Aaaand we're done! (At least for a while.)

Cirque Du Freak: Trials of Death: Vol. 5, story by Darren Shan and art by Takahiro Arai

When a spider-obsessed boy named Darren Shan sneaks out with his best friend Steve to see the infamous Cirque Du Freak, things get even scarier than they'd bargained for. The inhabitants of the freak show aren't just strange, they're downright otherworldly, and when Darren attempts to steal one of the exhibits and overhears Steve making a disturbing offer to one of the freaks, he discovers their adventure may have graver consequences than he ever imagined.

I am not familiar with Darren Shan's Cirque Du Freak books, but this manga adaptation didn't inspire much desire to read them. While the earlier volumes of this series might be great (I've read several good reviews, anyway), this one consisted of several underwhelming action sequences—none of which created any notable sense of suspense. I've never understood why Darren Shan named his main character after himself, but I hadn't previously considered the idea that he might just be a really, really unoriginal writer. Now I'm wondering...

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning: Vol. 11, story by Kyo Shiodaira and art by Eita Mizuno

When 10-grader Ayumu Narumi's brother—a world-class detective—disappeared, he left Ayumu a cryptic message: “I’m going to uncover the mystery of the ‘Blade Children'.” With the help of a feisty classmate and his police detective sister-in-law, Ayumu is determined to find his brother... but the mysterious Blade Children have different plans.

Ambitious and complex, Spiral blends elements of mystery, horror, and science fiction. (Seriously: there are police cover-ups and evil clone armies and mad scientists!) The eleventh volume—out of fifteen—wasn't the best point for me to start reading such an elaborately constructed series, but fans of horror/sci-fi stories might find hunting down the previous installments worthwhile.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: Vol. 5, story by Nagaru Tanigawa and art by Gaku Tsugano

The titular heroine of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a high school girl with the (unconscious) power to change reality. Haruhi is the president of her school club, the SOS Brigade, an organization devoted to investigating the paranormal. When she forces her classmate Kyon to join the club, he is shocked to discover that the club is actually made up of a collection of otherworldly beings whose mission on Earth is to hold Haruhi's reality-warping powers in check—unbeknownst to Haruhi.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is a very big deal in Japan. In addition to the story's original form (a series of light novels), it has been adapted into four separate manga series, five video games, and an anime. Unfortunately, volume five didn't do a very good job of explaining this series' popularity—Haruhi seemed selfish and unlikable, and the reality-bending premise reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode... just not a very good one.

Reviews based on publisher-provided copies.

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, manhwa, Yen Press

Nightschool: The Weirn Books: Vol. 3, by Svetlana Chmakova

The Nightschool is a magical place that allows vampires, werewolves, and weirns (a special type of witch) to learn everything from scrying to calculus. Alex is a young weirn who has always been home-schooled by her big sister... but when her sister disappears, Alex may need the Nightschool's resources—along with the help of its superpowered students—to find her.

I really liked the artwork in Nightschool (v. elegant and dramatic, with clearly-defined characters), but was even more impressed by its convoluted plot. “Monster school” stories are a dime a dozen, but this was one of the few titles I've encountered where the storytelling actually mattered more than dressing up the characters in cool goth outfits. It's always fun when a story takes its own mythology seriously (think the first Underworld movie, or the Russian "Nightwatch" series), and Nightschool seems to have that down pat.

Pig Bride: Vol. 4, by KookHwa Huh and SuJin Kim

Handsome and rich, Si-Joon's fate was forever altered by a strange experience he had as a child: lost in the woods, he wandered into a strange house. Desperate for food, he agreed to become engaged to the daughter of the household, a girl cursed to constantly wear a pig mask. He has only the haziest memory of his promise... until his sixteenth birthday, when a girl with a pig mask appears and demands that they consummate their marriage—immediately.

