Sora Sora by Youko Maki

Really busy this week, even busier next week! Considering how my jury duty goes, I may not find the time to read any manga that's too involved in the weeks to come. Some prior planning could probably help, but where's the fun in that? Well, I'm only doing this for personal enjoyment anyhow so I know I'll get around to it, because manga is a drug I can't kick.

Sora Sora by Youko Maki

Art and story (c) Youko Maki

Genre: Shojo
Length: One Volume – 5 Chapters


            This shojo has art that is pretty typical of it's time (early 2000's) but it is very well done, and I think there is enough style thrown in to appease. The eyes are the huge kind, just a glance and you know exactly what kind of art style I mean, I'm sure, but they have a lot of detail and life. The hair is also typical styles of the era, but they have good

movement definition. Likewise, the clothing has good detail, just the messiness of the main couple's uniforms shows their character right away, even if the uniforms themselves are generic. If you don't mind the style anyway, its a good example of it, and there isn't anything to really put you off.
          Sorako and Sorao are the Sora-Sora pair that are always causing trouble in class together, and by all appearances are best friends. Sorako actually likes Sorao but just being with him seems like enough for her, until a meddling girl takes an interest in Sorao and will stop at nothing to discredit Sorako and make Sorao hers. Can Sorako deal with such a girl taking her best friend?
           I'll admit it first thing, this is a rather stereotypical set up for a romance manga, girl likes boy but values their friendship too much to say anything until someone tries to take him away, but there is an interesting twist to this in that [SPOILER ALERT] in the end there is no tearful confession where the heroine spills her feelings. [STILL SPOILING] The main man isn't a total idiot, either, who never recognized her feelings the whole time and their getting together moment comes with the feeling that they don't have to change anything to be a couple. [SPOILERS OVER] So, despite sounding super generic, there is a lot going for this one volume manga, and its worth the time to read it. The couple are lots of fun to watch and the resolution is satisfying. Sorako is very spunky and her quick temper against the cutesy rival is gratifying. The male lead is a bit plain, as he's just the tag along, but he has some character traits not often seen in this type of story. Though, he does come off a little mean at times. It rides the line of cliché vs. fluffy romance and it comes up on the fun side. All these years of reading manga, you'd think a person would get tired of these quickie shojo stories about throw away characters, but, nope, I still enjoyed this quite a lot.




5/5 A good example of a one volume shojo. 

It's not nice to side punch a lady.

Assassination Classroom by Yuusei Matsui

After several problems, usual health stuff, corrupted picture files, and wrong info, this post is much later than I thought it would be! Geeze, I am always nothing but excuses. Anyway, the Easter post probably won't be done by the day of Easter now but I'm glad I'm still able to sit and read so many good (and even the bad) stories. So, obligatory Shonen Jump parody:

What sort of manga do you suppose that is?

Assassination Classroom by Yuusei Matsui

Art and story (c) Yuusei Matsui

Well, I guess that's not that great of a color title picture...

Better? I think so.

Genre: Shonen, Action, School Life
Length: 21 Volumes – 180 Chapters and 4 Bonus Chapters


          This manga was created by the same mangaka who did Majin Tantei Nogami Neuro, which is a particular favorite of mine (so much so that I have mentioned it several times in other posts for absolutely no reason except because I love it so much). The art of this

manga does differ from Neuro in some ways but stays exactly the same in others. There is a strangeness to the art that I attributed to lack of practice and the supernatural nature of Neuro, but Assassination Classroom has shown that a lot of the strangeness in the art is just actually very characteristic of this artist. Odd angles and the body proportions do seem strange at first, but once you are used to the art it hardly even registers. The creepy factor is turned way down on this work, though it is thrown in for no reason any chance the author finds, but the same care to clothing and backgrounds is there. The background characters, too, are the same weirdly normal and oddly not normal that tends to lead the eye to roam the crowds. The main characters themselves are very varied, and its almost strange to see all the young, fresh faces amid some of the terribly real looking monster faces. Another thing you get used to, though. The student characters are one of the big differences from Neuro, though, they seem so wholesomely cute most of the time. I suppose it helps with the discrepancy between their usual demeanor and the fact that they will instantly be trying to kill something the next panel. The big star, the tentacled teacher, is really rendered well, too, to the point that his movements are completely plausible. Its not as reality breaking and Neuro, but Assassination Classroom has the same mix of realness and odd-ball situations that makes for an interesting manga. What can I say, all its faults are pretty much moot because I'm such a fan of the artist.
           A certain junior high class had the strangest beginning of the year. Not only was the moon permanently turned to a crescent by an an unknown force, when they started the semester a literal monster appeared as their teacher claiming to have done the deed!

