Manga Reviews: Back from the Break!

Black Jack vol. 10
Story & Art: Osamu Tezuka
Publisher: Vertical

It’s funny how books and movies make me wish I had followed a different path in my life or change what I do for a living. When watching The Wire I really wished I had become a Detective, watching Rescue Me makes me wish I was a firefighter, Enjoying those 007 novels…….well, you get my drift. Yes, reading Black Jack makes me wish I had chosen a different profession. Not to be a dreamy doctor like the guys in Grey’s Anatomy or ER, but to be a dark, tormented and mysterious doctor that only takes the toughest jobs. I can’t ever seem to put this book down when I open its pages. Sure I pretend that I only want to read a few chapters, but damn if I don’t finish the book after one sitting and pass it down to the rest of the review crew. It’s really hard to describe how powerful each of these 14 stand alone stories is without going into a deep inside look of each chapter. To me the best stories in this particular volume revolve around the relationship between Black Jack and his father. When his father hires him to perform reconstructive facial surgery on his current wife and asks him to make her the world’s greatest beauty; Black Jack makes her look like his mother as a chance to avenge his mother’s betrayal at the hands of his father. That is some deep psychological stuff for its time. Of course that isn’t the last time we see his father, unfortunately the next time we see his father, he is on his deathbed and Black Jack has to deal with the rest of his new family. The touching story of why Black Jack can’t rebuild his home because he is waiting on the “boss” to return and finish the job; really touched at my heart strings. Those are just some of the stories you’ll find in this great series. Just when I think that Tezuka is out of stories for our great doctor, he sideswipes me with some new material. A

Fairy Tail vol.10
Story & Art: Hiro Mashima
Translations: William Flanagan
Lettering: North Market Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey

I can’t help but think of One Piece when looking at Mashima’s covers. Yes, I know they were studio mates and share a very similar style, but for some reason the covers in Fairy Tail remind me more of One Piece than Rave Master. However, after reading 10 volumes, I’m starting to think that it’s not just the covers that remind me of OP, but the story is starting to mirror it more and more. Sure it’s like Harry Potter meets the Straw Hats, but it’s not really a bad thing at all. Finally, this volume focuses more on character interaction, than the huge fight scenes that have been occurring lately. We get to learn more about Erza’s past while she is being held captive in the Tower of Heaven by a childhood “acquaintance”. I can’t wait to see her cut loose and tear the bad guys up. While the art work is great, I have to say that the fight scenes are getting dull and repetitive. At times the angles and the way the characters are drawn make the fighting really hard to follow. I think what I have always enjoyed about the book is that sometimes the dullness and weakness of the story can be kept hidden by the over the top action sequences. The series is definitely filled with comic relief, mostly of the belly-laugh variety, lots of strange antics, and fun dialogue. Add in lots of mass mayhem when the wizards start brawling and it still a good read. B

Karakuri Odette vols. 2 & 3
Story & Art: Julietta Suzuki
Translation: Aimi Tokutake
Adaptation: Peter Ahlstrom
Publisher: Tokypop

Yes, there are a number of things I’m a sucker for in life: Giant robots, two chicks and one cup, X-men, and for some reason robot girls trying to become human. Sure we have seen this kind of story since the days of Pinocchio, but it’s always a nice twist when the thing trying to become human is a cute girl any guy would fall for. So this story is focusing on Odette, who is a beautiful, naïve, and endearing android that was built by Professor Yoshizawa. After going to school, she keeps asking for change after change, depending on the situation. It would have been really easy for Suzuki to turn Odette into an annoying Bimbo (yes, they do exist), but for some reason she comes across as a naïve, gentle, and caring android that you end up cheering for in by the second volume. Seriously the story just kept getting better and better, by the time you reach volume three, you will be craving so much more. By far I think the best part of both of these novels is when one of her fellow classmates falls for Odette, but since our little android she doesn’t understand his emotions and it seems like she just ignores him. I guess I have fallen for this android, I mean she even changed a murderous android’s ways when he was set out to murder Yoshizawa. It seems that beneath that cheesy top layer, this is really a deep and cute story about an android in search for a soul. Sure it could all go back to Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, but this is more a comical approach. The art in this book is your typical shojo art. Although Suzuki does struggle with giving each character a different unique look. At times it is hard to follow who is who in the story, but it is refreshing to see that you won’t find any kind of fan service in this robot chick story. A -

