By Koji Kumeta | Volumes 1-8 published by Del Rey, Volumes 9-10 published by Kodansha Comics When I first set out to read Koji Kumeta's Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei, my goal was to finish the first eight volumes in time for Kodansha's June 2011 release of volume nine. You can see how well that worked out. The problem was that this series simply doesn't benefit from a … [Read more...] about Sayonara, Zetsubou-sensei: The Power of Negative Thinking, Vols. 1-10
Del Rey
Arisa 1 by Natsumi Ando
From the back cover: Tsubasa thinks that her pretty and popular twin sister, Arisa, has the perfect life. Everyone at school loves Arisa—unlike the hot-tempered Tsubasa, whose nickname is "the Demon Princess." But when Arisa attempts suicide, Tsubasa learns that her seemingly perfect sister has been keeping some dark secrets. Now Tsubasa is going undercover at school—disguised … [Read more...] about Arisa 1 by Natsumi Ando
Shugo Chara! 1-9 by Peach-Pit
Shugo Chara! has all the basic requirements for a magical girl series: costume changes, loads of sparkles and hearts, and a focus on dreams, believing in one another, and protecting the people one cares about. And yet somehow, it doesn't feel generic at all! The main character is Amu Hinamori, a shy fourth grader who, because of her awkward communication skills, comes off as … [Read more...] about Shugo Chara! 1-9 by Peach-Pit
Let’s Get Visual: Duds
MICHELLE: After a few months of this column, I feel like I'm better able to think critically about the artistic aspect of manga. I expected to be able to better appreciate good art when I see it, but hadn't anticipated that I'd also more readily notice flaws. This month, MJ (of Manga Bookshelf) and I turn our attention to problematic pages or, as I like to call them, "duds." … [Read more...] about Let’s Get Visual: Duds
Fairy Navigator Runa 1 by Miyoko Ikeda and Michiyo Kikuta: C
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