> Reviews

ADV Manga (1) Go! Comi (2) Aurora Publishing (2) Last Gasp (1) Broccoli Books (1) Movie Reviews (6) CMX Manga (2) Seven Seas Manga (3) Dark Horse (3) TokyoPop (15) Del Rey Manga (11) Vertical (3) Digital Manga Publishing (1) VIZ Media (20) Doubleday (1) Yen Press (5) Fanfare / Ponent Mon (3) Zondervan (1)

Honey and Clover (2006) - Movie Review
Read a review of Honey and Clover (2006), from VIZ Pictures, starring Yu Aoi and Yusuke Iseya. Based on the shojo manga graphic novels by Chica Umino, Honey and Clover follows the ups and downs, lives and loves of five students at an art college near Tokyo.

Dororo (2007) - Movie Review
Read a review of {i]Dororo (2007), from Toho Company, starring Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kou Shibasaki. Based on the shonen manga graphic novels by Osamu Tezuka, Dororo follows the adventures of a wandering swordsman with a dark secret: his father sacrificed his body parts to demons in exchange for power.

Kieli Volume 1 - Review
14-year old Kieli has a special gift: she can see and talk to ghosts. When she meet Harvey, a cynical (but strangely young looking) veteran of a long-ago war, she discovers that he too can see spirits, but not for the same reasons.

Toto! The Wonderful Adventure Volume 1 - Review
Kakashi is a young boy who burns with the desire to follow in his globe-trotting father's footsteps to leave his tiny island home to see the world. One day, he stows away on a passing dirigible, gets taken hostage by a pack of bandits and his adventure begins....

Chibikuro Party - Review
When Madame Moon gives shadows a night of freedom to dance and frolic at the Chibikuro Party, a demon shadow tries to tempt the shadows away from their companions forever. Now it's up to Dayan and friends to save the day.

Dayan's Birthday - Review
Dayan is a mischievous little cat who finds out that he doesn't know his birthday, much less what a birthday is. He enlists the help of a trio of witches who help him out, but he doesn't realize what they expect from him in return.

Honey and Clover Volume 2 - Review
In the second volume of Honey and Clover, the classmates head to a hot springs inn, play a special art school version of Twister and sample Hagu's very strange cooking.

Honey and Clover Volume 1 - Review
In Honey and Clover Volume 1, five students at an art college outside of Tokyo try to make the grade, fall in love and find enough to eat on a starving student budget.

Dororo Volume 1 - Review
Read a review of Dororo Volume 1, a shonen manga series by Osamu Tezuka from Vertical. A fantasy series originally published in 1967-1968, Dororo is the tale of Hyakkimaru, a wandering warrior who’s on a quest to retrieve his 48 body parts that his father, a feudal warlord sacrificed to demons in exchange for power and influence.

Dororo Volume 2 - Review
Read a review of Dororo Volume 2, a shonen manga series by Osamu Tezuka from Vertical. In this second volume of a three-volume fantasy series, Hyakkimaru is reunited with the father and mother who cast him aside at birth, and who may yet want him dead.

Speed Racer - Review
Read a review of Speed Racer, an original English language manga one-shot by Dwayne Alexander Smith and Elmer Damaso from Seven Seas Manga. This contemporary adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's original manga and anime takes many of the classic characters and gives them a modern twist.

Speed Racer: Mach GoGoGo Volumes 1 & 2 - Review
Read a review of Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go Volume 1 and 2, a classic shonen series by Tatsuo Yoshida from Digital Manga Publishing (DMP). This deluxe presentation of Yoshida's original manga from 1966 gives readers a look at the inspiration for the hit animated TV series and feature film, Speed Racer.

Yozakura Quartet Volume 1 - Review
Hime, Ao and Kotoha are three super-powered teens who protect their small town from harm. But when strange things start to happen, the threesome start to wonder if something bigger than they can handle is on the horizon.

Disappearance Diary - Review
Disappearance Diary by Hideo Azuma is the mostly-true and mostly-humorous account of a burnt out, alcoholic manga artist who decides to run away from it all and become a homeless person. While it sounds like a grim subject, Azuma instills a hefty dose of humor and witty slice-of-life observations about life on the scummier side of the street.

