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Archive for August, 2009

Review: Higurashi When They Cry (Vol. 02)

By Shevaun Morrison on Monday, August 3, 2009

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Reviewer: Shevaun Morrison

Author: Ryukishi07
Manga-ka: Karin Suzuragi
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: February 2009

Synopsis: “Up until now, Keiichi’s been having the time of his life with his new friends in Hinamizawa. But when their good-natured pranks take a deadly turn, Keiichi grows more and more suspicious about their involvement with the so-called “Oyashiro-sama’s Curse.” Turning to Ooishi-san for reassurance only confirms Keiichi’s worst fears as dark secrets about Rena’s past are revealed. Is it just his imagination? Or do his friends really mean to kill him?”

It should come to no surprise that I loved the conclusion of the Abducted by Demons Arc of this spooky series. The story continues to flow well and only becomes more eerie as it progresses. The artwork matches perfectly, with the characters looking more and more distorted as the climax is reached.

Categories: Manga, Reviews, Yen Press | Tags: Higurashi

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Review: Dororo (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Monday, August 3, 2009

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Osamu Tezuka
Publisher: Vertical
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: April 2009

Synopsis: “A surprisingly bleak contrast to Tezuka’s better known Astro Boy, this first of three volumes relates the horrific origin of Hyakkimaru, a teenage hero whose father sacrifices his newborn son’s bodily components to 48 demons in exchange for unstoppable military power. What remained of the child is found by a doctor who fashions him artificial limbs, including prosthetic arms that house hidden swords, and when Hyakkimaru comes of age, he embarks on a mission to kill the demons, thus reclaiming his flesh-and-blood body parts.”

Found on a river’s edge as a blind and deaf enfant with no limbs, there still managed to be something so endearing about the cursed child, easy to both pity and root for his little caterpillar-form. Through logic that I’ve only ever seen Osamu Tezuka pull off with such unapologetic grace, the child develops his own means of psychic communication and senses, ones that give his savior faith in the boy’s potential future.

Categories: Manga, Reviews, Vertical | Tags: Osamu Tezuka

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SDCC’09 Samplers: Part One

By Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, August 2, 2009

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SDCC Samplers

Manga publishers came out to San Diego Comic Con with lots of goodies to share this year, and this included manga samplers: handy little books with multiple short previews of their series to allow readers a quick test-read. I went around to each booth and picked up a copy where I could, looking forward to the opportunity to check out some new series to potentially add to my to-read list.

Viz Media took the prize for most offered samplers, handing out some samplers from years past to go with their newer additions. In two post-parts, I’ll be sharing my short impressions of the samplers. What did I think of the series’ snippet, and did it do its job and inspire me to go pick up volume one?

In this first part I sat down with several of Viz’s sampler books, and though I’d read a good portion of the stories featured there, I still came across some titles new to me that I’ll definitely be looking into:

Categories: Manga, Viz Media |

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Review: Kaze Hikaru (Vol. 01)

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, August 1, 2009

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Taeko Watanabe
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: January 2006

Synopsis: “Into this fierce milieu steps Kamiya Seizaburo, a young would-be warrior who, though lacking in combat experience, possesses a fiery enthusiasm to both aid the Mibu-Roshi in their mission and to avenge his wrongfully murdered family. One of the Mibu-Roshi’s most gifted (and immature) swordsmen, the legendary Okita Soji, agrees to take Seizaburo under his wing. What no one suspects, least of all Soji, is that Seizaburo is actually a girl named Tominaga Sei in disguise!”

A samurai-to-be out for revenge after the murder of his family, Seizaburo may be young and small in size but that won’t stop his determination to become a man strong enough to defeat those in his sights. The greater problem however would be that ‘he’ is actually a ‘she’. Entering a man’s world for justice against those who killed her father and brother, Sei struggles against the pain of her loss, the weight of her lie and the weird assortment of characters she finds herself among.

Categories: Manga, Reviews, Viz Media |

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Release List: August 2009

By Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, August 1, 2009

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With con season well under way, it’s easy to get caught up thinking about all those fantastic series on their way to us in the future. But though the future is full of shiny things, we mustn’t forget the present and fortunately there’s plenty of great stuff coming up in August to keep our reading minds on the now :)

You can check out August 2009′s currently scheduled manga releases under the cut:

Categories: Release Lists |

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