In our media-saturated
contemporary world, separating the good from the not so good is fast
becoming a task too great for each of us to handle individually. In
this section Pulp Fiction Comics' growing army of reviewers tell you,
straight up and uncensored, what they thought about what they bought
-- comics, graphic novels, movies and more.
Fancy your own
review? We probably will too. Click here
to go to the submission page.
Creators: Misaho Kujiradou, Courtney Love and DJ Milky Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Teen (13+)
Review by Nu
Tokyopop Summary: Ai is the only royal princess of Ai-Land, a magical kingdom caught in the midst of a horrific revolution. When Princess Ai makes a hasty escape from her war-torn land, she finds herself in modern-day Tokyo. Confused and in shock, Ai wanders the streets in this strange new land to unravel the secrets that could tear her and her kingdom apart...
Nu's Thoughts (possible spoilers): Before I say anything about the actual graphic novel, let me explain the phrase MarySue. MarySue is a commonly used phrase in fandoms where an author has made herself the main character and that character becomes everything the author believes they are or wishes they were.
This manga is Courtney Love's MarySue.
Princess Ai (Ai meaning Love in Japanese so there's no pretense of who this is suppose to be) ends up in modern day Tokyo with little memory of who she is where she proceeds to sing with a busker, get a job singing her new age rock in a host club and from there become a rock queen. She also meets a nice boy (named Kent just in case you thought she'd be subtle) who rescues kittens, sings and has a stereotypical gay crossdressing roommate who wants to shag him. Oh and she gets cool clothes and grows wings...
Honestly the only nice thing I can say about this 'manga' is that the artwork is utterly gorgeous. It has a very wispy feel and really is quite stunning. It's a pity there's no story to match. You might enjoy Princess Love from Love-Land written by Courtney Love but I didn't.
Best Aspect: the art is utterly gorgeous. Worst Aspect: everything else.
If you liked this title, you might also enjoy: sorry I can't help you here.
Rating: 1 out of 10
King of Bandits:
Jing
Creator: Yuichi Kumakara Publisher: Tokyopop AgeRating: Teen (13+)
Reviewed By
Joanna Freeman
Jing is the king of
bandits – there is nothing he cannot steal, even from right
before your eyes or behind a thousand locked doors. With his feathered
companion Kir, he embarks on quests to steal the most coveted objects
around – but on the way, he does a lot of good, helping many
people and righting wrongs. Jing is a post-modern, comic, cartoon
robin hood, a young, rambunctious thief campaigning against evil doings.
This is a manga series full of wild and creative adventures. Although
the art isn’t completely to my taste, it is imaginative and
extremely expressive, highly detailed and definitely appropriate.
King of Bandits: Jing is action packed and full of great villains
and wonderful creatures, such as the explosive Porvora. I would recommend
it for teenage boys, and even though its not 100% appropriate for
my palate I thoroughly enjoyed it and definitely consider it an excellent
shounen manga.
Best Aspect:
Extremely imaginative. Worst Aspect: Kir, to be frank, irritates me in the
extreme.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10
Under the Glass Moon
Creator: Ko Ya-Seong Publisher: Tokyopop Age Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Reviewed
By Joanna Freeman
Warning: (thus
far very mild) shounen ai… also men in hotpants!
It’s a world of magic,
intrigue and twisted love triangles in Under the Glass Moon. Luka
Reinhardt, a powerful mage of dubious sexual appetites, is reluctant
to take on the pretty young boy Neo as an apprentice until he realizes
he has something very special to him… a rare magical ability
Luka is eager to exploit. Meanwhile, the daughter of his witch-neighbour
Madame Batolli harbours a not-so-secret crush on the rapscallion Luka,
unaware of the feelings Luka’s nice-but-bookish brother Luel
hides for her! Things become even more complicated when the androgynous
mage Fuan starts to take a (perhaps not entirely) magical interest
in Luka’s new apprentice, and steals him from Luka’s home…
I have to say I like this one. A trio of graphic novels, with the
third due out soon, I am definitely looking forward to what Ko Ya-Seong
has in store. A good modern magical fantasy piece is always appreciated,
especially when its packed with such beautiful bishounen. The story
is cute, although remembering who-loves-who can be a little overwhelming!
However, a warning to the would be reader – her super deforms
are HIDEOUS! Instead of becoming cute little chibis, they become mangled,
sweating monsters that are all… lips and eyelids! I can’t
describe it – all I can say is read a chapter and you’ll
see what I mean. Even so, it is a good read, full of fantasy, gorgeous
people, magic and just the barest hint (so far) of boys’ love.