Now, since the government cannot actually kill the octopus-looking creature, they have given in to the monster's demands for now and what the monster wants? To be a teacher. And because of the secluded nature of their particular classroom they were chosen to be his students. Along with the new teacher they are given a special assignment, however, if they do not kill the creature by the time they graduate, he will do to the earth what he did to the moon! Now this group of misfits has become the official saviors of the world and the so called Assassination Classroom where they do school work and the work of assassins is in session.
           I was looking up finished Shonen Jump titles on a whim when I found out that this manga had finished. I immediately went to find it and read it, I was so pumped up to see it was done! Majin Tantei Nogami Neuro left such an impression on me that I was sure I'd like Assassination Classroom as well, and I was not disappointed. The set up is already very interesting, and allows for a typical school life manga to be oddly juxtaposed with intense violence. It also allows for a large set of characters that you get to know one by one in an easy going fashion while a tentacle monster dodges bullets and knives at the speed of Mach 20. The humor is excellent, there aren't a lot of manga that I laugh out loud about, but this one I did so through out the whole thing. The weird gags and the silly characters can bring back the humor during even the most intense fight. You know what, I'm going to throw another joke in here just because I want to:

The tentacle teacher, known as Koro Sensei (a play on words combining sensei, or teacher, and korosenai, which means can't be killed), is a twist on the “perfect teacher for delinquents” character and seeing the class become one minded in working together to do him in as well as earn his praises is very entertaining. The school life of the students gaining confidence and growing beyond themselves is really the main part of the story beyond the whole assassination stuff and you really get to know them well in a natural way. Its not like, here's this person's chapter, now its this person, though there is a little of that when new characters are introduced but its all in a light and heartwarming fashion that things progress. Though there are a few I'd like to get to know better, actually. The chubby girl, for example, needed more face time. The school sections were just as compelling as the

This guy is a tame one.

assassination sections, truthfully. Seeing the students succeed is very rewarding. Speaking of the school sections, that was one of the times the creepy was allowed in. Utilizing the fact that taking a test is just sitting at a desk, you are thrown into the minds of the students where the questions are strange and grotesque monsters, the harder the question, the weirder the creatures, and it really lessens the boring act of watching test taking. That tall guy is one of them, though he's pretty normal. I found that to be a very intriguing way of getting around the normalcy of school, and the principal's twisted nature adds to that, too. The ending is really uplifting as well, and the extras included in the last volume are full of laughs. I really don't want to give anything away about the ending though, lets say if you imagine what might happen with the basic knowledge that Koro Sensei is the best teacher and that the students are getting better and better at attacking him, you'd probably guess how it ends but, I assure you it will not be predicable beyond that. There's a lot of twists and turns that come full circle, too, so that is pleasing to see as well. The one issue I had was with the too easy way that a certain issue was sidestepped, which explaining will give too much of the ending away so this all might not make much sense with how vague I'm being, but I think final actions of the story allow the situation to get away with it's simple and “happy” resolution. I don't think I mentioned it in my Neuro review, but the author likes to sprinkle in complicated theories and interesting hobbies as the manga goes on, which makes things more interesting, too. A big part of the plot is the school work, for example, so math problems and chemistry stuff is thrown in during those times. And then there is all the student's hobbies that leak in, and the science behind Koro Sensei himself. So there is a lot to get engrossed in. I really liked to see what would happen next, plus when and where the next fight would happen. To sum up this fangirling vomit of a review, the fight scenes are really good, the characters are interesting and grow on you very quickly, and the story sees itself all the way to its conclusion in a rewarding manner. There isn't much else you can ask for in a story about a whole group of kids trying to become killers and ace their final exams. Though, I still liked Neuro better...



5/5 Fun, exciting, and filled with tentacles.

An odd assortment, indeed.

Renai Cupid and Himitsu Kichi

There are two types of Valentine's Day people:

Me? I'm going to go play some Hatoful Kareshi and seduce some husbando pigeons.



