“If you have any objections, I’ll hear them in hell.” — Ikigami recipient on the war path

The basic premise of this graphic novel revolves around a social program in Japan called The National Welfare Act. The Act is suppose to make citizens appreciate life by making everyone confront their mortality. The National Welfare Act dictates that every child entering the first grade must be immunized with a nanocapsule that causes the recipient’s death between the ages of 18 and 24. Each child immunized has a 1:1000 chance of receiving the “Ikigami” or “death papers” that gives them the time and date of their death. Their death is labeled as “honorary” and is required for the social health of the nation.

In each volume we are introduced to the people whose lives are impacted by the Ikigami. Some characters use their last 24 hours to do some act of kindness while others are moved to act in a violent manner. Each of the stories thus far have been rather moving. As usual, we are given two great stories. The first one, “The Last Lesson” is about a teacher who believes that it is the fault of the parents and teacher’s that kids behave poorly. He’s always saying that “children can do no harm.” Yet he is the victim of a prank pulled by one of his students that unfortunately gets him fired.

The second story titled, “A Place of Peace” follows a couple who married young and had a kid against their parent’s wishes. The young father is a car geek who is badly in debt and lacks maturity for his age. His wife struggles with raising their asthmatic daughter, the debt and competing with a car for her husband’s attentions. Things go downhill further when an Ikigami lands at their doorstep.

The Ikigami seems so cruel and it takes it toll on Fujimoto, one of the few recurring characters in this series. He works at the Ward Office and hand delivers the death papers to the recipients. He sees first hand how the Ikigami diminishes people’s hopes and dreams. After being on the job for several months, he’s learned to live with it but at the same time, he is unconvinced that the Welfare Act does anything to make people value life.

Each story is a morality tale and yes, I enjoy them. This volume goes into a little of the backstory behind The National Welfare Act and explains it’s origins. Also, we get to see a little more dissent but as we are reminded it is difficult to escape this law or even speak publicly about it in a negative way. We do learn that there might be dissent but it is quietly building up. The Japanese government likes to manipulate facts in order to paint a positive picture that society is still loyal to the Welfare Act when it actuality it is not.

The stories are character driven and the artwork is great. This is one of the few graphic novel series I’ve enjoyed reading and plan to continue to keep up with. If you’re looking for gritty, captivating and often moving stories set up in a world where people are slowly but surely trying to combat government oppression, then you should read Ikigami. It is excellent reading. B+.

Note: Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit, vol.5 should be out in stores now…off to find my copy.

Now don’t go and scatter away. I realize that most of you don’t read comics. Fair enough. But I’m an avid reader of just about anything. If you’ve been visiting my blog on a regular basis then you already know that graphic novels, manga and comics are what I also like to read alongside crime fiction and romance. Maybe this story will entice you to give them a try. Maybe.

I decided to post about IRREDEEMABLE (Amazon link) because I thought the story was neat. I read the first 5 issues without batting an eye. The story is as follows: it’s about a superhero who has gone rogue. Has this ever been explored before? Probably but I haven’t read it. According to creator, Mark Waid, the premise or the idea behind the story is thus:

“What if you go from, you know, Captain America to Doctor Doom? What if you go from Superman to Lex Luthor? How do you go from being the greatest hero in the world — someone that everybody knows, and everybody loves, and everyone recognizes — to the greatest villain in the world? What is that path? It’s not a light switch, it’s not an on-off switch, it’s not something that you wake up one day and just become evil.”

Mark Waid on the basis for Irredeemable[8]

Doesn’t that sound intriguing? The Plutonium was a apart of the group, the Paradigm. In flash backs we see that he was a superhero recognized and well loved all over the world. Then something happens to make him snap. Out of the blue he attacks his long-time sidekick with a blow to the back of the head. Then he goes into a rage and attacks innocent civilians, killing millions of people.

He’s made Earth a wasteland. His former team members are on the run because he’s hunting them. They start up a resistance that is led by Mr. Qubit but they can’t seem to meet in one place for long without being attacked by their former teammate. What happened? Nobody seems to know. That’s the whole point of this series: to figure out what went wrong and why. Does that sound overly complex to you?

The few team members who are left that make-up the rest of the Paradigm are trying to gather what info they can to stop the Plutonium but it’s hard for them to do so. There’s an urgency to find out his weaknesses because they don’t know jack shit about him. Simple things like where did he come from? Nobody knows his origins. But the funny thing is, the Plutonium seems to know all of their little secrets. What about his enemies? What do they know about him? Who is the Plutonium afraid of? Come to find out that yes, there is one enemy who put the fear of god into the Plutonium but, oh-oh, he’s gone missing.

No doubt, the Plutonium goes buck wild in here. Going on killing sprees and using his superpowers to do harm rather than good. His former colleagues are hurting for info because without it they can’t stop him. What’s also bad is that the Plutonium is stronger than all of them. He is beyond caring about humanity.

I stopped at issue #5 just so I can write this summation and to squee that this series is seriously good. Also, I am already a big fan of Mark Waid. He wrote another series I bought and read digitally, Hunter Killer series. It’s about a group of super humans hidden from the world.

With Irredeemable, Waid decides to explore the psyche of what makes one go from a hero to a villain. I guess that be can fun. I know I find it interesting and a puzzle to figure out what made him do a 180 degree turn. I just hope that I am rewarded for my dedication in seeking the truth.

Yes, there’s some humor in here at the villain’s unrepentant and irredeemable behavior. The “oh god you’ve got to be kidding me” kind of humor. The series is told in present and past tense. Mark Waid’s “Irredeemable” series has been nominated for an Eisner award which put it on my radar. That’s like the Oscars for comic book writers. I certainly recommend Irredeemable to those who enjoy comics. At least for me, the series seems promising. I’ll do a review of all nine issues when I’m done. Meanwhile, it’s a B+ read for me thus far.

Notes: I’m fairly certain that Irredeemable is available in paperback at your local brick and mortar bookstore or comic bookstore. I know they are available digitally as mentioned above for $1.99/issue and there are a total of 9 issues thus far and again this is an ongoing series. I prefer character driven stories of which this is one. If you enjoy this comic book series, I would recommend Hunter Killer as well.

Wow, this is a fascinating story about human experimentation gone awry. Ryousuke Akiba, the main protagonist, is a hacker. He’s a genetically engineered human who’s able to hack into the minds of other people. He manipulates or shuffles the data that makes up people’s memories and thoughts so that he can control them. His codename is ES00 but he goes by Shuro, after the palm leaf in the Bible.

The scientists who created Shuro were looking for a gene that would enable humans to live longer. This was a secretive experiment. The gene that they are looking for would resist pathogens thereby creating a robust immune system. What they found was the ES gene which was used to create Shuro. It turns out that Shuro was a miracle birth because so many of the other eggs wouldn’t divide or would rot. Because of that, the scientists decided to clone Shuro, to further their studies and to ascertain why he survived.

