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Posts Tagged Manga

ANN Review: Dengeki Daisy (Vol. 01)

New review over at AnimeNewsNetwork for yet another new Viz Media shoujo (is it just me or are there more than usual coming out lately?), Dengeki Daisy. Long story short – buy this book, shoujo-fans!

I’ll admit I  didn’t think much of the book on first impressions – meaning I read the synopsis and went ‘eh’. But I purchased it anyway (via Strange Adventures) because I love trying new things and I adored it. It starts off feeling a little stereotypical but really surprised me with how much I came to love the two leads in such a short period time, especially ‘Daisy’. Volume two can’t come soon enough!


Review: St. Dragon Girl (Vol. 05)

Reviewer: Andre

Manga-ka: Natsumi Matsumoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: December 2009

Synopsis: “During the Sports Festival, Momoka brings lunch for Ryuga so they can eat together, but Akira isn’t happy that Ryuga rejected her lunch in favour of Momoka’s. Jealous, Akira calls on three impish wind demons to break the couple apart.”

A charming mixture of Chinese pop culture with the traditional styling of Ribon manga, St. Dragon Girl is a sweet, spirited piece of manga fluff. It also slips in just enough fantasy elements and strange cuteness to avoid being overly sweet, relying on an upbeat tone that will overcome many a jaded manga fan.

Read more…


SDCC: Mr. Clean! Mr. Clean! Tokyopop Adds New Titles

Apologies to any who now have a four word jingle stuck in their head and want to clean things with the aid of a brawny bald man. Here we are on Monday, meaning San Diego Comic Con is behind us for another year. Not as many announcements as people were hoping but still some fun new titles to look forward to. As I’m all behind on posting on them, we can look at it as a sort of extended SDCC 2010… right?

Tokyopop had its panel mid-weekend and offered up few new series for the masses:


Mr. Clean: Fully Equipped
Tōya Tobina


Pavane for a Dead Girl
Koge Donbo


Sakura no Ichiban
Yuna Kagesaki

The staff also went over the list of upcoming releases which you can read in its entirety over at AnimeNewsNetwork. After noticing an absence of a number of titles I was really looking forward (such as the newest volumes of Matsuri Akino’s series), I asked over Twitter and was promptly responded to by Tokyopop who assured me they were coming soon (with picture proof!). Now that’s service :)

Other tidbits of news included confirmation of the new Gakuen Heaven titles discovered on Amazon a few months ago ( Endo ~ Calling you & Shichijo ~ Sweet Sweet Darling) along with schedule updates for a few other BLU titles as well – “Baseball Heaven, due out 10/12/10, Stray Cat by Halco (11/9/10), Secretary’s Love by tohko Akiba (12/7/10), and You and Me, Etc. by Kyuugou (2/8/11)” (from ANN)

Tokyopop will also be releasing some jigsaw puzzles for their original properties (yay?), will be releasing more manga via digital means at $5.99 a book and shared some more details on a How To Draw Shoujo Manga book which will include material from Japanese company Hakusensha’s line-up including fan-favourites Ouran Host Club and Fruits Basket.


Review: Kingyo Used Books (Vol. 01)

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Seimu Yoshizaki
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Teen (13+)
Release Date: April 2010

Synopsis: “If a manga volume exists, you can find it at Kingyo Used Books. But Kingyo is more than just a typical used bookstore—it’s a place where human relationships are treated as the most valuable stories of all. Natsuki, the store’s interim manager, and Shiba, the manga maniac who loves her, help both their regular patrons and random customers in a series of linked tales built around actual manga series ranging from the popular to the esoteric.”

Kingyo Used Books is a manga about people who love manga, written by someone who loves manga, aimed at manga lovers. So, if you don’t like manga, get out of town. This book won’t convert anyone to the medium, but for people already in the choir it’s a treat.

Read more…


A Certain Toradora Labyrinth – Seven Seas Reveals New Titles

First I was without internet for a few days and then SDCC popped up to distract me but that’s no reason to let a string of manga releases go unappreciated here on Kuriousity! Seven Seas spent some time dropping fun hints over Twitter for three new manga licenses while the eager and informed deciphered them. A press release then confirmed the titles which are all due for release in 2011:

Amnesia Labyrinth – Nagaru Tanigawa
“When high school student Souji Kushiki, an academic achiever and talented athlete from a well-to-do family, returns home from boarding school, he finds that his sisters Harumi, Youko, and Saki have changed. However, when Souji arrives at school the next day, he learns that, during the summer, one of the students in his class was pushed to his death in front of a subway train. And what’s more, two other students were stabbed by an unknown culprit. Are the victims linked, and could Souji’s sisters have anything to do with the murders?” (Vol. 01 coming February 2011)

Tora Dora – Yuyuko Takemiya/Yasu
“It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!” (Vol. 01 coming March 2011)

A Certain Scientific Railgun – Kazuma Kamach/Kiyotaka Haimura
“Welcome to a world where mysticism and science collide, and supernatural powers are derived from either science or religion. At the heart of this world is Academy City, an advanced metropolis whose population is comprised mostly of students. Meet Mikoto Misaka, the third most powerful Level 5 esper in Academy City. Together with her best friend Kuroko Shirai and the other members of Judgment, a student-run law enforcement agency, Mikoto delves deep into the dark heart of the scientific sprawl she calls home, and uncovers secrets she wishes she hadn’t!” (Vol. 01 coming June 2011).

Personally I’m pretty indifferent to the titles themselves, all being new to me aside from in passing mention (though Toradora sounds cute), but it is promising seeing Seven Seas releasing some new titles and apparently very fandom-supported titles at that. Hope the fans enjoy!