Renai Cupid by Miki Kiritani

Art and story (c) Miki Kiritani (messy color by me)

Genre: Shojo
Length: One Volume – 3 Chapters


The art is pretty generic 2000-ish shojo art, with big, droopy eyes and thin limbs; the hair is even generic. The school uniforms, though, were actually interesting and different from a lot of other shojo. There wasn't anything “bad” in the art that I remember though, maybe

a little stiffness in the facial expressions, otherwise it was drawn well just not very original looking.
           Hiyo has made it into her choice high school, but not because she knows anything about the place or it's record of academics except that it was tough to get into. No, she transferred because the boy she's loved for four years and moved away goes to it and she's gathered her confidence to find and confess to him! Until she finds out the school forbids relationships between students and even discourages them from talking to one another in the shared areas of the school. Her search is over just as she thought she reached the climax, that is until an arrow strikes the pole over her shoulder. The arrow has a note tied around it claiming that it will help her, if she comes to the archery club. Waiting there for her? Two Cupids!
           This manga isn't bad, like the art, it is rather generic but the story isn't entirely like anything else I've read, just the premise is a rather familiar set up. Hiyo is cute and air-headed, and the two brothers she makes friends with are also fun. For a quick

Valentine's Day fluff it was good. It actually takes an unexpected turn at the last chapter, while you might think [SPOILERS AHOY!] Hiyo and the younger brother are destined to get together by the third chapter, the author decided to have the older brother get a girlfriend instead. In the end all you get for the main character is a very silly, one page omake at the end! [SPOILER OVER] Despite that lack of advancement, its a fun shojo read. If you don't like short, fluffy shojo you won't like it, of course, but if you don’t like short, fluffy shojo why would you go looking for something like this anyway? I can never help myself and glance at other reviews when I'm looking up manga just to see what others have said about things. Sometimes I do not agree and sometimes I do, but it always gets me when people who clearly don't like mindless shojo read a mindless shojo and complain about it. Its like, duh? Then again, I've probably got some reviews like that myself. I do try to read all types, though, there is an abundance of shojo to distract from other genres, that’s for sure! As for the unrelated one-shot at the end of this manga, meh. It was rather garbled and too much text when it wasn't needed, amateur but a mangaka usually puts older one-shots at the end of three chapter manga anyway so its nothing surprising but it is something you can skip.



3/5 Cute and fun, worth a read not really a re-read.




Speaking of abundance of shojo…..




Himitsu Kichi by Aya Nakahara

Genre: Shojo
Length: 4 Unrelated One-shots


           I just wanted to re-read some Aya Nakahara for this Valentine's Day because Lovely Complex has some of the best Valentine related comedy ever but since I re-read Lovely Complex two years ago for a review and I couldn't do another post on it, I chose this one instead, even though it's a collection of one-shots, just so I could just have it as an add-on. As far as the art goes, you could probably just read any other review I've done on this mangaka since the art has the same quirky style. The eyes aren't overly large, and the clothing is modern and has an interesting look on street clothes. Of course, the weird characters are the highlight of this particular author's works, the over reactions and gag-y joke facial expressions are a large part of that. The characters still retain their own personalities, too, even if some of the faces tend to look similar. The backgrounds are pretty good, too. I love the style personally so I'm not going to bother being too nit picky.
           Each one-shot is about someone with a secret:

           1. Finding a mature, college boy who will go out with her, Kana is over the moon. Only he isn't the age she thought he was…?!

           2. Hiroko is a tomboy to the max, strangers often think she's a boy, still, she has a crush on the idol of her class even though she knows he'd never look at her. When her secret is found out by a boy from another class, she has to agree to teach him her specialty, judo, to keep his mouth shut.

           3. Seiji is the singer of a band that does local shows on the weekends, and, despite the crowd that gathers, he doesn't care because he is already in love with a girl. The problem is he has to keep it a secret because it's his best friend's girlfriend. When he finds out her secret, though, can he keep his feelings inside?

          4. Emi is the son of an unfunny comedian, and even though his name means 'laugh' he can't find anything to even smile about. Having recently moved to Tokyo, Emi plans to keep his father's identity a secret and find his own happiness.

Dance!! Mushroom!!

           I always say its too hard to review collections of one-shots and I try to avoid them as much as possible, but I figured this was as good a time as any since I only had a one volume manga reviewed before. So, all of these one-shots are interesting and fun on their own, well paced and work alone to complete a single story. The first and last one are the best ones, in my opinion, Kana is a little weak in character but her progression is fun to watch since she really does like her boyfriend, and Emi is great and his story is heartwarming and funny all at once. The other two are good, too, though. The second chapter is my least favorite, but that is the male lead's fault more than it is Hiroko's because she's cute and, though she pretends to be cool, a bit of a spaz. The third chapter is good, too, it's number three in order of reading and in my order of goodness, and it has an excellent ending. Of course, these all being one-shots means you don't really get a lot of closure, but you can imagine them all having good lives after its over and you get a good look at their personalities in the short time you have with the characters. Give it a read, especially if you like any of Aya Nakahara's other works, the humor and the character are all there.



