The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Vol. 02) – Nagaru Tanigawa (Story), Gaku Tsugano (Art) and Noizi Ito (Characters)
Published by Yen Press

So Kyon is the main character, not the infamous Haruhi? That’s proving to be a relief with how much I came to dislike her as a character in volume one. Here in volume two I remained pretty indifferent towards her, but was happy to see her smile for a change and stop being a jerk for two seconds. The majority of the volume has Kyon dealing with the explanation, and subsequent proof, that Haruhi Suzumiya may in fact be a God of this world, subconsciously moulding it to her every whim. In her quest to discover a more interesting life, the theory is that she’s the one who caused her SOS Brigade’s particular members to gather, thus far including a time traveller, space alien and a psychic who’s part of a group of like-powered Espers battling monster-like manifestations of Haruhi’s frustrations.

Throughout all of this, Kyon is pretty laid back about it. Rightfully freaked at some moments but ultimately proving the perfect character to deal with these arising situations. Kyon’s biggest concern now is Haruhi since it’s a little offsetting know the emotions of a teenage girl could accidentally destroy the world. Score one for a cool main character who’s just a guy. I hope the focus remains on him with Haruhi remaining a relevant sideline character over stage-hog as fans of the anime had me believing she was.

The whole story flows considerably better here in the second volume than the first, allowing it to well escape the chunky curse adaptations tend to fall victim to. Even the artwork looks a little crisper as the artist seems to be more comfortable with the small cast of characters after drawing them for an entire book’s worth. Their work on the front cover proves a prime example of why so many still believe anime is nothing but awkwardly proportioned big-eyed maid girls with huge boobs.

Having never seen the anime or read the original book, I can’t say how this manga adaptation will be to existing fans of the franchise. However, as someone reading The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya for the first time in this format, I can say that any who were like me and on the fence after volume one should definitely stick around to give at least volume two a try. It’s a much better read in near all-regards than the first and I’m honestly looking forward to volume three.

Review written May 24, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Yen Press for review purposes

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Manga-ka: Atsushi Ohkubo
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: January 2009

Synopsis: “Shotaro continues his search for Emine in the I.C. Prefecture. But a careless comment sends him on the run from an angry kappa. Meanwhile, Mana is eager to enter the Robot Fight Tournament — sponsored by the “Happy Factory” — and get another commendation, but Yohei senses there’s something far more sinister than the tournament going on at the Fear Factory . . . That doesn’t stop him from building a powerful battle robot that’s guaranteed to take home the prize. Just when Mana is confident of her victory, the Fear Robot itself steps into the arena — with NoFix the King of Spin at the helm!”

B.Ichi continues to throw characters around a little freely and it’s easy to get mixed up the who, what, where and whys, but various key plot points throughout the volume help to ground readers with the important stuff. Several chapters also begin with short summaries of what’s happened up ‘til now to make sure you know enough to understand what’s going on, which though convenient, does suggest that the artist knows their story is a little on the confusing side.

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Manga-ka: Shiro Ihara
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: July 2008

Synopsis: “Poor Alice’s trouble seems to know no bounds when she has to deal with a shinigami worse than Lapan… (Is that even possible??) And she has a run-in with the king of the shinigami. Some days it doesn’t pay to be a girl trapped in the body of a skeleton…”

Take a perverted guy and turn him into a girl. Then turn some of his friends/comrades into girls as well and let them loose on the world. While they proceed to do inappropriate things to each other, blow stuff up, cry, whine and act completely obnoxious, they also try to tell a complicated story of deceit and betrayal. The dark and ominous company of Shinigami threatens to make this story interesting, but there’s little to no reason to fear that could ever actually happen.

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Zombie Loan (Vol. 05) – Peach-Pit
Published by Yen Press

Here we have another installment in an interesting series, Zombie Loan. Though, as much as I have been enjoying the story, occasionally I have to take a minute to really look at the art. I do honestly enjoy the style of the series, but sometimes it’s a little inconsistent and the faces can become lopsided. Overall, though, it does seem far more balanced than the previous volume.

As for the story itself, our heroes have found where their friend and companion Shito is being held and have, of course, started busting zombie heads to go in and valiantly rescue him. Chika is his usual self when it comes to facing Shito, and though he does help his partner out, he does a half-assed job of it that is somehow his way of showing affection. Though the group does manage to find victory against the most recent enemy, Yoshizumi, it does end on a sad note.

While the members of Z-Loan celebrate with drinks and karaoke, we are given the chance to see a little bit more about just what Bekkou does. Remembering his true job as a ferryman, it’s actually quite interesting to see him interact with his coworkers. Not only does the plot thicken as they meet to speak about the recent surge of illegal zombies, but at the very end of the volume a surprising twist is given that is sure to give Michiru and the rest of Z-Loan crew trouble for the next volume!

Review written April 13, 2009 by Gizmo
Book provided by Yen Press for review purposes

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