Viz Media announced during the company’s Anime Central panel that it has acquired the rights to the Accel World mini shorts, and will be dubbing the shorts with the same cast that was used for the television series.
The company also announced that it has become the master licensee for the K television anime series. The rights include domestic home video, television rights, online rights and distribution, and merchandising.
Article first published as Manga Review: Fullmetal Alchemist Volume Six by Hiromu Arakawa on Blogcritics.
Fullmetal Alchemist Volume Six is a manga by Hiromu Arakawa, and it was published in North America by Viz Media in 2006. Fullmetal Alchemist is rated “T” for teens; from what I’ve read of the manga and from seeing both of the anime series, I would agree with this rating.
Edward and Alphonse Elric are brothers who have learned how to perform alchemy. After trying to perform a forbidden alchemy technique to bring their mother back to life, Alphonse lost his body and Ed lost one of his legs. Ed loses one of his arms in order to attach Alphonse’s soul to a suit of armor. Ed has “auto-mail” prosthetics designed by his friend Winry Rockbell and her grandmother, Pinako.
Edward has become the youngest State Alchemist in history and has been given the name “Fullmetal Alchemist.” The series follows Ed and Al as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone, a legendary artifact that they believe will allow them to recover their bodies.
The end of Volume Five stopped in the middle of a flashback showing Ed and Al when they were younger, when they first went to train under Izumi Curtis. In fact, the majority of this volume provides a lot of background information on the brothers and how they came to perform the forbidden human transmutation. However, the flashback doesn’t end there. It goes on to show what happened to the brothers directly after the incident, and shows how Ed and Al got to be where they were when we first met them in Volume One.
On the surface, it seems like a manga volume that has a strong focus on character backstory could be a little on the boring side. However, Volume Six of Fullmetal Alchemist is anything but boring. The drama and humor the reader has come to expect from this series is just as prevalent in the flashback as it is in the regular story.
Volume Six is also important for providing some more background on Ed and Al’s teacher, Izumi, and why she acts the way that she does. This volume also begins to provide some more insight to the reader in regards to the characters of Ford Mustang and Riza Hawkeye.
Even though I’m already familiar with the story due to seeing the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood anime series, I still found myself riveted to what I was reading on each and every page in this volume. I attribute this to Arakawa’s abilities as a storyteller; she is able to tell such a compelling story that the reader wants to read or see it multiple times.
If you’ve read and enjoyed the previous five volumes of Fullmetal Alchemist, then I believe you’ll enjoy reading Volume Six of the series.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of Fullmetal Alchemist Volume Six that I checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: Naruto Volume Seven by Masashi Kishimoto on Blogcritics.
Naruto Volume Seven is a manga by Masashi Kishimoto, and it was released in North America by Viz Media’s Shonen Jump imprint in 2005. The series is rated “T” for teens; from what I’ve read of the manga and from what I’ve seen of the anime series, I would agree with this rating.
Naruto Uzumaki is the main character of the series, and he is the number one hyperactive knuckleheaded ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. His dream is to become of the leader of the village one day, and he wants everyone to acknowledge him. Naruto has spent his entire life up to this point being shunned by the adults in the village due to the fact that he has a fox demon sealed inside of him.
Naruto is a member of Team 7, along with Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. They are competing in the Chunin Exam; at the end of the exam, the ninja who are deemed worthy enough are promoted from the Genin rank to the Chunin rank.
Volume Seven continues the second test of the Chunin Exam, which is survival test that requires the teams to acquire two scrolls and reach the tower before the end of the exam. The teams that can’t accomplish this task within the allotted time are eliminated from the Chunin Exam.
The early portion of the volume focuses on Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino trying to help Team 7 out of a predicament they’re in with a team from the ninja of the Sound Village. There’s also quite a bit of focus on Sasuke and Curse Mark he had received from Orochimaru in Volume Six. Team 7 also receives unexpected help from a ninja named Kabuto; however, is Kabuto’s help sincere, or does he have an ulterior motive?
