Manga-ka: Atsushi Ohkubo
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: September 2009

Synopsis: “Locked in a deadly battle with the King of Spin, Yohei must rely on his wits and the hidden powers of his Law-Abiding Silver Gun to stay alive, but NoFix has a few hidden tricks of his own. With the Fear Factory crumbling around them, Shotaro unleashes his true, fearsome power to save his friend. But it’s going to take more than the power of the Kyokotsu to stop the King of Spin NoFix and his lust to kill! Amidst the mayhem, the mysterious Emine and his henchmen lurk in the shadows… Will Shotaro finally meet up with his childhood friend? Find out in the final volume of Atsushi Ohkubo’s B. Ichi!”

This fourth volume of B.Ichi was easily the strongest of the series. I cared about what the characters were doing, how they were doing it, and perhaps most importantly, what they were going to do next. Unfortunately you can then imagine my disappoint in realizing that this is in fact the final volume of the series. Alas, but least it went out with a bang.

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Manga-ka: Chaco Abeno
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “In the throes of his first love, Kentarou Sawai can’t even count on beginner’s luck to get him closer to Karen Toguin, the girl of his dreams. When he spontaneously enrolls in Karen’s high school just to be closer to her, his hopes are crushed when it turns out she’s on a leave of absence! Now poor, luckless Kentarou is stuck in a dorm full of girls who aren’t Karen and insist on pushing Kentarou to the brink of insanity! Can Kentarou hold on to his love for Karen, or will his new living experience make him swear off all women for good?!”

I think the first thing that really grabbed my attention about this book was the art. It’s fairly standard to the manga style, but it’s incredibly clean and crisp, which is always nice to see. The book is laid out very nicely, with each episodic chapter easy to read. Sadly, though, there isn’t a whole lot of plot to drive this story. It’s based on stereotypical gimmicks and situations that are, again, standard in the genre.

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Manga-ka: Peach-Pit
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Release Date: June 2009

Synopsis: “Z-Loan’s forced to duke it out with A-Loan to see who can earn ten million yen first! But just as the challenge gets underway, the illegal zombies are nowhere to be found! Just what is going on!? Michiru hones her Shinigami Eyes under Zarame’s tutelage as faces from the past make sudden appearances, with some even joining the team! When the illegal zombies finally show up on school grounds, A-Loan and Z-Loan find themselves locked in and fighting side by side. Can they actually cooperate with one another? And who’ll get the money first!?”

The story takes an interesting turn here in the sixth volume of Zombie Loan, as we discover that Z-Loan now has some competition which opened up right across the street: A-Loan! And to make matters worse, with the new trio of legal zombies out there collecting bounties, they are presented with a most alarming challenge. If they aren’t able to raise ten million yen by the end of the month, the entire Z-Loan will go under.

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