Pretear volume 1

Title: Pretear volume 1

Author: Kaori Naruse

Genre: Slight romance, fantasy, shojo

Summary: Himeno has always thought that she was an ordinary high school girl. Her mother passed away quite some time before, and Himeno and her father were never the rich family.

Until all of a sudden, her father remarries to a rich lady, and Himeno finds herself steeped in wealth and money, along with a stepmother and her two stepsisters.

One unexpected day, a boy accosts Himeno and leads her to an entirely new place, where she is surrounded by an almost illegally sexy group of guys and told that she is, most assuredly, the Pretear, and that she is their last hope to stop the Princess of Disaster who is hellbent on corrupting the world with darkness and, possibly, red snow. XD The Pretear is their leader and the guys are her Leafe Knights, each of whom control a certain ability (ie wind, snow, water etc) and are in charge of destroying the Princess of Disaster's dark seeds.

The Pretear is in charge of protecting the Leafe, the source of all life, and only the Pretear can create more Leafe. To protect the Leafe from the darkness, she has to merge with one of her knights, and thus borrow the knight's power to use in battle.

Opinion: Pretear is shojo through and through – a girl surrounded by pretty boys, changes her outfit with every different knight she merges with, with glittery art? Definitely shojo, and pinkishly so.

However, any shojo fan will like this, I think, although it doesn't appeal to me as much. I mean, Himeno changes her outfit every time she merges with someone different, and with seven different knights, she has eight outfits – including the one she's wearing. It's a classic story of girl being surrounded by hot guys, perhaps conveniently orphaned as well (some anime characters have their mothers dead, for some reason) with a rag-to-riches plot.

Himeno also annoys me sometimes (to admit it...) so it's not entirely the first book I would pick up from a pile of manga. Still, if you like classic plots (classic is cliched) do find some time to read Pretear.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

D.Gray Man volume 1

Title: D.Gray Man volume 1

Author: Hoshino Katsura

Genre: Fantasy, exorcism

Summary: D.Gray Man is set in a fictional 19^th century England where the Black Exorcists exist and roam the earth to find Innocence, a mysterious substance that is used to create weapons for the exorcists to destroy Akuma (demons) created by the Millenium Earl, the ultimate bad guy of the manga.

Allen Walker is the 15-year-old protagonist and apparently, he is a parasite exorcist, one of the rarer types who can change their bodies into weapons instead of relying on items such as swords. Allen's left hand is the weapon which, initially, could change into a huge claw (which looks rather out of proportionate most of the time XD) but later evolves into more sophisticated weapons including a light sword and a cannon of sorts. (I swear, this all sounds very Gary-Stuish but I still like him anyway!)

In this volume, we see Allen meeting the Black Order for the first time – he is sorely tested by the gatekeeper who declares him as an Akuma because of the cursed pentacle on his left eye (you shall find out about the curse in due time ;) ) and fearing an attack, the head of the exorcists sends out Kanda Yuu to destroy the 'Akuma' (who is actually poor Allen!).

Kanda is the typical Japanese samurai – he totes around a katana which he calls Mugen (if memory serves me) and is, incidentally, Japanese. He is an inch away from skewering Allen in the head when the head of the Order finally finds a letter of recommendation from one of their top generals regarding Allen Walker.

(And so, Allen was spared death. Phew!)

Kanda and Allen gets off on rocky terms, and Allen ends up with Kanda's nickname for him – bean sprout, or moyashi.

Opinion: The first volume isn't too bad overall. The art can be slightly...awkward (for lack of a better word) in some parts, but generally, it is excellently drawn. The plot is also well contrived with some exciting little bits thrown in. However (this is getting beyond volume 1) I feel that the characters turn into Gary Stus or Mary Stus (people who are too glorified for my liking). The exorcists seem to be almost undefeatable – as per usual shounen mangas, Allen loses his left arm (and therefore his Innocence weapon), but he miraculously manages to restore his left arm and not only that, he obtains a more powerful weapon.

Which is quite incredulous.

But I still say D.Gray Man is a manga worth reading (and an anime worth watching) if you enjoy shounen titles. Allen's experiences with his master (the general who recommended that he join the Black Order) is absolutely hilarious. Do not miss his account of how he learnt to cheat at cards! ^_^ ~rage-chan

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Links:

Anime News Network

Wikipedia's page on D.Gray Man

Want to buy? Try Amazon's D.Gray Man manga!

