Manga Review: Deadman Wonderland volume 1
After the Great Tokyo Earthquake ten years ago, Ganta Igarashi was finally getting his life back together: finding friends, succeeding in middle school . . . until the Red Man comes. Everyone in Ganta's class is massacred – except for Ganta, who is arrested and convicted of murder. His sentence? Death, to be carried out in the privately-owned bizzaro prison of Deadman Wonderland. Despite his anger over being falsely convicted for killing his own friends, Ganta quickly realizes that if he wanted to continue to live, he will have to survive in the dangerous prison games, most of them arranged by the ruling administration. Amid surprising new friends and frightening new enemies, Ganta may soon find out that there is more to Deadman Wonderland.
Highlights:
Manga Review: Baby & Me volume 18
Have you ever felt like you failed, no I don't mean failed to pass a test or please your boss. I mean really failed. Failed to do the right thing for someone or said the most stupid thing ever to the one you love. I know I have, and regret and guilt from it often weighed me down so heavily that it was hard to breathe. The final installment of Baby & Me displays this human frailty. It starts out a little odd and then progresses to the heavy guilt trips and possible death of one of the main characters. It spends its time exploring the very topic I opened with in several different ways.
Manga Review: Slam Dunk vol 8: Basketball
Slam Dunk
is Takehiko Inoue’s classic basketball manga, finally being re-released in Viz editions. The star of the story is young delinquent teen Hanamichi Sakuraga; he was a huge failure in love, and a member of teen gangs until he fell in love with Haruko Akagi, a first year student at Shohoku high school. He joins the basketball team to impress her (and her brother being the team captain means she’ll be around frequently), but his basketball spirit is starting to kindle…of course, they all still need a lot of work if they’re going to reach the finals! The series is a mix of strong characters, comedy, and a lot of dramatic basketball action.
Manga Review: Kaze Hikaru – Volume 16
This older teen shojo series tells the story of Tominaga Sei, a young woman who has been dressing as a boy in order to belong to the Bushi warriors. She entered to avenge the death of her father and brother. She continues to stay so she can fight alongside Okita Soji, where she feels she belongs. They have become very close and important to each other. Soji knows her secret identity, but his longstanding decision never to marry or involve himself with women ( In his words, “I am Bushi. I have something more important than a woman or love.” ) keeps him from seeing Sei’s true heart.
Manga Review: Crown of Love Volume 1
Crown of Love is a new shojo manga from Viz. The author/illustrator is Yun Kouga who is also known for Loveless. Our protagonist is Hisayoshi Tajima, a 16 year-old boy who attends Hakuo High School, well known for its great music and drama programs. He’s very popular with the girls, being nice to all of them. They call him “Kumi”. The story takes off when he helps a girl avoid a bit of trouble. Not knowing who she is, he can’t stop thinking about her.
Manga Review: High School Debut volume 13
When it came to softball, Haruna Nagashima was the top player in middle school. Now that she's in high school, Haruna is hanging up the bat and gloves and focusing all her energy on one thing: getting a boyfriend! But finding the right guy is easier said than done, especially if you're a girl who has never been on a date or even approached a boy directly. Help arrives in the form of Yoh Komiyama, who agrees to be Haruna's love coach. If she can better herself, she has a better chance of finding a boyfriend! But what happens when the student of romance falls in love with her teacher? It's an exciting high school debut of romantic courtship and dramatic hijinks everyone will want to look out for!
Manga Review: Fruits Basket, Ultimate Edition, Volume 4
Tohru Honda was living in a tent, alone, after her mother died. Because Tohru is terribly kindhearted, she did not want to worry her relatives and friends by living with them. Then one fateful day brought Tohru into the world of the Sohma's. As Tohru would quickly find out, the Sohma family has a secret. When certain members are embraced by a member of the opposite sex, they transform into the animal of the zodiac they are possessed by. Tohru ends up living with three of the Sohmas, Yuki (the Rat), Kyo (the Cat), and Shigure (the Dog).