Cut for spoilers! From the back cover: Hachi tells herself that she's got her eye on the future and her life with Takumi, but she just can't let go of the past and her friendship with Nana and the rest of Blast—especially Nobu. And the tangle gets thicker when Hachi's wedding has to be postponed in favor of Nana and Ren's nuptials. Can Hachi handle another delay in her … [Read more...] about NANA 12 by Ai Yazawa: A
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Black Cat 15-17 by Kentaro Yabuki: B
The last time I reviewed Black Cat, I said, “There are six volumes left of this series, and if they’re comprised of a huge epic battle between the sweepers and Creed and his goons, I think I could be quite happy indeed.” Well, I was wrong. Oh, my prediction as to the contents of these volumes was correct, but I wouldn't describe myself as “quite happy” with the results. Not … [Read more...] about Black Cat 15-17 by Kentaro Yabuki: B
Saturn Apartments 1 by Hisae Iwaoka: B+
In this low-key, dystopic sci-fi story, a boy named Mitsu takes up his missing father’s occupation as a window washer in the hopes that it will yield answers about his disappearance, or maybe just life in general. Humanity has vacated Earth. They were not, however, willing to move too far away from their former home, now declared a vast nature preserve, and have instead … [Read more...] about Saturn Apartments 1 by Hisae Iwaoka: B+
Banana Fish 5-6 by Akimi Yoshida: A-
I've always been intrigued by Ash Lynx, the lead character in Banana Fish, but suddenly I feel like I understand him so much better after reading these two volumes. We begin with Ash and friends still in Los Angeles at the home of Dr. Alexis Dawson, one of the creators of Banana Fish. When Ash and Max are drawn away by a threat against Max’s family, Chinese mafia member … [Read more...] about Banana Fish 5-6 by Akimi Yoshida: A-
Claymore 1-2 by Norihigo Yago: B+
With the ability to take over human bodies and blend in with ordinary people, monsters known as yoma have a (relatively) easy time finding humans to feed upon. The only weapons humans have against them are the “Claymores,” humans who have taken yoma flesh and blood into their own bodies in order to gain the power to defeat the monsters. Only females are able to successfully … [Read more...] about Claymore 1-2 by Norihigo Yago: B+