Manga Review: "Dawn of Arcana" Volume 1

The Loving Spoonful:  The first volume of this series is AWESOME!  Nakaba is my girl and Loki is scrumptious.   There's a good mix of action, romance, and biting insults.  Oh, and the pacing is great!  It doesn't get bogged down in explanations or forced sentiments.  This series, so far, has everything I love. 5/5
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It's been a long time since I've written a manga review, so forgive me if this one turns out to be crappy.  I really don't know where to start on this one.  Let's just say when I bought it, I didn't know what to expect.  Red-haired Princess, obviously brings to mind AnS.   It was a comparison I was ready to make as I read "Dawn of Arcana".  I'd say about 5 or 6 pages into it, I realized that this was no clone or relative of AnS (Actually, it's more along the lines "Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen").  This is a truly strong red-haired princess, and her prince, though weak now, is no puss.  After that, AnS flew out of my mind and I was swept away with "Dawn of Arcana".


First a short summary:   In order to bring peace between warring countries, Princess Nakaba of the northern country of Senan marries Prince Cesear of the Southern country of Belquat.  Princess Nakaba has red-hair, the mark of commoner, which has led her to live a life of ridicule.  Princess Nakaba is accompanied by her faithful servant Loki, a strong part dog, part man bishie.  Of course, the Nakaba and Cesear don't like each other at first and one of their fights, involving a knife and sword, degenerates into dangerous foreplay -- ahem... Heheheh...ah yeah...I don't want to give anymore away, because this is something you have to read and let yourself get carried away with.

What I like most about this manga is that characters have bite.  They fight and they insult each other and the princess and the prince have a wonderful red hot tension between them.  Cesear wants to be strong and supported and Nakaba has enough strength to share.  But she is vulnerable as well.  Her life hasn't been easy and some sad back-story is revealed in this first volume.  I have the feeling some interesting political intrigue is coming in future volumes.  Oh, and did I mention that Loki is friggin AWESOME! Needless to say, I look forward very much to next volume of this series. 5/5

Link to purchase "Dawn of Arcana" Volume 1 from the Omari's Sister Amazon store.
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Some parting thoughts:  I don't know whether this series opens the door for series like AnS and ZHD to get licensed.  I think in comparison, AnS is bland and I wouldn't put it out now because the comparison is too easy.  Reading something like "Dawn of Arcana" really highlights some of AnS's story and character weaknesses.  ZHD, on the other hand, is similar to "Dawn of Arcana" in premise and character strength, but with less bite.  ZHD has slapstick comedic elements that sets it apart and keep the story from going too dark.  I could see ZHD being a great companion to "Dawn of Arcana". 

As for AnS, I've been thinking a lot about it lately.  I'm glad the pirate arc is over.  I thought pirates would be cool, but it felt to me as though Sorata didn't have the same love of pirate romance as other mangaka.  AnS is much better when it sticks to character interactions and slice-of-life themes.  That said, I'm happy AnS has returned to the spirit of its earlier chapters, and I look forward to the deepening of Zen and Shirayuki's bond.

New Manga Purchases: Dec 8, 2010 to Feb 23, 2011

Here's my most recent purchases:

• "Gakuen Alice" Volume 15 -- One of my favorite volumes and the best sports arc in any series I've read so far 5/5.  I can't read the tiny font Tokyopop uses for the outside of bubble dialog, though.
• "Portrait of M&N" Volume 4 -- so cute, yet so strange 4/5 (Go Hijiri Ringo!)
• "Aion" Volume 1 -- Yuna Kasesaki's new series.  It's no where near as good a "Karin" but it's an entertaining read.  There seems to be some demographic confusion with this series.  The situations and the language indicate high schoolers, but the characters are drawn like 'tweens.  I found the disconnect disconcerting. 2.5/5
• "Mistress Fortune" -- I read the first chapter in Japanese back in 2008 and I wasn't impressed.  I'm still not impressed and found myself rather upset that anybody thinks it's normal for a 14-year girl to have DD sized breast and weigh 84-lbs.  That is mind poison!  Also the fact that they drink a lot of sugar water to get their powers was upsetting.   I got a few pages into the second chapter before I had to put it down. The drawing are beautiful and the book comes with a nice poster inside, however, I can't recommend this book for purchase and I think this book would be especially poisonous to any impressionable tween.  Every other series by Arina Tenemura is MUCH better than this sinker. 1/5
• "Black Bird" Volume 7 -- Chocolate sauce chapter!!!!  5/5
• "Stepping on Roses" Volume 4 -- it's so bad that it's kinda good...2/5/5
• "Black Lagoon" Volume 1 (for Hubby)
• "Natsume's Book of Friends" Volume 5 -- so nice before bed...5/5
• "Gunslinger Girls" Omnibus 1
• "The Black Gate" Volume 1 - 3 Omnibus -- It's good, but it's not something I'd typically read. I'm slowly working through it as a "bathroom reader".  I think folks who like slow developing shounen series will like this. 2.5/5
• "Arisa" Volumes 2 - 6 (Japanese Language)
• "Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen" Volume 4 (Japanese Language)
• "Ouran High School Host Club" Volume 17 (Japanese Language)
• "Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo" (Japanese Language) 

