The Manga Thread!

[harper]

ES 6 - This volume focuses more on Yuri and her mother and is very good, as is typical of this series.

Gunslinger Girl 5 - This book wasn't bad, but I didn't find it quite as interesting as the last few.

Battle Angel Alita Last Order 9 - We learn more about the origin of the Scrapyard and how humanity made it to the stars. I've enjoyed this storyline quite a bit. It's a good change of pace from the main story.

Suzuka 5 - Honoka makes a move. I like her character even if she does seem destined to be second fiddle.

Yakitate!! Japan 7 - The end of the rookie tournament and a shift to France and Monoco for another tournament. The series is still pretty entertaining even if there isn't as much action in this volume.

Negima! 15 - The start focuses on Asuna and the rest of the book deals with Chao's storyline. At least the second day of the festival finally ends.

[harper]

Death Note 8-12 - I kind of lost interest in the series after volume 7, especially since each book takes a long time to read. I started reading it again this weekend. Volume 8 was kind of dull, but 9-12 got it back up to speed and led to a satisfying conclusion.

Kekkaishi 4-10 - This series is very enjoyable and seems to be getting better as it progresses. I like how the characters seem to grow in small increments both mentally and physically and how the larger story is gradually unfolding. This isn't one of those manga where the group gets thrown into a tournament and we see endless battles. There are still tons of fights, but they seem to have more purpose. What a powerful ending to volume 10, though.

[harper]

Sgt Frog 1 - Kind of silly, but fun as well.

[harper]

Flame of Recca 23 - Not bad, but the volume is one big prelude for the upcoming battle.

[harper]

Basilisk 3-5 - Nonstop action as the war of attrition between the Kouga and Iga ninja clans continues and reaches its conclusion. Very entertaining.

[jhenn]

I'm back!!!

Well I've read these mangas last week and I still have some of then lined up... and here's my comment:

MUSASHI #9 Volume 12-- I've liked this series since the beginning but this volume focuses more on Takeru's feelings than UB's missions. But I am curious how Takeru and #10 might end up.
GUNSLINGER GIRL Volume 3,4,5-- I was really glad when they finally released more volumes of this series. I like the battle between Triela and Pino and Guissepe's past story is quite interesting.
GUNSMITH CATS Revised Edition 1,2-- At first I was hesitating to get them since I have the original series but they are worth it. The arts are even better... May Hopkins' hobby seems worse though. I have the 3rd volume and I cant wait to read it.

[harper]

The last Musashi #9 I read was volume 10 so I have a couple volumes to catch up on. I liked Gunsmith Cats when it came out years ago and have been buying the revised editions. I plan to read them as soon as the final volume comes out. I'll also read the volumes of GSC Burst right after that.

[harper]

Land of the Blindfolded 1-2 - This manga has an interesting premise in which a girl can see a person's probable future if she touches them and another character can see their past. I enjoyed the first two volumes, though I wish there weren't so many unrelated short stories filling out the volume.

[harper]

Sgt. Frog 2-8 - This has been a fun title, but one consisting mainly of lots of little vignettes that are loosely related. There has been a bit of character development, but mostly just various levels of zaniness. NOt my favorite title, but entertaining.

[ParryDat]

Berserk.

Go read it now.Quite easily the greatest manga I have read

[b4k4ni04]

Read that .. uh 2 winters ago now, at the advice of a friend. Read scanlated up to like vol 30. amazing, for certain. But the type of thing that I could never read a second time through.

Anywho. xxxHolic 10. Damn, Love this series :D. gotta wait till feb for my next fix.

[harper]

Flame of Recca 24 - This volume delved into the past and depicted a story about the Hokage from before they were destroyed. It also ties into their current situation and made for a pretty good story.

Land of the Blindfolded 3-8 - I've been enjoying this series more as it goes along. The series is about a small group of people who can see either the future or past of an individual that they come into contact with. The stories seem to be of a personal nature rather than a grand overall story arc. I'm glad the sidestories at the end of the volume now tie in to the main book rather than being separate entities.

[harper]

Ode to Kirihito by Osamu Tezuka is a mammoth 822 page collection from Vertical. The story is a very compelling medical thriller about a rare disease that changes the appearance of people so that their faces resemble dogs or foxes. Their life expectancy is very short once they contract the disease. There is a debate among the people researching the disease in Japan whether it is infectious or endemic. This leads to one of the doctors becoming infected and the story spans many parts of the globe. Very entertaining.

[harper]

Emma 5 - It was nice to learn more about William's parents in this volume and how their relationship slightly mirrors the one between William and Emma. An excellent Victorian series.

Claymore 10 - The action is really heating up in the North. I like this series quite a bit, but I wish it was easier to tell the women apart. Most of them tend to look alike., though the hairstyles differ a bit.

Yotsuba & ! 5 - More zany antics with Yotsuba where she meets the 'evil' Yanda, walks in the rain and goes to the beach. Lots of fun.

[Shamu]

Currently reading Gentleman's Alliance Cross.
First volume is a bit, meh, but I've been told it gets better, so trying to get through volume 2 atm.

[harper]

Buddha vol. 1: Kapilavastu - This story takes place in ancient India, though there appear to be the occasional anachronisms. It is the first book in a series that depicts the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism. This particular volume takes place around thetime of his birth. It wasn't really what I was expecting, but it was very entertaining.

Oyayubihime Infinity 1-3 - The first half of the series about people with butterfly birthmarks on one of their fingers who can remember their past lives from Japan's Edo Period when they come in contact with another person with the same birthmark. The series isn't bad and has been getting better as it goes along.

[stsparky]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514M9T%2BxImL._SS500_.jpg

Bought the above because I enjoyed the below:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zNOYrFeyL._SS500_.jpg

[harper]

I've got the Brave Story novel, but haven't read it yet. I did read and enjoy the first volume of the manga and have the second volume on my 'To Read' shelf. What did you think of the first volume, or have you read it yet?

[stsparky]

I loved the book. I'll get to the manga after I watch Time Bandits.

[stsparky]

Sped read THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: The Black Dossier

Odd and weird.

[harper]

Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M #1-20 - Daigo has wanted to be a firefighter since he was rescued from a fire at the age of 6. When he graduates from high school, he becomes a firefighter and joins Fire Company M. His methods are unorthodox and get him into a lot of trouble, but he has a knack for making the rescue. I've been saving this series since it started so that I could read it in one go, which I did over the last couple of days. I loved it and recommend it to anyone looking for a good story. Daigo definitely grows as a character as the series progresses.

[harper]

Kindaichi Case Files 16 - The Metro police receive a marionette and a note that a killing spree is going to begin on board a particular train. It turns out that a magic troupe is performing on the train and at a hotel at the end of the line and the deaths that occur are related to the troupe. I thought this was a rather pedestrian entry in the series. An enjoyable enough read, but not as interesting or entertaining as many of the previous volumes.

[Kai]

I've recently been reading Ah My Goddess. Some of my favorites have been.
Planetes
Initial D
Banner of the Stars
High School of the Dead
Love Hina
Ai Yori Aoshi
Mobile Suit Gundam: War Chronicles
.Hack A.I. Buster
Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C

[harper]

My backlog has built up to over a 100 volumes now with the conclusion of several series adding to my total. I'm going to try and get mostly caught up over my 2 week break.

Emma 6 - This volume had a bit of a smaller focus than previous books and is setting up the big action of the next volume which concludes William and Emma's story. As with every volume in the series, it was very good and had excellent artwork.

Translucent 2 - Shizuka and Mamoru go on a date. Mamoru tries to keep Shizuka's spirits up as she deals with being translucent due to her disease. This series is a lot of fun. I guess there aren't very many volumes in Japan yet, but I hope it continues for a long time.

Kekkaishi 11 - Yoshimuri dedicates himself to training in the aftermath of what happened in the previous volume. His older brother's Night Troops come to town to help protect the Karasumori site. This is a series that keeps getting better as it goes along.

Atelier Marie and Elie 2 - We learn a bit more about Marie's past, but mostly the action revolves around town and a threat to one of Marie's friends. I'm enjoying the series so far. It is becoming a bit easier to tell some of the characters apart.

Destiny's Hand 2 - The search for the Devil's Eye starts with assembling the pieces of the map. Pirate vs Pirate action and the beginnings of a big adventure. A fun OEL adventure series.

Eden 9 - The action shifts to a terrorist takeover of an oil refinery in China in protest of the treatment of the local ethnic minority. This volume was different from previous volumes, but still very effective and entertaining. We also get to see a bit of Elijah's father.

My Heavenly Hockey Club 2 - The Hockey Club is in danger of losing their status as a school club and need to find an opponent to play. I haven't been overly impressed with this series, but it has been okay. Nothing really special, but not really bad either.

[harper]

Oyayubihime Infinity 4-6 - Kanoko and Tsubame become closer, but Arata throws a wrench into things with his pursuit of Kanoko. Also, Tsubame's Agemaki finally shows up and threatens to derail the relationship. I enjoyed this series about past lives and reincarnation. It wasn't a great series, but it was entertaining enough.

[harper]

Rebound #12-18 - The Interhigh tournament is over and the seniors are done playing for Johnan. The focus turns more to the street ball part of the story for a while before returning to how Johnan's team will be without Shurman and the others. I've been enjoying this series since Mixx first started serializing the story in Mixxzine and am amazed that it is finally over. Now if only Tokyopop or somebody would publish the two volumes that were skipped in the transition from Harlem Beat to Rebound.

Yakitate!! Japan 8 - The Monaco Cup gets underway with teams from all around the world. I laughed out loud for a while at the Japan teams version of the Thinker. Pretty funny stuff. The competition itself has been interesting so far as well.


I just added up what I've read this year and it amounts to 630 volumes of manga plus Shonen Jump issues and a few other things. Jeez, that's a lot. More than I thought, even.

[harper]

Red River 19 - The battle between the Hittites and Egyptians continues as Yuri Ishtar travels by ship to return home. Another highly entertaining volume, containing another twist to the storyline (one of many in the series). It'll be interesting to see where the story goes from here, though I have a few guesses.

Drifting Classroom 8-9 - The unrelenting horror continues with more battles between the children as well as creatures that look like giant starfish and others that resemble giant spiders. Throw in a subway system and a volcano and the series keeps up its entertaining pace.

Eyeshield 21 16-17 - The game with Seibu concludes over these two volumes and the Devil Bats get another weapon. This series keeps getting better as it progresses. Lots of fun.

Beet the Vandel Buster 12 - The battle between Beet (and friends) and Sir Baron continues. The only problem with this series is that Viz is pretty much caught up with the Japanese releases and this leads to long gaps between volumes. Otherwise, it is a very nice battle/action series.

Golgo 13 11-12 - Four more stories - two from the mid70s and two from 1996. I like the variety of stories and locations this series offers and that Golgo does not always play a prominent role in the story, acting behind the scenes instead. I hope Viz decides to extend their deal beyond volume 13.

[harper]

Banya the Explosive Delivery Man 1-5 - This starts out as a fun series about a postal delivery man in a fantasy realm who will deliver anything guaranteed. It takes a more serious turn halfway through, but is still very entertaining. This is a fast paced series that is complete in 5 volumes, though there is room for a sequel.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service 4-5 - A variety of entertaining short stories featuring the group and different types of corpses. They even take a stab at being professional mourners to try and raise cash since the corpses often don't have money to pay.

Ghost Hunt 8-9 - A haunted restaurant and house where lots of people die whenever ownership changes hands. Good stuff.

Muhyo & Roji's Bureau of Supernatural Investigation 1-2 - What starts out to be a somewhat formulaic series in the first volume becomes more interesting in the second book. Sort of a cross between Case Closed and Ghost Hunt.

O-Parts Hunter 6-7 - The battle in Entotsu City finally wraps up and the kids move on to the Dastom Ruins, which look like they would be fun to explore. We also start to get a view of the larger story as well.

Whistle! 18 - One of my favorite series continues with the match between the Tokyo Select and the Seoul Select soccer teams. I wish Viz hadn't slowed the release of this series so much.

Brave Story 2 - We learn more about travellers and the real adventure begins.

High School Debut 1 - A girl who excelled at softball in middle school now wants to find a boyfriend in high school, but is clueless about doing so. She decides to get a boy to coach her on how to attract guys. The art reminds me of Crimson Hero and the story wasn't bad.

XS Hybrid 2 - A biomechanical virus unlocks powers in some humans. I liked the first book more than this one, but it wasn't bad.

[ZoidsPilot100]

High School Debut 1 - A girl who excelled at softball in middle school now wants to find a boyfriend in high school, but is clueless about doing so. She decides to get a boy to coach her on how to attract guys. The art reminds me of Crimson Hero and the story wasn't bad.

I read this as a scanlation, I stopped after it got licensed, obviously.
I might pick it up once it gets to where I left off. But that's at volume 6, so I've got awhile until it comes out.

[Civilization Phrase III]

I've really gotten into Judas lately.

Eve is so cute <3

[Masa the Masta]

I've been reading Air Gear lately. Seems kinda cool.

[harper]

I've been reading Air Gear lately. Seems kinda cool.

I read the first volume of that a while ago, but haven't gotten around to reading any more of it yet.


Kaze Hikaru 7 - More action and humor in Japan in 1864. Kamiya continues to learn more about the life she's chosen. Good stuff.

Prince of Tennis 22-23 - Ryoma plays a match against a player from Rikkai and then the Kanto tournament continues. I'm glad this series has gotten back on track again. It was boring there for a while.

Crimson Hero 7 - Nobara and her teammates work hard to improve their skills. This volume is setting the stage for the Spring Tournament.

La Corda d'Oro 5-6 - The music competition continues and some of the contestants get to know each other a little bit better. Not as interesting as the last few volumes, but not bad.

Tail of the Moon 7-8 - Usagi gets to do a little bit of actual ninja work and Hanzo finally starts to express his true feelings as war approaches. The series is getting a bit more serious and interesting compared to earlier volumes.

Star Trek the Manga 2 - Another collection of short stories featuring Kirk and the gang. It does a decent job capturing the flavor of the original show.

Speed Racer 1 (Seven Seas) - Speed, a bitter rival, a robot and Racer X. A decent story, though I liked the old Now Comics series more.

Dragon Drive 4-5 - Lots of battles and lots of different dragons. An interesting series so far. I guess there is a game for this over in Japan, but I don't think it made it over here.

Inubaka 5-6 - Suguri gets to help a dog compete in an agility competition and tries to teach Lupin better manners. Throw in a found kitten and a dog cafe and we have a couple of fun volumes.

[harper]

I'm getting closer to being caught up. After this batch, I have about 13 more volumes plus long runs of 3 other titles - Naruto, Yugioh Duelist and Gunsmith Cats.

Bleach 21 - The group finally gets back to Earth and the series finally becomes interesting again.