People have said some nasty stuff about Pig Bride. The Manga Critic chose it as one of her five 2009 Hall of Shame inductees, writing about both the “awful” art and the author's contempt for her female characters. I am unfamiliar with the earlier volumes of this series, but by volume five it doesn't strike me as any worse (or, admittedly, much better) from similar manhwa—the artwork is clean and easy to follow, a few of the jokes made me laugh, and while the selfish hero and self-abasing heroine are a little tough to take, I've definitely read worse.

Angel Diary: Vol. 11, by Kara and Lee YunHee

From our first review of Angel Diary:

"We *love* Angel Diary. If you can get past its slightly cracked-out premise—the heroine is a cross-dressing Princess of Heaven who hides out in a Korean high school in order to escape an arranged marriage with the King of Hell (who, by the way, is hiding out there too, secretly knows who she is, and hits on her like it's his job)—it is absolutely adorable."

Angel Diary has two more volumes yet to go, but this volume clearly started the winding-up process. This series has always had its strengths: the main couple is delightful, the supporting cast is memorable, and the artwork is cute (although they seriously skimped on the backgrounds). I don't think there was quite enough plot to justify a thirteen-volume run, but there's no denying it's been a pleasant ride. This is one of the few series I've snagged for my personal collection, and I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion.

Bamboo Blade: Vol. 4, story by Masahiro Totsuka and art by Aguri Igarashi

Bamboo Blade is the story of Toraji Ishida, a perpetually-broke high school kendo instructor, who is challenged by a fellow kendo instructor to a competition between their students. (The prize? A year's supply of sushi.) Desperate to win, Toraji scrounges up a team of five girls, one of whom is an incredibly gifted fighter who has trained in her family's kendo dojo since birth. Unfortunately for her teacher, this means she views kendo just like any other chore, but Toraji is determined to do whatever it takes fire up her enthusiasm.

I put off reading Bamboo Blade because of its cover (schoolgirls posing provocatively with kendo swords do nothing for me), but it turns out I was doing this series a major disservice. Bamboo Blade is weird and wonderful—an over-the-top hybrid of Skip Beat, Gokusen, and Fox's Glee, but with a kendo theme. Not only will I be keeping this volume, I'm even planning to buy the back issues (for me, the ultimate sacrifice).

Reviews based on publisher-provided copies.

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, manhwa, Yen Press

Hero Tales: Vol. 2, story by Jin Zhou Huang and Hiromu Arakawa

Hero Tales is the story of Taitou, a powerful young warrior with a legendary sword and a hot temper. When his sword is stolen and he discovers he is one of the seven heroes prophesied to save the world, Taitou sets out with his little sister Laila and his friend Ryuukou on a quest to hone his powers—with the ultimate goal of defeating the evil general who controls the nation's child emperor.

Fans of Hiromu Arakawa's previous work (which includes the enormously popular Fullmetal Alchemist) will enjoy Hero Tales. It's classic shonen manga: short on character development and coherency, but long on fight scenes and jokes. I wouldn't suggest thinking about it too hard, but if you're in the market for some Saturday-morning-cartoon-style action you've come to the right place.

Nabari No Ou: Vol. 3, by Yuhki Kamatani

The main character of Nabari No Ou is Miharu Rokujou, a deadpan 14-year-old Japanese schoolboy with zero interest in the people around him. When he discovers his body is the unwitting carrier of a powerful ninja secret, Miharu's dearest wish—to be left alone—is pushed aside in favor of his new reality: the life of a ninja leader-in-training.

If Hero Tales is the quintessential boys' manga, Nabari No Ou is designed for the same audience when they're five years older. It has just as many fight scenes, but the plot, relationships, and artwork are more complex, and the book's ninja politics add a touch of sophistication to what would otherwise be a straight fighting manga. I wish the main character was more appealing (Miharu's snide one-liners can be mildly funny, but mostly he just seems like a total snot), but I suppose some readers might take that chilly sarcasm for effortless cool.