Best Aspect: Extremely
pretty boys with magical powers Worst Aspect: simply BIZARRE super deforms
Rating: 7 out of 10
Imadoki!
Creator: Yu Watase Publisher: VIZ Age Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Reviewed
By Joanna Freeman
When Tanpopo is finally
accepted to the elite Meio Academy high school, she can’t wait
to begin her new life in Tokyo, making new friends and attending such
a prestigious school. But when she gets there, she finds that the
students harass her because of her lower status, and that the quiet
boy she saw tending plants in the school grounds turns out to be Koki
Kugyo, one of the beloved elite of the school, and suddenly won’t
even talk to her! She decides to start up a gardening committee, hoping
to win him over through his affection for plants – but can Tanpopo’s
sheer optimism and spirit enable her to change the minds of a school
where artificial plants fill the grounds, and will Koki respond to
her efforts?
This is such CUTE shoujo. Its funny and bubbly, bright and interesting.
Tanpopo is Tohru Honda but on speed, and not nearly as bland or cries-all-the-time-from-happiness-esque.
I don’t normally like much shoujo, but this one is gorgeous
and full of great comic relief characters – it also has a lot
to say about some serious issues facing teenagers, but things are
introduced cushioned in comedy, and it is a really enjoyable read.
The relationship between Koki and Tanpopo is very understated, but
there is a definite progression that is just enough to make the reader
wish for them to be together. The artwork is also a great positive
– Yu Watase is a proven great of manga, and her work is simply
divine.
Best Aspect:
Light hearted and comedic Worst Aspect: A few over used shoujo themes are evident
– such as school festivals and rose giving.
Creator: Momochi Reiko
Publisher: Tokyopop
Age Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Reviewed by Ryan Mendes
Society has many dark aspects. Some
people are lucky enough to avoid ever having to deal with such issues.
However, many are not. Their dark and sometimes tragic tales are all
too real. With the greater part of society not knowing how to deal
with or understand these parts of life, such victims often suffer
in silence with no one to help them back into the light until it’s
too late. Furthermore, there are even less willing to discuss the
darker issues openly, leaving society unequipped on how to act when
tragedy strikes close to home. We are living in a world which becoming
increasingly sicker. It’s hard to ignore when you hear a report
every couple of days about a young woman being sexually assaulted
or a tragic family breakdown.
Fortunately, one person has decided
enough is enough. Her name is Reiko Momochi, manga-ka of the controversial
Confidential Confessions. There is no issue she isn’t willing
to touch, no dark corner she is afraid to delve into. The seven recurrent
themes of CC – suicide, sexual harassment, prostitution, rape,
drug abuse, bullying and stalking – all get very personal treatment,
never holding back for the sake of softening the blow. Reiko is speaking
on behalf of every victim who suffered and had their cries for help
fall on deaf ears. Their stories don’t just deserve to be told
honestly and in every graphic, sometimes gruesome detail. They NEED
to be told. With Reiko’s refreshing female perspective and all-female
teen protagonists in a sinister 21st century in her home country,
this is transformed into unique, essential reading.
From the first page of the first tale,
Reiko hits the reader hard on the emotional level and the grim realities
we would mainly prefer to ignore. A serenely beautiful Manatsu, devoid
of any hope or happiness, peeling off a fresh scab to add to her scar
tissue collection. It’s a chilling moment, showing the only
thing that Manatsu feels within the void of her everyday life is constant
pain and complete disgust for every person and thing around her, especially
her mother who is too ashamed to acknowledge her father ran away with
a younger woman, and the girls at her high school who all pretend
to be something they’re not. As the thought of suicide slowly
creeps into her head as an option, she crosses paths with another
suicidal girl whom she refers to as Asparagus. Manatsu is then drawn
into an increasingly self-destructive world where all she thinks of
is the most efficient way to end how life and how she can hurt those
around her the most.
Each volume contains one main story
that reflects on a different central issue. In 2, Suzuki, a highly
talented tennis player, is faced with the horrors of a male sports
teacher blatantly committing sexual harassment on the female students
in the worst ways possible and always getting away with it, coupled
with a world so sexist it refuses to believe anything that comes from
a female’s or student’s mouth. In 3, Kyoko, daughter to
a prestigious and insanely overbearing father who pressures her to
obtain success beyond her grasp, resorts to using speed to be the
‘little good girl’ her father wants her to be, yet ends
up being anything but, as her mind, body and soul slip into a downward
spiral that only ends up hurting those that care for her. 4 features
several tales, exploring girls tricked into entering the prostitution
industry, an extreme case of bullying that leads to disaster after
disaster for two close friends, and a tale of forbidden love between
two high school girls and the dark secrets one of them is hiding.
