OhHaiDer :]
Wroaaaaaar meh internets live again!!1!cos(0) (Yeah, I'm that nerdeh :B)
Anyways~
Today I bring you (a somewhat whored out series if I don't say meself) Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days! *exhales* A mouthful as well~
Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic Days
Story & Art: Fumino Hayashi
Publisher: ADV Manga
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: (Wikipedia) As in the original anime series, the first four volumes of the manga deal with the Angel invasions, but from a much different angle. Asuka and Shinji are childhood friends, but both are reluctant to risk their friendship and form a deeper relationship. Nonetheless, Asuka becomes jealous when Rei is attracted to Shinji. Kensuke has an unrequited crush on Asuka, but is afraid to act because of Shinji's possible feelings. Rei is in a parallel position, with the roles reversed. Toji and Hikari date, even though the invasions threaten both of their lives. Kaworu is also a childhood friend of Shinji. However, their friendship originated from childhood incidents when Asuka abandoned Shinji, and he and Asuka never got along. By the time of the manga, Kaworu has failed to form intimate relationships with anyone besides Shinji, and resents Shinji's closer relationship with Asuka, and also tries to prevent Rei from getting closer to Shinji. Gendo Ikari's work schedule and cold personality alienate Shinji, who in turn resents his father's attitude towards his mother, Yui. At the end of the fourth volume, the main characters, as Evangelion pilots, are broken up and posted to different spots around the world, although they plan to (and, with one exception, do) meet up after the Angels' threat is over and they grow too old to work as pilots anymore. The fifth volume is a flashback to Gendo and Yui's youths. This flashback presents Gendo as a violent juvenile delinquent in high school, abandoned by his parents, who hates the world. Yui is introduced as a star student who is attracted to Gendo and helps him overcome his problems. The sixth and final volume returns to the main story arc after the Angels' defeat, specifically the actions and fates of the characters as they grow up. The volume attempts to tie up loose ends, including:Rei and Ritsuko, who are stationed together, both realize their romantic feelings will remain unrequited - Rei's feelings for Shinji, and Ritsuko's feelings for Gendo.Misato and Kaji, who dated in college and remain good friends, review their relationship. Although they seemed to break up soon after college, they realize that they never "officially" broke up and still have feelings for each other. They agree to keep their relationship going, but not to rush anything.Hikari and Toji endure a long distance relationship, made complicated by the constant dangers in Toji's job. Shinji and Asuka are forced to deal with strains in their relationship on their own, especially since Kaworu is (apparently) no longer around to defuse their arguments.
Kaworu's true identity, goals, purpose, feelings, and eventual fate are hinted at during both story arcs, but are never explicitly identified. (On a side note, I fully apologize for the NOVEL of a synopsis but as Neon Genesis Evangelion fans know very well, this series is ridiculously complicated and this is brief compared to other summaries.)
Art Review: 4/5
I've always liked the art of this series, all pretty and dramatic and such. As you all know I'm still picky about eyes and tiny details like that, and there were some little things that stuck out to me, but overall still a good showcase of manga.
Story Review: As I've mentioned previously, this manga is ridiculously complicated, even the summary of the series states itself that several characters in the manga as of yet don't really have an explained purpose amongst it all. I wonder if Hayashi, or whoever originally came up with the storyline starts writing these series out and even forget how this was supposed to end up partially because it gets so ridiculously complex that you have to keep notes on your OWN manga or you just think that the fans will come up with explanations and disputes amongst themselves and you don't even need to intervene. If I find somewhere on the internet that people follow this series as a bible, I'm not going to be very surprised. I find it interesting that in these series someone always has a serious mental disorder or thinks very controversially. It does get tiring, eventually, but with this series, it has this magical trait makes this series shiny and new every time someone decides to branch off a new series from an episode in the original manga. I don't really understand this manga, nor do I have the time or effort to actually attempting to understand it. I liked this little branch off series though, it had its dark moments but it still manages to have its cute moments. Although the fast forwarding makes this manga come off as a bit.. odd, one might say. I know they need to condense the story so that they are not killing 20 trees in the making of one book, but going from hatred, to like, to love, to getting knocked up in one novel, and it's not even a one-shot manga, seemed a bit abrupt to me. As confusing as this whole goddamned series is, I liked the volume I read. The story seemed to flow pretty well, despite me not knowing much background about this series. If you like being sucked into a complex manga, this is something not bad to pick up.
