Words of Truth and Wisdom: Interpreting
Written by Alethea and Athena Nibley

Many apologies to everyone who may have been looking forward to a column last week. Right up until the day we were supposed to write it, we were dealing with some personal issues, and then on the day it was actually due, we ended up going to Disneyland. I know, I know, what kind of lame, lazy slackers skip out on their responsibilities to go to Disneyland, right? Well, we'll have you know that we skipped school to go to Disneyland many times. ...
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MangaChat: With The Light: Raising An Autistic Child v5
Written by Park Cooper

Well, continuing our/my big push for Yen Press’ WITH THE LIGHT: RAISING AN AUTISTIC CHILD, we have here an interview of me with an American educator, one who has read a few manga, but mostly is very, very much a part of what I call the Casual Audience—one who is not a hardcore fan as such in the least little bit. I’ve called on her before to get a clear perspective of just what the average American who isn’t a fan of hardly anything geeky (except...
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St. Dragon Girl v4
Reviewed by Park Cooper

From the beginning, each volume of St. Dragon Girl has contained a few distinct stories with little to connect them to each other, but volume 4's chapters are just interconnected enough to give it a less episodic feel. It's a fairly subtle shift (at least partially resulting from the series changing to a monthly serialization rather than bi-monthly, which editor Nancy Thistlethwaite mentioned a while back when discussing it), but I find it makes me...
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What I'm Lookin' At: Late September 2009
Written by Park Cooper

DragonBall: VizBig Edition v4. Viz Media IT CAME FROM 1984: This giant-size omnibus edition comprises what we would normally think of as volumes 10 through 12 of DragonBall. I’d already read DragonBall Z, but DragonBall was fairly cool too, being the adventures of little-kid Son Goku. It’s time for the big martial-arts tournament, but right near the end, someone releases one of the biggest threats Earth has ever known: Piccolo, the demon king (although...
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Haruka -Beyond the Stream of Time- v5
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

The monk-prince Eisen has become the seventh of the Eight Guardians, but one last Guardian remains shrouded in mystery. As the search goes on for Akane's final protector, Akane still struggles to accept the power within her...and then, Major General Tachibana goes missing! This is the fourth volume I've read of Haruka -Beyond the Stream of Time- , and I still feel that having missed volume 1 is hurting my chances of really getting into the story....
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MangaChat: September 2009-- PART ONE
Written by Park Cooper

This week kicks off the husband-wife MangaChat. Can Park and Barb discuss two manga in just 20 minutes? Let's find out. Barb: Let's start with Sumomomo Momomo: The Strongest Bride on Earth. Park: The Strongest Bride on Earth is a strange book that should not have the level of fan service panty shots it does. 3:07 PM Part of the point of Sumomo(...mo) is that the dude is not about to have sex with her-- she isn't really drawn with any sort of...
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What I'm Lookin' At: Early September 2009
Written by Park Cooper

Black Jack v6 Vertical Well, it’s more Black Jack, and it’s more Black Jack coolness. I’m starting to really feel challenged about how to sell you on Black Jack in new and different ways every time, when Black Jack is simply Black Jack, and if you like Black Jack, you will also like this volume... I guess I’ll hit you non-spoilery highlights from a couple of this volume’s stories: “Revenge”: Japan’s board of directors decides they want Black Jack...
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Vampire Knight v7
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

It had been a while since I last checked in with Vampire Knight (back around volume 4), so it was nice to have a chance to catch up on what's been happening in the series. Since my first exposure to VK, I've also had a chance to read a few volumes of Hino's earlier series, Captive Hearts, and I have to say I find Vampire Knight much more interesting. Here in volume 7, we find Yuki attempting to regain her repressed memories and figure out if Kaname...
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Words of Truth and Wisdom: Stay in School
Written by Alethea and Athena Nibley

After our last column, we got an e-mail from a reader pointing out that the quadratic formula is in fact Not the one used to find the derivative, and we promised we would clear that up. The quadratic formula is used for finding roots. The formula for finding the derivative doesn't seem to really have a name. Also, we think the word we were looking for instead of “reduce” was “simplify.” We take the literal translation and simplify it into normal...
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Sand Chronicles v6
Reviewed by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane

Volume 6 of Sand Chronicles picks up half a year after the end of volume 5 and Ann's resolution to move on with her life. She's studying hard to pursue a major in Japanese literature, and has been trying to move forward with her love life, too; she hasn't been home to Shimane since her heartbreaking last conversation with Daigo, and she also hasn't yet told anyone in Shimane that she and Fuji have been dating for a few months. But she can't keep that...
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Goong v6
Reviewed by Joy Kim

In the latest volume of Goong, the ladies of the royal court think they have discovered the perfect solution to Shin and Chae-Kyung's marital woes: sex. The young couple finds themselves locked in a bedroom on a cold winter night with just one set of bedding and single heating mat. Their options are pretty clear: sleep together or freeze. And freezing is looking like a pretty good choice, given how strained their relationship has become. It may be...
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What I'm Lookin' At: August 2009
Written by Park Cooper

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED WHAT I’M LOOKIN’ AT Naruto v42, Viz Holy cow. Someone dies this volume. Someone you actually care about. Probably the most important death that we’ve ever seen happen in this series. Oh by the way after that SASUKE FINALLY CATCHES UP TO HIS BIG BROTHER. This is it: the start of their final fight. Seriously. By the way, if you were wondering what’s up with the whole killing-the-person-closest-to-you-who’s-like-a-brother-or-a-best-friend...
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