Comments Are (Sorta) Live!
Written by Charles Webb

Hello everyone, Charles Webb, the incoming EIC here at MangaLife.com. We're testing out a new comments system on our Review pages. Right now they're not available in our features and articles, but in the meantime won't you give them a try? Let your reviewer know what you thought of their work!
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Words of Truth and Wisdom: Return of the Prose Discussion
Written by Alethea and Athena Nibley

Some of you may remember that in our last column, I ended up rambling about prose in something that may or may not have been coherent. Some of you may also remember that I mentioned the blank">Kurodahan Press Translation Prize. This week, we have a special treat in the form of added commentary from Kurodahan Press's own Mr. Edward Lipsett. As there was no comment button (EDITOR'S NOTE: Coming soon! Honest!), he e-mailed us and gave us permission...
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What Park's Looking At: Early February 2010
Written by Park Cooper

Whistle! v24 Viz This was the last volume of Whistle! Awww! Well, it was a fun ride. We learn, American-Graffiti-style, what became of the Whistle! gang... most of them go on to become pro soccer players. But what of our hero?! He learns that aiming to be a pro sports player means the risk of pro-level sports injuries! What will be his ultimate fate?!? Oh, and everyone’s forgotten all about the fact that this volume is the one that determines the...
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Deadman Wonderland
Reviewed by Zack Davisson

TokyoPop obviously has some confidence in the new series Deadman Wonderland. They put out a nineteen-page preview in several titles released around the end of 2009, including the final volume of the popular Chibi Vampire v14, and have built some hype around the release. Personally, I was hooked by that little teaser, and have been eagerly awaiting the first volume in what promised to be one of the best new series of the year. After having finally...
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What Park's Looking At: Mid-January 2010
Written by Park Cooper

Black Jack v8 Vertical More tales of the world’s greatest outlaw (as in unlicensed) doctor. Old school tales as timely as America’s health-care turmoil. “The Tattooed Man”: An old-school Yakuza boss needs surgery, but he’s comforted by the fact that if the achieves nothing else in life, the tattoo that covers his body can be preserved for posterity. Black Jack is called in... but he’s not supposed to mar the tattoo! Well, some years later, the...
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Otomen v4
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

Each time I read a volume of Otomen I'm surprised again by how endearing it is, but its over-the-top streak feels rather a lot stronger in volume 4 than it did in vol. 2, the last installment I reviewed. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I read vol. 4 without having read vol. 3, but then was able to find a copy of vol. 3 and get properly caught up. Still, having read them out of order probably has at least a minor effect on my impression.) The...
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Biomega v1
Reviewed by Charles Webb

From the publisher’s description: “The N5S virus has swept across the Earth, turning most of the population into zombie-like Drones. Zoichi Kanoe, an agent of TOA Heavy Industry, is humanity’s last hop, and he’s not even human!” One would think a book with a gun-toting, talking bear would make more of an impression. Unfortunately, Tsutomu Nihei’s (Blame!) most recent work sort of blows over the reader like a gentle wind to be forgotten almost immediately....
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Words of Truth and Wisdom: Prose Weakness
Written by Alethea and Athena Nibley

As I sit here, planning to write yet another column about our translation weaknesses, I wonder if I do that a little too frequently. But on the other hand, this week is turning out to be crazy busy and I can't think of anything else. So. I mentioned before that we were removed from a light novel translation project because our prose translation was not up to snuff. Well, we wanted to find out exactly how bad it was so we decided to participate...
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All My Darling Daughters
Reviewed by Penny Kenny

All My Darling Daughters will be released January 19, 2010. Relationships can be a minefield. There are issues of control, power, and what each person really wants out of the relationship. Fumi Yoshinaga explores this rich and explosive territory in the five inter-connected stories of All My Darling Daughters. The focus here is on emotion, not plot. There are no villains, grand quests, or great romances. The characters are going on inner journeys,...
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Monkey High! v8
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

Monkey High! has been one of those wonderful series that completely took me by surprise with how endearing it is. I have to admit that most of the supporting cast made very little impression on me, but Haruna and Macharu made me smile right to the end of the series, which concludes with this volume. This is one of those great instances of the leads really balancing each other out, and of a relationship being allowed to really develop. As the series...
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Love*Com v16
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

The Love*Com finale sneaked up on me--somehow I'd been unaware that volume 16 was the last (vol. 17, due in March, is made up of side stories) until it arrived. Other than the fact that the main characters' high school graduation almost always means that a manga has reached its end, this volume is nearly indistinguishable from almost any other installment in the series--which is good news if you're looking for exactly what Love*Com usually delivers,...
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Monster DVD Box Set 1
Reviewed by Charles Webb

In 1986, in West Berlin, brilliant neurosurgeon Dr. Kenzo Tenma makes the fateful decision to save the life of a young boy named Johan. Nine years later, Dr. Tenma learns that his former patient is tied to a series of serial killings. Now, on the run for murder, the doctor must not only clear his own name, but must also stop the charismatic young monster's series of murders. Having watched the first volume of this series I wonder if its creator,...
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