7.5/10
OhHaiDer :]
Waha, my internet got cut down
And will stay down for a couple days most likely
I'm sitting in a library doing this for you D:
Anyway, today I bring you..
Hellsing~
Hellsing
Story & Art: Kohta Hirano
Publisher: Dark Horse Manga
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: (Back Cover) After Alucard's triumphant return, the streets of London were filled with the blood of vampire Nazi soldiers and crazed Catholic warriors. After the dust settled, only the Hellsing order of Protestant knights were left standing. Now it's up to the earthly agents of divine punishment to save the souls of the innocent. However, chaos soon engulfs the streets yet again. As it turns out, now all the Nazis were vanquished after all. Will Alucard and his allies have what it takes to save what is left of the city? Earth-shaking destruction and gore-soaked supernatural battles fill the pages of this dark and creepy-cool manga.
Art Review: 5/5
This manga truly is filled with gore and blood. Almost every other panel someone's getting their brains chopped in half, most likely because these people are vampires and immediately heal after being literally grated like cheese. The style of art adds immensely to the dark theme of this manga, although at times with all the action going on one gets confused as to what the fuck is going on. Doesn't take much away from it, the detailing is amazing, although I don't suggest reading it if you are even queasy about manga.
Story Review: This manga has to be read in its entirety to be enjoyed. Vampire mangas like this are most enjoyed animated, anyway. (Except for Vampire Knight, that piece of tripe cannot be enjoyed no matter how you put it. No, not even in the cookie form.) The concept of Nazi zombies.. I find that rather interesting. Unfortunately when I read the words Nazi zombies I immediately thought of this shit. Collegehumor's gone to mediocrity, anyway. Not the point. Nazi zombies. As if living ones weren't bad enough. Or the prospect of CRAZED CATHOLIC WARRIORS. MAY THE POWER OF CHRIST COMPEL YOU! Anyway.. This manga, I find interesting. The WW2 references are not that bad, and I find the different vernaculars used by the characters interesting to read. The fight scenes are indeed epic, and I'll say it again, if you throw up in your mouth from the sight of seeing your favorite shoujo character getting a paper cut while trying to deliver a letter to her first love, I don't think you should be reading this manga, because I'm pretty sure you will hurl your own esophagus out if you do so. I'm just saying. Another thing I notice, there is a significant lack of female characters, and this time I'm letting it slide because not a lot of women were allowed on the battlefield anyway, but why is it that the female characters that do appear have seriously huge boobs? Are you really out to get viewers that badly to increase testosterone by giving some small form of fanservice? I'm no feminist here but that's a little annoying when every shonen manga you come across there are F-cups everywhere. No matter, no matter where you go there are huge tits anyway. So idealistic, this world~ Overall, I did enjoy this manga, considering I like to stay away from vampire mangas (because no matter how much you hate to admit it, Dracula and co. have been ruined by the sparkly menaces that are the characters in Twilight. You knew that was coming, didn't you? Here are some tits as a reward~) Sometimes it's hard to follow cause there is detailing EVERYWHERE and you don't know what to look at cause it's all so SHINY (or maybe it's just me and I have a seriously bad attention span) but I thought it was a good manga. If you like gore, enjoy n.n
8/10
OhHaiDer :]
Afternoon, all
What?
It's going to snow again in Canada?
Bollocks D:
Anyway
Today I bring youuuu.
Crescent Moon
Crescent Moon
Story & Art: Haruko Iida
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: (Wikipedia) The plot deals with Mahiru Shiraishi, a young woman with the ability to grant others good fortune by touching them. She herself does not benefit from this good fortune, and occasionally laments that this is because she has given all of her luck away to others. Mahiru begins to have recurring dreams of a demon, and these dreams soon lead to her becoming entangled with the "Lunar Race" — a collection of creatures of folklore such as vampires, werewolves, kitsune, and tengu. These creatures' powers are related to the phase of the moon, strongest when the moon is full and weakest when it is new. Mahiru learns that she is the "Descendant of the Princess" and that the members of the Lunar Race she has encountered, known as the Moonlight Bandits, need her help to recover the "Teardrops of the Moon," the source of their power. In the process, she attempts to heal the rift that has developed between humans and the Lunar Race, and bring the two closer together.
