As a first year in high school, Naoyuki Hibino experienced his first love, first kiss, and first sexual experience with an upperclassman named Shinobu Okada. When Shinobu abruptly disappeared after his graduation, Naoyuki was crushed but did his best to forget him. Four years have passed since that time, but when Naoyuki happens to run into Okada, who’s working as a bartender, … [Read more...] about How to Capture a Martini by Makoto Tateno: B+
ZE 4 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
It’s maintenance time for the kami who serve the kotodama users of the Mitou family, which provides an opportunity to introduce some members of the extended family. Volume three dealt primarily with the couple of Genma and Himi, an arc that carries over into the first few chapters of this volume. Himi, who had once been the kami of Genma’s father, protects his new master … [Read more...] about ZE 4 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
Love*Com 15-16 by Aya Nakahara: B-
I used to like Love*Com very much, but as I read these two volumes the main thought going through my mind was, “Just end, already!” End it eventually does, as volume sixteen sees the conclusion of the main story line (the seventeenth and final volume is comprised of short stories) , but before that can happen we must endure more chapters focusing on the supporting cast. … [Read more...] about Love*Com 15-16 by Aya Nakahara: B-
ZE 3 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
From the back cover: When a kotodama-sama dies, his or her kami-sama—a healer made of living paper—typically chooses to die as well, returning to a blank state as "hakushi." But when Himi's master passes away, a deep sense of obligation forces him to choose another path. Instead, Himi becomes kami-sama for his master's estranged son, Genma. Genma is everything Himi's former … [Read more...] about ZE 3 by Yuki Shimizu: C+
Banana Fish 2 by Akimi Yoshida: A-
From the back cover: When Dino arranges Ash's frame-up for the murder of a man he had motive to kill twenty times over, an "accident" behind bars is on the agenda. But in the same prison is Max Lobo, a journalist himself on the trail of the enigma code-named Banana Fish... Review: After reading more of Banana Fish, I wonder why I ever thought it was slow. The second volume is … [Read more...] about Banana Fish 2 by Akimi Yoshida: A-