It’s been an interesting experience for me to read the manga after seeing the corresponding anime episodes first. By reading the manga after seeing the anime, I was able to pick up on at least two instances of foreshadowing that appeared in Volume Seven. I couldn’t help but smile when I picked up on this foreshadowing, because I knew exactly what was being referenced.
This volume also lets us see a little more of the Sand Siblings (Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari) and their interactions with each other. While we saw a little bit of this interaction back when the Sand Siblings first arrived in the Leaf Village for the Chunin Exam, there’s a scene in Volume Seven that expands on the interactions and helps the reader to understand the character of Gaara a little bit better.
In the opening author’s note, Kishimoto mentions that this is the first Naruto volume to be created entirely digitally. I can definitely see a difference in the style of the art in this volume in comparison to the previous six volumes. Overall, the characters have a “smoother” look to them, and are starting to look a lot closer to their anime counterparts.
Even though I may already know what’s going to happen from seeing the anime series first, I’m still riveted by what I read in the manga; in fact, I have a hard time putting it down. If you’re read the previous six volumes of Naruto and enjoyed them, then you should also enjoy what you read in Volume Seven.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of Naruto Volume Seven that I checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: One Piece Volume 11 by Eiichiro Oda on Blogcritics.
One Piece Volume 11 is a manga by Eiichiro Oda, and it was published in North America by Viz Media’s Shonen Jump imprint in 2006. The series is rated “T” for teens; from the 11 volumes that I’ve read of the One Piece manga series, I would agree with this rating.
Monkey D. Luffy is the main character of One Piece, and he dreams of finding the fabled One Piece treasure on the Grand Line. Not only that, but Luffy also wants to become the king of the pirates. Unfortunately during his youth, Luffy ate some devil fruit, which turned his body into rubber and has made it so he is unable to swim. Even with that disadvantage, Luffy still pursues his dream. At this point in the series, Luffy has acquired some crew members: Zolo, Usopp, Nami, and Sanji.
Volume 11 picks right where Volume 10 ended during the battle at Arlong Park. In fact, about half of this volume focuses on the battle at Arlong Park and the aftermath of the battle. The actual battle is really intense, with quite a few panels focusing on action and sound effects and not much on dialogue.
There are a couple of panels in this section that really stood out to me. One is on the top of page 56; this is a close-up on Nami watching the fighting, with her hand up to her mouth and tears coming out of her eye. The other is on the top of page 58, which is a close-up on Luffy looking extremely angry. I thought that Oda did an incredible job of capturing the emotions of these characters in these particular panels.
Another story arc begins in Volume 11, which sees Luffy being branded as a dangerous pirate and having a 30 million berry bounty being placed on his head. For this story arc, Luffy and his crew visit Roguetown, which is where Gold Roger was executed.
While in Roguetown, Zolo meets a swordswoman who bears a striking resemblance to his deceased friend, Kuina. Luffy and the gang also have an encounter with two previous antagonists, and the volume ends in with them in the process of trying to flee from these adversaries, as well as from the group that the woman Zolo met is affiliated with. A couple of other characters that the reader has already met also make a brief appearance in this story arc as well.
The title pages for the chapters in this volume continue the story of Koby and Helmeppo serving in the navy. While this is an OK mini-story, I haven’t enjoyed it quite as much as I did the Buggy the Clown mini-story that had appeared on the title pages in earlier volumes of One Piece.
In this volume, Oda didn’t do any question and answer pages like he had in several of the previous volumes of One Piece. Instead, he includes a cut-away view of the Merry Go, as well as sketches of the various areas of the ship. Personally, I enjoyed these a lot more than I did the question and answer sections. The background information that’s provided for the ship in this volume helps to give me a better feel and understanding for how the Merry Go is designed.