Art Review: 3/5
I didn't particularly become fond of Iida's art style. The proportion of the bodies are a bit off at times, the angles are awkward, but some of the detailing in the panels are somewhat nice. The eyes (as usual) are buggy. I'm not even being picky this time, Mitsuru's transformed state looks mildly creepy, and even the normal eyes are just weird looking to me. It appears Iida tried to make her style seem real and attempted to combine realistic eyes with a taste of manga-style eyes, but that evidently didn't turn out too well. The only character design I liked out of this whole series was Misoka, and his eyes were shut for majority of the series.
Story Review: Crescent Moon looked promising but turned mediocre. The plot is somewhat oddly paced, however at times the backstories provoke some deep thought. The fight scenes are confusing, and short. I didn't know who was attacking what or what was being said and in which order attacks were being fired, and when random people decided to crash the party. Being a minor detail, I tended to ignore the fight scenes but there isn't much compensation in this series. Mitsuru and Mahiru are stereotypical, 2-D, annoying characters; Mitsuru, the typical demon who hates everyone else, believes he is super strong, and wants to fight alone but ends up hurting himself and have his selfless friends help him out and he still acts like a little snotty brat about it. Mahiru; Print and press copy of the original heroine: kind, gentle, cute, determined, wants to help everyone, falls in love with the stereotypical male hero and all that garbage. The main goal in general, "Collect all the Tears of the Moon", sounds like any other fantasy manga where one has to complete a certain item to save the world and they don't end up doing it anyway, or they do, but some other villainous idiot decides to present something else to destroy the world. In general, this manga seems to be like an aborted love child between Inu-Yasha and Sailor Moon, what with all the moon references. This manga was tolerable, but nowhere near good reading material.
6/10
OhHaiDer :]
Whoooops.
I'm a bit late ^ ^;
Better late than never, yeah?
Oh well
Here I present Alice 19th.
Alice 19th
Story & Art: Yuu Watase
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen
Synopsis: (Wikipedia) The story follows Alice Seno, a fifteen-year-old girl forever in the shadow of her older sister Mayura, who achieves in everything she undertakes. At her school Alice becomes known as "Mayura's little sister". Older girls, judging Alice too meek to retaliate, torment her relentlessly.
Art Review: 5/5
I always enjoyed Watase's style. It's cute, feminine, charming and generally matches the general style of stories she produces. Her style is very clean and well executed in all her works.
Story Review: It would be arbitrary and untruthful of me to say that I enjoy all of Watase's work. This manga, contrary to a lot of opinions, is not one of the ones that I enjoyed. There are a number of problems with this manga, the first being just the plot in general. Watase's work generally has a shoujo/action theme that is heavily intertwined with a lot of Chinese culture and legends, but for this manga, Watase has decided to integrate a western theme in it, which is obviously Alice In Wonderland, due to the fact that the heroine's name is Alice and she does in fact meet a white rabbit in the beginning of her adventure. I usually am appreciative in change in manga and an incorporation of western stories into manga are usually refreshing but nearly ripping off Alice In Wonderland is a terrible attempt to bring depth to a story. Another aspect of this manga that I find terribly irritating is just the method of defending oneself employed in this manga. From all that I have read of this manga and all that I care to understand, one strives to be (or already is) a Lotis master who casts spells simply by saying a single word. I've read other fantasy mangas and novels and know how ridiculous those can get but this is pushing it in many ways considering there is no compensation in other aspects of this manga. At least for other mangas it can be ridiculous as you want it to be but the main character is hot, or the story is good or some other, but clearly there is nothing to fall back on for this type of drudgery. What I find the most irritating about this is that in the ending (and I don't CARE if you've read the whole thing or not, it's bloody terrible, so reading this will get you over and done with this series) after all the characters one would develop a kinship with dies, and Alice is pulled into a sort of purgatory state of mind, where the White Rabbit tells her that if she says a certain word, the monster that just killed off all the supporting characters and threatens to destroy the rest of the world will instantly die. So Alice does go back to reality, says this word and lo and behold, the monster loses his shit and dies. Looking at this logically, Alice got a cheat code. Probably one of the worst endings in manga history, and yes I am including all the sappy shoujo mangas who end shittily no matter how you end it. The plot wasn't that great either, the "little sister envies big sister but it actually turns out that big sister was afraid of little sister" bollocks really doesn't cut it anymore when everyone uses that plot device. As you can tell in general I was widely disappointed of this manga, a rarity for reviews as of yet. For once I plead you, don't read this manga, you're going to get a headache if you think about it too much.
