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Review Archive

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

Review: 13th Boy (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, March 3, 2010

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Manhwa-ga: SangEun Lee
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2010

Synopsis: “Hee-So’s stuck with Sae-Bom on cooking duty at the Scout’s joint volunteer outing at a local orphanage, ruining her chances of showing off in front of Won-Hun! And Sae-Bom’s no help either, ‘cose she’s too busy making lunch for her dearest Whie-Young! Suddenly, it occurs to Hee-So that making lunch of Won-Jun might not be such a bad idea. But when the two girls go make their special deliveries, a dangerous accident threatens both their lives. And in the heat of the moment, Won-Jun, who witnesses the accident, takes a most unexpected course of action. Has he gone and irreparably crushed Hee-So’s dreams? Will Whie-Young be able to pick up the pieces?”

Love-triangles are nothing new to any story containing a sliver of romantic drama. Two boys love the same girl? Two girls love the same boy? No biggie. But 13th Boy pulls off the far lesser utilized love-cluster – the dreaded love-square. If you thought things were already looking shaky enough for Hee-So’s love life, wait until you see it all laid bare in this third volume.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: 13th Boy, Manhwa, Yen Press

Review: Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Vol. 10)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, February 28, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Author: Eiji Otsuka
Manga-ka: Housui Yamazaki
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: February 2010

Synopsis: “The dead don’t walk in Kurosagi — that is, not without a little help . . . and it’s a shock to the system when the delivery service finds out what’s making their clients rise up! Then, for Numata to take off his sunglasses for anyone, it must be a grave matter . . . or, more likely, a matter of someone not yet in their grave…”

A new face arrives on scene and strange old myths resurface in this tenth volume of Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service. Spiritual powers may been the KCDS’s bread-and-butter (on the rare occasion it actually pays) but with technology springing up to both challenge and compliment their work, it’s becoming a whole new ballgame in the corpse finding business.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Dark Horse, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service, Manga

Review: Prisoner of the Tower

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, February 26, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Author: Gayle Wilson
Author/Artist: Karin Miyamoto
Publisher: Harlequin K.K./SOFTBANK Creative Corp.
Rating: Older Teen (16+)

Synopsis: “It’s the social season, and 17 year old Emma heads to London, with her family’s hope of finding a rich husband weighing heavily on her shoulders. One night, a mysterious man approaches her. A refined handsome face, curly black hair and deep blue eyes… Emma falls in love at first sight and shares with him her first kiss. 12 years later and now a widow, Emma visits the Earl of Greyston to discuss the marriage of her stepdaughter. It is the Earl’s younger brother who is betrothed to her stepdaughter, but the Earl never shows himself. While staying there, Emma spots the man she kissed all those years ago in a portrait on the wall…!”

On route to London to find a rich husband and rescue her family from poverty, Emma is a young woman who dreams of one day falling in love. During a snowstorm that momentarily strands her, she meets a man and the two share a kiss they’ll remember for years to come. Flash-forward those twelve years-to-come and young Emma is now a middle-age widower. While she doesn’t regret the content life she has led, she does mourn the romantic love that never was and her thoughts soon trail to the man with whom she shared only a few moments.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: DMP, Manga

Review: Ciao Ciao Bambino

Posted by Shannon Fay on Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Momoko Tenzen
Publisher: June
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: October 2009

Synopsis: “Soon after taking a part-time job as a cram-school lecturer, Yoh meets Yuta, a boy of peerless beauty. While Yoh thinks it’s cute how Yuta pines for him, why is it that when Yuta acts so manly from time to time it makes Yoh’s heart beat faster…? Another airy love story from Momoko Tenzen.”

Ciao Ciao Bambino’s cover jumps right at you screaming “cute!” – not only are there two pretty boys, but flowers and stars fall around them as they embrace. Since cuteness is my kryptonite, I had to read this. You shouldn’t judge a book by a cover, but in the end that’s part of the reason covers are there.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June, Manga

Review: How To Capture A Martini

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Makoto Tateno
Publisher: DokiDoki
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “Innocent Naoyuki fell head-over-heels for drop-dead gorgeous senior Shinobu when he was just a shy underclassman. But after a whirlwind fling filled with first kisses, first drinks (and much more!), Shinobu vanished on the very day that Naoyuki was set to confess his feelings. Years later, the two grown men suddenly cross paths in a chic city bar where the exotic drinks flow freely… and the trysts only last one night! Can Naoyuki convince the cool and distant Shinobu that what was once a childhood dalliance is now deep and passionate love?”

How To Capture A Martini – it wasn’t until the end of the book that I figured out the title’s figurative meaning. Despite my personal ‘duh’ moment in regards to this clearly laid out reasoning, it doesn’t change the fact that the name itself suits the story very well. It throws a pleasantly cheeky spin on the largely emotional foray of the two leads, well-embodying this one-shot tale of their adolescent romance’s second chance to flourish.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Doki Doki, Makoto Tateno, Manga

Review: Pokemon Adventures (Vol. 05)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, February 20, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Author: Hidenori Kusaka
Manga-ka: Mato
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: All Ages
Release Date: February 2010

Synopsis: “Pokémon trainer Red has vanished… Trainer Yellow Caballero and Red’s faithful Pikachu are off to rescue him. But it will take smarts, skills, and a lot of help from friends and other Pokémon to find and rescue Red! And watch out for the Elite Four, Yellow Caballero… Are you a strong enough Pokémon trainer to defeat all of them?”

