Category: Manga Reviews

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Spell of Desire, Vol. 2

Spell of Desire Volume 2 by Tomu Ohmi

This series is rapidly becoming my favorite josei masked as shoujo series released on the Shojo Beat imprint. When I picked up the second volume, I was expecting a bit of filler with a few more episodes of Kaoruko’s runaway witch powers manifesting, with the obligatory makeout sessions with Kaname in order to keep her powers under control. While this certainly happened, Ohmi also went full speed ahead with plot development, introducing us to more backstory, evil covens, and Kaname actually admitting he has feelings for the young witch he has sworn to protect.

The sensual nature of Kaoruko’s magic ensures that she’s going to be an object of attraction to men, and Kaname is struggling with this himself. She wants to be able to control her magical abilities, but the fact is that having her mother’s power sealed inside her, in addition to her own magic has made her a bit of a danger to herself. Kaname returns to the coven, leaving one of his mystical animal sidekicks behind for Karuoku’s protection. In his dealings with the coven we see how Kaname is struggling with wanting what is best for his charge as person, in contrast to the way the coven views her as a valuable pawn. He wants to protect her freedom as much as possible, but the powerful witches he reports to might make this difficult.

Kaoruko’s neighbor Yu finds himself irresistibly attracted to her when her magic spirals out of control, but fortunately Unicorn delays things a bit. When some additional witches show up at Kaoruko’s house, she’s almost attacked again, but Kaname returns just in time to save her. Towards the end of the volume, Kaoruko makes a fateful decision to protect Kaname herself. While she’s been a bit passive so far due to reacting to her out of control powers, Kaoruko shows that she has plenty of willpower when someone she cares about is threatened.

I still really enjoy the way Ohmi portrays Kaoruko’s powers as black vines becoming entwined around the panels of the manga, it’s a visual device that is both pretty and ominous at the same time. I was happy that by the second volume, both Kaoruko and Kaname are clear that they love each other, even if they aren’t clear yet that their feelings are reciprocated. I think there will be interesting times ahead if Kaoruko is able to control her own powers and doesn’t need Kaname’s protection as much. I highly recommend this series if you enjoy paranormal romance manga.

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World Trigger, Vols 1 and 2

World Trigger Volumes 1 and 2 by Daisuke Ashihara

World Trigger starts out with a very Attack on Titanesque set-up, expressed simply in one page. Monsters from another dimension are invading the earth. A paramilitary force shows up to fight the monsters. Daily life for the rest of humanity is often interrupted by these “Neighbors” who look a bit like giant eels and the humans who fight back against the invasion.

Osamu is a bit of an unassuming student, but he finds his life complicated when a mysterious new transfer student named Yuma shows up. Yuma seems to not know very much about basic human behavior. When a Neighbor attacks outside of the usual boundaries, Osamu reveals that he’s actually a trainee for the Border Defense Agency, with a small amount of power that he’s determined to use to protect everyone in his city. Yuma turns out to have some extraordinary powers himself. He claims to also be a Neighbor, from the dimension where the monsters come from. He also has the ability to use a trigger, the weapon/body exchange protocol that allows users to fight off the monsters.

In the ensuing battle, Yuma fends off a powerful monster after Osamu proves not to have the level that he needs in order to destroy his enemy. Osamu turns to helping out however he can, by evacuating residents and helping everyone stay safe. Members of the Border Protection Agency turn up, suspicious of the recent events and determined to follow correct bureaucratic procedure. The cast of the book gradually expands beyond Osamu and Yuma to include many of the typical foils for a shonen protagonist. There’s a cool older male mentor, a type A overachiever warrior girl, and a host of bureaucrats in the Border Protection Agency that will surely make life difficult for Osamu.