Black Cat volume 1

Title: Black Cat volume 1

Author: Kentaro Yabuki

Genre: Adventure

Summary: Train Heartnet and his partner, Sven, are Sweepers who bring criminals to the law (and collect the bounty on their head while they're at it). Early in the manga, they meet Eve, a girl who has has nanomachines injected into her bloodstream to enhance her fighting capabilities, and a master thief Rinslet (or should I say mistress thief..?).

However, all good manga have antagonists in them, and in Black Cat, it comes in the form of Creed and his Apostles. Creed's dream is to destroy the Chronos Numbers, an organization that Train himself once belonged to before becoming a 'stray cat', but to do that, he wishes to recruit Train to their side, as Train is an exceptional gunsman and has unearthly accurate shots.

The Chronos Numbers are, of course, absolutely against this. The top of the Numbers are originally twelve in number, but a special exception was made for Train Heartnet, who obtained the number thirteen and, along with it, a legend of bloodshed and death as he was dubbed the 'Black Cat' who brings bad luck to whoever who crosses his path.

Opinion: Black Cat has been very well drawn and illustrated and the plot has few holes as far as I can see. I absolutely love the art, and prefer the manga over the anime. Train's goofy attitude is classic and he adds a comic side to an otherwise serious plot. The side characters, Eve and Sven, each have their own classic 'dark' past, and they set off Train very nicely.

(There are some Numbers I like very much, one being the master of disguise, but I won't go into much detail here right now...)

Black Cat, despite being a shounen manga, doesn't have very many bloody and/or gory scenes. Sure, there's the usual splattering of blood and injuries, but the mangaka doesn't go out of his way to illustrate how a bloody, hacked off head would look like. =) Which is good, because even though I can stomach such images, I dislike them. I mean, I wouldn't like to be staring into an eyeball or something, 2D or not.

I feel that Black Cat is very nicely balanced, and spanning only 20 volumes, if you feel that you can afford to buy them, then I would recommend Black Cat very highly. ^_^ Enjoy reading! ~rage-chan

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Ouran High School Host Club volume 1

Title: Ouran High School Host Club volume 1

Author: Hatori Bisco

Genre: Romantic comedy, drama

Summary: Haruhi Fujioka is a female student who lands a scholarship to a prestigious rich school named Ouran High School. However, a few days before she is due to attend the school, a naughty neighbourhood kid sticks chewing gum in her hair. Being the ever practical person she is (her mother passed away at an early age and her father isn't very helpful seeing as he crossdresses), she hacks off her hair and sticks on thick glasses because she's lost her contacts.

Dressed as thus, Haruhi Fujioka was (understandably) mistaken for a male.

She stumbles upon the school's host club in the 3rd music room, and while trying to escape from the undeniably eccentric host club president, Tamaki Suoh, she breaks a valuable vase worth 8 million yen.

(Did you remember that I said that Ouran was a rich school? And that Haruhi had gotten a scholarship? Can you put the two together?)

Haruhi, being unable to repay the debt of the vase straight away, is assigned to being the club's 'dog', doing menial chores and tasks until she is able to pay off the debt in full. The host club, being unaware of her gender, assigns her to be a host after discovering that she had 'potential'.

Tamaki Suoh - the president of the host club and self-proclaimed 'King'. Tamaki is the son of the school's chairman but he generally acts...foolishly. ^^' In a good way, I suppose.

Kyouya Otori - vice-president of the host club and is nicknamed the 'Shadow King' because he is more of the quiet, sadistic type.

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin - the famous twin brothers in the host club. No one can tell them apart...except, predictably, Haruhi, the protagonist. They invoke an element of incest in the host club's attraction package, by the way. ^_^

Mitsukuni Haninozuka - is called either 'Hunny' or 'Honey'. He is the typical lolita shota character and dotes on sweets, cakes and his bunny, Usa-chan. Despite his miniature size and cuteness, he is lethal in karate (which looks...odd. At times.)

Takashi Morinozuka - Honey's constant companion. Apparently, his family has vowed to serve Honey's family throughout the generations. The stolid, silent type.

Opinion: Ouran High School Host Club is insanely hilarious with some 'manga-ish' moments - things that can never happen in real life, but is a good fun read nevertheless. Haruhi as a guy is very convincing, despite his/her large eyes. ^_^ I personally like Kyouya myself, because I love his devillish moments as he manipulates and uses the host club to his benefits. Tamaki is especially prone to trickery as he's the gullible type. He takes a shine to Haruhi on her first day of becoming a host club member, and even when the plot reveals that she is actually female. He affectionately takes on the role of Haruhi's 'father' (and appoints Kyouya as the 'mother') but Haruhi generally ignores him on such occasions.

