Manga Reviews: From Airtreks to Forgotten Feathers!

Airgear vols. 15,16, and 17 Omnibus
Story & Art: Oh! Great
Translation: Makoto Yukon
Lettering: North Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey

I think that Del Rey is really figured something out with these omnibus editions they keep releasing. While other companies seem to go under or just reduce the amount of manga they release, it seems that Del Rey just compiles two to three volumes into one oversize book and charges a cheaper price than buying the individual volumes. I’ve seen Tokyopop and Del Rey do that in the past with the first three volumes, but this is a first time that later volumes are collected in one giant omnibus. If you aren’t familiar with AirGear it is a manga by Oh Great, who not only has a badass name, but is also the same mastermind behind Tenjho Tenge. The story is about Ikki Minami, a 13-year-old junior high gang leader, also known as Baby face of East Side. He suffers a humiliating defeat by the an air-trekking gang called the Skull Saders, who then go on to target the friends and classmates he can't protect. His foster family, the Namayoma sisters, notably Ringo, Ikki's childhood friend mysteriously reveal themselves as the legendary Sleeping Forest, assisting Ikki in entering the Airtrek world to redeem his pride. We start these volumes with the final fight between Kogarasumaru and Animal House. Representing the teams are two gorgeous girls: Benkei, the sexy cheetah girl and Ohm who controls the water. Meanwhile Simca is still recovering and for now she is confined to a wheel chair, but no worries, she still looks sexy as ever. I guess the biggest highlight for me in these three volumes were the revelations of some of the characters and the significance of the tower. But, how could I go on about these volumes and not talk about the epic of epicness fights? That fight is all Ringo vs. Ikki. Yeah, that’s right Ringo, I don’t know about most people, but this came as a huge shock for me. When I mean epic, I mean epic! So much blood, so much action, and so much fan service. Oh! Great really lives up to his name when it comes to his artwork; it’s actually better than great, it ‘phenomenal. His art is detailed and expressive without ever being crowded or confusing. The paneling is simultaneously inventive and easy to follow, even with the crazy sound effects. These volumes really stepped it up a notch and the huge fight between Ringo and Ikki will be hard to top. A+

Blade of the Immortal vol. 22
Story & Art: Hiroaki Samura
Translation: Dana Lewis
Lettering: Tomoko Saito
Publisher: Dark Horse

I believe that the last time we reviewed Airgear, it was also the last time we reviewed Blade of the Immortal. What a coincidence? Wait…it’s not coincidence if it’s planned out that way. What am I thinking? Man, there are just some books that make me feel old. Reading comics for the 27 years and having none of the characters ever get older really makes me feel old. When I first started reading Blade of the Immortal I was in college and now I am married and have a kid of my own and it feels like ages ago that I would come into my room shut the door and get lost in the world of Manji and Rin. Alright enough nostalgia, let’s move on. Funny enough even the way that the book is printed hasn’t changed, because it is still being printed from left to right, and has a price tag that some may consider high for a manga. The thing you have to remember is that much work goes into the translation of this manga. Each panel has to be cut and re-pasted on the new pages in order to capture the real essence of Samura’s art style. The sound effects have to be as close to the original as they can make it, because sometimes the sounds are part of the art style. To put it bluntly; it is definitely worth the price of admission. I’m not sure how long in the course of the book Manji spent in Habaki’s prison and was being experimented on, but it felt like years to me. So it’s great that we have a new story arc starting with this volume. There is a new force that will stand against the Itto-ryu and they are known as the Rokki-dan. While this sounds like a great idea; I’m not sure how they will stand in the end, particularly when some of them were wiped out by Baro alone. While I am all for a new story arc, this volume lacks the greatness that its predecessors had. It is a very slow start and even though Anatsu shows up again, the threat isn’t there as in previous volumes. There is a huge glossary for terms used in volumes 1 through 19 that help remembering names and places. Also found in this volume are some great art pieces at the end of the book like all the ladies drawn in traditional Japanese high school girl outfits and even weapon art. B+

