After the revelations in volume eight, the world of Vampire Knight goes—please pardon my indelicacy, but this is really the only way to put it—batshit crazy. Pureblood vampire Rido Kuran (our villain) completes his resurrection and summons his followers to him. Said followers feel no compunction about snacking on the day class students of Cross Academy, so the noble vampires … [Read more...] about Vampire Knight 9 by Matsuri Hino: C+
VIZ
New Shojo Beat Licenses?
These VIZ licenses may not be new to some, but they were to me! This evening, while perusing the Amazon listings for Beast Master, by Kyousuke Motomi, my friend and fellow manga blogger Jennifer Dunbar noticed a listing for Dengeki Daisy by the same creator with a July 2010 release date. I checked the Simon & Schuster site, and sure enough, there it is! Dengeki … [Read more...] about New Shojo Beat Licenses?
Kaze Hikaru 9-11 by Taeko Watanabe: A-
Beware: spoilers ahead. I have come to the conclusion that Kaze Hikaru is not only worth owning—as opposed to borrowing it from the library, which is what I’ve been doing up until now—but is also pure evil (in the very best way, of course). Volume nine begins with a reorganization of the Shinsengumi that sees Sei reassigned from active patrolling to a position taking care of … [Read more...] about Kaze Hikaru 9-11 by Taeko Watanabe: A-
Sexy Voice and Robo by Iou Kuroda: A-
From the back cover: Working part-time as a telephone-dating operator, Nico Hayashi has plenty of clients eager to engage her in titillating conversation. But what her customers don't know is this: the person they're flirting with is really a fourteen-year-old junior high school girl with a secret agenda. On the phone she's known as Sexy Voice. But, really, she's more than a … [Read more...] about Sexy Voice and Robo by Iou Kuroda: A-
Slam Dunk 8 by Takehiko Inoue: B+
After an admirable performance in an exhibition game against a tough rival, the Shohoku High basketball team is ready to get back to practice, but a gang of thugs with a grudge against team member Ryota Miyagi makes that impossible. They invade the court with the intent of starting a brawl that’ll get the Shohoku team disqualified from competition. Just when the thugs have been … [Read more...] about Slam Dunk 8 by Takehiko Inoue: B+