Sesho's Anime and Manga Reviews
524 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsReviewing all types of manga, anime old and new with a critical and passionate eye. Email: [email protected]
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Episodes
Manga Review: Psycho Busters Volume 2
July 17, 2008 15:22 - 37 KB image/jpegManga Review of Psycho Busters Volume 2. Story by Yuya Aoki, creator of Getbackers. Manga by Akinari Nao. Translated and adapted by Stephen Paul. Originally published by Kodansha in Japan. Published by Del Rey in US, $10.95, Rated Older Teen 16+. Kakeru and his new psychic friends are holed up at his house after being attacked by two Category Ones last volume. They won't be disturbed since Kakeru's mom and sisters are on vacation in Hawaii and his dad has been out of the country on business...
Manga Review: Gunslinger Girl Volume 6 by Yu Aida
July 16, 2008 20:33 - 25.2 KB image/jpegGunslinger Girl Volume 6 by Yu Aida. Translated by Javier Lopez. Originally published by Media Works in Japan. Published in US by ADV Manga, $9.99, Rated 16+. The Social Welfare Agency believes that it has learned from its past mistakes and is ready to begin production of a second generation of cyborg assassins. There will be an initial run of 10 girls with design improvements. While the physical abilities of the cyborgs will be less than that of the first, the new "conditioning" process w...
Podcast Episode 108: Gunslinger Girl Volume 5 by Yu Aida
July 16, 2008 20:11 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBManga Podcast Episode 108: Gunslinger Girl Volume 5 by Yu Aida. Translated by Javier Lopez. Originally published in Japan by Media Works. Published in US by ADV Manga, $9.99, Rated 16+. A brief overview of the series and then a review of Volume 5. Padania has begun to suffer from a bit of infighting and the first victim is going to be Cristiano, the leader of the Milan faction. His only allies are Franco, Franca, and Pinocchio. All of them feel a sense of loyalty to Cristiano, especially P...
Podcast Episode 107: Arm of Kannon Volume 1 by Masakazu Yamaguchi
July 12, 2008 18:24 - 11 minutes - 5.08 MBPodcast Manga Review 107: Arm of Kannon Volume 1 by Masakazu Yamaguchi. Translated by Erika Jones. Adapted by Jordan Capell. Published in Japan by Gentosha. Published in US by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Mature 18+. This Podcast contains mature language so keep the kids away!! Mao and Maya's archaeology professor father has been missing for 3 years, but now he's come home to see his kids. But he's not the same devoted familyman he used to be. He has been corrupted by the evil Arm of Senju Kan...
Podcast Episode 106: Gantz Volume 1 by Hiroya Oku
July 11, 2008 03:57 - 15 minutes - 4.38 MBPodcast Manga Review of Gantz Volume 1 by Hiroya Oku. Translated by Matthew Johnson. Originally published in Japan by Shueisha. Published in US by Dark Horse, $12.95, Rated Mature 18+. The highly violent, highly sexualized, and highly anticipated series is finally out from Dark Horse and it doesn't disappoint. Kei and Kato are saved from death in a subway accident only to find themselves trapped in a room with a group of people from all walks of life whisked away in a similar manner right b...
Podcast Episode 105: Koi Cupid Volume 1
July 10, 2008 23:35 - 8 minutes - 2.46 MBPodcast manga review of Koi Cupid Volume 1 by Mia Ikumi. Translated by Rie Hagihara. Adapted by Jason R. Grissom. Originally published in Japan by Soft Bank Creative. Published in US by Broccoli Books, $9.99, Rated E for Everyone. The job of the cupids Ai, Koi, and Ren, is to make sure that those that are fated to be lovers come together to fulfill their destiny. Sometimes it might be the shyness of the boy or girl that is keeping them apart. Or it could be a job or a misunderstanding. Wha...
Gurren Lagann Beats Batman
July 10, 2008 22:18 - 29.4 KB image/jpegWell, I had put in my order for the Dark Knight Blu-Ray dvd from Amazon, but after reading some negative reviews online, it just did not seem like a safe bet to buy it sight unseen. So I cancelled my order. I'm going to rent it before I put down money on it. But I did find an unknown quantity to buy today. I bought the first volume of Gurren Lagann at Best Buy for $19.99. It's quite a good deal from Bandai Entertainment, which seems a complete antithesis of Bandai Visual with its overprice...
