#IReadsYou Review: NOT YOUR IDOL: Volume 2

NOT YOUR IDOL, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Aoi Makino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1517-6; paperback (September 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
168pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £7.99 UK

Sayonara Mini Skirt is a shojo manga written and drawn by Aoi Makino.  The series has been serialized in the Japanese manga publication, Ribon Magazine, since August 2018.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language adaptation of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series, entitled Not Your Idol, under its “Shojo Beat.”

Not Your Idol focuses on high school freshman, Nina Kamiyama, who wears slacks and has cut her hair so that she looks like a boy.  You see, Kamiyama was once “Karen Amamiya,” the “center” of the “miniskirt” pop idol, girl group, “Pure Club.”  In the wake of a brutal assault by a male fan, Kamiyama quits Pure Club, shuns her femininity, and starts dressing as a boy.  At Kaito High School, she keeps to herself, but fellow male student, Hikaru Horiuchi, realizes who she is.

As Not Your Idol, Vol. 2 (Chapters 4 to 6) opens, Horiuchi is under suspicion!  Is he really the stalker who attacked Nina six months ago when she was Karen Amamiya a.k.a. “Ren-Ren” and a member of Pure Club?  No, he's not, Nina insists, and she Horiuchi begin a serious relationship.  Still, someone else at Kaito High knows who Nina was once, so is she really safe?

Meanwhile, their classmate, Miku Nagasu, who is obsessed with getting the attention of boys, schemes to get Horiuchi all to herself.  Nagasu plans to do anything she can to get him, even if it puts herself in danger.  But when is dangerous just too dangerous?

[This volume includes a message from the author and an illustration.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The first volume of the Not Your Idol manga is one of the most shocking manga that I have read this year.  Its themes of violence against women and of obsessive fans captured my attention and yielded a lurid first volume.

Not Your Idol Graphic Novel Volume 2 is just as stunning.  On the surface, creator Aoi Makino offers tales of catty girls, determined pop idol handlers, and horny high school boys.  Underneath this tale of high school love triangles is a burning hot story of friendship and exploitation.  Friends do whatever they can to help one another, but the exploiters are like predators, using others for their own selfish ends with gusto.

Makino, however, almost seems to suggest that the exploiters may not really know what they want, which can also be said for the star couple of Nina Kamiyama and Hikaru Horiuchi.  The final 30 pages of Vol. 2 encapsulate this malaise of confusion, fear, and indecision.

Once again, the translation by Tetsuichiro Miyaki and the English adaptation by Nancy Thislethwaite yield a story that is hard to stop reading.  Inori Fukuda Trant's lettering conveys Not Your Idol's interior torments and slashing emotions.  Yes, you will want more, too, dear readers, when you try Not Your Idol.  This is one of those times that I can say that a really good second volume actually surpasses a really good first volume.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of edgy shojo high school dramas will want the Shojo Beat title, Not Your Idol.

10 out of 10

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


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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: FUSHIGI YUGI: BYAKKO SENKI Volume 1

 

FUSHIGI YUGI: BYAKKO SENKI, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Yuu Watase
TRANSLATION: Matt Treyvaud
LETTERS: Sara Linsley
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1164-2; paperback (August 2020), Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S. $12.99 CAN, £7.99 UK

Fushigi Yûgi Byakko Senki is a shojo manga series written and drawn by Yuu Watase.  It is the second prequel series to Watase's Fushigi Yûgi.  Byakko Senki began with a one-shot story, entitled Fushigi Yûgi Byakko Ibun, before beginning as a serial in the Japanese manga magazine, Monthly Flowers, in August 2017.  VIZ Media began publishing an English-language edition of Byakko Senki as a paperback graphic novel series under its “Shojo Beat” imprint in August 2020.

Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) opens in Japan in the year 1923.  Suzuno Ohsugi is a young girl who is doted upon by her devoted mother and father.  Her father, Takao Ohsugi, works in book publishing, which gives him access to the papers of Einosuke Okuda, the translator of the book, “The Universe of the Four Gods.”  Okuda is a controversial figure whom the public believes killed his daughter high in the mountains before taking his life in some kind of murder-suicide ritual.

Suzuno's father now has possession of The Universe of the Four Gods, and he absolutely does not want his daughter to touch it.  Then, “the Great Kanto Earthquake” occurs, and in a bid to save his daughter, Takao sends her into The Universe of the Four Gods.

THE LOWDOWN:  The Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki manga is an “isekai fantasy.”  This is an “accidental travel” genre that is prominent in Japanese entertainment, including light novels, manga, anime and video games.  Isekai fantasy revolves around a normal person from Earth being transported to or reborn in a parallel universe or fantasy world.  The entire Fushigi Yûgi series is an isekai fantasy.

The series began with Fushigi Yūgi, a Japanese shojo manga series written and illustrated by Yuu Watase.  It tells the story of two teenaged girls, Miaka and Yui, who are pulled into the world of a mysterious book, “The Universe of the Four Gods.”  Fushigi Yûgi was serialized in Shōjo Comic from May 1992 to June 1996.  VIZ Media published an English language edition of the manga as an 18-volume paperback graphic novel series under its “Shojo Beat” imprint from December 2003 to April 2006.

Watase produced a prequel to Fushigi Yūgi, entitled Fushigi Yûgi Genbu Kaiden.  It was serialized over a period beginning March 2003 and ending February 2013 in four magazines over the course of its run.  This prequel series details the creation of The Universe of the Four Gods and tells the full story of the Priestess of Genbu.  VIZ Media published an English language edition of the manga as a 12-volume paperback graphic novel series under its “Shojo Beat” imprint from July 2005 to March 2014.

Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki Graphic Novel Volume 1 begins a story that is familiar to anyone who has read the previous two series.  While Byakko Senki is a prequel to the original series, it is also a sequel to Genbu Kaiden, while occurring before the original.  I read at least the last five or six volumes of Genbu Kaiden, but I am not sure if I read any of the original.  If I did, it was no more than the final volume or volumes of the series.

I like this first volume, but it is sort of all over the place, as it takes place in two time periods, in the Universe of the Four Gods, and in flashbacks.  Matt Treyvaud's translation keeps the story together and coherent.  The lettering by Sara Linsley also helps to establish setting as much as it does tone.

If you, dear readers, are familiar with the work of Yuu Watase, you will like this first volume of Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki, as I do.  There are so many things left unsaid and unfinished in this first volume that I can't wait to return to the story.  However, I must add that you do not need to have read the earlier series to enjoy Byakko Senki.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of the Fushigi Yûgi series will like the “Shojo Beat” title, Fushigi Yûgi: Byakko Senki.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: NOT YOUR IDOL: Volume 1

NOT YOUR IDOL, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Aoi Makino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1516-9; paperback (May 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
168pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £7.99 UK

Sayonara Mini Skirt is a shojo manga written and drawn by Aoi Makino.  The series has been serialized in the Japanese manga publication, Ribon Magazine, since August 2018.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language adaptation of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series, entitled Not Your Idol, under its “Shojo Beat.”

Not Your Idol, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 3) introduces Nina Kamiyama, a high school freshman.  Unlike other girls who wear miniskirts, Kamiyama wears slacks and has cut her hair so that she looks like a boy.  You see, Kamiyama was once Karen Amamiya, the “center” of the “miniskirt” pop idol, girl group, “Pure Club.”  One day, at a “handshake” event where the girls get to thank fans, a male fan brutally attacks Karen.

In the wake of an assault, Kamiyama quits Pure Club, shuns her femininity, and starts dressing as a boy.  At high school she keeps to herself, but fellow student, Hikaru Horiuchi, realizes who she is.  So is Horiuchi, a judo club member, more than what he claims to be.

[This volume includes a message from the author and an illustration.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Not Your Idol manga is one of the most shocking manga that I have read this year.  It isn't as twisted as the other manga to shock me this year, Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku, but it is quite intense.

Not Your Idol Graphic Novel Volume 1 dives deep into the subject matter of violence against women and girls.  The themes of obsession and trauma infuse this story with an edgy atmosphere that makes Not Your Idol as searing as one of those pot-boiler, suspense-mystery crime thriller novels.  [The ones about demented men who hurt women.]   Aoi Makino has developed Nina Kamiyama in such a way that readers will feel her psychological torments, constant fear, and self doubt, but she does so in such a manner that the readers will not be turned off by the darkness and certainly will not want to turn away from Kamiyama.

Tetsuichiro Miyaki's translation and the English adaptation by Nancy Thislethwaite yield a story that is hard to stop reading.  As soon as I was finished, I wanted more.  Inori Fukuda Trant's lettering conveys Not Your Idol's interior torments and slashing emotions.  Yes, you will want more, too, dear readers, when you try Not Your Idol.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of edgy shojo high school dramas will want the Shojo Beat title, Not Your Idol.

A
9 out of 10

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


https://www.viz.com/
https://twitter.com/VIZMedia
https://www.instagram.com/vizmedia/
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialVIZMedia
https://www.snapchat.com/add/vizmedia


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: THE DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE Volume 13

THE DEMON PRINCE OF MOMOCHI HOUSE, VOL. 13
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Aya Shouoto
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0402-6; paperback (January 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
172pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

The Demon Prince of Momochi House is a supernatural and romance manga series written and illustrated by Aya Shouoto.  It began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's shojo manga magazine, Monthly Asuka, in July 2013. VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a graphic novel series under its “Shojo Beat” imprint since July 2015.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House focuses on Himari Momochi.  When she reaches her 16th birthday, Himari learns that she has inherited an old house located deep in the woods.  She has never seen this domicile, which is called “the Momochi House,” and does not know that it already has three inhabitants.  One of them, 17-year-old Aoi Nanamori, is the “Nue,” the “Demon Prince” of Momochi House, which acts as a barrier between the human world and the spiritual realms.

As The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 13 (Chapters 47 to 51) opens, Himari believes that she is dead because the conniving ayakashi, Kasha, shot her with a pistol.  However, what Kasha shot Himari with was really an “ayakashi item.”  It only removed Himari's spirit from her body, and while she isn't dead, the struggle to return Himari to her body is... well, quite a struggle.

Kasha has plans and ulterior motives, and even his agreement to return Himari to her body is a ruse.  But everyone will be shocked when Kasha reveals his true intent.  Plus, Himari gets help from two returning supporting characters.

[This volume includes miscellaneous illustrations.]

THE LOWDOWN:  The Demon Prince of Momochi House manga is delightfully infused with a sense of magic and mystery.  Practically every page of this delicious series is populated by ayakashi (yokai), but sometimes the series seems too dreamy for its own good.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House Graphic Novel Volume 13 pays off the killer of a cliffhanger ending that Vol. 12 presented.  Kasha shot Himari at the end of the previous volume.  That leads to this – Vol. 13 being one of the best volumes of the series.  What makes it so good?  The answer is first, conflict, and secondly, is hindrance.

Kasha and a special guest star both force Himari to struggle for what she wants, and one of the characters proves to be not only a tremendous adversary for Aoi, but also something else.  The chapters in this volume, all five of them, are one long series of hindrances in the way of Himari's determination to make everything right again.

