Bleach 30
Posted: February 10, 2010 Filed under: Bleach 4 Comments »Tite Kubo – Viz – 2010 – 43+ volumes
The fight continues at Bleach, as it always does. Chad finishes his battle, Renji starts in on his, and Rukia goes all the way through a fight on her end. She’s more or less the focus of the volume, and her foe is someone she’s fought before. Much of that battle is a kind of psychological war against Rukia, though there are some clever moves she uses to eventually succeed. Kinda. I can’t really say too much else about it without spoiling it for people who haven’t read (although maybe people more perceptive than I figured things out from the cover). For the record, I had no idea who this person was since the Soul Society arc was a massive blur while I was reading it, let alone two years after I finished it. Even after the story went through the trouble of explaining exactly who this person was, I had absolutely no recollection of them.
Renji’s fight is interesting too, since his Arrancar is not a skilled figher and is masterfully out-maneuvering Renji as of this moment. He has ties to a past opponent too, and uses information he gathered to strip Renji of all but his most basic sword forms, which aren’t all that useful against even a weak Arrancar that doesn’t like to fight. Unlike the opponents I’m leaving out for spoiler reasons against Rukia and Ichigo, his Arrancar really is relatively faceless. Just fodder. I could look his name up, but it’s really not worth it, and his name is also the only thing about him that’s a little bit of a spoiler.
And… what else. Ichigo walks in on another old foe in the very last chapter. We don’t get to see even a little bit of this fight, but I’ll be happy that focus returns to Ichigo once again next time. Maybe we’ll get to see more of Ishida, too. I think he was only in one panel.
Interestingly, the characters speak of death. I highly, HIGHLY doubt that what they say will come to pass, because this is a manga, and as I’ve learned so many times over the years, nobody ever dies. I’m almost a little angry so much is being made of this, because I KNOW that this isn’t going anywhere. I hope that all this doesn’t take up too much time, because it would be a real shame if the story was all about death and resurrection, unless it’s classily written. And I sometimes wonder about Bleach when it comes to that. I mean… I’m obviously still reading, and I like the Arrancar arc a lot more than the previous one, but… I still don’t really care for this series much at all. But I’m 30 volumes in, it’s not like I’m going to stop now. I’m going to keep reading ’til the end.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Black Sun, Silver Moon 7
Posted: February 10, 2010 Filed under: Black Sun, Silver Moon 1 Comment »Tomo Maeda – Go!Comi – 2008 – 7 volumes
Ahh… There were quite a few twists and turns in the conclusion, and not everything happened how I imagined it would, but it also wasn’t quite as tragic and final as it looked like it was going to be. Which… I mean, it’s a manga, so I’m not that surprised. They tried hard to make me happy, but manga just loves robbing me of such conclusions.
There was also much more crammed in here than I thought there would be. We get quite a bit of backstory on Grey, along with some of the reasons he’s hung around Shikimi. We learn about the nature of Shikimi’s possession, about the demon that inhabits his body, and even a little bit about the backstory and nature of the demon. Amazingly (and unfortunately), Taki calls out the nature of the demon in an extremely shoujo manga moment. That demon should have torn him apart for his insolence, but alas. Taki does go through with his promise, and Grey collects on their bet. There are a few really decent, lengthy fight scenes, along with a strange death scene. Maybe a few of them. But afterwards, the ending is pretty lukewarm. You know what I mean. It winds down. It’s got this annoying halfway vibe, where the two leads exist to appeal to yaoi fans, and there’s a female character for romantic tension, but absolutely no romance whatsoever. Just friends. And happiness. Yay.
I got caught up in the ending, and it was pretty well done, but I still don’t like this series very much. The characters never quite clicked for me, and despite all the danger with the undead and demons and halflings and whatnot, there’s just not that much action or tension, really. It just comes back to the sort of lukewarm friendship between Taki and Shikimi, and I suppose not liking the characters that much was the reason this never really clicked for me. It’s not bad, or terrible, just middle of the road. It does have its share of fans. I’m… just not one of them.
Happy Cafe 1
Posted: February 10, 2010 Filed under: Happy Cafe Leave a comment »Kou Matsuzuki – Tokyopop – 2009 -15 volumes
I reviewed this over at Manga Recon, so you can check it out over there.
I don’t have much else to add to what I already said. Cute, but blah.