Manga Review: Harukaze Bitter Bop Volume 2
July 09, 2008 18:37 - 37.2 KB image/jpegManga Review of Harukaze Bitter Bop Volume 2 by Court Betten. Translated by Christine Schilling. Adapted by Kereth Cowe-Spigai. Originally published in Japan by Mag Garden. Published in US by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Teen 13+. Souza of the North Wind still hasn't recovered his memory, and it might be a bit late anyway, as he is apparently killed by an assassin named Kurusu of the Sun. Or at least severely wounded. Kurusu was sent from the Rokka corporation, which on the surface appears to be...
Batman, Geneon, and Barack Obama in Air Gear!
July 09, 2008 02:03 - 38.2 KB image/jpegBatman: Gotham Knight is out on DVD and Blu-Ray today featuring the animation of such popular Japanese studios as Production IG, 4c, and Madhouse. I haven't had a chance to see it yet. I looked at Hollywood Video today but for some dumb reason they did not receive any copies. Amazon.com has a pretty good price for the Blu-Ray version: $21.95 which I will probably order tomorrow. I'm pretty excited about the new movie. The official site link is: http://www.warnervideo.com/batmangothamknight/...
Manga Review: Samurai Commando Volumes 1-2
July 09, 2008 00:43 - 31.9 KB image/jpegManga Review of Samurai Commando: Mission 1549 Volumes 1&2. Art by Ark Performance. Story by Harutoshi Fukui. Original idea by Ryo Hanmura. Translated and adapted by Sheldon Drzka. Originally published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten. Published in US by CMX, $9.99 each, Rated T+. 35-year-old Yusuke Kashima is having a hard time finding a job that he can hold on to. Currently he's on the verge of losing his eighth one since being discharged from the Japanese Self Defense Force. In the SDF, he w...
Episode 104: Aquarion The Complete Series Part 1, Episodes 1-5
July 08, 2008 19:52 - 11 minutes - 3.21 MBAnime DVD review of Episodes 1-5 of the Aquarion Complete Series Box Set Part 1. Published by Funimation. 12,000 years ago the human race was saved from defeat by the Solar Wing, a Shadow Angel who betrayed his own race for the love of a human girl. All of these thousands of years passed with no word of the Shadow Angels but they reawakened in the aftermath of the Great Catastrophe which devastated the planet 11 years ago. Now the only force that can stand against them is Aquarion, a giant...
Manga Review: Sunshine Sketch Volume 1 by Ume Aoki
July 08, 2008 16:48 - 30.4 KB image/jpegManga Review of Sunshine Sketch Volume 1 by Ume Aoki. Translated by Satsuki Yamashita. Originally published by Houbunsha in Japan. Published in US by Yen Press, $10.99, Rated Teen. Sunshine Sketch is about 4 art students attending the prestigious Yamabuki Private High School. They are all neighbors in the Hidamari Apartment Building, which is notorious for housing weirdos from the Arts department. I don't know if you would qualify sophomores Yun and Miyu, and juniors Sae and Hiro as "weirdo...
Manga Review: Sorcerer Hunters Volume 5 by Ray Omishi and Satoru Akahori
July 05, 2008 16:44 - 39.2 KB image/jpegSorcerer Hunters Volume 5. Art by Ray Omishi. Story by Satoru Akahori. Translated by Anita Sengupta. Originally published by Media Works in Japan. Published in US by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. The Sorcerer Hunters had quite the Darth Vader moment facing off against the Sorcerer Hunter Killers last volume. Tira and Chocolat learned that the leader of the Killers was none other than their adopted father Sacher Torte, who had rebelled against Big Mama 13 years ago. Also among Sach...
Manga Review: Gunslinger Girl Volume 4 by Yu Aida
July 05, 2008 16:00 - 28.6 KB image/jpegGunslinger Girl Volume 4 by Yu Aida. Translated by Javier Lopez. Originally published in Japan by Media Works. Published in US by ADV Manga, $9.99, Rated 16+. Volume 4 of Gunslinger Girl begins with a focus on perhaps the saddest member of the cast of girl assassins: Claes. Her handler had begun to doubt the ethics of what he was doing and had thought about exposing the whole operation. To prevent this, he was liquidated by the SWF. The problem is that once a girl bonds to her handler, ther...