So conflict and hindrance create drama, and Vol. 13 offers some of The Demon Prince of Momochi House's most potent drama to date, and JN Productions' translation conveys that drama in all its potency.  And as ever, letterer Inori Fukuda Trant offers stylish lettering and word balloons that bring out the beauty in the supernatural chaos and strife.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of high school supernatural romance and of yokai fiction will want to visit the “Shojo Beat” title, The Demon Prince of Momochi House.

A
9 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.


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#IReadsYou Review: SP BABY Volume 2

SP BABY, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Maki Enjoji
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9375-3; paperback (February 2018); Rated “+” for “Older Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

SP x Baby is a manga written and drawn by Maki Enjoji.  It was serialized in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, Petit Comic, from 2014 to 2015.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as a two-volume graphic novel series, entitled SP Baby, from 2017 to 2018 under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.

SP Baby centers on 23-year-old Tamaki Hasegawa, who wants to join the “Security Police” (SP) and works hard towards that goal.  One day, she is on the way to an interview for a much-needed job when she stops to help a young man whom she believes is being assaulted.  That young man turns out to be Kagetora Sugou, the nephew of the prime minister of Japan.  Now, Kagetora wants Tamaki to be his bodyguard, and although she accepts, Tamaki does not realize that she has met Kagetora in the past.

As SP Baby, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 9 to Final Mission) begins, Tamaki isn't feeling well.  She perks up, however, when her younger brother, Taishi Hasegawa, informs her that the most important man in her life, longtime friend, Natsuo “Natsu” Shino, is coming for a visit.  Meanwhile, the 25-year-old who wants to be the most important man in her life, Kagetora, also stops by for a visit.

With Kagetora acting more like a boyfriend than a boss, he is bound to give Natsu the wrong idea about their relationship, which is supposed to be strictly professional.  Natsu, however, also has some big news to share with Tamaki.  So will Tamaki let her guard down and accept Kagetora's advances?  Will she become his “SP Baby?”

[This volume includes a five-page bonus SP Baby manga story.]

The SP Baby manga is written and illustrated by Maki Enjoji.  She is one of the current reigning queens of shojo romance.  Enjoji specializes in chronicling the evolution of romances between young females and young males whose personalities clash, as seen in VIZ Media's current Enjoji project, An Incurable Case of Love.

SP Baby Graphic Novel Volume 2 is the final volume of this two-volume series.  Vol. 1 was not so much a love story as it was a “Me Too” era violation.  Enjoji depicted Kagetora as a bore who did not respect Tamaki's space.  He acted like a privileged brat, and his actions sometime bordered on being criminal.  Tamaki was depicted as plucky and determined, but she lacked the good sense to quit her job as Kagetora's bodyguard.  In fact, if she had trusted her feelings, she would not have taken the job in the first place.

Vol. 2 is a more traditional frothy shojo romance story.  Kagetora comes across more as a desperate pest who is madly in love with Tamaki.  The plucky Tamaki of the first volume is still plucky in Vol. 2, but her feelings are more conflicted.  Also, now, her feelings lean more towards accepting Kagetora's courtship.  JN Productions' translation conveys the sharp change in narrative tone from the first volume to the second.  As usual, Inori Fukuda Trant's lettering is perfect for a Maki Enjoji manga.

In her afterword, Enjoji writes that she was pregnant will producing the chapters that comprise the first volume and struggling with a newborn child will producing the chapters for the second volume.  That might explain the shifts in tone from the first half to the second half of the series.

So, SP Baby is not a great series, and I think that it is the least of her works in terms of quality that I have read to date.  But the ending is nice.

B
6 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.

----------------------------

#IReadsYou Review: SP BABY Volume 1

SP BABY, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

CARTOONIST: Maki Enjoji
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9540-5; paperback (November 2017); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

SP x Baby is a manga written and drawn by Maki Enjoji (who also created Happy Marriage?!).  It was serialized in the Japanese shojo manga magazine, Petit Comic, from 2014 to 2015.  VIZ Media published an English-language edition of the manga as a two-volume graphic novel series, entitled SP Baby, from 2017 to 2018 under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.

SP Baby, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces a young woman named Tamaki Hasegawa.  One day, she is on the way to a much-needed job interview when she stops to help a young man whom she believes is being assaulted.  That young man turns out to be Kagetora Sugou, the nephew of the prime minister of Japan.

Kagetora starts to pursue Tamaki to be his bodyguard because he was impressed with the way she handled the assault.  At first, Tamaki is put off by Kagetora's playful, teasing demeanor.  She is determined, however, to get a job so that she can earn money to prove herself as a good worker and to help her younger brother, Taishi, pay for college.  Although she does accept the job, Tamaki does not realize that she and Kagetora have met before...

The SP Baby manga is from one of the reigning queens of shojo romance manga, Maki Enjoji.  She specializes in chronicling the evolution of a romance between people whose personalities clash, as seen in VIZ Media's current Enjoji project, An Incurable Case of Love.

SP Baby Graphic Novel Volume 1 isn't so much a love story as it is a “Me Too” era violation.  Kagetora is a bore and does not respect Tamaki's space.  He acts like a privileged brat, and his actions sometime border on being criminal.  Tamaki is plucky and determined, but if she really had any good sense, she would quit her job as Kagetora's bodyguard.  In fact, if she had trusted her feelings, she would not have taken the job in the first place.

Vol. 2 is going to have to come up with a really good reason for Kagetora's behavior and personality.  It will likely have something to do with the characters' shared pasts.  I do give credit to JN Productions' translation, which really conveys Tamaki's struggles to succeed and her stubborn determination to get what she wants.  And, as usual, I thoroughly enjoyed Enjoji's art and graphic design.

