Kimi No Todoke v3
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

Kimi ni Todoke is such a treat to read! It's such a simple story, never relying on dramatic plot twists, and its faith in the ability of the characters to carry readers along is entirely well-founded. Watching Sawako discover the simplest pleasures of friendship, such as meeting up for ramen and then (!) visiting someone else's home, is absolutely lovely. Among other things, this modest adventure of Sawako's involves her friends convincing her to...
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Black Bird v2
Reviewed by Penny Kenny

Misao is the bride of demon prophecy. Her blood grants incredible powers and if a demon eats her flesh, he'll become immortal. Ten years ago, Kyo was Misao's neighbor and friend. Now he's the head of the Tengu demon clan and ready to claim her as his bride. But does he love her? Or is he just after her blood? A lot happens in this second volume of Black Bird: Misao meets Kyo's vassals - four of whom happen to be real hotties; is introduced to...
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The Dance in the Vampire Bund Brouhaha
Reported by Charles Webb

Recently, there's been a bit of gnashing of teeth and rending of garments about the U.S. streaming and forthcoming hard copy release of anime Dance in the Vampire Bund. Specifically, U.S. distributor Funimation announced prior to streaming the first episodes that the series would be edited for content due to "controversial elements which, when taken out of context, could be objectionable to some audiences." Not to beat around the bush but these "controversial...
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Cactus's Secret v.1
Reviewed by Penny Kenny

A copy of this volume was provided by the publisher for review. Miku has dyed her hair, changed her make-up, and basically done everything she can to capture the attention of Kyohei, the boy she's been crushing on since middle school. Unfortunately, he's clueless about her feelings. What's a girl to do? Miku is one of those heroines who hits first and thinks later. Her encounters with Kyohei generally involve violence of some sort, as her frustration...
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First Timer's Edition: Fullmetal Alchemist v22
Reviewed by Charles Webb

So I've finally had a chance to read a volume of the big-dog of the mangaverse that doesn't involve ninjas and ubiquitous spirals. To be honest, jumping into the reviews so late in the game feels kind of like it has the potential to be like swinging a stick at a hornets' nest. By this point there have been 30 million copies of the book sold in Japan alone and I imagine there's a metric buttload of the faithful here in the States. Full Disclosure:...
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Hanako and the Terror of Allegory v1
Reviewed by Zack Davisson

After seeing the preview in Deadman Wonderland Volume 1, I was really looking forward to Hanako and the Terror of Allegory. After all, the series was being done by Esuno Sakae, the creator of Future Diary, which is a series I absolutely love, and the topic was Japanese folklore, which I love so much that I got a Master’s Degree in it. But unfortunately the first volume in this series just didn’t deliver. The story opens with Hiranuma Kanae, a young...
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Wanna Become Tokypop Intern?
Reported by Charles Webb

Tokyopop is offering an interesting opportunity for candidates interested in a career in the manga industry. From their press release: Complete and promote a real-world, digital production project as part of the TOKYOPOP Tour, a 3-month national tour for the world's most innovative entertainment company! From May 28 through September 6, 2010, TOKYOPOP will tour America, going to anime and manga conventions, bookstores, libraries, parking lots--anywhere...
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Words of Truth and Wisdom: Shinso
Written by Alethea and Athena Nibley

Recently, a fan asked us if we were planning on keeping the term “shinso” in future Negima! translations. We didn't know what the term was referring to (apparently it was used once in past English-language versions of Negima!, but obviously we didn't remember it), and looking it up in a dictionary, it could be so many things that we assumed that we probably wouldn't keep it. Upon further discussion, we learned that this particular use of “shinso”...
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Skull Man: The Complete Collection (DVD)
Reviewed by Zack Davisson

Skull Man is a series with an interesting legacy. Created in 1970 by legendary Ishinomori Shotaro, Skull Man was Japan’s first anti-hero, a dark crusader who didn’t mind if a few innocents got killed during his quest for vengeance. The first one-shot story appeared in Shonen Magazine, and was an instant hit. Ishinomori was asked to re-develop the character in a lighter and less gruesome style for a kid’s television program, and the masked hero Kamen...
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Kaze Hikaru v16
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

As the sixteenth volume of Kaze Hikaru opens, a mere week has passed since Sanosuke Harada, one of the Shinsengumi's captains, met a girl named Omasa--whom he now wishes to marry. There's just one small problem: Omasa is the daughter of a merchant, and as the book briefly breaks the fourth wall to note, marriages between samurai and members of different castes were forbidden during this period. Sei isn't the only one of Harada's comrades who's distressed...
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Portrait of M & N v1
Reviewed by Zack Davisson

Boy meets Girl. Boy gets Girl. Boy loses Girl. Boy gets Girl again. You really can’t get a more classic storyline, and putting interesting twists on that ages-old scenario has provided fodder for writers for untold generations. Any book with a “romance” tag on the spine is most likely going to spin you some variation on the theme. In Portrait of M & N, Tachibana Higuchi (creator of Gakuen Alice) has apparently decided to create the most messed-up...
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Natsume's Book of Friends v1
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

Natsume's Book of Friends is just the first of several new titles VIZ has coming out this year that I've been anticipating entirely due to word of mouth. Despite the buzz, I knew very little about it other than the most basic elements of the premise when I sat down to read the first volume. Here's what we've got: Takashi Natsume is a high school student whose ability to see spirits and demons sets him apart from the people around him. He inherited...
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