Funimation Goes Godzilla Style on ADV and Geneon
July 04, 2008 21:13Well, never fear if you cowering in your boots about the demise of Geneon and consequently, the fate of your favorite anime series. According to ANN, Funimation has picked up the rights to "manufacture, sell, and distribute "select" DVD titles in North America. Those titles include Ergo Proxy, Hellsing Ultimate, Black Lagoon, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, Karin, Kyo kara Maoh! Season 2, Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, Elemental Gelade, Fate/stay night, Kamichu, the live-action Ninja Vixen...
Manga Review: 10,20, and 30 Volume 2 by Morim Kang
July 02, 2008 20:34 - 12.7 KB image/jpegManga Review: 10,20, and 30 Volume 2 by Morim Kang. Translated by Misun Jang. Published by Net Comics, $9.99, Rated 16+. As this second volume opens, Belle has run away from the Krumb household. Well, if you call going to your mom's house running away. Belle's mom is still on about her finding a man and getting married, even if it means marrying the useless Beau. Meanwhile, Rok is having her own man problems as she continues to question why she treats Angel so badly, lashing out at him for...
Podcast Episode 103: In Odd We Trust by Dean Koontz and Queenie Chan
July 01, 2008 22:24 - 12 minutes - 3.67 MBPodcast Manga Review of In Odd We Trust by Queenie Chan and Dean Koontz. Published by Del Rey, $10.95. Odd Thomas is a young guy who usually keeps his nose out of other people's business, unless they are dead people. Odd has the ability to see the spirits of the dead. From time to time these spirits seek him out for a bit of help, or just to hang out. Elvis is a pretty firm fixture in the town. A seven-year-old boy is found stabbed to death by a housekeeper along with a letter from the kill...
Podcast Episode 102: Negima Volume 1 by Ken Akamatsu
June 27, 2008 23:58 - 10 minutes - 2.88 MBManga review of Negima Volume 1 by Ken Akamatsu. Translated by Hajime Honda. Adapted by Peter and Kathleen O'Shea David. Originally published by Kodansha in Japan. Published in US by Del Rey, $10.95, Rated OT, 16+. 10 year old Negi Springfield has just graduated from magic school when he receives his mystic diploma which dictates a student's career. Negi has been assigned as a teacher in Japan. He arrives at Mahora Academy as their new English professor, replacing the popular Takahata-sens...
Manga Review: Gunslinger Girl Volume 3 by Yu Aida
June 20, 2008 17:57 - 22.8 KB image/jpegManga Review: Gunslinger Girl Volume 3 by Yu Aida. Translated by Amy Forsyth. Originally published by Media Works in Japan. Published by ADV Manga in US, $9.99, Rated 16+. One of the Social Welfare Agency's agents has gone missing while on the trail of a mysterious new threat. I know it doesn't sound frightening, but the name of this threat is....Pinocchio! No, he's not the wooden puppet but seriously, his skills as a cold-blooded killer make him a match even for the Agency's cybernetically...
Manga Review: Gunslinger Girl Volume 2 by Yu Aida
June 20, 2008 17:50 - 16.7 KB image/jpegManga Review: Gunslinger Girl Volume 2 by Yu Aida. Translated by Eiko McGregor. Originally published in Japan by Media Works. Published in US by ADV Manga, $9.99, Rated 16+. Volume 2 of Gunslinger Girl has less violence and more character development than the first installment. We start off with the backstory of Claes and end with the backstory of the first girl agent, Angelica. The most touching moments of the series are when the girls remember their humanity despite all the conditioning t...
Episode 101: Buso Renkin Box Set 1, Disc 1: Episodes 1-4
June 19, 2008 02:55 - 10 minutes - 2.91 MBPodcast 101: Anime dvd review of the first disc of the Buso Renkin Box Set 1, Episodes 1-4. Kazuki Muto is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is witness to an attack by a Homunculus, a shape shifting human eating monster, on an innocent schoolgirl. Kazuki bravely dies in an attempt to save the girl. She ends up being a Alchemist warrior named Tokiko, who is in the business of exterminating Homunculi. She kills the monster and then revives Kazuki by replacing his heart with a kakugane...
