Category: Manga

“Simply graduating from such a school affords you status and prestige.”

So few people can see the island floating in the sky that it is largely thought an urban legend. But those who can are eligible to enroll Naraka High School, and a guaranteed government job and life of luxury upon graduating. Momiji Rokudou is about to discover this deal isn’t nearly as good as it sounds.

Aphorism is a stark blend of intensity and weirdness, to good effect. Some of the mysteries surrounding the “character” Momiji chooses and its effects are odd and contrast with the relentless sense of despair at the school, which does allow for it to broken up a little and prevents it from becoming overwhelming. It’s too early to tell if the payoff will be as interesting as the general setup, but the potential is there.

The world itself is incredibly intriguing. I’m extremely interested in finding out the reason behind the school’s existence and the lack of forewarning given to the usually unsuspecting new students. The grim events of Momiji’s first day get the series off to a strong start and immediately establish how high the stakes are. The students’ frustration and desperation comes across well, and the general atmosphere is expertly nurtured to increase tension and heighten the story’s impact.

Strong start for this creepy, dark manga. I’ll want at least some minor answers for certain things sooner rather than later, but so far so good.

“I never thought this city was ideal.”

The rulers of No. 6 claim it is a Holy city where “despair has been eradicated.” Shion forsakes a privileged life and future to trust his own instincts and help someone in need. Years later the full effects of that choice, as well as possible truths about No. 6, will come back to him.

While the central concept of an apparently utopian society with a rotten core is cliche at this point, the particular details of No. 6 and the way things are unfolding give the world/plot a lot of potential.  There’s already been a couple of (minor) surprises to keep things intriguing. The Shounen-Ai element seems a bit blatant, and it would have been nice to have it more subtle and natural. The characters irk me a bit, and the villains are almost mustache twirling in their depictions, but there’s room for growth in both aspects.

I didn’t love this initial volume of No. 6, but there are some nice touches and enough here to make me curious about where things are going. I’m not in a rush to get the next volume, but can see myself reading more at some point.

“Idiot. I’m not afraid. Not anymore.”

The undead roam the Earth as Shikabane and need to be put down for good. An esoteric Buddhist sect decides to fight fire with fire…

Apparently it takes zombies (with guns) to kill zombies. Corpse Princesses are different from the rampaging Shikabane because of their will to retain their humanity (although why that seems to exclusively apply to young girls is left unexplained). After personally defeating 108 Shikabane a Corpse Princess will supposedly go to Heaven, although considering the sect’s general view of them as tool to be used and discarded I have my doubts. The main character, Makina, is just getting started and has 100 to go as the manga opens.

Corpse Princess is the gorefest the title implies, with extremely graphic battles between Makina and the Shikabane. Since she too is undead she often takes as much damage as she deals, and limbs, etc fly in every action sequence. With a somewhat perverted monk as a partner there is fanservice here and there, but it’s not as prevalent as I expected from Makina’s pose on the cover.

There are some nice touches in the storytelling, including little character traits like Makina’s reluctance to enter school grounds as well as the gradual introduction of another possible main character (with atrocious luck) in background scenes. The artist is a little too fond of speed lines during action sequences, but otherwise the art is good and easy to follow.

Corpse Princess has some intriguing elements to it beyond the expected gore and creepiness. Unfortunately the latter is too much for me personally and this just isn’t my thing overall. Good for what it is though and horror fans should check it out.

“I cannot make that decision. Only you can.”

Mikado City has been plagued by random appearances by alien monsters they call Neighbors for four years. But an organization called Border has enabled life in the city to go on by limiting the places Neighbors can appear and killing them when they do, all thanks to adapting technology from the Neighbors’ own dimension to use against them.

High school student Osamu is just a trainee, but he’s determined to always do the right thing despite his limitations. And he may be at the center of some huge threats to the status quo, as gates start appearing where they shouldn’t and his new friend indicates that not all Neighbors are monsters.

I’m finding it difficult to evaluate World Trigger. It’s riddled with typical Shounen elements and cliches, but has great world building and some flair that makes it feel somewhat unique and engaging. Osamu is the typical admirable-but-in-over-his-head protagonist, resented by his “superiors” for wanting to help despite being weak and accomplishing things he shouldn’t be capable of. The mysterious invading creatures fought by a targeted organization that employs high school students has been seen a hundred times, as has the enigmatic stranger. But Osamu has just enough to him to give hope for reasonable development in the future, and Yuma’s quirks are highly amusing and make him the star of the manga so far.

There’s nothing new in World Trigger, but it’s off to a decent start anyway. The world is intriguing and Yuma’s personality and the mysteries surrounding him are the hooks here. I’d be open to reading more and seeing how it all goes.

“People with the hearts of monsters… that’s all you’ll find there…”

Tatsumi dreams of joining the Capital’s garrison with his friends and earning the money needed to save their country village. But there are worse things than just monsters in the Capital…

Akame ga Kill doesn’t take long to crank up the tension and stakes in this introductory volume. It’s dark and gruesome in its depiction of the horrible realities faced by the general population and the root cause of it all, as well as the extreme measures being used to fight back. The core characters are doing bad things for good reasons, but are fully conscious of it and have no illusions about being righteous. This self-awareness is a good sign for future thematic depth of plot and characters.

There is a large cast and a lot to establish, so at the moment several characters are a bit one-note, and the violence both in premise and implementation of the story could drive some readers away. The art, while decent overall, is quite dark and sometimes muddled, making the action scenes hard to follow.

