Manga Reviews: Kamichama Karin Chu, Mad Love Chase, Minima, Trigun Maximum

Kamichama Karin Chu vol. 6
Story & Art: Koge-Donbo
Translations: Althea Nibley
Adaptation: Athena Nibley
Publisher: Del Rey

If the name Koge-Donbo or Kokoro Koharuno ring a bell, it’s because you have heard that name before. Not from the predecessor of this title, but from a small title called Digi Charat. One look at the character’s eyes and you’ll see it was pretty obvious. Anyway, Kamichama Karin Chu is a sequel to Kamichama Karin that was originally published by Tokyopop. Karin is a reincarnation of the goddess Aphrodite and can transform using a ring left to her by her parents. Nya-Ke is her pet cat/goddess, but every magical girl has to have a pet-sidekick. Kazune and Himeka are some kind of reincarnated versions of her husband and daughter who also posses powers and are now living with her. At this point Karin has lost her memory and the baddies are taking advantage of this. The only way to get it back if for Jin to use Professor Karasuma’s power. After reading this volume I think I found my main problem with this book. I don’t know if it’s the translation team or the actual dialogue, but the story is written very amateurish. The explanation of the ability to use magic just doesn’t make any sense and the repetitive dialogue started getting annoying. The art, much like Digi Charat is very cute and that is the main focus, every character keeps getting cuter and cuter, except for the villains (they get no love). And when I mean cute, I mean cute; soo cute your stomach won’t be able to stand it. The story did improve over the last few volumes. The tensions are getting bigger between friends and having Karin lose her memory really threw a wrench in the repetitive plot, but something is still not clicking with this series. However, if you were a fan of the first series or are completely into magical girl stories you are going to love this book. C+

Mad Love Chase vol.1
Story & Art: Kasuza Takashima
Translations: Katherine Schilling
Lettering: Star Print Brokers
Publisher: Tokyopop

I have never read Wild Rock or Man’s Best Friend, so I’m going into this book with an open mind. I guess I’m one of the reviewers that sometimes let’s someone’s previous work influence the way I grade their next book. I guess we all have our faults. Anyway, this book is about Prince Kaito of the Demon World who escaped to the human world so he could avoid an arranged marriage. For some reason he changed to a high school student named Kujou Yamato and his cat Rebun became the school nurse, Haga. Things get complicated when Kaito’s father sends three demons after his son. You have the brains of the outfit, one who becomes Kujou’s best friend, and the third demon is just worried about hooking up with Haga (who don’t forget is really just a cat). Of course it can’t end there, because when these three fail to bring back Kaito, it’s up to his fiancée to go to the human world and get her man. She becomes the guidance counselor Sugita. The art is completely gorgeous. Not only fan service with all the pretty boys, Takashima does great goofy faces and exaggerated body language, that suits the slapstick storytelling very well. It’s not that deep of a story, but the characters and the stupid situations they get into really made it easy to enjoy this book. The only downside I have to point out is that it seems fairly short. I could do with less ads and character sketches as long as I got more story. B+

Minima! Vol.4
Story & Art: Machiko Sakurai
Translation: Athena Nibley
Adaptation: Alethea Nibley
Publisher: Del Rey

I remember in my first review mentioning that I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up without a favorite stuffed animal. Yes, I am admitting that my toy rabbit was my buddy when I was a kid and I would have given anything for him to come to life. Well that’s exactly what happens to Ame Oikawa. She is a shy schoolgirl that happens to be in love with the cutest guy in the school Sasaki; she also finds a stuffed animal that is already alive. Nicori is a little meerkat doll (I still think he looks like a mouse) that has a mind of his own and he lets people know exactly what is on his mind all the time. . Nicori decides to stick around and help Ame win Sasaki’s love. But when he sees that he is causing more problems than fixing them, he decides to leave. He leaves because he loves Ame and he seems to think that everything going bad is his fault. When he leaves this time it was really heart wrenching, because the little guy turns back into a doll. Watching Ame tell him she loves him and the last scene where she is crying and holding his now stuffed animal body was depressing. It really hit me and reminded me of the final scene in the Winnie the Pooh (the books not the Disney series) story. While the artwork is not remarkable, it does manage to tell this story clearly and simply. I’m not sure why this series grew on me, but I’m glad I kept reading it because in the end I would recommend it to not just kids, but adults that are still kids at heart. Which goes to show you sometimes it’s hard to judge manga by one volume, specially the first. A-

Trigun Maximum vols. 12-14
Story & Art: Yashiro Nightow
Translation: Mathew Johnson
Lettering: Replibooks
Publisher: Dark Horse

It’s kind of ironic that my first manga I ever reviewed was Trigun volume 1 for komikwerks.com all those years ago. Alright, it wasn’t that long ago, just six years ago when Omar and I started reviewing manga together. I find it suiting that I review the last volumes of this wonderful series that has taken me six years to read. Not because I’m a slow reader, just because it takes that long to get these out. Before I finished the series I reread the entire Trigun run to refresh my memory and let me tell you, I’m glad I did.

This is it boys and girls! The ride has come to an end. Wolfwood is dead, Livio is having visions of Wolfwood while fighting Elendria, and Vash has his final confrontation with Legato and Knives. And what a hell of a fight between Vash and Legato it is. Brutal, morbid, and bloody to the bitter end even though Vash had to kill Legato to keep save Livio’s life, he still kept in character with his no-kill rule. But he had to because Legato gave him no choice, I guess this is why I have always loved Vash, he tries to find other ways to solve a problem than just shoot someone in the head. For a guy with three guns, he is such a pacifist. The Earth Defense Force can’t think of a way to destroy Knives without killing everyone on the planet. The final fight between Vash and Knives is short and sweet, by the end, I knew how it was going to play out since Vash could never kill Knives and as twisted as Knives is he could never kill Vash. The outcome of the fight is what really made the series for me. Knives taking his brother to get help after he what seems to be mortally wounded and the silly aftermath that takes back the series full circle. The book ends on a lovely 2-page color spread of Vash the Stampede, which I did not expect. To see that 2 page image and the cover of Vash giving a Love and Peace sign really brought joy to this series.

My quick and only gripe about is the untranslated sound effects. Sometimes I can overlook it, but at other times, such as in Trigun, translations could really come in handy. The more the series progresses, the more the story relies on the artwork because it’s so actiony. I still love the series and will continue to love it, because believe it or not after 12 volumes it does get easier to understand. Vash is fighting Knives, who is absorbing plants to annihilate the human race, and Livio fighting Elendria while having flashback and the little details as to how all this comes about is lost due to sound effects remaining untranslated! The only words that can be found for pages at a time are the sound effects, and I need every little hint I can get as to what’s happening in the story. But the more you read, the more you get used to it and you can even start making your own sound effects. Just a small gripe for an otherwise fantastic ride. So long Vash and the rest of the gang! And as always: LOVE AND PEACE!!!! A