Peepo Choo vol. 1
Story & Art: Felipe Smith
Cover Design: Glen Isip
Publisher: Vertical

I had seen the cover around for a couple of months before receiving this book in the mail. What red blooded American male wouldn’t want to flip through the pages with a sexy cover like that? Sure, I had no freaking idea what the comic was even about and I sure as hell didn’t know what the title of the book even was. It is a unique book, I’ll give it that. The book is done by an American, but printed in Japan first, only to be translated and brought back to its country of origin. So, the title is a take on the name Pikachu. It’s a little Japanese character that the protagonist Milton is obsessed with. Actually, he is obsessed with anything Japanese and considers himself to be a citizen of Japan because he is such a huge otaku. Unfortunately for him, he is just a dorky poor kid who lives in America and is a bit of a loser. This all changes when he and his overly-obsessed with sex comic shop dealer Jody mysteriously win a trip to Japan. It turns out as we find out through subplots (and there are lots of those) that the comic shop is owned by gangsters and the trip to Japan is a cover to assassinate a Yakuza. I’m interested to know how Reiko (the girl on the cover) gets involved with Milton and Jody. I love the freedom that Smith gets in this book! Gangsters blowing each other’s heads off? A standoff between manga lovers and American comic lovers? Where else can you find two school girls holding a used tampon as a means of torture? It is completely over the top with sex, violence, and just tasteless humor, but I loved every minute of it. I love the reality of showing Otakus at their worst and not their best as opposed to just about every other book that focuses on them. This book has me craving for more and I’m so glad that Vertical decided to bring it over to the US. A

Tsubasa vol. 27
Story & Art: CLAMP
Translation: William Flanagan
Lettering: Dana Hayward
Publisher: Del Rey

This is it! Just one more volume until the ending of this epic saga and not much time left to wrap up all the unanswered questions? Wait! Is this going to be like Lost all over again? Not at all! As a matter of fact there are lots of resolutions in volume 27. So are real quick recap: Sakura is the princess of Clow and Syaoran is a young archaeologist passionate about the past and about Sakura. Before she can tell him that she too loves him, she is drawn into ancient ruins, where her memories, in the form of feathers, are scattered across multiple worlds. Syaoran goes with the dying Sakura to Yuko, the time-space witch and made ever famous from XXXholic, who grants him, along with Kurogane and Fai D. Flowright, the ability to travel across worlds to seek out the feathers. Now Sakura is at the hands of Fei-Wang and it’s up to our three heroes to get the princess back before he uses her to destroy all the worlds. Now clone Syaoran gets a happy ending of his own after reconciling and helping his friends, even though he had to die to achieve this goal. As it turns out we find out that before it was the kingdom of Clow it was just Acid Tokyo. The princess kept helping everyone by leaving a feather behind and keeping the water reservoir going. We learn that Yuuko, our lovely witch from XXXholic has been frozen in time and was in charge of a tube that plays a major role in this battle. And we finally get an appearance of Card Captor Sakura Syaoran and Sakura. I was a little confused with the whole mom and dad thing looking like Sakura and Syaoran and the art seems confusing at times when there is so much action going on while worlds are falling apart. Even though it was kind of confusing, it was still really fun and the stakes have gone up when Yuuko gives Syaoran the option to choose. B

Manga Reviews: Back with our DNA and more!

Airgear vol. 14
Story & Art: Oh! Great
Translation: Makoto Yukon
Lettering: Hudson Yards
Publisher: Del Rey

