comedy ↘↖
Manga Review: Nobunaga no Chef
Ken and two other Japanese chefs get thrown back into past. They arrive in the Sengoku Era (the Warring States Period; 1467-1573). Almost immediately, Ken’s presumed co-workers are killed by soldiers. The only survivor, Ken, is rescued by a female blacksmith, Natsu. Upon arriving in the Sengoku Era Ken lost almost all of his memories; the only thing he retained was his knowledge of cooking. To repay Natsu’s kindness Ken does the only thing he knows how to, cook. After seven months of cookin Ken attracts the attention of a pivotal figure of the era, Oda Nobunaga.
Manga Review: Sasameki Koto
I am sure you will get this from the vibe of my review, but just so that there is no confusion, I absolutely love this manga. The following is an extremely biased review (even more so than usual) of Sasameki Koto. Sasameki Koto is about the pain of love. Those in this manga are all hurt by there love in some way. Some of them love boys, some love girls, but none of them are free from prying eyes and hurtful stares. “My love is a lonely flower, it blooms and scatters without anyone noticing it.”
Manga Review: D-Frag!
Kazama Kenji and his two friends are a normal group of delinquents, for them life is dandy if not a bit boring. Their lives change drastically when Kazama runs into the Game Production Club. In a school full of freaks and weirdos he entered the den of the freakiest and the weirdest. The club consists of Karasuyama Chitose, the student council president, Shibasaki Roka, the secret boss of the school whom everyone knows about, Mizukami Sakura, a mysterious girl who likes water, and their adviser, Oosawa Minami. Together with Kazama and his childhood friends, the two delinquents and the masochistic student council vice president, the group goes through various antics and adventures with the rest of the unusual student body and the surrounding area.
Manga Review: Yamada and the Seven Witches
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this series when I first started. I thought I was about to read a generic gender swap manga, but I was wrong. What I got was a charming story of magic with the complications of high school relationships. This is the story of Yamada, a generic delinquent, and the seven witches of his high school. On day, while on the way to class Yamada falls down the stairs with Shiraishi, the smartest girl in the grade, and they switch bodies. Turns out they kissed upon landing and that a kiss is the key for witches use their abilities. Witches? Yeah, there are perpetually seven witches in Yamada’s high school, although the people change their powers transfer upon their graduation. With little else to do Yamada, Shiraishi, and their slowly growing group of friends start a club to research the witches’ abilities and their holders.
Manga Review: Baby Steps
I don’t like sports manga. Most of them are unrealistic and they don’t accurately represent the sport. Often times they are simply an action manga with good looking guys/girls battling through the use of a sport with unrealistic powers and abilities or use the sport as an excuse for pantyshots. But occasionally I run into sports manga that aren’t like that. They accurately represent the sport and not only provide the reader with meaningful dialogue but also offer insight into the sport itself. Baby Steps is one of these manga.
The Manga Hobbyist: Ouran High School Host Club Box Set Review
The iconic shojo manga, Ouran High School Host Club — a popular series and a worthwhile read — was released as a box set earlier last month (November 2012). I will not review the series here; instead, I will talk about why you should or shouldn’t buy the box set rather than simply buying each volume separately.
This is a review I just wrote on the group blog I contribute to.
Manga Review: Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist
In 800 B.C. King Solomon gathered an army of demons with the power of his blessed ring. Thousands of years later in near-modern times his descendant, and bearer of his soul, is plunged into the power struggle of the same demons from the ancient army. Lucifer, like every powerful demon, must sleep for a hundred years in order to keep his longevity. In his absence a ruler is elected to control hell. This time, the one choosing Lucifer’s replacement is Solomon’s descendant, William Twining, who is a seemingly normal human who is a stubborn realist refuses to believe in the existence of God, demons, angels, and the like.
Manga Review: Tripeace
Abiding by their three laws, Tripeace’s only goal is to eradicate war from the world. Those in the organization each have three laws which they follow, the first two are Love and Peace, and the third law changes on an individual basis. Nana has joined Tripeace in the hope of ending all war. He (despite the feminine name Nana is male) has forgot his past. The first friends he made in his new life were killed in front of him during an invasion by the war hungry country, Xyece, since then he decided to stop at nothing to stop war not even… crossdressing?
Manga Review: Saint Oniisan
Saint Oniisan received the 2009 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for Short Work Manga and was nominated for the 2nd Manga Taisho Award (2009).
Jesus and Buddha descend to the mortal world for vacation after working hard for the turn of the century. They decide to rent a room together in Japan. Yes, you heard me right. This manga is about Jesus and Buddha’s daily life in modern Japan. This manga reflects the importance of Christianity and Buddhism for the Japanese. Through slapstick jokes and the references to both stories from Buddhism and Christianity the reader gains insight into both religions, their similarities and differences, while reading the humorous interactions between Jesus and Buddha. Ultimately, who doesn’t want to read a manga about Jesus and Buddha being roommates?
Manga Review: Tokyo ESP
Following the sucess of Ga-rei, Hajime Segawa-sensei launched his next series Tokyo ESP. While Ga-rei was a story of the supernatural Tokyo ESP is based on ESP*, Extra Sensory Perseption. Both stories are based in modern Tokyo with their respective twists. If you like one, you will like the other. Although both works are simular there are distincty differences.
