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Posts Tagged Del Rey

Review: Air Gear (Vol. 12)


Manga-ka: Oh!Great
Publisher: DelRey
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: May 2009

Synopsis: “Ikki is now one of the most famous Air treck stars in the world, but not everyone believes in his talents: The Internet is buzzing with haters and critics, and Team Trident, Kansai’s leading Air treck team, is burning to challenge him. Can Ikki prove he has what it takes to make it to the top?”

Oh, Air Gear, I want to keep on loving you with the same eagerness I always have, but sometimes I just can’t seem to muster up the energy to care at certain points. Sure, you have the same high-octave action sequences and gorgeous artwork, but the nitty-gritty sciences of how the rocket-powered roller blades work gets a little tedious at times.

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Mini Review: XXXHolic (Vol. 13)


XXXHolic (Vol. 13) – CLAMP
Published by DelRey

The bulk of XXXHolic‘s thirteenth volume keeps its focus on Kohane, the young pychic driven to perform despite the relentless hounding of skeptics by her Mother. While previous volumes with Kohane have disappointed slightly in their deviation from focus on Watanuki, here in the eleventh book all the tension that’s building surrounding Kohane and her Mother comes full circle in a climatic resolution.

Kohane herself is an adorable character and one that invokes a great deal of sympathy for her rushed maturity and daily emotional hardships. Despite Watanuki and Domeki rushing to her aid, everything collapses when she exposes her Mother on live television leading to some violent confrontations. From these moments of uncertainity to Kohane’s later reflection and tears, there were no pages that didn’t make me feel something, be it the want to shake the book in hopes of detaching Kohane’s Mother from her vice-grip on an already injured daughter, to wiping away a tear when Kohane finally has a chance at happiness.

But it isn’t all deviation from Watanuki, especially after previous events have left him in flux with his own perception of existence. Here he truely begins to understand his position, or at least give it more considered thought, and it leads to him realizing just what exactly in life is important to him, including his faith in Domeki. It was a little sad seeing Watanuki’s melancholy expressions lamenting what he stands to lose, but then the moments where Domeki’s intentional badgering to get a distracted rise out of him becomes all the more appreciated.

All of this combined with some exquistely delivered plot revelations guaranteed to keep readers eagerly awaiting future volumes, and the gorgeous stylized simplicity of CLAMP’s artwork, XXXHolic continues to be one of my favorite manga series currently running. The mystisism remains suspenseful, the characters entertaining and the emotions never short of moving.

Review written April 4, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book purchased instore from Chapters


Review: Aventura (Vol. 03)


Manga-ka: Shin Midorikawa
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: February 2009

Synopsis: “Life at the Gaius School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is never dull – and often it’s dangerous. Chris Cottenburg, a High Elf, was a student of magic until calamity struck. Now his life-giving crystal has gone missing and Professor Arshes must undertake a perilous journey to save his student – a journey deep into the shadows of Chris’s soul!”

Aventura continues the lives of several young students during their days learning magic and swordsmanship in the Gaius School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Though some bumpy storytelling continues to plague this otherwise charming fantasy series, a little ways into this book the pacing smoothes itself out and just in time to take the plot on an easier-to-follow linear path with some abrupt turn of events.

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Review: Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei (Vol. 01)


Manga-ka: Koji Kumeta
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: February 2009

Synopsis: “Nozomu Itoshiki is depressed. Very depressed. He’s certifiably suicidal, but he’s also the beloved schoolteacher of a class of unique students, each charming in her own way: The stalker. The shut-in. The obsessive-compulsive. The girl who comes to class every day with strange bruises. And Kafuka, the most optimistic girl in the world, who knows that every cloud has a silver lining. For all of them, it’s a special time, when the right teacher can have a lasting positive effect on their lives. But is that teacher Itoshiki, a.k.a. Zetbubou-sensei, who just wants to find the perfect place to die?”

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: another in the long line of popular recent animes that I kept hearing a million things about. Not being not being much of an anime watcher these days, I was fairly content to sit back and let another apparently epic fad past me by. But, when Del Rey licensed the manga, I was presented with the opportunity to finally see what the – admittedly amusing-sounding – story of a suicidal teacher and his class of weird students, was really all about.

