The first volume of Cross Game (well, the first collected volume from VIZ, which includes the first three volumes of the Japanese version) introduced the characters and established the motivation for average boy Ko Kitamura to devote himself to becoming a good enough pitcher to reach the Koshien tournament. It’s very good, but there’s little actual baseball. Volumes two and … [Read more...] about Cross Game 2-3 by Mitsuru Adachi
VIZ
Breaking Down Banana Fish – The Final Installment
On one hand, it seems like ages ago that the Banana Fish project started at Manga Bookshelf. When I think of some of what happened in early volumes—the death of Ash's friend, Skip, and the single kiss he shared with Eiji to pass him some information tucked into a pill—it seems like the distant past. And yet, I can't quite believe that we've finally reached the end! I think I … [Read more...] about Breaking Down Banana Fish – The Final Installment
Hikaru no Go 21-23 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
Nearly seven years after it began, the English edition of Hikaru no Go has finally reached the final volume. I was originally both curious and skeptical about the final arc of the series, in which Hikaru and long-time rival Akira Toya represent Japan in the first Hokuto Cup (against China and Korea), but this was mostly because I’d liked where the anime chose to bring the … [Read more...] about Hikaru no Go 21-23 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata
Maison Ikkoku 10-15 by Rumiko Takahashi
Maison Ikkoku is a series I've been meaning to read for a decade now. I watched a lot of the anime, and got up to volume nine in the manga a few years ago, but it took an MMF dedicated to Rumiko Takahashi to finally concentrate my determination sufficiently to conquer the final six volumes. Since I am writing specifically about the end of the series, and the methods Takahashi … [Read more...] about Maison Ikkoku 10-15 by Rumiko Takahashi
Please Save My Earth at The Hooded Utilitarian
For our second joint venture at The Hooded Utilitarian, MJ and I take a look at the sci-fi shoujo classic, Please Save My Earth. Summarizing a series this long is a daunting undertaking, but MJ does an admirable job: "Please Save My Earth is a 21-volume soft sci-fi epic about seven Japanese children (six teenagers and one elementary school student) who discover that they are … [Read more...] about Please Save My Earth at The Hooded Utilitarian