In doing so, they created “Isaac” who was again, referenced from the Bible, named after the son of Abraham, who sacrifices his son to God. The researchers planned to create Isaac, dissect him and study him. However, what the scientists didn’t know was that Shuro and Isaac could read minds. When Issac was born, he knew all along what the scientists were going to do to him. So he destroyed the lab and killed most of the scientists there that conspired to kill him. Isaac then disappears. With his power, he is considered dangerous.

Now, the only remaining scientist is looking for Isaac and is asking for Shuro’s help. The scientist plans to kill Isaac but Shuro isn’t moved to help. He feels that Isaac’s not his problem. According to Shuro, the scientists only see him as a “guinea pig” and not as a real person. But Shuro is an ambivalent character. His actions seem to convey that he is one of the good guys but he manipulates people’s minds in order to steal people’s identities. He resides with the Akiba family and pretends to be their son.

The power that Shuro and Isaac have is quite dangerous. They can easily control people’s minds but not all of them. Seems that some people are easier to manipulate than others. Mine Kujo, who’s a neurological specialist who befriends Shuro, is one them. She knows about Shuro’s powers and is also helping to track down Isaac.

While Shuro doesn’t harbor any need to to strike out against humanity, Isaac is of a different mindset. He harbors a hatred against mankind. Supposedly he was born never learning the value of human life. Like Shuro, he steals people’s identities and can manipulate people’s minds and causing real and life like hallucinations. So they hunt for Isaac, looking for any strange or unusual event that will give away his location.

The images in here that the author uses to display one’s feelings of hate, jealousy, anger and people’s fears is nicely done. I was reminded of the movie with Jennifer Lopez, when she went into the mind of that psycho to help the local police search for that missing girl. Quite a few people had thoughts that portrayed them in some sort of grandiose manner. The storyline in here could make for a good movie. Will order the rest in this series. This is a promising storyline. My grade, B+. I inhaled both of these titles in one sitting. A good series.

I first read about this graphic novel from Jia (Dear Author). Her review made me order this graphic novel straightaway. With buzz words like “historical drama” about an “epidemic” that after 80 years wipes out 75% of the men? You bet, I’m reading it and I’m happy to say that this story didn’t disappoint.

Ōoku: The Inner Chambers is a historical drama set during the Edo period of Japan. Military rule over the nation has been held by a woman since the third shogun, Iemitsu, died of a mysterious plague. Eighty years ago, a strange disease wiped out almost the entire population of men. Survival rate of younger men was lower than that of the older men. Labor that was mostly dominated by men has been taken over by women. Even though women are now heads of the family, they still have masculine sounding names.

Of course, with young men in so short of supply, they are protected. The gender roles are flipped and the traditional roles of men and women are switched over quite smoothly. The institution of marriage as it was known before has now collapsed. Marriage is now only reserved for the wealthy. In this class conscious society, low born women must visit brothels if they are to procure a child of their own.

Even with the higher classes who find themselves impoverished they often rent out their sons to the daughters of rich merchants and other poor samurai families like their own who don’t have the means to procure a son-in-law. Poor women often have to resort to begging men to lay with them so that they can have children of their own (preferably a son). Since men are the providers of life and there are so few of them left nowadays, the shogun has her own harem of men, at her disposal, at Edo Castle:

As the sole ruler of all the land, the supreme leader of the entire country, the shogun alone had the privilege–the height of luxury in this time of male scarcity…to enter an interior palace populated wholly by beautiful men–said to number three thousand in all–from which all other women were banned.

Mizuno Yunoshin is the son of an poor Hatamoto (belonging to the samurai class). The story is mostly seen through his eyes. Refusing to marry at 19, he decides to enter the Ōoku of Edo Castle. Thus he becomes our eyes and ears at the goings on in such a secretive place. It is through his uncle that Mizuno gains entrance as a lowly ranked page of the Inner Chambers. Inside there is a lot of underhandedness, class discrimination and of course politics.

Going only by his surname of Mizuno, he quickly learns that not everything he heard about the Inner Chambers is true. First of all, instead of 3,000 handsome and sturdy men stabled together for her highness, it is only around 800. It needs to be said that entry into the Ōoku requires a blood oath of silence. Also, the biggest surprise is that the current shogun is only 7 years old. With so many gorgeous men living together, what do you think they’ve been doing?

Mizuno sets out to serve in the Inner Chambers for life with plans to send money back for his family and to see his sister married off. He has a rocky start but he soon adjusts to life at Edo Castle. When seven year old shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, Ietsugu, passes away and another one takes her place. That’s when the story really begins to takes off.

I really enjoyed reading this. Mizuno indeed had some eye-opening surprises in store for him as things weren’t quite as he had expected. However, this is where the romance part comes in– Mizuno’s heart is tied up elsewhere, with the daughter who’s an heiress of a prosperous trader promised to someone else. The two are childhood friends. Moving on. The story is very engrossing especially when the Eighth Tokugawa shogun comes into power –Lord Yoshimune (head of one of three Tokugawa branch houses).

Yoshimune was the first to arrive ahead of her rival at Edo Castle when the young shogun dies. As the new ruler, she is unmarried and “robust of body” and the men of the inner chambers can now rejoice. Yoshimune is shrewd and impulsive. Most of all frugal. She prefers her cotton kimono’s over silk any day of the week.

She dismisses her privy councilor which jump starts a lot of strife within the chambers. And she continues to upset the customs and rituals of the Inner Chambers due in part to the Shogunate’s coffers being nearly empty. The agenda of the new shogun is clear: she is rebuilding the financial institution of the country with an iron fist and a tight purse.

The suspense part comes in when Yoshimune picks her first concubine. This invokes an old and deplorable custom called the “secret swain.” The term is used when an unmarried shogun takes a man to her bedchamber. I will not say anything further only to say: wow, what a sacrifice.

Then of course, the way the story ends kind of leaves you curious. Yoshimune is determined to go through the archives of the Inner Chambers to determine the origin of how women came to outnumber the men which will lead her back to the Redface pox which started it all. Should be interesting. Must mention the language in here because at times it was awkward as well as authentic.

Overall, this is a good start for a new series. I already have the second volume in my hands. If you enjoy such complex stories and especially stories set in historical Japan then by all means pick up this graphic novel. The artwork is really nice and the story moves at a good pace. There’s not very many action scenes in it. The graphic novel reads right to left and has 3 pages of end notes provided by translator, Akemi Wegmüller to provide further insight into the story. B+ overall. This is a good one.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this! Supposedly, Nemi’s very popular comic back in Norway and I can understand why. Her deadpan, often witty humor is very dry and very funny. I was immediately drawn into Nemi’s world from the first page. Here’s the back blurb:

Meet Nemi Montoya, the vegetarian, cynical/romantic, hilariously honest twenty-something goth, in this brand new collection from artist Lise Myhre!

Hang out in the pub with Nemi and her friends, including her flatmate, the blue-haired Cyan; hear her opinions on romance and dating; watch her watch TV in her untidy flat; learn how she feels about birch trees, spiders and blondes; and generally experience the highs and lows of being Nemi in the modern world!