Gin Tama 3,4 - One of the funniest series out there, I think. I've been enjoying this mix of Japan in the 1860s with aliens, space ships, humor and more.

Black Cat 11,12 - Train's having to compensate for the changes that happened in an earlier volume. Still a nice action series.

Gunslinger Girl 6 - The second generation of cyborgs starts with Petrushka. This volume is almost all about her and I thought it was a good one. It will be interesting to see how the first and second generation girls mix.

Suzuka 6 - Yamato goes on a date with Honoko, but still has feelings for Suzuka. An entertaining series, but nothing that really stands out.

Pastel 8 - Mugi has trouble expressing his feelings for Yuu and vice versa. Of course, this has been going on for a while. Like Suzuka, entertaining enough but nothing special.

Case Closed 18-20 - More short detective stories with Conan, who gets another sidekick with his kid detective group. These stories are usually fun. It is one long series, though.

[Saitou Hajime]

Bleach 21 - The group finally gets back to Earth and the series finally becomes interesting again.

I thought the last part of the Soul Society arc was great. :(

[Digital Masta]

Bleach 21 - The group finally gets back to Earth and the series finally becomes interesting again.

So essentially you're saying you thought the SS arc was boring?

You're just crazy!

[Saitou Hajime]

He is. :( I loved the Soul Society arc, especially the last bit of it.

[Shishio]

I think Bleach sucks.

I haven't been reading nearly as much manga as I used to, (I mostly read North American comics (the good stuff, not the superhero shit) and bande-dessinee now) other than a few titles I keep up with, but I read volumes 1-6 of Oldboy recently. It's OK, but it's one of those weird seinen manga that I suspect requires a better understanding of Japanese culture to understand.

[Digital Masta]

I haven't been reading nearly as much manga as I used to, (I mostly read North American comics (the good stuff, not the superhero shit) and bande-dessinee now)

You've been reading the wrong superhero ones then.

[harper]

So essentially you're saying you thought the SS arc was boring?

You're just crazy!

No, I just thought the arc went on way too long. I liked the first half of the arc a lot, but 12 or more volumes was too much. It seemed repetitious and my eyes would start to glaze over in later volumes. I'm happy that they are finally moving on to something else.

[MurphBurger]

No, I just thought the arc went on way too long. I liked the first half of the arc a lot, but 12 or more volumes was too much. It seemed repetitious and my eyes would start to glaze over in later volumes. I'm happy that they are finally moving on to something else.

oh you'd be surprised at how far, and by that I mean based on a miniscule scale, the next arc differs from the SS. Its pretty much the DBZ method: wash, powerup, beatdown, powerup some more, rinse, beat bad guys, repeat
But I still love Bleach and its gotten even more interesting

[harper]

Red River 20 - Yuri is in Egypt and Kail has fallen ill. Another excellent entry in this series. I think the last 8 volumes will be a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I wish they came out faster.

Yakitate!! Japan 9 - The Monaco Cup continues and enters the second round. A few interesting challenges await the team from Japan. Another entertaining volume.

Shaman King 14 - The books are coming out faster now that Shaman King has been removed from the Shonen Jump magazine. I just wish that Viz would hurry up the release of One Piece like they did Naruto. This volume wasn't bad, though it was sort of forgettable.

Inuyasha 31 - The neverending story continues. Not bad, but not great either.

Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 2 - The conclusion of this time travel story was interesting as the two forces from the future duke it out in 16th Century Japan.

Hayate the Combat Butler 5 - Hayate seeks to develop the ultimate fighting technique so that he can be a top rate butler. Another fun book in the series.

[harper]

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms - A very nice collection of three related short stories. The first takes place in 1955 and tells of a girl who survived the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The second story takes place in 1987 and the third in 2004 and both involve members of the same family. The book is pretty short at under 100 pages, but is worth it.

[Dead Sexy Vocab]

I'm reading the Inubaka manga. It's a "chikku buuku" (if you can get what I mean by that), though it's midly entertaining.

[harper]

Being without a computer for nearly a week and having some time off of school gave me a chance to start catching up on my manga reading.

Gunsmith Cats Revised Edition 1-4
Gunsmith Cats Burst 1-3 - Teenage bounty hunters in Chicago, a transporter plus lots of guns, violence and other fun stuff. I love this series, but hadn't read it since it was first released years ago. Burst is good and I'm glad to see the series revived.

Emma 7 - The end of the main story was a bit anticlimactic, but still entertaining. I'm looking forward to the side stories in the next volumes.

Translucent 3 - A sweet series that I like a lot. This volume has more everyday adventures with Shizuka, who has a disease that makes her translucent most of the time, and her friend Tadami, who is obsessed with plastic models.

Eyeshield 21 19 - The end of the Fall Tournament finally arrives in a very spirited game. The inclusion of a color section was a welcome bonus.

Pandora - A nice time travel story based on the comic book and video game.

Kekkaishi 12 - Yoshimori takes the battle goes to the Kokuburo stronghold. This series consistently delivers.

Nodame Cantabile 12 - Nodame is working hard in Paris, but is not happy with her progress. Chiaki comes back to Paris for his Parisian debut after several months of conducting in Finland. A fun series, though not as crazy as in early volumes. The story is definitely progressing.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service 6 - A couple of competitors for corpse delivery show up, including the post office and the oddly named Shirosagi Corpse Cleaning Service.

Drifting Classroom 10 - The unrelenting horror continues in new and horrific ways in this penultimate volume.

Claymore 11 - The battle in Pieta concludes or at least appears to as we learn more about the twin Claymores - Alicia and Beth.

Yakitate!! Japan 10 - The action moves to the caves of Mexico as the Monaco Cup continues.

Golgo 13 13 - We (maybe) learn the secret origin of Duke Togo in this volume in a very nice story. I hope that Viz decides to publish another series of Golgo 13 stories now that this series is over.

O-Parts Hunter 8 - Jio and Cross do battle after they mistake each other's identities.

Kaze Hikaru 8 - We learn a lot about Sojiro in this volume, which mostly takes a break from the main storyline.

Negima! 16,17 - The battle between Negi's crew and Chao continues. The volumes were fairly entertaining, but the Mahora Festival is dragging on way too long. I'm glad it is almost over.

Gin Tama 5 - More wacky fun as Gin and the gang undertake a few odd jobs.

[harper]

Drifting Classroom #11 - This series has been quite a ride of over the top horror. This final volume wasn't bad, though I thought the ending wasn't quite up to the level of the rest of the series.

ES Eternal Sabbath #7-8 - The final battle between Shuro and Isaac comes to a head in these final two volumes. This psychic drama series was very good from start to finish.

Vagabond #26-27 - Musashi vs 70 samurai from the Yoshioka. Boy, are they in trouble. The battle covers both volumes and is full of nonstop action, blood and violence. Not as interesting as the previous few volumes, but good nonetheless.

[Comazon]

Just wondering, is the Kekkaishi manga series still being released or did it end? And if it did end, how many volumes is it?

I ask because I finished watching the anime, and though it wasn't a crappy ending, I can't help but wonder if there's more to it.

[harper]

Just wondering, is the Kekkaishi manga series still being released or did it end? And if it did end, how many volumes is it?

I ask because I finished watching the anime, and though it wasn't a crappy ending, I can't help but wonder if there's more to it.

Kekkaishi is still being published in Japan. I think #19 is the latest volume. #13 should be out in the US in a couple of weeks. Viz is putting out a new volume every 3 months.

I think the anime covers events up through volume 13 of the manga, so there is plenty more story yet to come.

[Comazon]

Thanks for the info.

I guess I should try reading the manga and/or pray for a second season. :D

Edit: After a search, I found out the anime seems to end at about chapter 121 (not sure what volume that's in). Indeed, there is plenty more story to come. :)

[harper]

Kekkaishi volume 12 has chapters 106-115 so volume 13 should have 116-125, meaning the anime covers a little more than half of that book. Kekkaishi has been a very entertaining manga so far.

[Kai]

I've been really enjoying the Yotsuba series. Even better then Azumanga Daioh to an extent.

[harper]

I've been really enjoying the Yotsuba series. Even better then Azumanga Daioh to an extent.

Yotsuba is excellent. Volume 6 is supposedly out now, but I haven't received my copy of it yet.

[harper]

Brave Story 3 - Wataru and Kaori learn about (and fight against) the Church of the Elder God as the story starts to evolve beyond fighting monsters and collecting orbs. I didn't enjoy this volume as much as the first two, but it wasn't bad.

Red River 21 - Yuri is still in Egypt with Ramses when Nefertiti starts to cause problems for them. Yuri decides to fight back. This was another very good volume.

Prince of Tennis 24 - The Kanto Tournament continues. This series is okay, but features some very stretched out games.

O-Parts Hunter 9 - Jio, Ball and Ruby reach the city of Rock Bird, a city that floats in the sky, as the Olympia Tournament begins. I thought the design of the city was pretty cool.

Nodame Cantabile 11 - Chiaki partakes in a conducting competition in Paris and gets a great opportunity. Nodame makes a new friend, but is struggling with her attempts to study music. I really like this music series.

Tail of the Moon 9,10 - Usagi reunites with a childhood friend as the Iga Ninja are still under threat from Ranmaru as well as the Kouga Ninja. Usagi seems to take 1 or 2 steps back for every step forward she makes.

Inubaka 7,8 - The Woofles shop hires a new groomer and Suguri has to look for Lupin when he runs away during a rainstorm. A fun series if you like dogs, which I do.

[crow-kun]

So I've been reading Kamen Rider Spirits volumes 1-3. It's so fucking good. :karate:

[jhenn]

I am currently reading the GETBACKERS series and I am enjoying them. I am on the 12th volume now and there are 12 more to go. They have at least 2 missions (object to retrieve) per volume so its kind of an upbeat story-flow. I also bought these ones and am excited to read them:
EDEN #10
MUSASHI #14
KINDAICHI CASE FILES #17
PORTUS

[harper]

I've got Eden and Kindaichi on the way. They are two of my favorite titles. I'll get around to Musashi #14 eventually as well.

I'm pretty far behind on my manga reading now, but hopefully will catch up during the summer.

[Juvenyle]

I've just started readings Rookies it has been great so far. I think they just started a drama of the manga as well.

[akiachan]

Honey & Clover is teh best manga ever....
wait, that's after Fruits Basket, Dragon Drive, Bleach. REplay and Princess Ai.

[akiachan]

I've been really enjoying the Yotsuba series. Even better then Azumanga Daioh to an extent.
YES! It is the best. Completly deserves an anime adaptation >:]

[harper]

Dragon Head #1-10 - This was a very nice horror series. It starts with a train derailment and cave-in inside a tunnel during a school trip that leaves only a few survivors. As they wait for help and then try to escape the tunnel, it becomes evident that the disaster was much more than the problems in the tunnel. The horror escalates as the series progresses. I found the series to be a very quick and addictive read. Very much recommended.

[ab5tr4kt]

There's an obscure little series called Disappearance Diary by Azuma Hideo. It's the first manga I've bothered to pick up in a long time, and I did so simply by chance. Comedy is hard to do and this does it well. Superb storytelling and art. Cop this if you can.

[Dead Sexy Vocab]

Hikaru No Go for me right now.

On Volume 7...

[harper]

Andromeda Stories #1-3 - Machines infiltrate and start to take over a planet, killing many humans in the process. The survivors battle on as they are slowly eliminated. A young prince and his friends may be their only hope. This series wasn't quite as good as To Terra, but it was okay.

Buso Renkin #8-10 - I really liked the early volumes in this series, but it became kind of boring in the middle. I stuck with it since it was only 10 volumes, though. The ending was okay, but the series as a whole pales in comparison to Rurouni Kenshin.

[harper]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist #1-24 - I read this series over the last few days and enjoyed it a lot. This series comprises the middle two arcs of the Yu-Gi-Oh! saga, Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. I'd already read the first Yu-Gi-Oh! series and the final Millennium World arc and enjoyed those as well. I've never watched the anime or played the card game, but the manga doesn't require either to be enjoyed.

[harper]

Claymore 12 - Seven years have passed since the battle at Pieta and the survivors of the battle have been hiding out in the north ever since. A good volume that hints at some interesting things to come.

Eden 10 - Elijah has to deal with the murders of a couple of friends. Meanwhile the Closure Virus is mutating into a new form. Another excellent volume. I hope the book survives to the end at Dark Horse.

Eyeshield 21 - Deimon has to battle the Nagas and they seem to be far outclassed in every way. As always, a fun volume with lots of football action and seemingly insurmountable odds.

Kaze Hikaru 9 - The Shinsengumi have been reorganized and Sei ends up as the Chief's assistant. An entertaining book, but this one felt like the lull before the storm or maybe just an interlude between battles.

Kindaichi Case Files 17 - At the estate of a butterfly collector, people are being murdered and posed in the form of butterflies. Kindaichi is on hand to solve the case. I had this one figured out before Kindaichi made his revelations, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. It looks like the series is in trouble at Tokyopop, but if they drop it, I hope Kodansha picks it up.

La Corda d'Oro 8 - Kahoko's magic violin wears out and she has to rely on her own abilities. Plus a trip to an amusement park. Not as good as some of the other volumes in the series, but not bad.

Nodame Cantabile 13,14 - Nodame continues to work hard on her piano studies while Chiaki gets an offer to be the resident conductor of a 130 year old symphony. He soon finds out that the once popular symphony has fallen on hard times and has a number of problems. The series isn't as crazy as it was in the early volumes, but is still good.

Prince of Tennis 25,26 - The Kanto tournament finals continue. Seishun finds themselves down 2-0 in the final and tries to battle back. Long stretched out games of tennis that still manage to be entertaining.

Red River 22 - Yuri leads a rebellion in Egypt to try and rescue Ramses from Nefertiti's clutches. She also has to try and return to Hittite territory. This series seems to be rapidly approaching it's conclusion, but there are still 6 more volumes to go. Very entertaining as always.

Yakitate!! Japan 12 - The Monaco Cup has reached the finals and Team Pantasia has to go up against Team USA. First up is Suwabara vs bikini wearing Monica Adenauer. This series seems to be losing steam a bit, but is still good.

[harper]

I've still got about 90 more titles in my backlog, but have been making progress,

Alive The Final Evolution #1-5 - A very cool series about a suicide virus that infects hundreds of thousands of people leading to a rash of suicides. Those who get the virus, but don't die, end up with strange new powers. I'm enjoying this series a lot so far.

Brave Story #4 - I liked the first few volumes in this series, but was bored with this one.

Cowa! - A one volume manga by the creator of Dragonball. The monster flu hits a small monster village and it is up to Paifu (half vampire/half werekoala), Jose (a ghost) and friends to visit the far away witch on the mountain to get the cure. This is a lighthearted kids manga that I liked quite a bit. The first chapter is even in color.