The Border Protection Agency seems more chaotic than a force for either good or evil, as a squad starts to hunt down Yuma. Osamu tries to intercede, but Yuma’s level of power is such that he’s able to evade attack from multiple agents at once with only some slight injuries. One interesting aspect of the story is that Osamu keeps getting promoted within the Border Protection Agency simply because he is often in the right place at the right time and occasionally forced to take credit for some of Yuma’s actions in order to maintain his new friend’s cover. Osamu’s leveling up though being an unassuming nice guy who is incredibly lucky is a bit unexpected for a reader expecting a more typical brash shonen hero, and this was one aspect of the book that I found intriguing.

There’s a fair amount of world building as the characters go into details about the alien tech infused battle system, but I didn’t find this very interesting. The art is workmanlike and easy to follow, but it doesn’t have that extra bit of style or distinct quality that would make me want to pick up the manga just to see some fabulously paneled battle scenes. The story is solid, but there isn’t much that’s surprising about it so far. The anime for this series is starting to air, so I imagine that will fuel interest for this title. I didn’t find myself inspired to keep reading the series, simply because there are other titles out there that are much more entertaining. I can read One Punch Man if I want something funny, Attack on Titan if I want to read about a dystopian future where humanity is fighting off giant invaders, or Seraph of the End for more attractive art and interesting world building. Overall, this is a solid if not super compelling shonen title, and I imagine that someone less picky about shonen manga than me will enjoy it.

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My Love Story! Vol 2

My Love Story! Volume 2 by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko

I thought the first volume of this series managed to be both hilarious and refreshing with its unconventional for shoujo manga premise of focusing on the foibles of a unconventional male hero. The second volume took first place on my to-read pile as soon as I got it, and it was just as delightful as the first volume. There are a few episodic chapters here that all manage to focus on something a bit different, while still providing some continuity in exploring the developing romance between the giant Takeo and his cute girlfriend Yamato, with conventionally attractive Sunakawa acting as a willing and supportive third wheel.

The first chapter shows Takeo tasked with the job of rounding up some boys to go along on a group date with Yamato and her friends from school. BYamato has told all her friends how awesome her new boyfriend is, and when they are confronted with the somewhat ungainly Takeo and his band of misfits, they don’t react well. Takeo does excel at feats of strength, and when a fire breaks out he manages to rescue everyone from the burning building, winning the admiration of every new acquaintance. Yamato and Takeo’s relationship is tested further when he agrees to do the judo team the favor of temporarily joining them before a big match, which causes him to have to spend too much time training. Sunakawa acts as a somewhat enigmatic but still caring sounding board to the couple. As Takeo starts preparing the best birthday ever for Yamato, he notices that the usually reticent Sunakawa seems to be even more preoccupied, causing him to have to choose between his girlfriend and his best friend.

The type of comedy in My Love Story! is tricky to pull off. Even though Takeo is drawn to be exaggeratedly not the shoujo manga ideal and he gets into plenty of ridiculous situations, the steadfast affection of Yamato and Sunakawa ensures that he’s never an object of ridicule. The world might be against him, but he has the support of people who think he’s great the way he is. It’s a nice central message that’s absent from more cynical series. Aruko does a great job with drawing physical comedy of the series, with plenty of exaggerated expressions and action elements, but there are also plenty of more subtle moments as Sunakawa shields his emotions and Yamato reacts with joy to practically everything Takeo does. This is all a balancing act of plot and art, and My Love Story! pulls it off well.

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Gangsta, Vol. 3

Gangsta Volume 3 by Kohske

I continue to thoroughly enjoy this seinen title set in a world where two men with a brotherly bond make money doing odd jobs for the mafia, in a world where genetically enhanced humans are both fearsome soldiers and a disrespected underclass. I thought after reading volume 2 and getting a peak at the cover for this volume that the reader would be getting a bit more backstory on how Nic and Worick first met, and I wasn’t disappointed.

We get a glimpse of Worick’s life before he became a handyman at large and sometime gigolo. He was brought up by a wealthy family with an abusive father who never hesitated to remind him of his illegitimacy. He’s all alone until he gets assigned an unconventional bodyguard Nic, who is working through his own problems as a deaf Twilighter with few communication skills. The two young men gradually grow closer together, with Worick acting as a bit of a tutor. They pour over a sign language book together. This isn’t an idyll by any means, as Worick is beaten by his father, and Nic is abused by the mercenary troop that just wants to take advantage of his skills and dump him when he’s useless.