4 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and  syndication rights and fees.


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#IReadsYou Review: VAMPIRE KNIGHT: Memories Volume 4

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MEMORIES VOL. 4
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Matsuri Hino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1076-8; paperback (March 2020); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Vampire Knight is a vampire romance and shojo manga from creator Matsuri Hino.  It was first serialized in the shojo manga magazine, LaLa, from 2004 to 2013.  It was collected in 19 tankōbon (similar to a graphic novel), and VIZ Media published the manga in an English-language edition as a graphic novel series under its “Shojo Beat” format.

Vampire Knight is set in and around Cross Academy, a school for vampires (the “Night Class”) and humans (the “Day Class”) and focused mostly on the following characters: Headmaster Kaien Cross; his stepdaughter, Yuki Cross, a pure-blood vampire; Zero Kiryu, a human suffering from the curse of the vampire; and Kaname Kuran, the progenitor of a pure-blood vampire family line.  At the end of Vampire Knight, Kaname sacrifices his body to create new vampire-killing weapons for the vampire-hunting Hunter Society and then, sleeps for a thousand years.

A few years after the end of the original series, Hino began producing a series of “special chapters.”  These “Memories” are chapters that recount the events which occurred during Kaname's slumber.  VIZ Media publishes Vampire Knight: Memories annually as a single-volume graphic novel.

Vampire Knight: Memories, Vol. 4 opens with the story, “Dark Shadows of the Underground.”  It is a precarious time in the relationship between vampires and humans.  A mysterious group calling itself the “Vampire King” has launched a terrorist campaign of bombings.  Yuki and Zero are determined to capture the Vampire King, a mission that will take them deep into the underground areas beneath the city.  With the help of Maria Kurenai, a young leader in the Hunter Society, they close in on the quarry.  Their target, however, is also prepared for them and has plans to take prisoners.

In “One Step After a Hundred Years,” Yuki realizes just how shocking what she blurted out to Zero is.  What will she do about what she said?  Is she willing to join Zero in a life-changing event?  Finally, in the stories, “The Hope Inside a Photo Album” and “Goodbye and Hello,” a rabble-rousing human mayor of a nearby city pulls a publicity stunt that leads to Headmaster Cross making a decision that will have momentous consequences.

[This volume includes the bonus story, “The End of a Certain Lady;” the one-page comic, “Memories of Little Consequence;” and “Editor's Notes.”]

I am a fan of the Vampire Knight manga, although I did not like the final graphic novel, Vampire Knight, Vol. 19.  As for the Vampire Knight: Memories manga, the various chapters have been of uneven quality.  Some are exceptionally good, while others run the gamut from good, to bad, to average. The graphic novel collections have been good, especially Vol. 2, and Vol. 3 stood out by focusing on romance.

Vampire Knight: Memories Graphic Novel Volume 4 picks up on a theme and plot line that began to play out in Vol. 3 – the rising tensions between humans and vampires after a period of peace between the two races.  Vol. 4 is filled with tense stand-offs, kidnappings, rescues, subterfuge, suspicion, bombings, and mad scientists.  There is also some romance and a shocking turn of events that I do not want to spoil.  I can say that in the chapters that comprise Vol. 4, creator Matsuri Hino has brought back the mystery and the violence and the romance and the drama that were the highlights of the best chapters in the original run of Vampire Knight.

Tetsuichiro Miyaki (translation) and Nancy Thislethwaite (English adaptation) do stellar work conveying the deep feelings of love and family between characters like Yuki, Zero, Headmaster Cross, and Ren and Ai (Yuki and Kaname's children).  They also capture the heartfelt emotions, the sadness, and the sense of hope that define the end of Vol. 4.  Inori Fukuda Trant's lovely and quiet lettering emphasizes the drama with power that lingers after the final page.

Fans of the original series would serve themselves well to obtain this fourth volume of Vampire Knight: Memories, especially if they have not really followed the series since its English-language debut in 2017.  Vol 4 is a winner for sure.

10 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


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#IReadsYou Review: LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT Volume 1

LOVE ME, LOVE ME NOT, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Io Sakisaka
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Sara Linsley
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1309-7; paperback (March 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Love Me, Love Me Not is a shōjo manga written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka, the creator of such manga as Strobe Edge and Ao Haru Ride.  Love Me, Love Me Not was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Bessatsu Margaret, from 2015 to 2019.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language edition of Love Me, Love Me Not as a series of graphic novels.

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) opens the spring before Yuna Ichihara enters her first year of high school.  She is pained that her best friend, Satchan, is moving away.  On her way to the train station to say good-bye to her, Yuna meets a strange girl about her age, and the girl asks Yuna for money.  The girl, Akari Yamamoto, promises to pay Yuna the following day, which she does.  When they leave the train station, however, they discover that they live in the same apartment building.

The girls instantly become friends, but discover that they explore and look at love in completely different ways.  Yuna is an idealist, and Akari is a realist.  Throw in Yuna's childhood friend, Kazuomi Inui, and Akari's brother, Rio, and this becomes a complicated case of love and friendship.

The Love Me, Love Me Not manga is like creator Io Sakisaka's other manga.  Sakisaka's shojo romances are sweet confections... on the surface, but bite enough times and you, dear readers, will find a pungent or tart side.

Love Me, Love Me Not Graphic Novel Volume 1 offers so much of Sakisaka's lovely, ethereal art.  It looks like a film shot through greased lens.  The heart of the story is a bit more solid.  Yuna and Akari are teen girls in a state of growth and change, and as they navigate their first year of high schools, their thoughts and feelings don't fit simple descriptions like “idealist” (Yuna) and “realist” (Akari).  The “tart” or edgy elements arrive at the end of this first volume.

