Manga Reviews!!

[Kadri]

Since we're always reading different things (and since the anime section has a review thread now), I think it's about time that we started a manga review thread!


** I will try to keep a running list of the manga titles that have already been reviewed in this first post (at the bottom of the page).


Rules:

1. Absolutely no spoilers.

2. No hentai reviews.

3. Let's try to aim for no more than 5 reviews per manga. (IE. We don't want 10 reviews for Naruto, and nothing else. XD)

4. To review a manga, you need to have read at least 85-95% of a completed or ongoing series. (IE: Don't review a manga series with 10+ books if you've only read the first 2-3.)

5. Please aim for proper grammar and spelling--no one will want to read your review if they can't understand it.

6. Please don't copy someone else's review. We want your opinion, not someone else's.


Review Format:

Manga Title:

Artist: (Or artist and author, if they are two different people)

Status: Is the series complete, or still ongoing?

Genre:

Synopsis: Give a brief outline (at least 3-5 sentences) telling us what the manga is about.

Review: What do you think about this manga? Is it another 'save the world' story, or is it more character-centric? Is it something else entirely? What did you think about the story? What about the characters? (Just remember: No spoilers!)

Art: Any comments you may have on the art style. Did you love it? Did you hate it? (Feel free to give us a rating, on a scale of 1 to 5.)

Overall: How would you rate this manga, overall? Love it? Like it? Neutral? Totally hate it? (Again, feel free to give us a rating, on a scale of 1 to 5.)

Similar Manga: (Optional) Does this manga remind you of another series?


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Manga Reviewed (so far):

- Holyland by MORI Kouji
- Karin (Chibi Vampire in America) by Kagesaki Yuna
- Code Breaker by Kamijyo Akimine
- Onani Master Kurosawa by Yoko (Artist) and Ise Katsura (Author)
- Gantz by Oku Hiroya
- Suki: A Like Story by CLAMP

[baka04]

Manga Title: Holyland

Artist: MORI Kouji

Status: ongoing?

Genre: Seinen, Slice of life, Martial Arts, Drama

Synopsis: The manga is about a high school kid's attempt at changing himself from a weak bullied individual to a strong out going young man. How does he do this you ask? He goes to the streets, his "Holyland" where only the strong survive and puts what he taught himself to the real test. To find out if he is successful you'll just have to read the manga.

Review: So this is a pretty good manga so good that they actually turned it into a J-drama. The main character is really easy to relate to, think about it have you ever been bullied or wish that you were stronger??? We all have so there is no problem relating there. The real story sort of unfolds after the first 2 chapters it's around there you start to see that the main character's hard work is starting to pay off and how people are actually taking notice of him. To shorten this up if you like manga's about some what real life struggles this the manga for you. So yeah to just end it there are no super powers in this manga just good ole fashion fistacuffs with actual techniques.

Art: nothing special as far as the art it's pretty much what you come to expect from most manga so I give that a 3 out 5

Overall: Overall it's a pretty decent read not to serious to the point where you are dying for the next issue but not to boring where you'll start it and just forget about it.

Similar Manga: As far a similar manga I would say it is like a real life version of Histories Strongest Disciple Kenichi

[Xira]

I guess I should give this a try.

Manga Title: Karin (Chibi Vampire in America)

Artist: Kagesaki Yuna

Status: Complete

Genre: Shoujo, Romance, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama, Ecchi

Synopsis: The main character (Karin) is a vampire, born into a family of vampires that moved to Japan in recent centuries to avoid the vampire hunts that were running rampant in the western world. However unlike normal vampires Karin is perfectly fine walking around during the day, and instead of sucking blood, her body produces blood, some times at such a rate that it causes massive and violent nose bleeds. When a new student transfers into her class Karin's blood starts to increase at a rate she's never experienced before. In order to avoid these embarrassing and explosive nose bleeds, Karin tries to avoid the new student, however he seems to be showing up everywhere Karin goes.

Review: I felt the story contained enough comedy to keep the reader chuckling, and to balance out the story so it wasn't "drama drama" all the way through. Mind you it still had it's serious parts, and around the middle started to feel a little slow but it picked back up again after a couple of volumes. Even though she's a vampire I found that the main character was rather easy to relate to, especially for girls. The personalities were well written so that they fit more or less with how you'd expect a character of said ages to act. And though the manga has more than one major story arch, over the course of the read it all seems to flow well into weaving a single story.

