Seimaden: Vol. 1

by Higuri You

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Two men battle for the soul of the woman they have lost. Can one man sacrifice everything for love? Centuries ago, Laures agreed to become a demon to rescue his one true love from evil -- only to find that the only way to save her was through death. Laures has waited centuries for her spirit to be reborn to reclaim their love. But now that she is reincarnated, can she possibly accept the love of a creature of the underworld?

Review
The synopsis doesn't really match what happens in the story, but I wonder if they have extra information or something. That's what made me interested in reading it, but in reality, it's more like the story of a girl who has lost her memory, yet has two men, possibly ex-lovers fighting to get her back. One is the prince of darkness, Laures, and the other, the last of the Azelle (presumably people with the power of light), Roddrick.

This volume doesn't explain much at all, and all we really learn is who the major players are. I really have no idea who to like or root for, because I don't know enough about any of them. The woman, Hilda, is a little different than typical heroines, it seems that she can stand up for herself some of the time, at least. There's nothing particularly likable about her, though, so I wonder what the men see in her. Oh yeah, she's pretty and she's a dancer. Maybe that's it.

This seems like a really serious manga to me. So why, during some moments do we still have to have the whole SD thing again? An example: in one part, Laures steals a kiss from Hilda, so she punches him. It shows her holding her fist, and she's drawn SD. Is hitting people funnier if you're short and cute? Would it be too much if they looked normal? I don't get it, and I think it's weird, particularly because the author doesn't do SD much.

So, if I want to know more about what's going on, I guess I have to read more.

Final thought: I'll pick up the next book.

Fairy Cube: Vol. 1

(aka, Yousei Hyouhon, Fairy Specimen)
by Kaori Yuki

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Ian and Rin used to just see spirits. Now Ian is one. Using the Fairy Cube, Ian must figure out how to stop the lizard-spirit Tokage from taking over his life and destroying any chance he has of resurrection.

Rebirth
Ian is transported to another world by the fairy Ainsel, who promises to help him stop Tokage upon their return to the human plane.


Review
That's a rather useless synopsis. What is should read is: Ian can see the fairy world, but no one believes him, even to the point that they call him "Ian the liar." Rin is the only person who would believe him, and because of her belief, he can help her and others see the things he can. Ian also has an "other" attached to him, Tokage, who has green hair and red eyes. Tokage is jealous of what Ian has, and plots to take it away from him.

Anyway, the point is, he succeeds, and now Ian has to get his body back before Tokage destroys the world. This story is really interesting, and I'm really curious to see where it goes. There's nothing that really irritates me about it, which is nice for a change. Ainsel has her irritating moments though. She's a little too bitchy for my taste. It's pretty cliche, actually, and I tire of the bitchy woman cliche.

What's not explained is Tokage's motivations for everything. I can understand that he was jealous and wanted a life of his own, where he could interact with the world, but it seems that he wants to go farther than that. It better not be that he's evil for evil's sake. I will hate it for that.

One little remark about the layouts. I found myself getting really lost in the beginning, about who was talking, and what it was in relation to. I think it's because the author isn't always that great about separating one scene from another, so in my mind, they bleed together. Once I got farther in the book, it wasn't nearly such a problem, and in re-reading it, the beginning was a lot clearer.

It seems like the story is really building towards something, and I really want to find out what's going to happen!

Final thought: I have to get the next book.

Canon: Vol. 1

by Chika Shiomi

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Canon is the only student who survived the bloody vampire attack that took the lives of her fellow classmates and turned her into one of the undead. Struggling against the terrible needs that compel her, she commits herself to use her powers for good and to do whatever she can to avenge the death of her friends and her own terrible fate. Joining forces with Fui -- a talking, vampire crow -- she begins her quest to find Rod, Lord of the Vampires.

Review
Another vampire story. They can be interesting, but it always depends on what the author decides to do with it. Canon is a servant, meaning one who has drunk vampire blood, yet, she doesn't act like one. She's proud that she has remained human, instead of becoming a mindless zombie with a thirst for blood. She's out for revenge, trying to find the vampire with silver hair and blue eyes, but also, she helps return servants to their human form. At first, I was worried that this might become a "monster of the week" type of story, but it doesn't at all.

