Kuriousity | manga reviews and news

Posts Tagged Shonen Jump

Review: Bleach (Vol. 33)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, December 2, 2010

2 Comments »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kubo Tite
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2010

Synopsis: “Ichigo’s mission to rescue his friend Orihime from the Hollow world has turned into a struggle for survival against a succession of enemies, each one more powerful than the next. Now another vicious challenger has entered the fray, one that happens to know the startling truth about Ichigo’s new friend Nel!”

Just when you thought the multi-volume long fight between Ichigo and Grimmjow was over… you’d discover you were right this time. But that’s only to make room for the next opponent, the toothy Nnoitora, who wastes no time jumping in to tear apart what’s left of our main character. Though it still feels painfully drawn at out at times, an assortment of just-abouts or why-don’t-theys, this thirty-third volume still manages to impress more than those recently before it by delivering a few surprises and some blows too brutal to be ignored. Warning: Review contains spoilers for the volume.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Bleach, Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Bleach (Vol. 32)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, September 16, 2010

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Tite Kubo
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: September 2010

Synopsis: “After healing Ichigo’s terrible wounds so that he can face the diabolic Grimmjow at full strength, Orihime must watch from the sidelines as the two battle. Orihime tries to convince herself that Ichigo will be all right, but she can’t help but be worried about him. And when Grimmjow taunts Ichigo into releasing his Hollow self, her confidence in her friend begins to waver.”

Bleach’s bulk cast members are set aside in this thirty-second volume as the stage is set upon by lead hero Ichigo and biggest-personality bad guy, Grimmjow. Alas to fans of Uryuu, Chad, Renji or the other Shinigami but there’s still some reason to feel some excitement as the injuries start tallying and the blood starts to boil. Not to mention it’s about darn time they got to it.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Bleach, Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: One Piece (Vol. 51)

By Shannon Fay on Tuesday, August 24, 2010

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Eiichiro Oda
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2010

Synopsis: “Camie the mermaid offers to take Luffy and the crew to Fish-Man Island if they’ll help rescue her boss Hachi from the notorious Flying Fish Riders. Ignoring all of the warning signs (hint: her boss sounds suspiciously like an old enemy!), the crew agrees to help their mermaid friend, only to end up losing Camie to the kidnappers too!”

An alternative title for One Piece vol.51 could be “How to Write a 50+ Manga Series.” In this volume Oda reintroduces characters from over a dozen volumes ago and also weaves in new ones who have strange but important ties to the main cast. It’s amazing how easily both the old and new characters are able to slip into the story. The huge cast highlights how big and real the world of One Piece feels. While of course the main cast is always caught up in some adventure, the side characters have lives and goals of their own that continue even after they’ve left the main story.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, One Piece, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Yakitate!! Japan (Vol. 23)

By Andre Paploo on Monday, July 19, 2010

2 Comments »

Reviewer: Andre

Manga-ka: Takashi Hashiguchi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2010

Synopsis: “Young Yamatoya, a spoiled brat with a thing for bread, is back – and this time he’s trying to buy a job as a bread judge. But when master taster Kuro-san decides to teach him a lesson about hard work, Yamatoya realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Later, Azuma’s team Pantasia is in a bind when their next opponent in the “Yakitate!! Japan” baking competition turns out to be an old rival who’s caught in the grip of a powerful mind-controlling substance: miso bread!”

Yakitate Japan offers some signature Shonen Sunday-brand humour, adding a dash of whimsical absurdity to the realm of cooking manga, with its strange yet involving tale of youths struggling to be the best bread-makers in all of Japan. This volume is well into the series, yet is quite accessible to new readers, piquing my curiosity to check out more of this offbeat bakery comic.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Shonen Jump, Shonen Sunday, Viz Media

Review: One Piece (Vol. 50)

By Shannon Fay on Thursday, July 8, 2010

3 Comments »

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Eiichiro Oda
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2010

Synopsis: “The Straw Hats are in a desperate battle against time and Gecko Moria to get their shadows back before dawn. Gecko Moria unleashes his devasting power of a thousand shadows, but Luffy counters back with his “Gear” powers. To save his crew, will Luffy have to make the ultimate sacrifice?”