OHSHC is a roller-coaster manga with plenty of ups and downs and little twists in them. As you read more and more into OHSHC, you'll find plenty of other supporting characters who have their own charm and wit. OHSHC can be rather random at times (see Haruhi's crossdressing father! A very convincing female!) and serious at other times, but I guarantee you will love this manga...provided you are a girl, after all. I can't see males getting into this. ^^' It's a host club after all! ~rage-chan

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. I took half a mark off for the art, which can be rather forced at times, but as you get used to it, it's all right. Go and read!

Possible links:
Wikipedia's OHSHC
AnimeNewsNetwork's OHSHC
AnimeNfo's OHSHC

Gravitation volume 1

Title: Gravitation volume 1

Author: Maki Murakami

Genre: Comedy, shounen-ai (boy love)

Summary: Gravitation is a boy love manga following Shuichi Shindou and his music band Bad Luck which he formed with Hiroshi Nakano, his best friend. One day he meets Eiri Yuki, a famous romance writer, who critisizes his work. However, this is not the first time they're going to meet...a full-blown relationship between Yuki and Shindou soon forms, but the thing is, they're both males!

Gravitation naturally focuses a lot on music and the band as well as Shindou aspires to be a famous singer.

Opinion: I have been poked for liking Gravitation. Seriously. And it's not because it has boy love themes in it. It's just because they claim that Gravitation sucks.

Well...it doesn't suck all that bad (or is this my shounen-ai fangirl side coming in?) but I have to admit that Shindou can be so annoying sometimes. He's constantly whining, crying, needs assurances, and does the stupidest things to get Yuki to notice him. He's even dressed up in a girl's school uniform and bunny costume and things...the things he will do to catch Yuki is unbelievable.

Some of the manga is absolutely...*has no words to describe*. You simply can't describe it as 'good' or 'crap'. It's just...slightly unbelievable.

...

Ax that. It's COMPLETELY unbelievable, some of the things Murakami has written. It's so out of whack that it's not funny. However, if you're into shounen-ai, I'd say take a quick peek at this. There are not many fantastic shounen-ai manga out there, so you'd better grab Gravitation while you can.

The romance keeps you hooked. ^^ It works for me, even though I'd love to smack Shindou sometimes.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Title: Kitchen Princess volume 1

Author: Natsumi Ando and Miyuki Kobayashi

Genre: slice-of-life, cooking, shojo

Summary: The story follows Najika Kazami, an orphan and an excellent chef from Hokkaido, and her arrival at Seika Academy, an elevator school.Not only does she plan to become a great chef like her deceased parents, but she also sets out to find her "Flan Prince", a boy that saved her from falling into a river and gave her a cup of flan with a silver spoon with the school's emblem on it. She promised him she would make the best treat ever. However, as soon as she is placed into Class A, she has to deal with the constant insults of Akane Kishida and her group. Things become better, however, when she befriends Sora and Daichi Kitazawa, the school's most popular brothers, and possible candidates for the status of her "Flan Prince". (quoted from Wikipedia)

Opinion: Kitchen Princes is predictably shojo with a female main character, two flanking cute guys, and a jealous female rival. Still, with a cooking/food element in it, Kitchen Princess is fun and simple to read. Included at the back of the manga books as 'extras' are the recipes that Najika uses to make the yummy food throughout the volumes, so never fear - if you like the look of something in the manga, you can use the recipe to make it yourself!

I think Kitchen Princess is worth a read if you have enjoyed other shojo manga such as Fruits Basket, Ouran High School Host Club and Absolute Boyfriend. Kitchen Princess gets a thumbs-up for nicely drawn art (and the cute bishounens) but gets slightly marked down because, well, shojo plot is so predictable, wouldn't you say? Although my vote might have been biased because I love eating...XD ~rage-chan

The art really reminds me of Mermaid Melody. Cute. And the food looks absolutely delish. XD

The plot, as Rage said before, is very simple. Najika practically solves all her problems using her amazing skill in cooking. But other than revolving around food, the story would also tackle on things such as acceptance, discrimination, being true to yourself, following your dreams, putting your talents to good use and judging a person based on first impressions.

Because of it's simplicity, 'Kitchen Princess' is a relaxing and interesting story to read. But it also makes one hungry. XD ~Gelly

Rating: 4 out of 5

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: 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.