If you want to buy some of these books, please consider buying them from the Omari's Sister's Amazon Store.  Support your favorite manga series and put a nickel in my pocket.

First Impressions of Winter 2011 Anime Series

First, the loving spoonful:

• I will definitely watch:
• "Yumekui Merry"
• "Beelzebub"
• "Kore wa Zombie desu ka"
• "Level E"

• I will give it another episode
• "Gosick"
• "Puelle Magi Madoka Magica"
• "Infinite Stratos"
• "Dragon Crisis"

• Crap
• "Freezing"
• "Rio Rainbow Gate"

More Details about the series:

• "Gosick" ("Gothic") -- A really nice and normal Japanese boy transfers to a boarding school in a fictional European country in the Alps.  For reasons I didn't quite understand the students nickname him "The Dark Reaper".  He joins up with mysterious doll-like Goth-Loli named Victorique to solve crimes for a buffoon police detective.  The girl is a typical spoiled-ojou type and the boy, Kujo, is sucked along into the madness by his own curiosity.  It's not a particularly original series, but the first episode was well done and piqued my interest.  First Impression: 3/5
• "Rio Rainbow Gate" -- This series is about the adventures of the dealer Rio (aka "The Goddess of Victory") as she spreads luck and fan service through the fictional Howard Casino.  This show is 100% fan service -- Boo!  First Impression: 1/5 (by the way, Rio would be fired instantly for losing too much money for the house...stoopid...)
• "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" -- There was a glass school, chanting cotton balls with teeth and mustaches, butterflies, rave music, and tween girls running around with a cat-rabbit creature.  Message to the animators: STOP TAKING DRUGS! THEY ARE BAD FOR YOU! I don't know what the heck was going on in that anime and I'm not sure I want to.  The main character looks freaky to me because she has the face and hairstyle of a 4-year old on the body of a 12-year old. First Impression: 1/5, BUT, worth a second look because the first episode may have been super messed up for shock value.  Hopefully some sort of story will be revealed in the second episode.
• "Yumekui Merry" --  A boy who can predict other people's dreams has the same dream every night -- He's being chased by an army of cats.  One day a mysterious girl lands on him and later she appears in a waking dream he's having.  In the dream she defeats the cat boss and demands that the cat boss take her back to the dream world.  I love the Cat Boss and my interest is definitely piqued.  First Impression: 4/5
• "Infinite Stratos" -- By some miracle a boy is able to pilot a gundam that only girls can pilot.  He ends up going to an all girls boarding school to learn to master this gundam only to become roommates with his shy and violent childhood friend.  In general this show looks stupid, but I do want to see the boy kick this obnoxious British girl's behind in the gundam battle that is promised for episode 2, so I'll stick around for that.  First Impression: 2/5
• "Beelzebub" -- Delinquents and an angry infant who's the son of Satan.  Need I say more?  First Impression:  5/5
• "Kore wa Zombie Desuka?" -- Some poor smuck of a boy is murdered, resurrected by a cute necromancer, and then runs into a magical girl with a chainsaw in the town cemetery.  Stuff happens and in the end he's a zombie and a magical girl cross dresser.  You had me at "zombie".  First Impression: 5/5   
• "Level E" -- A kid on a baseball scholarship moves to a new city, only to find himself rooming with a freeloading Bishonen alien.  The interactions between the kid and the alien are priceless and the story has hints of a world like the one in "Men in Black".  First Impression: 5/5
• "Freezing" -- I couldn't pay any attention to the first episode, so I don't know what happened and apparently my brain rejected it within 30-seconds.   First Impression: 0/5
• "Dragon Crisis" -- Meek boy, Ryuji,  and his well-endowed treasure hunting second cousin steal a dragon from some criminals.  The "dragon" is a fire breathing 'tween girl who is extremely attached to Ryuji, AND, Ryuji may know this girl because she's appeared in his dreams.  First Impression: 2/5 -- Lame, but the promise of a kooky scientist father earns this series a second look.

