Midweek Manga Reviews: yeah… midweek sorry about that

Boys Over Flowers Volume 27
Yoko Kamio
Viz Media

Finally! Finally, finally, finally, finally! Tsukushi declares her love for Tsukasa! Yeah, the guy is a jerk at the beginning of the series, but as it progressed, the more I began to become fond of him. Kamio’s art style may not be my favorite, but when she draws Tsukasa with bubbles around him, glowing, and standing in a cool pose because he’s saying something romantic, he’s awfully sexy! This guy will do anything for Tsukushi too, such as moving into a tiny little apartment with no bathroom in order to live next door to her and protect her from burglars. He’s slowly maturing and learning what it means to love someone besides himself.

So while Tsukasa has been growing, Tsukushi has been backtracking. She was admirable at the beginning of the series with her will of steel and won’t-take-crap attitude, but in the last few volumes she became annoying with her indecisiveness about how she feels. Yes, Tsukasa’s mother is threatening her family and friends with financial ruin so she won’t date her son, but even if she wasn’t Tsukushi would probably still be wishy-washy. I want to see her fight back because she always stands up for what she believes is right, and it looks like she’s returning to that frame of mind again. A

Dark Metro Volume 1
Story by Tokyo Calen
Art by Yoshiken
Tokyopop

The dead who seek revenge or release lurk in the subway tunnels below Tokyo and wait for the living to fall into their trap. Cool concept, but there isn’t an overall story arch connecting the different stories in each chapter. Seiya, the guide to the underworld, appears in each one, and he holds a large chance at being really beastly (a term I’ve learned from my high school students), angsty character, but he doesn’t get much story time until the last chapter.

Since the story isn’t living up to its potential yet, the art takes center stage. Yoshiken does a wonderful job of creeping me out!