SPECIAL REVIEW: Gashapon Shop

 

Most of the time on here I stick to traditional Anime and Manga, but sometimes I go a little off the reservation, todays review is one of those times. Step on past the cut for my review of a small web comic that can be best described as a breath of fresh air.

MANGA REVIEW: Tetragrammaton Labyrinth Vol: 1

From the Back Cover:

When darkness falls on the foggy streets of London, demons and monsters emerge to prey on human life. But demons aren’t the only ones prowling the streets. Two women have picked up the fight as humanity’s front line defense against the darkness--a young gun-toting nun named Sister Meg and her mysterious, eternally youthful partner Angela. Together, they have made it their life’s work to spend their nights hunting the vile demons that stalk mankind.


Introduction


I am not going to lie here, I have a soft spot for occult/religious Manga, especially when it involves cute girls with guns, and even more so when they are nuns. So it should come as no shock that when I first saw Tetragrammaton Labyrinth that I immediately picked up a copy. The cover art alone had me giddy with anticipation, as did the description on the back of the book, if only the rest of it lived up to these expectations.


Story - 4/10

Tetragrammaton Labyrinth is the story of sister Meg, a nun, and her supernatural partner Angela. The story is based is London England during the first part of the 20th Century, where apparently demons are running rampant and the Catholic church is obviously needing to train their clergy in the use of high powered weapons.

During the first volume we see them take on a pair of cases relating to the underworld and what looks like it may be the beginning of a larger overriding story arc, that's about it, and therein lies the problem.

The story, is at the same time interesting and frustrating. There is no back story given until near the end of the first volume, and even then you are left with far more questions than answers, which wouldn't be a problem if the characters were more interesting, or more well fleshed out, but sadly they aren't. Meg is the Anime stereotype nun-with-guns nothing new here it seems in the first volume, Angela on the other hand, looks like she belongs at a Goth Lolita convention and runs around cutting demons to bit with a giant scythe, sadly they just aren't that interesting.

Another point of distaste is that to this point a lot of the story [and in one glaring case character design] seems to have been lifted directly from Chrono Crusade, I would like to see something a little more original and not so overtly plagiarized.

Story takes a bigger role near the end, where we get a hint that somehow the two protagonists are linked in some way, with Angela kept alive by Meg's need for her, and I can only hope that the slow and somewhat boring pace of this first volume, along with the main story arc pick up in volume 2.

Art - 7/10

The Art in the first volume fairs better than the story, with the characters being drawn very well. I have to say its nice to see a nun who is actually dressed like a nun for the most part, rather than with cleavage exposing clothing no clergy member would be caught wearing. I found Angela a bit oddly clothed in that she would stick out like a sore thumb in any society, let alone London of the early 20th century, but these are minor nit pickings on the character designs as a whole.

I do have an issue with some of the action scenes which are framed a bit oddly at times which can lead to a "what the heck is...Oh! Its a dismembered arm!" moments. Also I found that some of the backgrounds could have been better detailed, but these are minor nitpicks overall.

Parental warning, there is a substantial amount of blood and gore in this series so far, its definitely not one for the kiddies.

There isn't an exceptional level of innovation with the art in the series, its nice to look at, but nothing ground breaking either.


Final Conclusions overall - 6/10 [Not an average]
I want to like this series, it has a lot going for it in terms of setting and possible storyline, but as of volume one its hard to recommend it as anything above an average Manga release.

+ some nice artwork, interesting setting, and

- Story is more than a little flat, some of the artwork is oddly framed, story seems to have been lifted directly from Chrono Crusade


Publisher: Seven Seas/gomanga.com
Cost USD: $11.99
Rating: 16+

MANGA REVIEW: He is My Master Vol: 1

From the Back Cover:

Welcome to the day-to-day adventures of the richest most perverted kid on the block- Nakabayashi Yoshitaka. At 14 years old, he's already a master blackmailer, sports a major superiority complex, and has a uniform fetish to boot.

After inheriting the family fortune upon his parents' deaths, Yoshitaka decides to fire all the old staff and hire some new live-in maids to help him look after the estate. Unfortunately, he gets more than he bargained for when two hot girls and their pet Alligator Pochi shop up to fill the positions!

Initial Impressions

I can't say there is usually a lot of science to what I do when it comes to choosing items for review, usually I head to the local Barnes and Noble and just see whats available, and what catches my eye. Once in awhile though I go hunting for a series, I had stumbled upon He is My Master accidentally one evening while searching Anime online and thought that the premise might make for a fun read. I looked for Vol: 1 for quite some time, a couple of months, before I finally found my copy, in my opinion it was worth every second of the hunt.