5/10, because no matter how dreadful I think this manga is, it's apparently in good quality enough to make it past the bloody editor.
OhHaiDer :]
Konban wa~
Today I bring you..
Ranma 1/2 (Rumiko Takahashi? How retro!)
Ranma 1/2
Story & Art: Rumiko Takahashi
Publisher: Viz
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Synopsis: Being a teenaged martial artist isn't easy, especially for Ranma Saotome, who went through a major transformation on a training mission with his father. Ranma now changes into a girl every time he's splashed with cold water. That would be enough to complicate anyone's life, even without the arranged fiancee who doesn't like him (or says she doesn't) and the constant stream of rivals and suitors for both his male and female forms. What's a half girl, half guy to do?
Art Review: 4/5
I always had a fondness for Rumiko's style of art, because it makes one feel like you're reading one of the classic mangas. Then again, I would be saying this because some of my first mangas was indeed from Rumiko Takahashi.
Story Review: A lot of mangas say that they are funny, but turn out to be completely dry. Maybe it's my sense of humor, but I find that this manga says it's funny, and delivers. Despite the fact half of this manga is NSFW, because there are boobs everywhere, and I mean everywhere (Rumiko, you so dirty :B), this manga is light and refreshing, yet funny, and somehow, still slightly romantic. Akane and Ranma make the most priceless couple, even though they are almost always killing each other throughout the whole series. I also like the P-chan character; the fact that Akane is totally oblivious to who P-chan actually is makes this all the more cute. Even the ending was good, even though I hate endings that kind of aren't really endings. Overall, if you like classic manga, this is something you should pick up.
8/10
OhHaiDer :]
Good evening all~
I told myself I wouldn't do this
But I'm going to do it anyway
Today I present to you..
Fruits Basket!
Fruits Basket
Story & Art: Natsuki Takaya
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: (Wikipedia) When high school student Tohru Honda's mother died in a car accident, Tohru begins living in a tent and supporting herself. That is, until she finds a home in the least likely of places, inhabited by her classmate Yuki Sohma and his cousins Shigure and Kyo. The Sohmas however, live with a curse. Thirteen members of the family are possessed by spirits of the Chinese zodiac and turn into their zodiac animal when hugged by the opposite gender or when under stress. When Tohru discovers the Sohmas' secret, she promises not to tell and is allowed to keep living with them. The Sohma's curse, however, is deeper and darker than Tohru realized, but her presence soon becomes a large, positive influence on those possessed by the zodiac. She sets out to break the curse, and on the way, meets and discovers each of the Sohma's vengeful zodiac spirits. Each has a different personality, just like the animals in the Chinese Zodiac. Tohru's existence changes the Sohma clan's lives forever...
Art Review: 4/5
I always thought Takaya's style of art was cute, but the eyes bug me out a bit; a minor fault. What stands out to me, unfortunately, is the crampiness and amount of reading needed for this manga. A lot is covered, and that results in a lot of dialogue, and at times its hard to pay attention for someone who isn't a rabid fan. Despite that, it's a very cute manga.
Story Review: I always thought this story was cute on the outside, deep on the inside, and I still do. This manga is cute, funny, romantic, dramatic and deep all at the same time. I have watched and read this series and I enjoyed both. Again, I never appreciated the horrendous amount of reading and patience needed, but that doesn't present much of an issue against how great this series turned out. But I know all of you out there, like myself, are kind of scared of Akito. I also love the cute spin taken on the Chinese Zodiac, and Tohru's reaction to it in the beginning, but I also love how it eventually takes a serious turn, as most things do in this manga. For those who catch on, this manga is a brief description of human nature, and possibly of religion, that I've seen throughout. I love the ending as well, however I shall not even stick in a spoiler alert because from my understanding, people become gutted once teased with the possible ending. If you have the time, another good series to check out.
9/10
OhHaiDer :]
Good evening all~
Today I bring youu...