5/5 If you don't mind one-shot collections, give this funny one a read.

Cyboy by Mai Nishikata

I've been playing Castle Crashers lately, I only ever played years ago it at a siblings house before so I'm trying to finish it this time. (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و



Cyboy by Mai Nishikata

Art and story (c) Mai Nishikata

Genre: Shojo
Length: 2 Volumes – 11 Chapters plus one special



           Art is good, though it was a little sketchy and amateur at times, with the side shots looking a little too skinny and backgrounds looking a little unfinished. Other than that it was on the good side of average, with character designs kind of cliche but the clothing

was interesting and fit well on the frames. The expressions were good, and the main character going from cool guy to dork and back is especially fun to see.
           Kiyosumi is one of the two most popular boys at his high school, always looking cool and aloof, he tends to be quiet. He has a secret, though, his 'cool' image is all fake. Having been called 'creepy' through out elementary schools in both Japan and America, he decided to change completely and try to be popular by asking the most popular kid he knew to teach him. Keeping up his facade has been hard during his first year of being a 'cyboy' or 'cyborg boy' which is the term he made up for his new way of reinventing himself, but he's finally got the courage to talk to the one girl in his class who he likes. Except when he does, she seems creeped out and runs away like people used to when he was unappealing!
           For a short shojo, this manga was fun and light with enough emotion and character growth to not be disappointing, except when you get to the end and you actually want a lot more. Some people might hate the non-ending ending, and feel like it was rushed but I didn't mind it. Kiyo-kun is super cute,

and his obsession with appearance is acceptably explained and his true personality is so squee-inducing that it really doesn't matter what he does, its fun. His best friend and mentor is rather plain, I wish his back story had been given more than just a bonus at the end explanation but still you can tell he's a real friend and you root for him to just be happy. The love interest also has a good personality, though she does seem rather plain for a little too long or doesn't even show up. There's not too much trumped up drama, at least I though so, yes there is shojo drama but it's not pushed to the extreme and things actually get worked out instead of being dragged on and on. The mangaka said from the beginning that they meant the story to only be two volumes so the planning and forethought really pulls the story through to the end instead of having it muddle about in shojo limbo where relationships don't progress just so the publication can last longer. Honestly there's not much I can complain about, I was looking for a light shojo and I found one with heart and laughs. I suppose the one thing that I can hark on is the fact that the title doesn't make any sense? The explanation, which is the one I give in the description really doesn't mean anything. It might be a translation type of thing though, so I'm not sure exactly how to put it so it actually signifies something. I guess its the fact that he changed everything about himself, or 'rebuilt' himself, that makes him a cyborg…? None of that matters one bit, though, I really recommend it.


5/5 Its sweet, its cute, its fun. What else do you need? 

That's great. His super cute crying face, I mean.

Nadeshiko Club by Miku Sakamoto

Howdy, howdy howdy, I've always got to say it thrice thanks to this nameless shark. 

I've sort of been obsessed with Japanese Emoticons lately, they are so intricate and fun, and if you disagree, I will fight you! ლ(▀̿̿Ĺ̯̿̿▀̿ლ) Bring it! I dug into some old files to read this manga, it's been a while since I've reviewed one I've read before. I actually wasn't too lazy and found one that was longer than two or three volumes, even! Wowzers! I hope you enjoy.

Also, Shibe monocle: (╭ರᴥ•́)


Nadeshiko Club by Miku Sakamoto

The eyes look kind of scary colored....

Genre: Shojo, School Life
Length: 7 Volumes – 35 Chapters and 3 extras


           I'm not going to say there isn't anything off in the art of this manga, but its mostly nit-picky things that really don't matter. The style itself is quite unique (though I'll admit straight out that its not really to my taste) in both the faces and composition. The two main examples are the big, almost vacant looking eyes, which do hold a lot of expression but do take time to get used to, and the really low set noses. The backgrounds and clothes aren't really special in anyway, though. The clothes fit the frames well and the emotions come across very well, too, so overall, its very nice. There was this one thing that happened a lot, though, the act of sitting but everything around the character is invisible. Its kind of strange, and I found the strangest occurrence below, its just sort of awkward to look at.

Just sitting on invisible chairs in front of an invisible table, eating invisible food.