I have to say that I enjoyed reading Volume 11. I was very satisfied with how the Arlong Park story arc resolved, and the Roguetown arc has definitely piqued my interest. I really hope that the Roguetown arc will continue to be an enjoyable read in Volume 12.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of One Piece Volume 11 that my son checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: A Devil and Her Love Song Volume Six by Miyoshi Tomori on Blogcritics.
A Devil and Her Love Song Volume Six is a manga by Miyoshi Tomori, and it was published in North America by Viz Media’s Shojo Beat imprint in 2012. The series is rated “T” for teens; from what I’ve read of the series so far, I would agree with this rating.
At the beginning of the series, Maria Kawaii transferred into Totsuka High School after being expelled from St. Katria for beating up a teacher. During the first four volumes of the series, Maria was misunderstood and bullied by many of her classmates; however, she did manage to make friends with three of her peers: Yusuke Kanda, Shin Meguro, and Tomoyo Kousaka.
In Volume Five, Maria realizes that she’s fallen in love with Shin. Unfortunately, the situation becomes complicated with Maria’s old friend from St. Katria, Anna Mouri, enters the story. Anna meets Shin at the music school they both attend, and Anna develops feelings for Shin.
There’s a lot of emotional tension that takes place over the course of Volume Six. There’s also a big revelation about Maria that Anna shares with Shin, but as a reader, I’m left wondering if what she shared is really true or something she’s trying to use to keep Maria and Shin from getting together. It will be interesting to see how Tomori moves forward with this particular plot point.
As a reader, I felt really bad for Shin. We know that he’s in love with Maria, but it’s obvious that’s he being torn in several different directions due to Anna’s actions. I’m really rooting for Shin and Maria to be able to work through this setback and find a way to become a couple. While Anna may not make me quite as angry as the girls who were bullying Maria in the first four volumes of A Devil and Her Love Song, I still find myself frustrated with Anna and her meddling.
Overall, I found Volume Six of A Devil and Her Love Song to be as riveting of a read as the previous five volumes. I was so interested in what was happening in the story that I found myself not wanting to put this manga volume down.
Just like in the previous volumes of the series, Tomori included several effective close-up panels of the characters during very pivotal and emotional scenes. Tomori definitely seems to have a talent and knack for knowing how to use these close-ups and when to use these close-ups. These close-up panels also utilize some of Tomori’s best use of detail.
If you’re a fan of the A Devil and Her Love Song manga series, then I think you will be satisfied with how Volume Six continues the story.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of A Devil and Her Love Song Volume Six that I checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: Pokemon Adventures Volume 15 by Hidenori Kusaka on Blogcritics.
Pokemon Adventures Volume 15 is a manga written by Hidenori Kusaka and illustrated by Satoshi Yamamoto. This manga volume was published in North America by Viz Media’s VizKids imprint in 2013. Pokemon Adventures is rated “A,” which means that it is for all ages; personally, I would agree with this rating.
This portion of Pokemon Adventures is set in the Hoenn region and features two new characters: Ruby and Sapphire. Ruby is the son of Norman, the new Gym Leader at the Petalburg City gym. Ruby has a dream of being a Pokemon Coordinator and winning all of the Pokemon Contests in the region; however, his father is against the idea, and wants Ruby to be part of the world of Pokemon battles and training.
Ruby runs away from home, and runs into Professor Birch and his daughter, Sapphire. Sapphire helps her father out with his Pokemon research, but she’s a wild country girl who acts like she’s lived in the jungle or the forest. Unlike Ruby, she is all about Pokemon battles and wants to battle all of the Gym Leaders. Sapphire makes a challenge to Ruby: prove which one can achieve their dream in 80 days first. After some reluctance, Ruby agrees to the challenge.