MeriPuri :3
MeriPuri
Story & Art: Matsuri Hino
Publisher: Shoujo Beat
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: (Wikipedia) All high school freshman Airi Hoshina ever wanted was to someday live in a cozy home with a loving husband and find joy in the little things in life. As a result, she makes it her daily mission to get to school on time because school legend has it that the longer one's non-tardy streak is, the better boyfriend one will find. But just when her daily routine is working like clockwork, an occurrence of fairy-tale proportions threatens to disrupt her grand plan.
Art Review: 5/5
There's not really much to say about this art, I LOVE it so much, another great show of mangaka skills. (That I do not have myself ._.) It's epicly cute, and I love the designs of the older Aram <3
Story Review: This story is irresistibly cute, I have to be quite honest. Although this manga only lasted for 4 volumes, I found it felt longer reading it. I was kinda sad when *spoiler alert* Aram loses his memories of Airi, so frustrating *spoiler alert* I love how cute Aram is, loving shows like Power Rangers and omelettes.. Just.. D'awwwww~ I also love the intimacy and tension that is created with the matching insignias on their chests. I only wish this manga was a bit longer, I really enjoyed this one, for a fantasy manga. If you haven't read this manga I suggest you do, it's really cute, and despite being short it's better than some other mangas that look similar *cough* Vampire Knight *cough cough* Overall this manga was awesome :3
9/10, I wanted it to be much longer o:
OhHaiDer :]
Hello~
Wonderful Saturday today, and I just.
Couldn't.
Hold.
It.
In.
I'm reviewing Otomen :]
Otomen
Story & Art by: Aya Kanno
Publisher: Shoujo Beat
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis: Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things (autocorrect, why did you write Gorky?)- sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shoujo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the masculine jock instead. Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to Ryo Miyakozuka, the girl he's falling for?
Art Review: 5/5
Kanno's style is simple and clean. Her style includes cute faces, and perfect line art~ It added to the overall cuteness of this manga, but still makes the manly characters look manly.
Story Review: This manga is so priceless and adorable. Asuka is prolly the most adorable guy on the planet, and if there's anything cuter, I will explode. Asuka's determination, naviete, and honesty makes this manga so heartwarming. The fact that Ryo and Asuka are opposites is soo cute and you just want to keep cheering them on. I also love the fact that Juta bases his manga off of Ryo and Asuka, but they are totally oblivious to this. However, I do find it tedious that every single guy who is supposed to be majorly manly turns out to be an otomen, and all the characters that are supposed to be feminine are freakin' scary. Gets a bit tedious at times, then again, that's just me. Overall, I loved this manga, it was super cute. If you love shoujo, if you haven't already, go read this manga n.n
9/10
OhHaiDer :]
Today is a dreary rainy March day (this is why I hate spring! Always raining..) But never fear, Death At Death's Door, a cute take on the depths of hell and its inner workings, will be sure not to leave you comatose n.n
Death At Death's Door
Story & Art by: Jill Thompson
Publisher: Vertigo
Rating: Suggested for Mature Readers
Synopsis: Lucifer gives the key of hell away as a result of Dream going to Hell to free his former lover, Nada. As a result of Hell being closed, the dead and condemned are forced our of Hell with nowhere to go except for the land of the living. It is left up to Death, Delirium and Despair to keep track of the dead while Dream decides on who to give the key of Hell to.
Art Review: 4/5
For an American manga, I was much impressed by the quality and authenticity of the art. Although I am not a huge fan of moe, the manga was irresistibly cute, and the designs of the characters completely match their personalities. The use of different fonts for each character was also a unique touch to this manga.
Story Review: I don't mean to be terribly biased, but I never enjoyed American comics as much as their japanese counterparts. However, for this manga, I was really impressed with this manga. The story is unique in itself and evidently american but it still possesses traits of japanese manga. The characters all flow well together, which is rather refreshing for these types of manga. Although I am confused at times about the genders of some of the characters. I can honestly say that because Despair was a fat, naked character, I thought it was a connection to Buddha-type personality, and therefore male. But I was sadly wrong, that is a female. NSFW? Unfortunately. Dream's eyes are creepy. They are ENTIRELY BLACK! I also enjoyed the Kurt Cobain reference they made during the party of the dead. The aspect that stands out the most to me in this manga are the deep connections to Egyptian culture, with the references to Ankh. It makes the manga deeper than it already was, being based on human sin and purgatory. The relation between all 7 siblings is a deep and thoughtful metaphor. The protagonist, Death, is a very charismatic character that a lot of people aspire to be, with her innocent yet sassy charm. The story in general flows a bit too quickly, but not enough to be unenjoyed. If you like gothic manga, this is something to read.