           Reo Kimoto is heart broken when her boyfriend breaks up with her, and when he sites the reason for it being she isn't versed enough in housework, Reo impulsively tells

him she will learn and he'll have to take her back! Reo goes straight to her Home Economics club to ask to join, but when she arrives its all boys? And worse, despite their good looks, they seem to be rather strange characters?
           This manga is very amusing, I've actually read it a couple of times before this, but it really doesn't stick in the memory very much for several reasons. Its one of those 'I remember liking it but the details don’t come to mind' type of stories. Reo herself is a bit of the problem, she is a rather weak and scattered character, sometimes bold sometimes introverted, and tends to just run around unsure what to do with herself most of the time. Every other character besides the love interest, and even him at times, have their moments of being annoying as well, its actually kind of hard to get through this when that happens. The couples hardly ever get to have sweet times together, and the other characters are typically getting in the way just to get in the way which is something that I'm sure I've ranted about before. In fact, the senpai (the upperclassmen, wikilinked cuz I like to) are basically unlovable comedic characters most of the time by shoving a bunch of work on the main couple for reasons later explained but not really justified and punishing Reo like she's a child, and though its funny while you're reading it the situation is pretty messed up when you think about it in its entirety later. The punishment just to add drama are really the worst, actually. But it isn't just the characters themselves that distract from the enjoyment of the story. At times, the advancement of the story can be choppy, too. Suddenly it'll be the next day or even a week later with no transition, though the occurrences dwindle the longer the story continues, its still a little confusing when it does happen. There are also a lot of false wrap-up endings, that if you didn't know how long it was when you started (I've included that handy information, as always, I'm so reliable) you'd think it was over at the end of the fourth volume but it's not, and even though the sixth volume seems like the complete conclusion, it also is not the end. Though that second one is a bit of a trick because the last volume is three special chapters and one unrelated one-shot, so it isn't really a continuation. At least it isn't two volumes of extras, a la Basara, which I'm still a little mad about that and I read that manga two years ago. All complaining aside, I still enjoyed Nadeshiko Club enough to recommend it, just push through the annoying bits.


3.5/5 Good and bad, but leaves a favorable impression if nothing else. 

Basically the whole manga summed up in one panel.

Otomentaru by Mayumi Yokoyama

Well, my back and neck hate me now and my shoulders are not any better, but I finally caught up on the One Piece manga! Yay! Yay!

I'm not going to start from the beginning for a while again. It. is. killer. But at least I can safely look up fan art with out being hit with unexpected spoilers. Now, if only I had someone to talk about it to...




Otomentaru by Mayumi Yokoyama 

Art and story (c) Mayumi Yokoyama

Genre: Shojo
Length: 2 Volumes – 7 Chapters and 2 Extras



           The art isn't overly interesting or unique, but its done well. There was some oddness to a few faces here and there but nothing really distracting. It looks like a shojo, the big eyes, the slim, handsome bishonen (which I thought I explained before but I'll put a wiki link here just in case), the silky and fashionable hair, all of it is shojo. There's not really much to say other than that. The clothes are mostly plain school uniforms and the backgrounds are half tones. I do really like the main character's delinquent hair, though, it has more character than her face but it sometimes looked a little too feathered around her face. Its drawn by the same mangaka as I Love HS, so go there for a slightly longer description of the art because its basically the same.
           Otome is happy to finally be in high school because growing up she always hung out with the same three boys but now she can actively go and find love. She gets lured in by a pretty face, however, and things just keep getting more and more mixed up after that, with even her friends turning their backs on her. It wouldn't be so bad, except that her new boyfriend has a terrible personality under his beautiful face.
            Just like I Love HS, this manga is just middle of the
road, only it has less of a promising hook. Sure, her childhood friends are delinquents, but not really, its mostly a jokey thing. Otomentaru kind of doesn't go any where and its very plain in the plot. The worst part is I can see no reason why anyone should end up with anyone else. I get no feeling from this manga at all, its just cute shojo, and no one spends enough time with any one else to get to know them enough to fall in love. That mixed with the generic art, just makes for an okay manga. It has one redeeming quality, though, its funny. The jokes and gags are pretty good through out but it suffers from the same problem as the love story, nothing is given a place to live; there is no dwelling. And, as I've made clear in several other posts, I love a plot that has substance. This one doesn't have that, but it's not a complete train wreck. That makes it…



 2.5/5 A fun shojo that is average in just about every way. 

Monkey High by Shouko Akira

Someone broke the keyboard kickstand, now it rattles and wobbles and is uncomfortable. *pout* This is the last school manga for a while, I'm going to go and find something much more fantastical now for next week. This month seems to have gone by quickly, too bad its still freaking hot. Go away summer, just leave, okay?