Sumomomo Momomo: The Strongest Bride on Earth: Vol. 3, by Shinobu Ohtaka

The heroine of Sumomomo Momomo: The Strongest Bride on Earth is Momoko Kuzuryuu, a cheery, childlike girl with powerful martial arts skills. Momoko is the only child of the Kuzuryuu Clan, one of Japan's twelve “Zodiac Families”. Despite her remarkable strength, her father believes a woman will never be strong enough to master their family's secret techniques, which is why he's arranged a marriage with the son of a powerful rival clan—Koushi Inuzuka, a mild-mannered boy with hopes of becoming a prosecutor, no interest in fighting, and even less desire to become the husband of the world's strongest bride.

During my many years as a manga reader, I've seen a lot of implausible fighting costumes, but the magical bikini featured in this volume of Sumomomo Momomo takes the cake. It's leather. And tiny. And it only covers the top half (maybe only the top third) of the girl's chest. And then it gets even smaller—halfway through the fight she unzips it, and it transforms into a pair of carefully-positioned leather straps.

I mention this because I want to remind readers that this is a seinen (older teen male) manga, not a shoujo. It might sound like it has a lot in common with the hugely popular Fruits Basket series (the Zodiac stuff, the impossibly sunny heroine, the unlikely couple, etc.), but readers should take both the seinen designation and Yen's “Older Teen” warning seriously.

Bunny Drop Vol. 1, by Yumi Unita

Bunny Drop is the story of a cobbled-together family. When his grandfather dies, 30-year-old bachelor Daisuke is appalled to discover that the old man left an orphaned and illegitimate 6-year-old child—but he's even more appalled when none of his family members offer to take in the silent little girl. Daisuke impulsively offers to let the kid live with him... but he soon discovers there's more to child-rearing than he'd previously thought.

This was definitely my favorite title of the eight I reviewed today. Bunny Drop has a lot in common with Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&!, although it has a quieter, more serious vibe. I loved the way so much of the plot was devoted to the ordinary concerns of single parenthood—balancing work and family, finding a suitable daycare, dealing with childhood anxieties. It's a subject that doesn't get sufficient print, despite its rich potential for both drama and humor, so I'll be eagerly awaiting the next volume.

Reviews based on publisher-provided copies.

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, manhwa, Yen Press

Yes, dear readers, it's time for another run-down of Yen Press's recent releases!

Spice and Wolf: Vol. 1, story by Isuna Hasekura and art by Keito Koume

Spice and Wolf is a manga adaptation of Isuna Hasekura's novel series of the same name. When young merchant Kraft Lawrence finds a naked girl with wolf ears and a tail napping in the back of his cart, he remains calm (more or less). The girl introduces herself as Holo the Wisewolf, an ancient harvest goddess. Hoping to travel back to the northern lands of her youth, Holo joins Lawrence on his journey along the trade routes, generously giving him the benefit of her wisdom... whether he wants it or not.

For a book with a relatively dry plot (Lawrence and Holo spend most of the second half of the story mulling over a questionable deal involving the weight of silver coins), Spice and Wolf features an awful lot of gratuitous nudity. And while nudity has its place, the sheer randomness of these scenes is more confusing than sexy—watching the topless heroine toss her hair like a porn star while discussing the wheat and fur markets is just plain weird. This is the first volume, so it's still too early to tell (maybe they'll make sense later?), but currently I'm of the opinion the fanservice shots were a mistake. To borrow a phrase from Rocky—you're better than that, Spice and Wolf.

Raiders: Vol. 2, by JinJun Park

If you took a dash of Indiana Jones, added a pinch of Dan Brown, and mixed 'em both with a healthy shot of every crappy zombie movie ever made, you'd probably end up with something closely resembling JinJun Park's Raiders. When professor's assistant Irel Clark is attacked by monsters after finding the Holy Grail, Irel is forced to drink the blood of Christ in order to survive. Unfortunately, immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be—when the world is full of flesh-eating zombies, Irel's immortal, constantly-regenerating body becomes quite the prize...