7/10
OhHaiDer :]
Hello again, on this cold March afternoon. (So cold, my hands are a bit unresponsive from the cold, made evident by the fact I had to respell unresponsive at least 4 times ._.) Today I bring you... *drum roll* HOT GIMMICK! *squeal*
Hot Gimmick
Story & Art by: Miki Aihara
Publisher: Viz Media
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Synopsis: The story revolves around Hatsumi Narita, a passive sixteen-year-old girl who lives in a company housing complex that is ruled by the tyrannical Mrs. Tachibana, the wife of the company's vice president. How a family behaves in the housing complex can affect an employee's status in the company. When her promiscuous younger sister Akane thinks she might be pregnant, Hatsumi gets talked into buying her a pregnancy test. Unfortunately, things don't go exactly as planned and Hatsumi is blackmailed by Ryoki Tachibana, the arrogant teenage son of the powerful Tachibana family who bullied her as a kid, into being his slave.
Art Review: 4.5/5
I love everything about Miki Aihara's style except for her eyes. I'm not sure why, but they always bothered me. Despite that, the backgrounds are amazing, the detailing is awesome, I especially love how clean the art comes out.
Story Review: Without a doubt, this is one of my FAVORITE mangas of all time. I read from start to finish for this series and I fully enjoyed it. The story flows so well together, even with the sideplots of Akane, Hatsumi's little sister. Finding out Asuka's past was so suspenseful and perfectly timed to make the series all the more dramatic. Ryoki's commanding nature makes this manga so frustrating, because Hatsumi is just so incapable of making her own decisions and incapable of seeing what is right for her. Let's get it out there; I know all you readers out there wanted Hatsumi to be with Shinogu too.. *spoiler alert* Grr, Shinobu, why did you have to go and shave your head and become a priest?! WHYYY D:< *spoiler alert* One can connect so well with the passive Hatsumi in her abusive relationship becoming normalized. Additionally, I am the type to hate when people reuse characters to make additional plot devices, the usage of Asuka is actually pretty good. This manga as a whole delves into the deeper workings of society, as shown in Mrs.Tachibana's tyranny. The ending was super cute, despite *spoiler alert* Ryoki marrying Hatsumi. I SO wanted Shinogu to be with Hatsumi, I don't care if they are adopted brother and sister. *spoiler alert* Overall, this was a fantastic manga, if you are a shoujo fan, I highly recommend you read Miki Aihara's work, all of it is simply amazing~
10/10
OhHaiDer :]
It is I, posting another blog on this LOVELY Sunday evening..
Today I bring you.. Trinity Blood!
Trinity Blood
Story by: Sunao Yoshida
Art by: Kiyo Kyujyo
Character Designs by: Thores Shibamoto
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Synopsis: (Inside book) In the distant future, civilization has been destroyed by a catastrophe of epic proportions. Mankind is at war with vampires, an alien life form that appeared when the earth changed.
Art Review: 4/5
The eyes from this artist's style are a bit.. I dunno.. Buggy? So to speak. Despite that, I love the detailing in this manga. The cover of the volume I read was well done as well, I loved the rose and thorns theme. Without even reading the dialogue itself, you can see the emotion of the characters in battle scenes.
Story Review: When they said catastrophe of epic proportions, they weren't lying. Although I have only read the 12th volume, since that was what was available to me at the moment and I can't be arsed to read the whole series, the manga flows well enough to be picked up and be understood at any part of the story (When writing this review on my iPod, somehow it replaces 'and be' to homage. Damn you autocorrect!) I don't know about others, but for me, I sometimes find the story and themes hard to understand as they are undertoned with Catholic religion references, to which I barely understand. This manga is a dark, gothic and gory manga that appeals to the deeper recesses of the human mind. A manga that leaves one wanting more with nail-biting cliffhangers. I recommend you read the whole series and to see what I mean for yourselves.