Traveling with her is Fui, a very annoying crow, who is mostly used for comic-relief and general sidekickery. I have to say, I hated the crow from the very beginning. His continuous insults, inane comments, and arrogant attitude just grates on me. He's not incredibly essential to the story, so I was able to skip many of his comments, though sometimes he does have something interesting to say. As his purpose seems to be comic relief, I will say that I did not find him funny in any way. So, fail.

The story finally turns interesting when Sakaki is introduced. He's another vampire, who also wants revenge on Rod for killing his family. He's very mysterious, though, and has his own motivations for everything, including why he wants to help Canon. She seemed to have a crush on him right away, so who knows where this will go.

All in all, it's not a bad story. I'm sure more will be developed later on.

Final thought: I'll pick up the next book.

To Terra: Vol. 1

(aka, Tera e)
by Keiko Takemiya

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
The future. Having driven Terra to the brink of environmental collapse, humanity decides to reform itself by ushering in the age of Superior Domination (S.D.), a system of social control in which children are no longer the offspring of parents, but the progeny of a universal computer. The new social order, however, results in an unexpected by-product: the Mu, a mutant race with extrasensory powers who are forced into exile by the system.

The saga begins on educational planet Ataraxia, where Jomy Marcus Shin, a brash and unpredictable teenager, is nervously preparing to enter adult society. When his Maturity Check goes wrong, the Mu intervene in the great hope that Jomy, who possesses Mu telepathy and human physical strength can lead them back home, to Terra....

Review
This is an older manga, but you should never let that deter you. It's a dystopic, futuristic, sci-fi. It introduces us to a world in which adults aren't created in the traditional way, they are raised by surrogate parents, until they are fourteen, at which time they have a "Maturity Check" which decides if they are ready to leave home and become part of the system that will choose their future. People are separated into an unchangeable (except for down, perhaps) caste system, where the elites rule over all. It seems also that Terra is "the" place to go, as the children are indoctrinated to long for it, but only a few will ever actually go there.

Into this we are introduced to Jomy, a young boy with incredible latent telepathic powers. He is chosen as Soldier Blue's "heir," in other words, he will inherit Soldier's experience and memories, as well as his leadership over the Mu. He does, of course, and Jomy will lead them back to Terra. I don't know why though. Why would they care about Terra? It seems more likely that they would find somewhere else to live, even if it's not a "perfect" planet. But this is the premise, so I suppose we must accept it. What's not shown is Jomy's feelings about this. No one has consulted him to find out if he wants to lead the Mu, it's just assumed that he will. Also, once he's given his job, he just does it without complaint. There is no transitionary period, or anything remotely resembling character development, as he comes to grips with who he is, and what his duty is. None of this makes the story bad, but I think it's rather unfortunate. Such elements would help me identify with the character better.

Also introduced in the second part is Keith Anyan, and enigmatic elite who has made it through the maturity checks, and is studying on Station E-1077, a training facility. He will likely become an influential figure in later volumes (my bet is on the antagonist). Already it is clear that his is not like his fellow students, and perhaps, not even human? He is explained a lot better than Jomy is, actually, so I think his character and behavior makes sense for him.

Some questions entered my mind as I was reading this book. It's never explained why the Mu are the enemy. For the time this was written, it was probably revolutionary, but having seen many other speculative fiction stories, I cannot accept that people who are different are hated for absolutely no reason. I guess it's hinted that they're a threat to the system, but that still doesn't answer why they couldn't be incorporated into it. It's another one of those things that we just have to accept.

I usually don't comment on this, because it hasn't been a problem in other books lately, but I have noticed that out of three main characters, there are no women among them. It's likely a product of it's time, but it's still glaring, especially because the author is a woman. The closest is the "advisor," Physis, but she is not shown much, and doesn't seem to be influential. I'd hate this more if it was modern, but I still can't help but wonder why not make a female main character? Gender seems irrelevant in this series. What a shame.

For all that, the story is interesting, if you forgive the slight faults. There's clearly going to be a conflict, and we'll see if whether one will conquer the other, or if they can live in peace.

Final thought: I'll pick up the next book.

Real Love

(aka Ai Darou, Love I Guess)
by Mitsuki Oda

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Can happiness be found in the delicate balance between passion and love? Twins Shun and Shu have had no luck in love. However, a chance encounter reunites former lovers Shu and Naomichi after their breakup of three years ago. While the two had a budding relationship in the past, things fell apart and they went their separate ways. Now, fate brings them back together once again. Could it be that a relationship like the one they shared in the past is what they have been looking for all along? Can they both find the meaning of real love?