Nemi is a twenty something goth girl whose life is never dull. She loves her heavy metal music. She’s single and jobless. She loves to drink beer and loves chocolate. She’s very cynical about life and is often grumpy and short-tempered. She has her moments of vulnerabilities. She loves manipulating her friends into doing her bidding and she’s always looking for freebies. And the men she dates or run into at the bar seem to be short a few brain cells and a couple of synapses.

Nemi seems to be against anything that is conventional like marriage, kids, etc. Very funny stuff. There were a few moments were some jokes fell flat or were over my head entirely while others were on the money. Nemi vol.3 is a full color comic strips in hardcover priced at $14.95 U.S. B+. Glad to have read it. The publicist for Titan books sent me this copy for review. There are two volumes before this one Nemi vol.1 and Nemi vol.2 that I will be seeking out sometime in the near future.

Additional info: Nicole Blackman (listed as poet, artist and author) provides a list 16 facts about Nemi in the introduction. To quote one fact about Nemi from her list: “I have always loved girls who really know how to hold a grudge.” And last but not least, to quote a scene from Nemi vol.3:

“The Olympic flame is within us all.” -from the TV
“Must be very, very, very, very small! -Nemi

That’s it.

In “Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (vol.3),” the Japanese government is forced to take drastic measures in a declining economy. The world is a terrible place they say. People are lazy and unproductive they cry.

Crime rates are spiking and people don’t appreciate life like they should they admonish. The answer to this? The Welfare Act, a new law that dictates that every citizen entering the first grade must be immunized with a syringe that may or may not contain a nanocapsule that bursts inside the heart at a predetermined time, date and year.

The chances of being immunized with the nanocapsule is 1:1000 or 0.001%. Each child is told entering elementary school that he/she may not live to adulthood. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is the agency that monitors who has been injected with the deadly capsules and they send out a “messenger” to inform the unlucky winners of this nationwide lottery of their last 24 hours.

That messenger is Fujimoto, one of the main recurring characters in this series. When he started his job, he was disillusioned and upset at his role of causing people to lose hope. Now, after he’s been on the job for awhile, he’s more or less adapted. Although, he has lingering doubts about the effectiveness of this law. One of his main questions or concerns is: how does the death of random citizens make this world a safer and better place?

In this dystopian society, citizens are brainwashed into believing that their deaths are necessary for the welfare of the nation. Any outcry or protest of this law is strongly suppressed (as it’s the only way this would work). The world that the author has created is somewhat interesting to me especially since the author decided to examine more closely what this law does or means to those who receive the “ikigami” or “death papers.”

Reactions have varied. In past episodes, all have reacted in the usual fashion of horror, sadness and regret. Some spend their last 24 hours doing nothing. While others, well, act on their rage or spend those last hours doing an act of kindness in making their life more meaningful.

In vol.3, there are two stories: “Life Out of Control” which follow an emotionally abused kid whose mother is a politician who supports the The Welfare Act and “The Loveliest Lie” is about a young girl who lost her eye sight in a accident and has the chance to regain it through surgery but doesn’t have a donor.
I find the idea behind this series rather gripping in seeing how people grapple with their mortality. It begs the question: what would you do given your last 24 hours to live?

This series does have a depressive feel to it, no doubt but the message is clear in that you should live life as if today is your last. Must mention the artwork because it is just outstanding. My hat is off to the author in how he illustrates human emotion. Good job.

Overall, a good, mature series for adults. Not sure how long the author can sustain this because now we are starting to see a bit of hidden dissent. I plan to follow and see how it goes. My grade, B. Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (2009) is available in paperback for $12.99 USA list price, which uses the Japanese style of reading from right to left. Rated for M for mature audiences.

Overview of the Vampire Knight series
Pacifism is the reason why vampires and humans are brought together. Headmaster Cross, an ex-vampire hunter, knows of the secret history between humans and vampires and has championed the cause to make peace to end the war between them. So he created the Cross Academy school where there are two classes in attendance: the Day Class and the Night Class with the latter attended by, what else, vampires.

The security personnel of the school helps to maintain distance between humans and vampires. There are vampires who have no interest in peace and who actually want to continue their war with humans. The school is supposed act as a bridge between the two in the hopes of building a better understanding of each other but the school has its detractors.

Disciplinary committee members and recurring characters Yuki Cross and her childhood friend, Zero Kiryu make up the security personnel of the school. As mentioned earlier, humans are unaware that vampires are welcome to study at the Night Class and only a handful of people are aware of their presence. Yuki and Zero patrol the school grounds to make sure that humans, who make up the Day Class, don’t interact with any of the vampires at the school.

Yuki Cross knows all too well about how vicious vampires can be since she had a run in with one on a cold winter’s day ten years ago. She has no further memories of the event other remembering Kuname Kuran, who is president of the Night Class and a pureblood vampire, saving her on that fateful day. Since the attack, Yuki has had a crush on Kuname, who is quite beautiful yet authoritative and mysterious and forbidden to her because she’s human and he’s not.

Further on in the series, other secrets start to emerge and a dangerous element surfaces to challenge Yuki, Zero and Kuname. Zero and Kuname form an uneasy alliance for the sole purpose of one thing: to protect Yuki even though each of them has feelings for her. The heroine seems to be the center of attention of two dangerous vampires who is also unwitting pawn in a dangerous game of power and politics with the enemy.

As for the romantic drama & angst, there’s plenty of that. Let’s start with Zero, who was the only victim left alive after a vampire attack on his family several years ago. As vampire hunters, his family was reviled and targeted for a reason. Zero hates vampires but he himself was bitten by a pureblood vampire and thus, the self-loathing begins when he realizes that he has become what he hates.

Zero’s fate is dicey since he is expected to become a Level E vampire (rogue and uncontrollable) and poor Yuki, she’s afraid for him. Her sympathies lie with Zero but her heart belongs to Kuname. This triangle of sorts between Yuki/Zero/Kuname is at the heart of this series. The chemistry and tension between them is nice. There’s a lot of romantic feelings flowing from all three characters. I actually like both Kuname and Zero but Zero’s a bit more edgy and unpredictable.

Vampire Knight vol. 7 & 8

But after reading vol. 7 & 8, it is clear who Yuki belongs to and that wasn’t all that big of a surprise. Also, Yukie’s memories of her past are unlocked and we learn about her true heritage. The romantic relationship has also made a dramatic turn that might make some people squeamish but not me which gives a nod to Greek mythology.

There are several reasons why I enjoy this series and one of them happens to be the romantic entanglements between the three principal characters that has now devolved into a somewhat twisted relationship. There’s also the dangerous, violent vampires who want no part of the pacifist views of the Cross Academy vampires and who mete out justice from ancient times. Kuname has enemies who fear him and want to kill him and the people he cares about. It seems that as a pureblood aristocrat, he is and will forever be a target.

