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Review Archive

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

Review: Innocent W (Complete Series)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Manga-ka: Kei Kusunoki
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Volumes: 3
Released: September 2006 – September 2007

Synopsis: “From Kei Kusunoki, the creator of Sengoku Nights comes a twisted psychological drama about Makoto, a private eye with an uncanny, almost otherworldly, ability to get his man. When he is put on the case of a suspected witch, the trail suddenly takes a dark turn along the fine line that separates the guilty from the innocent…”

Innocent W is a three-volume horror story that follows a bus of witches into the deserted mountains. Waiting for them amidst the trees and darkness are those who look for retribution from these witches, for crimes against themselves and their family. Among the witches is a private eye named Makoto who has strange powers of his own. Unfortunately for him and the girls, the hunters aren’t looking for apologies; they’re looking for blood.

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Review: Nightmare Inspector (Vol. 04)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, October 27, 2008

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Shin Mashiba
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: October 2008Synopsis: “For those who suffer nightmares, help awaits at the Silver Star Tea House, where patrons can order much than just Darjeeling… Dreams on the menu in this volume: a man and woman trapped on a malevolent streetcar, a mysterious woman with a possible key to Hiruko’s past, letters in a bottle that aren’t the usual call for help, a young girl who dreams of a miserable future, a boy being chased by shadows, and a nightmare in which Hiruko himself disappears!”

Nightmare Inspector returns for another set of episodic chapters, telling the tales of patrons coming to the Silver Star Tea House to have their nightmares explored. Fortunately for the growing sense of repetitiveness, for which this series just narrowly lacks the charm to offset, an underlying story, previously foreshadowed, returns to bring the plot-device Hiruko to a more engaging position as the series’ lead.

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Review: Dark Prince (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, October 26, 2008

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Author: Yamila Abraham
Artist: M.A. Sambre
Publisher: Yaoi Press
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: September 2008

Synopsis:
“Prince Davon yearns for a pure love with the peasant Aeon, but the dark forces that taint Davon’s life will interfere. Both Davon and Aeon become unsure of where they stand. Will they be lovers, or adversaries? The macabre story of twisted love, demons, and torture comes to a heart-wrenching conclusion.”

Volume three of Dark Prince marks the end of this boys’ love story of demons, gods and princes. Prince Davon is still struggling under the control of the abusive and selfish God, Pharah. Aeon, the young boy believed to be a reincarnation of a man named Rickus, stays at Davon’s side but Pharah wants the boy for himself. But when Davon is unable to convince Aeon of his God’s non-existent good side, Pharah orders Davon to kill him.

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

Review: The Antique Gift Shop (Vol. 05)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, October 24, 2008

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Manhwa-ga: Lee Eun
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: August 2008

Synopsis: “The antiques take their show on the road when a delivery boy with a dark, murderous streak gets stuck in a freaky mansion with its equally freaky inhabitants. The young man finds solace in the “Son” of the family – a mistreated but cherubic (and relatively normal) little boy who is the exact opposite of the house and everything in it. But when does everyone keep telling him to stay away from this little angel?”

In this fifth volume of The Antique Gift Shop, a teen with a dark past finds himself trapped in weird mansion inhabited by even weirder people. What seems most strange of all is the pretty young boy of the family who’s shunned by the others and locked away. What’s the truth behind this family? After that, a young girl running the gift shop plays a dream-game with some special guests which could allow her to make changes to death itself.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press

Review: Petshop of Horrors: Tokyo (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, October 23, 2008

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Manga-ka: Matsuri Akino
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: September 2008

Synopsis: “When the dath of a bird ignites a great crisis that threatens to destroy all of Japan, will Count D be part of the solution – or the problem? Later, it will fall on Count D to help a wife who is treated like a servant and a girl who is imprisioned by her family. But when the Count helps, it usually comes at a steep price…”

Dreams and reality walk a thin line here in the third volume of Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo. Count D’s business continues to thrive in the lively Chinatown centre and people from all around look to him for the perfect pet. This time a long girl seeks the truth about her past, a cat yearns for acceptance, a young woman struggles to survive in a world that seems to hate her and a dead bird means much more than a simple hole in Count D’s heart.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Tokyopop

Review: Incubus (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, October 22, 2008

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Author/Artist: Yayoi Neko
Publisher: Kitty Media
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: October 2008

Synopsis:
“Can a demon find love on Earth? The painful relationship between the demon Lenniel and the human Judas continues all the odds stacked against them. They will endure tribulations as pressures from Hell and Earth seek to split them apart. How can they overcome such epic obstacles?”