Crimson Hero #8 - Nobara travels to another part of Japan to get special training as an attacker for her volleyball team, but things don't go as she expected. I thought this was a good volume, getting Nobara into a new situation and allowing for some more character development.

Dorothy of Oz #1 - Mara Shin follows her dog down a yellow road and ends up in Oz where she is mistaken for Dorothy. A new take on the Oz story and one I liked. I'll be picking up the other three volumes.

Gantz #1 - Two teenagers die, but are seemingly rescued at the last moment when they find themselves in a room with other people who recently dies. They find themselves participants in a strange game. Lots of blood and violence as well as nudity. Good stuff.

Gimmick! #1 - A manga about a special effects artist who can do just about anything effects related. This volume mostly consisted of 1 or 2 chapter stories that were fun, though not really very deep. We get treated to a haunted house, a nude model, and other scenarios.

Haridama Magic Cram School - Another one volume manga about two young obsidian sorcerers. Obsidian sorcerers are weaker than regular sorcerers because they need a stone to focus their magic, but these two friends find that they are pretty strong when they work together. I enjoyed this volume and wish there were more in the series.

Kekkaishi #13 - The end of the Kokuboro arc is entertaining. The followup story is a bit more lighthearted and serves as a nice change of pace.

Samurai Commando #1 - A so-so story about sending a troop of soldier back to Japan in the year 1549 and the effects it can have on history.

Shirley - This collects short stories by the author of Emma and also deals with Victorian maids. Excellent art and fun short stories as expected since Emma is such a great series.

Tail of the Moon #11 - A mostly forgettable volume where Hanzo gets poisoned and we learn about Mamezo's family. Not bad, but not as interesting as some.

[harper]

Case Closed #20-24 - More adventures for the pint sized detective. I'm enjoying this series more and more as it goes along and Viz isn't even caught up to the halfway point yet.

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure 1 - Kakashi wants to see the world, but all of his schemes for getting off the small island where he grew up never work out until the day an airship lands for minor repairs. I thought this first volume was lots of fun. The references to Wizard of Oz are cool, but not overdone.

Unbalance Unbalance 1 - The relationship between a high school senior and a young teacher gets off to a rocky start when he returns her lost wallet minus a small amount of money. The first volume is a mix of comedy and drama and fan service. It probably isn't very realistic, but I thought it was fun.

Zombie Fairy 1 - A boy named Aoto takes an old Chinese coffin onto a tv show to be appraised and gets more than he bargained with when a 600 year old Chinese girl is awoken and trashes the studio. Then he brings her home to meet the family. The first book was kind of crazy, but fun. It doesn't look like much more has been released yet, but I think the book has potential.

[harper]

I tried a bunch of new series the last couple of days.

.hack//G.U.+ #1,2 - This is a manga based on the videogame and deals with a PKK (player killer killer) who is trying to find the PK who killed his friend 6 months earlier. The adventure takes place in The World three years after Legend of the Twilight and is lots of fun so far. It looks to be a short series, though.

Kaze no Hana #1 - Momoka lost her memory four years earlier along with her parents. She now finds that she is the heir to the Wind Sword and is one of the guardians assigned to keep an angry god sealed away. I thought the execution was pretty choppy and could have been much better. I started getting more interested as it went along, though, and will probably stick it out for the final two volumes.

Kieli #1 - Kieli is an orphan girl who can see and talk to ghosts, but has trouble dealing with normal people. She also makes friends with Harvey, one of the the Undying Soldiers who fought a war 80 years earlier and were subsequently hunted down by the Church. I enjoyed this book a lot and wish that it was more than just a 2 book series. There are also 9 light novels, but who knows if they will ever be available in English.

Lagoon Engine Einsatz #1 - The heir to the throne of Lagoonaria has to battle the Seeds of Abomination that are spreading throughout the land. This book was so-so. It has apparently been on hiatus for a while so there may not be any more. It has an interesting premise, but is kind of boring.

Monkey High #1,2 - Haruna transfers to a new school after her father (a Diet member) is publicly disgraced. She sees the new school as a troop of monkeys and wants little to do with them, but ends up becoming friends with a boy who reminds her of a baby monkey. This series is a bit crazy at times, but not too much and has a nice little romance brewing between two unlikely subjects. Pretty entertaining overall.

Ral Grad #1 - Another manga based on a game. Ral is a human who has been raised in a cage without light for his first 15 years because he is merged with a shadow creature - the blue dragon. When he is released, he agrees to fight the other shadow creatures who are destroying the world. He agrees because he loves women and 'boobies'. The excellent art is by Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go and Death Note) and the story is actually very entertaining as well. I look forward to the next book.

Sand Chronicles #1 - After Ann's parents get divorced, she and her mother move back in with Ann's grandmother. Ann is used to Tokyo ways and has trouble adjusting at first to small town life. I liked this first volume quite a bit and plan on picking up the rest.

Switch #1 - Kai is a young guy who has a violent alter ego. He joins the local Narcotics Division as an investigator and becomes involved in trying to track down a dangerous new drug that is on the streets. I thought the art and story were a bit confusing at times, but I found it interesting enough that I'll try the next couple of volumes.

Wild Ones #1 - A shojo series about a girl who moves in with the grandfather she never knew after the death of her mother. Her grandfather happens to be a yakuza boss, though, and assigns a young man to serve as her bodyguard, a bodyguard she falls for. I thought this book was kind of weak in terms of story and I doubt I'll pick up the next volume. Maybe I'll borrow it from the library.

Yumekui Kensun: Nightmare Inspector #1 - Hiruko operates out of a tea house and will help people get rid of their nightmares for a price (he eats the dreams). This volume consists of 7 one part short stories which are interesting and well told with nice art. However, if there isn't an underlying story that develops over the next few volumes, I'm not sure how long my interest will be engaged.

[harper]

Pretty one sided on the manga front again, but oh well. My pile is rapidly diminishing.

Atelier Marie and Elie - Zarlburg Alchemist #3,4 - I love this series about a couple of alchemists and their friends. It reminds me a bit of Girl Genius for some reason. I hope the final volume gets published, but I wish the series was longer to begin with.

Dragon Drive #6,7,8 - Reiji competes with Hiruka for Shinsaber in an entertaining competition. Reiji's story later comes to a close and a new story begins with a new character, Takumi, in the lead. This series has been pretty good. The author isn't afraid to change things up.

Gin Tama #6,7 - Two more wacky volumes in one of the funniest series out there. Gin and friends help break up an underground fighting ring and also have to find other jobs after Gin loses his memory. Lots of fun.

Inubaka #9 - Suguri spends a few weeks at a breeder's ranch in the mountains to learn more about raising dogs. This was a nice break from routine in this fun series about a pet store for dogs.

Negima #18 - The Mahora Festival finallllllly ends. This volume was okay, but pales a bit compared to the last half dozen or so. It brings the first semester to a close.

O-Parts Hunter #10 - The Rock Bird tournament continues. We see a few new O-Parts and OPTs and learn a bit more of the backstory of a few of the characters. A pretty decent volume overall.

Samurai Deeper Kyo #24-26 - I liked this series for a long time, but have grown tired of it. I should have dropped it before, but am going to do so now. These volumes did very little to hold my interest.

Star Trek The Manga #3 Uchu - Five entertaining tales in the original Star Trek universe. They do a pretty good job of capturing the feel of the show.

Stray Little Devil #5 - I loved the first three volumes in this series about a girl who is transported into a dimension where there are devils and angels on the same world. The last two volumes haven't been as enjoyable. It seems that the word was given to end the series and it was quickly brought to an end instead of letting the story unfold naturally. This wasn't bad, but wasn't up the level of the earlier volumes.

XS Hybrid #3 - I like this series and this volume was pretty good. Chang's alter ego wakes up during a battle, but some of the real fun comes with the interaction between Chang, Mina and their friends.

[harper]

Black Cat #13-15 - An alliance of sweepers form with the intention of taking down Creed and the Apostles of the Stars. We also learn the history behind Train's relationship with Saya and his history with Creed. Three very enjoyable volumes of a series that has plenty of action.

High School Debut #2-4 - This is kind of an odd series, but one that I like a lot. Haruna is good at sports, but wants a boyfriend so she gets Yoh to coach her since she is hopeless in that area. Of course she ends up falling for him, but their relationship is very quirk and fun to read about.

Muhyo and Roji's BSI #3-5 - Roji keeps working to get better so that he can be a better assistant to Muhyo. Muhyo has to take down quite a few tough ghosts as well as deal with a couple of traitors. Also, some competition shows up. I like how this series is developing and building an underlying story. A pretty good read so far.

Vampire Knight #1-2 - A unique boarding school has a Day Class and a Night Class that have to be kept separated because the Night Class is a class for vampires. Yuki and Zero are the only students who know the secret and they act as a Disciplinary Committee to keep the groups separate. I tried this series since one of the volumes was sent to me in error and I ended up liking it. Now I'll pick up the next two volumes.

[akitaka]

Hey harper...would you be able to recommend me a good seinen series? Something along the lines of Blame!/BIOMEGA and Dorohedoro, or Holy Land (which I've really enjoyed so far)/Glass Heart/Freesia...I figured that you'd know since you've got such an extensive log. Art-wise, I'm really liking the first two (the inking is epic), the rest of them for their content.

My only gripe with a lot of Onemanga's listings is that many of the title's artwork feel too bubbly/unrealistic, so anything new would be a refreshing change.

[harper]

Hey harper...would you be able to recommend me a good seinen series? Something along the lines of Blame!/BIOMEGA and Dorohedoro, or Holy Land (which I've really enjoyed so far)/Glass Heart/Freesia...I figured that you'd know since you've got such an extensive log. Art-wise, I'm really liking the first two (the inking is epic), the rest of them for their content.

My only gripe with a lot of Onemanga's listings is that many of the title's artwork feel too bubbly/unrealistic, so anything new would be a refreshing change.


I haven't read any of the titles you mentioned, but here is a list of the seinen titles at Onemanga that I like:

Basilisk - ninja vs ninja - A 10 on 10 battle of Kouga vs Iga to determine the next Shogun. Very violent, but fun. Also available from Del Rey.

Emma - A series about a Victorian maid. Very well done. Also available from CMX.

Eternal Sabbath - What if someone existed who could read minds, alter memories and do just about whatever he wanted telepathically. One such man is created in a lab and gets loose because of an accident. A very nice thriller that is also available from Del Rey.

Gantz - I reviewed the first volume a few days ago. It looks to be very violent and bloody, but I liked the first volume. Also available from Dark Horse.

Gon - a manga about a dinosaur that is told without words. Also available from CMX.

Monster - A psychological thriller with serial killings. Also available from Viz.

Parasyte - Aliens invade and take over people's bodies, though one alien only takes over a teenager's hand and part of his arm before being stopped. Lots of slaughter ensues in a well written tale. Also available from Del Rey (and an older version from Tokyopop).

Pluto - A murder mystery spinning out of an Astro Boy story of all things. Available next year from Viz.

Vagabond - An adaptation of the novel Musashi about the famous swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. Gorgeous art and a nice story with tons of swordplay. Also available from Viz.

Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou (YKK) - a laid back series about a female robot (who could pass for human) in a world that is in decline. I love this series.

From the titles you mentioned, Emma, Gon and YKK don't really fit the mold, but they are all very nice series. I would also recommend Death's Head which is available from Tokyopop.

[akitaka]

Sweet :-) Eternal Sabbath sounds most interesting (kind of like Homunculus), but I'll check out any other suggestion of which I hadn't touched yet.

Some notes:

-Gantz: Been reading this, actually. Not bad, kind of video-gamey, latest volumes have been EPIC.

-Monster: Awesome, Urasawa is a God and I have to catch up with Pluto asap. Finished it a while ago, along with 21st century boys.

-Parasyte: A favorite since I was in middle school, and is going to have a movie released sometime this year (which I suspect will be really, really bad, but will see it none the less).

-Gon: Fun reading, a bit like "what's michael". Haven't read this in a while, though.

-Basilisk: Pretty good, though maybe I'm a little tired of the shinobi theme (and it is quite a bit like Nina Scroll). Peeked at this some months ago.

[harper]

I just realized I had a typo up above. I wrote Death's Head, an old Marvel title, when I meant to write Dragon Head, a 10 volume horror series from Tokyopop.

I'm glad you enjoyed Monster, Gon, Gantz and Parasyte.

[harper]

Barefoot Gen #5,6 - This is an excellent series that depicts life in Hiroshima after the bomb was dropped in 1945 and is a fictionalized account of the author's actual experiences. These two volumes take place in 1947-48 and deal with the plight of orphans, rationing, corrupt officials, the black market and yakuza.

Eyeshield 21 #21 - The second half of the battle against Shinryuji gets underway and the Devil Bats have a long uphill climb. This series continues to be highly entertaining. Unfortunately, the game continues into the next couple of volumes.

Mushishi #3,4 - This series keeps growing on me and I'm enjoying it more with each volume. Each book contains a number of short stories about Ginko and his travels and how he deals with the various mushi that arise. We also learn more about his past.

Zatch Bell! #15-19 - The battle against the 1000 year old mamodo led by Zofis continues and comes to a conclusion. The stories after seem to revert to what they were like before the last (long) arc, but it seems that something else is on the horizon. A fun series with lots of odd characters.

[harper]

Dragon Drive #9 - Takumi gets more training in playing Dragon Drive and it becomes apparent that has natural ability. Then a hacker takes over the Dragon Drive system and causes other problems. I'm enjoying this 'second stage' of the Dragon Drive saga.

Gakuen Alice #1 - Mikan runs away from home to search for her friend Hotaru, who transferred to a special school in Tokyo months earlier. The school is for students with special abilities and is considered to be elite. A good opening to the series. NOw I need to check out the next couple of volumes.

Kaze Hikaru #10 - More change for the Shinsengumi as they recruit new members and plan a move to a new headquarters. One of the new officers poses a few problems for Kamiya. Another good volume in this historical series.

Muhyo and Roji's BSI #6 - The showdown between Muhyo and Goryo concludes. Roji also gets an opportunity to learn what his abilities actually are. I like the way this series is developing. It has been getting more interesting as it continues.

Pretty Face #1-6 - Rando is a high school senior, an expert in karate and a bully. He gets into a bus crash and ends up in a coma for a year. His face was messed up in the accident and the doctor who operates on him reconstructs his face to be the same as a girl Rando had a picture of in his wallet. Rando then gets mistaken for the girl's missing twin sister. I ended up enjoying this series a lot more than I expected. It had lots of gags and comedy and was a fun read.

Tail of the Moon #12 - There is a big change in this volume as the battle between Iga and Oda comes to a head. This might be my favorite volume in the series so far. Only three more volumes to go.