This series started off so so good. I just ate up all the romantic bits and the action bits weren’t bad either. I fear that this series will drown in it’s own convolution. At the start of the series, the story arcs were clear and easy to follow but as the series progresses, the characters and story are getting bogged down in a lot of angst ridden melodrama.

I like the politics, the danger, the surprises and twists. Hope we see more of what made this series so good to me at the start. Vol. 8 progressed the series along nicely while Vol.7’s plot was lost in a circle of repetition. I fear my interest might wane unless there’s something new and exciting introduced to keep me on the edge of my seat like the first three or four stories in the series. C+ for vol.7 and vol. 8 is a B. I think Vol. 8 did contribute significantly to the series and I look forward to what’s coming up next in the series.

The artwork in Vampire Knight is just lovely. The men are truly beautiful to look at, too. If you enjoy vampire romances then this series would be right up your alley. This series is ongoing with no end in sight as yet. In the Japanese style, the manga reads from right to left. There are currently, 8 volumes translated in English and available in paperback at the moment, with vol. 9 tentatively due out Feb 2010.

According to the author’s greeting page, the hardcover collects the first four “original” issues of “Lenore.” The stories have been given a updated, fresh look. Just for the sake of disclosure, the publicist sent me this copy, asking me if I was interested in reviewing it. Indeed I was skeptical but I said, sure, why not?

I’d never heard of Roman Dirge or his beloved character, Lenore, a character so named after an Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same name that he prefaces this story with. Supposedly, this darkly, humorous tale has been a hit with U.S. readers. Synopsis:

SHE’S DEAD CUTE

Take a dark, surreal trip with Lenore, the cute little dead girl, into the world filled with vampire teddy bears, possessed stuffed animals, love obsessed glove puppets and cuddly ickle kittens. With more mayhem and mutilation than you can shake a severed head at, Lenore is the celebrated product of creator, Roman Dirge’s twisted genius.

This review will be short and sweet. Realizing that Roman Dirge put his heart and soul into this graphic novel, I respect the effort but unfortunately, the humor and “genius” of this character and her adventures eludes me. Lenore, who is dead, seems to enjoy a macabre lifestyle. There were scenes that left me speechless. Page after page left me puzzled and confused, like what am I supposed to get out of all of this? The stories seem to be gags with graphic violence thrown in for laughs. In a nutshell, I didn’t get it. I’ve concluded that I am not the audience for this book.

The author’s dark humor is compared to that of Tim Burton but wait, I can actually follow Burton. I’m sure I’m in the minority in thinking this graphic novel was not what I had been expecting and that it was more than a little dull. Alas, I just couldn’t follow it and can’t recommend this to anybody. However, I realize that the author has a following and hey, different strokes for different folks. The artwork was interesting but the story: forget it. D. Maybe one of you will have better luck.

So Neil Gaiman gets to write the last Batman story, eh? Or at least it’s his last take on the Dark Knight. As a kind of homage to the caped crusader from his many incarnations from over the years. I’ve only read maybe a handful of Batman stories and enjoyed them. No matter how Gaiman’s story ends for the vigilante hero, Batman will be around, thanks to Christian Bale.

The story opens with the funeral of Batman and everyone is in attendance. Each stand before his coffin–friend and foe– to share stories of their adventures with the Dark Knight. All the stories seem to have one theme in common in that Batman was Gotham and he never gave up fighting the good fight.

Out of all the stories told about the caped crusader, Afred’s stood out from the rest. Alfred was an actor before he became apart of the Wayne family. He makes the claim that Batman’s life as a vigilante hero was a facade. His need to save a broken city was insatiable. His struggles with grief and pain — unbearable.

A lot of the faces who make appearances in here are unfamiliar like Joe Chill who was “here at the start of it all.” Others I recognized from various other places: Serena Kyle aka “Catwoman” who proclaims to have had a brief love affair with Batman. Then there’s also Two-Face, Penguin, The Riddler and Commissioner Gordon, among others.

There’s a funny exchange between the Joker and his, well, I would say girlfriend, Harley Quinn who are in attendance as well,

“I can’t believe he’s dead, puddin’.”

“Well, I can’t believe that he didn’t die the first time he dressed up as a giant bat and jumped off the roof.”

Too true. Anyway, “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?” was a brief look at the history of Batman and we watch as it all come full circle. The artwork was nice, the lead story was a quick read. I didn’t bother reading the other set of stories [cough]. Didn’t feel like it. I’m fairly new to comics and so my take on this story will be a simple one: it was good not great or extraordinary. I didn’t feel the need to shout to the world how great this reading experience was for me. I’m glad to have it read though. B.

Will tackle Alan Moore’s sarong song of Superman with his “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”

“There are demons in the sea.”

What can I say, the cover was arresting and the story sounded promising but after reading this graphic novel I was left.. underwhelmed. I would add on bafflement and utter boredom, too.

The story alludes that there are children who live in the sea. The first encounter of this comes from a underwater cameraman in the Philippines who declares that there are “demons” who live in the sea. Then Ruka, the story’s narrator, sees what she calls a “ghost” in the aquarium where her dad works. The “ghost of the sea” as she terms it, is fully illuminated before it disappears.

Ruka is a tomboy. She loves to play handball but gets kicked off the team due to a scuffle with her teammate. Disappointed and hurt with nothing to do, she ends up befriending a young boy name Umi. Umi is different. Umi along with his brother Sora, were raised in the ocean.

Meanwhile, the mystery of the ocean takes center stage. I guess that’s the best part of the story is the ocean’s vastness and mystery. I mean, how many humans do you know of who were raised in the sea? Umi is not a mermaid. He is human but suffers from dry skin. He and his brother can’t stay out of the water for long periods of time so they wear long robes to protect their skin. That’s because their bodies have adapted to the ocean.

Sorry to say but “Children of the Sea” was underwhelming. I kept reading and reading hoping to finally get hooked but alas, that didn’t happen until after more than a few chapters in. New story + slow build-up didn’t work for me. Everything was just so bizarre and I can’t go on reading stuff that doesn’t explain itself within a reasonable amount of time. Am hesitant to read more because the plot is slow going.

There are little segments here or there that are supposed to be seen as “true accounts” or “testimonies” from three people who’ve witnessed weird phenomena. I was especially moved by the story about a little boy who shows up to help out some fisherman on the harbor. The boy’s strength and hard work makes him memorable but what really stood out was that the fisherman didn’t think the kid acted “normal.” Sure enough his theory or suspicions are proven true from the boy’s physical appearance.

All I have to say is interesting concept, start of the story set the eerie tone or mood just right and the artwork was fantastic but I was left underwhelmed by the story overall. The novel opens with about 9 pages of color. Truly beautiful work. This is a story that is some of shades of familiar, about kids who are outsiders who are caught up in an important search for the “ghost of the sea.”

If you enjoy stories about myths and legends or enjoy mysteries of the unknown, you may want to give Children of the Sea a try. C. But you have to be patient for the story to take off, though. Children of the Sea has been reviewed here as well if you want a more positive take on the story.

