Battle Royale

Writer: Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi

Illustrator: Masayuki Taguchi

Content Guide: Intense scenes of violence, sexuality, and language. Not recommended for younger readers.

You've Won!

Imagine you won the lottery.

Now imagine that the prize was to be dropped off on a deserted island with your classmates. Add into the fact that the only way off the island is to kill each and every one of them. If you don’t, you will die, either by their hands or by the bomb that’s in the collar around your neck. Now who wants to play?

The Story

Battle Royale is about an alternate future in a military society that is ruled by a dictatorship. For one reason or another, 9th graders in a graduating class are pulled by random to compete in a game of life and death, but mostly death, called The Program. The kids are told that there are rules to the game:

• All kids must kill each other until there is only one student left.
  
• Each student is supplied with food, water, and a random weapon.
  
• Each student wears a collar that has a bomb in it and monitors life signs.
  
• There are designated danger zones that are addedd throughout the game. If you go there, your collar explodes.
  
• If, at the end of a 24 hour period, someone has not died, then all of the collars explode.

They are each given their equipment and sent out on an abandoned island. After that, its every person for themselves.

The story centers mostly around Shuuya and Noriko, a young couple banded together to find a way to beat the system. There is Kawada, a grade repeater with surprising knowledge of the game. Most of the kids are like Shuuya and Noriko, desperate to avoid the true nature of the game, to kill. But then there is the too cool and calm Kazuo Kiriyama, and Mitsuko, psychotic and over sexual, especially for being a 9th grader. These two rapidly rack up the kills in an attempt to be the last one left.

Pulling all of their strings is the enigmatic Yonemi Kamon, the headmaster of The Program. Yonemi is sick, twisted, and violent, the perfect person to oversee such a gameshow.

Soon, the body counts start to grow. Either by themselves or others, death seems inevitable to the students of Junior High Class B. Will they massacre each other, or is there another way.

History

Battle Royale started as a novel by author Koushun Takami. What was to be an entrance into a mystery writing competition was passed over due to its controversial content. The book was later published in 1999 and became a smash hit in Japan, despite people in the Japanese government calling for censorship. The book has since been translated into English.

The book was later redone as both a manga series and movie that came out with one month of each other. The manga was written by Koushun Takami and Masayuki Taguchi and stayed close to the novel. The film was directed by Kinji Fukasaku and quickly became a hit in Japan. Although the film has not been released in theaters in America, it quickly established a cult following through its DVD releases. It can be rented and bought at many different locations. A sequel to Battle Royale was released in 2003 under the title Battle Royale 2. Many fans consider this movie not as good as the first. Novelist Koushun Takami had no involvement with the film.

Review
The idea of this story completely intrigued me. A whole 9th grade class taken to an abandoned island and forced to kill each other? Sounds very sadistic. I’ve read a few volumes of the manga, watched the movie, and plan on getting the novel soon. Guess I’m hooked.

One appeal to this is that it is so over the top. Like movies, books, and comics before that have used violence to help make a point, Battle Royale appears to fit into that mold. The movie was very bloody and gruesome, with the manga being more so. In the first volume there are full splash pages dedicated to showing close ups of students with their faces shot off. Very disturbing indeed.

At times, Battle Royale felt like a guilty pleasure, like I was doing something wrong just by reading it. The manga and movie have stuck with me and I find myself thinking about why this or that happened. About the point of the whole thing. About what my reaction to a situation like that would be. Would I give up and kill myself either in fear or protest, band with others to find a way out, or revel in the chance to go utterly psycho and let forth every dark inhibition that my mind can conceive? Kind of a sobering thought.

I think these are the things that make Battle Royale an interesting journey. Be warned, the manga and movie are very graphically violent, more so because of who is doing the killing, namely children. There is also a lot of foul language and the manga was at many times sexually explicit. All of it was so over the top as to force you to think about the point of it all.

Conclusion

If these kinds of things put you off, by all means, pass this one up. But if you like to struggle with your own inner demons to arrive at perhaps a better place, then you might want to give Battle Royale a try. In any event, it will stick with you for awhile, and that is one mark of a very good piece of work. In the end it is up to you.