Story - 8/10

I enjoy a good comedic light read sometimes when it comes to my manga, I don't always want something uber serious, or even with tones of uber seriousness, He is My Master definately falls on the lighter side.

Just a shred beyond preposterous comes the story of an extremely wealthy young man, Yoshitaka, with a uniform fetish who after losing his parents decides to hire an all new staff, so he can find a "young hot maid" he gets more than he bargained for with the arrival of Natsuki, and Izumi, two runaway teenagers, along with their pet Alligator Pochi.

The characters are extremely likeable, while the three leads generally fit into pretty tight Anime stereotypes, there is an undeniable charm to them, that only makes you want to read more. The star of the series though really is the Alligator Pochi who manages to steal almost every scene he is in.

I have to say I haven't laughed this hard in a long time, while some of the translation might feel a little off sometimes, and there seem to be a few gaps in storytelling [where did the Mitsuki-Chan Defence Force come from anyways?] there in an undeniable charm to the story and characters, there's a cute but cheeky humor to the writing that keeps you coming back for more.

Art - 8/10

As always art is a subjective thing, but I really love the classic lines in He is My Master, they harken back to a different time for Anime and Manga, and thats certainly not a bad thing. The characters are full of life and emotion, some of Izumi's emotions are an absolute riot, and Pochi looks wonderful in his cute, albeit atylized look. Backgrounds are equally well done with large amounts of detail, not overdone but not too lacking either.

Final Conclusions overall - 8/10

We all need some light hearted humor in our lives, He is My Master fits wonderfully into that category and should be a fan pleaser for many a volume to come, with its wonderful characters [GO POCH!] and cute refreshing artwork.

+ Good story, fun character, nice artwork

- Translation needs some work, some odd gaps in story

Publisher: Seven Seas

Cost USD: $9.99

Rating: 16+

MANGA REVIEW: Onegai Teacher 1&2

Initial Impressions - 6/10

NOTE: As of this writing it appears that these two volumes are out of print commercially, if you want your own copies check Amazon.com or eBay

I first saw Onegai Teacher [Please Teacher for those of us here in the west] about 3 years ago and fell in love with the story and artwork, while it was far too brief I felt that if it was given a longer more detailed treatment it would be much more enjoyable.

So it was with great anticipation that I ordered volumes 1 and 2 of the Manga, only to find out when they arrived that they were an adaptation of the series, and there were only two volumes total. In addition the artwork looked far different from that of the show, but I was willing to give it a chance to live up to the shows, heartwarming, if flawed story.

Story – 6.5/10

“That... Day I met my new teacher. It completely changed everything.” That line just about sums up the story of a 18 year old boy, who looks 15 [due to an illness where he effectively stops in time] who ends up marrying his 20 something half Alien homeroom teacher to keep her secret, definitely a mouthful, and a lot of stress.

Kei’s and Mizuho’s relationship is one of humor, tenderness, triumph and tradgedy, two people who are brought together under the most trying of circumstances that come to fall in love with one another.

Like all love comedies, other characters fitting into tight Anime stereotypes, the tom boyish girl with the crush on our lead, the somewhat perverted in laws, the very sweet but clueless female friend, all come to play in the story. Sadly the Manga does very little to try and make the supporting cast any more than simply cardboard cut outs for our leads to work around, its an all to familiar problem with romantic comedies, and one that sadly crops its head up again here.

Onegai Teacher the Manga, is an adaptation of the Anime series, so the story doesn’t deviate too far from the show, there are some minor alterations for the sake of brevity, but they don’t hurt the plot in any fashion.

The Manga does have the same flaw that the Anime does however, at only two volumes long there really isn’t a ton of room to develop the characters, this becomes a real issue in the latter volume as they are rushing to tidy everything up quickly, it feels forced and jarring. I had the same issue with the Anime as well, and the problem is only magnified here.

I love the story concept for the series, but its brevity, especially in the Manga format prevents it from jumping into the upper echelons of Manga available.

Art - 6/10

I loved the art direction in the Anime, the characters were fully realized and our heroine Mizuho was a breathtaking sight to behold, sadly the Manga doesn’t live up to this.

The artwork by Shizuru Hayashiya is a mixed bag that falls somewhere between the elongated, pointy look of “Clamp” and the more traditional Anime lines. I found the character design to be very inconsistent and even jarring at points when it seemed like the character was someone completely different two panels later, simply based off of a lack of continuity in the artwork. Backgrounds fair little better, since they are almost non existent through the entire two volume series.

