Review: GOODNIGHT PUNPUN Volume 7

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN, VOL. 7
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Inio Asano
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
EDITOR: Pancha Diaz
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8626-7; paperback (September 2017); Rated “M” for “Mature”
272pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN, £9.99 U.K.

The English-language publication of the manga Goodnight Punpun comes to an end with the publication of the seventh volume.  The creation of Inio Asano, Goodnight Punpun is a coming-of-age story that focuses on Punpun Onodera and chronicles his life from middle school through his adolescent and into his twenties with its trials and tribulations.  VIZ Media is publishing Goodnight Punpun as a seven-volume graphic novel series.  Each volume (except the final one) is an over-sized manga paperback containing two individual volumes (called “parts).

Goodbye Punpun, Vol. 7 contains Part 13 (Chapters 135 to 146 to Final Chapter) and opens with the final conflagration of the cult leader, charlatan, sorcerer, Toshiki Hoshikawa, a.k.a. “Pegasus,” and his obedient followers.  Meanwhile, Punpun and his “girlfriend,” Aiko Tanaka remain on the run, more or less, in the wake of Punpun killing Aiko's mother.  The star-crossed couple is moving towards a doomed ending... at least for one of them.

Some volumes of the Goodnight Punpun manga have left me feeling down with stories of death and despair (Vols. 3 and 4) and others have thrilled me with bold and scathing examinations of callow youth (Vol. 6).

Goodnight Punpun Volume 7 closes out the series as if the characters were entering a state of death.  Considering the ambitions and dreams these characters had when they were younger, well, maybe they are dead... in a manner of speak, of course.  There have been a few manga that I enjoyed that did not end in a spectacular fashion; they just sort of ended.  I am not disappointed in the ending of Goodnight Punpun; in fact, I don't want the series to end.  The ending is a new beginning, or maybe I am missing the point.  What begins is really no story at all, but if there is a story, it's certainly not like the one that came before it.

A
9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: QUEEN'S QUALITY Volume 1

QUEEN'S QUALITY, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Kyousuke Motomi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Mark McMurray
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9244-2; paperback (September 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Queen's Quality is a paranormal romantic adventure shojo manga from manga creator Kyousuke Motomi, the creator of such series as Dengeki Daisy and Beast Master.  Queen's Quality is also a sequel to Motomi's QQ Sweeper, a series about Soul Cleaners.

One day, Kyutaro Horikita, the cleaning expert of Kurokado Private High School, finds a maiden sleeping in an old room on campus.  She is transfer student Fumi Nishioka, and like Kyutaro, she has a talent for cleaning.  However, the tall, dark, and handsome Kyutaro is also a “Sweeper,” someone who cleans away negative energy from people's heart, and Fumi becomes his apprentice.  Now, comes the second part of their story.

As Queen's Quality, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) begins, Fumi is now part of the Horikita family, living with them in the Horikita mansion.  The family is also part of the Genbu-Kita Clan of “Sweepers,” and she works with them.  Now, a peculiar and odd new man enters her life.  He is Takaya Kitahara, a psychiatrist and an expert in suggestive therapy.

Kitahara is there to guide Fumi who turns out to be a “Queen.”  Queens are women born with an extremely rare power and can control people's minds.  A Queen can force anyone and everyone to do what she wants.  Fumi may become a “Black Queen,” and there are a group of people seeking to turn her into just such a malevolent creature.

QQ Sweeper was offbeat, but did not show the darker side of its narrative until the second half of what was a three-volume series.  Queen's Quality Volume 1 is less offbeat and plays more like a high school shojo romance.  It does not fully show the dark side of its narrative until the fourth and fifth chapters of this five-chapter opening graphic novel.  The dark elements are a thrill to read, and I was disappointed that I had reached the end of the first volume, especially if it was going to give me more darkness.

The parts of the story that deal with romance and with cleaning/sweeping are a mixed bag – sometimes interesting, sometimes not.  Creator Kyousuke Motomi is at her best when she shows her characters facing and fighting darkness, but she seems (at least to me) determined to offer shojo romance.  Well, the fighting-evil parts of the story make it worth putting up with the lovey-dovey parts.

A-
7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: ANONYMOUS NOISE Volume 1

ANONYMOUS NOISE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Ryoko Fukuyama
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Joanna Estep
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9420-0; paperback (March 2017); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Created by Ryoko Fukuyama, Anonymous Noise is a new shojo manga from VIZ Media.  It focuses on a talented singer and her unrequited love for the former neighbor who sang with her.