JN Productions (translation) and Nancy Thislethwaite (English adaptation) do excellent work capturing the nuances of this story.  While reading Vol. 1, readers will find that Yuna, Akari, Inui, and Rio are four distinct personalities, and, as these characters are endearing, they will want to meet again.  Also, Sara Linsley strikes the perfect tone with her lettering... especially for that killer ending.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.


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Review: AN INCURABLE CASE OF LOVE Volume 1

AN INCURABLE CASE OF LOVE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Maki Enjoji
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0931-1; paperback (October 2019); Rated “M” for “Mature”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomade mo is a “josei” manga (comics for adult women) from Maki Enjoji, creator of the Happy Marriage?! manga.  “Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomade mo” was serialized in the Japanese magazine, Petit Comic, from February 2016 to January 2019.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language version of “Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Dokomade mo” in a graphic novel series, entitled An Incurable Case of Love.

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces Nanase Sakura.  Five years ago, she witnessed a handsome and charming doctor save a stranger’s life.  Inspired by this mystery physician, Nanase trains to become a nurse.  On her first day as a new nurse, Nanase meets the doctor again.

However, Dr. Kairi Tendo turns out to be nothing like the man she imagined or remembered him to be.  He is so harsh and blunt, especially with her, that Nanase nicknames him “Dark Lord.”  But, of course, there is more to him than she realizes.

The An Incurable Case of Love manga is not a typical “Shojo Beat” romance manga.  For one thing, it has a “mature” rating and is a “josei” manga, and secondly, the romantic lead characters are both adults with serious adult responsibilities.

An Incurable Case of Love Graphic Novel Volume 1 is also the first time that I have read a manga set largely in a hospital and focusing on a nurse and a doctor.  I have enjoyed romantic manga starring people who worked in the food industry, in the banking industry, and in the entertainment industry.  I have enjoyed love stories featuring aliens, magical girls, and vampires, to name a few supernatural types.  But no medical personnel, as far as I can remember.

An Incurable Case of Love also focuses on two characters badly at odds with one another.  Nurse Nanase and Dr. Tendo clash so much that them getting together might take some willing suspension of disbelief.  The hospital setting also presents sick and dying patients... yikes!  JN Productions translation ably mixes the drama and the couple's sparring, and Inori Fukuda Trant's lettering captures the frequent shifts in mood.  So this first volume is an interesting read.

I am curious about An Incurable Case of Love; this first volume is not great, but it does have potential.  I think this series is certainly worth two reads; by then, I'll have an idea how strong this series is going to be.

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR Volume 1

DAYTIME SHOOTING STAR, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Mika Yamamori
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0667-9; paperback (July 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Daytime Shooting Star is a shojo manga from creator Mika Yamamori.  The series was originally serialized in The Margaret, a Japanese manga magazine, from 2011 to 2014.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a graphic novel series, entitled Daytime Shooting Star.

Daytime Shooting Star, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 7) introduces 15-year-old Suzume Yosano, a girl who lives in a small rural town that does not have convenience stores, cafés, or traffic lights.  When her parents suddenly announce that they are moving to Bangladesh, they also tell that Suzume that she will be moving to Tokyo to live with her uncle, Yukichi Kumamoto.

Not long after arriving in Tokyo, Suzume has a fainting spell.  She is rescued by a odd young man, who turns out to have a surprising connection to her uncle and to her high school.

In some ways, the Daytime Shooting Star manga is a typical high school shojo manga.  It is about a girl who falls in love, after all.

Daytime Shooting Star Graphic Novel Volume 1, however, strikes many odd and offbeat notes.  I don't want to spoil anything just yet, but Suzume's new Tokyo home offers surprising relationships.  Suzume even forces a taciturn boy to be her friend, and she also makes a “frenemy.” And there is a shocking confrontation.

Mika Yamamori's wide-open illustration style and pretty figure drawing (especially the nice-looking characters who have big eyes) are attractive on the page.  As far as the art goes, Daytime Shooting Star reminds me of Io Sakisaka's Ao Haru Ride.  As for the story, JN Productions throws down a tart translation that captures the narrative's edginess which bubbles beneath the surface.  I think shojo fans will latch onto this series, especially for its potential to surprise.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review: VAMPIRE KNIGHT: Memories Volume 3

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MEMORIES VOL. 3
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Matsuri Hino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0515-3; paperback (July 2019); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Vampire Knight is a vampire romance and shojo manga from creator Matsuri Hino.  It was published in the magazine, LaLa, from 2004 to 2013.  It has been collected in 19 tankōbon (similar to a graphic novel), and VIZ Media has published the manga in the United States as an English-language, paperback graphic novel series.

A few years after the end of the original series, Hino began producing a series of “special chapters.”  These are episodes of Vampire Knight that take place after the events depicted in Vampire Knight Volume 19, which contained the final chapters of original manga.  VIZ Media is publishing an English-language translation of the new chapters in a graphic novel series, Vampire Knights: Memories.

Vampire Knight focuses on Yuki Cross, a student at the vampire (the “Night Class”) and human (the “Day Class”) school, Cross Academy.  Headmaster Kaien Cross is her stepfather, but Yuki eventually learns that she is a pure-blood vampire.  Her first love interest is Zero Kiryu, a human suffering from the curse of the vampire.  Yuki eventually falls in love with Kaname Kuran, a pure-blood vampire.  At the end of Vampire Knight, Kaname sacrifices his body to create new vampire-killing weapons for the vampire-hunting Hunter Society.