[harper]

Heaven #2,3 - A spirit comes down from heaven to take over the body of a high school boy. I thought this series was kind of weak, especially compared to the author's earlier series, Girl Got Game.

Inuyasha #32-34 - The battle against Naraku and the search for Shikon shard pieces continues. These volumes were okay, but there are still 20 more volumes to go. Geez.

Shaman King #15-17 - The Shaman King Tournament continues. We learn more about Hao and his relationship to Yoh. I like this series and am glad that it will finally have an actual ending, though we won't see it here for a while yet.

Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go #1,2 - The original Speed Racer manga is a fun set. It comes in a very nice hardcover slipcase edition with dustjackets and a few color pages amongst the over 600 pages of manga. My only problems with the set were a few pages in the middle of volume 2 that were out of order and 13-14 pages of a story from volume one that were recycled in the first story in volume 2. I think it is well worth the $39.95 SRP, though it is available much cheaper online.

[harper]

Hayate the Combat Butler #6.7 - Hayate runs a marathon with Nagi, gets sent to the Tiger's Pit for Butlers for more training and starts getting visited by a ghost. Volume 6 is essentially one long story (with plenty of gags of course), but volume 7 goes back to the shorter stories. Fun stuff, but each volume takes a while to read with all of the humor and situations.

Pastel #9-11 - Mugi still has trouble confessing his feelings to Yuu, but Kazuki lets Manami know how he feels. Both Kazuki and Mugi have their 18th birthdays during these volumes. Mugi's dad returns briefly, leaving behind his 23 year old fiancee who causes quite a few problems. I like this series, but these volumes didn't really have much progress in terms of the relationships.

Suzuka #7,8 - Yamato's relationship with Honoka seems to be in trouble. Yamato also decides to take running track seriously and do the best he can. Suzuka seems to be the most messed up character here since she has trouble expressing her feelings. These two volumes were good and, unlike Pastel, some progress is made.

[harper]

Naruto #16-31 - While still a bit immature at times, I like seeing how Naruto grows during the series. There are basically three main stories in these 16 volumes - The search for Tsunade, the search for Sasuke, and the search for Gaara. My favorite parts are when Naruto is being trained by Jiraiya, though the battle scenes are often entertaining as well.

[harper]

Bleach #22-24 - I'm enjoying the post Soul Society stories so far. Ichigo has to learn to control his inner hollow.

One Piece #16-19 - The Drum Island story concludes with the gang picking up another member and then they head for Alabaster to stop a rebellion. I thought Luffy's brother was funny and I imagine he'll be back in later episodes.

Yu Gi Oh GX #2 - The story is starting to pick up a bit, but it isn't as interesting as the original series yet. I thought the info on Jaden's background was good.

Yu Yu Hakusho #14-15 - The group has to stop an invasion from the demon plane from starting. The foes they face are good. I especially liked the Gamemaster battle.

[harper]

With this batch, I'm finally all caught up with my manga. Of course, I'm expecting shipments with more volumes soon, so there will always be more to read.

Black Lagoon #1 - A slightly oversized volume from Viz about a group of mercenaries who use a WWII torpedo boat as their base. They work with or against the Russian mafia, Chinese triads, Columbian drug cartels and other assorted tough guys. The action is kind of crazy, but fun. I liked this first volume.

Fairy Tail #1 - Lucy is a young wizard who wants to join Fairy Tail, a guild for powerful wizards. When she gets her opportunity, she finds it isn't exactly the way she pictured it. Lots of slapstick humor with nice art and engaging characters.

Gimmick! #2 - This series seems to be moving toward longer stories than the 1 or 2 parters from the first volume. Kohei has to use his special effects wizardry to prevent a jewel heist and clear his name after being framed. He later finds himself the target of someone else who is trying to either frame or kill him. A fun series with plenty of action.

Hayate the Combat Butler #8 - Hayate has to vacate the mansion for a few days after accidentally seeing Ojo-sama in the nude. He soon finds himself without money through a series of events and has to rely on his friends for a place to stay. This series reminds me of Gin Tama in terms of the type of humor. Kind of wacky, but good.

Spiral The Bonds of Reasoning #1-4 - A mystery series centered around an intelligent high school student named Ayumu and his sister in law, a police lieutenant. Both still miss Ayumu's older brother, a genius and police officer officer who disappeared two years earlier. Their only clue is something about the "Blade Children", who crop up in a series of deaths involving people from Ayumu's high school. These are nice volumes and the story of the Blade Children is slowly evolving. Very cool.

Zatch Bell! #20 - Zatch and friends meet a new mamodo with bunny ears who seems to enjoy stealing girl's underwear and looking up their skirts, thus enraging Tia. He has the ability to locate other mamodo, though, so he is useful. The next big story seems to be developing with a mysterious giant mamodo.

[harper]

Fairy Tail 2 - Lucy and Natsu team up to try and destroy a book held by an eccentric Duke. More wacky and entertaining adventure in a series that I'm enjoying a lot so far.

Vampire Knight 4 - We learn more about Zero's background in this volume. Also, the Night Class gets a new student who may be more than she appears. Another decent volume.

The Voices of a Distant Star - A girl goes off into space on a research mission, leaving behind the boy she loves. He ages at a faster rate back on Earth than she does while travelling through space. The distance also means her messages take longer and longer to arrive. A nice one and done love story

[harper]

Fairy Tail 3 - The team of Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray and Happy take on a dark guild in order to prevent a massacre. Of course, there is lots of collateral damage, but the battles and humor are very entertaining. I'm thinking of checking out Rave Master by the same author.

Gakuen Alice 3 - The school festival is coming up so lots of the students are excited. Mikan also gets her first visit to Central Town where lots of Alices sell their goods. Popular Hollywood star and Alice School graduate Reo returns to headline the school festival, but may have a more sinister motive. This series is starting to delve into the backstory and is getting even better as it goes along.

Someday's Dreamers 1-2 - Yume travels to Tokyo to become an apprentice magic user in preparation for passing the exam to get licensed. She has a problem around men, though, and her instructor happens to be a man. This was a nice short slice of life series.

Someday's Dreamers: Spellbound 1-5 - This spinoff manga focuses on another magic user, Nami, whose magic never seems to do what she wants it to do. She must soon decide whether to try and become a professional magic user or give up magic and attend college. Her world changes when a new boy comes to town. I enjoyed this series even more than the original series. A third series appears to be underway in Japan as well.

[harper]

Kekkaishi 14 - Yoshimori helps Takeshi with the ayakashi that Takeshi is after. Yoshimori later helps a crow goblin ayakashi with a problem dealing with the crow's master in a humorous interlude. Another nice volume as usual.

O-Parts Hunter 11 - Shuri and Jin conclude their battle while Anna and Kite try to escape from their cell. Jio and Ball start their match and it isn't as onesided as you might expect. The secret behind Olympia is also revealed in this volume. I think this series continues to improve as it progresses.

Prince of Tennis 27 - The Kanto Tournament ends in an entertaining finale.

Whistle! 20 - The first game in the national youth tournament pits Sho's Tokyo Select team against one of the favorites - Kanto Select. A few familiar faces from earlier in the series return. I love this series and wish it was still bimonthly instead of 3 times per year.

[harper]

I haven't been reading very much manga for the past couple of months since school started, but I'm going to try and get caught up a bit during the holidays.

Aqua 1,2 - Mars has been terraformed over a 150 year period and is now covered with lots of water. Akari travels to the water planet to become an undine, a gondolier who takes sightseers around the city. This slice of life manga is laid back and fun to read. It reminds me a bit of YKK.

Inubaka 10 - A rival pet store opens up across the street from Woofles. Also, one of the store's clients decides to go on a diet along with his dog. This series is still lots of fun.

Mixed Vegetables 1 - The son of a top sushi chef wants to be a pastry chef. The daughter of a top pastry chef wants to be a sushi chef. Working together, they both might be able to have their dreams come true. I think this series is off to a pretty good start. It isn't crazy like other cooking/baking mangas I've read (e.g. Iron Wok Jan and Yakitate Japan) since it is more of a romance, but it is entertaining.

My Heavenly Hockey Club 3,4 - The third volume wasn't too bad with Hana pretending to be Izumi's fiance and also with the gang working at a hot springs, but the fourth volume was pretty boring. I think I'll be dropping this series.

S.S. Astro Asashio Sogo Teacher's ROom - I had high hopes for this volume, but was kind of disappointed. The art isn't bad and is reminiscent of Azumanga Daioh, but the story and jokes are very hit or miss.

Yakitate!! Japan 13 - We learn more about Pierrot and the King of Monaco while the Monaco Cup continues. Still a good series, but not quite as much fun as the early volumes in the series.

[Joe Rocket]

just keeping up with my usuals, Naruto and Gantz

[harper]

just keeping up with my usuals, Naruto and Gantz

Naruto Nation 2 is coming in February. Viz is going to get caught up to Japan by releasing 3 or so volumes per month through volume 44 in April and then they'll be releasing a new volume every 2-3 months.

[Kai]

#2 of Shoulder a Coffin: Kuro

#7 of Mahou Sensei Negima.

[harper]

I finally got a chance to start getting caught up today. I read 5 volumes and only have 105 to go, though more will probably arrive in the interim ;)

The Quest for the Missing Girl by Jiro Taniguchi - Shiga is a mountaineer who maintains a refuge for climbers in the mountains of Japan. He comes down from the mountains to the city when the 15 year old daughter of his ex-climbing partner (who died 12 years earlier) goes missing. Solving the mystery and finding the girl tests Shiga's resolve and, ultimately, his climbing abilities as well. This is an excellent graphic novel, though I expected that since I also loved Taniguchi's The Walking Man and Hotel Harbour View. Highly recommended.

One Pound Gospel 4 - Finally, Takahashi returns to the title and wraps things up. I really enjoyed this series about a boxer and a nun and always wished there was more and now there is. Unfortunately, this is the final volume. It is a decent conclusion, but I sort of get the feeling that Takahashi would rather have been working on something else. Still, I enjoyed it and would read more if it were ever to continue.

Nodame Cantabile 15 - Nodame's first piano recital takes place under the sponsorship of a Mozart fanatic. She travels to the recital with Chiaki, Tanya and Kuroki and get a little vacation time in as well. I really enjoy this series. Nodame has matured a lot and Chiaki has grown as a character as well.

Claymore 13 - The seven survivors of the battle in the North continue their return to the South and try to assess the current state of affairs. We also get a couple of extra short stories. I wish this series came out faster. I like it a lot, but want more.

Spiral 5 - The mystery of the Blade Children continues. This series is pretty good, but I think it is better enjoyed in larger chunks. I read the first four volumes in one sitting and loved it. This volume was good, but is a smaller piece of the story.

[harper]

Monster volumes 1-18 - This series starts in 1986 with a brilliant, young Japanese neurosurgeon who saves the life of a young boy at a hospital in Germany. Unfortunately, the boy turns out to be a psychopath and serial killer whose murders lead to the doctor being falsely accused of being a serial killer himself many years later. He ends up on the run trying to find the boy and a number of mysteries slowly unravel over the course of the series. The series meanders a bit here and there and there are similarities to The Fugitive, but this is an entertaining ride and well worth reading. I've enjoyed reading PLuto and am looking forward to reading Urasawa's 20th Century Boys.

[stsparky]

Anyone read the Gokusen manga? BTW Walking Man is near perfect.

[harper]

Anyone read the Gokusen manga? BTW Walking Man is near perfect.

I haven't read Gokusen, but I agree with you about Walking Man. You should check out The Quest for the Missing Girl that I mentioned above.

[harper]

Crimson Hero 9 - Nobara finishes her intense training by competing in an exhibition match on a men's team and then returns home. I like the development Nobara has shown over the course of the series in her efforts to improve her game.

Gakuen Alice 4 - I've really been enjoying this series about kids with special abilities. The Alice Festival starts and the different ability classes put on their events. This was a fun volume and it's pretty clear that this festival will be much shorter than Negima's Mahora Festival.

The Ice Wanderer and Other Stories - All of these stories feature the excellent art of Jiro Taniguchi. A few of them are inspired by the life and works of Jack London and take place in Alaska or other areas of frozen tundra. There are also several other nice stories. Walking Man and Quest for the Missing Girl are better,, but these were good, too.

Kieli 2 - The last volume in this (unfortunately) short series wraps up the story nicely, though I would really love to see more. Kieli's ability to see and communicate with ghosts can come in handy, but leaves her as a bit of an outcast. I wish the manga was longer, but maybe the novels will expand the world some more.

Tail of the Moon 13,14,15 - These volumes wrap the series up nicely. Usagi is still an excellent herbalist, but she had to grow up a lot after the attack on the Iga Ninja clan. The bonus story at the end was cool, because we get to see what happens to Mamezo, Watari, Goemon and the rest years after the main story concludes.

Whistle 21 - The Select Tournament continues with the matches against Tohoku and Kyushu. The tournament play is fun and this was a good volume, but I enjoyed a number of earlier volumes even more. I wish Viz would accelerate the schedule again to get the last three volumes out.

[Samurai_Pooh]

Can anyone recommend a good horror manga to read? I just finished uzumaki and am a bit new to the genre

[stsparky]

Can anyone recommend a good horror manga to read? I just finished uzumaki and am a bit new to the genre
You may like Parasyte.

[harper]

You may like Parasyte.

I'll second Parasyte. I really enjoyed that one. I'd also recommend Dragon Head and Drifting Classroom. Drifting Classroom is an older manga, so it may not be for everybody, but I thought it was very good.

[Samurai_Pooh]

thanks, I'll look into them :)

[Saitou Hajime]

Give Gyo a try as well. It's only two volumes, and from the same author as Uzumaki.

Battle Royale is very suspenseful and gory. It's not horror in the paranormal sense, but tension and thrills run high. It's actually a very good adaptation of the novel, with even better characterization. They overdid it on the sex, but it's so great that you can look past that.

Try to find Fuan no Tane (Seeds of Anxiety) online. I believe it's 3 volumes of very, very short stories (some only a page or two in length), based around various local legends and myths in Japan. Some of them are very creepy despite the little time given to build it up.

[harper]

Astral Project #1,2 - Masahiko's sister dies and he inherits a cd that, when played, allows his astral body to leave his physical body. He explores the astral plane and tries to learn more about his sister's death. I thought these two volumes were very entertaining. I'm interested in seeing where the story goes from here, but these two volumes were very well done.

Eyeshield 21 #22-24 - The Kanto Tournament continues with tons of entertaining football action plus some down time at a high school festival between matches. This is a fast paced series that is lots of fun.

Gadget #1 - Toriga loves fixing and playing around with anything electronic. A girl he likes asks him to look at a gadget she has, it leads to encounters with aliens. This is a lighthearted volume that I enjoyed quite a bit. It's too bad that ADV never brought out the other two volumes in the series. They'll probably never be published here.