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces Nino Arisugawa.  Once upon a time, when her parents fought, she found comfort in singing with Momo Sakaki, a boy who was her next door neighbor.  Then, Momo suddenly moves away.  Nino soon finds comfort in a young songwriter, Kanade “Yuzu” Yuzuriha, who calls Nino “Alice.”  He tells her that she should sing instead of scream, but he soon moves away.

Six years later, Nino is in high school, and she makes a shocking reunion.  But just around the corner, unbeknownst to her, there is the possibility of another reunion.  Plus, a hot teen pop band needs her.

The Anonymous Noise manga has themes and subplots that involve singing, songwriting, bands, and apparently the music industry.  The lead characters and some of the supporting characters have musical, singing, and/or songwriting talent, but don't kick out the jams just yet.

Anonymous Noise Volume 1 lays down the beat, but the melody and chorus on this new manga is probably about teen angst and young love.  There is also so much unrequited love that I get the feeling that creator Ryoko Fukuyama is weaving more than one love triangle, and it seems as if these triangles will overlap and maybe even clash.  I won't give this manga a grade at this time, but I think it has potential to offer drama with a capital D.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: MAID-SAMA! 2-IN-1 Edition Volume 2

MAID-SAMA! 2-IN-1 EDITION, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Hiro Fujiwara
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8131-6; paperback (November 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
384pp, B&W, $14.99 U.S., $16.99 CAN, £9.99 U.K.

Maid-Sama! is a shojo manga from Hiro Fujiwara.  The series focuses on Misaki Ayuzawa, the female president of a predominantly male high school, Seika High School.  Takumi Usui is the handsome male classmate who discovers that his school's president works at the maid café, Café Maid Latte, something she wants to keep secret.

In Japan, Maid-Sama! was collected in 18 graphic novels.  In 2015, VIZ Media began publishing Maid-Sama! in its 2-in-1 omnibus edition, which collects two graphic novels in one paperback.  Each volume of VIZ Media's edition of Maid-Sama carries a print MSRP of $14.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.  Maid-Sama! 2-in-1 editions are also available digitally via VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores.

Maid-Sama! 2-in-1 Edition, Vol. 2 collects Maid-Sama! Vols. 3 and 4.  As Maid-Sama!, Vol. 3 (Chapters 10 to 15) begins, Misaki is not sure how she should participate in Seika High's school sports festival.  Everyone else knows what they want from her, though; they need her to dominate!  Also, Café Maid Latte has a series of themed events like “Maid Rangers Day” and “Little Sister Day.”  Misaki struggles to play the little sister type, and things are further complicated when Usui starts working at the café.

Maid-Sama!, Vol. 4 (Chapters 16 to 19) opens with Misaki and Usui dealing out some justice to first-year student, Soutaro Kanou, who launched a plot to keep more girls from enrolling at Seika High.  Plus, the whole gang heads to the beach for some summer fun, but Usui decides that this is the best time for him to make his strongest romantic move on Misaki, much to her chagrin.

[This volume includes two bonus stories, “Peach Boy is a Maid Too!” and “And While We're at It, the Idiot as Maids!”]

Last year, my VIZ Media rep sent me a copy of Maid-Sama! 2-in-1 Edition, Volume 2.  I had heard of the Maid-Sama! manga, and I have to admit that I was curious about it, if for no other reason than the name.  Over the last decade, I have read a few manga set in the world of the maid café, which seems to be a “thing” in Japan.

This series features a lot of slapstick and frantic comedy, and the art is deformed to one extent or another, depending on the needs of the narrative at a particular moment.  I like how creator Hiro Fujiwara tends to draw in a “straight” or non-deformed manner when he wants to emphasize the moments between Misaki and Usui that are meant to be taken seriously, usually romance.  I think that this is when the story has its best moments.

Other than that, Maid-Sama! is up-and-down and inconsistent.  Some subplots and story arcs are fun (the beach adventure; Kanou's plot against female students).  Others flit between wacky/funny and serious too much for my tastes.  Still, I'm curious to see where Maid-Sama! takes the obvious love story of its leads.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: YONA OF THE DAWN Volume 2

YONA OF THE DAWN, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Mizuho Kusanagi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Lys Blakeslee
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8783-7; paperback (October 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Yona of the Dawn is a shojo manga from mangaka Mizuho Kusanagi.  It is the story of pampered princess who must fight for her kingdom after a family tragedy.  By her side is her handsome bodyguard who has been blamed for murder.

