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Review Archive

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

Review: Lost Boys

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, August 15, 2008

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Manga-ka: Kaname Itsuki
Publisher: DMP/June
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: May 2006

Synopsis: “One evening, a boy named “Air” suddenly appears at Mizuki’s window, forcibly transporting him to Neverland. Having grown up most of his life without his own father, Mizuki wants nothing to do with being a surrogate father to Air and the other children, but unfortunately stuck without a way out of Neverland, he has little choice but to stay. As he spends time with Air, however, Mizuki is gradually charmed by his boyish innocence.”

Lost Boys is a boys’ love take on the story of Peter Pan. Replacing Peter is a spirited boy named Air who leaves Neverland in search of a Father. He finds Mizuki, a rather cynical young man who wants nothing to do with thoughts of flight and fairies, and certainly not Fathers, but Air none-the-less whisks him away.

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

Review: Cantarella (Vol. 10)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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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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Categories: Reviews
Tags: GoComi

Review: Angel Diary (Vol. 06)

Posted by Marsha Reid on Tuesday, August 12, 2008

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Author: Yun-Hee
Mahnwa-ga: Kara
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: July 2008

Synopsis: “Princess Dong-Young is kidnapped by the powerful demon, Se-In. With the help of B-Wal, Doh-Hyun the Black Turtle attempts to rescue the princess. Just when you think it can’t get any worse, Ryung enters the scene out of nowhere… and more secrets are revealed about the characters’ hidden pasts!”

The youngest and only unwed Princess of Heaven, Chun-yoo, has been betrothed to the King of Hell as part of a binding peace treaty. Not wanting to wed someone she has never met, Chun-yoo (aka Dong-Young) has run away from home to hide on earth, hoping that if she is missing long enough everyone will just forget about the wedding. With the help of best friend, Ah-hin, and Ah-hin’s half brother, Ee-Jung, the princess enrolls in high school and hides on earth posing as a young man.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press

Review: Mail (Vol. 03)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, August 11, 2008

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Manga-ka: Housui Yamazaki
Publisher: Dark Horse
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: February 2007

Synopsis: “Postcards from purgatory… Haunted cell phones, hotel rooms of horror, and the drowned dead are all laid to rest as Mail concludes with Detective Akiba taking a trip down memory land – the dark patch of his blind youth, when he befriended a little girl in the woods, not knowing that he would one day see her again – and under very different circumstances!”

Volume three marks the final volume of Housui Yamazaki’s horror manga, Mail. It takes some different turns than previous volumes as the spirit detective Reiji Akiba becomes more personally involved with some of the cases.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Dark Horse

Review: Black Cat (Vol. 15)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, August 10, 2008

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Manga-ka: Kentaro Yabuki
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: July 2008

Synopsis: “Train and the Sweeper Alliance make it to Creed’s island hideout. However, the Apostles of the Stars are ready and waiting for them. Separated from the others, Eve must finally do battle on her own when confronted by Leon, the wind master. She has the powers she needs to win, but does she has the heart?”

A sudden attack on their ship in volume fourteen has left the newly formed Sweeper Alliance separated and trapped on Creed’s island. Following an expected shonen-story path, the enemy members of the Apostles of the Stars are now hunting them down before they can reach the island’s castle. In this fifteenth volume, Train, Eve and River find themselves under the first attacks.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Black Cat, Shonen Jump, Viz Media

MJ August Reviews

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Sunday, August 10, 2008

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Just another heads up for some reviews I’ve written which can be read over at Manga Jouhou this week. Reviews include Love Circumstances, Love Lesson, A Strange and Mystifying Story (my favourite of the bunch!), Red, Sugarmilk and, taking a break from the boys’ love, a review of the complete series, Hana Kimi.

As usual, these reviews will be posted here on my site in the next couple of weeks but pop in over at Manga Jouhou to read them early, plus I recommend checking out some of the numerous new reviews posted by my fellow MJ reviewers! Things have been more lively than usual in terms of review postage so there should be something for everybody.