5, perhaps the most chilling of them all, features the shocking rape
of Mika and how she struggles to cope with living in the aftermath.
Volume 6 focuses on the horrific tale of Manami, who flees from her
abusive boyfriend, only to be the victim of stalking that ends up
consuming all parties involved – permanently.
Reiko’s true strength is her
storytelling. Her ability to take the major issues she tackles, implant
it into her characters and take them on a journey that is believe
yet revealing and informative for both the characters and the readers
is simply astounding. She knows her subject material, she knows the
pain, she knows the dark path. Most of all, she has an immense passion
for what she has set out to achieve. She wants to help others out
there that have been the victims of the darker side of life and she
wants to inform others so they don’t tread that path. Her passion
provides her with an honesty and emotional impact rarely seen in manga.
She will go anywhere regardless of how it may make you feel afterwards,
because it is truth, because she’s seen it before and she doesn’t
want it to happen again. When she gives you climaxes and raw emotion,
there is nothing gratuitous or fillerish. You will care for the characters
and their plight like nothing else or not at all. There is no middle
ground. In the hands of a male author, unnecessary fanservice or flirting
may have been rife. But in Reiko’s hands, you only get what
is relevant and to the point. Nudity or love scenes are either loaded
with violation and revulsion or pure intimacy, although nothing that
exposing is ever shown. Loaded, well-paced storytelling that grips
readers the whole journey rather than in parts is incredibly rare.
This is one of those cases.
Reiko’s drawing style is well-styled.
She knows how to convey the emotions of a character such that they
flow off of the page as if you could almost reach out and touch them.
Her style is reminiscent of Masami Tsuda, except Reiko focuses more
on evoking a lot more negatives from the characters and the surroundings.
Beauty is present but it is fragile and in pain. Bullies, adults and
onlookers are given ragged and plain looks, completely differentiating
them all from the protagonists. The protagonists sport many torn and
sullen features in their body language, their facial features and
their dress sense. Yet in the rare moments of happiness, they can
glow where they once looked dim and forlorn. Their innocence before
tragedy strikes is evident as it slowly drains away as life takes
its toll.
Reiko’s other strong trait is
her ability to dispense advice. It is relevant and gained from experience
too close to home. Each specific issue has its own lessons to learn,
but in a general sense, Reiko focuses on the points that it is our
decisions, along with how we cope with adversity, that will ultimately
shape who we are. Abilities can only get you so far. Even the best
of people can make the wrong decisions when push comes to shove. Each
character receives redemption/salvation in the end, but each in a
different way, and none of them come out of their experiences unscarred.
Each carries on with memories haunting them, but they cope to differing
degrees. The other focal points of Reiko are that if a person is to
be saved from their hell, they need to let people know. Conversely,
if people do know, standing in silence and letting a friend or acquaintance
suffer is criminal. If someone really cares, they will intervene,
not wait until it’s too late. This is valuable advice that should
be taken to heart. Combined with that is her ability to inform people
of what it’s like to live it out is something that just is never
portrayed properly in a movie, a newspaper or on TV. Volume 3 is the
only honest account of what happened to a drug user that I’ve
ever heard. Ditto Volume 1 for suicide, Volume 5 for rape and Volume
6 for stalking.
Simply put, this is the one manga I
can’t fault. The only real way to properly demonstrate how good
it is to check it out for yourself. Just keep an open mind and be
prepared to delve into what few dare to openly and honestly discuss.
As Reiko says, sometimes life doesn’t have a happy ending.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Warriors of Tao Volume 1
Creator: Shinya Kuwahara
Publisher: Tokyopop
Age Rating: Mature (18+)
Reviewed by Ryan Mendes
Seinen manga...hmm. It has a certain
appeal to some people, I guess...if done properly. Even violence and
graphic depictions need to be done with some sense of taste or morality
to avoid being purely crass.
Warriors of Tao is devoid of taste
and rationale on so many levels it's scary. Our male protagonist just
happens to come across a completely naked high school girl in the
detention hall (why she was like that is never explained!) on Page
6 and from that point it goes completely downhill. Dear lucky guy
defends the girl from psycho guy, lucky guy loses an eye then just
happens to fall into a portal taking him to a world where bikini-laden
women prepare him to enter him as a fighter to save humanity from
being eaten by ravenous aliens who have a liking for human flesh.