Berry’s debut graphic novel has been generously praised by UK publications like The Guardian saying that “…Hannah Berry conjures up exactly the right noir atmosphere.” That quote is about as accurate as it gets and I like noir. But what struck my eye about this graphic novel was the cover and I like a good murder mystery and this one delivers.

Fernández Britten is a private investigator who aims at “serving humanity and righting wrongs.” After ten years, he is weary of the clientele who seek his services: jealous lovers and vengeful people looking for dirt. To his way of thinking, more than half already suspect the outcome and for his efforts, he’s earned the nickname of “heartbreaker” because he rarely gives good news.

Britten’s partner, Stewart Brü­lightly, recommends that they start being a bit more “discriminating” and for once he gets a case that proves to be a lot of legwork with research that makes him reexamine his role in righting the wrong’s of humanity.

Charlotte Naughton, the daughter of a publisher, asks Britten to investigate the death of her fiancé, Bertie Kudos, who she suspects was murdered even though his demise was officially ruled a suicide.

Britten along with his “unconventional partner” Brülightly delve into the explosive secrets of a family’s past and what he finds out is that it’s a tangled mess that involves loss, betrayal, blackmail and murder.

The story seems to be set in London and has a strong noir feel to it that immediately draws the reader right into the story. The author uses muted colors along with black and white to draw her characters and setting in sharp relief. Some scenes really strike out at you. The narration is in cursive which at times proved difficult to decipher. I also found Britten’s partner, a bit of an enigma because he’s a teabag.

The story is suffused with black humor and is at times emotionally taut. I waited on the edge of my seat for the denouement. The ending wasn’t hinting at a sequel but there could easily be one. But the story arc was essentially resolved by the time the last page was turned. I enjoyed the story for what it was and wouldn’t mind revisiting Britten and his partner to see what case of moral ambiguity they entangle themselves up in next. B.

For readers interested in this book, you can see sample chapters of Britten and Brülightly at the publisher’s website.

And I only read the good stuff, folks. Here we go.

Oishinbo: Japanese Cuisine (vol.1) story by Tetsu Kariya and art by Akira Hanasaki & published by Viz Media. Oishinbo grabbed my attention for two reasons: the back blurb that states that Oishinbo has […over 100 million copies sold worldwide…] and the subject matter revolves around Japan’s culinary culture.

While food is the primary focus, there’s an ongoing story arc that revolves around the rivalry between father and son. Yes, I love good drama. Kaibara Yuzan is a huge bear of a man who has a passion for food and a very short temper. He is a very demanding man. He’s the founder of the highly respected and hard to get into restaurant, The Gourmet Club. Kaibara doesn’t get along with his son, Yamaoka Shiro, who’s a journalist for the Tozai News.

Father and son relationship is very strained. Yamaoka blames his father for his mother’s early demise since she had to bear the brunt of his father’s wrath for cooking him mediocre meals + other things. Kaibara has a nasty habit of making people redo his meals until they get it right. He’s Japan’s equivalent of Gordon Ramsey. Partially joking on that last part.

Yamaoka believes that his father’s love for food was more important than his family. So he lashes out and as a result, he has been unwelcome in his father’s home ever since the “incident.” At work, Yamaoka has been given an important assignment: to research the Ultimate Menu alongside his co-workers at Tozai News for their 100th Anniversary. While Yamakoza doesn’t share his father’s deep love for art and food, he’s skilled in the kitchen. Most people tend to think he’s lazy but he shows them differently.

Aside from the father/son relationship, the stories are broken down by “ten courses” where each one expounds on what makes Japanese cuisine culturally significant. You have technique, ingredients, presentation, flavor + other things that must all come together to make for a memorable meal. But all of those things are meaningless if it doesn’t come from the heart.

I enjoyed this manga because it is very engaging and very informative! I’m not a big culinary fan outside of consumption but this is one manga that I read quickly and was smart enough to have on hand, the second to read for tonight until I get my hands on more. This is a character driven story but it’s the food and the techniques that make this manga a huge winner.

Viz Media seems to be reissuing Oishinbo under their signature line and are compiling them into groups with the same subject matter. The author also provides insight into his definition of Japanese cuisine and the novel has section for notes where you can find definitions and the like for panels that need additional explaining. Oishinbo was a great find and a great read. B+.

Note: This book reads from right to left and is rated T for Teens. Price is $12.99 USA.

*****

Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (vol. 1,2) story & art by Motoro Mase. Published by VizMedia.

I don’t go out of my way to find depressive stories but find this one I did. I read a review of where Ikigami was favorably compared to another GN I read, Deathnote. In “Ikigami,” the story features a dystopian society where under government rule, people are being forced to “value life.” Let me explain.

The National Welfare Act is a law that “preserves the welfare of the people” where “obedience is the key to happiness.” For the past nine years, the government has been giving children immunization shots that fights off disease and contains a nanocapsule that travels and resides in the pulmonary artery. The capsule is timed to explode on a given day, time and year when they are between the ages of 18 and 24.

The system is overly complex to ensure secrecy and the chances of getting the nanocapsule is 1:1000 or 0.01% of the population. The system is also set up to provide families of the deceased with bereavement compensation and that’s only provided if the citizen doesn’t act out or cause havoc before their impending death.

Each child entering elementary school gets the shot and are told that some of them will not live past adulthood. Students are taught that their death is for the good of the country. The government thinks that the fear of death will instill values into a society that was once crime ridden and sedentary.

The Welfare Act claims success with these new laws, citing low crime rates and higher productivity. Dissenters of this program are either brainwashed to follow along or they are given the shot with the nanocapsule to silence their rhetoric.

The heavy burden of informing someone of their impending death is given to Fujimoto. He works at the Civil Registration Section of the ward office and has been on the job for a few months. As the messenger, he delivers the “Ikigami” aka “death papers” to the citizens whose death is imminent within 24 hours.

The stories in Ikigami closely examine these citizens in their last 24 hours. When notified, they are immediately given access to resources and are waived certain expenses, fees and such in their final hours. We watch them struggle to absorb the news and reflect on what they’ve done with their lives and seeing what decisions they make in their final hours.

The stories are captivating and you just never knew who would get the “ikigami” paper when each story began. While we follow everyday citizens who have been given these letters, it is Fugimoto’s struggle with the responsibilities of his job along with the emotional burden, as he puts it, in crushing people’s hopes and dreams, that is the focal point.

If you were given only 24 hours left to live, what would you do with your time? That’s essentially what this series addresses along with the usual themes of hope, living life to the fullest and living each day as if it was your last. I’ve read the first two volumes in this series thus far and so far, so good.

Artwork and panels are easy to follow and the manga reads from right to left and is again, published by Viz Media. They seem to be putting out some good stuff lately. Unsure if I want to continue to follow this series but I am curious to know if Fugimoto, who survives to adulthood unlike others, will continue to do this line of work or will he resign? What story or assignment will move him to rebel against the system? Grade for vol 1 & 2: B. The next issue is due out in November.

Note: This book is rated M for Mature audiences, price is $12.99 USA.