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Categories: Reviews

Review: +Anima (Vol. 08)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Friday, August 8, 2008

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Manga-ka: Natsumi Mukai
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Released: June 2008

Synopsis: “The search for Husky continues, as the children learn that Husky has been taken to Stella and sold to a low-ranking noble. Cooro and Nana come to the rescue, staging a daring rescue mission to get Husky back. But the danger is far from over, as Husky reveals that his mother is actually one of the queens of Sailand. With armed palace guards everywhere, a family reunion seems impossible…”

The flashback of Senri’s past continues in this eighth volume of +Anima. When things return to the present, the search for the kidnapped Husky resumes, leading Cooro and Nana to the country’s capital city. When they arrive they discover that Husky has always been sold to a rich upperclassmen so they make a plan to bust him out.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Tokyopop

Review: Hissing (Vol. 04)

Posted by Marsha Reid on Wednesday, August 6, 2008

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Manhwa-ga: Kang EunYoung
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating:Teen (13+)
Released: July 2008

Synopsis: “While Da-Eh and Sun-Nam take baby steps into couplehood, Ha-Ra has no intention of giving up on her ex. Intent on bringing Da-Eh down, she and her cronies corner the budding artist and prevent her from making it to her little brother’s fateful reunion! But why do Sun-Nam’s brothers show up instead?! To make matters worse, Ta-Jun’s regularly scheduled harrassment of Da-Eh leads to a confession!”

Hissing stars young Da-Eh, a girl dreaming of becoming a manhwa-ga (Korean comic artist) alongside her best friend Sung-Chul. As they walk through life, seeing everything as reference material, the real world gives Da-Eh a slap in the face. That slap in the face is Sun-Nam, an attractive and kind hearted guy trying his best to become a horrible person (and failing at it). At first they fight, and they fight a lot, but as time passes they grow accustomed to each other and start dating.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press

Review: Love Mode (Vol. 09)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Tuesday, August 5, 2008

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Manga-ka: Yuki Shimizu
Publisher: BLU
Rating: Mature (18+)
Released: May 2008

Synopsis: “The flashback continues… After Haruomi saves Kiichi from Miyamoto, he decides to look for his long-list twin brother Tien – who unexpectedly shows up at the Aoe household to kidnap Kiichi! Will Tien finally forgive his brother for abandoning him? And with all that Haruomi and Kiichi have been through, will these two become more than just friends? Find out how Haruomi and Kiichi get together in this love-filled volume of Love Mode!”

Prepare for a big page count here with volume nine of Love Mode. The back story of Aoe Kiichi and Haruomi continues where volume eight left off, the two in the manicial clutches of a man seeking Kiichi’s body for himself.

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

Review: Black God (Vol. 01)

Posted by Lissa Pattillo on Monday, August 4, 2008

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Author: Dall-Young Lim
Manhwa-ga: Sung-Woo Park
Publisher: Yen Press
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Released: October 2007

Synopsis: “Keita Ibuki decides to satisfy a craving for ramen but instead of slurping soup, he gives up his meal to a cute girl. Unknown to Keita, the girl is a superhuman being known as a mototsumitama who’s being hunted by others of her kind. When a battle ensues, Keita gets caught in the crossfire and loses his arm. The next time he opens his eyes, he’s back in his apartment – arm intact. But just whose arm is it?!”

While taking a break from his money-mooching, booze-drinking and game-designing of the night, Keita Ibuki sat down to enjoy a nice bowl of ramen noodles. After a strange young girl mourns the lose of the last bowl, Keita lets her have his. But when a strange man shows up to attack the girl, Keita tries to lend a hand (or a stool in this case) only to find himself the odd-man out in this inhuman fight. Caught between them, Keita loses his arm. Fast forward to the next day and he’s safe in his bed, and both arms are intact, but now he’s got a strange little girl chowing-down on the contents of his fridge.

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Categories: Reviews
Tags: Manhwa, Yen Press