Episode 100: Psycho Busters Volume 1 by Akinari Nao and Yuya Aoki
June 18, 2008 19:42 - 12 minutes - 3.62 MBPodcast Episode 100: Psycho Busters Volume 1 manga review. Manga by Akinari Nao. Story by Yuya Aoki. Translated and adapted by Stephen Paul. Originally published in Japan by Kodansha. Published in US by Del Rey, $10.95, Rated Older Teen 16+. Kakeru is a boy bored with reality. He lives mainly through computer games and is just waiting for something exciting and incredible to happen to him. With his mother and sisters gone on vacation to Hawaii and his dad off on a business trip, Kakeru has...
Episode 99: Dance in the Vampire Bund Volume 1 by Nozomu Tamaki
June 11, 2008 23:52 - 9 minutes - 2.83 MBPodcast Episode 99: Manga Review of Dance in the Vampire Bund Volume 1 by Nozomu Tamaki. Translated by Kenji Komiya. Adapted by Katherine Bell and Adam Arnold. Originally published in Japan by Media Factory. Published in US by Seven Seas, $9.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. Mina Tepes, princess of the vampires, wants to found a vampire settlement off the coast of Japan. After she pays off the nation's budget deficit of 1000 trillion yen, she makes the goverment construct a man-made island called ...
Episode 98: Color of Rage by Kazuo Koike and Seisaku Kano
June 07, 2008 22:55 - 11 minutes - 3.36 MBPodcast manga review of Color of Rage. Story by Kazuo Koike. Art by Seisaku Kano. Translated by Naomi Kokubo with assistance of Jeff Carlson. Originally published by Koike Shoin Publishing in 2004. Published in US by Dark Horse, $14.95, Rated Mature 18+. George and King, two slaves, have escaped from their servitude on a whaling ship only to find themselves washed up on the shores of a Japan in crisis. A volcanic eruption has just recently killed 20,000 people, and a poor harvest is causing...
Podcast Episode 97: Heavenshield Volume 1 by Ryu Blackman
June 03, 2008 17:49 - 10 minutes - 2.89 MBHeavenshield Volume 1 by Ryu Blackman podcast manga review. Published by Tokyopop, $10.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. In this vague sci-fi adventure, the evil and demented General Oz has escaped from a high security prison to lead a military coup even as important members of the government are being killed by the Green Light Assassins. Enter Sepulveda Ramos, or Carrot, as she is more commonly called. Carrot is a prostitute who also takes up the government's dirty work as a secret agent. She has...
Episode 96: Batman Death Mask Issues 1-2 by Yoshinori Natsume
May 12, 2008 15:27 - 12 minutes - 3.52 MBEpisode 96: Comic book review of Batman Death Mask issues 1 and 2 by Yoshinori Natsume. Published by DC and CMX, $2.99 each, unflipped in black and white. Yoshinori Natsume, artist and writer of the Japanese manga Togari, tries his hand with an American icon with these first two issues of the four issue Batman: Death Mask. Bruce Wayne is having a bit of a mid-life crisis as he wonders who he really is. Is he Bruce Wayne masquerading as Batman or vice versa? Then he meets an employee of a J...
Podcast Episode 95: 5 Centimeters Per Second
May 10, 2008 21:00 - 12 minutes - 3.68 MBPodcast Anime Review Episode 95: 5 Centimeters Per Second. Written and directed by Makoto Shinkai. ADV Films, $29.98. Takaki and Akari have been friends since they were young kids but when Akari moves away, their relationship gets a bit strained simply because of the physical distance between them. Now in high school, Takaki finds out he too is moving and he will probably never see Akari again. So he makes a desperate try to reach her via train on a night when heavy snow is making such a t...
Podcast Episode 94: Kashimashi Volume 5 by Satoru Akahori and Yukimaru Katsura
April 25, 2008 22:36 - 10 minutes - 2.88 MBManga Podcast Review of Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl Volume 5. Story by Satoru Akahori. Art by Yukimaru Katsura. Translated by Adrienne Beck. Adapted by Janet Houck. Originally published in Japan by Media Works. Published in US by Seven Seas under their Strawberry imprint, Rated 16+, $10.99. In this concluding volume, Hazumu's life grains are running out, leaving her 30 days to make peace with her friends and decide whether she is going to declare her love for Tomari or Yasuna, or neither o...