I mean the writer and artist seem so attuned to each other in their storytelling skills that the result of their efforts was a huge win for this reader.

Alias, which is apart of the Marvel MAX line, follows an ex-superhero who now works as a private investigator. To briefly recap, Jessica Jones aka “Jewel” hung up the costume in favor of doing investigative work. She’s the sole proprietor of Alias, Inc. Comparatively, her superhero powers were not really all that great compared to the other icons in the Marvel universe and so she quit.

In “Come Home”, the story arc in here is supposedly related to a couple of true stories per the author. Jessica Jones is asked to investigate a missing teen-age girl from a small town in upstate New York. It doesn’t take Jessica long to ascertain that she has landed in a bigoted town.

There’s been rumors about Rebecca Cross, the young teen who is missing, being a mutant. The term, “mutant” has the negative connotation of being labeled gay, black or Jewish. The town’s preacher espouses on hate regularly every Sunday thereby amplifying the bigoted views of the town. Maybe even prompting some of the town folks to put action behind their radical, bigoted views.

We later learn that there’s a story going around town about a kid who had fallen out of tree but didn’t break any bones. He was labeled a mutant, too. The boy’s family was targeted and harassed and ended up leaving their son behind. Did Rebecca suffer the same fate? Did someone harm her? The conclusion to this story arc wasn’t a big surprise but enjoyable all the same.

In “Raining Men,” this thread has Jessica going out on a date with another superhero, Ant-Man. Her friend, Carol Danvers aka Mrs Marvel, set this one up for her. It just shows the two of them having a very enlightening conversation while Spiderman is outside fighting with Doctor Octopus and neither of which are moved to help, which I thought was amusing. This story arc was a bit ho-hum and delved more into Jessica’s private life.

Jessica is a interesting character with flaws. Among her character flaws, she is too fond of the bottle which tends to screw up her judgment which results in her making some bad choices and yeah, she loves to say “fuck” a lot, too.

She chain smokes and seems to have some self-esteem issues. Other than that, her character is built pretty strong and is an ongoing development, meaning that with each new entry we learn a little more about her. As of yet, she’s revealed nothing about why she quit the superhero business.

There are some added bonuses with this volume in that artist David Mack shares his “sketchbook” of Rebecca’s drawings which are a collage of images that are used to provide insight into Rebecca’s character while she was missing. Some of it is rather riveting. Anyway, this volume collects #11 to 15. Again, the storytelling is superb as are the characters and the artwork by Michael Gaydos. I enjoyed it but probably not as much as the first volume. My grade, B. I plan to finish this series.

Marvel MAX line contains explicit content. It should go without saying that the content of this series is not appropriate for children as it has sexuality and bad language.

Kate Spencer is a star prosecutor residing in Los Angeles. She loses a case when a meta-human, who are described as humans with a genetic flaw, goes free. “Copperhead” is one of many meta-humans who are at large. Kate doesn’t take defeat well, no, when the jury return a verdict of “not guilty” for his killing spree. It’s not his fault that he is a monster. When “Copperhead” strikes again, Kate opts not to use the judicial system this time and instead, dons a red suit with an electrified staff as her weapon and goes after justice, vigilante style.

On the home front, Kate is a divorcee and a single mother who shares joint custody with her ex. Kate is not the best mother in the world. She seems to prioritize her job over everything else. An unfortunate accident with her son doesn’t even make her slow down none either. In fact, it seems to strengthen her resolve in her chosen path and that is to add her skill set to the other superheroes who fight for the good of justice. Thus, she labels herself “Manhunter.” As expected, she finds her own techno geek to aide her in intel, training and keeping her wardrobe in good repair with some added functionality.

My reaction to this story is that this is a decent introduction to a new character that I’d never heard of before now. I like Kate only marginally so. Sarcasm just drips out of her mouth and no, she is not seen in the best light as a mother with a career. Alongside her penchant for smoking and her inner rage at being a failure, she decides to invoke her own brand of justice and that doesn’t make her all that heroic. But then maybe that is the point? Her character isn’t all that likable. She is full of attitude with plenty to spare.

The dialogue zips along, the artwork didn’t provoke any oohhs or ahhhhs — decent but then I am new to this genre so what do I know. Other DC characters put in brief appearances like The Joker, Batman, the Justice League. The villain — yes, there is one of course, is a bit odd. He goes by the name, Shadow Thief and seems to speak to himself in third person. A good match maybe for the Manhunter?

Overall, a B-/C+ because while I can respect a heroine created to kick ass, I really don’t like her. But then the creator gave all of these negative attributes and by story’s end, I hadn’t warmed up to her at all. Does she have any redeeming qualities? Other than to rid the world of meta-humans? You would be hard pressed to find them and I am not sticking around to find them either. The first installment didn’t really impress me much but then I am just one reader. While “Manhunter” is very readable and is a quick read at that, it is simply not for me. C+.

Manhunter: Street Justice collects the first five issues in the series and currently there are 38 issues in collected volumes available right now.

Mad Love is a love story, of sorts, as the title suggests. The Joker, who has escaped from Arkham is still determined to destroy Batman, as usual, in some elaborate master plan. Only this time he has an accomplice: Harley Quinzel. Miss Quinzel is a psychiatrist working at Arkham who befriends the Joker. She laughs at his jokes and gives him a sympathetic ear. She believes his lies and he gains her trust. Eventually she falls madly, deeply in love with the clown and breaks him free. She also sheds her good girl persona and changes her name from Harley Quinzel to Harley Quinn. There’s backstory on Ms. Quinn that showed just a hint of mischievousness that logically explains her character’s transformation. Moving on.

Since the two have been together, Harley Quinn’s affections for her “puddin” seems to be one-sided. She blames Batman for standing in the way of their love and decides to do something about it. So, she plots and schemes and actually succeeds where Joker has failed only he doesn’t see it that way. No. Joker’s rather large ego allows Batman to use that to his advantage in the climax of the story. My take on this love story: awesome storyline and dialogue. I enjoyed it immensely. Almost worth the cost of the hardcover price. Artwork — very nice as well. Also, I liked that even though Harley was never taken seriously, she was no dummy. She had a brain and she used it. Too bad she had poor taste in men.

As for the other stories, well, none were as good as Mad Love unfortunately but are worth reading I guess. One of the other stories I just skimmed completely. The other tales featured Scarecrow (that was good), Two-face, Bat-girl even puts in an appearance as does Batman’s adversary Selena Kyle aka Catwoman. There’s also the Arnold Wesker aka the “ventriloquist” and Scarface story (weak) among a few others. Simple, quick read. Worth reading at the library for the Mad Love story as that was quite excellent. B.

Takehiko Inoue from Vagabond and Slam Dunk fame takes on wheelchair basketball. The series thus far has been focusing on teens who have had their lives dramatically changed by some major event. The backstory for each of the teens presented is comprised of tragic accidents and debilitating and often fatal diseases that has robbed them of their goals, potential or personal achievements.

