About Heroes

Excel Saga vol. 16
Story & Art: Rikdo Koshi
Translation: Yuko Sawada
Adaptation: Carl Gustav Horn
Publisher: Viz

I can’t even begin to explain how insane this series is. Some of my friends ask me why I even bother reading the manga when the anime is superior (according to them). I just answer by letting them know that the director himself stated that the stories in the manga were too insane and risqué to put in the anime. In this volume Dr. Kabapu is literally getting sick at the thought of the stunning success of Il Palazzo's eponymous electronics firm. Umi has discovered another version of Excel, a woman in a torn prison outfit with little memory of her past. There are plenty of cos-play wardrobes and plenty of Aunt Miwa’s insanity. While the stories might sound like chaotically random nonsense, believe it or not the creator is a skilled master at handling the madness with a subtle style of humor and writing his characters as nuanced individuals rather than stereotypic archetypes. The most fun part of any gag he comes up with isn't the gag itself, but seeing how the characters react to it. The artwork works done extremely well. It ranges from detailed lines to simplistic stick figure facial expressions. It doesn't hurt that the creator draws very attractive female characters, but manages to make them strong, intelligent, and believable. As usual, it contains the "oubliette" bonus section with sound effects translations and quick culture notes. This is one of the few Viz books that the sound effects are translated in the back. Do yourself a favor and pick up one of the most original manga to hit the States. A

Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden vol. 4
Story & Art: Yuu Watase
Translation: Lillian Olsen
Publisher: Viz

The prequel to the original and best selling Fushigi Yugi continues with volume 4! This series again takes us to another world where this time the priestess of Genbu (schoolgirl Takiko Okuda) is trying to find the seven Celestial Warriors. Takiko, the female lead, is a strong young woman who is not afraid to do what she knows is right and doesn't back down. She can handle herself and will fight to protect what she holds dear. While I did enjoy the original FY, sometimes Miaka’s actions would get on my nerves. That is never the case with the way Takiko handles the situations. So in this volume Takiko meets yet another Celestial and gets a kiss from Limdo. Of course right after that he goes back to claiming he hates her. So you can see a developing relationship pass the Celestial Warrior and Priestess role they have. The ending to this volume was shocking and it's quite a cliffhanger and makes me anxious to read the next volume. This story is pure magic and the art style certainly reminds you that Watase can create very believable worlds. Even though, it rarely happens, some of her female characters start looking alike. Watase is one of the best manga writers out there with her twists and cliffhanger endings she knows how to suck you into a story. Takiko is such a marvelous heroine. Smart, mature, and beautiful, as well as very, kind, but she has her flaws which makes her believable. This is definitely another epic story following in the footsteps of its predecessor. B+

Kage Tora vol. 8
Story & Art: Akira Segami
Translation: Satsuki Yamashita
Adaptation: Nunzio DeFillipis & Christina Weir
Publisher: Del Rey

The story of ninjas in love…well some ninjas and some love I guess. Kagetora is in love with his student, Yuki, and in the world of the ninja that is a forbidden. His duty as a ninja is to train and protect her, but he has to follow his heart and be true to himself. In this volume we meet Kagetora’s brother Taka. Taka is in town to test Yuki, which only strains the relationship between Kagetora and his charge. They go on a “date” to an amusement park and Taka gets in his brother’s way of getting anywhere with Yuki. In addition to that story we also get a few special stories that were originally published in Weekly Shonnen Magazine and they fit into the story around volume 5 instead of 8, since Kage and Yuki are both juniors in those specials. This series has been nothing but a rollercoaster (funny enough there is an amusement park in this story) of good to bad stories. The introduction of Taka just seems like such a deliberate plot complication that has nothing to do with deepening any of the characters and ends up being a convention we've already seen in too many manga. The art is also nothing special to write home about, while some pictures are done with extreme attention to detail, others are just bland and don’t stand out from any other manga out there. I have to say that DeFillipis’ and Weir’s adaptation is what really keeps this story interesting. C+

