Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1 by Ichigo Takano If you could send a letter to yourself ten years in the past, what would you say? “Life will get better after high school”? “Don’t drink and drive”? “Here are the winning lottery numbers for [date]”? On the first day of her junior year of… Continue reading Manga Review: Orange the Complete Collection 1
Tag: manga
Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3
Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3 by Hiroya Oku Life is tough for Ichiro Inuyashiki. He’s only 58, but looks a good ten years older. His wife and children think he’s a loser (and they’re not entirely wrong,) he gets pushed around by jerks, and now he has cancer. The prognosis is terminal, a few months at… Continue reading Manga Review: Inuyashiki #1-3
Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1
Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1 written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima Ogami Itto was once a samurai warrior of high rank, the official executioner for the shogunate. He had a lovely wife and new son; life was good. But another clan was ambitious, and framed Ogami for treason. Under sentence of… Continue reading Manga Review: Lone Wolf & Cub Omnibus 1
Manga Review: Noragami: Stray God #1
Manga Review: Noragami: Stray God #1 by Adachitoka Mutsumi is in a bad way. Not only is she under stress studying for the high school entrance exams, but her classmates have turned against her, bullying Mutsumi and encouraging her to self-harm. She’s locked herself in a toilet stall for a good cry when suddenly… Continue reading Manga Review: Noragami: Stray God #1
Manga Review: Showa 1926 1939 a History of Japan
Manga Review: Showa 1926 1939 a History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki This is the first volume of Shigeru Mizuki’s massive history of Japan during the reign of Emperor Hirohito, the “Showa Era,” It was a long reign, covering most of the Twentieth Century, from 1926-1989. In addition to the larger story of Japan, it… Continue reading Manga Review: Showa 1926 1939 a History of Japan
Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth
Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth edited by Essel Pratt Kaiju (“strange beast”) is primarily a subgenre of the monster movie that became codified in Japan. They’re mostly gigantic monsters that are nigh-unstoppable by conventional armaments, and run around destroying cities or fighting other giant monsters. The seeds of the story type were sown… Continue reading Book Review: Kaiju: Lords of the Earth
Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2
Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2 written by Kazuo Koike, art by Goseki Kojima Yamada “Decapitator” Asaemon is the o-tameshiyaku, sword-tester for the shogun and official executioner of criminals. It’s not a pretty job, but at least he has one in Edo-era Japan, during a time of peace. Without wars to fight, many of the samurai… Continue reading Manga Review: Samurai Executioner Omnibus 2
Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish Volume 1
Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish Volume 1 by Akiko Higashimura Amamizukan is not your average apartment building. For one thing, it’s a small, old-fashioned building of the type rarely seen these days. More importantly, all the residents are fujoshi (“rotten women”) who for one reason or another have fallen outside the society-approved get job/get husband/have kids way… Continue reading Manga Review: Princess Jellyfish Volume 1
Manga Review: Mysterious Girlfriend X #1
Manga Review: Mysterious Girlfriend X #1 by Riichi Ueshiba Akira Tsubaki is a normal 17-year-old high school student. New student Mikoto Urabe appears to be anything but normal. Her bangs cover her eyes, she sleeps during lunch and class breaks, bursts out laughing in the middle of class for no apparent reason and carries scissors… Continue reading Manga Review: Mysterious Girlfriend X #1
Manga Review: Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga Volume 3
Manga Review: Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga Volume 3 by Jiro Kuwata Quick recap: The 1960s Batman television show was popular in Japan as well, and a tie-in manga was done by 8-Man creator Jiro Kuwata. It was not based on the show as such, but on the Batman comic books of the time, so had a… Continue reading Manga Review: Batman: The Jiro Kuwata Batmanga Volume 3