Monkey High by Shouko Akira

Art and story (c) Shouko Akira

Genre: School Life Shojo
Length: 8 Volumes – 31 Chapters


           The art of this manga looks quite good right off the bat, not perfect, but seasoned. There are a few times that the faces look a little smushy from the side, or the main girl's eyes look a little flat on her face in three-quarters view but its really a stretch to keep finding problems like that after the first volume. Clothes are plain and baggy, but they don't seem ill fitting, being a school manga they are typically uniforms, but they are cute and, besides one or two outfits, don't look dated. The backgrounds kind of come and go, but even on the blanker pages, the tones were sufficient enough to not seem so. The hair has good shape and definition; the eyes, not so much, they have depth and emotion, but everyone has the same set of eyes. The one other thing that bothered me was that often the heroine had a lower lip that was overly large, which was highlighted by a shine. Still, the art is wholly appealing.
           Haruna is the new transfer student, she hasn't even been to class yet but rumors are already being spread about why she came from her previous school. After her politician of a father got caught up in a corruption scandal, Haruna has decided she'd rather not play the game any more, all the other monkeys can play king of the mountain but she'll just stay the observer this time around, and so sets a cold attitude right from the start. There is one boy in her class, though, who seems to be able to reach her heart, just a little bit.
            I've read this manga before but, somehow, I've completely forgotten anything but the name.  The thought crossed my mind that maybe there was a good reason for my lapse, but it turns out it was what made the manga so good that also made it slip my mind. Monkey High isn't terribly remarkable, there are many tropes thrown in, but its the way the couple respond to the circumstances that really make it appealing as the story progresses. In short, its totally normal, making it a really good read, but also completely forgettable. Strangely, that is why I liked it. Its pretty silly at times, but in an average way, friends being nosy and teasing each other relentlessly, and finding out that its easiest to hurt a person who's trying to get close to you. The couple fights quite a bit, but instead of the typical crying and dramatic reunions, the two of them work things out by getting to know one another better. To be fair there are still running to meet one another in the night scenes but the emotions are quite a bit different. They don't fall into bed with one another just to make the plot line go through, only when they have become close through hardship and heartache, do they take that last step. Their relationship relies on their commitment to each other to get by. That certainly is not a cliché often used in shojo manga, which typically uses more outward signs of love to prove the feelings are there. The love triangle sub-plot goes on a little too long, though. I suppose its necessary to have someone to be the catalyst for the couple grow on, but it just makes the third character be the bad guy over and over again even though its made to seem like he has learned his lesson after each attempt. Despite that, though, the background characters are given good characterization with out ever having any plot chapters on their own. Its been some time since I've been in high school, but I found this manga fairly accurate in some details of school life, amazingly. In a way, its a bit like Lovely Complex, but with a normal couple instead of the most idiotic pair. Monkey High is not outlandish or over the top, but completely normal. In a very compelling way.



4/5 A thoroughly realistic couple with deep hearts.

Its pretty adorable, whatever it is.

I Love HS by Mayumi Yokoyama

I'll admit it, I barely stopped watching Doctor Who to read this, I've been on a bit of a bender for a month now. Ever since something like two years ago, I've been trying to watch the series from the very beginning, but it is hard to catch up on 50 years worth of episodes. I caved and bought the first four seasons of the modern series, and I have to say, its amazing I've done anything beyond sit in front of the television. Its lucky that the second Doctor has so many lost episodes or I'd never had quit long enough to write this review.


I Love HS by Mayumi Yokoyama

Art and story (c) Mayumi Yokoyama

Genre: Shojo
Length: 2 Volumes – 9 Chapters plus a few extras

            The art is very polished, its the type with huge eyes and stylish hair, 2000's style. I was worried since they introduce six people in a row quite quickly that I'd have a hard time keeping them straight, but, thanks to them all looking completely different, it was no problem. I don't think there was a lot of variation to the face shapes, though. The main character's design is also a little generic, its nothing more than she has the same short bob that you see in every manga of this era, but that’s all it really takes to make her so. The backgrounds are a little more blank than usual, but it wasn't overly noticeable, and the clothes are cute and have lots of detail. The eyes, the huge eyes I should say, are well detailed with a hatching type of look, which most of the time were fine, but at times looked muddled instead of emotional. Body proportions and movement are really good. There isn't much to complain about, its all very professional looking.