The artwork and action sequences in this series are competent but unremarkable, and the religious stuff tries way too hard to be shocking. (SPOILER: Vol. 2's final image—a zombie take on Leonardo DaVinci's The Last Supper—was obviously meant to have enormous impact, but just made me snicker.) Still, there's obviously a market for secret religious cult books and zombie stories, so hopefully Raiders will find its niche.

Very! Very! Sweet: Vol. 6, by JiSang Shin and Geo

From our first review of Very! Very! Sweet:

"Very! Very! Sweet is the story of a rich and spoiled 15-year-old boy named Tsuyoshi, whose domineering grandfather ships him off to Korea to connect with his family's Korean heritage—or die trying. Naturally, Tsuyoshi moves in next door to an exuberant Korean girl named Be-Ri, whose strict family life and far more modest circumstances result in an over-the-top culture clash."

This series continues to deal strictly in tried-and-true romantic conventions, but its cross-cultural twist is used to particularly good effect in this volume. It's not high-brow humor, but I couldn't help but laugh when Be-Ri mistakes Tsuyoshi's “Daisuke!” (Japanese for “I love you!”) as the Korean phrase “Ya! Ee Saekki!” (“Hey! You bastard!”). The weight Be-Ri places on Tsuyoshi's differences forces one to wonder about the homogeneity of Korean culture, but her over-the-top reactions make for a fun, sweet read.
 
Time and Again: Vol. 2, by JiUn Yun

Time and Again is a collection of loosely-connected horror stories. Exorcists-for-hire Baek-On and Ho-Yeon travel throughout the countryside, searching for ghosts (and occasionally creating them—but totally by accident). This volume features three stories, including a particularly disturbing one ("Love") about a married servant woman who attracts the unwanted attentions of her master.

Most of the artwork in Time and Again is attractively spare, although it features flashes of unadulterated cuteness that help lighten the atmosphere. It's not quite as good as my beloved Banhonsa: The Spirit Returner (the gold standard for this type of myth- and legend-inspired series), but it's still very well done, and has a similar creepy-fairytale vibe.

Reviews based on publisher-provided copies.

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, manhwa, Yen Press

Hmm. Yen Press has announced that they'll be switching their monthly manga/manhwa anthology Yen Plus from print to a digital format. The last printed issue will come out in July, and there are some yet-to-be-announced content changes in the works.

Yen Plus has always struck me as a risky venture (several big-name manga magazines have failed in the past few years) so I'm hoping this is just good business sense, not a grim sign about Yen Press's overall economic situation.

Labels: manga, manhwa, Publishing, Yen Press

More graphic novels!

Tena on S-String: Vol. 2, by Sesuna Mikabe

While Sesuna Mikabe's Tena on S-String is typically described as a seinen (young men's) manga, the series' second volume focuses more on romance and humor than fantasy or fight scenes. 24-year-old music teacher Kyousuke Hibiki has ruefully accepted his new role as unpaid servant to Tena Fortissian, an imperious teenage girl with the ability to manipulate "soul scores", the musical manifestation of the threads of fate. While the first book in this series devoted considerable time to Tena and Kyousuke's hunt for the discordant notes warping the souls of the local animal population, volume two is mostly about their relationship, which is further complicated by the introduction of two new characters, Tena's arrogance, and Kyousuke's general cluelessness.

We're not big fans of harem-type stories, nine-year age gaps between romantic partners, or goth-loli jokes, so we're actually kind of amazed we liked this series as much as we did. It helps that neither character is currently interested in the other romantically, although the author is clearly laying the groundwork for an eventual relationship, and it really helps that Tena is the dominant half of the duo, while Kyousuke is surprisingly cute as her beleaguered, under-appreciated "slave". (The scene where he gets lost in a fantasy of finding a girlfriend who loves him for his laundry skills was great.) We won't be holding our breath until we can read the next volume, but we've read worse—much worse.

