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.

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

Review: METEOR PRINCE Volume 2

METEOR PRINCE, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Meca Tanaka
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7909-2; paperback (April 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Meteor Prince is a shojo fantasy romance from mangaka, Meca Tanaka (creator of Pearl Pink).  Originally published in the Japanese manga magazine, LaLa, the series focuses on an unlucky teen girl and the handsome alien prince who is totally in love with her.  VIZ Media published Meteor Prince in North America as a two-graphic novel series, with the second volume just recently being released.

Hako Natsune, the “Queen of Bad Luck,” has yet another experience of bad luck.  The President of the school's Occult Research Club draws a spell circle, hoping a ritual will help rid Hako of her bad luck.  Instead, the spell summons a naked teen boy, who seems to fall from Heaven.  He is Io, an alien prince from the planet, Yupita, and he declares that Hako is destined to be his mate!  Does this mean that Hako's luck has changed?

As Meteor Prince, Vol. 2 (Chapters 6 to 10 to Final Chapter) opens, Io is determined to be a normal boyfriend, but Hako's bad luck is falling on him.  Suddenly, a naked teen girl appears, as if dropped from heaven.  Her name is Tania, and she is from the planet, Ciel.  Tania declares that she is the one destined to be Io's mate, and she won't let Hako stand in her way.

After reading the first volume, I thought that the Meteor Prince manga seemed like a natural comic for me.  As I wrote in my review of that volume, I have loved comedies featuring aliens who come to Earth (and also comedies featuring humans whisked into space).  I was a fan of “My Favorite Martian” (1973-1975), a short-lived, Saturday morning animated series that was a follow-up of the live-action, “My Favorite Martian” (1963-1966).

Still, I was not too crazy about the first volume, but I really like Meteor Prince Volume 2, which turns out to be the final volume of the series.  That's a shame.  The story got stronger the more alien characters creator Meca Tanaka added and the more she showed readers of the wider universe.  Ultimately, Meteor Prince, as a short shojo manga, won't be memorable to many readers (relatively speaking, of course), but judging by the second and final volume, it could have been.

B+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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

Review: METEOR PRINCE Volume 1

METEOR PRINCE, VOL. 1
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

CARTOONIST: Meca Tanaka
TRANSLATION: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
LETTERS: Deron Bennett
EDITOR: Nancy Thislethwaite
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7908-5; paperback (January 2015); Rated “T” for “Teen”
200pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK

Meteor Prince is a shojo fantasy romance from mangaka, Meca Tanaka (creator of Pearl Pink).  The series focuses on an unlucky teen girl and the handsome alien prince who is totally in love with her.  Meteor Prince originally appeared in Japan's LaLa magazine.

Meteor Prince, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 5) opens at Izayoi High School.  There, Hako Natsune, the “Queen of Bad Luck,” has just had another experience of bad luck.  The president of the school's Occult Research Club has drawn a spell circle, and is hoping to use it to rid Hako of her bad luck.

Instead, a naked teen boy seems to fall from Heaven.  He is Io, an alien prince, and he declares that Hako is destined to be his mate!  Does this mean that Hako's luck has changed?

 The Meteor Prince manga seems like a natural comic for me.  Since I was a child, I have loved comedies featuring aliens who come to Earth (and also of comedies about humans whisked into space).  I was a fan of “My Favorite Martian,” a short-lived, Saturday morning animated series that was a follow-up of the live-action, “My Favorite Martian,” a classic, black and white series from the “Golden Age” of American television.

So I should really love Meteor Prince Volume 1, but I am not that crazy about it.  It isn't bad.  It is simply one of those shojo fantasy romances that feature pretty art and are built around the familiar loves-me/loves-me-not relationship between a human girl and a boy who is not human.  While I like shojo manga (to an extent that still surprises me), I find myself only mildly interested in Meteor Prince.  Late in this volume, a new character appears that brings some added conflict and dilemma into the series.  So I am curious to see if the second volume is more of the same or if it will offer some surprise and perhaps, some more tension.

B-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


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