Since we skipped last week, we decided to bring an extra dosage of Manga reviews this week by reviewing more titles. First on the list is AirGear by Oh Great, who not only has a badass name, but is also the same mastermind behind Tenjho Tenge. The story is about Ikki Minami, a 13-year-old junior high gang leader, also known as Babyface of East Side. He suffers a humiliating defeat by the an air-trekking gang called the Skull Saders, who then go on to target the friends and classmates he can't protect. His foster family, the Namayoma sisters, notably Ringo, Ikki's childhood friend mysteriously reveal themselves as the legendary Sleeping Forest, assisting Ikki in entering the Airtrek world to redeem his pride. I haven’t kept up with recent volumes of this series, but luckily Del Rey has a great way of recapping the past stories and reintroducing characters at the beginning of the book. It seems that Kazu has taken the spotlight while Ikki has been recovering, but he’s not alone because with the help of Aeon Clock and Emily he is able to defeat the Storm Rider. And new enemies are rising up that seem to be a challenge even for the elite groups of the Air Trek world. Of course I automatically fell in love with the series because of my fond memories playing Jet Set Radio, and the artwork didn’t hurt either. Oh! Great really lives up to his name when it comes to his artwork; it’s actually better than great, it’s phenomenal. His art is detailed and expressive without ever being crowded or confusing. The paneling is simultaneously inventive and easy to follow, even with the crazy sound effects. Even though the story is not really fresh after 14 volumes, it’s still a fun read and a joy to look at. B+

Bastard!! Vol. 19
Story & Art: Kazushi Hagiwara
Translation: Kaori Kawakubo Inoe
Adaptation: Sean McCoy
Publisher: Viz
It’s finally here! The latest installment in this great series that I have been waiting on since January! The only bad thing about Bastard’s schedule is that so much happened in the last four volumes it’s hard to remember everything without going back and rereading the previous volumes. Hell has been breaking loose for the last three volumes and it just keeps getting better and better. In case you haven’t been keeping up with the series here is a little run down: The story follows the exploits of a 400 year old super-powerful wizard by the name of Dark Schneider, who happens to be trapped in the body of a young boy after his reincarnation. He can only take control of Lucien (his host body) when he is kissed by a virgin and there are plenty of those. Did I mention there is plenty of action and fights? Sure the over the top fights tend to get repetitive and just plain silly, but those are some gorgeous panels to look at. Specially the panels that have Porno Diano, man I wouldn’t mind fighting her any day. More bodies explode as the fight between Dark Schneider and Satan continues. Even with the help of Gabriel, Michael, and Uriel this is his toughest battle by far! There is also a Tale of Sacrifice Story 0 at the end of the book that features the characters in our timeline. This book isn’t for the faint of heart or people that just can’t take a joke. There are plenty of parts that show women as sex objects. So if you have a problem with that this is not the manga for you. Of course there is plenty of fan service for the ladies too because DS is a good looking guy and has the body of a God. Over the years this has been one of my favorite books that I have to read every time a new volume is available. A-

DN Angel vols. 12 & 13

Story & Art: Yukiru Sugisaki
Translation: Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley
Adaptation: Ysabet Reinhardt Macfarlane
Publisher: Tokyopop

According to the internet I was not the only fan of this book that was excited to see its triumphant return. I’m not kidding; it’s been 3 years since volume 11 was released. I just assumed the series was cancelled in America. It was however on hiatus in Japan as well. From my personal experience that usually tells me the creator has lost interest in the title and is moving on and we should too. Not only do we get volume 12 in August, but just a few months after that volume 13 comes along! So welcome back DN Angel! In case you don’t know what the series is about it follows the adventures of 14 year old Daisuke Niwa and his alter-ego Dark. Daisuke transforms whenever he’s feeling anxious about Risa, his crush, but his alter ego, 17-year-old Dark, transforms back whenever he’s anxious around Risa’s twin sister Riku. In these latest two volumes we get to find out the horrible secret of this curse from Satoshi/Krad. I know that the concept of 'light' and 'dark' has been done to death! But I still like it. I'm all for the plot. I like the idea of the whole d.n.a transforming. It's common for anime characters to transform into another being or for that matter change outfits, but I guess that just following the criteria. As usual the art is absolutely wonderful and a joy to look at. High-quality. Top-notch. Sugisaki’s time off didn’t change her art style that much and she still pays painfully detailed attention to every single panel, and the result definitely pays off. The only thing I have noticed is that there seems to be more close-ups now and that takes space away from the backgrounds. I don’t know if she does it to save time, but some panels feel empty. The script is solid, something that I've come to expect from Tokyopop now. Check out this manga. It's beautiful, it's funny, it has a great plot, and for some reason it's just plainly addictive. A-