Vampire Knight: Memories, Vol. 3 opens with the chapter, entitled “Bond.”  Yuki and Zero encounter old friends, now aged, and new enemies.  All that pales next to the strength of their bond, and now, they have decided to become a couple.  In “Memories of Those Who Have Gone,” Kaien Cross reminisces about the photographs he took and the memories they recall.  Vampires Ruka and Akatsuki become engaged in the story, “Wedge,” and they marry in “Till Dust Do Us Part,” which also finds Yuki and Zero make decisions about their relationship.

[This volume includes the bonus stories, “A Vampire Who Claims that Friendship is the Source of Life” and “What is to Come;” a four-panel manga, “Memories of Little Consequence;” and “Editor's Notes.”]

In general, I enjoyed the Vampire Knight manga, although I was not a fan of the final graphic novel, Vol. 19.  I liked the first volume of the Vampire Knight: Memories manga, but I thought the second volume was stronger.

Vampire Knight: Memories Graphic Novel Volume 3 maintains the increase in the quality of drama that Vol. 2 presented.  I like that Cross Academy is back in play, but I am also intrigued by the increasing tensions between various factions of humans and vampires.  Intrigue will apparently yield acts of terrorism, double-dealing, double agents, and perhaps, some kind of biological warfare.

Best of all about Vol. 3 is the romance.  We have a wedding, a beautiful one that occurs at night.  The new state of affairs between Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu promises a resurgence of Vampire Knight.  How long will this “sequel” last?  Hopefully, it will last several more volumes – if love and war are the order of the Day (Class) with the creatures of the Night (Class).

A
8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Review AO HARU RIDE Volume 1

AO HARU RIDE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Io Sakisaka
TRANSLATION: Emi Louie-Nishikawa
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0265-7; paperback (October 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
184pp, B&W, $9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Ao Haru Ride (also known as Blue Spring Ride) is a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Io Sakisaka.  The series was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine, Margaret, from February 2011 to February 2015.  VIZ Media is publishing this manga in English as a series of graphic novels, entitled Ao Haru Ride, available in both print and digital editions.

Ao Haru Ride, Vol. 1 (“Unwritten” and Chapters 1 to 3) introduces Futaba Yoshioka, a middle school girl who cannot stand boys.  That is the case until she meets Kou Tanaka, and she is immediately smitten with him.  Kou moves away before Futuba can really express her feelings.  Now, she is in high school, and she sees a boy who looks like Kou.  But is he the same boy in which she fell in love?

Shojo readers will recognize the illustrative style of the Ao Haru Ride manga.  Creator Io Sakisaka also produced the manga, Strobe Edge, which VIZ Media also published in English as a series of graphic novels.

Ao Haru Ride Graphic Novel Volume 1 is a little different from Strobe Edge.  The main characters, Futuba and Kou, are introduced in a short story, entitled “Unwritten,” which, as a read, is as sweet and as comforting as a cup of warm cocoa.

The main story, which is set in high school and covers three chapters in this volume, is decidedly different.  It is a little edgy and is certainly tart, as Sakisaka deals with such themes and topics as friendship, yearning for the way things were, fake friends, and being true to oneself.  After really liking “Unwritten,” I found myself initially put off by the present day narrative.  It may take awhile for me to truly warm up to this, but I like that the characters are stubborn about being true even if its means being standoffish.  I am curious to read future volumes.

7.5 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint syndication rights and fees.

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Review: SHORTCAKE CAKE Volume 1

SHORTCAKE CAKE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: suu Morishita
TRANSLATION: Emi Louie-Nishikawa
LETTERING: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0061-5; paperback (August 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
176pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Short Cake Cake is a shojo manga created by Suu Morishita (or “suu Morishita”).  The manga began serialization in the Japanese manga magazine, Margaret, in 2015.  VIZ Media is publishing the manga in a series of English-language graphic novels, entitled Shortcake Cake.

Shortcake Cake, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces Ten Serizawa, a freshmen at Nekochiya High School.  In order to attend the high school, however, Ten has a two-hour commute through the mountains, both ways, every school day.  Ten's friend, Ageha Haruno, suggests that she move into the boarding house where Ageha stays.  If she does move in, Ten will have to contend with three high school boys who, to varying degrees, are attracted to her.

[This volume includes bonus manga and eight pages of cover and chapter-page illustrations.]

In the tradition of Honey So Sweet, the Shortcake Cake manga is a like a warm cup of cocoa.  It does manage to be a bit off-beat as far as shojo high school romances go; the boarding house element is the reason.

Shortcake Cake Graphic Novel Volume 1 introduces a nice cast of six boarding house residents, all of high school age, and also the adult “house mom.”  They are all good characters, and I like that there is a bit of tartness to Ten Serizawa.  I found that each character is different from the other, and while they are familiar high school shojo types, they are interesting, maybe even a little intriguing.  I enjoyed reading this first volume and look forward to the second volume.  I think that Shortcake Cake will reveal a bit more edge in upcoming volumes.

7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint syndication rights and fees.

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Review: KENKA BANCHO OTOME: Love's Battle Royale Volume 2

KENKA BANCHO OTOME: LOVE'S BATTLE ROYALE, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Chie Shimada
TRANSLATION:  JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9911-3; paperback (July 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Original concept by Spike Chunsoft; video game developed by Red Entertainment

A series of video games that debuted a decade ago for the Playstation Portable, Kenka Banchou follows the efforts of a male “bancho” (delinquent) to beat up other delinquents.  Manga creator, Chie Shimada, created a manga, entitled Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys, based on the game, but it focused on a female character as the lead.