Hotel Africa Volume 1 - Review
In the Utah desert, there's a rooming house called Hotel Africa, where tales of love, longing and redemption are told. A young boy named Elvis watches in wonder as these lost souls try to find their answers in the lonely desert.

Blood+ Volume 1 - Review
Based on the animated sequel to Blood: The Last Vampire, Blood+ picks up the story decades after Saya's vampire hunting work in Vietnam War-ear Okinawa. Now a high school student with amnesia, Saya enjoys her new life with her adopted family, but her destiny catches up with her soon than she expects.

Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time Volume 1 - Review
Akane is a modern teenage girl who gets transported back in time a thousand years to Heian-era Japan. Once there, she discovers that she's the Dragon Priestess and she's got to find her eight appointed guardian warriors who will help defeat a demon prince.

Alive: The Final Evolution Volume 1 - Review
As a suicide epidemic spreads worldwide to people young and old, Japanese teen Kano finds that even his shy friend Hirose has been transformed into a cold-blooded killer. Read a review of Alive: The Final Evolution Volume 1, a shonen manga mystery / sci-fi series by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka from Del Rey Manga.

Apollo's Song - Review
In Osamu Tezuka's graphic novel Apollo's Song, Shogo Chikaishi is a young sociopath whose disdain for love incurs a curse from the gods: He is doomed to fall in love and lose his beloved over and over again in various lifetimes. Read a review of this bold and surreal graphic novel for grown-ups by the godfather of manga.

Art of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Book Review
Featuring full-color illustrations and watercolors sketches, The Art of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind gives anime fans a behind-the-scenes peek at this master storyteller's fantasy epic, and his creative process. Read a review of this anime art book from VIZ Media.

Astro Boy Essays - Book Review
In his latest book, "The Astro Boy Essays," Frederick Schodt examines manga and anime character Astro Boy (Tetsuwan Atom), the life and personality of his creator, Osamu Tezuka, and the robot boy's influence on the development of robotics, from science fiction to science reality. Our review discusses the strengths and shortcomings of this thoughtful essay on Japanese pop culture.

Aventura Volume 1 - Review
With its plot centered around a boy with untapped magical powers at a school for witches and wizards, it's hard not to compare Aventura with the Harry Potter saga. But for better or for worse, we're not at Hogwarts anymore.

Battle Royale Volume 1 Review
Based on the controversial Japanese cult film, the manga version of Battle Royale retells the story of teenagers stuck in a vicious game of murder, betrayal and survival. Check out the review from About.com's Comic Book Guide.

Bizenghast Volume 1 Review
A young girl gone mad, a spooky old house and an ugly little secret that a mysterious town wants to keep under wraps -- all this and more can be found in this gothic fantasy by M. Alice LeGrow. Read a review of original English language manga creation published by TokyoPop.

Blue by Kiriko Nananan - Review
Spare and elegant, Blue by Kiriko Nananan is a sensitive, minimalist take on yuri, or girls love manga. Read our review to learn more about this decidedly different Japanese graphic novel from Fanfare / Ponent Mon.

Cherry Juice Volume 1 - Shojo Manga Review
Step-siblings Minami and Otome are in love, they just don't know it yet. See what happens when two co-ed cuties who just happen to live together find that their close relationship as brother and sister is about to get even closer in Cherry Juice Volume 1. Read a review of Volume 1 of this shojo manga series by Haruka Fukushima from TokyoPop.

Death Note Volume 12 - Review
Read a review of the final, climatic volume of Death Note, the supernatural suspense shonen manga title by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata from Shonen Jump Advanced.

Deathnote Volume 1 - Manga Review
In Death Note Volume 1, high school student Light Yagami finds a supernatural notebook that gives him the power to kill criminals with just the stroke of a pen. Read our review and see why Death Note is one of the most talked-about shonen manga titles in years.

Emma Volume 1 - Review
Set in Victorian England, Emma is a tender love story of a young maid and her relationship with the eldest son of a wealthy family. Find out why this manga kicked off the maid cosplay fad with our review of Volume 1.

Eyeshield 21 Volume 17 - Review
Read a review of Eyeshield 21 Volume 17, the sports shonen manga series by Riichiro Inagaki and Yusuke Murata from Shonen Jump Advanced / VIZ Media. The Devil Bats have made it to the semi-finals, but can they defeat strategic powerhouse team, the Seibu Wild Gunmen?