This review was taken from here

Beauty Pop

Mangaka: Kiyoko Arai

Gender roles are explored, distorted, and finally turned upside-down in this quirky, irreverent and absolutely hilarious manga. Kiri Koshiba is a fifteen-year-old high-school freshman with a rare talent. Her father owns Koshiba Beauty Salon, and she has become his unwilling heir. She has learned a thing or two from Pops, but has no intention of becoming a hairdresser herself. That is, until she encounters the S.P.

Narumi, Kai and Ochiai are second-year students and together these three make up the Scissors Project—widely known as S.P.—a makeover project that takes place at Ryokufuu High School. They select a lucky female student and give her a makeover in front of the entire school. All the girls who are selected have one thing in common: they are all pretty. Ugly girls need not apply.

Narumi Shougo is vain, handsome, and temperamental; the heir to the great Shougo Beauty Salon Empire. Narumi's extraordinary ambition is to become Japan's number one hairstylist. He is obstinate and obnoxious, with one hell of a superiority complex, but don't be foold by his gruff exterior. Narumi isn't completely without charm. He has a deeply hidden sweet side (yes, you have to plunge very deep) that he rarely shows. He's a self-proclaimed hairstyling genius ("You should worship this golden right hand of mine!") who has won every national hairstyling competition for seven years, with the notable exception of one that was wrested away from him by a mysterious little girl, number 19, whose memory haunts him to this very day. Kei is a bubble-gum-chewing, spiky-haired, Nike-wearing manicurist (If that isn't enough to elicit a chuckle, then I don't know what is). Ochiai, responsible for makeup and overall composition, is a bespectacled schemer, really the mastermind behind S.P., who maneuvers Kiri into having a makeover competition with Narumi.

Kiri decides to help a fellow classmate, Aoyama—who has been rejected by long-time crush Ochiai—"add a little magic." Perhaps one of the greatest moments is when painfully-shy Aoyama, post-makeover, delivers to Ochiai a crushing set-down when she tells him that she really must learn to be a better judge of character. True, her new-found beauty gives her the confidence to speak her mind to Ochiai, but it is at this crucial moment that Mangaka Kiyoko Arai really drives home her point: beauty is only skin-deep and what really matters is not outside appearance. What is more telling is that Aoyama chooses to return to the way she was before the makeover. When questioned by ochiai as to the reason, she responds by saying she was uncomfortable with the new her. It's nice to be pretty, but don't sacrifice who you really are to attain it.

On the surface, Beauty Pop is a light-hearted comedy. If you look closer, you realize that it breaks down gender-role stereotypes and ridicules the beauty standards that rule our society, and explores how those standards often warp self-perception. Beauty is, after all, in the eye of the beholder. A noble sentiment, most eloquently realized in Beauty Pop.

This manga review was taken from here

School Rumble

Mangaka: Jin Kobayashi

A couple of weeks ago I decided to start hacking my way through School Rumble, for no better reason than it had furigana so I wouldn’t need to constantly resort to the kanji dictionary.

I found myself at first mildly interested, then eventually sucked into the story in spite of myself. It’s a pretty typical shounen high school romantic comedy, and as such I’m finding it a bit difficult to justify my interest in the title. The art is mediocre, especially at first, but it does improve over the five volumes that have been thus far released. Probably its biggest selling points for me are 1) like Boys Be, another shounen high school romantic comedy I inexplicably like, the story doesn’t center exclusively around one couple, nor is it a harem show, and 2) it’s packed with light-hearted, quirky humor.

As I get deeper into the story (currently part way through the fourth volume) the ratio of gags to plot and character development has gradually come to favor the latter, which is quite effective in keeping my attention but may eventually become frustrating if this web of misunderstanding continues indefinitely and the characters don’t grow beyond their obstinate silence regarding how they really feel about each other. What has thus far differentiated School Rumble from the many other stories that rely on this premise is the speed at which relationships are made and misunderstandings occur, their apparent fluidity, and the steady introduction of new characters serving to broaden and render even more confusing this comedy of errors.