VIZ Media is publishing that manga under the title, Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale, which focuses on Hinako Nakayama, an orphaned girl.  She is about to start her first day at the all-girls school, Kotobuki Girls' High School, when she accidentally bumps into a teen boy whose face resembles her face.  His name is Hikaru Onigashima, and he is her long-lost twin.  Hikaru demands that because Hinako has hurt him, she must disguise herself to look like him and take his place at his new school, Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents – who fight all the time!

Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale, Vol. 2 (Chapters 5 to 8) finds Hinako-as-Hikaru the boss of the first and second year classes.  However, she is in for a surprise when she meets Houou Onigashima, the real Hikaru's older brother, and that means she also has a big brother.

Meanwhile, Hinako is so happy to finally have friends.  She grows closer to Totomaru Minowa, Rintaro Kira, Takayuki Konparu, and Yuta Mirako.  Totomaru and Kira are secretly rivals for Hinako's affections, but it may all end when one of her friends is being forced to leave the school

The Kenka Bancho Otome manga has a familiar premise, as it reminds me of the recent shojo manga, So Cute it Hurts!!, from mangaka Go Ikeyamada.  Kenka Bancho Otome, however, will not run as long at the latter manga did.

Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale Graphic Novel Volume 2 is the final volume of this series.  It is a nice volume as it solidifies the relationship dynamics so that readers can recognize Hinako's immediate circle of friends.  I don't know if there will be more of this series, but this second volume makes me think that there is more story to tell.  In the meantime, I recommend this to fans of gender-switch manga.

B+
7 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: KENKA BANCHO OTOME Volume 1

KENKA BANCHO OTOMO: LOVE'S BATTLE ROYALE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Chie Shimada
TRANSLATION:  JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9910-6; paperback (April 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Original concept by Spike Chunsoft; video game developed by Red Entertainment

Kenka Banchou is a series of video games that debuted in Japan a decade ago for the Playstation Portable.  The games follow the efforts of a male “bancho” (delinquent) to beat up other delinquents.  Manga creator, Chie Shimada, created a manga, entitled Kenka Bancho Otome: Girl Beats Boys, based on the game, but it focused on a female character as the lead.  VIZ Media is publishing that manga as a two-volume graphic novel series, entitled Kenka Bancho Otome: Loves's Battle Royale, under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.

Kenka Bancho Otome: Loves's Battle Royale, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 4) introduces Hinako Nakayama, an orphaned girl who is about to start her first day at the all-girls school, Kotobuki Girls' High School.  However, she accidentally bumps into a teen boy whose face looks just like her's.  His name is Hikaru Onigashima, and he is her long-lost twin.  Hikaru demands that because Hinako has hurt him, she must disguise herself to look like him and attend the opening ceremony at his new school, Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents – who fight all the time!

One might think that a girl has no chance of surviving a school where delinquent boys fight each other to be the #1 boss of his year.  Hinako is full of surprises, and so are some of the boys she meets.

The Kenka Bancho Otome manga has a familiar premise.  After all, dear readers, I just recently guided you through the shojo manga, So Cute it Hurts!!, from mangaka Go Ikeyamada.  That manga followed a twin brother-sister pair that looked identical, or whose faces looked close enough that they could pose as each other.

Kenka Bancho Otome: Loves's Battle Royale Graphic Novel Volume 1 introduces a similar plot of look-a-like twins taking each others place at school, in which the girl must play the tough.  The difference is that in Kenka Bancho Otome, its star female lead is actually quite capable of defending herself against bad boys.  However, the character writing in Kenka Bancho Otome is not as strong as it is in So Cute It Hurts!!

The male supporting characters have potential, but none of them really steps forward as a breakout male antagonist.  Hinako's brother, Hikaru, barely registers as a character; it is almost as if he is merely a throwaway piece used to explain how a girl ends up in an all-boys school.  Still Kenka Bancho Otome is a fun read, and this first volume does end with a tease of a new adversary for Hinako.  That plus Chie Shimada's beautiful art make this worth another look.  Fans of switched-identity shojo manga will want the Shojo Beat title, Kenka Bancho Otome: Loves's Battle Royale.

B
6 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: THE YOUNG MASTER'S REVENGE Volume 1

THE YOUNG MASTER'S REVENGE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Meca Tanaka
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9897-0; paperback (March 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Young Master's Revenge (Kimi no Koto nado Zettai ni) is a manga (Japanese comics) from creator, Meca Tanaka.  The series is published in the Japanese manga magazine, LaLa.  VIZ Media is publishing the manga in English as the graphic novel series, The Young Master's Revenge.  VIZ Media has also launched The Young Master's Revenge digitally via viz.com and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and Google Play stores.

The Young Master's Revenge introduces Leo Tachibana.  Leo wants revenge for an incident that occurred ten years ago.  His target is a childhood friend, the rich girl Tenma Tsuwabuki.  When he is reunited with Tenma, however, Leo discovers that she and her family have fallen on hard times.

The Young Master's Revenge, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) opens as Leo returns to Japan.  His first stop is to visit the home of Tenma, the girl who destroyed his pride.  However, the family business, Tachibana Department Store, is now bankrupt, and Leo finds the Tachibana estate abandoned and in disrepair.  Inside the dilapidated home, Leo finds Tenma scrounging for family heirlooms and treasure that she can sell.  Leo decides if he is to get revenge, he will have to take this sad former “princess” under his care, and make her love him so that he can break her heart.  But will it be that easy?

[This volume includes the bonus manga, “If It's About Me, Keep It Brief” and “Meca Site.”]

Sweet and frothy, The Young Master's Revenge manga is a familiar tale of reunions and ulterior motives.  This series is also from manga writer-artist, Meca Tanaka, the creator of the sweet and delightful shojo manga, Meteor Prince (which VIZ Media published in English back in 2015 in a two-graphic novel series).

