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

Two of Yen Press's titles are coming to an end this spring, so those of you who only buy manga once the entire series has been published should add these titles to your to-be-investigated list, safe in the knowledge that the publisher won't be pulling any shenanigans.

You're So Cool: Vol. 6, by YoungHee Lee

From our first review of this series:

"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."

The final volume of Lee's You're So Cool offers more of the same: more bizarre artwork, more PG-rated yaoi, and more utterly warped "romance" between the series' dimwitted heroine and her emotionally abusive suitor. We were turned off by You're So Cool's exaggerated character design and creepy romantic plotline, but readers who enjoy the "self-consciously wacky" school of romance manhwa might enjoy themselves.

The Antique Gift Shop: Vol. 10, by Lee Eun

From our first review of this series:

"[The Antique Gift Shop] 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."

We were much more enthusiastic about the conclusion of The Antique Gift Shop, which tied up several loose ends, answered a dozen questions, and managed to blend mystery, horror, and suspense with a hefty amount of humor. True, we would have been even happier if the final book had featured a more clearly-defined romantic resolution (and fewer shots of the crying heroine's streaming nose), but we were still totally satisfied.

Labels: Book Reviews, manhwa

When it comes to reading girls' manga and manhwa, sometimes it's best to turn off the critical part of our brains. This allows us to enjoy series that might otherwise seem disturbing—stories featuring foul-tempered "heroes", dim-witted heroines, and deeply screwed-up romances. We just remind ourselves that these series aren't meant to reflect reality, and dive on in.

This approach was particularly useful when it came to reading SangEun Lee's manhwa 13th Boy, which features all of the troubling plot elements mentioned above: the hero is a manipulative jerk with a dark secret, the heroine is pig-headed and clueless, and their relationship involves a shared past, a love quadrangle, and a walking, talking cactus named Beatrice... who periodically turns into a boy.

So you can see why we needed to make some allowances, right?

The heroine of 13th Boy is Hee-So, an impossibly determined girl who is convinced that classmate Won-Jun is the "fated 13th boy" destined to become her true love. Unfortunately, Won-Jun is her twelfth boyfriend, dumped her after a month, and appears to be totally devoted to a different girl. Meanwhile, Hee-So keeps encountering Won-Jun's classmate Whie-Young, who always seems to catch her right at the most embarrassing moment. Whie-Young drops several hints about their shared childhood, but Hee-So's not interested—she is absolutely certain that her heart belongs to Won-Jun, and nobody (not even Beatrice, her closest confidant, a tiny talking cactus who transforms into a boy during the full moon) is going to tell her otherwise.

Although the two series have very different plots, 13th Boy frequently reminded us of Hwang Mi-Ri's Cutie Boy, another bizarre romantic comedy about a mismatched couple (the hero and heroine knew each other as children, but while he misread every situation as proof that they were a devoted pair, she remembers him as a crazed bully who dragged her along on a series of hair-raising adventures). Both Cutie Boy and 13th Boy require considerable suspension of disbelief, but they're also insanely funny and surprisingly sweet. However, Cutie Boy has the advantage of being a mere eight volumes long, while 13th Boy is currently twelve volumes and counting. We've totally enjoyed ourselves thus far (critical thought—who needs it?), but we're really hoping that the joke doesn't get stretched too thin.

[Review based on publisher-provided copy.]

Labels: Book Reviews, manhwa

Twilight fans and manhwa fans take note: The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Cam "Evil James" Gigandet will star opposite Paul Bettany in Priest, an adaptation of the well-known horror/Western/Gun Fu manhwa by Hyung Min-Woo. Gigandet will apparently play a half-vampire sheriff in the movie, while Bettany will play a warrior priest.

Note: Speaking of typecasting, hasn't Bettany already played his fair share of creepy religious dudes?

Labels: manhwa, Movie Adaptations, Stephenie Meyer, Typecasting

Two updates on our Scanlations page, dear readers: the second part of Absolute Witch Chapter 6, and chapter 26 of Banhonsa.

Labels: manhwa, Scanlations

...and you can pick up from our scanlations page at your convenience!

Labels: manhwa, Scanlations

As many of you know, we host scanlated versions of two Korean manhwa series on the main site: Banhonsa: The Spirit Returner and Absolute Witch, both by Kim Tae Yeon and both scanlated by the group #Korean-Manhwa. We've been bad about keeping things current, but the scanlations page is now fully up-to-date! Readers will find a new chapter of Absolute Witch and three new chapters of Banhonsa. (We even fixed the missing chapters in Banhonsa Vol. 1, for all you princessy types who actually care about reading things from the beginning.)

Labels: manhwa, Scanlations

I can't be even remotely impartial about this series, as the scanlation group I work for has been working on it for years, but I'm so happy to see that TOKYOPOP has released the first volume of Hyun-Joo Seo's wonderful manhwa I Wish. Here is a review from another site, and I strongly encourage all of our manga/manhwa fans to check the book out for themselves. The storyline, the artwork, the characters--all totally awesome.

Labels: I Wish, manga, manhwa

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

We've been complaining for a while about the demise of ICE Kunion, the English-language publisher of several of our favorite manhwa titles. (Hey, the idea that we'd never find out what happened in Angel Diary was very upsetting.) So we were delighted to see that Yen Press, the upcoming manga/manhwa imprint of Hachette Book Group USA, has taken over all of ICE Kunion's titles. Here's a snippet of their press release:

"Yen Press has announced that it will acquire ICE Kunion, a publisher of South Korean graphic novels, or manhwa. Following the acquisition, Yen Press will sell and distribute ICE Kunion’s existing inventory, which will be readily available starting this fall. In addition, Yen Press plans to continue to publish new installments of series that began under ICE Kunion as part of the Yen Press imprint in 2008."

Unfortunately, the "starting this fall" bit is fairly vague. I can't find updated release info on Amazon, because, according to their records, most of these books are already out. (ICE Kunion kept on posting release dates for their series, even after they'd stopped producing anything—volume 2 of Goong allegedly came out, like, a year ago.) Still, this is the first sign of life we've seen for any of these series in ages, so we're really excited: more Goong! More Angel Diary! More Cynical Orange! YAY!

Labels: manhwa