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Review Archive

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

Review: Wild Adapter (Vol. 06)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, December 8, 2008

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Manga-ka: Kazuya Minekura
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis: “Sanada and the young new leader of the Izumo group finally make their move – by kidnapping Tokito! But after what happened to the Tojou group when Kubota was involved, they should have known better. Now, Kubota is on a mission, and nothing will stand between him and getting Tokito back.”

Wild Adapter takes a turn down a dark and dirty path here in the sixth volume when Tokito is kidnapped by the Izumo group as they seek more information about the deadly W.A. drug. More over, Tokito interests their boss even more when they realize how close he’s gotten to Kubota.

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Review: Secret Comics Japan

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, December 7, 2008

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Underground Comics Now: Secret Comics Japan
Published By: Viz Media (2002)
Rating: Mature (18+)

“Selected by a former editor of the acclaimed manga magazine Garo and a former editor from Japan’s third-largest manga publisher, Shogakukan, this collection of underground comics from the last decade ranges from the beautifully surreal to the graphically gruesome.”

You can always have faith in a library to surprise you with some great finds that you may not have otherwise sought out. I’ve recently made numerous such discoveries in my college’s library, one of the more recent being a copy of the 2000 release of Secret Comics Japan.

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Categories: Misc, Reviews

Review: Fate/Stay Night (Vol. 01)

Posted by Shevaun Morrison on Friday, December 5, 2008

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Author: Nishiwaki Dat
Manga-ka: Type-Moon
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis:
“When he was little, high school student and amateur mechanic Shirou Emiya was adopted by a magus man. Now he wants nothing more than to follow in his stepfather’s footsteps and become a hero of justice. Little does he know that a war is waging among some chosen magi, and that he is about to become its focal point…”

There was a time when all I knew of the Fate series were the pretty pictures. And, of course, I loved those pretty pictures. Within the last year I had the chance to play through the game. All three routes and the Tiger Dojos too! The story was absolutely amazing. I loved pretty well every moment of it, with the exception of a certain selection of scenes. After I’d played the game inside and out, I sat down to watch the anime. Though it didn’t follow my favorite of the three routes, I still loved just about everything about the anime. So of course, when I finally found the manga on the shelf at my local bookstore, I had to pick it up.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Tokyopop

Review: Love Quest

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, December 4, 2008

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Manga-ka: Lily Hoshino
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis: “An unexpected collision warps high schooler Kazunori Akabane and his rival Moriya to a magical realm full of wizards, princesses and monsters! But much to Akabane’s chagrin, the key to the classmate’s survival in this world is… the exchange of their bodily fluids! Can Akabane ever get used to the idea of swapping spit with a guy!?”

By sudden appearance of swirling black hole, Kazunori and fellow-student Moriya, find themselves pulled into a strange fantasy world by a scantily clad girl looking for magical assistance. In order to receive a magical boost for her spells, including incantations that could get the boys home again, she requires the exchange of bodily fluids between two beings of another realm. Pucker up you two!

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Yen Press

Review: Tomorrow’s Ulterior Motive

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, December 3, 2008

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Manga-ka: Sakuya Fujii
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: Septmeber

Synopsis: “Mentoring the beginning actor Makoto Aizawa is the famed screenwriter and producer Sanari Jonouchi. His lessons are very simple. Have sex so that you forget your ego and let out the best sounds possible! Lately, as Makoto has started to shine in a spotlight of his own, Sanari has been writing him into his scripts more and more. But a horrible scheme is creeping up on them. Ouchi, Sanari’s rival, has taken a liking to Makoto and is determined to tear the two lovebirds apart.”

Tomorrow’s Ulterior Motives is a sequel story to Sakuya’s Fujii’s previous manga, Today’s Ulterior Motives, which I haven’t read. In fact, it wasn’t until I had finished reading this manga and flipped it over to read the synopsis (something I generally do only after I’ve read a book), that I learned it had a predecessor. Unfortunately, it dispelled one of the few positive thoughts I had about this book: that the manga-ka made (so I thought) a good choice in skipping right to the point where the lead characters are already dating because there’s no way I could’ve handled reading anymore.

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

Review: Zombie Loan (Vol. 04)

Posted by Shevaun Morrison on Tuesday, December 2, 2008

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Manga-ka: Peach-Pit
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis: “Why, even mean-spirited, ill-mannered, money-grubbing, undead zombie hunters have families! Chika’s overly affectionate dad and his cellphone-happy little sister drop in on the Z-Loan office, much to Chika’s chagrin. All the familial silliness lifts Chika’s mood, but also throws his partner’s dark past into relief. When a horrifying, trust-shattering secret is revealed about Shito amid whisperings of his ties to a powerful Mafia group, will the Z-Loan office ever be the same again?”