The Young Master's Revenge Graphic Novel Volume 1 reveals that Tanaka will bolster this manga's slight premise with supporting characters that are interesting, conniving, and aggressive.  Two of the best are Tenma's jilted fiancé, Gou Gamada, and the student council president, Masaomi Barazono, who is just like one of those rich boy villains out of a John Hughes' teen romantic comedy.

The Young Master's Revenge is not exactly “Shojo Beat” empty calories.  There is some substance inside and a tart cherry on top of the shojo ice cream sundae that is The Young Master's Revenge.  I like it, and I'm giving the first volume a high grade.

8 out of 10

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


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: VAMPIRE KNIGHT Memories Volume 1

VAMPIRE KNIGHT: MEMORIES VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Matsuri Hino
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Nancy Thislethwaite
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9430-9; paperback (August 2017); Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Vampire Knight was a vampire romance and shojo manga from creator Matsuri Hino.  It was published in the magazine, LaLa, from 2004 to 2013.  It was eventually collected in 19 tankōbon (similar to a graphic novel) and was also published in the United States (by VIZ Media).

Vampire Knight: Memories is a collection of four short stories that continues the world of Vampire Knight.  Written and drawn by Matsuri Hino, these stories delve into the past of some characters, and also explores the relationships between new characters and old.

The series was set in and around Cross Academy, a private boarding school with two classes:  the Day Class and the Night Class.  At twilight, the Day Class students returned to their dorm and crossed paths with the Night Class.  They did not know that the Night Class students were actually vampires.

The series lead was Yuki Cross, the adopted daughter of school headmaster, Kaien Cross, but she later learned that she was also a pure-blood vampire.  Her first love interest was Zero Kiryu, a human suffering from the curse of the vampire.  Together, Yuki and Zero were the Guardians of the school, patrolling the hallways and school grounds to protect the Day Class humans from the Night Class vampires.  Yuki eventually fell in love with Kaname Kuran, her fiancé who was raised as Yuki's sibling.  At the end of Vampire Knight, Kaname sacrificed his body to create new vampire-killing weapons for the Hunter Society.

As Vampire Knight: Memories, Vol. 1 opens, a peace has been established between the Hunters and the few remaining vampires.  Kaname continues to sleep in an ice coffin, and Yuki has given her heart so that he can be revived as a human.  Yuki and Zero begin a new relationship.  Yuki's birth daughter, Ai, and her adopted son, Ren, seek to learn more about Kaname.  Memories contain four stories that tell about life during the 1,000 years of Kaname's slumber in an ice coffin.

I was not crazy about the end of the Vampire Knight manga, especially the “death” of Kaname.  In general, however, I really liked the series, and I enjoyed the prettiness of creator Matsuri Hino's art.

Vampire Knight: Memories Volume 1 contains four manga short stories:  “Life,” “I Love You,” “Love's Desire,” and “Between Death and Heaven.”  The most poignant segment of this volume is the “Seiren's Side Story” part of “Between Death and Heaven,” which reiterates that while the vampire leads of this series are adorable, most other vampire characters are monsters.

If I understand correctly, there will be more of these “Memories” stories, which I hope is the case.  A lot happens in a thousand years, and there are a number of shocking deaths and demises in the stories of Memories Vol. 1 that need some narrative expanding.  These four stories are, for the most part, a really good addition to Vampire Knight, and I think fans will want to read them and want to read more.

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: EVERYONE'S GETTING MARRIED Volume 1

EVERYONE’S GETTING MARRIED, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

MANGAKA: Izumi Miyazono
TRANSLATION: Katherine Schilling
LETTERS: Inori Fukuda Trant
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-8715-8; paperback (June 2016); Rated “M” for “Mature”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Everyone's Getting Married is a manga from creator Izumi Miyazono.  Published under VIZ Media's “Shojo Beat” imprint, Everyone's Getting Married is a josei manga (comics for adult women).

Everyone's Getting Married, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) introduces 24-year-old Asuka Takanashi.  She is a successful career woman with an old-fashioned dream.  Asuka wants to get married and become a housewife.  She thinks that she is getting close to that dream, as she has been dating her boyfriend, 30-year-old Kouichi, for five years.  However, Kouichi abruptly breaks up with Asuka to pursue his own career goals.

At a get-together with some friends, Asuka encounters 28-year-old Ryu Nanami, a popular newscaster for the PTV network.  She finds herself attracted to the rumored womanizer, but Ryu says that he'd rather die than get married.

[This volume includes the bonus story, “The Melancholy of Nanaryu.”]

The Everyone's Getting Married manga is one of those manga that pits a man and woman at odds and/or with different personalities against one another.  In real life, such romances are destined to failure, sooner or later, even if they become a couple and get married (Cynical!).

Everyone's Getting Married Volume 1 offers a star-crossed pair that are destined to come together.  The narrative simply offers creator Izumi Miyazono a chance to show how skilled she is at bringing them together while maximizing the tension in order to keep the readers interested.  I am certainly interested in following the long and narrow rocky road to Asuka and Ryo's eventually union.

The clean storytelling matches the clean illustrations and the result is breezy graphical storytelling.  In some places, clean and crystal clear means dull, but overall, the Azuka and Ryo's situation is just too tantalizing to ignore.  I must qualify this review by saying that I am a sucker for shojo manga, especially when the shojo is sho'nuff on the josei side.

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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Idol Dreams: Chikage v Yuko - Dawn of a Recording Contract

I read Idol Dreams Volume 2 and posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Komomo Confiserie: My Boyfriend's Girlfriend

I posted a review of Komomo Confiserie Volume 3 at the ComicBookBin.

Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.