Negima vol. 24

Story & Art: Ken Akamatsu
Translation: Alethea Nibley
Adaptation: Athena Nibley
Publisher: Del Rey

For a series that started off like a mixture of Harry Potter and Love Hina, this little title has come a long way in 24 volumes. Negi and some of his students have been trapped in the magical world for a few volumes now. It most of them are still separated and I don’t even know if Negi releasing his dark arts is going to help the girls any. It was nice to see a little bit of the girls who are still on Earth though; it was a nice break from the Negi training with his father. I just can’t wait for the battle with Fate Averruncus! Ken Akamatsu’s art just keeps getting better and better with each volume. He cleverly combines cuteness, comedy, realism, sexiness, and has a great layout to create a very unique style. You know, I never thought I’d say this, but I actually miss the over abundance of fan service we would get with each volume, but it’s just a reminder of how serious the book has gotten. The back of the book has one of the most extensive extras sections that most of us will have ever seen. Everything from translation notes to explanations of particular spells used in the story are here for the reader to look over. There is also a large section of reader fan art and even some preliminary design work by the artist himself. This particular volume also includes some very detailed architectural drawings and notes. Let’s see you try and find that kind of explanation of things in any other manga being made today. When it comes to extras and gaining a better understanding of the manga we are reading, Negima is definitely the best. A

Shaman Warrior vols. 6-8
Story & Art: Park Joong-Ki
Translation: Jay So
Lettering: Steve Dutro
Publisher: Dark Horse

It’s been a long time since we reviewed some Manhwa on this site. I’m just glad the good people at Dark Horse decided to release this little Korean gem State-side. These issues are the penultimate volumes that will lead to the climactic ending. To play catch-up as Melanie and Omar put it this all started because of Yarong, who is mortally wounded at the end of the first book. Batu is now in charge of Yaki (Yarong’s daughter) and he has to keep her safe in order for her to become a Shaman Warrior. Yaki is now a woman and has gathered troops of her own to destroy the men that killed her father and endanger the lives of other shaman. With her new found powers she has already killed one of the men responsible, but new villains seem to put a damper on her plans. The pacing of the story is excellent and doesn't get bogged down with super long fight scenes. Each character gets his or her own time to develop and even though it has an extensive background that is unclear at the very beginning; it all starts to take shape after the first few volumes. This is definitely a book for fans of fighting and action genres. While the story seems like one you’ve might have read in the past, it still has enough twists to keep me interested. But, let’s be honest the story is not really why I enjoy the hell out of this book; it’s got to be the art. The dark scratchy lines that seem like take forever to draw give this book that appealing unique look that so many other books lack. The action sequences are drawn so well that they are easy to follow, even for a book that relies on action heavy scenes. The movements flow smoothly and the motion is very convincing. Fans of Blade of the Immortal, Vagabond, and Lone Wolf and Cub should check this wonderful series out. In my opinion this book outshines all of those previously mentioned, but that’s just me. Bring on the final chapter of this great series! A

Shinobi Life vol.3

Story & Art: Shoko Conami
Translation: Lori Riser
Adaptation: Ysabet Reinhardt Macfarlane
Publisher: Tokyopop

Funny how every time I looked at the covers of Shinobi Life it always depicted Kagetora and Beni. I thought it was going to be another one of those cheesy high school love stories. But there was so much more in this manga that I went back and read the previous two volumes. I’ve always been a fan of the name Kagetora, mainly because of the manga that Del Rey put out so immediately I grew to like this character. He is a young ninja that was charged with the duty of protecting princess Beni (red princess). However, he is sent to the future and the first person he runs into is Beni Fujiwara. Not only does she look like princess Beni, but happens to be a descendant of hers. So what else is a time lost ninja suppose to do? Give himself the duty of protecting her of course. The thing that got me really hooked on the book was Beni’s personality though. She doesn’t mind being kidnapped or her life being put in danger because she has a death wish and the only reason she lives is to get back at her father (whom she blames for her mother’s death). In order to rescue Kagetora, Beni goes to Rihito and reveals Kagetora’s true origins to her fiancé. She also promises to be Rihito’s alone. This leads to her having a conflict about her true feelings for her protector. It was a pretty cool twist that the girl becomes the protector in the third volume. Each volume seems to just have more tensions and rivalry than the previous one. This series really got my attention by being different enough to stand out above the rest. I recommend it to anyone looking for a new fun book. B+

