About Heroes

Ba_Ku
Author & Art: Hakase Mizuki
Translation: Yoohae Yang
Adaptation: Nathan Johnson
Publisher: Tokyopop

It seems that we just did a review of Demon Flowers (Mizuki's other manga). I guess Tokyopop decided to release both titles back to back. This graphic novel contains two short stories that are divided into five segments. In the first story, a guy named Takeshi learns that he is a Baku (a spirit that devours people's nightmares). This is a pretty twisted story with a nice pay-off at the end. Mephisto, not to be confused with the red guy from Marvel comics who has a son by the name of Blackheart. It is rather a story about Mephisto, who has the power to take ghost from this world and lead them to the next. He has issues with one particular suicide victim and can't bring himself to take her to the next world. I guess it's the Halloween spirit in my heart, but I really enjoyed this book. Mizuki's art is dark and brooding, matching the tone of the story. Her characters are really unique, but there really isn't much to say about her backgrounds because there are none. It takes a very talented storyteller to use minimal locations and let the facial expressions tell the story. B+

Berserk Volume 19
Story & Art: Kentaro Miura
Translation: Duane Johnson

Back in 2000, I got to play the Berserk video game on the Dreamcast. This was right after I had watched the anime and I wanted more and more of the story. Let's just say I was confused, Casca was running around like a small child and Guts was chasing after her. Who would have thought that seven years later it would all make sense? When we last left Guts and co. he was chasing after a missing and bewildered Casca. With the help of Puck and Isidro, they manage to finally find her at the hands of the Iron Chain Knights; however she being the way that she is, she is again separated from Guts and is being held captive by Father Mozgus and the rest of his Inquisitors. For some reason even after seeing all the demon sex in the last volume, this one really freaked me out. I think it was because it made me think of what I would do in a situation like Nina's. Would I turn on a friend to save my own neck? Most of us would like to think not, but after seeing the torture chamber of all the heretics, it's a damned situation. I really can't say enough how disturbingly fun this series is. I dread the days when Dark Horse catches up with the current manga in Japan, so I have to wait longer to read one of my favorite books. A

Death Note Volume 12
Story: Tsugumi Ohba
Art: Takeshi Obata
Translation: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Publisher: Viz

I was told by someone once to stay away from Death Note, because it was so damn EMO. I always liked the artwork and thought the character designs were fantastic. Then I thought wait a minute! Some of my favorite anime/manga could be classified as EMO. Damn, I'm glad I didn't listen to this person, because it's been one hell of a ride. This is the final volume of this series and even though it was a slow start at first, these last few volumes have been nothing but fun. Mello has just kidnapped Kiyomi Takada, the official mouthpiece of Kira and Light's girlfriend and only love. The cliffhanger from the previous volume is resolved and the final showdown between Near and Light takes place, in a warehouse of all places. Unfortunately the finale ended up being a bit of a drag like the beginning of the series was. Don't get me wrong, it wrapped everything up, but I was expecting a Grand Finale of a battle instead of way too much dialogue and it really avoids the hard questions throughout the manga. The art as always is completely gorgeous with attention to every detail. Hell, it's the reason I started getting Hikaru No Go for Obata's art alone. I still recommend the series because it was still an intense and original detective drama with a bit of a fantasy twist. B-

Gunsmith Cats Revised Edition Volume 3
Story & Art: Kenichi Sonoda
Publisher: Dark Horse

These new omnibus editions are so wonderful. Not only are they presented in the authentic Japanese format, but they are crammed into one giant volume with over 450 pages! How can you not love this book Guns, sex, hot cars, hot girls, insane action, and a guy that can stop a bullet with his bandana! This book screams testosterone! So in this volume Bean makes a bet with Rally. If Rally can stop Bean from making a drug delivery, Bean will quit running drugs. If Rally loses, she promises to quit bugging him. Rally has a few major setbacks. As a result of the events in previous volumes, Rally has lost all of her licenses except for her driver's license. She can't be a bounty hunter, possess a gun, or run her gun shop for at least a month. Towards the end of the book the action begins to slacken, but it remains impressive, and the increase in character development makes up for it and keeps the story interesting. It's a great mix of action and themes such as family interaction and relationships. I love it and literally couldn't put it down. Of course anytime Bean is involved, there will always be racing and the races are always a fantastic part of the story. Plus you have the usual action you can expect from this series and plenty of fan service and who can complain with all those lovely ladies. A-

Legendz Volume 2
Story: Rin Hirai
Art: Makoto Haruno
Publisher: Viz

For some reason every time I looked at this book, I always thought it was Beyblade or another series much like Pokemon or Digimon. So if you can't get enough out of the monster hunting/training/fighting genre, Legendz is here to pick up the slack. In an alternate future, scientists have discovered that some of the creatures of myth did exist. Not only that, they found a way to replicate their spirits within a video game, allowing players to use them as virtual pets that can be used to fight with others. Easy enough concept to get into, but using real (can I say that?) mythological creatures as the basis of the game can have its ups and downs. Ken is a young player who seems to be quite a winner at Legendz and has just moved to a new school. Once there, he's challenged by local bully Housuke. Ken destroys him with his only Legendz character, Shiron the wind dragon. Yuki, an upperclassman, offers Ken the chance to become the owner of his prized Golden Soul Figure. Legendz has most of the overdramatized theme of any game-based manga I have encountered. Ones like Beyblade and Yugioh where the fate of the world is always in the balance make this seem a little tame. But it keeps an innocence that the original season or two of Digimon and Pokemon had. This isn't really my kind of book, because I can never take these stories seriously and I'm never drawn to the characters. However, if you are a fan of tournament battle anime/manga this book is right up your alley. C

Vampire Kisses: Blood Relatives
Story: Ellen Shcreiber
Art: rem aka Priscilla Hamby
Publisher: Tokyopop & Harper Collins

I love the idea of a manga publisher and book publisher teaming up to make wonderful books to get kids to read. I think that is why I love manga so much, because growing up it seems that so many kids missed out those fantastic tales from comic books that I was reading. I can walk to a local book store and see so many kids just sitting around reading Harry Potter or manga; it really is quite a display. This little book is definitely aimed at teenagers and probably even Goth teens...I'm really thinking Hot Topic kids here. It is the story of Raven and her boyfriend Alexander, who also happens to be a vampire. This particular novel is about Alexander's cousin Claude and his gang of killer vampires. Raven really fits the stereotype of a Goth girl and to me that is part of the problem with the book. She already has the perfect boyfriend, hell the guy is a vampire, so I am not sure where the character tension is, if there is any. My other problem was with the actual pace of the book, it just seemed off at times. It really seems short, like something I would normally read in one chapter of regular manga. I can't imagine the other books following the same formula. The art by Rem really didn't feel like the usual cheap Ameri/Anime rips that we normally get. It's nothing extraordinaire, but it gets the job done. I have to say the author of the book, Ms. Shcreiber is pretty hot, so I would stay in line to get my copy signed. B-