Black Sun, Silver Moon 6
Posted: February 10, 2010 Filed under: Black Sun, Silver Moon 1 Comment »Tomo Maeda – Go!Comi – 2008 – 7 volumes
Okay, I’ll admit, I’m glad I stuck around for the ending. I don’t have that much to say about this volume, since the entire thing is basically an exercise in letting the reader sit in anticipation for the moment when Shikimi turns into a demon. There are dreams that foreshadow it. Grey flat out tells Taki that it will only be a matter of time. There are a couple wholesome, positive conversations between Taki and Shikimi that make you think that Shikimi is in control again, but when things start to get too good for the little group, you know. You know what is going to happen.
It’s… pretty brutal, and for a moment, I was concerned that something that never, ever happens in manga transpired. I was impressed that the series would do this, and momentarily baffled by what the conclusion could possibly be, but then it backpedaled and things look like they will play out as promised. And that’s fine. The stakes are pretty high here, and I still wonder about the outcome. On one hand, this is a manga, but on the other hand, the characters seem pretty serious about their black and white issues.
I’m going to go ahead and read the final volume right now. This one left off on a brutal cliffhanger, and I just have to know. I don’t really like this series that much, and never did, but I still have to know how it ends.
Two Flowers for the Dragon 4
Posted: February 9, 2010 Filed under: Two Flowers for the Dragon Leave a comment »Nari Kusakawa – CMX – 2009 – 7 volumes
It’s a real shame I fell behind on this series. It really doesn’t deserve it. It’s almost like a younger version of Apothecarius Argentum. The stories are nothing alike, and this one is a bit more fun and playful, but they are both very good at the same things. I’ve got the fifth volume now too, and I’ll be covering it this weekend.
In this volume, the main two plot points are the deepening of the relationship between Kuwan and Shakuya, and Lucien getting his memories back. The former is something that could be spotted a mile away after the traumatic end of the last volume, though it was still a sweet moment, and I loved the strange way the handmaidens tried to get Shakuya to dish on what had happened between the two and their attempts to get a peek at her tattoos.
Lucien’s story was the more interesting one, though. He gets all his memories back, so he remembers just was a manipulative little kid he was, along with everything that happened at the Oasis when he lost his memory during a sandstorm. As expected, it wasn’t an accident, he was assaulted, but now he remembers the face of the assailant. I was surprised at first, since I thought it might be Kuwan, but the characters all point out that he’s been removed from any suspicion after putting his life on the line last time. The actual assassin appears later, in a story involving Shakuya’s main handmaiden, Lupina.
The Lupina story at the end is really one of my favorite moments of the story so far. It’s got the best of everything about this series in it. Lupina meets the assassin prior to his picture being circulated, and falls in love with him a little. When she realizes who he is and what he’s done, we are left to wonder what Lupina will do. Her feelings are wonderfully analyzed and on display, and she was so happy to get a taste of what Shakuya has so much of. Will Lupina warn him? Cover for him? Or be a good friend and loyal to Shakuya? It’s an absolutely wonderful little sub-story, and I loved that it spotlighted one of the better side characters.
But yes. More later.
One Piece 37
Posted: February 9, 2010 Filed under: One Piece 3 Comments »Eiichiro Oda – Viz – 2010 – 56+ volumes
Aww, I didn’t notice last time that Usopp is no longer in the grey “Straw Hat” box in the character introductions at the front of the book. Robin still is, but she’s not gray, she’s just inside the box.
Huge confrontation with the members of CP9. The masks are all off, and all the motives are out in the open. The Straw Hats are not happy, and neither is Paulie. Unfortunately for everyone involved, the members are all monster fighters of the first order, and there’s nothing to be done about it at this point. Things end badly. The fight moves to Franky.
Franky brings some levity back to the story. We find out he’s not at all a bad guy, as he finds Usopp and, instead of beating him as promised, he helps him and the Merry into his secret hideout/shipbuilding headquarters. He has a good time as Usopp explains current situations to him. Uncharacteristically, Usopp doesn’t join in his wacky asides, which probably just proves how out-of-sorts and upset Usopp is. Franky also has the unpleasant job of driving home just how unseaworthy the Merry truly is, and we get to hear a little legend and a sad story before the bad guys bust in.