Zombie Loan is a series that I first discovered as an anime and I loved it. The story is actually pretty interesting. I was rather sad when the anime came to an abrupt end, and to learn that the manga had been released here made me pretty happy because I’d get a chance to see what other adventures Chika, Shito, and Michiru would go on. And though the manga released here has not yet caught up to the anime, I must say that I have been rather let down.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Yen Press

Review: Winter Demon (Vol. 04)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, December 1, 2008

1 Comment »

Author: Yamila Abraham
Artist: Rhea Silvan
Publisher: Yaoi Press
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: November 2008

Synopsis: “Fuyu seeks Takuma to treat Hakuin’s badly infected wounds. The Spring Demon Ryuuto is still wooing Takuma when Fuyu arrives. Fuyu and Hakuin find themselves in the position of matchmakers as Hakuin’s injuries heal. Just when things seem to be going well, there’s a misunderstanding. Now Ryuuto has angered them all. Hakuin decides their old friend Figaru is just the one to teach this evil demon a lesson.”

Different past elements are drawn together in this fourth and final volume of Winter Demon. Fuyu takes Hakuin to a nearby healer when old wounds torment his weakened body. There the two meet the young doctor whose heart is at odds over his feelings for a demon named Ryuuto who has the power to heal but a dangerous sexual appetite. While Hakuin heals, he and Fuyu come to full terms with their current relationship while hoping to mend that of the doctor and Ryuuto with some ‘help’ from their acquaintance, the incubus Figaru.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Boys' Love/Yaoi, Global Manga, Yaoi Press

Review: Goong (Vol. 02)

Posted by Marsha Reid on Sunday, November 30, 2008

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Manhwa-ga: Park SoHee
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: July 2006

Synopsis: “With the wedding ceremony complete, Chae-Kyung and Prince Shin are finally newlyweds. . . but now they have to spend their first night together?! And as she tries to get accustomed to life as a princess, homesick Chae-Kyung finds no comfort in her haughty husband, who seems determined to antagonize her at every turn. Will the crown prince’s attitude ever change? Is the dream of marital bliss doomed to be a nightmarish marital blunder?!”

If Korea hadn’t been crushed by the countries around it, if their nobility was as wealthy and influential as that of China or England, what would modern day Korea be like? Changing history and sliding it into the real world, SoHee Park tells the tale of young prince Shin, who has been forced into an arranged marriage. He doesn’t seem to mind, but his bride to be, Chae-Kyung, has a thing or two to say about it!

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press

Review: Vampire’s Portrait (Vol. 01)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Saturday, November 29, 2008

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Manga-ka: Hiroki Kusumoto
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis: “A starving artist, Lou sits on a street corner and draws everyday. In the age of patrons & artists, he longs for the day a noble will acknowledge his ability and support him. When a man called Sein commissions him to draw his portrait, Lou soon discovers that his patron is not only incredibly wealthy and generous, but he is also dead! Instead of being fearful, Lou realizes that he longs for the pull of Sein’s lips on his neck and doesn’t want Sein to drink anyone elses blood!”

A portrait painter on the street, Lou is commissioned by the mysterious, Sein and given a place to stay in the man’s home until he can properly capture his “true face”. At first Lous sees it as a job alone but an even more intriguing revelation is made when the real reason behind his patron’s longing for a self-portrait comes to light.

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

Review: B. Ichi (Vol. 01)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, November 27, 2008

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Manga-ka: Atsushi Ohkubo
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis: “… When Mana meets Shotaro on her travels, she expects nothing but trouble from the childish, ignorant boy—until he takes off into the sky like a bird. Mana may be impressed, but dokeshi are viewed as freaks by most of the population. And with the governor missing, all dokeshi are under suspicion. Ever-optimistic Shotaro refuses to be discouraged and journeys on with Mana in the name of Justice!”

B. Ichi is the kind of book that you really need to read the whole way through before you can start forming any real opinions on it. Though the same should obviously be said about any book, it’s a test of patience and hopeful reward when you begin reading and the thought of surviving to the end seems difficult. When the story begins, all I really saw was the wonky, uneven art style, erratic pacing and comedicly unbelievable characters. But when I finished, well, it still had all those things, though all of it combined, it really wasn’t too bad.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Yen Press