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Review Archive

To see a list of reviews in alphabetical order, please see our review index.

Review: The Devil’s Secret

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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Manga-ka: Hinako Takanaga
Publisher: 801Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis:
“Father Mauro lived a peaceful life in a small town ministering to his community. That is, until he found a wounded demon (?) in the bushes of the church garden. While Raoul looks like a demon, complete with horns and a tail, he doesn’t act like the typical demon. Playful? Yes! Mischievous? Yes! Outright evil? Well… that depends on the definition. Does seducing men of the cloth count as evil – especially if they like it?”

Father Mauro is a kind-hearted priest living in a quaint little town. One day he finds an injured man named Raoul in the garden of his church, and despite the suspicious horns and tail the stranger has, Father Mauro takes him in to nurse back to health. Back on his feet in no time, Raoul is a very friendly individual who has no idea about whether or not he’s a demon. But, what he does know, and makes no secret of, is how much he likes the priest who saved him.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: 801Media, Boys' Love/Yaoi, Hinako Takanaga

Review: Monster (Complete Series)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, February 16, 2009

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Fanart by ShardGlass (Full version can be seen here)

What you’re about to read are my initial thoughts and post-week musings of Naoki Urusawa’s dramatic suspense series, Monster. I wanted to get out my theories and ideas on the manga before I seek out and read others’ opinions through the power of the Internet, lest my easily persuaded mind be influenced by the more well-worded and coherent thoughts of others ;)

I encourage those who’ve read the series to share some of their thoughts and opinions as well. It’s truly a series that warrants discussion and I look forward to hearing what others thought.

Keep in mind that the following contains discussion pertaining directly to the end of the series. I’ve made note in the text below the cut where those who’ve not finished the series should stop reading if they wish to avoid spoilers.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Naoki Urasawa, Viz Media

Review: Love Recipe (Vol. 02)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, February 15, 2009

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Manga-ka: Kirico Higashizato
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: July 2008

Synopsis: “Young manga editor Tomonori Ozawa slaves over the steamy scripts that makes boys love the hottest magazine on the rack. But one-shot stories and office gossip aren’t the only things on Ozawa’s mind. When the talented yaoi creator Sakurako Kakyoin steps up the pressure both at work and after hours, Ozawa must decide whether to keep their relationship professional or punch the clock for overtime! And will a mysterious new artist only spell trouble for these secret lovers?”

Love Recipe volume two takes readers back to the story’s lead: the young but enthusiastic Tomonori Ozawa, who has his dream job as Editor at a large publishing firm. What he didn’t expect when it all began was to be put to work at a boys’ love magazine. Since then he’s gotten involved with the magazine’s number one artist, Sakurako Kakyoin, who is secretly a man, and made his sole editor. In this volume, deadlines are tight, making it hard for the two secret lovers to find time for each other. On top of that, it’s the busiest time of the year for the boys’ love magazine and Tomonori is pulled in every direction by work, Kakyoin and a new artist whose trying to find his place in the magazine with Tomonori’s guidance.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June

Review: Object of Desire

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, February 14, 2009

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Manga-ka: Tomoko Noguchi
Publisher: Luv Luv Press
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: December 2008

Synopsis:
“All those lines from all those guys sound like, “I just want to sleep with you.” I actually don’t care if they just want to sleep with me. If they would just be honest about it. How will I ever find true love like this?”

Object of Desires is the first book I’ve had the chance to read from Aurora Publishing’s Luv Luv and seems a good indication of the imprint’s material, aimed at older woman. This one-shot book is a collection of short stories that follow several young woman in exploring their own sexuality and how they relate with the men in their lives. It was a refreshing change of pace reading stories that so strongly emphasis woman’s sexuality and their natural, but often overly downplayed in fiction, desire for sex.

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Review: Necratoholic

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 12, 2009

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Manga-ka: Maguro Wasabi
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: April 2008

Synopsis: “Sakuya is a noble vampire and a master of seduction, but there’s one detail that truly sets him apart from his neck-biting brethren… he no longer craves blood! Sadly, the lone object of his lusty affections – the elusive dhampir Atsumi – loves to bait his prey and run away. Is Sakuya’s loss of appetite really a matter of the heart? When the hunter and the hunted decide to make love and war; there’s no telling how the tug-of-war will end!”

Necratoholic is a story of vampire and hunter turned lovers (of sorts), while the game of cat and mouse between them continues. After an assault by Atsumi leaves the great vampire, Sakuya, unable to drink human blood, he searches high and low for the born-and-bred hunter, seeking to lift the ‘curse’ upon him. But in the meantime, he works as an S+M queen in his Victorian-style mansion!