Despite the constant evolution of the web of relationships in the story it never lead to any of the characters seeing their goals realized (of course - if they were the plot would lose its fuel), which will eventually make this series as tiresome as any other. I hope the author (Kobayashi Jin) has some more tricks up his sleeve to keep things interesting for as long as possible. Regardless, it has the potential to make a really good anime (for as long as the source material holds out), or a really mediocre one. The first episode is slated for October 5th, so we’ll see.

So what is the story about?

The main character as School Rumble opens is Tsukamoto Tenma, a good-natured if rather simpleminded high school junior and Mahoro look-alike. She has a crush on Karasuma-kun, a fellow of few words who dresses as a kappa when it rains and really likes curry. A lot. Needless to say she is unable to express her feelings for him, and he doesn’t make the task of confessing any easier.

Enter Harima Kenji, a punk with a goatee and sunglasses who is in love with Tenma, and has an equally hard time confessing to her. He is skilled at brawling and drawing manga in which he hooks up with Tenma in various improbable situations. He’s probably my favorite character in the story.

Tenma has a sister who is a year younger, Yakumo. Yakumo is popular among the guys but doesn’t know how to handle their advances, and generally spends her time tending to her hapless older sister and her pet cat. If she were good at sports she would be Sakaki.

Tenma has three good friends in her class whose names I can’t remember off the top of my head. One of them is a jock with a crush on an older classmate who graduated last year, one is a Yankee, and one is a rather silent and thus far mysterious short-haired girl.

Rounding out the list of the main characters is Hanai, the childhood friend of the jock and a karate expert/nerd himself who has a huge crush on Tenma’s sister Yakumo. He and Harima develop a rivalry early on when Harima mistakenly believes Hanai is after Tenma.

Aside from the main cast there is a boatload of supporting characters: another classmate falls for Tenma later on, a flirting guy shows up who hits on jock girl for awhile before discovering another superhumanly strong and yet demure jock girl in the same class, Yakumo makes friends with a transfer student who looks exactly like Saber from Fate. I’m probably forgetting a few here - oh yeah, Harima’s cousin is the hot school nurse/science teacher, and at one point he hooks up (is dragged off) by another hot woman known only as “onee-chan.”

…In the final analysis, if you like high school romantic comedies you’ll probably like this. There is some FIGHTING but not enough to recommend it on that basis alone, and there is some random wacky humor but it’s not wild enough to recommend it on that basis either. The manga relies on pacing and placement of page-turns for a lot of its humor, so whether the anime will be worth watching will be due in large part to the editing job it recieves. At the best it could be another Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu, but to make that comparison could just be inviting disappointment.

This review was taken from here

Blue Dragon

Story: Tsuneo Takano

Art: Takeshi Obata (Hikaru no Go, Death Note)

Synopsis

In a world reminiscent of our medieval Europe, creatures called Shadows have invaded the world. Born in darkness, Shadows have no shape or form, but when they emerge into the world of light, they take over the body of living creatures, and through these they gain bodies for themselves. There are 3 types of Shadows, but regardless of what type they are, they cannot manifest themselves without light.

Ral, a prisoner kept in perpetual darkness by his father Lord Roy, was possessed by a Shadow when he was just a baby. For 15 years he was kept in darkness, but one day the assault of the Shadows grow too strong, and the people of the castle must rely on his power. Yet he’s been kept as a prisoner for 15 years, and Ral had promised Grado to take revenge on the people who first took them prisoner. In addition to this, Grado wishes to overthrow the current ruler of the Shadow world, and in exchange for lending Grado his intellect, Grado will lend Ral his power.

Ral attacks Roy as soon as he is freed, but Rin protects him from the guards who rushes to protect their lord. Seeing Rin for the first time, Ral is greatly interested by the difference between males and females, and asks Rin to teach him about women. In exchange, Rin asks him to kill the Shadows currently assaulting the castle.

Jumping off the tower, Ral and Grado fly down amongst the Shadows. Grado manifests himself in Ral’s shadow, which the largest of the Shadows recognise as The Raging Demon Blue Dragon. Grado easily dispatches all but the largest Shadow, which tries to run away, but is killed just as easily by Ral. Amidst the cheers of the villagers, Rin takes Ral away for his ‘lesson’, and the villagers wonder if their saviour has finally come.

