in some respects but is nevertheless masterful. You can find that column here. Review copy provided by the publisher. … [Read more...] about Off the Shelf: Ayako