Cue flashback to Tom, the legendary shipwright who build Gold Rodger’s ship and the sea train. He’s one of those upright hero guys who always figure into these flashbacks, and we learn of how he built the sea train and raised Iceberg and Cutty Flam. I’m… a little surprised that the identity of Cutty Flam was “secret,” after this flashback. The whole weapons turning against them was a real sad thing for Cutty Flam, too, since he was so good at making them. I mean, obviously his skill is alive and well in the present day, but… you know. Not a good memory for him.
More. More! On to Enies Lobby, I’m sure! Or at the very least, a regrouping of the Straw Hat pirates, who have scattered (haha, though “scattered” doesn’t begin to cover what happens later, I suppose). Who knows how long it will take to find Zoro alone. Good stuff, as always, and I’m glad everything was laid out so clearly. Now there’s a bad guy to get, and someone to get back. We have a goal. Let’s do it!
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
One Thousand and One Nights 9
Posted: February 9, 2010 Filed under: One Thousand and One Nights | Tags: BL 15 Comments »HanSeungHee / Jeon JinSeok – Yen Press – 2009 – 11 volumes
Hooray! This is one of my favorite Korean series, and I’m very happy to see the story reaching its conclusion. I knew it would take a little time with this series, due to its nature of telling a story that parallels its own, and with two volumes left, there are some pretty catastrophic-looking goings-on in the main storyline, along with a translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms given to General Macleod by Sehara.
I… was shocked, to say the least, by the fates of Shahryar, Shazaman, and Fatima in this volume. Jafar finally unearths the secret of Fatima, and it is very disturbing, to say the least. I need more perspective on it, actually, so that I’m sure of what was happening. Elsewhere, Shahryar and Shazaman face off in the middle of a bizarre storm, and their fight is cut with scenes from their childhood. At this point, Shahryar is the “good guy” and a completely sympathetic character, which is an amazing feat considering how many women he slayed at the beginning of the story.
It’s worth mentioning, too, that at this point I’m not sure how the story will put the pieces back together for a happy ending. I’m not going to complain either way, and I’m looking forward to the surprise that looks to be in store. I’m hoping that the next volume will give more hints to the finale, but it may just contain a lot more of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms story.
I was a little worried when that tale started, because I’ve tried Romance of the Three Kingdoms before, and just could not get into it. Too many characters, and the author points out in the end notes that it is a very masculine story with masculine motives. Hilariously, the writer also points out how homoerotic these stories can be because of that, and puts a rather unambiguous spin on two of the characters for the retelling here. Like we didn’t see that coming.
I read over the introduction to the story three times, but I’m still not positive of all the character relationships. Basically, we have Jo. He’s… uh, King. He’s also currently host to Woo Kwon, an ally of one of his enemies. I think. Woo Kwon is grateful for Jo’s hospitality, but is only staying until he can find his allies again. Jo is rather enamoured of Woo Kwon in a shoujo manga way, and makes this pretty plain, but Woo Kwon only has thoughts for his allies. Lots of fights and stuff take place. There is also a close advisor to the King that helps him try to catch Woo Kwon’s attention and who hopes to replace him when he inevitably goes back to his allies. As confused as I was by some of what was going on, I can still see what’s going on, and I’m curious about where the second half of the story will go, since it stopped in a pretty good place.
Again, I absolutely love the storytelling techniques and the characters in the main storyline of this series. I can’t get enough of it. It’s been one of my favorites for years now. The last two volumes just can’t come fast enough.
Sgt. Frog 18
Posted: February 8, 2010 Filed under: Sgt. Frog Leave a comment »Mine Yoshizaki – Tokyopop – 2009 -20+ volumes
I reviewed this for the weekly Manga Minis column at Manga Recon, so you can check out my review over there.
Basically, with nothing but what was offered from the first volumes, I’m pretty tired of the same old thing at this point. The volumes are always better with a longer story, and while this does have one that spans two chapters, it isn’t quite enough to keep things interesting. Still cute, still funny, but I would have much fonder memories if this had ended a long time ago, I think.
One Piece 36
Posted: February 8, 2010 Filed under: One Piece 8 Comments »Eiichiro Oda – Viz – 2010 – 56+ volumes
See, I told you I’d be back with more in a week. Two volumes this time, continuing in the saga of Water 7 and Who Shot Iceburg.
There’s lots of politics at play, more than we’ve had to deal with so far in the series. Rather than the usual “This man is bad and is doing bad things, stop him,” we have a more ambiguous plot on our hands here. Why are the Straw Hats being blamed for the attempted assassination of the mayor of Water 7? Why does he swear it was Robin that did it? Why does he seem to have it in for Robin, aside from that? Lots more questions come up by the end of the volume involving the World Government, the use of legendary weapons, secret agencies at work within the realms of the government, the identities of some of the shipwrights in the Galley-La company, and what makes Franky so super.