Despite the book’s back cover synopsis, the relationship between Lenniel and Judas doesn’t carry much focus in this third volume of Incubus, nor (much to Lenniel’s dismay) does it really exist. But romance and tribulations can be found in the bodies and souls of another trialed couple, the return of the demon Kent and his injured human lover, Alexi. After an accident left him comatose, Kent stays at Alexi’s side with hope of a recovery but what he doesn’t know is that Alexi is fighting his own internal battle against the man who put him in the coma in the first place.

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

Review: Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (Vol. 07)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, October 21, 2008

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Author: Eiji Otsuka
Manga-ka: Housui Yamazaki
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: September 2008

Synopsis: “Collecting can take over a fan’s life: what if it takes over their death as well? Zombie robot otaku and plastic surgery disasters are only the latest faces of horror as Kurosagi continues their struggle to turn corpses into cash! But when Karatsu falls into a bizarre trap set for him by the Shirosagi pair, can the rest of the gang save him… or even themselves?”

When a gravestone moving job turns out to be too much to handle, the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service seeks some assistance from some enthusiastic scientists. Too bad their newly created mech-suit runs best on something a little harder to come by than batteries. Working to survive through a case of anime geekdom and a robot on a rampage, the team then must face an epidemic of pointed ears, undead facial tumours and a twisted source of plastic surgery.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Dark Horse, Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service

Review: Shoulder-A-Coffin Kuro (Vol. 01)

Posted by Shevaun Morrison on Monday, October 20, 2008

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Manga-ka: Satoko Kiyuduki
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis: “Regularly mistaken for a boy and/or vampire, the traveler Kuro roams the land, clothed in black from head to toe, a Kuro-sized coffin on her back. Accompanied by her snarky bat friend, Sen, the mysterious duo meets all sorts of individuals en route–some good, some evil, some just plain crazy! But Kuro never stays in one place for long, begging the question: What exactly is she searching for? And what exactly does she intend to do with that coffin?!”

The art style was what first grabbed my attention when I looked at the book. As a friend had suggested, it was just the sort of thing that I would be interested in. When I first opened it, I was put off a little by the way the paneling was put together. Like a number of recently released titles from Yen Press, it follows the ‘four panel’ style. Still, I liked the way it was drawn, and the premise for it was interesting enough, so I dove right into Shoulder-A-Coffin Kuro.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Yen Press

Review: Loveless (Vol. 08)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, October 19, 2008

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Reviewer: Lissa Pattillo

Manga-ka: Yun Kouga
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: September 2008

Synopsis: “Seimei is back. But his words aren’t filled with the happiness of a brotherly reunion. Spells blazing, it’s Beloved versus Beloved as Nisei and Soubi match up for the battle of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Soubi’s past with Ritsu sensei is finally revealed, and Ritsuka will have to decide once and for all where his loyalties lie–with a scarred sacrifice or his mysterious (and malevolent?) older brother…”

Everything starts coming full circle in volume eight of Loveless. Everyone’s on the hunt for Seimei, and Soubi’s past with him and Ritsu is revealed. Ritsuka and Seimei’s long-awaited brotherly meeting is finally coming about but as teams collide in battle, the cast needs to survive first.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Loveless, Tokyopop

Review: Metro Survive (Vol. 02)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Thursday, October 16, 2008

1 Comment »

Manga-ka: Yuki Fujisawa
Publisher: Dr. Master
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: June 2008

Synopsis: “A glimpse of hope comes to the survivors as they are joined together with another party that was stranded in the upper basement. However, their relief is short-lived as they see no signs of resce and the shortage of food creeps up on them. Frustration ensues. After a hostile takeover by the other party’s leader, Mishima and his party are threatened to leave the basement back to the Metro. How long will they be able to survive in the rodent-infested Metro?”

As one would unfortunately suspect, things get a lot worse before they can get better here in volume two of Metro Survive. After a run in with another group of survivors leaves the main cast in an even more desperate situation, a cave reveals one of the greatest strokes of luck they’ve had since the massive earthquake struck the city of Tokyo and left them trapped. Unfortunately it doesn’t take long for the same selfish and conniving group who trapped them in the barren lower levels in the first place, to learn of their discovery and come to claim it for their own.

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Categories: Reviews