Princess Yona lives an ideal life as the only princess in the Kingdom of Kohka.  Her father, King Il, dotes on her, and her faithful guard, Son Hak of the Wind Tribe, protects her.  Yon even cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, her cousin Lord Su-won of the Sky Tribe.  However, everything changes on her 16th birthday when the king is killed and Hak is blamed.  Soon, she is on the run with Hak, but she is determined to reclaim her throne.

As Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 2 (Chapter 6 to 11) opens, Yona and Hak arrive in Fuuga, the capital of the Wind Tribe.  To keep her identity secret among his people, Hak gives Yona the name “Rina.”  Meanwhile, Lord Su-won begins to consolidate power in a bid to assume the throne as the eleventh king of Kohka.

Historical.  Romance.  Adventure.  Of course, I like the Yona of the Dawn manga.  I love historical romance and historical adventure, so combine three of them, and I am in like manga-reading Flynn.

Yona of the Dawn Volume 2 is the first volume of the series that I have read – via a copy for review from my VIZ Media rep.  I like creator Mizuho Kusanagi's art which reminds me of the art of Arina Tanemura, especially in the large expressive eyes Kusanagi gives her characters.  Although this is a shojo manga, Yona of the Dawn has an epic sweep and scope, although the graphical storytelling is soft and romantic.  This is like a high school romance with sword-play and courtly intrigue, but it is also like a battle manga with the threat of war and family intrigue.  I look forward to the next volume of Yona of the Dawn.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Manga Review: GOODNIGHT PUNPUN Volume 2

GOODNIGHT PUNPUN, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Inio Asano
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Annaliese Christman
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8621-2; paperback (June 2016); Rated “M” for “Mature”
432pp, B&W, $24.99 U.S., $28.99 CAN, £16.99 U.K.

Creator Inio Asano (Solanin, What a Wonderful World!) has a new manga.  Entitled Goodnight Punpun, the series is a coming-of-age story that focuses on Punpun Onodera, a boy in middle school and his adolescent trials and tribulations.

VIZ Media is publishing Goodnight Punpun as a seven-volume graphic novel series.  Each volume is an over-sized manga paperback containing two individual volumes (called “parts).  Goodbye Punpun Vol. 2 contains Part 3 (Chapters 24 to 34) and 4 (Chapters 35 to 46).

In Part 3, Punpun agonizes over former elementary school crush, Aiku Tanaka.  They have had no contact for two years and now Aiku seems to be dating Mamoru Yaguichi, Punpun's teammate on the badminton team.  Yaguichi, rumored to be well-endowed, also has his own doubts, about both Aiku and badminton, so he is ready to bargain with Punpun about Aiku.

In Part 4, Punpun's uncle, Yuichi Onodera, his mother's younger brother who lives with them, is also going through a crisis.  He has seemingly had a reunion involving Midori Okuma, a 25-year-old.  She resembles a 16-year-old girl with whom Yuichi once had a trouble/edgy relationship.  Meanwhile, Punpun has a chance to be with the girl of his dreams...

The Goodnight Punpun manga is bold and adventurous.  It is a teen drama that goes where only the best teen drama comics dare to go.  Teen angst, family dysfunction, sex and sexual tension, and social politics bubble and toil under the surface of what looks to be straight-forward adolescent drama and melodrama – but is more..

Truthfully, Goodnight Punpun Volume 2 defies description.  It deals with the turmoil and struggles of early teens, of course.  However, creator Inio Asano digs hard into the dread that is the uncertain future.  The stress of the now always seems to coexist with the unknown shape of things to come.  We could always tell the characters to not worry about tomorrow – to simply live in the now.  But where is the fun in that?  We wouldn't have the wonderful Goodnight Punpun and its constantly agonizing characters if they didn't worry about next year.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: QQ SWEEPER Volume 3

QQ SWEEPER, VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Kyousuke Motomi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Eric Erbes
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8633-5; paperback (June 2016); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

The paranormal, romantic shojo manga, QQ Sweeper, comes to an end.  Created by mangaka Kyousuke Motomi, who also created the manga, Dengeki Daisy and Beast Master, QQ Sweeper is an adventure about two “Soul Cleaners,” one an expert, the other a novice – who fall in love.