Manga Review: Kashimashi Volume 4 by Satoru Akahori and Yukimaru Katsura
April 13, 2008 20:38 - 11.9 KB image/jpegKashimashi: Girl Meets Girl Volume 4. Story by Satoru Akahori. Art by Yukimaru Katsura. Originally published by Media Works in Japan. Published in US by Seven Seas, Rated Older Teen 16+, $10.99. Kashimashi has rapidly changed from a pseudo yuri title to that of a tragic dying soulmate triangle in the space of one volume. In the third installment, we learned that Hazumu's life will end in 30 days due to the fact that her "life grains" have run out. In fact, she was supposed to have died the...
Podcast Episode 93: Tweeny Witches Volume 1
April 10, 2008 00:37 - 10 minutes - 3.03 MBTweeny Witches Volume 1 Anime DVD Podcast review. Episodes 1-7. Directed by Yoshiharu Ashino. Script Writer: Shinji Obara. Anime Works, $24.98, Rated Ages 13+. 11 year old Arusu is bored with our little planet. The only thing that keeps her interested is her belief in magic. Unfortunately, magic is nonfunctional in our world. Her dream comes true when she is transported to a magical forest in the midst of a fairy roundup by some apprentice witches about her own age. The fairies are needed f...
Rednecks in the Anime Aisle
April 02, 2008 02:41Ok, I grew up and still live in the South, so trust me, I know all about rednecks, but my experience at Best Buy tonight took the prize. I had went there to buy the boxed set of Noein that was on sale for half price, and picked it up and was browsing the other anime dvds. These two guys with hick accents (its ok, I can say that, since I have a hick accent), came down the aisle and one chuckled and said "Hey, look, it's aniporn!" as he looked at the anime dvds. The other guy, in a similar hic...
Anime DVD Review: Air TV Volume 4
March 30, 2008 15:21 - 22 KB image/jpegAir TV Volume 4. Directed by Tatsuya Ishihara. Series Composition by Fumihiko Shimo. ADV Films, $29.98. The true finale of Air TV, which took place on Volume 3 as Misuzu fell dead into the arms of her adopted mother was pretty painful to watch. This last volume opens with a recap episode of her short life and ends, again, with her death. The other two episodes on the disc go back to the middle story arc in which the winged girl, Kanna, along with her handmaiden, Uraha, and her warrior guar...
Manga Review: The Law of Ueki Volume 9 by Tsubasa Fukuchi
March 29, 2008 18:19 - 16.8 KB image/jpegManga Review: The Law of Ueki Volume 9 by Tsubasa Fukuchi. Translated and adapted by Yoshiko Tokuhara. Originally published by Shogakukan in Japan. Published by Viz, $9.99, Rated T for Teen. The story of why Robert has such a low opinion of humanity opens up Volume 9 of The Law of Ueki. His treatment by the inhabitants of the town where he grew up as a an orphan explains why he wants to destroy the world if he wins the tournament. It explains WHY but it still does not make it right. The re...
Podcast Episode 92: Monkey High Volume 1 by Shouko Akira
March 29, 2008 14:02 - 8 minutes - 2.43 MBMonkey High Volume 1 by Shouko Akira manga podcast review. Translated and adapted by Mai Ihara. Originally published by Shogakukan in Japan. Published in the US by Viz Shojo Beat, $8.99, Rated T for Teen. Haruna Aizawa has just transferred from the elite K Academy to Kita High School. Why? Because her politician father was arrested on corruption charges and when her friends at K found out about it, they turned on her and started treating her like a freak. She moved to Kita in the hopes of h...
Anime DVD Review: Area 88 Volume 1-- Treacherous Skies
March 26, 2008 00:52 - 13.1 KB image/jpegArea 88 Volume 1: Treacherous Skies. Episodes 1-3. ADV Films. Running Time: 75 minutes. Directed by Isamu Imakake. Screenplay by Hiroshi Ohnogi, $29.98. Makoto Shinjo is a war photographer that shows no fear when it comes to capturing the essence of his subject, even if his life is on the line. He's come to the desert of Aslan to document the lives and battles of the mercenary pilots fighting against anti-government forces. It's pretty easy to sign up as a mercenary but very hard to get out...