There’s not much to say about this volume that doesn’t give too much away. Aside from the brief continuation of the fight with Franky and the shipwrights letting Luffy know he’s not welcome anymore, there’s lots of sitting around on rooftops and gathering information about what’s going on. Towards the end, there’s a big night raid set up to try to reach Iceberg once again, with plans to infiltrate by both the mystery assassins and the Straw Hats, with a massive army of the Galley-La men defending. There’s not much of a fight here, and it’s really more of an information gathering exercise in the end, but we still learn an awful lot about what’s going on here, and it leaves off in a very interesting place for next time.
I love Franky. He wears no pants, has an open Hawaiian shirt, sports a pompadour, is a cyborg powered by cola he keeps in a fridge in his stomach, and calls everything “super.” Part of me suspects that he’s supposed to be vaguely American, and if that’s the case, he’s even funnier. I also thought it was a really strange detail to include when the two square-hairdo girls with him seemed to be walking sideways to a musical beat in order to avoid being blown over by the wind and storm that’s blowing up around the city.
I do have one question, but it’s a vague spoiler, so let me mark it out here. Not that I’ve been at all careful about spoilers concerning One Piece, but still.
spoiler…
spoiler…
spoiler…
spoiler…
I… skipped over this whole part years ago after being so saddened by Usopp and Luffy’s fight, so I am completely unaware of the way the story works here aside from how things come out on the other side. So, Robin is part of CP9, who is stealing Tom’s plans for the Pluton weapon. But… Robin knows all about Pluton already, since she’s seen the plans for it at Alabasta. She also knows about Leviathan, another weapon, since she’s seen the plans for it at Shandora. Is this a hint that she’s not all bad, or not really cooperating with CP9? Obviously she’s not, since she comes out on the other side of all this a Straw Hat, and I assume her silence on the matter through this entire book is another hint. I know we weren’t supposed to forget that she had seen the plans for these weapons, because she states it pretty plainly when she finds the glyphs. I suppose I should just wait patiently and find out in future volumes like a good girl.
More explanation, more forward momentum in the story, and a flashback by way of explanation should happen next volume.
Also, I can’t remember if I mentioned this last volume, but I can’t believe that it took me as long as it did to realize that the weird trees in the Gedatsu title page story were supposed to be an onsen mark, of sorts. I love that they stay there through the entire story, taunting you with the fact they were there from the first page.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
Black Sun, Silver Moon 5
Posted: February 6, 2010 Filed under: Black Sun, Silver Moon Leave a comment »Tomo Maeda – Go!Comi – 2008 – 7 volumes
Continuing on with the color theme of the past 24 hours, I recently bought the last three volumes of this on sale, and no time like the present to finish it off.
I still don’t really care for it. The parts showing Shikimi’s past were mildly interesting, though still didn’t grab me, and now that we’ve gone back to the back-and-forth of everyday with Shikimi, Grey, Laz, and Taki, my interest has pretty much flown out the window. I just don’t really care for any of the characters, and can’t get into the little comic asides and banter between the characters.
The overall plot chugs on, though, with a major revelation about Taki. It seems like this might go in an interesting direction, and the story takes its time to unveil it, but then… it doesn’t really change anything at all around the house. There’s one moment where it seems like the dynamics might change, but then they don’t. This still has the potential to go somewhere, and I do have higher hopes for the final story arc starting next volume. But boo, Black Sun Silver Moon. You’ve got all the right ingredients and just aren’t mixing them together right.
I also just… hate Laz. I hate her so much. What is she still doing there? She sort of facilitates the discussion about Taki’s true nature, but that would have come out anyway since Grey figures it out himself. She continues to insist she is a man and beg Shikimi to go out with her. She plays no other role. I just… can’t figure out what her role in the story even is.
I did like the unrelated short story at the end of the volume. It was about a strange artist and the neighbor who tries to help him. It had just the right touches of supernatural and sadness, and while fangirls could certainly read a lot of things between the main characters, it also never turns into a BL story, which I liked. It was nice. I wonder if some of her other work is more like this story, “Red Shoes,” than Black Sun, Silver Moon or Beyond My Touch.