Soul Eater: Vol. 2, by Atsushi Ohkubo

Atsushi Ohkubo's Soul Eater is a hyperactive shounen (boys') manga about a group of students attending the Death Weapon Meister Academy, a school for "weapon meisters" and their half-human, half-weapon classmates. Talented meister-in-training Maka and her partner, a living scythe named Soul Eater, are determined to transform Soul Eater into the ultimate weapon, but first they need to collect tainted souls from ninety-nine humans and one witch—no easy task, especially when every opponent they take on is weirder than the last.

Soul Eater is stylish and fast-paced, with a great Tim-Burton-esque setting. We definitely could have lived without all the fanservice shots of half-dressed women with ridiculously huge breasts (particularly seeing as the male characters in this series are totally unprepossessing!), but the non-sexual scenes in this manga are undeniably fun, particularly for action-fantasy fans.

[Reviews based on publisher-provided copies.]

Labels: Book Reviews, Yen Press

This should be our last installment of this series... at least for a while!

Zombie-Loan: Vol. 8, by Peach-Pit

Zombie-Loan, an ongoing manga from the female writing/artistic duo Peach-Pit, offers a blend of both shojo (girls' manga) and shounen (boys' manga) clichés. There's a love triangle featuring a klutzy schoolgirl torn between a Type A perfectionist and a messy-haired delinquent... but there are zombies, guns, and the occasional scythe-fight, too.

The heroine of Zombie-Loan is Michiru Kita, a soft-spoken, biddable girl with a tragic past and a mysterious ability: she sees a black ring around the necks of people who are about to die. When she notices rings around the necks of two of her most popular classmates, she rushes out to warn them of their impending doom, but discovers that she is way too late. Both boys actually "died" in an accident six months earlier, and their current existence is the result of a supernatural bargain—in exchange for their lives, they hunt and exterminate other zombies.

Zombie-Loan's biggest flaw is its artwork, which ranges from mediocre to outright bad. Backgrounds are nearly nonexistent, and we spent most of the fight scenes wondering who was fighting who. Still, the central premise is interesting, and over the course of the series the heroine has grown from being a spineless wimp to—well, a slightly less spineless wimp. (Hey, as shojo heroines go, this counts as serious character growth.) We won't be waiting for the next Zombie-Loan volume with bated breath, but we'll probably go back when the series is completed and read it from the beginning.

Black God: Vol. 8, by Dall-Young Lim and Sung-Woo Park

For a manga with way more than its fair share of scenes featuring a girl fighting in a nonexistent skirt, writer Dall-Young Lim and artist Sung-Woo Park's Black God is both more complex and more entertaining then it looks at first glance.

Black God's main character is a selfish, lazy young man named Keita Ibuki, who is enjoying a bowl of ramen at a roadside stand when a fight breaks out between a small girl and a massive, sword-wielding thug. Keita (showing a rare flash of concern for someone other than himself) steps in... but promptly passes out when his arm is severed. When he comes to, he discovers the girl he tried to help is actually a supernatural warrior called a Mototsumitama, and she saved his life by cutting off her own arm and switching it with his, allowing her otherworldly healing powers to work on both limbs. Unfortunately (for her, mostly), she needs to stick around until their arms are repaired, so Keita ends up with an unwanted new roommate who attracts trouble like a magnet.

Keita takes a lot(!) of warming up to, but Black God's heroine is charming, and its artwork is gorgeous—as long as you don't mind a lot of very realistically-drawn violence. Despite its supernatural underpinnings, Black God is essentially a fighting manga, and Park's style leaves very little to the imagination: these kicks and punches look like they hurt, and watching a tiny young woman being pummeled by dudes twice her size is tough to take... even if she's doing plenty of pummeling, too. We suggest that readers take this series' "Older Teen" warning seriously, but if you're into hardcore action scenes with a side of fantasy you could certainly do much worse.

[Review copies provided by publisher.]