Does the artwork work to tell the story? Yes, but in comparison to the Anime its so crude that it makes it much harder to enjoy the story, and see its true potential.

Final Conclusions overall – 6.25/10

With its even briefer storyline and crude artwork its nearly impossible to recommend this slightly above average two volume adaptation to anyone but pure fans and collectors.

+ Story is still very sweet and tender
Likable main characters

- To brief a space to convey the nuances of the relationships
Artwork is very crude
Completely forgettable supporting cast

Publisher: Comics One*
Cost USD: $9.99
Rating: 13+

*Out of business as of 2005

MANGA REVIEW: Chrono Crusade V1

Initial Impressions - 9/10

I was first exposed to Chrono Crusade back in the winter of 2004, I was working in California at the time and read a review on the now defunct Animefringe website of the Anime, and was very intruiged. However as often happens in life, I got busy and did't find the show again until the end of my true dark period in 2005. But this time what I found was the Manga and grabbed the first volume on site.

The cover is beautiful was a full portrait of Rosette and Chrono, there is no synopsis on the back which is a bit of shame for first time lookers, but on the other hand its presented as it would have originally been published in Japan.

Story - 8/10

For some reason it seems that the Catholic church is always a point of interest for the Japanese when they do religously based occult stories. Chrono Crusade takes place in the "Roaring Twenties" right before the stock market crash, its a time of induglance and deccadence, people are wanting new highs, even if those highs involve the loss of their immortal souls. Brought into this tumultuous time is the duo of Chrono and Rosette, members of the Magdelanian order of demon hunting nuns/priests.

There is just one catch...Chrono is a demon, soul bound to Rosette by a contract, linked to a ornate watch worn around her neck, the more he uses his powers the quicker her life is drained, he cannot survive without her, she cannot survive without him. It makes for an beautiful dynamic, two people bound to each other for life, how little of it they may have left.

Never knowing exactly how much that time is, it weighs on Rosette and her childish "Live for the day" attitude is both heart warming and sobering at the same time, she knows her fate, and is at peace with it. Chrono will do anything to protect Rosette and make sure that her life lasts as long as possible, but he too knows the fate to which they are both bound, the contrast between him bound with the watch and when he is unleashed is a sight, and further underscores his devotion, dare I say love, for Rosette.

The inital volume has two unconnected stories in it that set the scene for further installments, this is definately the prologue to the story, as other than the ongoing situation with Rosette and Chrono there is no overiding story arc. This could sadly have the effect of people not picking up the second volume, when really the entire series is worth a read.

Art - 8/10

Daisuke Moriyama's artwork is lovely to behond, while at times it seems slightly crude [things like closeups on characters etc.] the overall lasting effect is pleasing and enjoyable. His flair for design when it comes to the Catholic church costumes is also quite amusing.

Where his art trully shines is in the combat scenes and action, his sense of movement is excellent and unlike many Manga artists he doesn't forget his backgrouds either. Its refreshing to see someone who takes the whole scene into account not just the characters, its the mark of a good action artist to be sure.

Final Conclusions overall - 8/10

Its not often that a first volume of anything manages to pull you in effectively, so often series will take a couple to get going properly, Chrono Crusade manages to avoid this pitfall and pulls you in immeadiately. The story and art do a magnificent job of drawing you into the time period, and the volume leaves just enough questions to make you ache to pick up the second one.

A wonderful start to the series, a must read for any fans of the Anime, and Manga in general.

+ Well done story and setting

Excellent action art

Characters are well drawn

- Story is very isolated, no real overiding arc

Art can be a little crude at times.

Publisher: ADV

Cost USD: $9.99

Rating: 13+

MANGA REVIEW: My - HiME V1

When Fuuka Academy is attacked by strange creatures called Oprphans, the school sets up a special task force of its female members---called HiMEs---who must team up with a unique “Key” to battle these invaders! Yuuichi Tate is the new boy in town, thrilled to be at a new school. But he soon discovers that he’s the key for not just one but TWO HiMEs!

Two highly competitive, rival schoolgirls. One overzealous boy. And that’s just the start of the trouble!

Initial Impressions - 8/10

NOTE: This title comes with a Parental Advisory warning. This title may not be suitable for those under 18 years of age.

So I decided to go ahead and do something different this time round with my latest Manga purchase, I decided that instead of buying something I knew something about I would grab something off the shelf I hadn’t heard of. I took a look at covers and read the back synopsis, and ended up setting on My-HiME.

First off the cover has a really nice portrait of one of the female leads from the series, even if she is a bit on the ridiculously endowed side. I appreciate the parental warning very clearly displayed on the book, makes it very clear that this title isn’t intended for those under 18 years of age.