If you’ve seen the Pokemon anime before reading this volume of Pokemon Adventures, then you might have a hard time reconciling the fact that Sapphire is basically May from the anime series, except for the fact that she’s Professor’s Birch’s daughter here instead of being Norman’s daughter and that the personalities of the two characters are nothing alike. Because I was so familiar with May from the anime series, I found Sapphire to be a little jarring as I read this volume. Hopefully this will subside as I read future volumes of this story arc and become more accustomed to Sapphire.
When it comes to Ruby, I found him to be a little on the annoying side. I thought he came across a little on the “prissy” side, because he doesn’t have his Pokemon help out when it’s needed in order to keep them from getting dirty. However, Ruby does redeem himself a little bit by the end of Volume 15, when he tries to help a boy who wants to be a Pokemon trainer try to catch his first Pokemon.
When it comes to the art style for this arc of Pokemon Adventures, it’s basically what I’ve come to expect from the series since Satoshi Yamamoto stepped in to provide the illustrations. However, I don’t quite see the same level of detail that Yamamoto gave to the artwork in the Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl Platinum series. Some of the artwork in this volume is a little on the rough side, but I’m hoping that it might improve as this story arc continues.
As of right now, I don’t feel like I’m entirely sold on this arc for the Pokemon Adventures series. However, I thought the same thing when I first started in Pokemon Adventures Diamond and Pearl Platinum, but my opinion improved on that series as the story progressed. Hopefully as this arc of Pokemon Adventures continues in future volumes, I might end up being sold on this story as well.
Die-hard fans of Pokemon will probably enjoy this story that takes place in the Hoenn region right off the bat. However, if you’re more of a fan of the anime than you are of the videogames, then you might end up being like me and having a hard time separating the characters of Sapphire and May. However, if you’ve followed the previous 14 volumes of Pokemon Adventures and liked what you read, then you might enjoy Volume 15 as well.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of Pokemon Adventures Volume 15 that I checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: Skip Beat! Volume Two by Yoshiki Nakamura on Blogcritics.
Skip Beat! Volume Two is a manga by Yoshiki Nakamura, and it was published in North America by Viz Media’s Shojo Beat imprint in 2006. The series is rated “T” for teens; after reading this volume, I would agree with this rating.
A teenage girl named Kyoko Mogami is the main character of Skip Beat! At the beginning of the series, she was living in an expensive apartment in Tokyo with childhood friend, Sho Fuwa, in order to support him as he becomes an idol; she agrees to do this because she is in love with him. Kyoko isn’t going to school, and is working two jobs to make ends meet. In Volume One, Kyoko learns that Sho doesn’t have romantic feelings for her, and that he only brought her along to Tokyo so she could take care of him. Kyoko vows to get her revenge by becoming an idol herself.
She moves out of the apartment and moves in with a couple who are the bosses at one of her jobs. Kyoko also changes her look, and she goes on a quest to try to get her break at a talent agency. She also has run-ins with Ren Tsuruga, Sho’s rival in the idol business.
At the beginning of Volume Two, Kyoko is dealing with the fact that she didn’t make the initial cut at the talent agency. However, her disappointment is short-lived when she decides to go back to the talent agency to try and find another way to get a break. The president of the talent agency believes in her, but think she’s missing something; however, he launches a new program for potential talent called the “Love Me Section.” Kyoko is the first person for the program, and she is expected to do work requested of her at the agency, and she is rated by each person she does work for.
After I read the first volume of Skip Beat!, I really wasn’t in any rush to read future volumes of the series. However, since my 15-year-old daughter checked it out from the library and it was around the house, I decided to read this volume to see if perhaps there was any improvement between the two volumes of the series.
Unfortunately, I still have to use some “willing suspension of disbelief” for this story. While the idea of the “Love Me Section” is a little far-fetched, I think that Nakamura’s execution of the concept is somewhat believable. Kyoko’s definitely not having an easy time of it, and there are those she does work for who want her to fail and give her a hard time in the hopes that she’ll give up and quit.