As was said before, Warriors of Tao
really has nothing going for it. Very scantily drawn panels with little
detail and overly black, a cliched plot with very little originality
and some scenes which are just completely vile (I don't know about
you but personally, I don't think there's anything to be gained from
watching a lingerie-clad girl being ripped apart and eaten by freaky
aliens!). The dialogue is so apatehtic people living in the Stone
Age were probably capable of more. This is just so crass on so many
levels, I was glad someone lent it to me to check out rather than
wasting money on this.
Piece of advice - borrow it, look at
Page 6 for a few moments and put it down. This is so bad, words can't
properly describe the pain.
PS. All marks for this were given to
the naked girl on Page 6. At least the author knew how to draw her
properly and how to draw her naked properly. A pity she's not the
main character because she's the only good part. (If someone can actually
explain why she was completely naked on Page 6, I'd love to know because
I'm all out of ideas!)
Rating: 2 out of 10
Azumanga Daioh (Full series)
Creator: Kiyohiko Azuma Publisher: ADV
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
Reviewed by Ryan Mendes
There is only one way to describe the
style of Azumanga Daioh – it’s a manga about nothing!
Indeed, that’s where its unique charm stems from. Azumanga Daioh
is able to take seemingly normal everyday instances and turn them
into good, clean fun in the space of 4 panels. Tongue twisters, hiccups,
stray kittens, summer holidays, sports days, the stuff that builds
up in your eyes, breast size…that’s just the tip of the
iceberg.
In order to execute this in an effective
manner, manga-ka Kiyohiko Azuma has generated a classic set of wacky
yet loveable characters. The cutesy child genius Chiyo, the excessively
energetic Tomo, the eternally spaced-out Osaka, the smart & sexy
yet shy Sakaki, the power-packed Kagura, the only ‘relative’
sense of sanity in the sensible yet stern Yomi. They’re a virtual
powder keg that explodes every five seconds with hilarious results.
The storyline is simple: six schoolgirls
in high school and the more memorable moments therein. Along with
many random gags there are some running stories – Chiyo’s
wish grow to up quicker, Sakaki’s desire to find a cat that
likes her, classmate Kaorin’s schoolgirl crush on Sakaki, the
eternal friction between teachers Yukari and Nyamo, the trials of
the ‘Numbnuts’ to get through high school. Sounds kinda
reminiscent of Seinfeld, except for one major thing – the gags
are infinitely better here.
Azumanga Daioh has a very kawaii drawing
style that is very appealing and also sexy at times for the more mature
characters. Simple detail and exaggerated eyes combine well for most
of the characters. The additional bonus full size poses in Volume
3 are exceptionally well done. However, Sakaki and Osaka both have
fairly absurdly shaped faces and eyes in some panels that aren’t
consistent with most other cases, which can get distracting.
The one factor that is truly annoying
about the English form of the manga are that many cultural references
of Japan, that were present in the Japanese version and in the anime,
are completely removed in the English version and have American references
implanted instead. This has become a trademark of ADV for a lot of
mangas and animes they’ve bought the US distribution rights
to. Okay, normally it wouldn’t a major issue. But when the charm
and uniqueness Azumanga Daioh’s comedy comes from how it makes
fun of JAPANESE culture, it’s fairly insulting that ADV thinks
the readers shouldn’t be exposed to certain references and that
a simple footnote at the end of the volume will suffice. I think readers
deserve more credit than that. This Americanisation isn’t warranted
in this case and the work suffers as a result.
That said, Azumanga Daioh is still
one of the best mangas around, that is for certain. The world just
wouldn’t be as fun without it. Do yourself a favour and check
it out.
Rating: 9 out of 10
Detective Loki Ragnarok Volume 1
Creator: Sakura Kinoshita
Publisher: ADV
Age RAting: Teen (13+)
Reviewed by Ryan Mendes
Having seen this in anime form, I was
curious to see what inspired the unusual yet cutesy, funny shoujo
anime. Now I'm wondering how on Earth they actually made a plasuable,
coherent anime based on this, which is anything but.
Detective Loki Ragnarok is about, not
surprisingly, Loki, the trickster God of Norse Mythology. Having being
kicked out of Valhalla by Odin (for reasons still unknown), Loki is
keen on getting back and getting revenge on Odin. Although you wouldn't
suspect it, since he's been turned into a cutesy 8-year old that is
perfectly tailored for shoujo fans. That part is clear. Everything
else that follows, isn't. You are flung into the middle of scenarios
with little explanation of what is going on. Worst of all, you are
faced with new characters whose names are rarely given and their importance
to the series and relation to Loki is never explained! Reading this
eventually becomes like walking through a giant maze and frankly,
having to strain your brain that much just to have a rough understanding
of what's going on is ridiculous! The complete absence of a cohesive
storyline that is never present properly just leaves one's mind boggling,
almost as if you're at fault when it's really the author. The one
plus of Detective Loki Ragnarok is that it is drawn to a good quality
for the shoujo market. Kawaii and detailed. A pity the story and characters
don't have those qualities.