The story from the read on the back cover sounded interesting, so the initial impression is very good.

Story - 6/10

I haven’t seen the Anime of the same name that people say is markedly so very different. So I am basing my story judgement based only on the Manga, I hope to get some of the Anime at some point to judge better.

So theoretically this sounds to be a bit of a harem comic with a Magical Girl twist to it, the problem is that it never seems to be either. It’s a spastic story at best, I got lost 10 pages in as to who was supposed to be in charge of what, it gets started fast which is good, but there are a lot of details left out. Such as how does an apparent 8 year old end up running a school?! There are also a number of jarring flashbacks of our hero that don’t help as much as they hinder.

Another problem is the translation, he holds a Kendo sword and talks about being in the Fencing Club?! What the heck? Also he goes on to speak about having fateful encounters at one point when referencing girls? There seems to have been a huge disconnect with translators and quality control on this one.

Once you get a little deeper into the story one can see there might be some promise, I will probably grab volume 2 to see if there is an improvement.

Art - 7/10

The art in the volume is nice, the action scenes are very well done and the character designs work well if a bit generic. There is a total lack of details in the backgrounds at points which some people might find off putting, I don’t mind as it really keeps the focus on the characters.

There is a ton of Fan Service in the volume if that is your type of thing, but for the most part it isn’t explicit, but after awhile you question if they just ran out of story ideas. It’s almost jarring the amount of times the girls clothes seem to explode into nothingness.

Final Conclusions overall - 7/10

I really wanted to enjoy this volume more, it looked to have a fun premise and from what I could see the artwork looked decent. But the story is really what’s holding it back, it just leaps around with no sense of direction or clarity.

Hopefully future volumes will improve on this.

NOTE: For the most part the story and art in this volume doesn’t seem to warrant the 18+ warning, however the last few pages definitely take an adult twist…Parents, you have been warned.

+ Decent artwork

- Storyline is a mishmash
Little background detail
Large volumes of Fan Service [bordering on the pornographic]

Publisher: Tokyopop
Cost: $9.99
Rating: Explicit Content 18+

MANGA REVIEW: Gunslinger Girl V1

The girl has a mechanical body. However she is still an adolescent girl

Initial Impressions - 9/10

From the first time that I heard of the Gunslinger Girl Anime I knew that I was in for something special. So it was quite the surprise that I found the Manga 2 weeks after picking up the first 3 volumes of the Anime.

Picking up the volume of the Manga for the first time I couldn’t help but be struck by the beautiful cover artwork on the young girl on the front, with the stark contrasts of the Violin and the Pistol. Surely this was going to be a unique read indeed.

Story - 9/10

Controversy has followed this series since its initial release, there have been a number of reviewers who say that the whole thing is unsavory at best, downright disturbing at worst. This reviewer decided to dig deeper to see what lies beneath the surface. The series is about “The Social Welfare Agency” in Italy, which takes disabled kids [girls only it seems at this point] and aids them with getting into society. The reality is that the agency is a front for turning children into efficient cybernetic assassins that are trained to handle the Italian government’s dirty work. Each cyborg has a “handler” an male adult that is used to guide and train their charge. They are “conditioned” brain washed to be loyal to their handlers, and to forget the traumas that they have been through.

Sounding interesting so far? So lets get the criticism out of the way, I would say that of the four girls you meet in the first volume only one looks older than 11, its jarring, but this isn’t some weird Loli-con, it’s a look at what could society do under certain circumstances. There have been jabs made at the “conditioning” but through the whole volume what you come to understand is that the handlers don’t want to brainwash the girls, each of them has a different relationship with their charge, but none could be called abusive, or ugly. The girls are each so unique you get drawn into their lives, hopes, dream, and failures. You will cheer their triumphs, and grieve for their losses. There is a wonderful tenderness to the story that goes along with the brutality of their jobs as assassins, its these contrasts that make this story so engrosing.

The first volume does a decent job of introducing the girls, Henrietta, Tirela, Rico, and Claes. Each one has their own story. Through flashback we are told the specific stories of Rico and Henrietta, the others I assume will be told in later volumes. Henrietta is the most human of the bunch, deeply devoted to her handler Giuseppe to the point of it being obsessive, Giuseppe generally loves the girl like she is his sister and would do anything to help her succeed. Rico has a much different time, she is much more cold and calculating with her kills, her handler Jean can actually be physically abusvie and harsh with her, its a complete contrast to Henrietta and Giuseppe. We don't know much about the other two Claes seems to keep to herself, Triela is the oldest of the bunch and seems to act like a big sister to the rest, her relationship with her handler Hillshire is contentious at best with her constantly struggling against her bonds.

