Manga Review: Phantom Dream volume 4
Phantom Dream is a fantasy shoujo series by Natsuki Takaya, manga-ka of popular series Fruits Basket. The protagonist, Tamaki, is a young man whose destiny is simple — protect the human race from a species of demons called the Jaki — but his life is far from it. His best friend, Eiji, has inherited the blood of King Hira and therefore makes him Tamaki's enemy. Then there is Tamaki's girlfriend, Asahi, who is the reincarnation of Suigekka, the woman whose death brought the end of a friendship, a friendship that has been reborn in Tamaki and Eiji, conflicts and all. When you aren't sure who your enemy is, and when your duties from eras past go against love itself, who can you trust and who can you protect?
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Manga Review: Yotsuba&! volume 3
Yotsuba&! is a comedic slice of life series by manga-ka Kiyohiko Azuma, also known for her famous 4-koma series Azumanga Daioh. It follows the trials and tribulations of one Yotsuba Koiwai, an oddball of a five-year-old girl who lives with her equally weird adoptive father, Mr. Koiwai (usually referred to as "Dad"), who translates things for a living. Every chapter follows Yotsuba as she embarks on a different adventure, usually bumping into the other characters that make up her town, from the loud but romantically awkward Jumbo to the Ayase family that lives next door.
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Manga Review: Viz – 20th Century Boys
Naoki Urasawa, acclaimed manga artist for decades, is back with another thriller in 20th Century Boys. When Kenji was a boy during the 1960s he had dreams like any other kid. He watched the moon landing in 1969 and wanted to be an astronaut. He read comic books and wanted superpowers to save the day. He wanted to be tough enough to be able to beat up the bigger kids who picked on him. But most of all he listened to rock and roll, and wanted to be a rock star. Kenji's friends have the same ideas, and, one summer, they decide to create the Book of Prophecy, a picture book starring themselves as nine warriors who rise up to defend the Earth from the amorphous League of Evil, who are planning to bring the end of the world on December 31, 2000.
DVD Review: Big Windup! Volume 2
When we last left our intrepid Nishiura Nine, they had just begun their first game in the Saitama prefecture tournament against the previous year's defending champions, Tosei. Ace pitcher Mihashi has managed to relax (a little) and his confidence is growing (sort of), so with the help of the rest of the team, they stand a chance against Tosei, right? (Right?)
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