After seventeen volumes, Osamu Tezuka’s best long-form series comes to an end.  There have been over a hundred stories involving the title character’s miraculous medical prowess and the majority of them have been good, if not excellent.  It’s certainly entertaining to see him break the laws of medical reality on a near-regular basis, but it’s […]

Vol. 19 of “Slam Dunk” is almost as thrilling as its previous installments.  We’re still knee-deep in the Shohoku/Ryonan match and even though the former begins the second half by six points, Rukawa shows he still has plenty in the tank to help make up that deficit.  Not one to be outshone by his rival, […]

Though the structure of this series tends towards the episodic, showcasing the various situations its cast of low-Earth-orbit window washers finds itself in, there have been hints of an uber-arc to tie everything together in previous volumes.  You’d figure that with how young window washer Mitsu’s father disappeared all those years ago that mangaka Hisae […]

Not only was this worth the year-long wait from the release of vol. 9, but my reaction upon finishing it was basically, “Damn!  I can’t wait to see what happens next!”  “Real” is in a position similar to other series like “Berserk,” “Black Lagoon,” “Yotsuba&!” and “Blade of the Immortal,” where the long waits between […]

This is shojo manga of the oldest school.  Both in the sense that it was originally published in 1953, and created by a man — none other than Osamu Tezuka himself.  Its concept is bizzare enough to loop back around to being kind of groundbreaking for its time.  A mix-up in heaven causes a girl […]

There are series where I wait months for a new volume, and then there are series where I wait years for a new volume.  However long the wait is for a new volume of “Blade of the Immortal” it never, ever disappoints.  That’s just one of the many reasons why it has been my favorite […]

This is probably the most sane work I’ve read from mangaka Usamaru Furuya, who was also responsible for the deranged, psychosexual coming-of-age story “Lychee Light Club” published earlier this year.  It starts out with a metafictional twist as Furuya is struggling to come up with an idea for his next serial and is directed to […]

With my expectations properly adjusted, it’s much easier to appreciate this series’ considerable virtues.  Though chapters devoted to things such as breadmaking, embroidery and the title character “obtaining the heart of a bride” could’ve come off as tiresome history lessons, mangaka Kaoru Mori’s skill with character development and art that is both rich in detail […]

I’m a social drinker and generally see alcohol as more of a “social lubricant” than something that’s meant to be savored or enjoyed.   My poison of choice is usually Malibu Pineapple Rum, with their Mango variety coming in second.  The Banana variety is also good, though they don’t put it in the oversize bottles […]

Last week I mentioned how surprised I was to see Osamu Tezuka’s “The Book of Human Insects” on the New York Times’ manga bestseller list.  This week had an equally unexpected and welcome surprise as vol. 17 of “20th Century Boys” debuted at #7.  While seeing a Tezuka work on the list was gratifying just […]