While I’m not much of a fan of Skip Beat!, I think that the teenage girls that this series is aimed at will probably get some enjoyment out of reading this manga. If you’ve read Volume One and enjoyed it, I think you’ll also enjoy reading Volume Two.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of Skip Beat! Volume Two that my older daughter checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: Beauty Pop Volume Three by Kiyoko Arai on Blogcritics.
Beauty Pop Volume Three is a manga by Kiyoko Arai, and it was published in North America by Viz Media’s Shojo Beat imprint in 2007. The series is rated “T” for teens, and after reading this volume, I would agree with this rating.
High school freshman Kiri Koshiba has a talent for being a beautician and giving makeovers, thanks to having parents who work in hairstyling and makeup. However, Kiri tries to hide the fact that she can give makeovers. Three popular boys at school (Shogo Narumi, Kei Minami, and Kazuhiko Ochiai) are part of a group known as the “Scissors Project,” and they randomly give makeovers to the girls at school who they feel have potential.
Due to various incidents that took place in Volume One, Kiri begins giving makeovers as “X”. By the end of the Volume Two, the “Scissors Project” figured out the true identity of “X,” but only they and Kiri’s friends know the truth. Her lift is also complicated by the arrival of Iori Minomoto, a boy whose family has worked with Kiri’s family and has a crush on Kiri’s mother. Of all the characters in the series that I’ve met up to this point, I find Iori to be the most annoying of the bunch.
In this volume, Shogo receives a challenge from Tsuyoshi Niida, a boy who is always coming in second place to Shogo at the Salon De Narumi Beauty College. Tsuyoshi insists on having it be a five versus five competition to be held at the beauty college. Since the “Scissors Project” only has three members, Ochiai insists on trying to get Kiri and Iori to help out. Kiri isn’t interested, and Shogo wants nothing to do with Kiri. However, Ochiai plots schemes to get them onto the team in time for the competition. While the competition begins in this volume, it is not concluded. If you really want to know how the competition turns out, you have to continue on to Volume Four.
Personally, I was rather unimpressed by the story in this volume. Tsuyoshi is an annoying character; while he’s not as annoying as Iori, he comes in a close second. The whole five versus five competition was just as silly, if not more silly, than competitions that appeared in earlier volumes of the series.
There are also three bonus stories included in Volume Three. The first one is the longest, and has a friend of Kiri’s having a chance encounter with the “Scissors Project” while she’s at work, and falling instantly in love with Shogo. The other two bonus stories also are tied into Beauty Pop, but they are comedic in nature. Personally, I didn’t care for most of the bonus stories.
I admit that I’m still not entirely sold on Beauty Pop. In fact, the only reason I picked up this volume is due to the fact that my 15-year-old daughter had checked it out from the library and it was around the house. While I may not personally care much for this series, I think it will have the potential to appeal to the teenage girls that make up the target audience for this series.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of Beauty Pop Volume Three that my older daughter checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: Case Closed Volume 10 by Gosho Aoyama on Blogcritics.
Case Closed Volume 10 is a manga by Gosho Aoyama, and it was published in North America by Viz Media in 2006. The series is rated “T+” for older teens; personally, I would agree with this rating.
High school student Jimmy Kudo is a teen detective who was shrunk down to his first grade self after being caught by a crime organization and forced to take an experimental poison. Unknown to the criminals, Jimmy survived; in order to hide this fact, Jimmy takes on the identity of Conan Edogawa, and claims to be the relative of family friend Dr. Agasa. As Conan, Jimmy lives with his friend Rachel Moore and her bumbling private investigator father, Richard; however, Rachel doesn’t know Conan’s true identity. As Conan, Jimmy has been able to covertly help Richard solve the cases that come his way.
The first mystery to appear in this the volume concludes the final mystery in Volume 9; this is the murder mystery that involved a debutante named Reika. I had already seen the anime adaptation of this story, so I already knew what the answer was and what to expect. Even though I already knew the outcome, I was still impressed by the execution of the mystery.