Thoughts

Takeshi Obata is back with a new serialisation, and that is some good news indeed. His track record shows hits after hits - with his most recent and famous series being Hikaru no Go and Death Note. Blue Dragon is something markedly different from his previous works though - it’s unlike Hikaru no Go or Death Note, which are mostly set in the modern world with a fantasy twist, but is set in a medieval fantasy world where monsters run free.

This hasn’t stopped Obata from delivering his high quality art though. The change in setting doesn’t seem to hamper him, but rather provides him with more creative freedom. Like the death gods found in Death Note, the Shadows take various forms, some even having the ability to transform. Their non-humanoid appearances gives Obata more space to exercise his imagination and design, and although none yet are as memorable or as full of impact as Ryuk and his ilks, Grado looks truly fearsome. In short, Obata’s art is as good as ever, and there’s really nothing to complain about.

What about the story? So far it’s hard to judge, but it seems the story is going to center around how Ral and Grado overthrows the Shadow Queen. The two protagonists, Ral and Grado, who constantly talk to each other, provide two different types of hero - Ral, who knows nothing about the world, has infinite room for evolution and growth, while Grado seems to have a deep and interesting background, though how much focus will be given to him remains to be seen.

The first chapter also leaves a number of mysteries waiting to be solved. Apart from Grado’s background, what is the reason for their special blending, why wasn’t Ral completely taken over by Grado like the others possessed by Shadows? The Shadows claim they want to exterminate humans before they destroy the planet, so what is the world of Blue Dragon really like, how are the humans, who lack our destructive technology, on path to destroying the planet? Why did Grado, who is obviously a powerful Shadow, pick a little baby to possess?

Although it’s hard to say what the story will turn out to be like, I have some faith in whoever it is that picks the writers for Obata’s manga. Both Hikaru no Go and Death Note had outstanding stories, although they were great in vastly different ways. How Blue Dragon will turn out remains to be seen, but I really look forward to reading more of it.

This manga review was taken from here

Firefighter Daigo

Mangaka: Soda Masahito

18-year old Asahina Daigo has just become a firefighter. He’s assigned to Central Medaka-Ga-Hama station, commonly called sire company M. At first, Daigo thinks he’s in a station full of slackers in an area that doesn’t get many fires. He quickly learns there’s more to firefighting than running into burning buildings. And even that’s harder than he thought. Daigo finds his courage and resolves to be the best firefighter he can; especially when he learns his school rival is working at a busier station nearby!

I was attracted to manga that focused on stories in the real world. Series like “Slam Dunk”, “Lone Wolf & Cub”, and “First President of Japan” are exciting dramas rooted in the real world. They’re driven by characters and their passions. Such stories are rare in American comics. Only in manga have I found stories that make real life look exciting.

Then again, it’s not hard to make the life of a firefighter look exciting. But to do a story without a fire, that’s tricky! Daigo’s first call is the rescue of a suicide attempt in a house full of natural gas. A single spark will cause a massive explosion. Soda does a fine job creating a sense of danger and maintaining suspense. Numerous details about procedure and firehouse life show Soda did plenty of research on his subject.

The art style is also rooted in the realistic. Rarely is there any exaggeration, except for humorous effect. The story’s easy to follow. Movement flows from panel-to-panel. Soda isn’t just a fine artist; he’s an excellent craftsman.

I would recommend “Firefighter” to those of you trying to introduce others to manga. Not only is it a fine story, it’s also a great example of the variety within manga series. I’ve noticed manga with fantasy or sci-fi themes gets the most mainstream attention. Romantic series are also prevalent. “Firefighter” demonstrates how, with the right creator, “ordinary” subject matter can inspire a great series.

