Manga-ka: Duo Brand
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: December 2008

Synopsis: “Akito and Neon set out with the mysterious skipper Haran in search of medicine to save Yaya’s life. Their search leads them straight to Neon’s home town, where Neon has been branded a criminal. Can Akira help eon restore his people’s faith in him before it’s too late? And will Haran’s demand that Akito play for him in dangeros circumstances lead to their capture at the hands of the deadly warlocks?”

I keep being surprised while I’m reading Cross x Break that’s it a Duo Brand book. I’ve read several of their boys’ love series, and though this series does have its teasing moments, it still has a dramatically different tone. There’s a lot more focus on humour and a sense of pacing that’s both exciting but erratic. Is it a shonen-like shoujo or a shoujo-like shonen? I can’t say for sure, but it’s neat reading a series by a team who are, to my knowledge, best known for one genre but whom are still capable of doing a notable job on another.

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Manga-ka: Duo Brand
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: August 2008

Synopsis: “Akito has always been in her older brother’s shadow, but all that changes when Shinkai sends him to study abroad…though it’s not any “abroad” he’s ever heard ot! Suddenly trapped in a world full of warlocks, poisonous bugs and more than a few secrets, Akito and his friend Yaya have nothing to rely on but their wits and the help of a mysterious benefactor named Neon…who seems to know a little too much about Akito’s brother!”

When Akito makes the mistake of telling his older brother that he wished to see the world, he unexpectedly set himself up for a sudden trip to another dimension. Trapped there with his childhood friend, a timid and odd young girl named Yaya, Akito must try to find his way home and kick his brother’s ass when he does!

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Manga-ka: Takako Shigematsu
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2005

Synopsis: “In the play of life, all Hikaru wanted was to be part of the scenery, but fate had other ideas. When the 15-year-old introvert transfers to an all-girls academy, her new roommate turns out to be the super-popular TV idol Izumi Kido! As if living with a celebrity wasn’t bad enough, Hikaru discovers that there’s more to Izumi —she’s a he! Now Hikaru’s the unwilling star player in a tale of deception, abduction, humiliation and blackmail… you know—the usual romantic stuff.”

After a short modelling job, Hikaru Takabayashi found her childhood plagued by bullies and insults. Because of this, she’s done her best to avoid the spotlight throughout her life and just be an average girl and to avoid having to move to France, she agrees to her Mother’s plan to enrol her in a prestigious all-girls school. Unfortunately for her background-lurking ways, Hikaru finds herself rooming with a famous TV idol. Not only that, but it seems that the lovely Izumi Kido has more than just some weird habits to hide from the fan girls and paparazzi.

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Manga-ka: Tomo Maeda
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: August 2008

Synopsis: ”They say all good things must come to an end… but will this hold true for Shikimi, as well? The half-demon priest was making such good progress, but a fun-filled day in the falling snow turns deadly as his demon half takes over. Will Grey finally win their bet?”

With strange dreams and memories that never fade, Shikimi is starting to act more oddly than usual and he doesn’t seem keen on telling his friends why. After an early snowfall offers fun and frolic for Laz and Taki, it soon spells trouble for everyone when the darkness in Shikimi finally claws its way to the surface.

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Manga-ka: Setona Mizushiro
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: August 2008

Synopsis: ”A shocking confession clears the way for a mountain of new problems! Mashiro is finally willing to give Sou a chance, but can either of them forget Sou’s relationship with Ai? And when Kureha returns from vacation, her form in the dream world reflects an astonishing change…”

A dramatic love confession from Mashiro leaves Sou conflicted but eager to pursue, as more emotional problems work their way to the surface. While their battles of gender and forgiveness rage on, fellow student and often Mashiro-confidant, Kurosaki, deals with problems of his own as he wages a losing battle against his family’s wishes and his own sense of identity.

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Manga-ka: You Higuri
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: March 2008

Synopsis: “Cesare is well on his way to fulfilling his dark destiny, with the help of his newfound power. Seizing control of the French army, he begins the murderous rampage that could be his downfall… unless his loyal friend Chiaro can hear the last remaining vestige of Cesare’s soul crying out for release.”

Things don’t take as many climactic turns in volume ten of Cantarella as they did in volume nine but  none the less the clock is still ticking for the lives of those trapped in Cesare’s ever-tightening web.

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Manga-ka: You Higuri
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: December 2007

Synopsis: ”Driven apart despite their desperate efforts to stay together, Chiaro and Lucrezia continue to love each other from afar. Balancing Cesare’s dark scheming and Lucrezia’s second forced marriage are a deep secret, a surprising ally and the faintest glimmer of hope for the future. Will Chiaro return to Italy to save his love – even if it means killing Cesare?”

Quite a bit happens here in volume nine of Cantarella. Having escaped from his torments, Chiaro roams injured through the woods seeking salvation while Lucrezia carries his child within her, but is told by her brother, Cesare, that Chiaro is dead. That’s only the tip of the iceberg in this event-filled volume.

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Manga-ka: Setona Mizushiro
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis: ”This dream draws blood… Alliances form as friendships fade, and soon the nightmarish dream-world becomes preferable to the turmoil in Mashiro’s everyday life. With Kureha spurning him and Sou ignoring him, Mashiro has no coice but to seek the answers he needs from a most unlikely source…”

Mashiro’s struggle between acceptance over his male and female selves continues to take centre stage here in volume seven of After School Nightmare. Fed up with the roundabout emotional mess that they feel Mashiro has led them on, Sou and Kureha seek to have Mashiro out of their lives. However the time they’ve spent together has rumours swirling around the school about them dating and Mashiro’s emotions resume spiralling out of his (or her) control.

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Manga-ka: Tomo Maeda
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis:
“As Taki finds out about Shikimi’a past, secrets of his own family come to light… leading him to actually strike a deal with Grey! How long can Taki keep his pact with Grey a secret from Shikimi, eve thought it’s for the priest’s own good?”

It’s back to the full cast in volume five of Black Sun Silver Moon. While previous volumes took readers into Shikimi’s past, this one returns us to present with Taki taking the spotlight with some revelations of his own.

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Manga-ka: Setona Mizushiro
Publisher: Go!Comi
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2007

Synopsis: “This dream draws blood… Things are heating up in both worlds! Determined to prove himself as a guy, Mashiro goes the distance to win Kureha. But will the new power of their bond survive the most shocking revelation so far – the true identity of the malevolent knight?”

In this volume, Mashiro continues his internal struggle over his physical body, one both male and female. Tormented by his own indecisiveness, fuelled in part by the mysterious after school dream classes he attends, Mashiro decides it’s time for his relationship with Kureha to reach the next level, seeking self-acceptance for his decision to live as a man. Sou continues his advances on Mashiro, while he himself is tormented by an even more sinister shadow in the form of his sister, and Kureha begins realizing that she wants more from Mashiro than he’s aware he’s giving her. Characters take some big steps in volume five of this psychological series. Some minor spoilers in remaining review.

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