Gothic Sports #1 - Anya starts at a new school and decides to join a sports team so that she can be more popular. It doesn't work out exactly as she planned, but eventually leads to her forming a Gothic soccer team. A nice first volume. I'll check out the next two volumes soon.

O-Parts Hunter #12-14 - The action has been cranking up for a while now, with the tournament in Rock Bird and now the aftermath. The battle is on between Ikaros and Jio/Satan. There is also the internal battle between Jio and Satan. There are several interesting twists and turns as this series rockets toward the conclusion in another 5 volumes. This series has been pretty consistent and well done.

[Kai]

Area 88 #7-10

Ah! My Goddess #31

Mahou Sensei Negima #9

Yotsuba #6

[harper]

.hack//GU+ #3,4 - Haseo tries to save his friend Shino, who has fallen into a coma. I liked Legend of the Twilight a lot, but this series was only so-so at best.

.hack//XXXX #1,2 - The story in this short series was a lot more coherent than in GU+. I also thought the art was better. These two volumes tell the story of Kite and how he uses a gift from Aura to save his friend Orca, who has (wait for it)...fallen into a coma after being attacked by a strange monster. Comas are a recurring theme with .hack. I liked this series, though, and think it is about as good as Legend of the Twilight.

Kekkaishi #15,16 - Yoshimori and Tokine's powers seem to be growing in response to the Karasumori site. In these volumes, a powerful ayakashi shows up that seems invincible and after this menace is dealt with, a high school girl becomes fixated on Yoshimori. Not quite as much drama as some of the earlier volumes in the series, but they are still very entertaining.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service #7,8 - A zombie robot otaku, a trap set using the ears of a movie star, a business centered around marrying the dead and other stories fill these two volumes. I really like this series. At times it doesn't really seem to be going anywhere long term, but the stories are still pretty decent and enjoyable to read.

La Corda d'Oro #9 - An interlude before the final round of the competition sees Kahoko practicing quite abit, but struggling since she doesn't have magical assistance anymore. We also learn more about Ryotaro's past. This has been a nice shojo series, that I enjoy even more because of my interest in music.

Prince of Tennis #28,29 - The Kanto Tournament is over and the National Tournament is about to begin. The prodigy from Kansai is a pretty funny character. This series was boring for a while, but has been much better the last 6-7 volumes. I enjoyed these two, even if they are pretty quick reads.

Real #2,3 - The world of wheelchair basketball. I didn't think I'd enjoy this series when I first read about it, but it is very good. I gave it a shot because I like both Slam Dunk and Vagabond. In these two volumes, we learn quite a bit about Togawa's past and also see a lot of Takahashi's struggles after his accident. Highly recommended.

Red River #23,24 - Yuri finally rejoins the Hittite forces as they prepare for battle against Egypt. Ramses is bent on fighting Kail, who is more than willing to oblige. This very nice shojo series is in the home stretch with only four more volumes to go. I really like the historical aspects of the series as well as the story itself.

[Shamu]

Currently reading (or still reading, I should say) Naruto.
There's been a lot of major plot developments in the past 50 chapters or so, but it's now stuck on a battle that I hope ends soon so we can move on and find out the damage done.

[Dead Sexy Vocab]

NARUTO SPOILER:






















































RIP Hinata. :gloomy:

[stsparky]

The Quest for the Missing Girl by Jiro Taniguchi - Shiga is a mountaineer who maintains a refuge for climbers in the mountains of Japan. He comes down from the mountains to the city when the 15 year old daughter of his ex-climbing partner (who died 12 years earlier) goes missing. Solving the mystery and finding the girl tests Shiga's resolve and, ultimately, his climbing abilities as well. This is an excellent graphic novel, though I expected that since I also loved Taniguchi's The Walking Man and Hotel Harbour View. Highly recommended.
Just got the above, the first two volumes of Monster, and the first volume of 20th Century Boys and Pluto.

[harper]

Just got the above, the first two volumes of Monster, and the first volume of 20th Century Boys and Pluto.

I loved Monster, Pluto and Missing Girl. I hope you like them, too. I have 20th Century Boys, but plan on waiting a while to read it so that I can read at least several volumes at once.

[stsparky]

The Quest for the Missing Girl was surprising and a compelling read but parts felt odd. The kids, save for the photographer girl, just felt uninteresting. The protagonist was the reason I read on. The bad guy was just anal and pathetic.

But thanks for the suggestion - I liked it.

[harper]

I've managed to fall really far behind on my comic reading what with work and other stuff. However, I'm making an effort to get caught up a bit now that I'm on vacation for a week.

Claymore 14 - More adventures with the warriors from the North plus a couple of side stories. I really like this series, but wish it came out more often. One of the downsides of being pretty much caught up with Japan.

Crimson Hero 10 - Nobara and her squad start the Newcomers' Tournament for a chance to advance to the Spring Tournament. This volleyball series keeps getting better as it goes along.

Eden 11 - The action shifts to Australia as Elijah tries to rescue his sister. We learn a bit more about Maya as the Closure Virus mutates and spreads to Ayers Rock. One of the best series going right now. I'm ready for volume 12 later this year.

Eyeshield 21 25 - Deimon vs Ojo is a lot different than the first time they met. The games keep getting better and better as the series progresses. The next book should be good, too, since the game isn't over yet.

Gon 1-7 - It has been a long time since I read this series about a tough little dinosaur who travels to many different locales and has encounters with a multitude of creatures, some on friendly terms and some not. The story is told entirely with pictures and I think the artwork is fantastic, especially the few color pages at the beginning of the first five volumes. Wherever Gon travels, there is bound to be plenty of action and violence.

Go West! 1,2 - A crazy little series about a teenage girl who travels to the New World and the Wild West in search of her family, from whom she was separated as a baby. Along the way, she meets an outlaw who is convinced he is her brother and a bounty hunter who thinks that he is her dad. Lots of crazy antics, but I loved the first two books.

La Corda d'Oro 10 - The Final Selection in the competition arrives. This volume wasn't quite as interesting as the previous ones, but it does a good job wrapping up the story. It would be a good place to end the series, but apparently the series is still ongoing in Japan.

Mushishi 5,6 - More odd tales of mushi as Ginko continues his travels. A very entertaining series.

O-Parts Hunter 15 - Jio, Ball and friends head out to rescue Ruby when they run into some opposition. It was a decent volume, but not as much fun as the last few.

Red River 25 - More intrigue as Urhi is captured and Queen Nakia faces charges of treason as the action shifts back to Hattusa. However, Nakia isn't done yet. This series is rapidly coming to a close with only 3 volumes left, but it is still a very nice read.

[archdukezeb]

Just got the above, the first two volumes of Monster, and the first volume of 20th Century Boys and Pluto.

20th century and Pluto are both dope as fuck. I forgot who the mangaka is but the man's a genuis. Anyone read Gantz, Witches, Cigatuera, Japan Tengu Party, Solanin, Nijigahara Holograph, Boko To Ishu, or Zetman?

[harper]

20th century and Pluto are both dope as fuck. I forgot who the mangaka is but the man's a genuis. Anyone read Gantz, Witches, Cigatuera, Japan Tengu Party, Solanin, Nijigahara Holograph, Boko To Ishu, or Zetman?


Urasawa did 20th Century Boys, Pluto, Monster and others. He is very good. I've read most of Pluto already in scanlation, but am going to reread the whole thing when Viz is done publishing the series.

I plan to read Nijigahara Holograph and Solanin. I started Solanin, but put it aside because I got busy. I'll get back to it eventually. Gantz has been pretty entertaining. The latest Dark Horse volume is in my stack of stuff to read (along with over 100 other volumes).

[stsparky]

Monster v10 just read ... 8 to go.

[Scafl]

Starting January 2009 I've been picking up Shonen Jump for some reason. One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, and Bobobo are pretty cool I guess, and I was really digging Slam Dunk... only for it to be completely taken out next issue. I mostly get these things for the exclusive cards though.

[harper]

Alive 6 - This volume was good as Taisuke and the rest get close to Katsumata's group and battle with a couple of his followers. The series reads better in larger chunks, though.

Astral Project 3 - Masahiko and Misa become close in real life as well as on the astral plane. Masahiko doesn't make a lot of progress in finding out about his sister in this volume, though. I'm still really enjoying this suspense series and am looking forward to finding out where it is heading. Too bad there is only one book left.

Emma 8 - Side stories featuring the supporting cast from the main story do a nice job filling in some of the gaps. I especially enjoyed the story with Kelly and her husband visiting the Great Exhibition and the story where Eleanor and Ernest become acquainted.

Fire Investigator Nanase 1 - Nanase is a rookie fire investigator whose parents died in a fire. Three years earlier, she rescued a man from a fire who turned out to be the arsonist responsible for the fire. He comes back into her life now and starts helping her solve crimes for his own reasons. This first book was good, but I think there is still a lot of room for it to develop.

Kaze Hikaru 11,12 - A time of change for the Shinsengumi as one of their members dies and the group prepares to move their headquarters. As always, a very nice historical drama.

Prince of Tennis 30 - A very fast paced volume as the Nationals begin. It was okay, though not as much fun as other recent volumes.

Spiral 6 - One of the Blade Children arrives and immediately starts hunting the other Blade Children. There was some action, but this volume seems to be setting the stage for stories to come. The new adversary, Kanon, seems like he'll be a formidable foe.

[Scafl]

Alive 6 - This volume was good as Taisuke and the rest get close to Katsumata's group and battle with a couple of his followers. The series reads better in larger chunks, though.

Astral Project 3 - Masahiko and Misa become close in real life as well as on the astral plane. Masahiko doesn't make a lot of progress in finding out about his sister in this volume, though. I'm still really enjoying this suspense series and am looking forward to finding out where it is heading. Too bad there is only one book left.

Emma 8 - Side stories featuring the supporting cast from the main story do a nice job filling in some of the gaps. I especially enjoyed the story with Kelly and her husband visiting the Great Exhibition and the story where Eleanor and Ernest become acquainted.

Fire Investigator Nanase 1 - Nanase is a rookie fire investigator whose parents died in a fire. Three years earlier, she rescued a man from a fire who turned out to be the arsonist responsible for the fire. He comes back into her life now and starts helping her solve crimes for his own reasons. This first book was good, but I think there is still a lot of room for it to develop.

Kaze Hikaru 11,12 - A time of change for the Shinsengumi as one of their members dies and the group prepares to move their headquarters. As always, a very nice historical drama.

Prince of Tennis 30 - A very fast paced volume as the Nationals begin. It was okay, though not as much fun as other recent volumes.

Spiral 6 - One of the Blade Children arrives and immediately starts hunting the other Blade Children. There was some action, but this volume seems to be setting the stage for stories to come. The new adversary, Kanon, seems like he'll be a formidable foe.
Do you download manga, because if you don't you must spend a LOT of money on all these. You post these reviews pretty frequently.

[harper]

Do you download manga, because if you don't you must spend a LOT of money on all these. You post these reviews pretty frequently.

While I have read some series via scanlation (Hajime no Ippo for example), almost all of them are ones that I purchased, though occasionally I'll take a few out of the library (Aria, Gakuen Alice).

I buy about 20-25 manga per month, so the cost does add up. However, I get all of my Viz titles at a 46% discount and other titles at a 30-35% discount, so that helps.

[stsparky]

I get all of my Viz titles at a 46% discount and other titles at a 30-35% discount, so that helps.
How? I've spent about $200 on Monster. 12 of which I spent 8.85 for.

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/02/72/9d06c060ada04a668f730210.L.jpg
This is very compelling ... love Astro's sis in this ...

Also in 20th Century Boys — WTF here. The below seems a throwaway image.
http://image.onemanga.com/004/mangas/00000159/00000001/05.jpg

[Saitou Hajime]

Monster is so worth the $200.

[harper]

How? I've spent about $200 on Monster. 12 of which I spent 8.85 for.

[Pluto image removed]

I have an account with Simon and Schuster, the distributor for Viz. That gets me a 46% discount on their titles.

As far as the other books, I get them from my comic book store. They give me a 30% discount on most manga, though a few of them are at 35%. I also get 30%-40% off trade paperbacks and hardcovers from DC, Marvel, etc. and 35% off new comics.

I've occasionally purchased titles from Buy.com as well. They're a bit hit or miss, though. Sometimes they'll have titles at 30%-40% off, but sometimes they'll be only a dollar off of cover price.

I just checked out Buy.com and it appears that they have a lot of the Monster titles for $5.99. However, the price they sometimes show is from one of their partners. You'd have to get it from Buy.com by looking at their Other Marketplace Options choice. The advantage of this is that Buy.com gives free shipping on most items if your total is over $25. This makes Buy.com a better deal, even if their per book price is slightly higher.

[stsparky]

B&N is giving me free shipping.
The annoyance is that my spouse has 20th Century Boys complete in Japanese but I can't quite read it. She also has 54 Inu Yasha volumes ...
Heh.

[harper]

Gaba Kawa - A demon girl takes human form in order to create mischief and thereby gain power. However, things change when she falls in love with a human boy. A nice done in one volume by the creator of Wild Act and Happy Hustle High, which I also enjoyed.

The Girl Who Runs Through Time 1,2 - A lab accident gives a girl the ability to move through time. At first it seems to be a blessing, but drawbacks later become apparent. A nice short two volume series.

Rosario + Vampire 1 to 6 - A human boy ends up at a high school for monsters when no other school will accept him. He quickly befriends and falls in love with a vampire girl. This starts out as a rather formulaic (but fun) series where the girl saves the boy from a variety of monsters, but it starts evolving around the 3rd or 4th volume. I'm enjoying it a lot so far.

Sand Chronicles 2,3 - Ann's father comes back into her life a few years after she moved in with her grandparents and she has to decide whether or not to move back to Tokyo with him and away from her boyfriend. This is a pretty good shojo series with likable characters and some character growth as well.

We Were There 1 - This book was okay. It took me awhile to start liking the characters since Yano is kind of a jerk, but I'm hooked enough that I'll probably check out the next couple of volumes.

[archdukezeb]

Also in 20th Century Boys — WTF here. The below seems a throwaway image.
http://image.onemanga.com/004/mangas/00000159/00000001/05.jpg

What do you mean by throwaway image?

[stsparky]

The girl is tied up to keep her from the phonograph not for any nefarious reason. Not obvious.

[harper]

Gantz 4 - A fast paced volume as the new group goes out to hunt aliens. Lots of fun.

Legend of Zelda 1 to 4 - The first three volumes all go together and follow Link as he leaves the forest and becomes the Hero of Time and has adventures. The fourth volume starts over with an alternate world where Link grows up on a farm with his grandparents and goes off to the castle to try and become a knight and ends up on an adventure. Overall, the volumes were pretty well done.