In the present day Alex finds herself more drawn in to the daily lives of the two handymen and their friends at the nearby medical clinic. There are some mafia conspiracies going on that I’m sure will be drawing in everybody into a violent confrontation. More Twilighters are popping up, and I think things are going to get even more bloody in the volumes ahead The violence in this manga contrasts with some of the slice of life pacing and the strong relationships that develop as the characters intersect. The art manages to be both stylish and dynamic, and the action scenes are effective in showing the enhances powers of the Twilights, and the aftereffects of their actions. Kohske is building an interesting world. If you enjoy seinen with an edge, you can’t go wrong with this manga.

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Checking out Sparkler Monthly

Sparkler Monthly has a membership drive currently happening, and I was given access as a reviewer to poke around and check out what this unique magazine has to offer. I browsed around the site a bit, and while I realize the flagship title is Jen Lee Quick’s Off*Beat, my attention was first captured by the currently running series Dire Hearts and the selection of short stories.

Dire Hearts

Dire Hearts is by Christy Lijewski, and currently has 2 chapters available. Rose attends a special school for Casters, girls with magical abilities who are paired up with Knights. Rose has a severe case of amnesia, a slightly obnoxious roommate, and angsty problems because Sir Shur has chosen her as his caster, even though her abilities aren’t up to speed. Rose is an entertaining, somewhat caustic heroine, who is struggling to regain her memories and not fitting in well to the overly mannered society at her school. Something about all the school uniforms and undercurrents of psychological trauma reminded me a tiny bit of Revolutionary Girl Utena. The standout aspect of this title is Lijewski’s art, which combines the pretty and the grotesque in stylized lines and good panel composition. This was my favorite of the titles that I sampled, but unfortunately this series is now on hiatus.

Windrose

Windrose is by Studio Konsen, it has a more conventional pretty shoujo art style, and I found myself intrigued by the first two chapters, which launch heroine Daniela into an adventure filled with pirates, as she searches for the truth about her father. She falls in with with brother and sister mercenaries Angeline and Leon. Angeline is predatory and sneaky and Leon seems to be silently sympathetic but without much personality yet, so it will be interesting to see if this somewhat random group is able to fulfill Daniela’s quest. I enjoyed the art and the story for this comic, but it is a bit tricky to judge a comic based on only two chapters.

Gatesmith

Gatesmith is by Jen Lee Quick, who is I suppose the flagship creator for Chromatic Press, since her title Off*Beat is available in all three volumes, including the first two previously published by Tokyopop, and the final third volume published by Chromatic Press. This series is a western with supernatural and horror elements. The first chapter shows a wagon journey gone awry, as the travelers are robbed and killed, and the only surviving robber ends up dying in the desert, only to have his corpse be reanimated by a skinwalker. The following chapter shows a mysterious stranger sharing a meal with some ranchers, only to head out alone to track down a supernatural manifestation. I think I’ll be able to get a better feel for the series after reading a couple more chapters, but so far this title does seem very intriguing. Quick’s art is expressive, clear, and easy to follow.

There are short stories available too. Of the three short story series available, Ring of Saturn was the standout for me. I enjoyed the story about a struggling pianist. The historical setting and aspects of the art reminded me a bit of the manga Emma. Before You Go was a meet cute story about two girls who strike up a relationship after sharing the same commute for several weeks.

Sparkler Monthly has put together an impressive amount of content for such a new venture. I was just checking out the comics and didn’t even start reading the prose or audio dramas. I wish that there had been a few more chapters available for the non-Off*Beat series, but I appreciate that it takes a lot of work to issue a chapter of a comic, and many of these comics have just been recently launched.

If you’re interested in Sparkler Monthly, you can download a Sampler Issue and contribute to their membership drive!