8.5/10
OhHaiDer :]
I'm back with another review.. GRAVITATION! (Deny it all you want, I know some of you actually read/watched this one c:)
Gravitation
Story & Art by: Maki Murakami
Publisher: Tokyopop
Rating:Older Teen (16+)
Synopsis:(mangafox.com) Shuichi Shindou is determined to take his band Bad Luck to the top of the Japanese pop charts. With his drive, talent, and satiny singing voice, he just might stand a chance. But Fate throws a wrench into his well-oiled machine in the form of a handsome stranger named Yuki, a romance writer with an attitude. Yuki is Shuichi's biggest critic, but as the two young artists gravitate towards each other, friendship, and perhaps something more, is sure to blossom.
Art Review: 4/5
Murakami's art is quite interesting, in my opinion. Altho I am not too fond of the head shape, I love the comedy she even incorporates in the art, with over exaggerated facial expressions and actions. It always makes me laugh when you see blood splattering all over the page from Shuichi's antics, or someone with a bullet hole through their head from K. I also like the line art of this manga, for the dramatic panels, most of the drawings come out looking very clean.
Story Review: Honestly one of the most hilarious mangas I have ever read. Surprising, since it is a guilty pleasure of mine, being a SHONEN AI. I really wouldn't classify it as such, there's enough in it at some points to be a yaoi o.o Despite the fact that half the story is NSFW, the balance of sweet love between two boys and violent comedy make this manga all the more enjoyable. I honestly look at this manga sometimes and forget Shuichi is a boy, since he acts like a heroine from a shoujo manga. It's serious enough to be riveting, but funny enough to be heartwarming. The sexual innuendos and comedic bits are a great combo for this series, I was glad to have read this one. Even tho Eiri tends to be a major asshole for majority of the manga, he's still one of my favorite characters ^ ^ Overall, not too bad of a series, pick it up if you haven't already~
8/10
OhHaiDer :]
I am back with my third blog, and today we're covering XXXHolic~
xXxHoLic
Story & Art by: Clamp
Publisher: Kodansha & Del Rey
Rating: Teen (13+)
Synopsis:(Wikipedia) A seinen manga written and illustrated by the group of manga authors known as Clamp. The series, which ties in strongly with another of Clamp's series, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, revolves around Kimihiro Watanuki, a high-school student disturbed by his ability to see the supernatural and meets Yuuko Ichihara, a witch who owns a wish-granting shop. Watanuki requests to have his ability to see spirits removed and as payment, Yūko hires him to work in the shop, resulting in his encounter with various supernatural encounters.
Art Review: 4.5/5
An interesting style of art is portrayed in xXxHoLic, with super-long legs and arms, beautiful and detailed art. At first it took me a little getting used to for the style of art, but the detailing grows on you.
Story Review: I remember in grade 8, being told about this manga by a certain Hispanic friend of mine.. Something about this Watanuki being Yuuko's bitch.. I entirely and whole-heartedly agree with that comment, having now finished the series. The characters in this manga are so lovable.. Watanuki's easily excitable and slightly introverted nature, Yuuko's lazy, sarcastic and sadistic quirks, Domeki's complete non-reaction to EVERYTHING and Mokona's slightly crazy but adorable manner. Watanuki's love interest for Himawari and the fact she is completely oblivious to this is oh-so-adorable and adds the little sweetness everyone looks for. My favorite feature about this manga is the constant references to Japanese culture in food, to rituals to just about everything. Even if you are not familiar with Japanese culture, the guide at the back can teach you a thing or two about it. It is rare that I find a manga that has the mystery of death, purgatory and human vice that doesn't become totally depressing. The one thing that stuck in my mind is a quote said by Yuuko quite often in the series,"There can be no coincidences, only the inevitable." This manga makes you think a lot about the world, and the nature of the human race, and the theory stated in the manga, "For every action there must be a payment/reaction." What I find really interesting about this manga is that the events are related to those that happen in Tsubasa : Reservoir Chronicles, as well as the characters. I have not fully read Tsubasa, but I see how there are connections between the two series by at least a small amount. *spoiler alert* I was truly saddened to learn of Yuuko's fate, she was one of my favorite characters.. *spoiler alert* However, the ending isn't crap, like a lot of series tend to turn out. Overall, this was a good series, it never gets tedious, the balance between the supernatural and comedy is well established, and I enjoyed reading AND watching this series.
8.5/10