Long story short - see the anime instead.
The manga is not worth the headache that follows.
Rating 2.5 out of 10
Fruits Basket
Mangaka: Natsuki Takaya
Publisher: Tokyopop
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
Reviewed by Joanna Freeman
Honda Tohru hasn’t had
much luck of late. After her mother died, she was to move in with
her grandfather – but when renovations began on his house he
asked her to live with a friend for a while until her room had been
finished. Unwilling to impose on anyone, Tohru finds herself living
in a tent. When she meets the owners of the land she’s living
on, and is invited to live with them, little does she know her life
is about to get even more hectic! For these aren’t any ordinary
guys – when they get hugged by a member of the opposite sex,
they turn into… animals of the zodiac?!
This is a truly first rate shoujo manga series. It has action, comedy,
suspense, romance and magic – not to mention a rather interesting
premise around which is woven a very entertaining storyline. I know
people of both genders who adore this series and can’t wait
for the next volume – and even those who have seen the anime
will find something new in the manga. New members of the zodiac, each
with their own very distinctive personality, are introduced in each
volume, and Takaya’s characters are fabulously animated and
interesting. The art is somewhat unusual but quite appealing once
you get used to it. Although it lacks that flowery, delicate shoujo
manga style, this could actually be viewed as a bonus – it definitely
makes it easier to understand, and fits the frequent comedic episodes
better.
Best Aspect: very
consistently entertaining – each volume is fresh and interesting
Worst Aspect: sometimes Tohru’s endless optimism
about everything makes her seem unrealistic – or stupid
Rating: 9 out of 10
The Wallflower
Mangaka: Tomoyo Hayakawa
Publisher: Del Rey
Age Rating: Older Teen (16+)
Reviewed by Joanna Freeman
Four popular, gorgeous youths are completely
strapped for cash. When a rich, beautiful woman offers them free rent
in her mansion, with only the condition that they transform her wallflower
niece into a gracious lady befitting her abode, it seems almost too
good to be true. And when they meet the niece in question, it becomes
clear that perhaps it is. Sunako Nakahara is a horror movie obsessed,
gothic, shaggy haired, antisocial recluse. And our boys definitely
have their work cut out for them shaping this complete misfit into
a lady.
The Wallflower is cute enough. It is nice to see a shoujo antihero
for once – Sunako is generally an amusing and refreshing character.
The four boys are somewhat irritating, being self-centred, aloof and
wussy, with the exception of Kyohei (who is most probably the eventual
love interest), adding a bit of life to their predictable sap. However,
I wonder how long this plot will remain amusing – in the end,
it’s still a high school shoujo piece, amongst the thousands
out there, and I’m really hoping it doesn’t end up following
the traditional ‘cinderella’ norms of such stories. Really,
a plot such as this would have been better suited to a single volume
– and would have made for a much more punchy, amusing manga.
Sunako spouting on about “creatures of the light” tended
to grate on me, especially in the first book, although this is likely
a translation problem.
Best Aspect: Sunako’s
creepiness and spontaneous biseinen-induced nose bleeds.
Worst Aspect: “creatures of the light!”
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
Shirahime Syo
Mangaka: CLAMP
Publisher: Tokyopop
Age Rating: Teen (13+)
Reviewed by Joanna Freeman
This is a collection of short stories
by the CLAMP team, revolving around the theme of snow, and the legend
that snow is the tears of the snow princess. Basically, this is a
collection of bittersweet and sad stories… a man leaves his
lover, who promises to wait for him until he returns on the shores
of the frozen lake, and when he does he finds her suspended in ice
under the water. A man shoots one of a pair of herons in frustration
at being lost in the snow, far from his sweetheart, and is guided
out by an apparition the mourning bird.
A lovely and yet unremarkable CLAMP work. Anthologies never seem to
engage in manga the same way a series does, and this is an older and
less refined CLAMP piece, evidence by the bold and slightly clumsy
artwork, from an era before CLAMP had completely honed that pretty,
elegant style of more modern pieces. There are, however, some lovely,
poignant moments in this one shot tankoubon, and some beautiful images.
It will leave you with a feeling of serenity and perhaps sorrow.
Best Aspect: portrays
emotion beautifully
Worst Aspect: the artwork is a little awkward when
compared to modern CLAMP work