Muhyo and Roji's BSI 7 to 10 - The end of the training camp story while Muhyo tries to form a pact with the underlord, Pluto. Then the group has a few encounters with forbidden law practitioners as they pursue Enchu. NOt my favorite series, but still pretty entertaining.

Real 4 - We see flashbacks to how Kiyo first got involved in wheelchair basketball and also see his development in the present. His relationship with his father is also explored. Another excellent series from the creator of Slam Dunk and Vagabond.

[stsparky]

Damn B&N delivered Monster v. 18 first. Ouch!

Reading Dr. Slump (something I first read in Sapporo 21 years ago) - odd.
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/bestselling-comics-2007/3151-1.jpg
http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/bestselling-comics-2007/2085-1.jpg

[xtine]

I've been reading Nodame Cantabile. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I'm already a big fan of classical music, so a manga about students of classical music? Awesomeness.

Plus I also really like the live action Japanese drama of it.

[harper]

I've been reading Nodame Cantabile. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I'm already a big fan of classical music, so a manga about students of classical music? Awesomeness.

Plus I also really like the live action Japanese drama of it.

I love Nodame Cantabile. It is pretty silly early on and gets more serious as it progresses and I think that suits the title quite well.

[Masa the Masta]

New Berserk chapter coming out soon.

HELL YEAH.

[stsparky]

http://comicsmedia.ign.com/comics/image/article/680/680567/naoki-urasawas-monster-20060110012839775_640w.jpg through
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51jB4Qv4LYL._SS500_.jpg

Holy moley — the ending ...

[Saitou Hajime]

Amazing, wasn't it? Monster isn't just my favorite manga, it's up there with my favorite works of literature in general. I reread it recently and it was even better a second time.

I'm going to start reading Berserk soon, Masa. Got the anime boxset recently, too.

[Digital Masta]

New Berserk chapter coming out soon.

HELL YEAH.

Did you hear that he's putting off the manga because he's currently involved in a hobby? Fuckin' Idol Master...whatever the fuck that is...I hate you Miura..I really do.

[Masa the Masta]

Did you hear that he's putting off the manga because he's currently involved in a hobby? Fuckin' Idol Master...whatever the fuck that is...I hate you Miura..I really do.

[scanlations are currently available - direct link removed]

WHERE'S YOUR IDOL MASTER NOW, SON?

(302 was released friday, 2 days ago. 303 comes out May 8th)

Edit: If I'm not allowed to post manga scans because of the gray area concerning the legality of it, I'll delete if requested, but honestly its so blatant and widespread, I don't think anyone will be issuing a warning to the forums to shut down, as I'm not personally uploading the manga myself.

[I don't disagree with you, but my recollection is that we decided youtube links were okay, but other direct links were best left out. Onemanga and TheSpectrum are pretty easy to find]

[stsparky]

20th Century Boys #2 came in from Amazon today!

[Kyletherealninja]

Generally I'm not too "into" manga, but since I enjoyed Rurouni Kenshin when it was on TV a few years ago and even bought a few of the manga collections I decided to go back and finally read the rest of the story, which has really exceeded my expectations. Most shonen manga isn't of much interest to me (Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, etc.) but this one's really a cut above. I like historical/samurai stuff in general, what are some other comics along these same lines?

[harper]

Generally I'm not too "into" manga, but since I enjoyed Rurouni Kenshin when it was on TV a few years ago and even bought a few of the manga collections I decided to go back and finally read the rest of the story, which has really exceeded my expectations. Most shonen manga isn't of much interest to me (Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, etc.) but this one's really a cut above. I like historical/samurai stuff in general, what are some other comics along these same lines?

Lone Wolf and Cub is an excellent historical/samurai manga. It is much more realistic than Rurouni Kenshin, though I really like both titles. The only problem with Lone Wolf and Cub is that it comes in the small bunko editions. I got used to that, though.

Vagabond is another title that is worth checking out. It is an adaptation of the novel, Musashi, which details the life of Miyamoto Musashi in the 1600s. It takes place around the same time as Lone Wolf and Cub. Excellent art and story.

Kaze Hikaru is a shojo samurai series that takes place during the same time frame as Rurouni Kenshin, but from the opposite side of the conflict. It can be both silly and serious and I think it gets better as the series progresses. I have found it to be a very good series.

Gintama also takes place around the same time as Rurouni Kenshin, but takes place in a Japan that has been conquered by aliens. They have lots of elements of our modern culture, but mixed in with Japanese culture of the time. This is a very funny series and one that I enjoy a lot. There is plenty of action, but this is a comedy series.

[Mastiker]

I just recently purchased all of Dragonball Z and Jing: King of Bandits (Twilight Tales).

Mwahaha man. My bookcase is so full now. Son of a bitch.

[Kyletherealninja]

So I'm all caught up on Vagabond, which I've really liked. Great art and story, and it's fairly realistic as well.

Over the past week I read all of Gantz thus far. A friend of mine is a fan of this comic so I thought I'd check it out, and I actually really liked it. Too bad there won't be any more new chapters until October.

[harper]

I'm glad you liked Vagabond. It is a very good title. I've also been enjoying Gantz.

You might check out Real, which is by the same guy who does Vagabond. It's about wheelchair basketball, but is very good.

[harper]

Fairy Tail 5 - The battle on the island continues. Not as much fun as earlier volumes, but still pretty good.

Gakuen Alice 5,6 - The end of the Alice Festival plus someone is stealing alices from people. This is a fun series that seems to be getting better.

Yagyu Ninja Scrolls: Revenge of the Hori Clan 1 - Most of the Hori Clan is executed and the seven who are left need training to get their revenge. A promising start to the series.

[harper]

I've started working on my backlog:

Emma 9 - The side stories continue as Emma approaches its conclusion. I thought the side stories in this volume were very good, though I liked the ones in the last volume more.

Ikigami The Ultimate Limit 1 - In this future society, kindergartners are given an immunization shot that has a 1/1000 chance of eventually killing them. That one in a 1000 shot contains a nanocapsule that will burst at some predetermined date between their 18th and 24th birthdays. The shots are random and nobody knows who will die until just before the date arrives, when a civil servant delivers an ikigami (death notice) informing them that they have 24 hours to live. This book contains the story of how two such people spent their last day. and I thought it was pretty good.

Kurogane Communication 1 - In the mid 21st centure, the only human left alive is a young girl who was found in suspended animation by a group of robots who now serve as her family. I thought this was a very nice first volume and I hope that go! comi comes out with the other two volumes.

Oishinbo 1-4 (Japanese Cuisine, Sake, Ramen & Gyoza, Fish, Sushi & Sashimi) - This series features two newspaper writers as they pursue the Ultimate Menu of Japanese Cuisine. Yamaoka Shiro is the main character and his enemy is Kaibara Yuzan, who happens to be a famous artist, the founder of the Gourmet Club, and Shiro's father. I'm not that fond of eating Japanese food, but this series is a lot of fun as it explores the world of food in a humorous and entertaining fashion.

Ray 1-2 - A doctor with x-ray eyes grew up at an organ farm where they took her first set of eyes. She now helps people and tries to track down the people behind the organ farm. The first two volumes feature a series of vignettes that I enjoyed, but I don't hold out much hope of the series being continued here in the US.

Red River 26 - Nakia and Urhi are charged with treason and may be executed if convicted, but Nakia isn't done yet. Two more volumes to go in this excellent shojo series.

Sunshine Sketch 1-3 - Four high school girls live near each other in an apartment complex as they attend a reknowned art school. Sweet and funny and entertaining.

[harper]

Black Cat 16-20 - The final battles between the Sweeper Alliance, the Apostles of the Stars and the Chrono Numbers take place in an exciting finish to the series. I liked the beginning of Black Cat more than the end, but this was good.

Blade of the Immortal 20 - Rin and Doa continue their mission to rescue Manji, Isaku and the other prisoners held deep within the castle. This was a very good volume and I'm glad that I only have a short wait for the next one.

Dogs: Prelude 0 - Four short stories that deal with the origins of various characters. I kind of enjoyed two of the stories, but did not like this volume overall and will not be continuing with the regular series.

Solanin - Mieko is 24 years old and has been working at an office job that she hates since graduating from college. Her boyfriend lives with her and doesn't have a steady job, but still dabbles with being a musician. This book deals with the aimlessness of youth and starts a bit slow, but keeps building and ends up being an excellent volume.

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure 1-5 - Kakashi wants to be an adventurer and he sets out to explore the world when he stumbles upon Dorothy, a young girl with martial arts skills, and Toto, a little dog with a big secret. They end up on a big adventure, gathering friends along the way, including Lion, a 'tin man', and Alice of the Wonder family. They battle an army, compete in a contest and fight with and against gangsters. This was a fun series with a bit of an abrupt end, though not an unsatisfying one. I do wish that more adventures were forthcoming, though.

[stsparky]

http://assets0.snsassets.com/images/books/9781421519210.jpg

Product Details VIZ Media LLC, July 2009 Trade Paperback, 200 pages\\

A powerful, destructive force in the form of a tornado is killing the great robots of the world one by one. Who or what could be behind this whirlwind? Be it man or robot, it now has its sights set on Atom, the most advanced robot ever created--and Atom is ready to dive right into the eye of the storm.

[harper]

http://assets0.snsassets.com/images/books/9781421519210.jpg

Pluto is an excellent series.

[harper]

Barefoot Gen 7,8 - The kids work hard to get the antiwar book published that was written by their dying "father". However, this brings Gen and Ryuta to the attention of US Army censors who imprison the two. In volume eight, Gen is returning to school and is now in Middle School. He meets a nice teacher caught up in a very conservative bureaucracy. Also, the Korean War is beginning and there are plenty of concerns over death merchants, communists and government censorship. This is an excellent series that does a great job at shining the light on the horrors of war, atomic weapons and the period of the late 40s/early 50s in Japan. Two more volumes to go.

Blade of the Immortal 21 - The prison cycle finally ends with flooded passageways, battles and a desperate escape. An excellent series, but I'm ready for them to move on.

Dragon Drive 10-14 - A virtual reality ccg game comes alive again in the second (and final) arc of the series. A mysterious organization is trying to collect all 99 Raikoo cards, even if they have to kill the owners to get them. This was a good series, though I liked the first arc more.

Eyeshield 21 26,27 - The game against Ojo finally comes to its conclusion. The Deimon team seems to be growing in leaps and bounds as they rise to the challenge of the tough opponents in the Kanto Tournament. Nicely done.

Gimmick 3-8 - Kohei and Kannazuki continue to take on a variety of jobs using Kohei's makeup and special effects skills as well as Kannazuki's skills as a stuntman. They become aware of a mysterious rival for Kohei who bears a black spatula similar to Kohei's silver spatula. Kohei enters a contest for young special effects artists and runs into problems when it seems like the contest is rigged toward a particular school. I've been enjoying the short stories, but like how a bigger picture seems to be developing.

Kaze Hikaru 13,14 - The Shinsengumi move into their new headquarters and also go on a recruitment drive. Sei has to become better able to protect herself or else Okita will tell her secret to the captain. Two more entertaining volumes in this historical series. Plenty of humor and drama.

Prince of Tennis 31,32 - These volumes weren't bad, but I'm starting to get a bit tired of the series again. I guess the series is about 75% complete now.

[harper]

Battle Angel Alita Last Order 10,11 - The Z.O.T.T. continues while Alita tries to rescue her friend and obtain the Fata Morgana at the risk of her own existence. Throw in more backstory for Zekka and Space Karate as well as multiple copies of Desty Nova and you get two pretty entertaining volumes in this excellent science fiction series.

Crimson Hero 11 - Nobara's team has to defeat a really tough opponent to reach the Spring Tournament, but one of their key players gets injured. I like this shojo volleyball series, but they aren't too far behind the Japanese releases so it probably won't be released any faster even though Shojo Beat folded.

Kekkaishi 17,18 - Yoshimori spends some quality time with his older brother Masamori when they go on a secret mission. The renegade council member was an interesting villain. Then, Yoshi's school comes under attack by thousands of butterfly ayakashi. These two volumes were good and I'm glad that not every volume has to be part of some huge multi-volume story arc.

Mushishi 7 - Several more nice stories where Ginko investigates various mushi and how they affect people.

Nightmare Inspector 2-9 - Hiruko is a baku who has set up shop at the Silver Star Tea House. People come to him for help with their nightmares. He helps them work through their issues and then eats the nightmare. Each volume consists of short stories with endings that are often not really that happy for the patron. Some of the stories are pretty good, but overall I was a bit disappointed with the series. It never really developed beyond the short story format until the last volume, which tried to wrap up the various backstory hints that had been sprinkled throughout. I think the series could have been much better than it turned out.

Nodame Cantabile 16 - Chiaki is getting ready for his first season as resident conductor, but many of the orchestra members are not used to his demanding ways. This series consistently entertains.

[harper]

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service 9 - More stories of the supernatural - an urban legend of a headless motorcyclist leads to reports of bodyless head that rides a motorcycle, a tv star pursued by living dolls, and severed ears that seem to channel a higher voice. Not the best volume in the series, but still very good.

Muhyo and Roji's BSI 11,12 - Volume 12 was more fun than volume 11. The battle with Mick concludes and Roji starts looking for a way to become more powerful so that he can better help Muhyo.

O-Parts Hunter 16,17 - Jio reunites with Ruby and join with their friends to search for the headquarters of the Zenom Syndicate. The land inside the giant turtle/fish creature is pretty cool. I'm still enjoying this series a lot as it approaches its conclusion.

Ral Grad 2-4 - Ral is fused with a giant dragon creature who is very powerful, but sometimes needs to rest inside Ral's body. Ral grows up as he teams with others to try and defeat Opsquria and keep the Shadows from destroying humanity. This was a nice short series with art by Death Note's Takeshi Obata.

Rosario+Vampire 7,8 - Tsukune is still coming to terms with controlling his powers while the Monstrels continue to attack him and his friends. The leader of the Monstrels is revealed as well as their ultimate plan in these two entertaining volumes.

Suzuka 9-11 - Yamato and Suzuka finally start a relationship, but it gets off to a rocky start as both continue to have problems expressing their feelings. Also, Yamato gets caught up in Yasunobu's schemes to get girls. I'm glad that this series seems to be making some progress in the storyline. These volumes were pretty good.

Train+Train 1-6 - Reiichi lives on a planet where students embark on school trains for year long courses. He is getting ready to board his train when he gets entangled with an intimidating girl named Arena Pendleton who is being pursued by bounty hunters. They end up on the Special Train, which is supposed to be very dangerous and much more difficult than the normal school trains. At first, Reiichi wants to get off the train as soon as possible, but soon gets drawn into Arena's world. I enjoyed this series a lot and may give R.O.D. another try as a result.

