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Review Archive

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Review: Nabari no Ou (Vol. 09)

Posted by Shannon Fay on Monday, September 24, 2012

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Manga-ka: Yuhki Kamatani
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: February 2012

Synopsis: “As Yoite’s condition worsens, Yukimi’s mind drifts, eventually settling on the mystery of the dying Kira user’s past. Acting independently at the cost of his assigned mission, the Grey Wolves’ resident journalist sets off in search of the truth about his ward’s life with little to guide him. Left to their own devices, Yoite and Miharu break free of Hattori and the Grey Wolves when they learn that the leader of the pack knows much more about them than he has ever let on! On their own and on the run, the two do their best to stay alive and solve the puzzle of the Shinra Banshou. But in the world of shinobi, death is never very far behind…”

First off a disclaimer, I haven’t read the previous volumes of Nabari no Ou, so keep in mind that this review is the opinion of someone coming into the series at volume nine. This is an especially tricky series to pop into randomly as it features a large cast with different goals and factions. Plus, it’s about ninjas, and you know how tricky ninjas can be.

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Tags: Manga, Yen Press

Review: Tesoro

Posted by Shannon Fay on Friday, September 21, 2012

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Manga-ka: Natsume Ono
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: November 2011

Synopsis: “A treasure of 14 charming stories about family, friends, couples and unexpected bonds. Written by Natsume Ono over ten years, here is the long-awaited collection of her early work, including numerous illustrations and previously unpublished stories!”

Every now and then you find a manga-ka who you fall in love with. You stumble upon a work of theirs that just speaks to you, that is different from anything else you’ve seen. You seek out other of their works, from the big hits to the obscure early ones. As you continue to read and see the both the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, you realize that they might be a great artist but they are fallible and capable of creating crap as well as fine works. Some of your initial infatuation starts to wear off, and you begin to fall out of love.

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Tags: Manga, Natsume Ono, Viz Media

Review: A Devil and Her Love Song (Vol. 04)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, September 17, 2012

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Manga-ka: Miyoshi Tomori
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: August 2012

Synopsis: “Maria encourages antagonistic Ayu to be true to her feelings, but that simple action snowballs into a huge rift within their class! As secret crushes and hidden motives are revealed, the backlash of honesty just might destroy Mario’s efforts in uniting everyone for the choral competition!”

I was really surprised to see the avalanche of confession and reveal in this volume of A Devil and Her Love Song. The tension just kept rising between Maria and her classmates, and just when I thought things were going to plummet to an all-time low (which would be pretty darn low indeed), suddenly what we’ve wanted to have happen has actually happened! Maria’s classmates are finally privy to one of ‘those’ conversations, the kind no one ever seems to be around to hear but the ones you know that if they were, everything would change. And change it did!

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: A Devil and her Love Song, Manga, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: Otomen (Vol. 13)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, September 16, 2012

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Manga-ka: Aya Kanno
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: September 2012

Synopsis: “Ryo ends up coaching a high school judo team, but women aren’t allowed at that school! She finds a way around this obstacle, but the real challenge comes when she finds herself facing off against… Asuka?!”

Otomen is a series I’ve enjoyed since the beginning, but recent volumes have been a little lacklustre. The story’s been moving away from characters I like most and even Asuka was feeling a bit overshadowed by other secondary characters pushing their own agendas onto him. When I read the synopsis for volume thirteen however, I felt excited. Ryo and Asuka facing off against each other in judo? Cool! What I got was both what I expected and not at the same time. This volume has the longest focus on Ryo I recall since the series began. It provides a better look at her as a character and springs forward her relationship with Asuka more than I ever honestly thought would be possible.

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Tags: Manga, Otomen, Shoujo, Shoujo Beat, Viz Media

Review: Bleach (Vols. 46-47)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, September 14, 2012

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Manga-ka: Tite Kubo
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: September 2012

Synopsis: “With Captain General Yamamoto giving him an opening, Ichigo goes in for the finishing strike against Aizen! But Ichigo will need the help of some new reinforcements if he hopes to defeat both Aizen and Ichimaru Gin! Aizen’s new powers are too much for even the combined efforts of Ichigo, Isshin, Urahara, and Yoruichi. But as Aizen and Gin head for the real Karakura Town, Ichigo decides to undergo intense training under his father’s tutelage.”

It’s another exciting two volumes! And I mean that sarcasm free too. I was getting a little bored of Bleach for a while but since the big-bad fights of the Hollow’s world have ended, it’s becoming a series I’ve really started looking forward to again. The fight against Aizen has gone on too long, and frankly I’m getting tired of just seeing his name all the time, but this newest double-dose of Bleach offers up some especially memorable scenes that go as far as almost justifying the length of this confrontation.