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Review: The Reformed


Author: Christopher Hart
Artist: ANZU
Publisher: Del Rey
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis: “Handsome, wealthy, respected, Giancarlo has lived for hundreds of years, surrounded in splendour, shrouded in darkness, and enslaved by the insatiable hunger lurking inside him. In the glittering ballrooms where the privileged gather, he moves with cool elegance. But in the desolate alleys where the undead feed, he preys with murderous intent. Immortality is his, but love never will be – only an eternity of loneliness, filled with the blood of innocent victims. But Jenny won’t be one of them. Something about this beautiful young woman stirs feelings in Giancarlo that he hasn’t known in centuries.”

The Reformed is a one-shot story of Giancarlo, a vampire of high social class who finds his prey on the night streets. One evening he saves a woman named Jenny from an attacker, only to find himself, an immortal bloodthirsty monster, in love with her.

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Review: Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (Vol. 20)


Manga-ka: CLAMP
Publisher: DelRey
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: January 2009

Synopsis: “The princess has been betrayed and her body sent to Fai’s frozen home world of Seresu. In order to follow Sakura, the wrecked remains of the band of travellers must pay their price to the witch. And once they arrive, Fai will have to confront the one he’s been fleeing – and the horrific truth of his past!”

Volume twenty of Tsubasa is a big eye-opener for the series as readers learn just how layered all these overlapping foreshadowed plans really are. After the dramatic climax of the last volume, the characters have a lot to deal with, and even more to take in, when Yuuko appears before them to help explain what transpired. The series continues to delve into darker and darker territory with some disturbing revelations about Fai’s past and their climatic effect on his life now (and the lives of his companions). With a new perspective and altered task at hand, that which remains of the title crew bands together to travel to Fai’s country.

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More on Amazon, Remove List Continues to Predict

More from Amazon.ca today, this time with the majority coming from Tokyopop. Usual disclaimer: Until officially announced by companies, all listed here remain speculation only.

Mad Love ChaseMikansei No. 1 (Vol. 01) – Majiko!

Maria Holic (Vol. 01) – Endo Minari
By the artist of Tokyopop’s currently released series, Dazzle.

Mad Love Chase (Vol. 01) – Kazusa Takashima
With the original title Harlem Beat wa Yoake Made, Made Love Chase is a five-volume shoujo series by the boys’ love famed artist known for her popular series Wild Rock and Man’s Best Friend (both published under Tokyopop’s BLU imprint). Undoubtedly my favourite find of the day :)

And anyone remember my post back in October 2008, License Fortune Telling… But Not Really? Well as of today that list of crossed out licenses has gotten six titles shorter. Only a few left on there now that have yet to be announced or spotted as listings (which remember are not 100% definitive). Titles now crossed off:

.hack//Alcor – Kanami Amou
Ashita no Yoichi – Minamoto Yuu
Harlem Beat wa Toaki Made – Kazusa Takashima
Haru Hana – Kazumi Yuana
Karakuri Odette – Suzuki Julietta
Metal Heart – Yoon Jae Ho

Other listings of interest that popped up today were one for Tokyopop’s recently announced Domo manga project, which looks to have Clint Bickham, one of Tokyopop’s previous winners of the Rising Stars of Manga competition, as atleast one of its artists. Del Rey’s upcoming OEL adaptation of Bakugan Brawlers has Kriss Sison listed as illustator.


New from BLU, Not Just For Us Canadians

MadnessA couple more new listings have popped up on Amazon.ca today, suggesting a few more licenses to go along with those I pointed out from Digital Manga the other day.

First off though, I wanted to remind my readers that while Amazon listings are a good indication of a company’s intent to release something, it is not a sure thing. Also, as brought to mind by Snow over at Fujoshi Librarian, it hadn’t occured to me that there’d be confusion for people over why Amazon.ca has these listings while Amazon.com does not.