The second story introduces Harley Hartwell, a teen detective who is the son of the chief of the Osaka Police Department. He comes to the Moore Detective Agency to look for Jimmy Kudo. At the same time, the wife of a diplomat comes to the agency to ask Richard to investigate her son’s girlfriend. Richard takes the case, and Conan, Rachel, and Harley tag along. When they arrive at the diplomat’s home, they discover that the diplomat is dead and murder is quickly suspected.
This is another story that I had already seen in the anime, but this is a story I was glad to be able to read in its original manga presentation. There’s something very important and interesting that happens with Conan, and I also like the addition of Harley to the cast. Since I’ve seen all five seasons of Case Closed that were released in North America, I know that Harley will make more appearances and become an important part of the series; I also know that he will be adding some extra and interesting layers to the overall series.
The final mystery involves Conan and the three members of the Junior Detective League. While they’re at the library, Detective Meguire appears to question the head librarian about the mysterious disappearance of one of his employees. Conan and the Junior Detective League suspect foul play, so they sneak into the library that night to try to figure out what happened. They end up finding more than they expected. Unfortunately, this storyline doesn’t end in this volume, and continues into Volume 11.
This was another story that I was already familiar with from watching the anime series. The thing I liked about this particular mystery is the fact that there’s a lot more to this story than just a simple missing person case.
Even though I was already familiar with all three of these mysteries from the Case Closed anime series, I liked being able to see how they were presented in the original manga source material. Aoyama continues to provide mysteries that readers want to try to solve before getting to the answer in the manga.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of Case Closed Volume 10 that I checked out through the King County Library System.
Article first published as Manga Review: The Prince of Tennis Volume One by Takeshi Konomi on Blogcritics.
The Prince of Tennis Volume One is a manga by Takeshi Konomi, and it was released in North America by Viz Media’s Shonen Jump imprint in 2004. The series is rated “A” for all ages; after reading this volume, I would say that I agree with this rating.
The main character of The Prince of Tennis is Ryoma Echizen, a 12-year-old tennis prodigy. He is the son of Nanjiro Eichen, a former professional tennis player. At the beginning of the volume, Ryoma enters a tennis competition in the 16 and under group rather than the 12 and under group. He has to prove himself against the older boys who are at the competition.
After this, the story moves ahead a few weeks later, where Seishun Gakuen Junior High is holds its school entrance ceremony. Ryoma is one of the new students entering the school, and he goes out to be part of the school’s tennis team. Traditionally, seventh graders like Ryoma only chase after balls and aren’t officially members of the team. However, after Ryoma gets into a competition with one of the other classmen, some of the older members of the team feel threatened by him. The ranking matches for the team start in the final chapter of the volume, but are not concluded.
My first real exposure to The Prince of Tennis came through watching the first episode of the anime series on YouTube; if I recall correctly, the episode I saw had the English dub audio. I just remember not being terribly impressed by what I saw, thinking that Ryoma came across as a rather cocky character and wondering why the audience was supposed to be rooting for him.
Reading the manga, however, I could tell that Ryoma didn’t come across nearly as cocky as when I saw the first episode of the anime. While he may be confident in the manga, he’s not overly cocky or conceited. This did help improve my initial perception of Ryoma as a character.
However, I have to say that while I found The Prince of Tennis to be a fast read because of the action going in in the tennis matches, I also found it to be a little on the boring side. This could be due to the fact that I’m not much of a tennis fan. While some of the character interactions are interesting, it just wasn’t quite enough to make up for the strong focus this series has on the game of tennis.
The Prince of Tennis isn’t necessarily a bad manga, but I think it would be best enjoyed by readers who also enjoy tennis or are able to enjoy reading manga series that focus on sports.
I wrote this review after reading a copy of The Prince of Tennis Volume One that I checked out through the King County Library System.