Negima vol. 25

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

I’m sure just like everyone who has ever read this book, when I first read the series it was like a mixture of Harry Potter and Love Hina. I didn’t think it would be anything special, but after the first five volumes I was hooked. Loved this series after that and it’s so interesting to see how long of a way it’s come since those days. Negi and some of his students have been trapped in the magical world for a few volumes now. It still feels like 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. Now that Fate Averruncus has arrived, he is setting his evil plans into motion! However, he promises Negi, if he doesn’t interfere he and his girls can go back home unharmed. So of course Negi's team and Fate's team finally test their mettle against one another. You would think that even though Fate's team has powerful weapons and great magic on their side, they would take down Negi’s girls in no time. However, Negi's team has experienced so much that they manage to put up a fight against them. Ken Akamatsu’ 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. What can I say if you aren’t reading this series now; you are missing out on some great storytelling! A

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+

Negima! Magister Negi Magi Spotlight

Story & Art: Ken Akamatsu
Translations: Douglas Varenas, Toshifumi Yoshida, and others
Adaptation: Peter David, Trish Ledoux, Kathleen O’shea David, Ikoi Hiroe, and others
Publisher: Del Rey

Over the last month I have been reading Negima Magister Negi Magi just about every chance I got. After reading the first 15 volumes of this series and having read the entire Love Hina series, I have come to the realization that Ken Akamatsu has made a living off of underdog boys and girls who inexplicably adore them. I really have no idea how something like this could work in real life, these wimpy guys get all the chicks. That’s it I’m going to stop working out and see what happens. But anyway, I have heard this book called plenty of things, but by far my favorite way to describe this book is by calling “Harem Potter” (that’s something I came across on the internet). While I consider myself rather witty, I’m not that witty.

So the premise "Harem Potter” is not really far off. A 10-year-old prodigy wizard is sent by his Hogwarts-like school in Britain to Japan, there to teach English to14-year-old Japanese schoolgirls at an all-girl's school. Negi Springfield wants to test himself to be like his father, a famous mage and for some reason a teacher is what he chooses to be. This is all in the hopes that one day he will meet his father or just an excuse for Akamatsu to have a setting at a high school. Oh yeah, we get to see those underage girls in this high school uniforms we have all come to love. There are 31 girls in the class, well one is a ghost and one's a robot, but come on its manga. Negi has his work cut out for him it’s not an easy obstacle he has to overcome and over time he gets help from his students. Ohh yeah and his goal is to hide the fact that he is a wizard.

I guess we can talk about these 31 girls for a bit. This is probably the biggest cast I have read in a manga. It was sometimes hard to keep up with who is who and the fact that some of them look identical and they all wear the same clothes don’t help. Negi's students consist of a wide array of smart students, athletes, cheerleader, academically challenged. But what class doesn’t have those types of girls in there? This class however, also includes several martial artists, a vampire, a ghost (like I mentioned before), a ninja, a robot, at demon, a time traveler (who also happens to be a Martian), a web idol, and plenty of witches. The thing that does make each student stand out is their involvement in different clubs. Many of these girls are eventually drawn into Negi's world of magic or have long been involved with the magic world. Through interaction, Negi learns about his students in depth. Even though his goal is to hide that he is a wizard, that later gets put aside because each girl finds a way to help Negi.

Now, I have mentioned that there is a robot a vampire, and a ghost, but most of these girls share another attribute, and that is that some of these girls have crushes on this 10-year-old boy teacher. I think this is why Asuna stands out, because she doesn’t see what the other girls see. There's a lot of slapstick grabbing of his crotch, boobs smacking in his face, and as with Love Hina there's just scores of bath scenes. There's a basic gross factor in the main romance that's difficult to get past, though it helps that Negi has no sexual desire for any of them, whatsoever. Once we get past that in the first few volumes, it's a basic adventure story, with Negi getting to know a new classmate every 3-4 chapters and going through some sort of bonding. By the end of Volume 9, half of the 31 girls are aware he's a wizard, so he no longer feels the need to keep his secret. But Negi is likeable in a genuinely likeable way, as opposed to Love Hina's Keitaro, who seemed merely hapless and a loser who can’t get into any University, but for some reason you find yourself routing for.