Simply put, listings on different countries’ Amazon merely reflects who updated first. Each site is, as far as I know, managed differently and updated seperately. In my experience, Amazon.ca tends to have its new listings up much faster and more frequently than its American counterpart, Amazon.com. So, along with where I go to order some of my books, it’s also the first place I look for new listings. It does not mean that “only Canada is going to get it!”. It’s just a matter of what site posted the new information first.

That said, here’re a few new-to-my-knowledge titles:

Madness (BLU)
Shimotsuki Kairi

Liberty Liberty! (BLU)
Hinako Takanaga

Taimashin Demon Hunters (DMP)
Hideyuki Kikuchi/Shin Yong-Gwan

There’s also listings for two OEL books. First from DelRey is Ben 10 the Manga, based on the television show and illustrated by the artist of Tokyopop’s Gyakushu, Dan Hipp. It was originally announced back in Sepetember 2008. (Second OEL book has been removed by publisher request).

BLU’s apparent new titles definitely excite me the most, but that might have something to do with the fact I’m a huge Hinako Takanaga fan and someone who’s waited a long time to read Shimotsuki Kairi’s Madness. It’s also nice to see that DelRey is going through with an original Ben 10 manga as they originally planned instead of just sticking with the screenshot-cut-and-paste version that’s due out a few months before it.


Mini Review: Air Gear (Vol. 11)


Air Gear (Vol. 11) – Oh!Great
Published by DelRey

While I continue to love Air Gear to pieces, some parts just feel like they’re dragged on too long and this book suffers from several of those moments. Ikki’s teammates are believably concerned (and enraged) as his sudden shift in attitude after a recent triumphant victory has placed him in a very powerful potential position.

This volume works to build up the tension between the teammates while ultimately setting up their new direction on the path to the top of the Air Trekking world. As usual, newly introduced characters are nothing short of entertaining, in both story and design, but its the return of some old faces that really give this volume its spark. The split-personality bearing youth Agito/Akito remains my favorite character, not only because he so entertainingly switches between sadistic hard-ass to adorably ambiguous sweetheart, but because I feel he’s really one of the most rounded characters in the series, further emphasized here by another confrontation with his brother.

While not one of the stronger volumes, volume 11 of Air Gear still manages to leave enough zing intact to leave me looking forward to more of its high-flying action and exceptional artwork in releases to come.

Review written February 10, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book purchased in-store from Chapters


Saturday at NYCC 2009

While I usually wait until a con’s end to post an overview of the manga news, some exciting announcements (okay, one inparticular) have left me too over-eager for that this time! I have Twitter to thank for that, @MangaCast and @DebAoki inparticular, who via dedicated posting, I’m able to read all the fun stuff as it happens! What’s better than that for those of us who couldn’t make it?

So thus far at New York Comic Con we’ve had a bunch of new manga  announcements:

You can just tell this is gonna be cute. Tokyopop announced that they’re adapting the NHK mascot, Domo, into a full-colour manga due out in September. No word yet on whose writing or drawn it though. They’re also holding a contest for artists to have their fanart featured in the book though as is customary for TP, the contest it open to residents of the US only.

Bandai Entertainment informs fans that they’ve acquired the license to “all” the Gundam 00 manga, including spin-offs and light novels.

CMX has confirmed some titles that Amazon exposed in December, such as Broken Blade and King of Debris.

Del Rey has gotten their hands on Four-Eyed Prince by Wataru Mizukami, Only One Wish by Mia Ikumi and You Higuri’s manga adaptation of the anime series, Night Head Genesis. As another anime series I found interesting, but ultimately dull due to the fact that animes need to try a million times harder to maintain my attention, I really look forward to You Higuri’s version (and no complaints to more of her work in general!).

And finally, Yen Press has announced that it’s licensed the Spice and Wolf manga, Park JinJun’s supernatural mahnwa Raiders,  Crescent Moon Story –a yaoi by Fujiyama Hyouta – and, the most long-awaited yet still surprising news, the license rescue of the well-loved and ridicuously charming, Yotsuba&! ! They’ll be picking up where ADV Manga left off with the sixth volume due out this coming September.


Take me back to the top!