[harper]

Case Closed 25-30 - Plenty of mystery tales with appearances by Harley Hartwell and others plus the return of Jimmy Kudo. Rachel and a couple of others are starting to suspect that there may be more to Conan than appears. This remains a fun detective series.

Fire Fighter Nagase 2 - Nagase looks into the death from the previous volume and is attacked at home. Firebug continues to assist her for his own mysterious reasons. Nagase also has to help the son of her supervisor, who is suspected of arson. This is a promising series.

High School Debut 5-10 - Haruna gains a few rivals, including a transfer student and the return of Yoh's old girlfriend. Plus, the school year ends and Haruna starts her second year of high school. This romantic comedy series makes me laugh with how outgoing and forthright Haruna is with her feelings and how reserved Yoh is. It has become one of my favorites.

Higurashi When They Cry Abducted by Demons Arc 1 - Keiichi moves into a small town and quickly makes friends with an eccentric group of girls. The town seems very friendly until Keiichi stumbles upon a series of murders that happened over the past few years which seem tied to a failed dam project. An interesting first volume.

Ooku The Inner Chambers 1 - Japan in the 1600s is ravaged by a disease that kills a large percentage of the male population. Women take over traditional male roles, including the shogunate, and the shogun's Inner Chamber is created. The Inner Chamber is the domain of men only and they can never leave the Inner Chamber once they take up service. Then the new shogun decides to start making a few changes.

Sand Chronicles 5 - Daigo and Ann's relationship is undergoing problems and they have to decide whether or not to move on. A good volume.

Tail of the Moon Prequel: The Other Hanzou - The story of how Hanzou and his wife first come together. A nice companion volume to the regular series.

[harper]

Alive 7 - Taisuke and friends get closer to locating Acro's Heart and the battle with the other comrades that awaits them. This was a good volume, though it makes me eager to read the next one where the battle continues. I wish this was released on a faster schedule.

Astral Project 4 - Masahiko continues to look for his sister and a radio station plays the jazz recording and causes a large number of people to astral project. This was a decent final volume (though I would have loved to see more) to a very good suspense series.

Inubaka 12,13 - Suguri enters a doggy dance contest with Lupin. Soon after that, one of her friend's dogs dies suddenly causing the owner to suffer from pet loss syndrome. I love this series.

Legend of Zelda 5 - This volume adapts the Oracle of Ages game and sends Link into the past in order to save history from an evil sorceress. A fun done in one story.

Yakitate!! Japan 14-18 - The Monaco Cup finally ends and this leads almost immediately into the Yakitate 25 story. I was a bit tired of the Monaco Cup story and was glad to see it end. The reactions to the bread get a bit tiresome after a while, but I'm still enjoying the series. I like the Yakitate 25 story so far. Azuma, Kanmuri, and Kawachi travel across Japan to battle their opponents in a televised bread making contest.

Zatch Bell! 21-25 - Zatch and friends travel inside the giant mamado named Faudo to try and find a way to save their friends and to return Faudo to the mamoda world. The exploration of the body is pretty cool. The battle scenes are okay with some of them being better than others. Unfortunately, this may be the end of the Zatch Bell series with 8 volumes left unpublished. Volumes 26-28 were solicited previously, but there aren't any listings in the latest catalog for Feb-May 2010. I read that somebody asked Viz at AX whether it was cancelled or not and they said no, but we shall see. It would suck to see it cancelled at this point.

[Kyletherealninja]

Man, I am so ready for new Gantz chapters. Sucks that it's going to be another month or so.

[harper]

Man, I am so ready for new Gantz chapters. Sucks that it's going to be another month or so.

I've been reading the Gantz books as Dark horse puts them out and I've been enjoying the series a lot so far. They're quite a ways behind Japan, though. If I didn't have so many other things to read, I might be tempted to go the scanlation route myself.

[harper]

Brave Story 5 - Wataru and Ki-Kima continue to look for a way to rescue Kaori as the North plans to invade the South. I enjoyed this volume, but wonder if this is the last one we'll see in English.

High School Debut 11 - Haruna is insecure about her relationship when she sees Yoh being friendly with an unattractive girl at his prep school. I didn't really like the first half of this volume, but the second half was better.

Naruto 33-46 - Naruto's training accelerates as he continues to search for Sasuke and battles Orchimaru and others. The Akatsuki become more of a threat to Konoha and a few major players are removed from the field. I'm still enjoying Naruto quite a bit.

Mixed Vegetables 2-5 - Hanayu is the daughter of a baker, but wants to be a sushi chef. Hayato is the son of a sushi chef, but wants to make pastries. They meet in cooking classes and initially see each other as the path to reaching their dreams - by marrying into the other's family. This is a fun shojo series with a couple of evenly matched protagonists.

Star Trek: The Next Generation The Manga:Boukenshin - Four decent short stories in the Next Generation universe. Not great, but entertaining enough.

Whistle! 23 - The match between Kansai and Josui begins with plenty of flashbacks thrown in. I liked the volume, but wish that the series had more than just one more volume to go.

[harper]

Bleach 26-28 - Ichigo continues training with the Visored. Orihime is captured by Aizen and a team sets out to rescue her in the hollow world. It looks like they are staying about 2 years behind Japan, but it would be nice if this was sped up a bit like Naruto and One Piece.

Gantz 6 - More sex and violence as the story continues. No real advancements in the story, but the giant buddhas were cool.

Kasumi 1 - Kasumi transfers to an elite academy and discovers that she has the ability to turn invisible when she holds her breath. I thought it was a good first volume.

One Piece 20-22 - The battle for Alabasta continues. I'm looking forward to the accelerated release schedule next year.

Psy Comm 1 - In the future, war is a big reality show and is waged with the assistance of people with psychic abilities, the best of whom become stars. A decent read, though not great.

Tegami Bachi 1 - Lag Seeing is the main protagonist, but in the first story, he is a 'letter' that Letter Bee Gauche has to deliver. Lag later decides to become a letter bee himself. I like the character of Niche as well. I thought the first volume was good and I am interested to see where this series goes.

Yu Yu Hakusho 17,18 - The series nears completion as a tournament is set up in the Demon Realm to determine who will be the leader. Pretty entertaining.

[Gorlam]

Yu Yu Hakusho 17,18 - The series nears completion as a tournament is set up in the Demon Realm to determine who will be the leader. Pretty entertaining.


No idea why but I enjoy yu yu hakusho a lot; really need to pick up a dvd with the episodes.

[harper]

Ghost Hunt 10 - Volume 10 finally comes out. Naru is released from the hospital and on the way home, the team stops at a campground near a lake that may contain something Naru has been searching for. While there, they are hired to investigate a haunted school that has been closed for 5 years. This volume wasn't as intense as some of the other volumes, but was still good. Volume 11 came out recently in Japan, but it will probably be next summer (at least) before we see it here. Since the current story is continued, it'll be a long wait.

Higurashi When They Cry 2 - This volume concludes the Abducted By Demons Arc but still leads a lot of questions. I'm still not clear on all of the Question and Answer arcs etc., but am enjoying the series enough to keep reading.

Prince of Tennis 33 - Kunitmitsu's turn to play leads him to flash back to when he was rehabbing from an injury. Not bad.

Sand Chronicles 6 - Ann at age 18 is starting her senior year. She and Daigo are each seeing other people, but can't seem to forget one another. This volume was pretty good, but I think this series would read even better as a whole.

Shaman King 18-24 - Yoh has the chance to save Ren, but it means that he will have to withdraw from the Shaman King tournament. This leads to an extremely long epilogue that gives a lot more background for Yoh and Anna as well as advancing the story a bit in the present. I thought these volumes between fights in the tournament were more fun than the tournament itself.

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning 7,8 - Eyes is recovering from being attacked, forcing Kanon to put his plan to eliminate the Blade Children into action by taking a hostage at the school and trying to draw out the "Watchers". Rio, Ryouko and Kousuke try to attack and capture Kanon with mixed results. Good stuff.

Suzuka 12 - Yamato deals with the news that Suzuka plans to go overseas to train. He gets a job in order to save up money for a computer that he'll use to keep in touch with Suzuka. Yamato's new job is fun, though it does take away from his training.

Yakitate!! Japan 19 - The tournament continues as Azuma's team has to make a steamed bread in the next round. I thought it was a good volume.

[stsparky]

Came across Version 3.0 - damn shame the artist Hisashi Sakaguchi died ... and Dark Horse (http://www.darkhorse.com/Search/Browse/Hisashi+Sakaguchi/PpwNwkt8) only went as far as 2.7 ...

Jack Harris did some interesting covers too -
http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/300/v/ver8.jpg

[harper]

Black Lagoon 2-7 - A mercenary group based in Thailand has their own WWII torpedo boat will deliver anything anywhere. The team has four members and interacts with the Russian mafia, Chinese triads, Columbian drug cartels and many more. Tons of action and lots of fun. I like this series a lot and am looking forward to the next volume, which should be out soon.

Monkey High 3-7 - Haruna transferred to Kita High after her father, a politician, was disgraced in a scandal. She sees high school life as similar to a group of monkeys and finds herself going out with a boy who reminds her of a baby monkey. Their relationship has a series of ups and downs and they find it tough to become intimate with each other. I enjoyed these volumes quite a bit and am looking forward to the next volume, which may conclude the series. I didn't really care for Atsu's antics all the time, but it is a fun, mostly lighthearted shojo series.

A Tale of an Unknown Country 1 - Rosemarie is a princess in a small, poor country. Her brother sets up an engagement with a prince in a neighboring kingdom that is much wealthier. She travels there disguised as a maid to find out more about this prince before accepting the betrothal. This was originally a short story and then was extended. The short story works very well. The extra chapters are entertaining, but not quite as good as the original. Still, it is a nice first volume.

[harper]

Bakegyamon 1 - Another game based manga wherein Sanshiro is taken to a backwards world to play a game that pits monsters against other monsters. I thought it was a fun first volume.

Black Lagoon 8 - Roberta's quest for vengeance continues. This volume wasn't bad, but I enjoyed the earlier volumes more. This was one big extended battle.

Case Closed 31 - More mysteries for Conan and friends to solve, including a man who impersonates Richard Moore, a murder in a fishing village and a murder at a kendo tournament.

Eden: It's an Endless World 12 - The Propater Federation sends an assassin to hunt down Elijah and his bodyguard. Some of Elijah's family secrets come out as well. Another solid volume with more hopefully to come from Dark Horse.

Eyeshield 21 28 - The battle between Seibu and Hakushu commences in an exciting game. We also learn more about how Kurita, Hiruma and Musashi get the football club started at Deimon.

Jihai 1,2 - Cloned slaves are created with a fixed lifespan. Aoi is one clone who gained his freedom and now serves as a courier, but faces the end of his life since his lifespan is set at 18. He finds his way to a country that doesn't allow the slavery and tries to help them instead. Aoi also has a special ability that others may want to exploit. I enjoyed both volumes and am looking forward to the third.

Kaze no Hana 2 - I liked this volume a lot more than the first one. Momoka continues to search for clues to her past and the truth about what happened to h er family.

La Corda d'Oro 11 - With the music competition over, the story starts to shift to the next story arc. Kahoko continues to take violin lessons and a new character is introduced.

Neon Genesis Evangelion 11 - The Third Impact approaches and Shinji finds himself with two choices. Not bad, but I think I would enjoy it more if I went back and reread the earlier volumes.

Oishinbo: Vegetables - The search for the Ultimate Menu continues with the focus turning to vegetables - potatoes, eggplant, bean sprouts and more. Entertaining as usual.

Red River 27 - Kail and Yuri's wedding day approaches, but not if Nakia has her way. This nice shojo series is almost over.

Yotsuba 6 - More zany adventures with Yotsuba and friends. I'm really glad Yen Press rescued this title. For me, the changes in translation style weren't really noticeable.

[harper]

Real 7 - This series has become one of my favorites. Togawa has to decide whether to stay with the Tigers or join the Dreams, a move that might help increase his basketball skills. Meanwhile, Nomiya tries to find a job that he can hold on to.

Children of the Sea 2 - Sora returns, but ends up leaving again with Anglade. Ruka and Umi search for Sora. We also learn a little bit more about the children and their ties to the ocean. The mysteries about them still have a lot more unraveling to do, though. Another good volume and one that clocks in at over 300 pages.

Not Simple - Ian's family history is not very good. He travels to England and America in hope of being reunited with his sister, who may really be his mother. The story starts at the end and then flashes back to how his journey began. The art seems a bit primitive to me and the story isn't very happy, but it was a decent book.

Biomega 1 - In the future, a virus has turned most of the population into zombie like creatures. Kanoe is searching for the key to humanity's salvation, which may be in the form of a girl who can change the virus. While the premise didn't sound too bad, I could not muster much interest in the story itself. The art was so-so and the story was rather dull.

Ikigami The Ultimate Limit 4 - Two more interesting stories of the last day for someone on the receiving end of an Ikigami. A young teacher falsely accused of perverted acts decides to take revenge. A young mother hopes to help her child escape the same fate. This series hasn't disappointed yet.

Jormungand 2 - The group finds themselves the targets of the the Symphony assassins, a duo who think of gunfire as music and weapons as instruments. It was a good second volume and continues to remind me of Black Lagoon.

[stsparky]

PLUTO (2) 【豪華版】 (ビッグコミックススペシャル) (コミック)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31TKRJ7V0ZL._SL500_AA204_.jpg

is a larger sized re-issue of this with bonus material - too cool for words. It also has more color pages ...
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/pluto-v2.jpg

[harper]

Pluto is an excellent series.

[harper]

Aria 4,5 - Summer and Autumn on Aria as Akari and friends continue their training and have a little fun as well. This is a nice, relaxing series that I enjoy quite a bit.

Gakuen Alice 8 - Mikan and friends have followed Z's band to their hideout in search of medicine for Hotaru and to try and get the stole Alices returned. This was a decent wrapup to the storyline.

Hollow Fields 3 - Lucy and Claude have been exiled to the windmill and have to find their way out. Miss Weaver's experiments have finally paid off and all of the students are in danger in the resulting battle between Engineers to see who will benefit from these experiments. This was a fun series and a decent conclusion.

[harper]

Dorohedoro 1 - Caiman is a man who was changed by a sorcerer so that he has a reptile head and a bad case of amnesia. With the help of his friend Nikaido, he travels around "The Hole" killing sorcerers, hoping to find the one that did this to him. I thought the first volume wasn't too bad. I think the series has potential and will likely get better once it has settled into a groove.

ristorante Paradiso - Nicoletta travels to Rome to find her mother, Olga, who abandoned her when Nicoletta was five years old. Nicoletta plans to let Olga's husband know that his wife has a 21 year old daughter that he knew nothing about, but her plans change when she gets to the restaurant owned by the husband. She starts working as a trainee in the kitchen and soon grows attached to the staff. I liked this book a lot more than the author's previous work, not simple. The art is a bit more polished and the story is engaging. I'm looking forward to the related series, Gente.

