Bonnouji by Eda Aki

Wow, I was thinking about next month and how I needed to set up spooky and horror manga to last me the season because last year I had to sort of rush around finding some. Half of which was my fault, of course, because I'm a last minute type, though the other half was because when I started the well of manga scans was a little dry, but luckily my manga source issues are not in play this year. Anyway, as I was setting that up it suddenly hit me that I didn't even recognize I'd been doing this blog for over a year now. I meant to read a special manga to commemorate the event and everything. Even though I was preparing Halloween manga for the second time, it still felt like its only been a few months since I started My Manga Malady. A lot of things have changed, I've cut somethings out (bye-bye my Photoshopping there just was never any time for you) but, my love of manga remains and I guess this proves my obsession is actually an addiction after all. Of course, I already knew that. Whelp, I guess I'll just go back to reading manga now and ignoring the world around me.

Bonnouji by Eda Aki

Art and story (c) Eda Aki

Genre: Seinen, Slice of Life
Length: 3 Volumes – 35 Chapters


           The artwork is a little messy, a bit of it is stylistic but it's also a little amateur, but nothing too distracting, really. This mangaka's simplistic style of having the faces basically emojis really grows on you. That being said, I would have liked a few more shots of the male lead's face once in a while, shaggy hair over the eyes is a personally favorite male look for manga and anime, but he got

lost a bit behind it. The panel layout was a little unorthodox as well, typically using a lot of smaller panels than just a few large ones, once it a while it was confusing. The backgrounds could be lacking, as well. Still, there is nothing offensive with the art at all. In fact the longer it goes on, the less repetitive the angles and facial expressions get. The faces are rather plain, this is stylistic, with dot eyes and 'v' mouths though a couple of times there was a more in depth drawing. The details aren't really there as far as the characters go but clothing can be quite interesting, and stylish. My opinion is, if the simplistic look puts you off at first, give it a chance because this manga has a lot of appeal.
           Michiyo Ozawa is an OL (Office Lady) who works hard and likes to unwind with a drink... or five. Zenji Oyamada is a work at home type who's traveling brother sends him so many strange things that they have taken over his apartment. By a stroke of coincidence, i.e. Michiyo drinking after her boyfriend of five years dumps her, the two meet. Michiyo becomes obsessed with the 'bonnouji' or 'temptation temple' that is Zenji's apartment due to all the odd and eclectic things he has piling up there. But is it just his strange room that calls Michiyo back?
           I wasn't sure at first of this manga, but by the end of the first volume I was enjoying myself with the strange pair of characters here. Also by the end of the first volume, you aren't left wanting, they become a couple. Spoilers, right? Not really, this manga is mostly a story about a regular relationship, not those drama filled ones that dominate the shojo genre. Slowing down and peeking in to this life is sort of comforting. Michiyo is a bit of a stereotypical OL (wiki link here, they are a common manga stereotype actually. The protagonist of Midnight Secretary is one I've reviewed before and I'm sure there's been more), especially a first, she wears dark suits and she works hard, but
is frustrated by the new girls leaving while she stays put. Then, you find out she's actually really silly, and cute, and her character expands some. Zenji, too, seems pretty plain at first, but I don't think he grows as much as Michiyo does. He has his moments, though, like I mentioned, seeing his face more often would have helped. A few times he is given some personal time, though, or he says something that reveals his nature beneath the shy. The story is slow, so very slow, punctuated by their easy going relationship taking the next step, like kissing, having sex, and getting engaged, they don't fight or cry but the couple feels realistic in its own way. They are a couple that isn't seen a lot, and their love is adorably awkward. Michiyo and Zenji act like grade schoolers around one another, and its just super cute in every way. Even their admittance of feelings that starts the whole thing is just so clumsy it almost doesn't happen. This manga is also fairly funny, full of gags and wacky activities the cast has with the packages that arrive at Zenji's door from time to time. Like the guest bed being a coffin, and Michiyo actually using it. I wish my life was that fun. Bonnouji went on just the perfect length, the writing was interesting, and everything came to a satisfying end, there's not much more I could ask for in a manga like this. I had its problems, painfully slow at times, a little predictable, but a solid read. Truthfully, my room is a bit like the Bonnouji, packed with books, movies, and collectables of all types, so I felt a little at home there.




