About Heroes

Devil’s Bride
Story & Art: Se-Young Kim
Translation: Hyun Joo Kim
Adaptation: Lorelei Laird
Publisher: Tokyopop

That cover threw me for a loop because I really had no idea what it had to do with the story, well until there is a revelation about sixty pages into the book. The devil has been living in the forest alone for a long time. He gets a visit from an old friend, Jya and informs Jya that he is looking for a human bride. He wants to purchase one, because after all he is the devil and women just don’t throw themselves at him. A young girl approaches him one day and states that she is the only one willing to be his bride as long as she is getting paid, because her father needs money. Turns out that this cute young girl was nothing more than a pretty boy dressed in women’s clothing trying to deceive the devil, but ends up falling for him. Do to some kind of accident (I’m still not sure what happened) he dies and is later rebuilt by the devil. Now the devil is starting to put human pieces together to “build” his perfect bride. There is also an origin story about a blind boy named Alex, who seems to be our main character. So, not everything might be what it seems to be. I really enjoyed the story, for something I thought I was going to care less about, I really was pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t seem like we are dealing with the devil, but with a man that has sold his soul to the devil for the gift of sight. Not everything is laid out in front of you and I love that in storytelling. The reader is left to put the pieces together and finish the rest of the story. My only complaint is the art….we have one woman that actually appears in the whole book and I couldn’t tell the difference between her and all the guys, except for the mercenary, cause he was just plain ugly. It does have a second volume that I will be checking out. B

Jpop Idol
Story: Millenni + M
Art: Toko Yashiro
Translation: Monica Seya Chin
Publisher: Tokyopop

You know it had to happen. I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen earlier, but with the consistent success of American Idol there just had to be a Jpop (Japanese) Idol. Sure there have been other books like this covering this subject, but this is the first time that those two words have been together in one book. It figures that a company like Tokyopop would release a book like this, because they were really one of the earliest pioneers trying to push the Jpop music and lifestyle to the mass American market. From the minds of Toko Yashiro (artist for Shogakukan's magazine Shojo Comi) and writer Millenni+M comes Jpop Idol, a story of pursuing your dreams and what you are willing to pay to achieve them. Everyone and by the terms of this book I mean everyone, dreams about being the next J-Pop Idol! Best friends Mika, Kay, and Naomi win a nationwide singing contest, setting them on their way to stardom. But only Mika is offered a recording contract, however you know nothing like this comes without a price so the price in this particular tale is her friendship with Kay. Things get more complicated when Mika meets Ken, who used to be a boy-band idol and now serves as a music producer promising her to make her a household name. But it isn't long before she discovers that Ken is paying his own price for his love of music, because he has a secret of his own. This volume reminds me of a book called B. B. Explosion, but with better art and a more believable cast. Sure it seems really hokey, but the story really puts you in Mika’s shoes when she has to decide what to do next in her life. There are color pages included towards the very beginning that make the art really shine, makes me wish the rest of the book would have been in color. B-

Princess Ai: Rumors from the Other Side
Creators: Plenty!
Translation: Christine Schilling
Adaptation: Hyun-Joo Kim
Publisher: Tokyopop

There seems to be an expanding universe in from a little series called Princess Ai. Everything from a tattoo book to a coloring book, it seems that for a series that has been over and done with for a couple of years now, fans still demand more. To be honest I wasn’t that impressed with the original Princess Ai series. The artwork was gorgeous, but the story left me a little wanting. So keep that in mind when you read what I have to say about this follow-up. This is a collection of 12 stories that take the Princess Ai characters and twists them around. A collection of untrue stories, gossip, rumors, and just blatant lies that are done by Tokyopop’s top manga creators. Such creators as Steve Buccellato, Misaho Kujiradou, Kim Mi-Kyung, Sara Winningham, and other artist and writers that do their take on what they view Princess Ai as. Of course the original Princess Ai was a groundbreaking project to begin with, since it involved Courtney Love, so this is another unique take on the stories told by D.J. Milky. The stories range from cute and funny to the sad and bizarre. For some reason I ended up enjoying this book more than the regular series. It must have been the fresh take on the characters that did it for me and probably the fact that each story only lasted about 15 or so pages. Each creator really shines with their story and I’m assuming that’s because they are free to write and draw about anything as long as they use the PA characters in some kind of way. If you are looking to sample of these talented creators works, this is a perfect book for you and I’m assuming fans of PA already have this pre-ordered. B

Rose Hip Rose
Story & Art: Tohru Fujisawa
Translation: Emi Onishi
Adaptation: Michael French
Publisher: Tokyopop

When I heard of this book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it because I’ve been such a fan of Fujisawa’s GTO. I wanted to read how he would handle a lead female character. I never got a chance to read the Rose Hip Zero series, so this is my introduction to that world. What I did notice though is that the GTO series and the Rose Hip Zero series which are the originals are both rated OT and their sequels GTO: The Early Years and Rose Hip Rose are rated M. Not that I’m complaining, I am always up for a Mature rated story. I really didn’t know what to expect with a title like Rose Hip Rose….come on, this is the manga world after all! It wouldn’t have surprised me if I had ended up reading a story about a runaway hip or a creature that is nothing but roses and hips….anyway. Kasumi Asakura is a police assault squad ace that is going undercover to a local high school to try to solve some murders going on in Tokyo. All I can say about the story is that it is intense and the action is in your face. I’m not that familiar with Kasumi, I’m sure more character development happened in the previous books than in here, but I like her character. Dynamic action lines and detailed line-art in every panel is what Fujisawa is known for. Panel to panel during action sequences that are so brutal and insane I can see why this is rated M. There is a great balance of close-ups to background artwork that defines what a great manga is supposed to be. Fans of GTO and chicks with guns should really check this book out. A

The Third vol. 1
Original Story: Ryo Hoshino
Original Character Design: Nao Goto
Art: Ariko Itou
Translation: Angela Liu
Adaptation: Mel Gilden
Publisher: Tokyopop

I have been slacking on my anime watching for quite some time and reading a prequel to an anime that I didn’t even know existed is testimony to that. It seems that there is an anime released by Right Stuf under the name Third: The Girl With the Blue Eye that follows the adventures of Honoka and after reading this manga I am definitely checking out the anime. But, anyway this review is for the manga.....so the set up is many years after a large destruction known as the Great War that killed 80% of the population, the outlands are now being watched by a group of beings known as The Third, named for the third red eye on their forehead that can access various computer systems. In this barren, apocalyptic landscape lives Honoka, a jill-of-all-trades who uses her powerful third blue eye to detect life forces in battle as she attempts to keep her friends from The Third's deadly grasp. Sometime in the near future Honoka is destined to become the formidable but graceful Sword Dancer and this is the story of how she will eventually get there and what obstinacies she must overcome. As of this volume Honoka is still trying to make a name for herself in the desert outlands as a Dune Runner. The story reminds me of a mix of Mad Max, Sandland, Weathering Continent, and Full Metal Panic. I really like Honoka she is very determined to become the best, but the author still writes her as a timid girl at times. I am looking forward to the next volume and continuing to read her adventures. A-