This manga review was taken from here

Law Of Ueki

Mangaka: Tsubasa Fukuchi Synopsis:
In a world of powerful celestial beings, an epic contest is being held to select the next king! Each Celestial selects a kid in junior high to be his champion and grants him a special power. The kids battle it out - losers are eliminated, and winners are granted new talents! Seemingly ordinary Kosuke Ueki has been chosen to be a contender. Granted the power to change trash into trees, Ueki has two disadvantages to overcome: one, he doesn't know he's a participant in the tournament, and two, how the heck can anyone win a battle with the power to turn trash into trees?
	Review:

If you didn't know any better, you would think that the story was the creation of a secret recycling organization. The power to turn your everyday trash into trees is definitely one of the oddest concepts for a special power I have ever come by. That is not to say however that it is a useless power, especially when you consider the amount of trash you can easily find laying around on your average street. Being able to turn that useless food wrapper into greenery has to have some merit. Unfortunately beneath the wonderful ideas and humorous scenes, The Law of Ueki is just another run of the mill shounen title. Ueki's unique talent is shown off very early on in the story. It is only after a few demonstrations of his unique powers however that we find out the origin of his abilities. It is a very straight forward story from here though as we further follow Ueki and watch the many uses his ability has. As what would be expected from a shounen title, the end of the novel concludes unsurprisingly with Ueki tangled in his first fight against a rival kid with unique talents. Intertwined with all this is an abundance of comedic scenes, primarily aimed at the main character Ueki. These help provide some amusement in-between the clichéd moments, but will certainly turn a few people away. The art by Tsubasa Fukuchi is simple in design. The character art reminds me of shows like One Piece as there is vagueness in a lot of detail. This however is perfect for the many comedic moments that arise throughout the novel. Backgrounds also appear at the appropriate scenes, leading to quite a clean and easy read. The art is also very consistent in that the character detail doesn't change much at all when the comedy and action scenes occur. As you would expect, speed lines get used a lot in the novel, both for comedic and action reasons. With the story based around these two things, it is very rare to find a page without their use. Some panels however are overused in them, creating a very big mess of lines and sound effects that does not look very appealing. Overall however, Fukuchi has done a fairly good job with the art. The art chosen suits the tone of the story well; however it is definitely not a style that many will enjoy. Viz manages once again to pull off a reasonably good translation and package for The Law of Ueki. As is the standard for most of Viz's works, the sound effects are given a cartoony font and are slightly enlarged. This would generally be a good idea, considering the story features a lot of comedy. For the most part however, they always seem to be a font size or two bigger than what was required, which also makes some panels look like an uninviting giant mess. The artwork tells the story enough though that you can easily ignore the sound effects if you choose. On the production side, the detail is mostly printed sharply as you would expect. There are a few sections where the shades of grey tend to not show up as well as they should. The back includes a small manga insert from Tsubasa Fukuchi, as well as a few pages of Viz advertisements. This first instalment of The Law of Ueki has made it very clear about the path the story will take. It also makes it very clear that at the end of it all, an abundance of comedy will not break the Law of shounen. All the trademarks are intact, such as the young male hero, the girl in his life being the one who keeps him in check, the goal to gain godly power, and the fact that he will have to fight everyone else on earth to get it. If you enjoy your shounen stories, or even like a good comedy, then it may be worth checking out The Law of Ueki. There is a lot of promise in the story; however whether it can break the shounen mould enough to do it is something to be seen.

Overall : B- Story : C+ Art : B + Comedic scenes usually hit the mark. Interesting concepts. − Predictability. Forgettable characters. This manga review was taken from here

Bleach

Mangaka: Tite Kubo

I was surprised Viz picked up the work of Tite Kubo for english translation. So who is Tite Kubo? That’s a very good question I can’t answer but here’s what I do know of him. Tite Kubo’s first manga work Zombie Powder became a hit in japan’s Shonen Jump running for twenty seven volumes. Zombie Powder was cancelled and never finished possibly due to Tite Kubo being in a state severe emotional trauma during writing. To date Zombie Powder is yet to be published in english but hopefully if Bleach is a success we may yet see Zombie Powder in english, fingers crossed.