In volume #4 of Real, the story focuses on recurring character, Kiyoharu Togawa, a teen who has lost his leg to bone cancer. At 17, Kiyoharu was the fastest on his track team. Then one day it all comes crashing down on him. His father, based on medical advice, decides to let the doctor cut off Kiyoharu’s leg to prevent any further spread of cancer and thus he undergoes rotationplasty. Since the procedure, Kiyoharu has shunned his teammates and keeps to himself.

The story dives into flashbacks on Kiyoharu’s catharsis. He meets up with a charismatic and outgoing guy name Tora who is into wheelchair sports and plays for the Tiger’s. Kiyoharu identifies with Tora since they both had the same procedure done. Tora helps Kiyoharu find his path. The point of the flashbacks is to show readers how far Kiyoharu has come to accepting what has happened to him and how he has decidedly moved forward. It has been an emotional struggle for him.

Eventually, we see how Kiyoharu gets stronger and as a member of the Tigers, he pushes himself and his teammates to a second place win in a wheelchair sports tournament. This also leads to an invitation to represent Japan on an International level. It’s a coveted spot that he’s worked hard to achieve. The flashbacks in the story serve to make us understand what a difficult road it was for him to travel.

Kiyoharu’s buddy, Tomomi Nomiya, who fancies himself another Jason Kidd on the basketball court, is still without direction. Nomiya was in a major motorcycle accident that left a young girl paralyzed. He was also kicked out of high school. Since being out of school he can’t seem to hold down a job. This latest job has him in a monster costume for a show but his performance is a major fail. Unscripted, he kills off the star of the show, the hero which I thought was quite funny. When his boss fires him, Nomiya doesn’t understand why, stating that “[t]here are kids out there who realize that the good guys don’t always win. Bet this show made them feel validated.” Amen to that.

Real is one of the meatier manga titles out there for adults. The artwork is very well done especially where the emotion of the characters which plays an integral part of the story, comes through brilliantly. I haven’t touched on all the intricacies of the plot or themes and at times, the tone of the story could become preachy. Other than that, this is one of the best series going right now besides my other guilty pleasure read, Vampire Knight. I highly recommend this emotionally charged and often action packed series if you enjoy complex stories with deft characterizations. My grade, B+.

This series is good — so far. Also, let’s not be too quick to judge this series by the cover art. This is a story for adults because it has plenty of political intrigue and suspense, cussing, violence, and sexual innuendo.

“Fables: Animal Farm” has a pretty firm plot. The fables who now call New York home, were forced out of their homeland by someone named The Adversary. So they abandoned their homes and fortunes and created a new secret community in New York which is led by King Cole and his deputy, Snow White. Fables who look human enough are allowed to live in the city or “Fabletown” as they refer to it while the non-human fables reside outside the city, on the animal farm.

The story opens with Snow White making her bi-annual trip to the farm. This trip is work for her but she decides to bring along her little sister, Rose Red, in the hopes that the two can mend fences and get along again. Rose Red is doing community service for her role in another event that happened in the first volume. I won’t go into that here. The women arrive at the farm and realize that the non-human fables are organizing a revolution to gain back what they lost from The Adversary.

Snow White is against it, of course, and she has a group of loyalists backing her up but the revolutionaries seem determined to go through Snow White and whoever else that stands in the way of them winning their land back. Winning their land back is one thing but the non-humans also feel slighted and imprisoned on the land and don’t like that some fables live in the city while they have to live on the farm. So they’ve armed themselves to the teeth, thwarted the administrator of the farm while spreading inflammatory rhetoric to increase their numbers.

The events in this story spans a year and it was completely unpredictable for me. I had no idea that the story would end the way that it did. Bigby Wolf, the law enforcer of fabletown makes some brief appearances only because he’s forbidden to enter the animal farm because of some charter agreement. When he learns of Snow White’s endangerment, he sends in reinforcements led by Little Boy Blue and his pet monkey plus Bluebeard and Prince Charming. As an aside, my favorite characters are Snow White and Bigby Wolf.

This series is great. A good sound plot, some adult humor that fit in nicely with a well fleshed out cast of characters. Snow White may run Fabletown with plenty of attitude to spare but often she has moments where she comes across as being quite dense especially in matters of life and death. Some of the humor comes at her expense, too. There are plenty of surprises, plenty of action with a nice summation at the end that I’ve come to expect in the denouement. This is a good series and recommended if you enjoy meaty stories that are quick reads. My grade, B. Now onward to the next entry.

Now here is a gratifying read and a story with some substance. The story follows three teens who find themselves grappling with life changing events in Japan. All are passionate sportsman. All come from different backgrounds. And like the back blurb states, they all have one thing in common, however: their love for basketball.

Eighteen year old, Nishi High school senior, Tomomi Nomiya aka Nomiya has been kicked out of school. Sporting an Afro that he labels the “Kobe Bryant look,” Nomiya views himself as a screw-up and a passionate basketball player. Life seems to have spiraled downward for him since he quit the basketball team. He was recently in a motorcycle accident that left him with a scar and the girl he was with, paralyzed. He makes daily visits to her because he feels responsible. Since the accident, he has cultivated a fear of driving. He seems stuck in a cycle, looking for absolution when it can’t be found.

Next is Kiyoharu Togawa, a 17 year old kid who was diagnosed with bone cancer at 14. His leg was amputated thus making him wheelchair bound. He’s been competing in wheelchair basketball with the Tigers. When Nomiya first meets Togawa, he is impressed with his speed and intensity. But Togawa is reserved and a shadow of his former self who quit the team. He seems to lack focus and feels beaten by his handicap. His defeat in a pick-up game with another athlete who is also wheelchair bound revives his focus and competitiveness from the old days.

Lastly there is Takahashi Ichikawa, a senior and captain of the basketball team at Nishi High. He’s a bully, striking back at his teammates on the basketball court by not passing them the ball. Selfish, arrogant and not a likable guy, life throws him a curve ball, making him a cripple, when he steals a bike and gets hit by a dump truck. He lies alone, in a hospital bed realizing,surprisingly, that life goes on and that no one seems to miss him. Self-pity eats at him but he is determined to walk again.

I’ve read all three volumes and have really enjoyed the story arcs. The prevalent theme seems to be that life without basketball means no life at all. This really is a character driven story about these three boys passion for basketball. The first volume seems to be a little all over the place in respect to character and plot. I didn’t know who was the lead character and then realized as the story progressed that all three teens seemingly share the spotlight.

Passion. Each teen has it in spades. The author did a great job with fleshing out Takahashi and Togawa’s background but Nomiya’s life outside of his love for basketball, remains elusive. We see some growth in the boys as they struggle against routine to find some direction, some purpose. Nomiya and Togawa form a tentative friendship out of their mutual love for the sport. The love of basketball being the transcending factor here.

The most captivating story arc for me would have to be Takahashi Ichikawa, who realistically struggles with accepting his fate followed by Togawa (vol.2). In some form or fashion, all three boys have had their dreams cut short. It’s up to them do something about it. There is a rather subtle romance that hasn’t really been the focus; the set-up was brief and hasn’t really been fully explored yet.

