Manga-ka: Ryo Saenagi
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: July 2006

Synopsis: “Shima is a jack-of-all-trades who can solve any problem that’s presented to him. When he’s approached by Kaori, a super-hot teenage model who’s being followed by a mysterious figure known as “The Snowman”, the two team up to catch the stone-cold stalker in the act. One thing’s for sure: When you hire this hot duo, your satisfaction is guaranteed!”

Meet Shima Yoshitsune, a young man (though not nearly as young as he looks), who single-handedly runs Anything Agency, claiming that he can do and solve anything. When his newest client ends up being the famous supermodel, Kyo, the two become friends and team up to solve the problems of others. It’s one mystery after another in this episodic series of events.

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Manga-ka: Matsuri Akino
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: September 2006

Synopsis: “A pair of young aspiring mystery writers tries to crack the most bizarre, baffling and hilarious cases around them. But when clues lead to a dead end, fortunately for our duo, the Masked Detective always seems to show up in the nick of time to help! In this light-hearted mystery from the creator of Pet Shop of Horrors, it’s not always about solving the crimes – but you can be sure that trail of evidence will lead to a hoot and a holler!”

A mystery story about mystery lovers solving mysteries: A perfect beginning to this week’s theme! The story follows Haruka Akashi and Misato Nishina, two high school students, and best friends, with a shared love of mystery novels. Together they make up their school’s Mystery Book Club and write stories of their own under the pen name Taro Suzuki. When a fellow student commits suicide, Haruka decides they need to put their skills to the test and set out to discover what really happened. When the two hit a dead end, a strange man decked in costume appears to help, calling himself Kamen Tantei!

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Manga-ka: Natsumi Mukai
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis:
“As Cooro and company travel through a dark tunnel on the way to Sailand, Husky tells them the reason why he wants to go there – to see his mother. But it looks like the family reunion will be delayed when the children discover that in Sailand, +Anima are kept as slaves! And if that weren’t bad enough, Husky and Senri are captured by slave hunters! Can Cooro and Nana fly them to freedom?”

A lot happens in this joyfully extra fat volume of +Anima. Cooro, Nana, Husky and Senri continue their trek through the underground tunnels to the neighbouring country of Sailand, seeking people from Husky and Senri’s pasts. Upon getting there, they find out that Anima are looked at as lesser beings and kept as slaves by the humans. While Cooro and Nana are taken in by a kind Anima-keeper, Husky and Senri are captured by much less hospitable slave hunters.

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Author: Tatsuhiko Takimoto
Manga-ka: Kendi Oiwa
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: March 2008

Synopsis: “Satou’s hallucinations of an Angel-Misaki are getting worse! Having run away from home, he now turns to arcades and pachinko bars for relief. But he soon learns that there are expensive habits, and this escapism comes at a cost he might not be willing to pay. Feeling alone, with no one to turn to, especially now that Yamazaki’s got his own girl problems, Satou is at an all-time low. Where will he turn?”

The hallucinations, social downfalls and episodic insanity continues in volume six of Welcome to the NHK. Satou, Misaki and Yamazaki all get their time on centre stage to let readers know that nothing’s really getting any better, despite what opportunities present themselves.

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Author: Noriko Ogiwara
Manga-ka: Haruhiko Momokawa
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis: “Firiel Dee’s necklace is proof of her royal blood – and that she might inherit the throne of Graal! While two intelligent and ambitious Queens-in-Waiting duel for succession to Graal’s throne, a greater challenge awaits our plucky heroine Firiel in the south – where dragons and unicorns roam, and even the best intentions of friend may twist into poisonous lies…”

Firiel Dee continues to struggle with Rune’s sudden disappearance amidst a torrid of controversy over her Uncle’s assassination. Her depression plagues her throughout the day in Rune’s absence as she remains trapped in a political world, so unlike the one she grew up in. However, it all allows her to realize some powerful truths about herself and her love for Rune. When a team of knights, lead by Firiel’s short-lived fiancée, Eusis leave to travel South to deal with an escalating Dragon problem, Firiel leaves at the same time, looking to find Rune in the only direction she knows he’d be.

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Manga-ka: Matsuri Akino
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis:
“Ibaraki, the Demoness, has finally appeared – but what impact will her presence have on the violence already taking place? And why do Fuuto’s Guardian Beasts seem so familiar with her? She’ll play a crucial role before this terrible day is done… but will she be a force for good or evil?!”

Recap of the plot up until now: Fuuto, a Japanese student with a history of transferring schools, found out that he may in fact be, by reincarnation, the true King of a country. With a boy already on the throne, Guardians are sent as assassins to kill the ‘fake’ king in Japan. One after another, they realize that there may be truth behind Fuuto’s lineage (much to his dismay) due to his powerful psychic abilities and particular apathy for others so they stay as his Guardians, protecting Fuuto from those who follow them and the young King’s own inability to control his powers. In the previous volume, Fuuto, his guardians and a friend are all accidentally hurled back in history, trapped between saving lives and altering history.

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Author/Artist: Jo Chen
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis: “After escaping the confines of New York City, Lou and Sunny start a new life in a small town. But just as things are looking up, with the trauma of their pasts wiped clean, fate strikes again… and Lou my lose more than he thought possible. From celebrated illustrator Jo Chen comes the conclusion to this poignant tale about two lost souls finding themselves – and each other.”

Volume two of The Other Side of the Mirror brings this bittersweet, but compellingly sweet romance story of two unlikely souls finding each other, to a close. The love story of Sunny and Lou is concluded half way through the book, leaving the rest of the 200-page book filled up with two unrelated short stories.

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