Yellow continues to be the best thing about this series since trailer causality (what can I say- it adds an appreciated new level of suspense!). Thanks to Yellow we’re never just threaded along by over-simplified fights; Yellow’s empathy and creativity always makes their methods and the exact outcome of their Pokemon battles a surprise. To the series’ credit, you could say the same for nearly all of its confrontations, but Yellow takes Pokemon ingenuity to inspiring new levels.

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

Review: Biomega (Vol. 01)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 18, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Tsutomu Nihei
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: February 2010

Synopsis: “Searching for the key to save a world beyond hope. Zoichi Kanoe plunges into the depths of 9JO-an island city in the middle of the Pacific Ocean-in search of Eon Green, a girl with the power to transmute the N5S virus. He’s not the only one looking for her, though… Agents of the Public Health Service’s Compulsory Execution Unit are also in hot pursuit. Zoichi and his transhuman allies have no time to waste; the countdown to the zombie apocalypse has begun!!”

Biomega makes for a different kind of a read. Light on the words and heavy on the tone, it’s refreshing in itself to read a story about an apocalyptic-future that doesn’t stop to monologue its own back-story every five panels. The story flourishes in this break from tradition and does so with enough style that readers will feel they’ve found something well worth its shiny production values, even in light of a fairly shallow plot.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manga, Viz Media

Review: The Aristocrat and Desert Prince

Posted by Jaime Samms on Monday, February 15, 2010

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Reviewer: Jaime Samms

Author: Haruhi Tono
Manga-ka: Ai Hasukawai
Publisher: June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: August 2009

Synopsis: “In his young life, Takeyuki has never really known hardship. The youngest son of a wealthy family, he has never had any difficulty getting anything he desired. Now, though, Takeyuki is enjoying his last month of freedom before he begins working at his father’s import company in Tokyo, and he has decided to spend that time with his brother and his sister-in-law in Cassina, a small country in the Middle East. Little does Takeyuki know that his prideful manner will soon land him in hot water! In Cassina, some dangers are very real and some people are not who they seem. For example, who exactly is the charming, majestic man who won’t stop staring at Takeyuki during their flight to Cassina, and why do his blue eyes make Takeyuki feel like his chest will burst?”

This story was enjoyable to read. Despite the fact that the main character, Takeyuki, was a bit of a brat, and almost terminally foolish, he still had a likeability factor that made me sympathise with him. He’s a caring man, though he’s seldom had opportunity or reason to show it. When he finally gets past himself to see the world around him, and think about the people who have helped and cared for him, he turns out to be quite a likeable guy.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June, Light Novels

Review: Crazy Star

Posted by Shannon Fay on Sunday, February 14, 2010

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Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Sakurako Hanafubuki
Publisher: June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: May 2009

Synopsis: “After a bittersweet separation from the showbiz industry and experiencing an accident, Ayukawa has lost his memory of the two years he spent working as a pop idol. The only clue he has is a feeling that he must meet the most popular actor in Japan—Koji Mizuhara—no matter what! But, a crazy fate seems to be haunting Ayukawa. A videotape is circulating throughout the showbiz industry. It’s entitled “Crazy Star” and stars Ayukawa himself—being forced upon. The people who care about Ayukawa are trying desperately to round up all the tapes. But just who is hiding the final copy? And what does the video have to do with Ayukawa’s accident?”

Crazy Star is the third volume in Sakurako Hanafubuki’s series following actors Kyo Ayukawa and Koji Mizuhara, but like the volumes before it can be read as a stand-alone. This is both the series’ greatest strength and weakness. While it does mean you can pick up any book and read it, it also means there’s not a lot of momentum book to book. Because each volume tries to be new-reader friendly, the story and characters don’t really get a chance to grow or become any more complex.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June, Manga

Review: Selfish Mr. Mermaid (Vol. 02)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, February 12, 2010

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Nabako Kamo
Publisher: June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Kaioh, the amphibious, bad-boy “mermaid” has taken to submissive Kanan like a fish to water. But when Kaioh’s feud with his childhood rival, Haru, threatens to complicate things, Kanan might just get to see Mr. Mermaid’s ugly side. All this conflict attracts the unwanted attention of Lord Amur, a self-centered monarch to whom the beautiful denizens of the deep are mere playthings. Clearly, this arrogant trickster knows that real sunken treasure does not come in the form of aquamarines or pearls, but in the form of flesh. Can Kaioh and Kanan overcome Amur’s meddling to make it back to shore together? And just what part does that giant clam play in all this, anyway?!”

Was I a writer of ‘worst-of’ lists, the first volume of Selfish Mr. Mermaid would’ve made the list and battled for the top position. With two extremely unlikable characters and a mythology so far off base it was pointless, there was little to enjoy about the mish-mash of abusive relationships and awkward art. But what then could there be left to say for volume two? To my surprise, more than I’d thought posssible as volume two makes a tremendous leap forward and proved an actual treat to read. Lesson learned – never trust a book by its predecessor, or at least don’t underestimate one man’s love for a giant clam.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June, Manga