Anime DVD Review: 009-1 Volume 2
March 25, 2008 00:13 - 13.5 KB image/jpeg009-1 Volume 2, ADV Films, $29.98 In the world of 009-1, the Cold War between the Western and Eastern Blocs has gone on for 140 years. This is not a war fought between great armies on desolate nuclear battlefields. This is a war fought by covert agents on both sides in a cat and mouse contest for technological advantage. Mylene Hoffman, cyborg agent 009-1, is the best spy the Western Bloc has, but she has one distinct weakness. She still has a heart. Time and again, she has faced situation...
Novel Review-- Naruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood
March 24, 2008 23:34 - 18.5 KB image/jpegNaruto: Innocent Heart, Demonic Blood by Masatoshi Kusakabe. Original Concept by Masashi Kishimoto. Translated by Tomo Kimura and Janet Gilbert. Originally published in Japan by Shueisha. Published in US by Viz under their Shonen Jump Fiction imprint. Price: $9.99 12 years ago a nine-tailed fox demon attacked the Hidden Leaf Village, and many of its ninja were killed in the battle. Unable to outright defeat the monster, the Fourth Hokage instead sealed the demon within the navel of a newbor...
Podcast Review Episode 91: GTO Volume 2 by Tohru Fujisawa
March 24, 2008 19:34 - 10 minutes - 2.93 MBGTO volume 2 by Tohru Fujisawa manga review. Translated by Dan Papia. Originally published in Japan by Kodansha. Published in US by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. Onizuka's training is over and he is all set to become a full-fledged teacher. He thinks he made such a good impression at Musashino High where he student taught that he will be getting a call anytime telling him that he has been hired. He even skips taking the teacher exam because he thinks the position is his. Imagine h...
Episode 90: Gunslinger Girl Volume 1 by Yu Aida
March 24, 2008 02:30 - 11 minutes - 3.38 MBPodcast review of Gunlinger Girl Volume 1 by Yu Aida. Translated by Eiko McGregor. Originally published by Media Works in Japan. Published in US by ADV manga, $9.99, Rated Teen 15+. The Social Welfare Agency is seen as a great institution by most peopl because it helps out handicapped youngsters, but in actuality it is a secret government unit that recruits young girls to become cyborg killers. The girls have no choice since they are brainwashed, or conditioned, to follow orders. They are p...
Manga Review: Sorcerer Hunters Volume 3 by Ray Omishi and Satoru Akahori
March 23, 2008 15:21 - 15.6 KB image/jpegSorcerer Hunters Volume 3. Story by Satoru Akahori. Art by Ray Omishi. Originally published in Japan by Media Works. Published in US by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. Volume 3 opens during the climactic battle with Zombie Master, a powerful sorcerer who has further augmented his skills with the Necronomicon, the spellbook of immortality. Then it's on to a little rest and relaxation in Gamblin City, a city that makes Las Vegas look like a tiny village. Carrot is all pumped up to gam...
Episode 89: Dark Metro Volume 1 by Tokyo Calen and Yoshiken
March 20, 2008 15:24 - 10 minutes - 2.96 MBPodcast Episode 89: Manga Review of Dark Metro Volume 1. Story by Tokyo Calen. Art by Yoshiken. Adapted by Kereth Cowe-Spigai. Published by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. Unknown to humans, the subway tunnels beneath Tokyo are the boundary between our world and the Underworld inhabited by demons, ghosts, and grudges. So it's not really a good place to get stuck during the dead of the night. Sometimes people miss a train, and sometimes they are even lured down there by vengeful spir...
Seven Seas Light Novels Spotted
March 19, 2008 21:14 - 49.2 KB image/jpegIt seems the light novels promised by Seven Seas have finally arrived in bookstores, along with some new volumes of manga. I was surprised to see the light novels. They're a bit smaller than regular manga, measuring 10.5 cm x 15cm, containing about 290 pages and costing $7.95. The two volumes I saw were Volume 1 of Pita-Ten and Volume 1 of Strawberry Panic. I'm not a fan of Pita-Ten. Well, I've never read a volume of the series is what I mean. I have the first volume of the Strawberry Panic...