[Nights_into_dreams]

I just finished reading Kitchen Princess, a surprisingly good series. @.@

I'm slowly getting back into CLAMP, as I'm now reading Angelic Layer.

[harper]

I'm slowly getting back into CLAMP, as I'm now reading Angelic Layer.

I'd like to read Angelic Layer at some point. I enjoyed Chobits quite a bit.

My main problem with manga right now is finding time to read it. I'm probably about 250 volumes behind. I've been very busy this school year and have only had time to read a handful of volumes. I'm hoping to make some headway this summer.

[harper]

My backlog has still been increasing, but I've started working on it:

One Piece 45-57 - I liked the end of the Water Seven arc, but was disappointed with Thriller Bark. It had a few interesting parts, but the Island of Doctor Moreau aspects didn't really interest me and I thought the art wasn't as good as normal since it was going for the horror feel. I thought the series rebounded with Sabody and Impel Down and I enjoyed both arcs a lot. I'm undecided on the Paramount War. I haven't enjoyed it as much as the previous arcs yet, but it's early.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 1-3 - I didn't like this series when I tried it a year or two ago and stopped reading about halfway through the first book. I gave it another try and liked it a lot more this time. Haruhi is an odd character who is constantly on the search for espers, time travelers, aliens and the like. She drags Kyon and others into a new club, the SOS Brigade, by force of her personality alone. As it turns out, the things she is searching for actually exist, though she is somewhat oblivious to them. I'm going to pick up the rest of the books soon.

7 Billion Needles 1-4 - This is somewhat based on the science fiction Needle by Hal Clement. It deals with a pair of dueling entities who arrive on Earth. One is bent on destruction and the other on saving people and destroying the other entity. The 'good' one ends up bonding with a human girl who has been a loner since the death of her father. She is slowly forced out of her shell in order to track down the 'bad' entity who has started to kill people. I loved the first two volumes of this series. I thought the last two books weren't quite as good, but they were still enjoyable. This is a nice (and complete) little science fiction series.

[andrewt]

I'll add one that I just got caught up on:

The Breaker :
For those that like martial arts and action - this one is extremely entertaining and worth the read.

There are 71 or 72 chapters in the first series that started in 2007 and ended in 2010. The second series ("The Breaker: New Waves") started early this year, is currently ongoing, and there are something like 40+ chapters currently available.

Series is based on a weakling high school boy who was bullied to the point of suicide - who then gets involved in martial arts from a reluctant, young playboy English substitute teacher who happens to be a legend in the martial arts world. The story moves between being highschool-centric and martial arts mafia-centric. It's a Korean Manhwa (I've never read Korean stuff before, so it took a bit to get used to some words they used in the translation - but it was definitely worth it).

(link to Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Breaker_%28manhwa%29) For more details and a synapses with some spoilers.)

[harper]

The Breaker sounds interesting.

Fire Investigator Nanase 3,4 - This continues to be a very entertaining series as we learn a bit more about Firebug and the fire that killed Nanase's parents. Too bad CMX folded before completing the series.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service 11 - In the main story, a young girl with a strange ability enters a private academy. Several members of the KCDS get jobs at the academy and soon discover that the girl needs some protection. Another nice entry in this horror manga.

Mail 1,2 - This is from the creator of Kurosagi and deals with a detective who investigates cases involving evil spirits and sends the spirits on to the next world. Pretty good, though not as good as Kurosagi.

Yakitate!! Japan 20-26 - While the series has become a bit formulaic and silly at times, I still found these concluding volumes to be pretty fun.

[stsparky]

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/pictures/l/04/15/NEOBK-865746.jpg

Billy Bat (ビリーバット Birii Batto?) is an ongoing Japanese seinen thriller manga series written by Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki and illustrated by Urasawa. The series was announced in issue 45 of the Japanese manga anthology Weekly Morning in 2008.

I'm missing volume 5, but Billy Bat is an alternative Mickey Mouse type character.

[harper]

Billy Bat sounds pretty good and I definitely like Urasawa. I hope Kodansha brings it out eventually in English.

[andrewt]

The Breaker sounds interesting.

Fire Investigator Nanase 3,4 - This continues to be a very entertaining series as we learn a bit more about Firebug and the fire that killed Nanase's parents. Too bad CMX folded before completing the series.

Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service 11 - In the main story, a young girl with a strange ability enters a private academy. Several members of the KCDS get jobs at the academy and soon discover that the girl needs some protection. Another nice entry in this horror manga.

Mail 1,2 - This is from the creator of Kurosagi and deals with a detective who investigates cases involving evil spirits and sends the spirits on to the next world. Pretty good, though not as good as Kurosagi.

Yakitate!! Japan 20-26 - While the series has become a bit formulaic and silly at times, I still found these concluding volumes to be pretty fun.


I think yakitate japan is hilarious - tho i would have to assume you lose a fair bit of the humor in the translation as half of it is puns with japanese words....
I still remember the 1st episodes with the horse eating... 馬食！　　うまぁ～～～！ :hat:

[harper]

I think yakitate japan is hilarious - tho i would have to assume you lose a fair bit of the humor in the translation as half of it is puns with japanese words....
I still remember the 1st episodes with the horse eating... 馬食！　　うまぁ～～～！ :hat:

What do you MEAN? :innocent:

[andrewt]

just clever cheesy puns - double meanings, gotta appreciate the creativity they have there - hah

[harper]

just clever cheesy puns - double meanings, gotta appreciate the creativity they have there - hah

"What do you mean" is the tagline for Kawachi in the Viz version of the manga. I don't know if that is a 100% accurate translation from the original, but I think it certainly fits the character. There are tons of jokes, double meanings etc. in the Viz version, too. I think they tried to keep it the same or as similar as possible.

[andrewt]

i gotcha.

[Raenir Salazar]

Gambling Emperor Zero is an awesome manga, made by the same dude as Akagi and Kaiji, its about a young adult genius named Zero who is caught by the Yakuza and convinced to join a sort of tournament thing for the honor to be entrusted with the fortune of 3 trillion yen in a gambling tournament against the richest people in the world.

Its insane, the only manga I've seen that could serve as an accurate MENSA test, characters had to use actual math and trig to get past some puzzles its awesome.

About to read Medaka Box sorta described as a Paragon Sue vs Paragon Anti Sue manga thats extremely over the top and larged hamed I'll give it a look.

[harper]

Kekkaishi 19-26 - This continues to be a very entertaining series. Yoshimori continues to grow in ability and maturity. Mystical sites and deities are being attacked and Karasumori seems to be next in line. The action has been building with potential traitors, murders, prophecies and plenty of other events. There is also a good mix of humor. Only nine more volumes to go and I think the series will continue to be very good right up to the end. I didn't get volume 27 for some reason so I'll have to check on that when I place my next order.

[Daishikaze]

Blaster Knuckle: a seinen manga that takes place in 1880, "Blood Rain" Victor Freeman is a Black former- boxing champ who hunts demons in the old west. Armed with a few guns, a knife, and a very unusual gauntlet, He takes on Demonic beast in whichever form they hide, be it as men, women, or children.

[andrewt]

Kekkaishi 19-26 - This continues to be a very entertaining series. Yoshimori continues to grow in ability and maturity. Mystical sites and deities are being attacked and Karasumori seems to be next in line. The action has been building with potential traitors, murders, prophecies and plenty of other events. There is also a good mix of humor. Only nine more volumes to go and I think the series will continue to be very good right up to the end. I didn't get volume 27 for some reason so I'll have to check on that when I place my next order.

It gets too serious towards the end - :mad:

[harper]

Itsuwaribito 1-3 - Bad things happened to Utsuho when he told the truth as a young boy. He resolves to help pay through lying and trickery and gains a few friends as he makes his way through the world. I think the lying bit is way overdone in the first couple of books, but it seems to be getting better and I've been enjoying the series. It's not a great series, but it's okay.

Jyu-Oh-Sei 1-3 - This science fiction series starts with twin boys on a colony who find their parents murdered. They are deposited on a secret world which is used as a death sentence for prisoners due to the harsh environment. One of the boys is much better suited to surviving, but will his crybaby brother drag him down. I thought the series started a bit slowly, but got much better rapidly. I ended up liking it quite a bit and think it is a very good series overall. It moves at a quick pace and is very entertaining.

Kamisama Kiss 1 - I decided to give the first volume a try since it looked interesting. The beginning reminded me a bit of Hayate the Combat Butler. A girl is left penniless and homeless after her dad skips town to avoid gambling debts. She saves a man from a dog and unintentionally becomes the deity of a local shrine. I liked this volume and will definitely pick up the rest of the series.

Kurozakuro 1-5 - Mikito has been picked on for most of his life. He doesn't want to fight back for fear of hurting someone, but always falls victim to bullies. However, things change when he ingests a demon seed and is granted power and abilities beyond the human norm. This brings him into conflict with monster hunters and leaves him with a desire for violence and for eating meat. The series does a nice job drawing you into the world as there is more to the ogre infestation and the ogre hunter organization than is immediately evident. I think this series is one that could have gone on for quite some time, but will be wrapped up in just two more books.

[harper]

Blame! 1-10 - Killy is traveling through the City in search of humans with Net Terminal Genes. The City is a seemingly endless structure of concrete and steel with scattered human settlements, but large unoccupied areas. There are also artificial creatures of various factions. Some kill any humans they come across. Some are builders who repair or remodel parts of the city. A person with Net Terminal Genes is needed to access the Netsphere and halt the continuous expansion of the City. There isn't a whole lot of dialog here and few explanations, but I did enjoy the series. There is tons of action and the story becomes a bit clearer if you read it in larger chunks. It is certainly a ton better than Biomega by the same author.

NOiSE - This one volume prequel of sorts to Blame! takes place before the expansion of the City and explains a few things or at least gives an idea how things began.

Bakurano Ours 4 - I'm enjoying this series more and more as it goes along. It's a lot more than just kids in an alien machine fighting other aliens.

Bleach 36 - I haven't really been enjoying Bleach for a long time, but I did like this volume a lot. It flashes back to events 110 years in the past. Unfortunately, the story will probably soon return to the present and become boring again.

Gantz 18 - A tough adversary is encountered and the rules begin to change as bystanders start to see the aliens and the Gantz warriors. Lots of action and a very quick, though very entertaining, story.

Maoh: Juvenile Remix 6 - The showdown with Inukai is approaching, but first Ando has to use his ventriloquist powers to deal with a challenge from one of Inukai's henchmen, who has his own abilities. This was a pretty good volume.

Naruto 52 - Naruto and Sasuke come head to head briefly. Naruto also seeks a way to better control his nine tails power. This was a good break from the war that is coming.

[andrewt]

So Gantz the manga is ongoing still, but the anime stopped somewhere in the middle of the story 5+ years ago?

[harper]

Yep. Gantz is somewhere in the 30s in Japan and at 18 in the U.S. There were two live action movies earlier this year.

[andrewt]

up to what book did the anime stop at?

[harper]

I haven't watched the anime, but I think it only covers the first 7 or 8 volumes of the manga. I've also heard that the anime sucks in comparison to the manga, but again haven't watched it so I can't directly compare the two.

[harper]

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan 1-4 - Rikuo Nura is 3/4 human and 1/4 yokai. He is also the heir of the powerful Nura clan. He is an ordinary boy most of the time and does not want to embrace his yokai side, but turns into a powerful yokai for short periods if needed to protect his family and friends. I've enjoyed this series quite a bit so far. The two sides of Rikuo's character are pretty interesting. There is also a nice mix of humor along with a variety of yokai characters and situations.

The Story of Saiunkoku 1-4 - Shurei Hong is a poor young woman of noble birth whose ambition in life is to become a civil servant, though this career is not available to women in her country. She is recruited to become a temporary consort for the teenage emperor who has been shirking his duties and refuses to govern. It is her job to persuade him to govern his people, but tracking him down in the palace is the first task that she has to master. This series has a lot of action, humor and attempts at romance, too. I also found it to be very entertaining, though in a different way than Nura. Shurei is a very intelligent and capable girl and makes for a very nice character. Her supporting cast is good as well.

Kurozakuro 6 - I wish that this series had been allowed to run longer. The story seems accelerated, though not really rushed, since it will be wrapped up in one more volume. I still liked this volume a lot, though, and am looking forward to the finale.

[harper]

Tesoro - A nice collection of short stories by Natsume Ono.

Real 10 - Nomiya is getting closer to his dream of playing professional basketball while Takahashi starts to take an interest in wheelchair basketball. Another very good entry in the series.

No Longer Human - This is based on a popular novel that was first published in the 1940s and is about a young man who feels distanced from normal humans and has to pretend to be someone that he is not in order to fit in. Pretty interesting so far.

Gantz 19 - This volume was low on action, but still had plenty of drama as we finally get to see what happens when players reach 100 points. Still a lot of fun.

Tegami Bachi 7 - Niche finds the sister that she didn't know she had and we learn about her origins. We also learn a bit more about spirit amber.

Afterschool Charisma 4 - The end and aftermath of the clone terrorist attack on the school. I'm starting to lose interest in the series, though maybe it will be rekindled in subsequent volumes.

The Drops of God 1 - Who would have thought that a novel based on wine and wine tasting would be so interesting. I loved this first omnibus edition and am looking forward to the next one.

X Omnibus 1 - A pretty fast read, but a very entertaining one as this classic Clamp series gets the omnibus treatment.

Gunslinger Girl 7-8 - I'm glad that this series is finally back with stories that hadn't been printed in the U.S. before. We get to meet Petra, who is in love with her handler, though not in the way that the earlier generation of cyborgs is. They protect a district attorney who is in charge of a high profile case and also seek out terrorists from a neighboring country. A very nice collection.

[harper]

Twin Spica 3-12 - Since I got the last volume of Twin Spica yesterday, I decided to have a reading marathon of all the volumes that had accumulated since I decided to wait until the end. I think it reads very well as a whole. The artwork is very well done and the story can be very bittersweet and tragic at times. I loved every bit of it, though, and rank it up there with the best series that I've read.

The main character is a teenage girl named Asumi who has dreamed for many years of becoming a 'rocket driver'. Asumi has been accepted at Japan's new Space School for their new astronaut training program and moves to Tokyo from her home in Yuigahama. Japan's first manned rocket attempt, The Lion, crash landed and killed a number of residents in Yuigahama many years earlier.

Asumi soon makes friends with some of her fellow students and the series follows this core group through their time at the academy and includes a lot of slice of life activity as well. Asumi's continual optimism and drive as she reaches for her dream of being an astronaut, the intense training that the astronaut training program students receive, the flashbacks of the various characters, the beautiful artwork and the story itself make for a wonderful series that is well worth checking out.