4/5 A good read just slow at times.

A Mr. Pepper sounds really refreshing, actually.

Zero In by Sora Inoue

Y'know, when you like to watch or read all different types of genres, especially in things geared towards men, or to both men and women, you get used to sex being thrown in randomly. Books especially, I'm no prude, but not every book needs a sex scene to get people to read it. Maybe its more like movies make it easy to tell when such things are coming because they are rated, but books aren't besides 'child' 'teen' and 'adult.' Same goes for manga, not all 'shonen' titles are full of busty girls showing cleavage or having up-skirt shots, but, you never know which ones do until you sit down and read them. I'll warn you, it is one of those manga. But, for a 'hot chicks with guns' manga, it could be a helluva lot worse, that's for sure, and I am actually surprised that in the end I do recommend it. (Well, Blogger just erased twenty minutes of fiddly editing on this post, but it's late, so, sorry if the layout is a little wonky)




Zero In by Sora Inoue

Art and story (c) Sora Inoue

Genre: Action Shonen, Ecchi
Length: 12 Volumes – 75 Chapters



           The art is very professional, I don't think there is one thing I can find to complain about as far as the art goes, even at the beginning. There were a few times the backgrounds were a bit empty, but this was usually during action scenes so it obvious why they were left that way. The eyes are expressive, and there is a wide variety of character designs in both main, side, and background characters. The hair is interesting to look at, not only are the haircuts themselves complicated, but the hair itself has good action during all the different scenes (a character all its own, perhaps?). The detail of this manga, actually, is amazing. The clothes for example, are always layered and full of details, even the school uniforms are different and fretted with things that make them unique from other manga and the assorted characters in the story. The clothes are also well fitted to the bodies, as well to the characters who are wearing them, they have a modern feel which plays into the slightly futuristic plot. The physiques are also in a wide spectrum, with girls more on the chunkier side, I assume this is to make their ample bosoms look more natural, and if that is the case I appreciate it. There isn't much I dislike more than giant pillow boobs on thin frames. The guns are well rendered and the action isn't hard to follow, making the shoot outs a dream to read (and there is a metric ton of them). If I had to really dig for a complaint, sometimes the dialog bubbles were easy to read out of order.
           Kou Shiraishi knows he is a complete wimp who is always getting into trouble, and in a society rife with gun crime trouble isn't hard to find. To combat the crime rate, though, a private police force has been formed, while it cannot discharge weapons without direct permission from the police they are a fast response team capable in hand to hand as well as gun fights. When Kou predictably gets in trouble and the private police are called in, he finds himself face to face with the girl idol of his school, Mikuru Nazume, a secret officer of the private police and very capable at handling the capture of violent criminals. Kou may be weak physically, but he's always wanted to join the police force, in fact he decides to to follow Mikuru's example and become strong, too.
           The art is excellent, the story is excellent, the action is heart pumping, and the comedy hits the mark, a top notch manga in just about every category. This isn't really my type of manga, too much fan service, but I still highly enjoyed reading Zero In. Because, amid the gratuitous boob, butt, and panty shots, a real story is nestled. The characters are basically all likable, though with the amount thrown at you its not surprising a few rubbed me the wrong way (lookin' at you Shikie, I still dislike you), and, even more unbelievable, the action is good and the story is good. The slow romance gets a little annoying sometimes, but it adds a little interest into the relationship that you know is going to happen sometime. Suddenly, in the middle of a fight, you'll find yourself laughing, too, because the characters are so well crafted. It really is a perfect mash up of action and school comedy manga. The highlight of this manga is the several chapter spanning action fights. Usually revolving around some personal tragedy or attack on one of the main character's loved ones, they are intense shoot outs with good always triumphing. Just as it should be. Its those in-between chapters you have to worry about, that’s when the real stuff goes down, but the tragedy doesn't drone on. It wasn't perfect, of course. Kou's sister, a side character who is introduced right at the beginning, is one of the problems I have with Zero In, see, she's cute and busty like you'd expect, but making her a purveyor of sexy body shots every time she shows up feels sort of gross since the main character is her brother. I realize that she's but one of the different types of girls in the manga so that the reader is sure to have an abundance of choices to pick their favorite from, but seriously, is weird how she poses around while her bother is right there. Mikuru is also a cliché in anime/manga, a cheerful and a bit clumsy character who is actually a huge bad ass; think Trigun's Vash, Trinity Blood's Abel, Rurouni Kenshin's Kenshin, the list goes on... and on. I personally don't think it detracted from the story, but I am a fan of the trope. My translation was a little here and there sometimes, though I never mark that against the original manga. All in all though, I'm still highly surprised at how much I liked Zero In when every title page is a girl showing/in her panties. I mean, its obviously not marketed towards me, but it is basically every other page with the pin-up shots. I'd like to down grade it for that, but for the action sequences alone it gets full marks.