Episode 88: GTO volume 1 by Tohru Fujisawa
March 19, 2008 15:25 - 12 minutes - 3.53 MBPodcast Episode 88: GTO Great Teacher Onizuka Volume 1 by Tohru Fujisawa. Translated by Dan Papia. Originally published in Japan by Kodansha. Published in US by Tokyopop, $9.99, Rated Older Teen 16+. 22 year old virgin at large Eikichi Onizuka dropped out of high school but went on to complete a college degree at Eurasia College but is finding it hard to get a job. It might have something to do with his bleach blond pompadour and his three requirements for his prospective employers: an 8 m...
Episode 87: Naruto Volume 28 by Masashi Kishimoto
March 18, 2008 20:07 - 17 minutes - 4.98 MBPodcast Episode 87: Naruto Volume 28 by Masashi Kishimoto manga review. Translated by Mari Morimoto. Adapted by Deric A. Hughes and Benjamin Raab. Originally published in Japan by Shueisha. Published in US by Viz Shonen Jump, $7.95, Rated T for Teen. Well, I'm getting used to my new apartment and I like the extra space but I'm still arguing with people that have ripped off some of my money (I think of them as vampires). But anyway, I'm doing my first giveaway this podcast episode, a free c...
A Girl in Love with Sasuke
March 14, 2008 20:04I was surprised to see an article entitled The Fangirl's Crush this week in The Houston Chronicle, our one and only newspaper (actually I just moved to a suburb of Houston for cheaper rent and a bigger place). The columnist writes about her daughter's crush on Sasuke, one of the main characters in Naruto. Her daughter seems a little embarrassed about it, to the point that she doesn't want her mom to use her real name, and instead uses the nickname, Mojo. Mojo reads and gets caught with manga...
Gon Volume 3 by Masashi Tanaka
March 14, 2008 19:23 - 17.7 KB image/jpegManga review of Gon Volume 3 by Masashi Tanaka. Originally published in Japan by Kodansha. Published in US by CMX, Price: $5.99, Rated Teen for violence. Gon is the last dinosaur left on the Earth but we don't know if he is a baby or his small size is just the trait of his species. We do know one thing for sure, he is one tough customer. In this globe-trotting volume, he takes on the wildlife of the world. Piranhas in the Amazon, ruins the day of a dingo mother searching for food for her p...
Episode 86: Pumpkin Scissors Volume 1 by Ryotaro Iwanaga
March 02, 2008 15:50 - 10 minutes - 9.74 MBPodcast Manga Review Episode 86: Pumpkin Scissors Volume by Ryotaro Iwanaga. Translated and adapted by Ikoi Hiroe. Originally published by Kodansha in Japan. Published in US by Del Rey, $10.95, Rated Older Teen Ages 16+. Two warring states, the Empire and the Republic of Frost have signed a ceasefire, the so-called Thin Ice Treaty. Now, three years after hostilities, the Empire still suffers from starvation, disease, and rogue soldiers lording over the common people. A special army unit, S...
Moving Woes
February 26, 2008 01:25I haven't really mentioned this on my website or on my podcast but I actually started watching and reading anime and manga because I had such an awful job at the time. Going to work was so dreadful back in 2004 that I was looking for something new to occupy my mind. It started with Cowboy Bebop and just ballooned from that point on. Then I started reading manga as well, starting with GTO. I truly believe that without anime and manga that year I probably would have quit my job. The stories we...
Podcast Episode 85: Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix Volume 1: Persistence of Time
February 10, 2008 20:18 - 15 minutes - 4.52 MBAnime DVD Review of Phoenix Volume 1: Persistence of Time. Based on a manga by Osamu Tezuka. Directed by Ryousuke Takahashi, Running Time: 125 minutes, Episodes 1-5, $19.95. Volume 1 is primarily taken up by a storyline set in ancient Japan as an aging queen attacks the Land of Fire to obtain the blood of the Phoenix.It is said that if you drink the blood of this mythical bird, you can gain immortality. As is often the case, when humans try to gain something that will extend their lives be...
Newest L'Arc~en~Ciel Truth Album Available on Itunes
February 09, 2008 19:43The newest Album by L'Arc~en~Ciel, entitled "Truth", is now available for download in the Itunes store for $9.99. It has been out in Japan since November but in the US you can only obtain the physical cd by getting an import. Amazon has it listed for around $40. I'm sure you can find it pretty easily through your favorite Japan store but who can beat $10? As far as I can tell, the only other L'Arc album on Itunes is "Dune" for $11.99. Truth features a remix of "Link", the opening song of t...