Unfortunately as good as life is we are all going to eventually die. Manga covering such an aspect of life from an eastern point of view I have read and reviewed once before in the form of Shuri Shiozu’s Eerie Queerie, which is available from Tokyopop. Bleach is another spiritual story but shot from another angle. If any of you have seen those U.S tv series Dead Like Me or Tru Calling they will give you a fair idea of what you are in for. Bleach is also still running in Shonen Jump anthology stateside and in japan.

Bleach is a supernatural action adventure. A special secret order of females known as Soul Reapers was established to help those of the spirit world once a human passes away. Decked in black and white samurai robes Soul Reapers are invisible to the living, all except those humans with a spiritual power or ki of some sort. Enter one young student Ichigo Kurosaki who in a very Sixth Sense kind of way can see the spirits of dead and has been able to do so since he was a child. Because spirits are drawn to Ichigo along with some of this other family members Ichigo and co are force into helping them find a way to rest in peace (as in Eerie Queerie too).

Things change with the sudden appearance of Rukia, a Soul Reaper with a magic samurai blade hunting for a hollow (evil spirit that preys on humans for their psycho-spiritual energy). In strange circumstances the hollow starts to attack the other Kurosaki family members. Rukia is wounded in the fight and lends Ichigo some of her powers so he can save his family from the hollow’s bite. Unfortunately Rukia gives Ichigo all her power, through no fault of her own and Ichigo becomes a rookie Soul Reaper. Ding Ding! Round one of Ichigo VS Hollow, who will win?. And was Rukia giving power or was Ichigo taking it unknowingly? Elsewhere Ichigo has to deal with a hollow haunting close friend in need Orihime, various school friends are introduced one in particular Chad (who looks like a refugee from Capcom’s Street Fighter games) has a very strange, nasty injury and a caged parakeet.

Bleach is another kick arse series worth buying. It’s got the fingers to push your action, comedy, ghosts and ghouls buttons. This will sit nicely next to Berserk on my shelves.

On the character front Ichigo is a very punk like ruffian possibly in a Billy Idol (ex-u.k 70-80’s punk rocker) design influence, he’s also convincing as a brat family member and would be hero ( I suppose spirits will have no problems ever finding him with that orange mop on his head he calls hair). This makes Ichigo feel more down to earth even though he has a rough edge. The dark haired Rukia is feisty and seems old fashioned but watching her adjusted to modern setting she’s now dumped in will no doubt add to the comedy. She’s not just a pretty face mind and pulls no punches putting Ichigo in his place now and then.

Tite Kubo’s english language debut has some lovely art. Looking kind of sketchy at times it has a charm that is growing on me. Before reading Bleach from a distance the art looked odd because I’m used to looking at more clean, detailed work (like from Ghost In the Shell, Full Metal Panic etc and also because I also like to draw) but Tite Kubo now has a new fan in me. He definitely has a thing for angled jawlines in his character design but somehow it works well for those that need it. And as manga like Hiroaki Samura’s Blade of the Immortal have proved sketchy artwork can look spectacular too. Cross-hatch shading can be a good thing.

Yeah, so I’m a sucker for this type of manga but despite what some might see as sugar coating in this review that’s not what I’m about. Bleach is a good read and one of the better and larger series available in english. Tread with caution if you don’t want a large series like this. Seven chapters of spiritual sword swinging sweetness laced with school contained within a nice cover. You’d be a dead wrong to miss out on it but the final choice is yours to make. It’s your life (and money) after all.

This manga review was taken from here

Salad Days

Mangaka: Inokuma Shinobu

Maybe there’s something about romantic manga, but one can never seem to get enough of unrequited love, stammering confessions, cantankerous side characters, and of course the obligatory stolen kiss. If you’re looking for a high school drama or simply a one-shot of light romantic fare; look no further. Salad Days is a collection of short stories (often about two chapters long each, though some only have one- and a few, three chapters) each dealing with a different story line; all involving some sort of romantic tale.