Swag Bag for July 22nd 2010 – Evil Exes and Vengeful Counts

My usual Wednesday shopping had to be postponed until Thursday as I did an emergency replacement of my computer (warning to the masses: backing up your computer files is the best thing you can do for your technological-sanity) but a fan can never be kept from the bookstore for long!

Today specifically I first picked up Viz Media’s newest shoujo series, Dengeki Daisy. The plot doesn’t exactly wow me, and I haven’t read the artist’s previous work, Beast Master, but I’ve already hard lots of good things about this new story so I’m giving it a go! Thanks to a snazzy buy-one-get-one deal at Strange Adventures I was also able to snap up a copy of the third volume of Gankutsuou. While I haven’t read it through yet, just flipping through shows me this is going to be an entirely different, and considerably more disturbing, angle than the anime – yikes! And of course, I had to pick up a copy of the final volume of Scott Pilgrim.

While I never got a chance to visit the vendors for shopping purposes at last week’s Animinitime, I did stop by at the local Chapters to spend a convenient gift card I’d acquired. While there I also checked out the selection of French language manga. Such pretty design work! All with slipcovers and nice mini trim sizes. Also the selection was snazzy – over fifty volumes of Case Closed?! Very cool.

Chapters purchases included Calling, a boys’ love one-shot from BLU which sports an uke with very fluttering eyelashes; Cirque du Freak (Vol. 05) because my roommate adores the manga version (hasn’t read the books though) and I must admit it’s pretty darn fun to read; Flower in a Storm (Vol. 02) because despite thinking the first was sort of lame was interested when learning volume two was the end; Mad Love Chase (Vol. 04) because it’s Kazusa Takashima; and lastly, the fourth volume of my super guilty pleasure Zone-00 because it’s ‘awesome’. Ahhhhh the eye-candy in Zone 00!

As before, I encourage sharing of shiny manga purchases! What books made your swag bag this week?


ANN Review: Maoh Juvenile Remix (Vol. 01)

New review posted at AnimeNewsNetwork over this past convention-busy weekend for the first volume of Maoh: Juvenile Remix. You can read this series online over at ShonenSunday.com

I’m really interested to read the second volume of Maoh because I’m pretty stumped on where I think the plot is going to go. The apparent antagonist is interesting too. He reminded me a lot of Griffith from Berserk, as I mentioned in my review. I’ll admit I did chuckle a bit at how dramatically the story emphasized the lead’s ability to make others say his own thoughts out loud though. Yes it’s a pretty crazy power to have but compared to so many other shonen-leads before him, it seemed a little initially silly. Could mean lots for future events though, I’m eager to see how he continues to use them.


Review: Age Called Blue

Reviewer: Shannon Fay

Manga-ka: Est Em
Publisher: Netcomics
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: October 2009

Synopsis: “Forbidden love has a way of intertwining itself with destiny. Nick and Billy share a dream to become rock stars, but the dream comes crashing down the night Nick steals Billy’s guitar and life savings to pay off a debt. The crime breaks down the barrier of friendship between the two boys, revealing a far deeper level of connection than either was willing to admit. However, other members of the band grow tired of Nick’s free-thinking and careless ways. They want the “hippie” out of the band, leaving Billy faced with a heart-wrenching decision. He can either sacrifice his music, a career into which he’s invested countless hours of sweat and blood. Or he can sacrifice the boy who stole his heart long ago…”

Age Called Blue doesn’t feel like a yaoi manga. Instead it feels like a comic that happens to have gay leads. While the focus is on the main characters’ relationship, it’s more complicated than them just being boyfriends. For Nick, Billy is all he has in the world, while for Billy, Nick is the only thing holding him back. The way the characters act is sadly realistic, making this a believable and interesting drama.

Read more…


Review: Yakitate!! Japan (Vol. 23)

Reviewer: Andre

Manga-ka: Takashi Hashiguchi
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: July 2010

Synopsis: “Young Yamatoya, a spoiled brat with a thing for bread, is back – and this time he’s trying to buy a job as a bread judge. But when master taster Kuro-san decides to teach him a lesson about hard work, Yamatoya realizes he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Later, Azuma’s team Pantasia is in a bind when their next opponent in the “Yakitate!! Japan” baking competition turns out to be an old rival who’s caught in the grip of a powerful mind-controlling substance: miso bread!”

Yakitate Japan offers some signature Shonen Sunday-brand humour, adding a dash of whimsical absurdity to the realm of cooking manga, with its strange yet involving tale of youths struggling to be the best bread-makers in all of Japan. This volume is well into the series, yet is quite accessible to new readers, piquing my curiosity to check out more of this offbeat bakery comic.

Read more…


ANN Review: Chi’s Sweet Home (Vol. 01)

ANN Review: Chi's Sweet Home (Vol. 01)

New review posted over at AnimeNewsNetwork – the first volume of Vertical’s new series, Chi’s Sweet Home (Vol. 01).

I already noted in my short Swag Bag post how I’m not a big cat fan and it’s no surprise that’s nothing really changed after reading this book. It was cute, it was colourful, it is a pretty charming book – but it’s not really for me. I just don’t find the cat cute – a little dumb and silly but not over the top adorable as some had insisted I would. Sorry Chi, you tried! Vertical did a great job on the book visually though and I love the paper it’s printed on. The baby talk of the kitten though? Ehhhh… a swing and a miss.

Still, you like cats and comics then you should definitely check out Chi’s Sweet Home.


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