Title: Cafe Kichijouji

Authors: Yuki Miyamoto and Kyoko Negishi

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural

Summary: Follow the lives of 5 men and their jobs at the local cafe as they attempt to run the cafe normally and stay clear from the spooky chef, Minagawa Hifumi. Ichinomiya Jun is the youngest of them, and is usually impervious to Minagawa's many voodoo curses and spells. Okubo Maki, on the other hand, is absolutely terrified of Minagawa's spells, and so is Kurihara Taro. Tokumi Shota might or might not be afraid of Minagawa...if you bribe him with food, he might just be able to do anything for you!

Cafe Kichijouji is more of a standalone than a series, and there are only three manga volumes.

Opinion: Cafe Kichijouji is the most hilarious standalone manga I've ever read. I would definitely recommend this to people who don't want to spend loads of money on enormous volumes of manga which make no sense if you don't read previous volumes. The characters are fresh, lively, and the art crisp and not cluttered. There is tons of fun mixed into this manga, and is a must read especially if you enjoy humour and a bit of craziness.

Minagawa is my favourite character, by the way. ^_^ He has awesome voodoo skills and it's usually quite a laugh to see him manipulating his colleagues at the cafe. He has a black cat following him around named Sukekiyo, and the chapter about Minagawa, Taro, Sukekiyo and a little girl is such a laugh I chuckled every time I thought of it.

Go read for yourself! Buy, borrow or (bleep this word out?) it and read it today! If you want a good laugh, this is something you must not miss. ~rage-chan

Rating: 5 out of 5!

Title: Stalemate

Author: Iris Johansen

Genre: Thriller

Summary: Eve Duncan receives a request from Luis Montalvo to work on a reconstruction job, but she turns it down - twice.

And Montalvo is not a man who can take 'no' for an answer.

Eve Duncan finds herself surrounded by dangerous men and traps that plot to ensnare and kill her. Taking Montalvo's offer would mean leaving her lover, Joe Quinn, and walking straight into a potential crossfire between Montalvo and his rival, Diaz. However, it could also mean that she could gain valuable information on what she had been searching for all these years - to find out where her daughter Bonnie was buried when she was kidnapped and murdered so many years ago.

Opinion: For avid fans of Iris Johansen novels, this is definitely a novel you should pick up and read. If you've read some of her Eve Duncan forensics thriller novels before, you might notice a rather repetitive plot or storyline. Still, the simplicity of the whole novel draws me to it. I am a very simple reader, therefore, I head for books that are easy to read. (I have been drawn and quartered for my taste in books before.) Novels that have too intricate plots or too confusing betrayals tend to confuse me. So if you see a recommendation by rage-chan, you can be pretty sure the book can be easily understood. ^^

That said, I like how Iris Johansen chooses not to describe in full-blown detail the chemistry romance between Eve and Joe, her lover. Whenever it gets to the naughtier bits, she skips it and leaves it to the reader's imagination, which is fine by me. Hard-core people who want to read through sex in every detail, though, should look for a romance novel, not a thriller, and unfortunately I don't cover romance. As a thriller, this novel fits it comfortably, with a very slight twist in the end.

Enjoy! ~rage-chan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Title: The Weeping Tree

Author: indigoskai

Rating: M - Mature content, for those who don't know.

Category: Fanfiction; JE boys; KAT-TUN

Genre: adult, angst, AU futurefic, drama, romance, smut

Summary: Takao Ara is an infamous writer/director. She's come to conclusion that she'll exit the industry with a last draw; to put her final and most acclaimed novel into the motion works. The only problem is finding the right leading characters. In comes Akame. A bit unsure and nervous about what they've gotten themselves into but finding their new challenge quite fascinating as well. Together, they embark on a journey with Takao into the heart of her story. ~ quoted verbatim.

Warning: Mature Content

Status: Complete, with epilogue found in the same site.

Opinion: Do not be deceived by the rating. Just because it's rated M doesn't mean that the story is all about smut. Indigoskai has managed to create a highly believable plot involving two real characters, Akanishi Jin and Kamenashi Kazuya, vocals for the Japanese idol group, KAT-TUN. Though the story needs to be polished with regards to grammar and spelling, the story still manages to enthrall and capture the readers' interests with it's serious and intriguing plot full of twists and endearing romance scenes. It also tackles about topics in society such as its perception about homosexual relationships and difficulties faced by celebrities. The author has a fine writing style that wonderfully depicts scenes and gives out beautiful descriptions of the places and actions. A recommended read for Akakame fans. ~ Gelly

Title: Neck and Neck

Author: Lee Sun-Hee

Rating: T (for older teens)

Opinion: Neck and Neck was drawn by a Korean artist (do they call them manhwa? Is that the art or the artist?). It spans only eight manga volumes but I think it's a pretty nice addition to a bookshelf if you enjoy manga, especially those with a shojo theme. 'Neck and Neck' has nicely drawn characters (and drool-able boys) and a suitably interesting plot. The little chibis drawn at irregular intervals are a nice touch as well.

The main character is a girl named Dabin Choi, who is the daughter of Korea's most important figure in black market. (In other words, a criminal.) Dabin's childhood friends are Eugene and Shihu, and it turns out that both of them like her, but Dabin only likes Eugene. Add in an antagonist (Black Rose) and Black Rose's twin (Lily) and a tough guy who actually likes Lily, and you get a wonderfully shojo but enjoyable manga nevertheless.

Overall, I would say that if you're looking for a worthwhile investment in manga, yet don't have much money to splash on thirty-odd volumes, try 'Neck and Neck'. ~rage-chan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Title: Death Note

Author: Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

Rating: T (for older teens)

Opinion: Death Note is a manga full of twists and devious plots, as I'm sure most of you who have heard of it know. The author throws in so many turns and unexpected happenings that I've probably tripped more than once and fallen straight on my face (not literally, of course). I haven't read all volumes of the manga yet, which is why I didn't specify which volume of Death Note. I think Death Note is truly enjoyable if you love plots and schemes, which this manga has. There is little or minimal fighting scenes, so hard core 'fighting' people might have to look elsewhere to get their fill of battles. If the psychological level is what you enjoy, then why not check out 'Monster' by Naoki Urasawa as well?

Overall, I think Death Note would be a nice read, but don't pick it up if you don't want to see two (or more) insanely clever people trying to outwit each other. ~rage-chan

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Title: The Seigaku Regulars Hate Mary Sues

Author: awinchan

Rating: K

Category: Anime; Prince of Tennis

Genre: Humor/General

Summary: Ryoma rants about Mary Sues. Oneshot. ~quoted verbatim

Opinion: Perhaps it's not quite right to say that Ryoma rants about Mary Sues. After all, Ryoma was being forced to read from a script while Fuji-sempai - oops, almost gave the plot away there. *wicked grin* A very short oneshot, but quite funny in a different way, I suppose. Not really suitable for those who love Mary Sues, though. For information on who/what is a Mary Sue and to see whether you have a Mary Sue in the making, click for the Universal Mary-Sue Litmus Test. I do not endorse or own the quiz and information in any way. It's just a useful link. ~rage-chan

Rating: 4 out of 5.