Midweek Manga Reviews: From Air Gears to fighting Reindeer

Air Gear vol. 6
Story & Art: Oh Great!
Translation: Makoto Yukan
Letterer: NMSG
Publisher: Del Rey

After a long streak of love story manga, I decided to go back to my true roots and read something with plenty of action and plenty of fan service. Thank God for Air Gear! Back to the world of high-tech inline skating, intense battling/racing, and gorgeous half naked women. Who could ask for anything more? In this volume Ikki(Itsuki Minami) learns a little about Rika’s past, which of course revolves around the Sleeping Forest and Sora. Instead of learning a lesson from hearing about Sora’s tragic past, Ikki sets a new goal; to be the new storm. For some reason Sora sees that the wind loves Ikki and starts training the new sleeping forest. What I found rather odd was a silly philosophical look about Rika’s moves starting at her ass. Ikki eventually meets one of the four Titans of Behemoth; Mitsuru Bandou (The Cyclops Hammer). It’s funny how the art style really mirrors the extreme fun, fast speed, and exciting thrills that the story provides. The use of heavy manic lines and high-speed action sequences are some of the best that I have ever seen. The battle sequence between characters or whenever they are just training take place high above the skyline and the art really brings out the sense of being that high in you. Sure there is plenty of over the top fan service, but I can’t wait to see where Oh Great takes us with the next volume. A-

Gon vols. 2 & 3
Story & Art: Masashi Tanaka
Publisher: CMX

As you might have noticed there are no credits for a translator or for someone who did the English adaptation. It’s simply because there are no words in these books that have to be translated. To put it simply Gon is a journey about a little tyrannosaurus and his explorations of the great animal kingdom. He is a little 2 foot tall dinosaur that packs attitude and style with every bite. He has an appetite for exploring and humiliating the great predators of the wild. From destroying a school of piranhas, eating some bad shroooms and taking all his animal friends out, to defending his fellow wolf brothers against a Siberian tiger. That is his goal though, Gon just marches through life enjoying the world and defending the weak with his own sense of justice. Although sometimes he can act a bit sadistic or mean he sure can be an intimidating force. It’s a great mix of Kimba, Jurassic Park, and Bambi. These books really bring out the kid in me and that’s a rare thing to find in today’s books. This is one of the best manga of all time and when you open these pages you can tell why Gon is loved by adults and children all over the world. Now, stop what you are doing and go and buy these great books! A+

The King of Fighters 2003 vol. 4
Story: Wing Yan
Art: King Tung
Translation: TJ Zhao
Publisher: Drmaster

You think that a comic based on a videogame that came out in 2003 would draw no interest from me. But this is King of Fighters we are talking about and those games have been part of my life since 1994. I’ve known Kyo Kusanagi, Iori Yagami, and Leona longer than I have known some of my friends. But anyway, this review isn’t about fond memories of a 30 year old. Volume 4 kicks up the action a notch when Team K goes against the High School Girl Team, but their match is interrupted by Phantom Pain-Kirameki Kannaduki. We also have a great match between the Hero Team vs. the Fatal Fury Team (who to me should be part of that hero team). We see Terry Bogard sport his outfit from the Mark of the Wolves game and take on Shen Woo. What’s not to enjoy about this series? We have the characters that are staying true to their videogame counterparts, the settings that are based on stages within the game, gorgeous artwork that captures the fantastic martial art techniques and awesome power moves, and ohhh yeah plenty of gorgeous women that keep making you turn those pages. My main gripe is with the price point and length of these books. They are $13.95 for 130 pages of comics. Keep in mind though that the pages are in color and they are printed on some nice glossy paper, but there are trade paperbacks with more pages that cost less. If you are a fan of the series or interested in a book full of action this is a must buy for you! B