Fairy Tail Volume 1 - Review
Read a review of Fairy Tail Volume 1, a new action adventure shonen manga series by Hiro Mashima from Del Rey Manga. Lucy is an aspiring wizard who wants nothing more than to join the hottest magic guild around, Fairy Tail. When she meets Natsu and his talking cat Happy, she finds herself hooked up for the adventure of a lifetime.

Fairy Tail Volume 2 - Review
In this second volume, Lucy, Natsu and Happy are on a mission to find and destroy a book. Trouble is, the book is in the possession of a rich politician who's got two powerful bodyguards and a posse of very ugly maids protecting him.

Fever Volume 1 - Review
Since the suicide of a classmate, Hyung-in feels an overwhelming sense of alienation, anger and frustration that she can barely keep inside. When she meets a friendly but mysterious boy on the bus, she spills her heart out to him. He then invites her to a place called Fever where "there are lots of kids like her."

Fruits Basket Volume 1 - Manga Review
Romance, humor, adventure and magical zodiac animals make Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket one of Japan's most popular shojo manga titles. Read our review and see if it's worth a read.

Fruits Basket Volume 17 - Review
In Volume 17 of Fruits Basket, more secrets of the Sohma family are revealed, and this time it's a real shocker about Akito, the mysterious head of the family. Read a review of this pivotal installment of the popular shojo manga series by Natsuki Takaya from TokyoPop.

Fushigi Yugi: Genbu Kaiden Volume 1 Review
Before modern teens Miaka and Yui stepped into the "Universe of the Four Gods," there was another girl who became a priestess of this mysterious, magical Chinese kingdom. Her story is told in this prequel to Fushigi Yugi by Yuu Watase. Check out this review by About.com's Anime Guide.

Gakuen Alice Volume 1 - Review
A girl enters an exclusive academy and struggles to fit in while staying true to herself. This sounds familiar, but Gakuen Alice puts a new twist on the term 'gifted students' by giving the kids and teachers mysterious powers and telling a tale with an unusual mix of light comedy, magical fantasy with a hint of dark drama.

Gentlemen's Alliance Cross Volume 1 - Review
From the creator of Full Moon and Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne comes Gentlemen's Alliance Cross, the latest series by shojo manga artist Arina Tanemura. Read a manga review of Volume 1 from Shojo Beat / VIZ Media, and decide if it's another hit by this shojo manga superstar, or if its muddled plot is just too much of a good thing.

Gin Tama Volume 1 - Review
Read a review of Gin Tama Volume 1, a shonen manga sci-fi comedy series by Hideaki Sorachi. A wacky mix of samurai action, irreverent comedy and anything goes sci-fi plot twists, Gin Tama serves up an entertaining story that mercilessly skewers every shonen manga cliché in the book.

Hell Girl Volume 1 - Review
Ai Enma is a pretty girl with a scary secret. If you make a request on the Hell Correspondence Web site at midnight, Ai will come to escort your tormentor on an express trip to Hell. The catch? You'll be joining them for your own eternity of suffering when you die.

High School Debut Volume 1 - Review
Haruna is a former tomboy who wants to find a boyfriend in high school. When her own efforts fall flat, she asks one of the hunkiest guys in school to coach her. He agrees, as long as she doesn't fall for him.

High School Debut Volume 2 - Review
Haruna falls in love with Fumiya, Yoh's friend, but soon discovers that the game of love has rules that she never expected, and that she's playing against an opponent that she didn't know she had.

Hollow Fields Volume 1 - Review
When Lucy Stone accidentally enrolls at Hollow Fields, an elite private boarding school, she doesn't realize that the free tuition comes with a catch, and that failing grades have a whole new meaning (and consequences) here.

Iron Wok Jan Volume 1 - Review
Much like a Hong Kong kung fu flick chased with a case of Red Bull, Iron Wok Jan by Shinji Saijyo is a hyperactive cooking manga that turns cooking Chinese cuisine into a ruthless, no-holds-barred martial arts competition. Read a review of Iron Wok Jan Volume 1 and see if this graphic novel is a dish worth ordering.

Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan - Review
Part comic sketch book, part travel diary and part Japanese pop culture manual, Japan Ai is Steinberger's love letter to the land of cosplay, anime, geishas and Pocky.