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, Yen Press

So here's part two of our mini-review bonanza! By and large, we've been very impressed by the quality of these series—we don't mean to make them sound like vultures, but Yen Press has been cherry-picking a lot of their titles from the wreckage of several now-defunct publishers, and that strategy seems to be working out remarkably well. We probably won't keep up with all of these stories, but most of 'em are seriously fun:

Angel Diary: Vol. 10, by Kara and Lee YunHee

We *love* Angel Diary. If you can get past its slightly cracked-out premise—the heroine is a cross-dressing Princess of Heaven who hides out in a Korean high school in order to escape an arranged marriage with the King of Hell (who, by the way, is hiding out there too, secretly knows who she is, and hits on her like it's his job)—it is absolutely freaking adorable.

There are only 3 volumes still to go in Angel Diary (the last one comes out next December), so if you're one of those people who don't like to start a series until the end is in sight—and, dude, we sympathize—now is a great time to check out this oddball romantic comedy.

You're So Cool: Vol. 5, by YoungHee Lee

When klutzy, simple-minded You’re So Cool heroine Nan Woo confesses her love to her classmate Seung Ha, she has no hope of being accepted—after all, Seung Ha is the best-looking and most popular boy in her class. But unfortunately for Nan Woo, Seung Ha has a darker side to him, and he's not above using Nan Woo's dim-witted affection to cover it up.

Experienced manga/manhwa readers are unlikely to find anything too shocking about You’re So Cool, but less well-read fans might want to start with something a little more conventional. Not only does this series feature a “would be seriously disturbing in real life” relationship between its hero and heroine, it includes several additional manhwa clichés that might shock a newbie reader. It’s not that YoungHee Lee’s series isn’t entertaining (it is), but it’s also something of an acquired taste.

Jack Frost: Vol. 2, by JinHo Ko

If you're looking for a top-notch example of manga/manhwa's ability to combine violence, humor, and a surprisingly deep exploration of the human condition... we suggest reading Yūsei Matsui's Majin Tantei Nōgami Neuro. But if you're just looking for a bunch of over-the-top fight scenes featuring an inordinate number of large-breasted women and an intriguing horror premise, you could probably do worse than Jin-Ho Ko's Jack Frost. While the first volume in this series was heavy on gore and light on plot, the second volume actually begins to develop the story in slightly greater depth.

(...but don't worry, slice'n'dice fans: there's still plenty of gore.)

The Antique Gift Shop: Vol. 9, by Lee Eun

We were predisposed to like The Antique Gift Shop because the description of it reminded us of two of our all-time favorite manhwa: our beloved Banhonsa and I Wish. Like those titles, this is a series of fable-and-fairytale-inspired episodes loosely connected by an overarching storyline about a young woman named Bun-Nyuh, whose grandmother forces her to take over her family's antique shop. When Bun-Nyuh realizes that most of the antiques for sale possess strange powers, she becomes even more determined to leave the shop... but something far more powerful than her grandmother is determined to keep her there.

The earlier volumes in this series appear to be more self-contained, but by this point the series has shifted its primary focus to Bun-Nyuh and her mysterious shop assistant, Mr. Yang. While volume 9 was obviously not the ideal place to be starting a 10-volume-long series, we were sufficiently interested in this story's combination of horror, folklore and romance to want to both finish the series and hunt down the previous volumes—no small compliment, considering each book costs $10.99.

Crimson Shell: Vol. 1, by Jun Mochizuki

Despite its whiplash-inducing emotional pace (seriously, this story turns from cutesy to grim on a dime), Crimson Shell works as a fun, quick introduction to Japanese sci-fi/fantasy. Mochizuki’s heroine is a childlike young woman named Claudia, the only non-evil survivor of a mad scientist’s genetic mutilation. The “rose seed” planted inside Claudia’s body grants her special powers—unlike the seeds planted inside her fellow mutants, which turned them into crazed killing machines with the power to make their victims into zombies.