QQ Sweeper begins on the day, Kyutaro Horikita, the cleaning expert of Kurokado Private High School, finds a maiden sleeping in an old room on campus.  She is transfer student Fumi Nishioka, and like Kyutaro, she has a talent for cleaning.  However, the tall, dark, and handsome Kyutaro is also a “Sweeper,” someone who cleans away negative energy from people's heart, and Fumi is now his apprentice.

As QQ Sweeper, Vol. 3 (Chapters 11 to 15) begins, Fumi rethinks her plan to leave the home of Kyutaro and his family.  She feels a sense of calm living and working with them, and Fumi begins to except the amorous feelings she has for Kyutaro.

Meanwhile, classmate Kaori Tachibana begins acting strangely towards Fumi during what is supposed to be a karaoke outing with friends.  The trouble seems to be emanating from Ataru Shikata, a so-called fortune teller, who is really a “Bug Handler.”  And he has big plans for Fumi.

The QQ Sweeper manga seemed unusual from its first volume.  Well, the series cements its unusual nature because it has come to a quick or, as I think, an abrupt end.

QQ Sweeper Volume 3 is the final volume of this particular iteration of the story of Fumi Kyutaro.  Fumi and Kyutaro will return in a new series apparently called Queen's Quality.  As for the end of QQ Sweeper, Kyousuke Motomi will leave you wanting more.  In fact, by the end of Vol. 3, you will think that there is no way the series could end with so much left unanswered and because the story has the potential to offer even more to the readers.

Well, however that works out, QQ Sweeper is short-but-good.  So, yes, good things do come in small packages.  This romance, dark fantasy, and mystery drama is worth a shojo reader's time.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2016 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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QQ Sweeper: Memories of Fuyu

I read QQ Sweeper, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

My Love Story: The Unspoken Love of Yukika Amami

I read My Love Story!!, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House: White Nue's Burden

I read The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 3

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Oresama Teacher: Where's Hayasaka?

I reads Oresama Teacher , Vol. 19

I posted a review at ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

My Love Story: Gonna Be a Big Brother

I read My Love Story!!, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House: The Third Shikigami

I read The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 2

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: QQ SWEEPER Volume 1

QQ SWEEPER, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Kyousuke Motomi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Bryant Turnage
LETTERS: Eric Erbes
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8214-6; paperback (April 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Kyousuke Motomi is a mangaka (creator) known for her two manga series that were published in North America, Dengeki Daisy and Beast Master.  Her latest manga is the supernatural high school drama and romance, QQ Sweeper.

The series focuses on two characters.  First is the tall, dark, and handsome, Kyutaro Horikita, the cleaning expert of Kurokado Private High School.  One day, he finds a maiden sleeping in an old room on campus.  She is the second character, transfer student Fumi Nishioka, and like Kyutaro, she has a talent for cleaning.

Early in QQ Sweeper, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5), Kyutaro discovers Fumi sleeping in the “Old School Building.”  To her, the place is dirty... but alluring and mysterious.  Kyutaro, considered a weirdo by the other students, keeps the building clean, but he is a cleaner both in the physical world and in the spiritual realm.  When fellow student, Junya Sakaguchi, gets dirty and infested, Kyutaro will discover that Fumi may have a surprising talent for getting rid of dirty things.

The QQ Sweeper manga is unusual simply because so much of it focuses on cleaning services and janitorial duties.  Creator Kyousuke Motomi depicts the cleaning as more than just drudgery.  There is a technique to getting it right and to taking a dirty room or object and cleaning it down to the tiny details.

QQ Sweeper Volume 1 introduces quite a bit about the series' magic and its internal mythology, but not so much that the series loses its sense of mystery.  The unknown will be important to this series, as nearly all the main characters are incomplete, especially when it comes to their pasts.  QQ Sweeper is different, especially when compared to Motomi's previous series, Dengeki Daisy, but like this earlier manga, QQ Sweeper is filled with thrills.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Arata: The Legend - Ameeno's Campaign

I read Arata: The Legend, Vol. 22

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: THE DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE Volume 1

THE DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Aya Shouoto
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7962-7; paperback (July 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
172pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

VIZ Media is publishing another manga from Aya Shouoto, the creator of Kiss of the Rose Princess.  Entitled The Demon Prince of Momochi House, the series focuses on a young woman who inherits a house with a strong supernatural connection.

