Manga-ka: Chaco Abeno
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “In the throes of his first love, Kentarou Sawai can’t even count on beginner’s luck to get him closer to Karen Toguin, the girl of his dreams. When he spontaneously enrolls in Karen’s high school just to be closer to her, his hopes are crushed when it turns out she’s on a leave of absence! Now poor, luckless Kentarou is stuck in a dorm full of girls who aren’t Karen and insist on pushing Kentarou to the brink of insanity! Can Kentarou hold on to his love for Karen, or will his new living experience make him swear off all women for good?!”

I think the first thing that really grabbed my attention about this book was the art. It’s fairly standard to the manga style, but it’s incredibly clean and crisp, which is always nice to see. The book is laid out very nicely, with each episodic chapter easy to read. Sadly, though, there isn’t a whole lot of plot to drive this story. It’s based on stereotypical gimmicks and situations that are, again, standard in the genre.

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Manga-ka: Peach-Pit
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “Z-Loan’s forced to duke it out with A-Loan to see who can earn ten million yen first! But just as the challenge gets underway, the illegal zombies are nowhere to be found! Just what is going on!? Michiru hones her Shinigami Eyes under Zarame’s tutelage as faces from the past make sudden appearances, with some even joining the team! When the illegal zombies finally show up on school grounds, A-Loan and Z-Loan find themselves locked in and fighting side by side. Can they actually cooperate with one another? And who’ll get the money first!?”

The story takes an interesting turn here in the sixth volume of Zombie Loan, as we discover that Z-Loan now has some competition which opened up right across the street: A-Loan! And to make matters worse, with the new trio of legal zombies out there collecting bounties, they are presented with a most alarming challenge. If they aren’t able to raise ten million yen by the end of the month, the entire Z-Loan will go under.

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Zombie Loan (Vol. 05) – Peach-Pit
Published by Yen Press

Here we have another installment in an interesting series, Zombie Loan. Though, as much as I have been enjoying the story, occasionally I have to take a minute to really look at the art. I do honestly enjoy the style of the series, but sometimes it’s a little inconsistent and the faces can become lopsided. Overall, though, it does seem far more balanced than the previous volume.

As for the story itself, our heroes have found where their friend and companion Shito is being held and have, of course, started busting zombie heads to go in and valiantly rescue him. Chika is his usual self when it comes to facing Shito, and though he does help his partner out, he does a half-assed job of it that is somehow his way of showing affection. Though the group does manage to find victory against the most recent enemy, Yoshizumi, it does end on a sad note.

While the members of Z-Loan celebrate with drinks and karaoke, we are given the chance to see a little bit more about just what Bekkou does. Remembering his true job as a ferryman, it’s actually quite interesting to see him interact with his coworkers. Not only does the plot thicken as they meet to speak about the recent surge of illegal zombies, but at the very end of the volume a surprising twist is given that is sure to give Michiru and the rest of Z-Loan crew trouble for the next volume!

Review written April 13, 2009 by Gizmo
Book provided by Yen Press for review purposes

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