Ichigo Kurosaki may not know this, but the world he lives in is one predicated on balance between the living and the dead, between everyday life and the Soul Society. Soul Reapers aren’t merely fighting Hollows, they are charged with the grand task of equalizing the balance between this life and the next. Naturally, if too much energy is channeled to one side, really bad things will happen – just as they’re happening now! Ichigo and Uryu’s competition... MORE...
Ichigo Kurosaki thought that Soul Reapers were the only ones hunting Hollows, but he was wrong. Enter Uryu Ishida, a Quincy, and possibly the last member of a powerful clan that died out over 200 years ago. Unlike Soul Reapers who strive to cleanse Hollows of their sins and send them to the Soul Society, Quincies adopt a more direct approach – they kill Hollows without hesitation. To demonstrate the supremacy of the Quincies’ ways, Uryu challenges... MORE...
TOKYOPOP, the leader of the global manga revolution, is thrilled to announce the release of Japan's hugely popular shojo manga series, Gakuen Alice. From the same Japanese publisher that originally released TOKYOPOP's best-selling manga juggernaut Fruits Basket, Gakuen Alice, created by Tachibana Higuchi, has sold more than three million units in Japan alone. Now, for the first time ever, TOKYOPOP brings U.S. audiences the irresistible and adorable... MORE...
Even though Tezuka originally released Nextworld in two parts, I think the packaging work Vertical has done with works like Buddha puts Dark Horse to shame. $14 for 150 pages? Yes, a work by the God of Manga is certainly worth that much . . . but not his early sci-fi trilogy. Nextworld is a pretty embarrassing endeavor. Even Tezuka admits in the aftermath that the story suffered from extreme cutting down in the original script and appeared to... MORE...
From the creator of Astro Boy and Metropolis, comes Nextworld, part of Osamu Tezuka’s cycle of original science-fiction graphic novels published in the late 1940s and early 1950s. When nuclear testing creates mutated animals with amazing supernatural abilities, the world and its great superpowers are drawn into political conflict that could light the fuse for World War III. A wry satire of the Cold War – and guest-starring some friends you may recognize... MORE...
VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry's most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has redesigned the look and expanded the content of its popular NARUTO website at http://naruto.viz.com. The site, which went live on October 12, features 109 comprehensive episode summaries, illustrated character bios, new e-cards, new art, and a map of the world of NARUTO. An extras page features downloadable... MORE...
When Kantarou helps a young couple exorcise an evil spirit from their son, he learns a stunning secret about the boy. Later, sensing that Haruka is feeling down, Kantarou offers to accompany the demon-eating tengu on a trip. But their journey to a mountain resort leads instead to a nearby village where children have been disappearing! As an over arching plot has not been introduced yet, tactics continues it’s collection of stand alone stories, but... MORE...
Kurohime is one of those books that falls into a strange gap in the Western market; it is almost certainly intended for younger readers (pre-teen boys), but the what is considered appropriate for that age group in Japan pushes the book into a higher age-rating in the United States. So while the story will appeal to younger readers, parents probably won’t allow them near a book with a cover like this one, and older teens will probably be turned off... MORE...
I have a theory about Japanese art, in that the culture of Japan expects people to be very reserved, not showing a lot of emotion, especially in public; so, they release these bottled-up emotions in their art, whether through loud, overly emotive characters or excessive sex and violence. It makes for interesting reading for those of us halfway across the world, but what happens when a manga-ka wants to really express some big emotions? Well, the... MORE...
Saki Hiwatari’s eighth volume of “Tower of the Future” is, simply put, too good of a science fiction story. So good, in fact, that it’s entirely difficult to try to latch on to the plot of this volume as a new reader and be able to pick up anything more than the most basic of plot points. One of those points involves Takeru and Ichigo’s budding relationship. This is one of the redeeming qualities of the volume. Their relationship, at least for most... MORE...
Sunako Nakahara is back and as emotional as ever in the 13th volume of Tomoko Hayakawa’s “The Wallflower.” In it, Nakahara finds her way through three different stories, two of which don’t do much to develop her character and the third of which does an outstanding job of doing so. In the first, she attempts to get closer to her aunt, who expresses a willingness to be a traditional Japanese housewife, but whose actions show that that’s just talk.... MORE...
Harima Kenji makes “School Rumble.” Without him, the volume would be just another ho-hum manga offering. Instead, it turns out to be worth a read. Kenji is in high school along with his crush, Tenma, and her sister, Yakumo. What isn’t spectacular in this volume is the plot, including the perpetually misunderstood love triangle that features Kenji and the two sisters. Kenji just cannot admit his love for Tenma, who seems to think he is in a relationship... MORE...
Bleach v6
Bleach v5
Nextworld v2
Nextworld v1
Tactics v2
Kurohime v2
Fall in Love Like a Comic v1
The Wallflower v13
School Rumble v7