Part of One Piece’s charm is its madcap, anything-goes mix of adventure and comedy. The plot sounds like something an eight-year-old might come up with between swigs of Red Bull: our cast of heroic pirates run into one of the seven warlords of the sea, Gecko Moria, a bad guy who steals the crews’ shadows in order to become more powerful. If they don’t get their shadows back before the sun comes up, they’ll die. With the sun starting to peek over the horizon, Luffy engages Moria in a no-holds brawl in order to save his friends – and that’s just the first couple of chapters! The rest of the book packs in a fight between swordsman Zolo and warlord Kuma, the tragic back-story of a musical skeleton named Brook, and the introduction of a new storyline involving a mermaid and an undersea island. All that and the crazy comedy and action One Piece is known for.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, One Piece, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Bleach (Vol. 30)

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, March 6, 2010

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kubo Tite
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: March 2010

Synopsis: “Ichigo and his friends are moving ever closer to the center of Hueco Mundo and rescuing Orihime. But their battles against the Arrancars are testing them in ways they never thought possible. Can they keep their honor in a world where it doesn’t exist, or will Hueco Mundo leave an indelible mark on their souls?!”

With a split-off cast and an unknown amount of bad-guys around every corner, it’s apparent that things are well in place for a string of confrontational battles. This shonen-standard does spell potential disaster in terms of being repetitive but thus far Bleach is keeping this Heuco Mundo arc engaging with fast-paced, overlapping battles that play off the traits of each character.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Bleach, Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Yu-Gi-Oh! R (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, January 7, 2010

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Akira Ito
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2009

Synopsis: “It’s been many duels since Yugi defeated Maxmilion Pegasus, the super-rich designer of the collectible card game “Duel Monsters.” But Yako Tenma, Pegasus’ protégé, has never forgiven Yugi for his master’s horrible fate. To draw Yugi out, Yako kidnaps Anzu Mazaki and takes her to the heart of the Kaibacorp building, guarded by dozens of the world’s most dangerous gamers! But Yako’s true plan for Anzu is much worse than mere revenge…”

There’s a very classic overtone to this entire story, emphasized by the constant character reinforcement. Friendship, loyalty, honesty and hard work are all pushed hard. The repetitive nature leaves the characters feeling a little flat but the innocence of the message and the straightforward nature of its delivery makes it pretty empowering. It’s classic shonen strength at its best – promoting all that good moral stuff as the good guys fight the bad guys in a predominantly black and white structure.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Bleach (Vol. 29)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, December 17, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kubo Tite
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “Ichigo and his friends knew invading Hueco Mundo wouldn’t be easy, but even the lesser Arrancars are pushing to their limits. Can Ichigo, Uryu and Chad find the inner strength to overcome the first line of attack, or will Orihime be stuck in Hueco Mundo forever?!”

Our team of heroes have embarked into the proverbial lion’s den. Out to save Orihime, who remains notably absent throughout the volume, the group splits up to cover more ground. It’s no surprise then though that each character suddenly finds themselves face to face with an adversary all to themselves.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Bleach, Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Cowa!

By Shannon Fay on Friday, October 2, 2009

1 Comment »

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Akira Toriyama
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: July 2008

Synopsis: “Paifu, a half-vampire half-were-koala, is always getting into trouble with his best buddy, José the ghost. But when the Monster Flu sweeps through town, the fun and games are over. If the monsters don’t get the medicine soon, everyone will die! With all the adults sick, it’s up to the kids to save the day! Paifu and José are off on a big adventure, but will they get the medicine in time… or will they become victims themselves?!”

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that the creator of the ultra-violent Dragon Ball Z can also do cute and funny. What’s really surprising is how well he does it. Cowa! Is basically Yotsuba&! If the kids were monsters, and if that doesn’t sound great than I don’t know what else to tell you.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Bleach (Vol. 28)

By Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, September 24, 2009

2 Comments »

Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kubo Tite
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Ichigo, Chad and Uryû are determined to rescue Orihime from Aizen’s vile machinations. But though the Arrancars’ fortress is in sight, the would-be heroes must first pass Tres Cifras–the land of the disgraced Arrancars, who see destroying Ichigo and his friends as a way to redeem their honor!”

Cue the next damsel-rescue quest. Ichigo, Chad and Ishida have made their way into the world of the Hollows and their volumes of training are finally being put to the test. With new powers requiring exposition, and an entire world of potential new characters, the lead cast takes their official plunge into Bleach’s next giant battle arc.

Share on Tumblr

Categories: Reviews
Tags: Bleach, Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media