Given what I said about the first volume, the cover to this one had a genuine, “All my worst fears CONFIRMED!” vibe to it.  It was to my surprise that vol. 2 is actually something of a step in the right direction for this series.  Things kick off with a no-holds-barred lesson in swordplay from […]

The reason I’m combining these two volumes into one review is that there’s not much more to say about them beyond the fact that they continue the title’s great mix of action, comedy, and strangeness.  Yet they still have some memorable parts to them as well.  Vol. 7’s involves Class E’s most elaborate plan yet […]

First off, let me extend my gratitude to Vertical for supplying me with another fix of Inio Asano.  It’s been almost two years since “Nijigahara Holograph” came out and I was starting to get antsy.  Kudos to Viz as well, with their forthcoming two-in-one releases of “Goodnight, Punpun” starting next month.  But what about this […]

I consider it the crown jewel of Tokyopop’s publishing efforts.  Fans of “Sailor Moon,” “Fruits Basket,” “Love Hina,” or their many CLAMP titles may disagree, but that’s how I roll.  (Can I get a shout-out for “STONe?”  Anyone… Anyone… Bueller…)  One of the rare manga published here that manages to combine hard science with serious […]

Is this it? Kodansha Comics has already gone on record as saying that this will be the last volume of “Vinland Saga” published in the U.S. unless sales pick up.  So if you like this series and haven’t already picked up all seven volumes, you’d better go do it now!  If you haven’t, then vol. […]

Hiroaki Samura has done a couple series since wrapping up his epic masterpiece “Blade of the Immortal.”  This one is just the first to reach our shores.  Expecting something on the same level of brilliance as his signature series would just be an exercise in setting myself up for disappointment.  Yet this is likely to […]

The series comes to a satisfying end, even though I was expecting a bit more after the build-up from the previous volume.  By all rights the highlight of vol. 12 should’ve been the cat-and-mouse duel between Amuro and Char given the way their paths have crossed over the course of the series and the sheer […]

The previous volume left off on a dramatic cliffhanger as Elias, enraged by the wounding of Chise, began to lose his human form and revert to his natural one.  What follows is a rousing sequence of action and drama as the two, and those in their immediate vicinity face off against Joseph, a.k.a. Cartaphilus, a.k.a. […]