If I had to describe this series thus far I would say it is intense, heartbreaking, captivating, engaging, insightful and more importantly, inspiring. In life, we’ve all faced obstacles. Some people have more serious obstacles to tackle than others. In times of hardship, you have to find your inner strength. You have to reclaim your life back. The journey has only begun for these three boys. I plan to continue this journey with them. As for the artwork, I’m just a reader, not an artist but the artwork in here is fabulous.

I strongly recommend this series, especially if you enjoy stories with complexity. This is one of the better graphic novels out there that seems to have some substance to it. Characterizations once you’re past the first entry is solid, as is the story. I felt really invested and cared a lot about these characters and their futures. Real keeps it real and gets high marks in my book for originality. My grade, B+.

First year Shohoku high school student, Hanamichi Sakuragi is a loud-mouth bully. His shock of red hair has made him an oddity among his classmates. However, his height and build makes him stand out to his upperclassman and his quick temper often gets him into plenty of scrapes.

Sakuragi is also not very popular with the girls. He’s been rejected 50 times in a row with the last girl telling him that she’s in love with a basketball player. This puts him into a depressive funk of which his friends tease him mercifully. Needless to say, Sakuragi is heartbroken, stating that “winter” has settled inside of his heart. He’s an emotional guy, who’s mood changes like the wind.

Being the sore loser that he is, anyone who reminds him of basketball is greeted with a head-butt. That is until Akagi Haruko asks him if he likes basketball and tells him that she “loves athletes.” Sukaragi falls instantly in love with Haruko and declares himself, what else, an athlete. And just like that, “spring has arrived” in the form of Haruko, who he hopes will ask him to walk her to school one day.

We watch as he enthusiastically throws himself into the sport without knowing any of the rules (or caring). Sukaragi is a handful because he is arrogant, impatient, lacks manners and doesn’t respond to criticism well. Molding him into a passable basketball player isn’t going to be easy. His goal to impress Haruko gets complicated even further when he runs into her older brother who happens to be the captain of the basketball team, Akagi Takenori.

Sakuragi earns himself a spot on the basketball team because he has the potential to be a formidable player (while being determined and enthusiastic). I don’t think he realizes his potential as an athlete, at least, not until the Judo team tries to recruit him. There’s a defining moment in the story where he decides he wants to be a basketball player and that’s when the story really starts to get good.

Haruko secretly teaches him how to slam dunk and do lay-ups. Surprisingly he improves and this is seen as a natural progression of talent and didn’t feel forced or contrived. Of course, there’s a rival for Haruko’s affections and his name is Rukawa Kaede. Rukawa is a star athlete who is very popular with the girls. He is the complete opposite of Sakuragi. While both men have the same physical height and build, both men are very different. Rukawa is quiet, reserved and a skilled basketball player who shuns the girls attention while Sakuragi is a loud mouth bully, looking for the spotlight and is determined to learn what (maybe) Rukawa takes for granted.

There is the usual on/off basketball court rivalry between Rukawa and Sukaragi and the conflicts with the captain of the team & staff. The three of them together, however, form a formidable team and may have what it takes to make it to the National Championship, which is Ayagi’s dream (and passion).

To start off my analysis of this series, must mention the artwork: the men are drawn to be very tall and very built in here like whoa. They are very striking and very imposing to look at. This series so far has been a lot of fun and prior knowledge about basketball is not necessary to follow along. However, the author does take the time to explain a few of the elements of basketball and did it in such a way as to make it not seem so boring or distracting.

The hero in this series, Sukaragi is a handful. Often times, I called him an idiot but you can’t help but root for the guy. It is always impressive to me to see a character change or grow substantially from where they started. It is so cool to see a character determined to be something and succeed at it. But can a loud mouth bully become a formidable basketball player? Will he get the girl in the end? I can’t wait to find out the answers myself.

I’d have to conclude that yes, this series is a lot of fun thus far and I can see why it is so popular in Japan. I know Nath enjoys this series very much and she’s one of a handful of readers I turn to for manga recs. “Slam Dunk” is a must read for sports fans or non-sports fans, it really doesn’t matter. My grade, B+. I bought my copy (that has over 30 color pages, sa-weet) but you are able to read this manga online (sorry you will have to google it). I already pre-ordered the second volume that is due out this month;this is a series I plan to follow.

Additional info: Slam Dunk, Volume 1is already completed at 31 volumes and was recently licensed in the US by Viz Media with two volumes translated and available in the US at this time.

As other readers have noted, this manga is not typical. First of all it is set in Australia and secondly, it is written by a Chinese-Australian author. The Dreaming can be best described as horror. Twin sisters, Amber and Jeannie are moving from Sydney to the Australian bushland to attend a private boarding school that might be haunted.

The Greenwich Private College is a prestigious school and an old one. The institution is also burdened with a troublesome history. The school is rumored to have had several girls disappear without a trace. As for the staff, the vice-principal has a twin phobia and the girls’ aunt, Jessica Malkin, is head mistress there but just as the girls are arriving, she is leaving for 3 months to take care of family commitments.

Amber is the most reserved and superstitious. She finds the school odd and sinister. The rumors about the missing girls doesn’t make her feel any better either. On the other hand, her twin sister, Jeannie is excited about attending the school and is more of the extrovert. The girls quickly assimilate into their new school and try to stay focused while batting down these distractions.

Soon after the girls settle in, though, they both begin to have strange dreams where they are dressed up in Victorian gowns and are standing in the middle of the bushland being encircled by strange women dressed up as well in the Victorian style. The girls soon realize that the paintings around the school are eerily similar to their dreams and that the unknown artist was once a student there.

The plot thickens further when another girl goes missing. A search party is sent out a few weeks later after the twins and a group of girls throw a party and hold a seance to summon the ghosts of the girls who went missing at the college.

A good horror story is one that evokes your imagination and makes it go into overdrive. The author did a good job at the subterfuge in building up the intensity and suspense. A lot of the scary stuff involves what you don’t see. I had started reading this GN at night and decided it would be best to complete in the morning. Ok, it wasn’t _that_ bad but I didn’t want to go there at 11 pm.

The Dreaming is not gory or violent. It’s a ghost story, if you will. My review is just for the first volume as I can’t seem to get my hands on the other two volumes. As a first impression of sorts, this promises to be a good story with characters that thus far are well written. If you enjoy gothic stories then this GN is one that you should put on your list to try.

The Sony ebook store had this title but not the other two which was disappointing. Reading this GN on my reader was fun but not perfect. I had to adjust the font to “large” in order to read the dialogue, however, I wish I could have adjusted the font some more for a better reading experience.

The graphics are nicely done. There were a few instances where I couldn’t make out a word or two of dialogue but overall this was a positive experience. The Dreaming vol.1 doesn’t seem to be available in paperback at Amazon but the other two are still available for purchase. Weird. However it is available as a Sony ebook and I’d say this series is worth a look. My grade, B. Off to order.