Will this get me more page views, I wonder?

5/5 Not my style, but, all the same, really well done on all fronts.

What these two guys said

China Girl and Handmade no Oujisama

Its like the weather is playing tricks. It finally started to get cooler, but suddenly this week it's getting up to 110 degrees. I do not understand! 

In any case, here are some manga reviews! I ended up with two thanks to feeling guilty about how short just one was, they don't really match in anyway but I enjoyed each quite a bit for its own reasons.


China Girl Art by Kei Aoyama and Story by Rei Hanagata

Art (c) Kei Aoyama Story (c) Rei Hanagata

Genre: Senien
Length: 1 Volume – 9 Chapters

Like so...

           Art is well practiced, and though the eyes are plain, the expressions well make up for it. The great diversity of the people is excellent, though. Backgrounds were typical, and well drawn, especially inside of restaurants and the like. Clothes are pretty plain, mostly suits, ties, and other work clothes, and they don't have a lot of detail. The clothes fit the body frames well, just aren't anything to look at. There is one thing that bothers the eye, the way the nose is shaded between the eyes is a bit strange looking. It gives good definition of the shape of the bridge of the nose, but, in full on and in profile, it also gives a sinister look to the face, and if not sinister, a cluttered look. Even after nine chapters, it distracted me.
          Kamijou is very competent in his job, and his looks are nothing
to sneeze at, all the same, he hasn't had a girlfriend in over five years. That is because Kamijou believes that in all of the world, there is only one woman for him, his, literally, one in three billion. Near his house there is a Chinese restaurant that has the best fried rice he has ever tasted, because it was made by the woman he thinks is the one for him. But, though he is good at talking at work, Kamijou can't find the courage to tell her how he feels, let alone make her understand because of the language barrier. Will he succeed in love, or fail, heart broken?

           The worst part of this manga is the ending, or more appropriately, its lack of one, where it ends before you get any sense of closure. The ending can be frustrating, but since the artist died suddenly, it unfortunately can't be helped. In fact, at least there is some closure beforehand. To rewind back to the beginning, this manga has a simple premise, an almost boring one, its very much a slice of life story, and its refreshing to read a manga like this every once in a while. Especially one done as well as China Girl. The characters feel real, and the world around them is so easy to understand, that living with them as you do is a pleasure. Kamijou, though he is very good at his job, is so at a loss on how to deal with a girl he likes that its almost like an 180, and he is so sure in his thoughts that everyone has only one soul mate that he sounds very naive. He is very flawed, in other words, and his faltering speech and blunders make him even more disliked by Xianlan so he has to keep starting over with her every time they meet. It makes it quite cute, actually. Though there are some very silly jokes, as well, like when he's arguing with himself in the bathroom on whether he should make a move or not (his libido wins out, of course). There is just something entirely human about the two of them. It really is too bad about the ending, the two of them could have had some interesting times together.



4/5 A nice, simple story of misunderstanding and believing in love.




And the second review:





Handmade no Oujisama by Sayo Koito

Art and story (c) Sayo Koito

Genre: Josei
Length: One Volume – 5 Chapters


           The art is really cute, the eyes are the highlight, they have really good depth and range of expression with minimal (looking) effort. The eyes are enormous though, even the guy's eyes, but only once or twice was it really obvious, and its usually because the main character also has heavy lashes to accent it. There were many times the backgrounds were pretty empty, panel composition
sort of hides it, but it was often the same tones used again and again, as well. The clothes, while not overly detailed, were all cute and styled, and make up for the lack of backgrounds from time to time, too. The hair is kind of generic, though well drawn and natural looking. I found the art, overall, unique and fun to look at.
           Michiru Asaba is a woman with it all, a good job at a magazine company where everyone looks up to her work, and a handsome boyfriend. That is, until she's dumped because she isn't 'girly' enough, unable to properly do housework, or even sew a button back on. Since what his says is true, all Michiru can do is let him go. During her
depression, she meets a bright man who loves to sew and who convinces her to join his sewing class. Of course why exactly she decides to stay is the real mystery, does she really care to improve herself? Or is it the cute 'Handmade Prince' teacher that brings her back to class?
            This manga, based on making cute things and loving cute things, is actually really cute. Big surprise, huh? Its really too bad, though, that his manga is only two chapters long, and the other three chapters are unrelated one-shots, because I want to know more about the sewing couple. The other stories are cute, too, but not nearly as much. Michiru is a nice strong woman, who is so suddenly dumped, but doesn’t do the typical manga moping, instead she tries to improve herself with out the premise of winning her ex back. Mr. Handmade Prince, on the other hand, is the exact opposite of what this type of woman usually gets. He's more than just cute and good at sewing, he's straight forward and hardworking. Seeing these two personalities interact is fun. You get a few heartwarming chuckles and they end up together, what more could you ask for?



4/5 I just really wish there was more...

Yes, yes I do.

Albox Eien o Kaetara by Rika Hanei

I thought I picked a manga with no connection to school in it, but I guess I chose poorly.

Have I ever mentioned how much I like gifs?





Albox Eien o Kaetara by Rika Hanei

Art and story (c) Rika Hanei

Genre: Shojo Fantasy
Length: One Volume – 7 Chapters


            The art is quite endearing, the faces are sweet. Occasionally, the eyes looked empty, or perhaps 'flat' is the more appropriate word, but it's not that noticeable. I found the clothes well detailed, mostly in a baggy style, still they were interesting to look at. I don't remember even once thinking the backgrounds were lacking. Sometimes the hair looks a little strange-fitting, I can't decide
though if that is a style thing, or a proportions problem, either way it's noticeable through out. The art overall is easy to digest and fun to read, this mixed with the humor made me want to look up this mangaka and see if any other stories are worth reading.
            Chino has a typical life, starting with visiting her childhood friend, Souma, and getting him out the door instead of skipping school. But this day is not like any other when Souma suddenly falls down as if he were dead, his body growing colder by the second. That’s when the mysterious woman appears, asking what Chino will give to save her friend and an auction begins, one that Chino will have to win to save Souma, but what exactly she is bidding on is the strangest part, for the prize is a 'Prince.'
            I liked this manga strongly from the beginning due to the sweet art and the cute humor, still, the ending can leave a bad taste since it falls a bit short of expectations. It feels almost like the author wanted so many things to be connected and the story to be so epic, but then had to condense all of that into one single volume. This over ambitious story rushes along at breakneck speed, and not every mystery had a proper answer when it was all said and done. But, it was cute and fun so I can't say it was a bad read. Some people, judging by a few reviews I've seen around the internet, will hate this manga just because of the non-ending ending, but I've read far, far worse, and didn't enjoy the ride along the way nearly as much. This is a love triangle manga, so many of the hard feelings come from Chino's lack of decision at the end, but the end is sort of just the beginning of where the relationships will go, so I wasn't entirely broken up by her lack of choice. You see it coming, after all, like I said it has a quick pace and, basically, none of that is defined by Chino seeing either two of the boys as anything more than friends. My main criticisms had nothing to do with the romantic parts, but with the sheer bulk of what isn't completely, or what is only partially, explained. For example, the bad guy throws blame around, but the root of that blame is not put to light, even though it was really dramatic when it came out. Or the fact that Souma acts like he's seen Chino in distress before, but its only mentioned in a off handed manner, then the manga ends. Also, there is a whole character that gets all of five pages to explain his entire existence by bringing up something that definitely should be explained but isn't at all. I mean really, I liked that guy, he needed more pages! I suppose I could find more examples, but I'll leave off a three, since it proves my point sufficiently. It's just too bad there wasn't a longer run where things could have been stated properly, and relationships could have been better defined. Still, I liked it.



3.5/5 Had it been longer with a slower pace, this could have been really good.