This isn’t just normal classes these girls are attending. While yes there is plenty of book study and field trips, there are also plenty of heated battles and magic fights. In the Evangeline story Arc we are introduced to the Pactio system. The Pactio system is a system of magic. It’s any magic user who can select a companion. These companions then attain abilities related to their personalities. It enables the magician casting the spell, the Magister, to transfer some of their magic power to the other person involved in the “pactio”, the Ministra, improving the Ministra's natural capabilities, by an average of ten times their normal capacity, according to Chamo (Negi’s pet/familiar). They can then summon a magic artifact if they wish.

After the heated battles, Akamatsu mostly focuses on fun and games. And of course, lots of magically-induced goofiness, such as Asuna beating her head against a boulder for being interested in Negi. And the final gag is Konoka tackling a terrified Setsuna with proclamations of love. Good thing the other girls, especially Ayaka, didn't get a hold of them. Probably by far my favorite two characters Konoka and Setsuna. They have been friends since childhood, the problem is, as the two have grown up, Setsuna's friendship has turned into a full-blown crush. Which is a big problem, as not only is Setsuna trying to remain detached and failing miserably, but she's also been brought up to believe that feeling such things for another girl is wrong. It doesn't help that, once their initial 'I'm avoiding you' difficulties are settled, Konoka is nice, sweet, and unselfish and basically doing her best to be lovable, if completely oblivious. The wonderful thing about these characters is that they have sounded the same since volume 1. Even after a handful of different translators and people that have adapted the book, the characters have sounded the same from the beginning. Towards earlier volumes I thought I noticed a little of Peter David humor he puts in his own books, but in reality it was just the characters themselves.

The artwork for Negima is rather impressive. It seems that Akamtsu has really sharpened his style since his days on Love Hina. While the characters can be cute and simple at times, the overall look to things is more detailed, especially on his fighting scenes. It seems that the earlier volumes had a CG look to the background and that really took my eyes away from the characters. Speaking of the characters, the students are also rather sharp and detailed, each noticeably different than every other. At first it seemed really confusing, because some do look like, but after 15 volumes I could really tell the difference and couldn’t wait till some of my favorites showed back up again. The spells and fights in Negima are easily what carries the artwork. I think the only thing about his art that still bothers me are the missing nipples. Yeah, I may sound like a pervert for pointing this out, but in manga and some American comics, I have a problem when something I know is supposed to be there isn’t. For an artist that takes his time with every detail from faces to buildings, I really don’t know why he didn’t go ahead and draw nipples on the girls. But oh well, just a small gripe, but when you have a bath scene in just about every other book, it could be a big problem.

That is not the only flaw Negima has either. The main problem to me is that it seems so unoriginal at first and the first few volumes I really had to push myself to read. We have that automatic love/hate relationship between Negi and some of his students. It's filled with gratuitous nudity and slight Lolita fetish (I have no clue what it’s called when it’s directed at boys). Akamatsu's fixation on the female body continues from his days on Love Hina, there are entire chapters where every girl is stark naked, with the exception of Asuna. Sure it’s contrived at times, but how else are we going to get fan service in manga. There is a good plot underlying this, and the Setsuna/Konoka pairing, while one-sided, is quite well done for both comedy and angst/drama. Negi’s goal is totally believable and I found myself cheering for him at times to become the Master Wizard. There are times when he is forced to make decisions I don’t think a 10 year old could handle better, hell I don’t think I can make better choices and I’m 30. This book is definitely for people that enjoyed Love Hina or enjoy romantic comedies, magical adventures, wonderful art, and a great story with an underdog for a protagonist. While it can be rather predictable at times it still manages to keep me in suspense. B