Warning: Review contains some minor spoilers

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Tags: Bleach, Manga, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

Review: Sailor Moon (Vol. 06)

Posted by Victoria K Martin on Wednesday, September 12, 2012

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Manga-ka: Naoko Takeuchi
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: July 2012

Synopsis: “Just when all seems well again in the world, another enemy appears! Two new figures from the private school, Mugen Academe, appear and take a special interest in Sailor Moon and company. Who are they, and do they have anything to do with the strange occurrences that are suddenly taking place? Meanwhile, the appearance of two new Guardians takes everyone by surprise as our favorite Sailor heroes must once again face off against new enemies to save the world!”

Back in my Year in Review posting, I mentioned that I hadn’t started reading the re-release of Sailor Moon. Since then, I have rectified this most terrible of errors and have actually managed to catch up with the series, at least until the imminent release of volume seven. But better late than never, right?

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Tags: Kodansha Comics, Manga, Sailor Moon

Review: Durarara!! (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, September 1, 2012

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Author: Ryohgo Narita/Suzuhito Yasuda
Manga-ka: Akiyo Satorigi
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2012

Synopsis: “Twisted passion accelerates disaster!! After twenty years of searching, Celty, the headless Black Rider, has at last found her missing head—bobbing through the streets of Ikebukuro on someone else’s neck! Though Celty pursues, the girl escapes on the arm of Mikado Ryuugamine, taking refuge in his apartment. But with both the legendary Rider and Yagiri Pharmaceuticals bearing down on Ryuugamine in their pursuit of the scarred girl, how can he hope to save his own neck?!”

Durarara!! returns for another fun and frantic volume. I always need to re-read the previous volume before I dive into a new one due to the multiple characters and web-like story. A refresher is greatly recommended for a story like this when it’s those little details and run-ins that make the big scenes mean that much more. And boy are there ever some character crescendos here in volume three.

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Tags: Durarara, Manga, Yen Press

Review: 13th Boy (Vol. 12)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, August 30, 2012

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Manhwa-ga: SangEun Lee
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: July 2012

Synopsis: “With the holidays finally upon Hee-So, the season of giving is in full swing! But as she gets ready for her Christmas Eve festivities, Beatrice takes generosity to a whole new level as he prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice to give the present of “destiny” to his beloved friend. But if Hee-So realizes the sacrifice her darling Beatrice plans to make in order to bring Whie-Young back among the living, will she be able to look her first love in the face ever again? Hee-So’s search for love concludes in this final volume of 13th Boy!”

(Final Volume Spoiler Warnings) Against all odds, a small part of me kept hoping that Beatrice would be the one that Hee-So ends up with at the end of 13th Boy. But how often do the kind, self-sacrificing, ever-loyal ones actually get the girl? It’s little surprise that fickle Hee-So needs her man to have a little bad boy attitude to him, and while the inevitability of the series’s result left me feeling a little cold, the execution also caught me off-guard enough to make it ultimately very satisfying.

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

Review: Gate 7 (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, August 28, 2012

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Manga-ka: CLAMP
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: August 2012

Synopsis: “A battle for supernatural supremacy rages in Kyoto! When a strange dimension overlaps with our reality, Hana and the members of her Inou Squad use their mystical dominion over the elements to protect humanity against a torrent of invading creatures. Thrust in the middle of this war, Chikahito is a seemingly ordinary boy who’s been accepted into Hana’s group–but it’s possible that he has latent powers of his own!”

Gate 7 is such a conflicting series for me. I’m forced to admit, against all my love for CLAMP, that this is a bit of a mess. At the very least it’s one of their weaker stories. CLAMP has taken many of the ingredients people love from their work – detailed characters, winding mysteries, subtle relationships and stunning artwork – and yet mixes them together in a way that makes for an overall unpleasant dish. But, in true CLAMP fashion, the good is always just good enough to keep you wanting to come back for more and this third volume is no exception to the trend.

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Tags: CLAMP, Dark Horse, Gate 7, Manga

Review: Toriko (Vol. 11)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, August 24, 2012

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Manga-ka: Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: August 2012

Synopsis: “Toriko’s fight with Gourmet Corp has left him without an arm. While Komatsu continues the quest for Century Soup, Toriko journeys to Life, the country of healing, where getting some R&R turns into a bigger battle than anyone imagined. He’ll have to eat his way to full health!”

The ice-cave chapters of Toriko come to an end in this eleventh volume but not before another cascade of crazy monsters gnashing, drooling and smashing through their way through our heroes (and our new weren’t-hereoes-before-but-now-are-pretty-close too). The massive spire containing the Millennium Soup is collapsing and everyone is pretty messed up, but at least before all is momentarily said and done we get to see one particularly nasty baddy get his just desserts. Then it’s onward to helpings and healing!

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