While the ending of this series felt rushed and it's probably best not to think about most of its plot points too hard, Mochizuki should be commended for her ability to create appealing and easily distinguishable characters (unlike, say, the creator of the visually-similar manga The Gentlemen’s Alliance) and her scattering of enjoyable tributes to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Higurashi—When They Cry: Vol. 1, by Ryukishi07 and Jiro Suzuki

Higurashi—When They Cry is based on an enormously popular series of murder-mystery video games produced by a group of amateur Japanese software developers. When the series' hero, Keiichi Maebara, moves to the tiny rural town of Hinamizawa he promptly makes a bevy of cute, irrepressible female friends. Unfortunately, his relationships with the girls are threatened when he discovers that this idyllic-looking village is hiding a terrifying secret: every year for the past four years, people have died during a local festival.

Higurashi is divided into four “question arcs” and four “answer arcs”. This hyper-stylized approach means that when terrible, gristly events happen (as they often do) the readers view them more than once. This can be extremely disconcerting, particularly when taken in the context of the overly cutesy artwork. We strongly encourage people to respect that “Older Teen” rating—unlike titles like Jack Frost, the hardcore creepiness of this series is not immediately apparent, but that doesn't mean it isn't really freaky. (Seriously. Picture a blend of Groundhog Day and The Lottery.)

[Review copies provided by Yen Press.]

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, Yen Press

A few weeks ago, we found a large box from Yen Press waiting on our doorstep. We were super-excited—Yen Press is the manga/manhwa publishing group that has taken over the English publication of several of our favorite titles, including Goong, Angel Diary, and (last but definitely not least) Yotsuba&!. Unfortunately, we were only familiar with a few of the 11 titles they had chosen to send us, and some of the volumes were from late in their respective series, so reviewing these stories has taken an insane amount of time. But now, at long last, we're all caught up, so here's part one of our Yen Press mini-marathon:

Very! Very! Sweet: Vol. 5, by JiSang Shin and Geo

Very! Very! Sweet is the story of a rich and spoiled 15-year-old boy named Tsuyoshi, whose domineering grandfather ships him off to Korea to connect with his family's Korean heritage—or die trying. Naturally, Tsuyoshi moves in next door to an exuberant Korean girl named Be-Ri, whose strict family life and far more modest circumstances result in an over-the-top culture clash.

Most of the humor in Very! Very! Sweet comes from the differences between Japanese and Korean culture... which means you need to know something about Japanese and Korean cultures to catch the jokes. Also, the hero communicates with the heroine in broken Korean, which—no matter how cute it's supposed to be—distracts from the story's more dramatic moments. These are minor quibbles, however, and don't seriously detract from this series' ability to pull the conventional "snotty rich boy + poor-but-lively girl" formula in some fun new directions.

Goong: Vol. 7, by Park So-Hee

And speaking of rich, snotty boys and poor, lively girls... Park So-Hee's Goong is a twisted take on the Cinderella story, with a hopelessly goofy heroine (Chae-Gyung) who is coerced into marriage with Crown Prince Shin, the cold-hearted heir to the Korean monarchy. While the romantic aspects of this story (not to mention its hugely popular K-drama adaptation) have attracted zillions of starry-eyed readers, it also offers a fascinating alternate-universe version of a unified Korea led by a modern monarchy.


Cat Paradise: Vol. 2, by Yuji Iwahara

When new student Yumi Hayakawa enters Matabi Academy, she discovers that the school's cat-friendly dormitories actually serve an otherworldly purpose—defending the world from the terrifying demon sealed beneath the school's library. Yumi's favorite hobby to date has been knitting frilly dresses for her beloved (male) cat Kansuke, so she's even more shocked to find that they, too, are destined to be become part of the school's student-council-member-plus-cat fighting force.

Cat Paradise is a surprisingly appealing take on a totally ridiculous premise. Nearly everything about it is better than it seems at first glance—the artwork more nuanced, the characters more appealing, the bad guys creepier, the storyline funnier and more exciting. We wouldn't recommend this series to a total manga newbie (the premise is just too far out there), but fans of Rumiko Takahashi should love it.