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl Volume 1 - Review
What happens when a boy gets hit by a flying saucer and returns as a girl version of his old self? And then the girl he has a crush on suddenly likes him more because he's now a girl? You have the kooky yuri manga comedy of Kashimashi. Read our review and see if it's worth a look.

Love*Com (Lovely Complex) (2006) - Movie Review
Read a review of Love*Com (Lovely Complex) (2006), from VIZ Pictures, starring Ema Fujisawa and Teppei Koike. Based on the shojo manga graphic novels by Aya Nakahara, Love*Com is a teen romantic comedy about a mismatched couple who lets their height differences get in the way of their love for each other.

Love*Com Volume 1 - Review
Risa's the tallest girl in her class. Atsushi's the shortest guy. When this mismatched pair decide to help each other find dates, everyone around them thinks they're already dating. Read a review of Volume 1 of Lovely Complex (Love*Com), a shojo manga series by Aya Nakahara from Shojo Beat / VIZ Media.

Manga Bible Volume 1: Genesis-Exodus - Review
With it's simple, light-hearted take on familiar Bible stories like Creation and Exodus, Manga Bible Volume 1 by Korean manhwa artist Jung Sun Hwang and writer Young Shin Lee offers an easy-to-digest version of classic Christian stories for young readers.

Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation - Review
As a self-declared "manga" adaptation of The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Manga Bible by Siku fails to deliver manga-style artwork or storytelling, and worst of all, it's not very inspiring or entertaining.

Manga Sutra (Futari H) Volume 1 - Review
Read a review of Manga Sutra (Futari H) Volume 1, an adult manga series by Katsu Aki from TokyoPop. Newlyweds Makoto and Yura discover that they're both virgins, and they've both got a lot to learn about the fine art of getting it on.

Me and My Brothers Volume 1 - Review
When Sakura's grandmother dies, she's left alone in the world... or is she? She comes home one day to find that she's got four half-brothers she never knew she had, including one who loves to cross-dress.

Minima! Volume 1 - Review
Ame is shy and walks around with a dark cloud over her head – but when she finds a real, live talking and walking stuffed doll at the amusement park, she gets a friend who teaches her how to find the courage to be happy.

Murder Princess Volume 1 Review
What happens when a pretty princess bonks heads and trades identities with a rough-and-ready mercenary warrior? You get a fun, action-filled mix of fantasy and humor from the artist of dojinshi fan favorite Comic Party. Read our review and see if it's worth a look.

Mushishi Volume 1 - Review
"Neither good nor evil, they are life in its purest form." Mushi are mysterious creatures that come in various shapes with various purposes for being. Ginko, a traveling mushi master, or mushishi offers his own unique style of remedies to 'cure' those who encounter mushi.

Nana (2005) - Movie Review
Read a review of Nana, from VIZ Pictures, starring Mika Nakashima and Aoi Miyazaki. Based on the shojo manga graphic novels by Ai Yazawa, this stylish rock and roll romance follows the original fairly faithfully, but much like the manga, it spends a long time setting up the story.

Naruto Volume 16 - Review
In Naruto Volume 16, the battle for Konoha Village comes to an end, as Naruto and Gaara face off. Then a new chapter in the ninja saga begins as Sasuke's murderous older brother Itachi returns to the village. Read a review of this installment of the popular shonen manga series by Masashi Kishimoto from Shonen Jump and VIZ Media.

Psycho Busters Volume 1 - Review
When a ghostly nude girl shows up in his bedroom begging for help, Kakeru enters the world of "psychics." As he helps a band of runaway psychic teens battle a shadowy government organization, he discovers that he might have special abilities of his own. Read a review of Psycho Busters Volume 1, a new shonen manga sci-fi action series by Yuya Aoki and Akinari Nao from Del Rey Manga.

Pumpkin Scissors Volume 1 - Review
In a country recovering from a long civil war, a paramilitary group code-named Pumpkin Scissors cuts through the shell of corruption and evil that surrounds rogue soldiers and nobles who exploit the weak and innocent.

Ral Omega Grad Volume 1 - Review
When the Shadow army threatens the kingdom of Sphaelite, Ral and his shadow dragon Grad reveal their unique strength and powers as a unique pairing of human and Shadow.