The pacing moves quickly- a full story is told well without seeming rushed and characters are established clearly and immediately without confusion or excessive exposition. However, there is a reason author Inokuma Shinobu chose the name “Salad Days,” the stories are about as filling to the voracious manga reader as a salad in a three course meal; but in the end, it all depends on what you have a taste for. With interesting storylines that are exciting enough to keep the same theme alive issue after issue, on a site that has good scans, is easily navigated, and has a dedicated one-man powerhouse for a scantalator; “Salad Days” is a manga that deserves a look; if not a prolonged, sparkling, rose-emblazoned gaze.

This manga review was taken from here

Parfait Tic!

Mangaka: Nanaji Nagamu

Summary: Fuuko Kameyama's life was perfectly fine until one day, the Shinpo cousins move next door. Although both of them are equally hot, Daiya and Ichi Shinpo are as different from one another as night and day. Daiya is a wild and wacky playboy while Ichi is the cold, mysterious type. Which cousin does Fuuko fall for, and which will she end up with?

Comments: I love Parfait Tic! It's just so sweet and mushy and cute :) The premise may sound like your typical predictable shoujo manga but the story has many twists and turns. The story never gets too sickeningly sweet and the plot, though simple, will keep you guessing and rooting for a cousin until the end. The drawings -- the character designs, the clothes they wear, and Fuuko's hairdos -- are just as cute as the story.

This manga review was taken from here

Midori no Hibi

Mangaka Kazurou Inoue

Summary: Seiji "Mad Dog" Sawamura is notorious for his fearsome right hook. Because of his image, most people from school, especially the girls, tend to stay away from him. During one of his loneliness bouts, Seiji wishes for a girlfriend and remarks that he would give anything in exchange for one. Lo and behold, his wish comes true the following morning, except that the girl happens to be attached to his arm, where his right hand should be.

Comments: Midori no Hibi is just hilarious. Add a couple of love rivals here and there, a mad scientist, a touchy foreign exchange student, crazy classmates, stalkers, and gangsters out for revenge, and you've got a winning formula for unadulterated entertainment. The cover designs are cute, too.


This manga review was taken from here

Godhand Teru

Mangaka Kazuki Yamamoto


Synopsis: It's difficult to believe that Dr. Mahigashi Teru is the newest surgeon at the Yasuda Memorial Hospital, being really clumsy and all. Inspite of this, his utmost dedication to his patients and respect for life makes him determined not to let any of his patients die. When faced with an insurmountable challenge, he changes personality in the OR. Unbeknown to many, Dr. Teru has inherited his father's so-called "godhands" which enables him to perform the most difficult of surgeries successfully and gives him amazing insight into his patients' condition more accurately than any medical equipment can.

Comments: How come Dr. Teru looks like an elementary school kid? And how come this manga doesn't seem to have any female doctors? But other than that, it's heart-warming and funny as hell. Lots of medical jargon, too, but the scanlators try to explain everything in laymen's terms and even if you don't understand the terms, you'll still get the story so don't worry about that. Inspite of the medical theme, this manga is leaning towards comedy and mythology more than heavy drama, so if you're looking for something ER-like, you won't find that here.

This manga review was taken from here

Yakitate!! Japan

Mangaka Takashi Hashiguchi


Summary: Have you ever tasted french bread that can make you feel like a Frenchman? Or animal-shaped bread that can actually make you act like an animal? Or bread so good that it can literally send you to heaven? Azuma Kazuma, thanks to his extraordinarily warm hands and intense passion for his craft, is that good a baker that he can make such wonderful tasting bread.


Inspired by a zealous baker he met when he was a young boy and his grandfather who initally refused to eat bread because it's no substitute for rice, Azuma strives to make the perfect Japan (pan is another word for bread so Ja-pan is pun for Japanese bread), bread that can replace rice as staple food. In his quest, he tries to join renowned bakery Pantasia and participates in numerous baking contests. Think typical shounen manga tournaments but instead of sports or martial arts, you have baking (hehe!).


Comments: A manga about bread may sound dull at first but the ridiculous themes of the baking tournaments, Azuma's crazy opponents, and how our hero overcomes each challenge are entertaining. The silly reactions of the people who taste Azuma's bread are also hilarious. Please set aside whatever prejudices or misconceptions you might have about this manga. The story is hardly boring so you might want to give it a try :)

This manga review was taken from here