“What is the difference between me and humans?” asks Odette, android creation of Professor Yoshizawa, two weeks into her existence. It’s a question that continues to puzzle her and one day, after seeing some schoolgirls on TV, she stuns the professor by telling him she wants to go to high school. The principal takes some convincing, and Odette’s required to keep her true nature … [Read more...] about Karakuri Odette 1 by Julietta Suzuki: B+
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CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk by Sekou Hamilton and Steven Cummings: C
As part of the Las Vegas Police Department’s Outreach Program for high school students, five teenagers earn the right to serve as interns to the CSI unit. Among them is Kiyomi Hudson, who is intrigued by the murder of a classmate, Gretchen Yates. While she and her fellow interns—a creepy guy, a nerdy guy, a jock, and a rather jerky normal guy—perform their normal internly … [Read more...] about CSI: Intern at Your Own Risk by Sekou Hamilton and Steven Cummings: C
Wild Adapter 1-6 by Kazuya Minekura: A-
I've heard a lot about the works of Kazuya Minekura over the years—mostly in praise of Saiyuki and Saiyuki Reload—but was never particularly tempted to see what all the fuss was about. That changed when MJ, who has uniformly good taste, raved about Wild Adapter on her blog back in June, and was immediately greeted with a chorus of agreement from other trustworthy sources. The … [Read more...] about Wild Adapter 1-6 by Kazuya Minekura: A-
Takeru: Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil 1-2 by Kazuki Nakashima and Karakarakemuri: B
Upon a string of islands known as Oyashima, a country called Amamikado is attempting to assert its dominance by sword and by spell, the tales of its brutality making for easy victories over the frightened populace. The only nation able to oppose the Amamikado onslaught is Jagara, renowned for its warrior women and fabled to have on its side the legendary Sword of Susanoh. As … [Read more...] about Takeru: Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil 1-2 by Kazuki Nakashima and Karakarakemuri: B
Kare Kano 11-12 by Masami Tsuda: B-
One thing that Kare Kano does differently from a lot of shoujo manga is that it puts its side stories about the main couple's friends in the middle of the series rather than the end. That might be a disruptive and frustrating choice if one is consuming the story rapidly—the "Dark Arima" arc has been left hanging since the end of volume nine—but for someone like me, who hasn't … [Read more...] about Kare Kano 11-12 by Masami Tsuda: B-