Zen has no memory of the last twenty years, and doesn’t much care. The back cover, with its line “he can’t remember if he’s a killer or a hero,” erroneously leads one to anticipate a story of an amnesiac’s quest for identity. In reality, Blank Slate is all about the action. The story takes place in the country of Amata, which was invaded and conquered in a war two decades … [Read more...] about Blank Slate 1 by Aya Kanno: B-
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High School Debut 2 by Kazune Kawahara: A-
From the back cover: Hapless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing to the male species. Yoh agrees, with one catch: Haruna had better not fall for him! Haruna begins to develop feelings for Fumiya, Yoh's friend. Yoh … [Read more...] about High School Debut 2 by Kazune Kawahara: A-
High School Debut 1 by Kazune Kawahara: A-
From the back cover: Back in junior high, Haruna Nagashima was only interested in two things: softball and manga. Now that she's starting high school, Haruna's focus has changed—she wants to snag a boyfriend and have the romance of her dreams! After blindly following the advice of fashion magazines and the like, Haruna fails to win the eye of any guy. Convinced that a coach … [Read more...] about High School Debut 1 by Kazune Kawahara: A-
Sand Chronicles 3 by Hinako Ashihara: B+
From the back cover: Sweet 16-year-old Ann returns to rural Shimane from Tokyo for the summer, eager to reconnect with her boyfriend Daigo. But will the allure of their close friends—wealthy brother and sister Fuji and Shika—sunder the romantic ties that have bound Ann and Daigo since they were 12? Review: I didn't like this volume quite as much as the first two because it … [Read more...] about Sand Chronicles 3 by Hinako Ashihara: B+
Skip Beat! 14 by Yoshiki Nakamura: A-
From the back cover: Vie Ghoul is the new band burning up the charts by stealing Sho's moves, and Kyoko's hopping mad on his behalf. Kyoko's confrontation with Sho about his lack of action doesn't go as well as she hoped—Sho gets violent, and the frontman for Vie Ghoul gets a good look at Kyoko's demons. And both men seem a little more interested in Kyoko than Ren would … [Read more...] about Skip Beat! 14 by Yoshiki Nakamura: A-