Art - 8/10

In many series the art is what carries the comic, the story while good plays second fiddle, in Gunslinger Girl the images are more complimentary to the story. The fight scenes are incredible creating amazing senses of movement and power.

Also of note is the detail put into the firearms, they are amazing, every detail on the real versions is present here, something you rarely see in a comic these days. The character designs are lovely and delicate, the girls have an almost angelic softness to them, they rarely smile, but when they do you can feel the emotions raditating from them. The problem is that while lovely the character designs are quite basic, which might seem a bit off putting to some, personally I don't see an issue with them, they convey the story well and aren't so basic as to be jarring.

A side note, it appears that the sections have different borders depending on what they are about, the backstory and flashback ones have a black background while the ones in the current time are a white one, its a really interesting way of differentiating what is happening at each time in the story.

Final Conclusions overall - 8.5/10

Gunslinger Girl is a unique read, the story is dark and disturbing, but at the same time thought provoking and inspiring at points. One has to be amazed at the triumphs of the characters through the adversities to which they have been subjected, and dogged devotion to the agency and in turn their handlers.

An enjoyable read, with great pacing and story, worth every penny.

+ Deep story and characters
Slick action scenes
Incredibly detailed Firearms

- Character art is relatively basic
Story may be disturbing to some

Publisher: ADV
Cost: $9.99
Age: Older Teens 16+

MANGA REVIEW: Mammotte Shugogetten V1

You never know what surprises await in this store about a befuddled boy and his clueless goddess!

One day, Tasukke, an average high school boy, receives a mysterious ring from his father. Much to his surprise, when he gazes into the dazzling jewel, a beautiful moon goddess appears—and she claims to be his protector! But having been locked away for a thousand years, she has a lot to learn about the modern world…

Initial Impressions - 8/10

So I was in my local Barnes and Noble looking at the Manga wanting to grab something new to read at work, and I stumbled upon Mamotte Shugogetten, sine I have always loved zany love comedies I thought I would grab this dual volume and see what it was all about.
The first thing I noticed was the beautiful watercolor cover of the main female lead Shaorin, it s a lovely start to the Manga, and something that will pull you in immeadiately. Its definitely an eye catcher as a guy, as its a patel pink color, and drew some interested looks from my male coworkers [as well as female ones] as usual Tokyopops presentation is top notch.

I also like the concept of packaging it is a dual volume, it adds a lot of value to the purchase and provides a longer lasting reading experience.

Story - 7/10

So the story goes as follows, boy lives alone [lord do any parents live with their highschool kids in Japan anymore] boy gets gift from father, out pops goddess dedicated to protecting him from all evil and danger. If it sounds familiar, it is, but is still a good romp, without giving too much away, the characters are fun and loveable, there are some amusing takes on standard Anime stereotypes, and the emotions seem very real and unforced for all involved. One of the advantages of the two volumes in one is that you get to see the development of the story a little more completely with each purchase.

I was a little concerned initially how easily our male lead Tasuke just accepted this strange girl into his life, it seemed like things happened a little too smoothly, as well as how some other bit characters became integral parts without much back story. But aside from those minor niggles and the predictability I truly enjoyed reading this first volume.

Art - 9/10

Minene Sakurano’s artwork is in a word beautiful, the character designs, especially Shaorin are absolutely stunning, the emotion conveyed by their movement and eyes is truly breathtaking. She has a wonderful sense for the human body, and the movement within, and her close ups are simply to die for. I love the distinctness in all the characters, there is no confusion ever over who is who, this is definitely old school style artwork because it has the very rounded features and the huge eyes, it is simply wonderful.

The backgrounds are a little on the plain side, but honestly I wouldn’t have it any other way as I think it would take away from the lovely character designs, which would be a shame given their beauty.

Final Conclusions overall - 8/10

I am definitely going to be picking up the rest of this series, I haven’t had something make me burst out loud reading it in quite some time. The artwork is to die for and Shaorin’s timeless beauty is worth coming back for alone.

The only thing that might let this series down a little bit is the story, it’s rather formulaic, especially if you have ever seen Oh! My Goddess. This isn’t to say its bad, rather its just a bit predictable.

Overall a wonderful series worth picking up for all fans of Manga and Anime.

+ Fun entertaining little romp
Loveable characters
Stunning character design
Dual volume format allows for a lot more story development

- Story is a little formulaic

Somewhat simple backgrounds

Publisher: Tokyopop
Cost USD: $12.99

Rating: Teen 13+