However despite the small flaws I am intrigued with the general setup as well as Night Raid and their mission. I can see myself continuing with this if I get a chance.

“… it’s time for the curtain to fall on this scene!”

As Oz investigates the mysterious circumstances of his trip to the Abyss, numerous other forces target him for what he may represent and be capable of.

This is a bit of a mixed volume. There’s a lot of action in the first half and a huge reveal about the truth behind the current status quo that wasn’t obvious but incredibly well foreshadowed looking back. Oz also has to make some interesting choices about who to trust with extremely limited information, which is a nice way to illustrate his character and what drives his intuition.

In the second half things slow WAY down, and the reader is given info dump after info dump (and confusingly vague ones at that). It all seems important to continue setting up the series, but I feel like it could’ve been conveyed and integrated better.

Overall I’m still quite intrigued with Pandora Hearts, particularly about the mysteries surrounding Alice and Oz. While I’m not as enamored as much with some of the supporting cast, the world and core plot lines are engrossing.

“Justice Blade!”

Dokeshi are a group of people with superpowers using techniques of magic, but they are then required to satisfy a certain condition or risk losing “something precious inside of them.” Shotaro is one such Dokeshi, with the unusual condition of having to do a good deed a day, and an even more unusual power…

Wow this was odd. The central concept is fantastic, and they use and twist the internal rules in clever ways, but the overall implementation and powers are downright weird. Our main character gains the characteristics of any type animal whose bone he chews on. Even in this first volume it’s used in several unique ways, but I’m not sure how long it can hold my interest as a story hook. The villains were just as strange, and the action didn’t do much for me.

In contrast the uniqueness of everything is directly undercut by Shotaro’s defining characteristic being the cliched hero worship of a tv superhero. Also the pacing suffers from too much rambling explanation that comes across as an info dump.

On the other hand there is a layer of whimsy and fun to things and the other central character, Mana, is more intriguing. This isn’t quite engaging enough for me to continue with everything else there is to read, but there’s enough here for me to recommend checking it out yourself if it sounds interesting.

“Your sin… is… your very being.”

Fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius is more excited about exploring the special family residence he gets to visit for his coming-of-age ceremony than the ceremony itself. But what he finds there is just the start of his decent into prophecy, danger, and the Abyss, a mythic prison from which there is supposedly no return.

Pandora Hearts starts slow and couple for a few chapters, then rapidly throws intrigue and conflict at the reader in breakneck fashion. It works for me because the world and its mysteries are engaging, but there are far more questions than answers in this set up volume. Oz really knows nothing about the chaos he’s thrown into, so neither do the readers. Yet the little clues and foreshadowing provided, as well as the glimpses of the various forces at play and dire pronouncements delivered, are quite engaging and pique curiosity nicely.

I enjoy the twisted layer of Alice in Wonderland that permeates everything, and am curious to see if there is eventually an in-world explanation or if it’s entirely thematic. Either way it works to add a little something extra to the manga. Its Alice serving numerous roles as enigmatic partner, powerful creature with her own agenda, and representation of “Wonderland” (rather than being the point of view outsider), gives the potential for significant depth as things proceed. I hope it’s capitalized on.

From the protagonist who doesn’t know his hidden powers to the female co-lead with nebulous background and motivation to the mysterious organization investigating the world no one thought was real, Pandora Hearts has numerous cliched elements of Shounen manga at its core. But I like the way they’re presented and blended here, and am definitely going to read at least a bit more.

“He lives in the past, and he will die in the past.”

Dimension W springs from the always intriguing idea that a world is defined by its power source. It’s 2072 AD and “coils” based on the work of Nicholas Tesla provide near unlimited power, but are strictly controlled. Dimension W follows a bounty hunter of sorts (called collectors) who retrieve illegal coils, as well as a robot who may be more than she seems.

Dimension W presents a captivating world and is dripping with potential. The main character is stuck in the past but capable of operating in the current environment, which provides a nice contrast and a great lens through which to view the unfolding events. Using skewers as his weapon of choice is offbeat and defines his character instantly.

With a compelling main character and a wonderfully imaginative world, Dimension W is set up well to present its story, which is already layered with interesting themes about the nature of A.I. and robots as well as the lengths of price of “keeping order” and how far it can be pushed. I’m excited to see how it all goes as the series builds momentum in future volumes.

“You should feel honored human, for I have come to make this world my own.”

Bored with inherited power and automatic domination over her world, the 666th Demon King Fienalia Glengard Flamveil breaks tradition and unseals The Dimensional Mirror looking for somewhere new to conquer. She ends up a bit sidetracked after becoming enamored with manga artist in training Kento Sugitani’s pet project, but having cut off his dominant arm the surer path is to learn to draw it herself. And so the Earth is spared her wrath for now…

Well, if you got through my summary above and are still here this manga is probably worth a shot. It’s as ridiculous (possibly more) than it sounds, with over-the-top dramatic overtones to boot. But somehow this blending of a harem romantic comedy with fantasy elements in a manga school setting is working for me. The parallel background events back in Ena’s world add a sense of foreboding future developments.

Demon King Ena-Sama Goes To Manga School is beyond odd, but in a good way as far as I’m concerned. I’m enjoying this and intrigued to see where things go as the series gets beyond the initial set up and introductions.