Kuro Gane vols. 1 & 2
Story & Art: Kei Toume
Translation: Ikoi Hiroe
Lettering: Gabriel Lee Levine
Publisher: Del Rey

When I looked at the covers of volume one and two, I really didn’t know what to expect from this series. I thought it was about a deformed samurai or a samurai/frog creature (don’t know why I thought frog). As it turns out this story is about a robot samurai. Do you know how badass that is? I’ll say it again; Robot and a samurai, even though he is more of a cyborg than robot, but still. On a quest to avenge his father Jintetsu died and was given a new body by Genkichi, the man who found his dying body. However, with his new body comes a few problems such as he can no longer talk because he has no vocal cords and his face has a metallic look to it. But, he does have a talking sword that is somehow connected to his brain and can speak his thoughts. After Genkichi is killed Jintetsu begins a quest to look for his father’s murderer. It is here where he runs into an old friend Otsuki, the beautiful girl he left behind. After he kills his father’s murderer he leaves Otsuki for a second time, but this time his sword tells her he is nothing but Jintetsu’s ghost. In the next volume he really does the same thing by going to a new town and helps people out with their dilemmas. The art is very reminiscent of Blade of the Immortal and Samurai Deeper Kyo. The characters are drawn with sketchy lines and the layout of the panels really make the action sequences easy to follow. These two books give you your money’s worth with over 200 pages of samurai action and a set of wonderful translation notes that Del Rey is notorious for always providing. If you are looking for something new and interesting this is the book for you. A

Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation
Story & Art: Yoshiyuki Nishi
Translation: Alexander O. Smith
Lettering: Mark Griffin
Publisher: Viz

After reading Uzumaki, Museum of Terror, the Ring, and Present; I was in a mood for some dark manga. Manga that would creep me out and put images in my head that would haunt me for a week. For some reason I thought I was going to get this from BSI. I have no idea why I thought this by looking at that cover. So, yes I was disappointed in the book looking at it like that. But, when I read it I found myself really liking the story and I can’t put my finger on it, but I thought the story and art were superb. This book feels more like The Real Ghostbusters, yeah not the one with the Gorilla and Yu Yu Hakasho. It has everything you need to tell a semi-haunting yet fun story; Magic, demons, ghosts, and the spiritual law enforcement. It’s about these “legal exorcist trying to stop out of control ghost from getting out of control. The book is separated into chapters that deal with different and stand alone stories of the occult. But they all seem to be a setup for something larger in the future. I love how the two partners are not the best of friends and are always bickering with each other. Some of the art really does remind me of those horror stories, specially the walking doll and the chair that tried to swallow Jiro. The book is not without flaws though, while I enjoy the art, I really don’t like the character designs for the main protagonists. They seem really outdated for a book that premiered in 2004. The hair style and clothes are reminiscent of manga I have read in the late 80s. Sometimes the jokes get a little repetitive too, but I am still curious to see where this series takes me….so I can’t be that bored. B

One Piece vol. 17
Story & Art: Eiichiro Oda
Translation: JN Productions
Adaptation: Lance Caselman
Publisher: Viz

Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates are back! This is it! This volume wraps up the Drum Island arc. The final showdown between our gang and King Wapol and he is not giving up his castle that easy. This volume is filled with intense fights and plenty of humor that rivals those great stories in Dragon Ball Z. It seems that Luffy has befriended Tony Tony Chopper and has turned him into an ally against his fight with Wapol’s thugs. It seems that Chopper is also a medicine man, and we all know that the Big Horn village needs help with their beloved leader dying in the snow. We also get a glimpse of one of the most “colorful” and unique characters in the entire series; Bon Clay (Mr. Bon 2). One Piece is an action adventure story with some great travelling and conquering stories. It all started with Luffy looking to fulfill his dream of becoming the great Pirate King and now it seems to be focusing more on his crew family. The characters designs and artwork have always seemed timeless because of their presentation. To find so much fun comedy in a story filled with great adventure and moving stories is a rarity in today’s stories. A