Le Chevalier d’Eon vol. 3
Story: Tou Ubukata
Manga: Kiriko Yumeji
Translation: Ikoie Hiroe
Publisher: Del Rey

This is probably one of the most unique manga out that I have read in recent years. Pretty much set in France in 1753. A mysterious cult is going around murdering young women and using their blood to write poetry. D’Eon is a young member of the police force, who is secretly working for King Louis XV. His sister was murdered by the poets and when she descends into her brother’s body she becomes the Chevalier, hunter of the murdering poets. This really gets personal, because her soul intent is to find the man that murdered her, the twist comes when she realizes if this will let her ascend to heaven or if it means she will spend an eternity in hell. Now the cult has kidnapped the King’s mistress and it’s a race against time to rescue her. The story really sets a tense atmosphere that keeps me coming back. There are some comedic relief moments, mainly provided by d’Eon’s foolish reactions to demons and dead bodies. It’s hard to believe the king chose someone as incompetent as him to go work undercover. It’s a fun adventure story with some great elements borrowed from the horror genre. The artwork is simply amazing. I love how busy every panel looks and the use of dark and heavy lines is exquisite and makes the main characters really stand out. A

Pastel vol. 9
Story & Art: Toshihiko Kobayashi
Translation: David Ury
Publisher: Del Rey

Before I start on the review, I just want to point out the covers always gets me to pick up this book. While the women are not drop dead gorgeous, they do have something sexy about them that I can’t describe. It’s finally time for Mugi to act on his crush for Yuu, but wishy-washy Mugi is helpless on his own, but no problem because his friends concoct a simple plan for success. Step One: Hold Yuu’s hand. Step Two: Hug her. Step Three: Kiss her! But Mugi has a secret weapon. Yuu has given Mugi a special birthday gift certificate that grants him any favor he desires. Man, where were women like this when I was in high school?!!!! Ohh wait..they probably don’t exist. Pastel is an incredibly sweet story and I find most of the characters are honestly likable. Mugi is no tongue-tied loser, and the girl, Yu, is no brash-mouthed stereotype. For some reason it does remind me of a perfect mix between Maison Ikkoku, Love Hina, and Ai Yori Aoshi. As you start reading these volumes you really want the two main characters to get together. Unfortunately the story gets a bit repetitive after nine volumes and for Yes, the romance is sweet, the story is nice, but if you buy this it should be for the art. The female characters are lovingly drawn, and you'll never get tired of the beauty of this series. B+

School Rumble vol. 8
Story & Art: Jin Kobayashi
Translation: William Flanagan
Publisher: Del Rey

When I think of the title, I expect there to be fighting and lots of fan service for the guys. But what I get instead is a love/comedy, I’m not saying that is a bad thing at all. School Rumble tells the comedic story of two high school students. The first being Tenma Tsukamoto, a second-year high school girl who is absolutely in love with Karasuma Ouji, who's about to transfer to a different school already She tries to get the courage to tell him how she feels, but can't. She finally writes a note confessing her love for him, and finally gets the guts to deliver it to him, but forgets to sign it. Karasuma gets permission from his parents to stay at that school for one more year. To make things simple Tenma loves Karasuma, Harima loves Tenma, Eri loves Harima and so on. With the school festival coming, Harima and his cohorts want to present a play. But Hanai’s group is set on a maid café. So the two stubborn parties decide that the only way to come to an understanding is to rumble in the middle of the night with BB guns at the ready! While the artwork in SR is very distinct it really doesn’t make any of the characters stand out. Every one of them looks like average high school students, which I guess isn’t bad, but I guess the character designs leave me a little wanting. The great extras include translation notes, bonus manga, about the creator notes, and a preview of the next volume in its original Japanese language. So, the bottom line? Pretty funny and drawn with a style that fits the story. Should you check it out? Definitely give it a look. B