           In elementary school there were six friends, all growing up together they had a bond they shared, that bond being that one of their group mercilessly bullied the other five. Once the terror moved away, though, the others went to different middle schools and drifted apart. Megu, who got the worst of the bullying, is a little malcontent with her boring life, mostly because she never sees those old friends anymore, is surprised when one of them approaches her with big news. That old terror, one Yamato the punk, is back in town! Megu is equal parts intrigued and frightened, shes' harbored a crush all these years, but is still traumatized by his pranks. And it doesn't help that his mother's house is still next to her own, and their windows still face one another, and, was that a light inside she just saw?
           Almost typical will-they-or-wont-they-have-sex plot from the third chapter onwards. A little disappointed there, actually, because it was cute and the couple were fun together, but I guess I should have seen it coming since the male lead is the lecherous type. I laughed practically all the way through this school romance, but it wasn't really memorable. The fist three chapters are fun, as the two childhood friends try to reconnect while avoiding being embarrassed by their known history. After that though there is two chapters of coercing the other two sets of friends together as couples, something that feels a little forced that

Uhm, what does that mean?

could have waited a little longer to address or been stretched out between the main couple's plots, because, frankly, it happens as a way to explain the characters instead of letting them become known though proper story telling. Then after those couples are promptly made and forgotten, the main couple becomes the 'someone is always interrupting them' trope by way of hastily introduced and hardly fleshed out older character. Which hardly pans out because there is a sudden climax (no pun intended) when the two end up doing the deed right before he disappears for half a year. Bad enough Yamato, who acts like the strong and jealous type, gets her in bed then runs off, but his triumphant return is crammed into ten pages in an unemotionally fulfilling non-ending. Considering the beginning of this manga, I feel like the second volume is a waste. I think the fact that they have been separated for so long would have been better prolonged, instead of just moving to instant couple status, there could have been more cute episodes of you've changed and you've stayed the same. Because it just seems like Yamato's only major point is the fact that he's a jerk, just like he was when they were little and there isn't any reason why Megu shouldn't ruminate on his good points a little more so the reader could see what's so great about him. I suppose its because he is drawn so damn sexy that she can't help herself.



2.5/5 Interesting hook, good art, but just generic high school manga romance.

Would be perfect if he just knew how to shut his mouth, cuz, hot damn!

Silva by Bakutendou

Silva by Bakutendou

Art and story (c) Bakutendou

Genre: Comedy Shonen, 4-Koma

Length: Two Volumes - 51 Chapters

            At first, judging from the cover I expected more of a Lucky Star look to the art, but it very much looks like Azumanga Daioh, though wether that is intentional or not I'm not sure, because the similarities run much deeper than the art. More on that point at the end, though. The art style consists of very round heads and two body types, either they are flat or they have large boobs, I don't think there is any in-between. The head shapes have more variety, but not by much. The hair is chunky style, in plenty of modern cuts but the eyes are generic ovals that seem exactly like Azumanga Daioh and the mangaka's other work. As far as detail goes, there is a lot of it when there isn't something really silly happening, and then it inexplicably disappears when something does happen. I can't really fault the art by itself, it looks good and professional, I just couldn't get over the fact of how much it looked like Azumanga Daioh, it is the only other 4-Koma manga I have read though, so I thought maybe that just was the style of the genre so I'll put the results of that search after the rest of this review.

            Silva Xenoskull Yasuda has just transferred to a new school, so she comes prepared for battle, literally, with her combat outfit and the scythe she inherited from her mother. This manga is the story of this young girl's life split between her school days and her home life as part of an evil organization trying to take over the world.

It got repetitive shortly after this joke

             Its really hard to review this manga, and since I didn't much like it, its just getting harder more I try. Like I mentioned before, I've only ever read one other 4-Koma manga before this, if you've never run into one its a little strange compared to other manga. 4-Koma, short for Yonkoma, is a bit like the comics you find in the newspaper, they are only four panels long, usually set vertically, and are very silly (a more detailed description is here). Personally, I find them hard to start, though Azumanga Daioh grew on me the longer I read it, Silva seemed to have the opposite effect on me, the more I read the less I liked it. It didn't help that this manga reminded me so much of the other that I cried out 'rip off' right from the beginning. I'm going to name a few things that are the same between Silva and Azumanga Daioh because it seemed like it was more than just the gag style was similar. Lets see, there was a strange female teacher who was irresponsible to her students and teaching, there was a bespectacled male teacher who was actually an otaku, the lead girl is new to class and is small and naive, one girl is a loud mouth and gets over excited by things, and there are more similarities but some I can chalk up to tropes so I won't mention them expressly, still just those four main things and the art put together felt way too similar. The premise, well half of it, is completely different so I felt bad comparing it so often, but I couldn't help myself. Still, for the sake of reviewing, I'll put that aside then, I said, and just read the thing as it is. About half way through the first volume, I started wondering how long it was going to take, never a good sign, any good entertainment whittles away the time effortlessly, yet here is a manga where the chapters are only nine pages long yet are not going by fast enough. Simply put, the humor wore off for me at a quarter of the way through and never really came back. True, 4-Koma aren't always very coherent when it comes to plot lines but even the silly situations began to seem reused and rehashed very quickly. The novelty wasn't enough to keep my attention, especially considering the fact that I was ignoring all the things that reminded me of something else, and I was longing for the end when I had another hour of reading to do. I also felt like the art was getting pretty lazy in the last half of the second volume, silly expressions suddenly were the only faces I was seeing as if they were the characters' only faces (the main character's kissy lips began to enrage me, actually) and the clothing disappeared more often than before to be replaced by plain white outlined bodies. Perhaps, though I have ranted enough, so I'll just simply say it:

1.5/5 I didn't like this manga except for about twenty minutes in the very beginning, then it quickly began to wear on my nerves.

Now on to my quick dive into other 4-Koma to see if my hatred is of a genre trope, not just the one manga I happened to pick up...

Hataraite Kudasai, Haruko-sensei! by Hyaku Fujishiro

Well, I didn't like this manga, either, but the art wasn't anything like Azumanga Daioh so I'll give it a quick grade and move on in the sake of research.

1/5 The subject matter was gross and pedophile-y

 

RaButa (LovePig) by Kyoushinsha Cool

 Art is also nothing alike, and I think I'll post a separate review of it all by itself later (shameless link right here) though, truthfully it isn't the same type of manga.

Sora-Roma by  Hayato Hoshimi

 Awww, this one was really cute, though also generic, it was in a shojo art way, something completely different than Silva and my problem with it.

5/5 By the way. 

 

So, even though I only read those three, I looked at lots of 4-Koma and have come to my conclusion. Yes, Silva looks way too much like Azumanga Daioh and it has nothing to do with genres. I stick to my review.

 

Houkago x Ponytail by Teko Tanaka

Houkago x Ponytail by Teko Tanaka


Genre: Shojo (sort of school-ish)
Length: One Volume - 6 Chapters

Art and story (c) Teko Tanaka

 

            Art is a little amateurish, especially at first, sometimes profiles look a little squished and proportions are a little off, normal things like that. There was something else slightly off putting about the art beginning, too, though, I can't put my finger on it, but it only distracted the eye from time to time. Faces were good over all, and expressive, a little simple at times but not overwhelmingly so. Its that modern 'cutesy' type of manga art, with big eyes and hair, though the gag faces are really something to see. Clothes were on the baggy side, but in a stylized way, though pretty much unremarkable. Backgrounds were more blank than I like to see though tones were used quite a bit, too. Once past the first chapter, the art comes quickly into routine and the story, too improves.
            Natsuki Sugawara is a high school girl who only cares for one thing, and its not makeup, clothes, or boys. What Natsuki cares about above all other things is manga (a girl after my own heart). One day after school she goes out to buy some newly released books, but can't wait until she gets home to read them so finds a near by park and quickly gets down to business. Unfortunately, an older man catches sight of her and instead of leaving her alone, asks for her picture instead. Turns out, in the end, he's a mangaka who just wanted a reference picture, but Natsuki doesn't find this out until after she breaks his foot. Now she has to help the pervert until he gets well, can this fanatic deal with a person who creates the thing she likes most?

            Besides the spotty-at- first art, and even that isn't too bad, I really have two other complaints about this manga. One, it doesn't seem rushed, but I think Natsuki falls in love much too quickly than is comfortable, there should have been a little denial to make it seem more realistic. It just makes it that much more uncomfortable when it didn't have to be. The second problem is more the cause of lack of explanation than anything else, having read the whole thing I'm still not sure what the ages of the characters are. I inferred Natsuki is somewhere around 17, since she is in her second year of high school, but the love interest is never given an age, as far as I can find and he's just called and 'old man.' I mean, you have to assume he's around 20 or so considering his face and much more than that would be getting creepy, but its not confirmed. Again, it makes it more awkward that way and it could have been easily fixed. So its not just the art that is a little amateur, but despite the 'older man and high school girl' trope, I think its a refreshingly different sort of shojo within the genre. It is hard to find a one volume shojo that goes beyond typical plots, and Houkago x Ponytail gives enough vartiety to make it interesting. Natsuki is spunky and most of the manga is silly gags, its a good read despite the flaws. Plus, as a girl who loves manga above all other things, I really see where Natsuki is coming from.



3.5/5 I'd love to give it full marks for humor but the art and writing was a little messy.