Review
More mature material, just FYI.

First off, this has two stories in it. The first, Real Love, is very weird. Shun and Shu are opposite gender fraternal twins, but still look alike. This is important to remember. Apparently Shu and Naomichi used to be a couple, but now they're not. They start to get back together in this story, but it had a lot of elements that turned me off. I guess the fact that the story was difficult to follow was a major flaw. I couldn't keep track of people or events. Naomichi isn't a very nice character, and I have no idea why Shu likes him, or keeps having sex with him. It's not even hot or erotic, since she doesn't seem to want to be there. Blah. Then her brother is extremely rude to her every time he sees her, but it's revealed that he has is own issues. I'm not sure what the point of this story is. I guess they get back together in the end. Yay. Why did I even read that? I sure couldn't follow it.

The next stories, Baby and Love Star, is about a runaway who makes her living as a busker. She gets discovered by an acquaintance, who really works for a record company. The story is about their ups and downs, and what it means to write a song with feeling, and so forth.

This story was better than the first, and easier to follow. It's not enough to recommend the book for, though. All in all, I'm pretty disappointed with this book. It's like sex for sex's sake isn't enough to keep me interested. There has to be more, but these stories don't want to offer it. Is this the best josei there is to offer? I'm having real doubts about this LuvLuv line.

Final thought: I'm sorry I bought the book.

Kaze Hikaru: Vol. 1

by Taeko Watanabe

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
In the year 1863, a time fraught with violent social upheaval, samurai of all walks of life flock to Kyoto in the hope of joining the Mibu-Roshi -- a band of warriors united around their undying loyalty to the Shogunate system. In time, the group would become one of the greatest (and most famous) movements in Japanese history ... the Shinsengumi!

Into this fierce milieu steps Kamiya Seizaburo, a young would-be warrior who, though lacking in combat experience, possesses a fiery enthusiasm to both aid the Mibu-Roshi in their mission and to avenge his wrongfully murdered family. One of Mibu-Roshi's most gifted (and immature) swordsmen, the legendary Okita Soji, agrees to take Seizaburo under his wing. What no one suspects, least of all Soji, is that Seizaburo is actually a girl named Tominaga Sei in disguise!

Review
I'd never heard of the Shinsengumi, so I went to Wikipedia to look it up. Although I understand it better, I'm not sure what that has to do with this series. I know most samurai dramas are usually serious, something which I've become accustomed to; however, this series is not serious at all. It has goofy, often sexual humor, directed at the main character, Kamiya. I don't really know what to make of this. It's not funny at all to me, in fact, I think it's rather boring and cliche. I don't mind this kind of humor, but it does not work here at all.

I suppose to someone in Japan, who'd grown up with knowledge of the Shinsengumi, this series would make a lot of sense, because they'd already know about the main characters and events that took place. To someone like me, who has no idea about anything, it's really hard to remember who everyone is supposed to be, especially when they all look very similar. The author doesn't help this situation, either, by throwing all the characters at you right away, so I admit, I've forgotten most of the characters already. This isn't to say that I hate historical fiction, I don't. I just don't think the author introduced things in the best way possible.

I'm sure the story for this series is very interesting, but I find that the weird humor, and hard-to-remember characters really puts me off. I find myself skipping over parts, wishing they'd get back to the story, or that something interesting would happen. As it is, it's just a comedy with a cross-dressing girl.

Final thought: I suppose if I can't find anything else to read, I'll continue....

Sand Chronicles: Vol. 1

(aka Sunadokei, Hourglass)
by Hinako Ashihara

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
After her parents get divorced, Ann Uekusa and her mother move from Tokyo to rural Shimane. Accustomed to the anonymity of city living, Ann can't get used to the almost overbearing kindness of the people in her mother's hometown. But when personal tragedy strikes, Ann discovers how much she needs that kindness.

Review
This is an interesting series that I look forward to reading more of. It starts with the main character, Ann, at age twelve, and seems like it moves through events in her life as she grows up. The ages presented in the volume are twelve and fourteen. As it's slice-of-life, nothing really exciting or spectacular happens, but it keeps your interest anyway.