Manga Purchase: December 7th - 31st

• Dengeki Daisy Volume 3 -- Kurosaki Delight!  Love him!!!  5/5
• Kamisama Kiss Volume 1 -- The first chapter is pretty weak, but it gets better. 3/5
• Arisa Volume 1 -- This starts off pretty innocently as a story of twin sisters separated by divorce.  Then one day the rebellious sister goes to visit the good sister and spends a day at school in her shoes.  Things go off the tracks from there beginning with the good sister's attempted suicide.  This got surprising intriguing towards the end of the first volume.  4/5.  Note of caution:  The English licensing isn't stable and as if now only volume 2 out of a 6 total available volumes out now are scheduled to release in 2011. 
• Eensy Weensy Monster Volume 1 -- See my earlier review of this charming series. 5/5
• Gakuen Alice Volume 14
• VB Rose Volume 11 -- Flashbacks to when Yukari and Mitsuya first met that tease the edges of BL.  Part of me wishes it was something a little complicated like that...but...that's not the story.  Still, it feels a little like a cop out.  It looks like the translator and English adaptation writer were trying to use "hipper" language.  I think it was overall successful, though, a few phrases read a little weird.  4/5
• Skyblue Shore Volume 1 -- See my earlier review of this boring first volume. FAIL. (No link to purchase.  Save your money for something better.) I hope this series doesn't influence whether the author's other series "Orange Chocolate" gets licensed.
• Ghost Hunt Volume 11

If you are interested in owning any of these series, please consider purchasing from Omari's Sister's Amazon store.  Thanks to the people who last month made purchases from the Ouran section I created.  I hope you are enjoying your merch :).

Manga Review: "Skyblue Shore"

"Skyblue Shore" by Nanpei Yamada and published in English by TokyoPop has to be the most boring manga I've ever read.  I struggled through the entire first volume because I love "Orange Chocolate" so much.  But, alas, this first volume is a lifeless turd.  Basically, it's a beach themed slice-of-life drama.  There's a pointless love triangle between two 16-year olds and 25-year old man and boring bit-- plays the useless 4th wheel.  I'd like to thank TokyoPop for leaving most of the effects untranslated and for a translation that includes the phrase, "back in the day" coming from the mouth of an uber-innocent 15-year old girl.  FAIL.  I weep for Yamada-sensei...

New Manga Purchase: Week of June 6, 2010

• "My Girlfriend is a Geek" -- 1/5
  
  
  Ugh..., this manga had a promising title, but then shot itself in the foot.  The running gag in this series is that the main character's girlfriend is into Shounen Ai manga and pushes her manga fantasies onto her boyfriend.  My brain simply screams out that no man with an ounce of self-respect would get wrangled into the situations the main character does and any sensible onnaotaku who wants to have a productive and mature relationship with a man knows to keep manga and anime SEPARATE from real life.   With that in mind, the whole situation seems forced for the purpose of being at the edge of titillation without actually being Shounen Ai.  Putting that aside, I have the sneaking suspicion the English version is heavily censored and watered down.  It read like something for a 13-year old as it tip-toed through the matters of being a Fujoshi.  I can't even pretend I understand the "Fujoshi" thing, but I get the feeling this manga series doesn't do this particular group of geeks justice.  Regardless, I couldn't get through the entire first volume.  1/5 for being LAME. Stay away from this steaming turd.  (Also, this version put out by Yen Press has typos...sigh...)