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Review Archive

To see a list of reviews in alphabetical order, please see our review index.

ANN Review: Demon Sacred (Vol. 01)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Certainly one of the most odd volumes of manga I’ve read as of late, I recently reviewed volume one of Demon Sacred for AnimeNewsNetwork.

My thoughts – this is a pretty silly story. Then again I’m not sure if you could really present the premise any better – demons in the form of unicorns from another dimension trapped by fangirls in the bodies of their pop-sensation idols – that about sums it up. I wasn’t especially intrigued or engaged in the story at all, it came off as too silly for me to take seriously while not silly enough to be intentionally funny. I’d very much recommend the creator’s more engaging Jyu-Oh-Sei over this which takes the twins fighting-against-odds story much more dramatically. That is of course unless you’re looking for silly, then step right up to Demon Sacred.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: ANN Reviews, Manga, Tokyopop

Review: Cross Game Omnibus (Vol. 01)

Posted by Shannon Fay on Sunday, November 28, 2010

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Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Mitsuru Adachi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2010

Synopsis: “Cross Game is a moving drama that is heartfelt and true, yet in the brilliant hands of manga artist Mitsuru Adachi, delightfully flows with a light and amusing touch. The series centers around a boy named Ko, the family of four sisters who live down the street and the game of baseball. This poignant coming-of-age story will change your perception of what shonen manga can be.”

I have always been a huge fan of Mitsuru Adachi. When I was just a budding manga fan I happened to pick up a copy of Short Program, a collection of short stories by him published by Viz. That book not only got me into manga, but comics at large as well. While I got more into his stuff as I got older, I never really thought his work would ever catch on in North America. Adachi specializes in a mix of sports manga and slice-of-live stories, neither of which are exactly heavy hitters in the English comics world. So I was both surprised and ecstatic when I saw that Viz had picked up Cross Game, a baseball series from Adachi.

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Tags: Manga, Viz Media

ANN Review: Pokemon Adventures (Vol. 08)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, November 27, 2010

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Eager to spread my love of this under-appreciated series with the masses, I recently reviewed Pokemon Adventures (Vol. 08) over at AnimeNewsNetwork.

What else can I say? I’ve been reviewing the majority of the series here on Kuriousity and it’s still one of my favourites. It’s always difficult to recommend the series to people when there’s so much assumption based on the mass-media phenomenon that Pokemon is. But, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Pokemon Adventures is a fun, surprisingly-serious (and violent) at times yet adorably drawn series that captures the feeling of the original games far better than I felt any other adaptations have. It was fun reading from other fans in ANN’s forums.

But I digress and should be summarizing my thoughts of this volume!Volume eight starts the beginning of a new story arc with the cast of characters we’ve known before predominantly behind us as they do their own thing elsewhere for the duration of this book. I liked the new character Gold who is an entertaining sort (and he throws Pokeballs with a pool cue!) though I did miss the other characters. Only a few more books until the series changes artists so I’m enjoying Mato’s work while I can.

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Tags: ANN Reviews, Manga, Pokemon Adventures, Viz Media

Review: Short-Tempered Melancholic and Other Stories

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, November 26, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Arina Tanemura
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: August 2008

Synopsis: “Kajiko Yamano is a female ninja whose job is to protect her family’s legendary weapon. But when a boy she has a crush on tells her she should be more ladylike, she vows to give up all ninja deeds. Yuri sends her pen pal Ryo a picture of herself – but it’s really of her best friend Karin, who is prettier than she is. Now Ryo wants to meet her, so she has no coice but to send Karin instead! Minori falls in love with Takato, a boy who shared his umbrella with her one rainy afternoon. Now she ‘forgets’ her umbrella every time it rains in hopes of becoming closer to him. Mana secretly likes her friend’s boyfriend, but Nakamura, a younger boy, is determined to win Mana’s heart.”

Arina Tanemura’s series are a hit and miss bunch. Full Moon o Sagashite is one of my favourite magical shoujo stories, while Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne bored me to no end. Unfortunately Short-Tempered Melancholic, a collection of short stories, falls towards the second end, an easily forgettable batch of tales with characters as shallow and underdeveloped as the stories are short. To the artist’s defense, this is an assortment of her earliest work but regardless it stands to reason after finishing this that some past works are best left in the shadows of their predecessors.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Arina Tanemura, Manga, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: K-ON! (Vol. 01)

Posted by Marsha Reid on Wednesday, November 24, 2010

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Reviewer: Marsha Reid

Manga-ka: Kakifly
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2010

Synopsis: “When their high school’s pop-music club is about to be disbanded due to lack of interest, four girls step up to fill the membership quota. Unfortunately, lead guitarist Yui Hirasawa has never played an instrument in her life. Ever. And although she likes the idea of being in a band, standing in front of the mirror posing with her guitar is a lot easier than actually playing it. It’s gonna be a while before this motley crew is rocking out, but with their spunk and determination cranked to 11, anything is possible!”