As the synopsis says, she moves to a backwater town, where mostly elderly people live, because her mother isn't feeling well and can't work. She manages to make friends anyway, and this story is about her adventures with them. She pairs off with Daigo almost right away (even though they don't realize it), which I thought was too bad, because I like Fuji better. This is probably because he's shy, and I identify with shy people, who are often misunderstood. But I digress.

The theme of time and hourglasses, seem to permeate through everything in this book. The preciousness of time, how fleeting events are, and how precious people are really came through to me while reading. The future isn't certain, of course, and I can only guess at what's going to happen next.

Final thought: I have to get the next book!

The Missing White Dragon

by Park Young Ha

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Come and enter the world of Asian folk tales and Asian urban tales.... All with a romantic twist!

Review
This book has five short stories in it, some fantasy, some modern, some non-asian. I usually don't like short stories, but these were well-done and interesting. They tend to be funny and goofy, which can be annoying to me at times, but it was forgivable.

The first story, the title story, has to do with an arranged marriage between a human and a demon; the second story, Hannya, deals with a gifted doctor, who has nightmares, who has an unlikely savior who looks like her dead brother; the third story, Dispel Magic, is about two childhood friends, one of whom is practicing magic, but her friend turns her into a half-dog; the fourth, the Romance of the Crying Thunder Sword, has to do with a girl who steals the family sword, because it was going to be sold, and meets a mysterious man; and the fifth, A Magician's Proposal, is about a fairy and her magician master who seems to want to marry rich women.

Some stories are better than others. I particularly liked Romance of the Crying Thunder Sword because many of the unrelated events come to have meaning and significance at the end. I would have liked to see this turned into a longer story. All of the stories were interesting and enjoyable, and I'm glad I read this book. I think I'd like to read more of the author's work.

Final thought: Good enough to own.

Missing: Vol. 1

(aka Missing: Kamikakushi no Monogatari, Missing: Story of the Mysterious Disappearance)
Story by Gakuto Coda
Art by Rei Mutsuki

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
Kyoichi Utsume, aka "His Majesty, Lord of Darkness," is a dark and compelling mystery -- so much so that his fellow Literature Club members would rather discuss him than books! When "His Majesty" vanishes in front of their very eyes, his friends are left with several unanswered questions: what is the source of Kyoichi's long-standing obsession with the "other side?" And just who is Ayame -- the eerily ghostlike girl Kyoichi brought to school as his girlfriend the day before he disappeared?

Review
I really wanted to like this story. I wonder if the novel is better. Simply put it's: a weird goth kid disappears, and now his friends want to find him. Apparently it's supposed to be mysterious, and scary, and it's supposed to suck you in, but I didn't really care. The friends are more like talking heads, for the way they just talk about this and that, but don't really have any personalities of their own. I think the most interesting character is Kyoichi, but he's gone, and I suspect that we're not going to hear much from him in later volumes, but I could be wrong. I think his adventure could be the most interesting, to see what he sees in the "other side," but I'm sure it's going to be about the friends' adventure to find him.

There isn't much to say about this book; for all the pages, it really goes nowhere fast. I really wasn't interested enough to continue reading, but I forced myself for the sake of reviewing it, which admittedly, skewed my view of it. It's too bad, it could have had potential.

Final thought: I give up on this series.

The Other Side of the Mirror: Vol. 1

by Jo Chen

Synopsis(from the back of the book)
In the dismal backdrop of New York City, Southern-belle-turned-prostitute Sunny meets the college-educated Lou, who makes a living by out-drinking people at bars. What first starts as a night of drunken passion quickly spirals into unexpected love, as together they begin to search for meaning in a world that has all but deserted them....

From celebrated illustrator Jo Chen comes an emotional and moving story about seeking redemption and finding everlasting love.

Review
Now this is slice-of life-done well. The author is very good at developing her characters right away, so we care about them. Then we follow their ups and downs, trying to survive in a cold, harsh world. These characters didn't choose their pathetic lives, they were forced into them by circumstances around them.

I really like the characters, and I can't help but root for them as they try to do the best with what they're given. Sunny is the naive optimist, in complete contrast to the pessimistic Lou. But they fit together really well, as she shows him that life is still worth living.

The most enjoyable part of this book is how the characters grow together, and decide that they don't want to live such miserable lives anymore, so they make their own destiny together. There's something refreshing and hopeful about watching people's lives slowly begin to improve, and as the reader, it actually made me feel happier. The book ends on a bittersweet note, and I can't wait to read the rest.

Final thought: I have to get the next book!