Samurai Commando Volume 1 - Review
Read a review of Samurai Commando: Mission 1529 Volume 1, a seinen manga series by Harutoshi Fukui and Ryo Hanmura and Ark Performance from CMX Manga.

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning Volume 1 - Review
Read a review of Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning Volume 1, a shonen manga / detective series by Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno from Yen Press. 10th grader Ayumu Narumi can solve mysteries that leave adults twice his age stumped. But he's haunted by the disappearance of his older brother and his tie to the mysterious "Blade Children."

Switch Volume 1 - Review
Rookie cop Kai Eto has joined the Greater Kanto Narcotics Control Division and he's immediately thrown into the line of fire as he goes undercover as an assistant to a drug-addicted actor to discover the secret of a new, highly addictive street drug, Dragon Speed.

Tekkon Kinkreet: Black and White - Review
In Tekkon Kinkreet, a boldly original and touching graphic novel by Taiyo Matsumoto, two orphans named Black and White battle for their place in a city ruled by gangsters and hoodlums. Read a review of this surreal and memorable seinen graphic novel published by VIZ Media / Shogakukan that inspired the animated film from Sony Pictures.

Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms - Review
Read a review of Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms, an award-winning manga series by Fumiyo Kouno from Last Gasp. Minami is a seamstress who is haunted by the horrors she experienced ten years ago when the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and wonders if true love and happiness is now out of her reach.

Uzumaki Volume 1 - Review
In Junji Ito's horror manga classic Uzumaki, a small Japanese town descends into madness, one person at a time. While villagers young and old die in different horrific ways, their deaths all have one thing in common: a mysterious obsession with spirals. Read a review of Volume 1 of this horror manga series by Junji Ito from VIZ Signature / VIZ Media.

Vampire Knight Volume 1 - Review
Yuki Cross goes to a very unusual school. The elite Cross Academy has two groups of students: The human day school students and the night school students who are vampires. Read a review of Volume 1 of Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino from Shojo Beat / VIZ Media.

Voices of Love - Review
Read a review of Voices of Love, a sexually explicit collection of josei manga short stories by Kanae Hazuki from LuvLuv Press / Aurora Publishing. Mika's a 25-year old school teacher. Her neighbor Naokazu is not only keeping her up at night with his noisy ways, he turns up one day in her classroom as one of her students. What happens when the sparks fly between this unlikely pair?

Walkin' Butterfly Volume 1 - Review
Like Paradise Kiss with Sex and the City style and sass, Walkin' Butterfly is a fun, dramatic and romantic story about a gawky misfit and her transformation into a runway model. Read a review of Volume 1 of this josei manga series from Aurora Publishing.

Walking Man - Review
Jiro Taniguchi's beautifully-illustrated manga The Walking Man captures a Japanese town as seen through the eyes of an everyday salary man. This award-winning Japanese comic book lacks the high-energy drama of most shonen manga, but instead delivers a wistful story that will leave you with a smile on your face. Read a review of this gekiga (graphic novel) published by Fanfare / Ponent Mon.

With The Light Volume 1 - Review
Based on the true-life experiences of parents raising autistic children, With The Light (Hikari to Tomoni) tells the story of Sachiko, a young mother and her struggles to understand autism and her autistic son, Hikaru. Read a review of With The Light Volume 1, a josei manga graphic novel by Keiko Tobe from Yen Press.

Y Square - Review
Yoshitaka is a dunce in romance, with a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Meanwhile, Yagate has girls flocking to his side. So what happens when two very different "Y" guys try to figure out what turns girls on?

Yotsuba&! Volume 4 - Manga Review
From the creator of Azumanga Daioh! comes Yotsuba&!, a hilarious, irresistible manga about a naïve young girl, her adoptive father and their adventures as they make discoveries large and small in their new neighborhood. Read a review of Volume 4 of this witty slice of life manga comedy from ADV Manga.

Zombie-Loan Volume 1 - Review
Shy and mousy Michiru is the class doormat. But she has a supernatural ability to see when someone's death is imminent. Her power scares her, but she soon meets two handsome and mysterious classmates who are undead 'bounty hunters,' trying to pay off their zombie-loan. Read a review of Volume 1 of this shonen manga series by Peach-Pit from Yen Press.