Sarasah: Vol. 2, by Ryu Ryang

It's a good thing that the first volume of Ryu Ryang's manhwa Sarasah is so pretty, because it takes a lot of lovely pictures to make up for her heroine's personality. The story centers around a Korean girl named Ji-Hae, whose crush on her handsome classmate Seung-Hyu is more than a little crazy. When Seung-Hyu literally pushes her away, Ji-Hae falls down a flight of stairs and dies. However, the spirits of the afterlife take pity on her, and send her back in time to mend her relationship with Seung-Hyu in one of her past lives.

By the second volume, however, things start looking up: Ji-Hae's crazy stalker solo act turns into a love triangle (or at least the beginning of one), which means that the storyline is no longer a painful distraction from the gorgeousness of the artwork. Her affections still haven't quite made it across the line from “obsessive” to “adorably persistent”, but here's hoping. We're looking forward to reading the future books in this series—particularly if the author continues to tone down Ji-Hae's antics.

Sugarholic: Vol. 2, by Gong GooGoo

The artwork in Gong GooGoo's Sugarholic manhwa takes a lot of getting used to, particularly for readers more familiar with Japanese manga. (The first glimpse we catch of the series' hero is particularly startling: think "female televangelist as drawn by the people who made Aeon Flux".) Still, the storyline is fun, if predictable: a klutzy, clueless country girl moves to Seoul, meets an irritable young millionaire, and finds herself torn between said millionaire and the long-lost rock star she tortured as a child. We were more than a little uncomfortable with the amount of violence in this story—both of the male characters seem awfully trigger-happy when it comes to smacking people around—but the non-doormat heroine goes a long way towards making up for their shortcomings.

Part Two comes tomorrow—wish us luck!

[Review copies provided by Yen Press.]

Labels: Book Reviews, manga, Yen Press

Before I get to the complaining, let me first state that I am sincerely delighted Yen Press has picked up the license for Yotsuba&!, which is one of our all-time favorite series. Thanks, Yen Press! You guys are awesome, and your slightly repackaged editions of Yotsuba&! are both shiny and adorable. Behold:


However... was giving Yotsuba her very own font really necessary? Her various pronouncements are usually strange enough without a quirky font emphasizing the weirdness. And did you have to provide so many footnotes? I mean, if you tell me that a t-shirt reads "Fifteen years old" on page 15, you don't really need to explain it again on page 17. And we actually would have been just fine if you had resisted the desire to translate nonsense Japanese sound effects ("Ba!") into nonsense English sound effects ("Wham!"). We don't mean to quibble, but that's what God gave us context for.

Labels: Kiyohiko Azuma, Yen Press

The Free Comic Book Day offering from the up-and-coming group Yen Press was a sneak preview of their manga-style adaptation of James Patterson's Maximum Ride series. I've been excited about this series for months. Patterson is a much better storyteller than he is a technical writer, so I thought a comic book version of his story would be ideal: he'd come up with the ideas, and somebody less irritating would interpret them!

Unfortunately, this new version has its own issues: the storytelling is just as streamlined and fun as I'd hoped it would be, but the character designs range from "minor letdown" to "outright creepy". The evil "Erasers" all look like Wolverine from the X-Men (seriously, Marvel could sue) and I originally thought Fang was a girl. But the biggest problem I had was the character design for eleven-year-old Nudge, who was portrayed with some serious (and amply displayed) cleavage. I took an informal poll--well, I showed the comic to the three people I've talked to today and asked them to guess the character's age--and their average guess was sixteen. I realize that we're talking about a series aimed largely at young male readers, but did they have to make a preteen so physically mature? Does it serve any plot purpose? Frankly, the whole thing gave me the heebie-jeebies.

Labels: James Patterson, manga, Yen Press

Well, we're finally seeing signs of life on the Yen Press/ICE Kunion front. Yen Press's webpage is UP, and it's full of Korean-manhwa goodness. Yes, dear readers: new volumes of Goong, Angel Diary, and Cynical Orange are coming soon (well, soon-ish) to a comic shop near you!

Sadly, nothing is coming out before July. I thought they were aiming for spring release dates, but, hey, better late than never, right?

Labels: Goong, manhwa, Yen Press