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June

Mini Review: Moon Boy (Vol. 06)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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Moon Boy (Vol. 06) – YoungYou Lee
Published by Yen Press

Every time I think I have the plot of this figured out, half a dozen characters show up to confuse me all over again. Sad thing is, they’re the same characters who’ve been confusing me for several volumes now! Rabbits, foxes, magic and Tribes, plus some vampiric tendencies, make for a fairly interesting plot premise, but at this point a rather messy one, and while this book does attempt to advance the plot, I found it lacked the character charm that made me enjoy the previous volume.

Fortunately, a side story following the back-story of two of the secondary characters was this book’s saving grace and I actually really enjoyed it, prompting me to return to older volumes to revisit them as they are now.

The artwork continues to teeter between annoying me when character designs mesh together or anatomical inconsistencies abound, to making me stare with much attentive love at the fine detailing and sharp use of contrasting black and whites. I withhold earlier thoughts however that I find the art much more appealing via the attractive chapter covers than at any point during the story itself where the art tends to veer more to its flaws than its charms.

Moon Boy altogether continues to be a series I have a lot of trouble following but it manages to muster those few moments that keep me caring just enough to keep going.

Review written February 10, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book provided by Yen Press for review purposes

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press

Mini Review: Air Gear (Vol. 11)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, February 10, 2009

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Air Gear (Vol. 11) – Oh!Great
Published by DelRey

While I continue to love Air Gear to pieces, some parts just feel like they’re dragged on too long and this book suffers from several of those moments. Ikki’s teammates are believably concerned (and enraged) as his sudden shift in attitude after a recent triumphant victory has placed him in a very powerful potential position.

This volume works to build up the tension between the teammates while ultimately setting up their new direction on the path to the top of the Air Trekking world. As usual, newly introduced characters are nothing short of entertaining, in both story and design, but its the return of some old faces that really give this volume its spark. The split-personality bearing youth Agito/Akito remains my favorite character, not only because he so entertainingly switches between sadistic hard-ass to adorably ambiguous sweetheart, but because I feel he’s really one of the most rounded characters in the series, further emphasized here by another confrontation with his brother.

While not one of the stronger volumes, volume 11 of Air Gear still manages to leave enough zing intact to leave me looking forward to more of its high-flying action and exceptional artwork in releases to come.

Review written February 10, 2009 by Lissa Pattillo
Book purchased in-store from Chapters

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Air Gear, Del Rey

Review: Where Has Love Gone?

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, February 9, 2009

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Manga-ka: Ryoku Tsunoda
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: January 2009

Synopsis: “Takayama hides the fact that he’s gay from his co-workers, but finds it difficult to avert his eyes whenever he’s around Ishikawa, his pharmaceutical sales company’s top dog. When a coincidental meeting outside of work “outs” Takayama to Ishikawa, complications arise. Even though Ishikawa is straight, he can’t resist the lure of blackmail and forced sex where Takayama is concerned. In an office affair such as this, can a purely physical relationship ever be enough?”

Takayama is a hardworking businessman for a pharmaceutical company, who for simple reputation’s sake, hides the fact that he’s gay from his fellow employees. Unfortunately for professional relations at work, he’s found out one night by fellow worker, and company top dog, Ishikawa. But instead of an awkward confrontation or dirty look, Takayama finds himself at the literal receiving end of Ishikawa’s stress release.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June

Review: Croquis Pop (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, February 6, 2009

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Author: KwangHyun Seo
Manhwa-ga: JinHo Ko
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: January 2009

Synopsis: “There are dark forces at work that seek to manipulate the young croquer Da-Il for theri own ends. When he and his friends are held hostage on the subway in the Dead Zone, Da-Il learns more about the fuel for his croquis from a mysterious croquer with a camera. But not all teachers have benevolent motives . . . and, as Da-Il discovers, some are downright deadly.”

Tearing off where the previous volume ended, this third volume of Croquis Pop wastes no time in showcasing some dramatic one-sided battle scenes to its reader, giving a glimpse at the untapped powers lurking under the manhwa-ga student, Da-Il. Unbeknownst to him, he continues to a big part of someone else’s plans, and while this volume doesn’t expand too much on the fact, it does offer a different look at some familiar faces and the introduction of another Croquer who could very well be friend or foe.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press

Review: Tricky Prince

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, February 5, 2009

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Manga-ka: Yukari Hashida
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: January 2009

Synopsis: “Brilliant young Eugene has to hit the books both day and night! After all, as an impoverished scholarship student, he’s got to keep his grades high or he’ll get expelled. Too bad he’s attracted the attention of the school’s most sought-after guy…the incredible Prince Willis! Why is a royal hunk obsessed with a scrawny, fussy nerd?”

Tricky Prince started out on a fairly entertaining note. The flamboyant Prince Willis has set his sights on the studious Eugene, spurring him into a determined pursuit of the uninterested scholarship student. Using every mean at his disposable, the Prince continuously find new and more inventive ways to get Eugene’s attention after their unexpected meeting late one night.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, June