On her 16th birthday, Himari Momochi inherits an old house in the woods that she has never seen.  She does not know that it is called the Momochi House and that it already has three inhabitants.  One of them is practically the “Demon Prince” of Momochi House.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 3) opens with Himari deep in the mountains looking for the ancestral estate, Momochi House.  A local warns her to avoid the house because she will be cursed by the “Omamori-sama.”  When she finally finds the house, she discovers that the place is practically a wreck, and that three squatters live there.

Seventeen-year-old Aoi Nanamori seems to be the leader, while Yukari and Ise just seem like lazy guys looking for a place to stay.  There is, however, more than meets the eye, as she learns that Momochi House is a barrier between the human and spiritual realms.  The house may have even more residents, and Aoi... handsome Aoi has a secret.

I am a sucker for a yokai-themed manga, and The Demon Prince of Momochi House manga focuses on “ayakashi,” an apparent old term for yokai.  Demons and spirits aside, this is, like other manga from creator Aya Shouoto, a shojo manga.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House Volume 1 quickly establishes a budding and complicated romance between Himari and Aoi.  This series seems as if it will be both a supernatural romance and a high school romantic drama.  It has potential, but, other than establishing the dynamics between the leads, The Demon Prince of Momochi House is a bit unformed after three chapters, which is what makes up this first graphic novel in the series.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux (Support Leroy on Patreon)


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Spell of Desire: Witches With Problems

I read Spell of Desire, Vol. 4

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

My Love Story: Ai Wants You

I read My Love Story!!, Vol. 4

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Oresama Teacher: Kimodameshi

I read Oresama Teacher , Vol. 18

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin, which is seeking donations.  Follow me on Twitter or at Grumble.

Review: DENGEKI DAISY Volume 16

DENGEKI DAISY, VOL. 16
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Kyousuke Motomi
TRANSLATION/ENGLISH ADAPTATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Rina Mapa
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7771-5; paperback (April 2015); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN

Dengeki Daisy is a shojo romantic comedy manga created by Kyousuke Motomi.  The series began serialization in Betsucomi, a Japanese shojo manga magazine, in October 2007.  VIZ Media published the manga in North America as a series of graphic novels, and recently published the final volume.

Dengeki Daisy focuses on Teru Kurebayshi, an orphan who lost her beloved brother, Soichiro.  She is not alone, however.  Teru exchanges messages with DAISY, a mysterious figure who can only be reached through a cell phone Teru's brother left her.  Eventually, Teru learns that DAISY is Tasuku Kurosaki, a janitor who is always around when she needs him.

Shadowy government agents abducted Teru and took her to an uninhabited island.  There, a trap is set to lure Kurosaki and their real target, Akira, a mathematical genius who is deemed a national security threat.  Before the trio can escape, the island is detonated...

Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 16 (Final Chapter - “To Our Future”) reveals how Teru, Kurosaki, and Akira escaped.  Who helped them leave the island just in time?  The source of one bit of assistance is obvious, but the second is a big surprise, and only Teru knows the savior's identity.  Plus, what are they going to do with the rest of their lives, and what is Kurosaki's next big career move?

[This volume includes two bonus features:  “To the Tip of the Nails,” and “New Year's” and two Bonus Chapters: “Daisy Special Episode Part 1,” and “Daisy Special Episode Part 2.”  This volume also includes Kyousuke Motomi's debut short story, “No-Good Cupid.”]

The Dengeki Daisy manga comes to an end.  Dengeki Daisy Volume 16 brings the series to a close, although only one chapter in this volume is part of the main story.  The rest is bonus material, which includes creator, Kyousuke Motomi's debut manga, the short story “No-Good Cupid.”

Vol. 16 is a bit anti-climatic, but it has a feel-good ending.  I am so used to on-going American comic books, which don't end so much as they restart, that I am still adjusting to the fact that manga end.  They are finite comics narratives.  In my final analysis of Dengeki Daisy, I would recommend it to new readers, because it is different.  It is odd in that it is an off-kilter high school shojo romance and in that it also has a dark side in which death plays a prominent part.  In fact, romance in bloom and the specter of death are equal partners in Dengeki Daisy.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for syndication rights and fees.