It’s not easy to write and draw about music. Adding in little music notes and speed lines just doesn’t cut it when you can’t physically hear the music. Luckily K-On isn’t really about the music, it’s about the girls who play the music, so the complete and utter failure to explain what they sound like is both forgivable and understandable. They’re cute, they’re excited, they’re in high school and they’re building a friendship that will definitely last a life time.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: 4 Koma, Manga, Yen Press

Review: Goth

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, November 23, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Author: Otsuichi
Manga-ka: Kendi Oiwa
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: September 2008

Synopsis: “Before they were friends, he had already noticed her. He wanted her hands – those beautiful, enchanting hands – to himself. And he hoped that the local madman who had been “collecting” the hands of anything that moved – babies, children, men, women, animals – would get them for him… until that day she asked him to teach her how to smile. In four gruesome stories, two murder-fixated teens lose themselves in their obsession.”

The story waffles around on what it wants to be, mostly because it’s hard to determine what role the leads play in it. Is Morino a victim or a perpetrator? Is Kamiyama the hero or the villain? Whichever it is, these are two creepily messed up individuals – Morino for her fascination with death with a general disregard for her own well-being, and Kamiyama for, well, everything about him.

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Tags: Manga, Tokyopop

Review: Natsume’s Book of Friends (Vol. 04)

Posted by Andre Paploo on Monday, November 22, 2010

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Reviewer: Andre

Manga-ka: Yuki Midorikawa
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: October 2010

Synopsis: “Takashi’s quiet afternoon in the forest is disrupted when an angry spirit tries to possess him. He manages to dodge the spiritual attack, but he can’t as easily avoid the yokai’s pleas for help. Now he’s tracking down an escaped evil spirit that threatens the life of the forest. But he’s still learning that yokai never tell the whole truth, and the secrets spirits keep spell trouble for him!”

Yuki Midorikawa returns with yet another volume of Natsume’s Book of Friends, taking us back to the enchanting bittersweet realm of a boy haunted by Yokai due to his grandmother’s strange childhood hobby. Takashi’s grandmother Reiko Natsume made many enemies by enslaving yokai with her magical book of the work’s title, and this volume continues his encounters with the supernatural, and search for the comforts of a happy family life and friendships. With excellent art and characterization, Midorikawa creates a wonderful manga supported by VIZ’s strong production values.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Natsume's Book of Friends, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: Seiho Boys’ High School (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, November 21, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Kaneyoshi Izumi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: November 2010

Synopsis: “Remote, lonely and surrounded by the ocean. This isn’t Alcatraz we’re talking about, it’s Seiho Boys’ High School, where the student body is rife sexuality frustrated hunks! How can these young men get girlfriends when they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere? These are the stories of the students of Seiho High and the trouble they get into as they awkwardly pursue all girls who cross their paths. When the boys need to put on all-male performance of Snow White, they come up with the brilliant idea of finding a girl to sneak into the title role. And what’s this? Has Maki found a new love interest…?”

Another volume of Seiho Boys’ High School and more opportunities for the boys to woo some women. Or try to anyway. While one new girl is brought in, the bulk of the volume reintroduces two characters we’ve seen before – the school’s recently-revamped nurse and Fuyuka Miyaji who comes back to the school to return a favour.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Viz Media

ANN Review: Cross Game Omnibus (Vol. 01)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, November 20, 2010

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There might be a lot of forward momentum in the future of digital manga but I’m still rooting for the print-team and omnibus editions really seem like the way things’re going. No complaints from me however, more manga for less money and a hefty read time makes me a happy consumer and fan. One of the most recent series to start from the gate in omnibus form is Cross Game from Viz Media. I reviewed the first volume (making up the first original three) over at AnimeNewsNetwork.

I bought Cross Game while I was down at New York Anime Fest and the book lasted me almost the entire time I was waiting to board my flight back home. It clocks in at just over 600 pages, and while in hindsight I wouldn’t recommend reading the whole thing in one sitting, it is really hard to put down once you’ve been drawn in. The hook moment hit me at about the 1/3 point after a big plot event occurred that really caught me by surprise.

Predomiantly it’s Mitsuru Adachi’s notorious muted character writing that makes this title so interesting. Being so accustomed to over-the-top reactions, screaming, flailing and wailing in manga, reading something as subtle and calm as Cross Game is like settling down into a cold bed – it’s a bit awkward at first but once you settled in and warm up, it’s absolute bliss. My strange analogies aside, it’s a very different experience and I highly recommend it.

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Tags: ANN Reviews, Manga, Viz Media

Review: Kurozakuro (Vol.01)

Posted by Andre Paploo on Thursday, November 18, 2010

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Reviewer: Andre

Manga-ka: Yoshinori Natsume
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: November 2010

Synopsis: “Mikito Sakurai is tired of being a punching bag for all the delinquents on campus, but what can he do? By nature he’s a gentle and easygoing high school student. That all changes the night he swallows a mysterious orb and meets Zakuro, a strange kid who promises to grant his most heartfelt desire. “When you wake up,” says the pint-sized apparition, “you’ll be stronger and better than a human.” Ad that’s exactly what happens – Mikito wakes up with super strength. But there’s a catch: he may look the same on the outside, but deep inside lurks a monster that craves ultraviolence and the taste of human flesh. “I used to hate the sight of blood,” says Mikito to himself, “but now it looks so beautiful to me…”

In Yoshinori Natsume’s previous series Togari, he explored the story of a former killer who rediscovers what it’s like to be a normal teen when the forces of Hell return him to life to combat demons. Kurozakuro shares some similarities in being a fairly dark shonen manga work, yet it changes the status quo by having Mikito be a normal human suddenly thrust into the life of a demon, with a constant hunger for violence.

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