Art: Nothing terribly note worth about the art. It's a Tokyo Pop manga so the art is definitely more minimalist than a Clamp manga, however there are always a few panels every volume where a spazz fest goes on and there will be a clammor of text bubbles to decipher. In my personal opinion I'd give the art a 3.5-4 out of 5 (can't make up my mind).

Overall: I liked it over all. It lost a few points with me when the story seemed to drag a little around the mid-point, however it ended nicely, and that made me happy. And the beginning was a great compelling lead in to get you far enough in that it's almost something you don't want to quit.

Similar Manga: Fruits Basket definitely has a similar feel to it. More harem, but same comedic/romantic feel.

[Shadow Crusnik]

Manga Title: Code Breaker

Artist: Kamijyo Akimine (the artist of samurai deeper kyo)

Status: Ongoing

Genre: Action, Comedy, Martial Arts, School Life, Supernatural, Tragedy

Synopsis: This story revolves around two characters, a girl who has a strong sense of justice and a boy who judges others who can not be judged by the law. The girl witnesses him judging some people in a park on her way home one day. She then tries to stop him but when she realizes that she cant, she decides to stick with him and falls into the world of the Code:Breakers. People with special powers who judge those who can not be judged by the law.

Review: I feel like this type of story is a unique twist to the normal good guy have to save the world type of plot. Where you can't really tell whose side anyone is on or for what reason they do the things that they do. I feel like it has great character depth and really pulls you in. The art along with the dialog make it seem familiar but at the same time it in itself is unique which doesn't make it seem like every other type of battle manga you have read. With the depth of all the characters it leaves you only wanting more and never with that unsatisfied feeling. thinking to yourself that they made that two quick or they didn't do the character its self justice.

Art: i like the style and i feel that it is an easy flow and keeps this an interesting read. although i am not art critic and i don't really have an eye for that type of thing but in my opinion i would give it a 4/5.

Overall: I love it, this is by far one of my favorites and i can not help but wait in anticipation for the next chapter to come out. In my opinion since i started reading manga this is tied for first place out of ever one i have read/ am reading. i give it a 5/5

[demon-fayt]

Manga Title: Onani Master Kurosawa

Artist/Author: Yoko(Artist) Ise Katsura(Author)

Status: Complete

Genre: Drama, Mature, Psychological, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life

Synopsis: Onani means masturbation. And that's what this guy is good at. Every day after school, he sneaks into the mostly unused girls bathroom on the 3rd floor, and masturbates. Until one day when he's caught...
This is a story of mistakes, redemption, and the choices made in between. It contains the very worst and best of the human condition.

Review: First of all, let this be said: I've never read such a story outside of a hentai where someone takes their masturbation as seriously as the main character, Kurosawa. That being said, do not be fooled into thinking that this story will be some sort of overtly perverse, comedic tale of a boy and his wank. Quite the opposite; Thinking I had stumbled into the former, I was quite surprised to find that it is more of a heartfelt, and at times numbingly raw look at growing up. There are moments in this story that feel more real than even the best-written dramas on T.V. or in Cinema, and this is due greatly to the way the author creates these characters. There wasn't a single character in the series I would have any trouble believing I could find practically anywhere, and their relationships with one another are just extraordinary. I think the greatest achievement is
in the execution of the character Kurosawa. While I feel most authors would just set him up to be some irredeemable loser perv, we are instead introduced to a character that is instantly (well...for some, i suppose) recognizable persona. I honestly cannot think of a single person who wouldn't have some sort of correlation with the guy, especially throughout the later half of the series.

Artwork: Rather whimsical, really. Most of the characters often come off as being fine tuned sketches, which actually ads more depth to them. 4/5

Overall: A masterful tale of growing up and the pratfalls we all experience along the way. Also, you may never look at a recorder the same way again...5/5

[Duama449]

Manga Title: Gantz

Artist: Oku Hiroya

Status: ongoing

Genre: shonen, sci fi, action, ecchi

Synopsis: Kei Kurono was just an ordinary nothing of a boy. Until the fateful day he trid to save a man from being run over by a subway. Now he and others like him must fight for their right to live again in a game of desparation, survival, and sorrow. How far will you go to reach 100 points?

Review: A story that pulls you in and makes you identify with the characters. With all the limits and penalties placed in the game the characters are forced to play the game or die trying. You get a real sense of hopelssness and you feel the triumph of watch a character rise to the occasion and the dark satisfaction of watching watch the characters that annoy die in gruesome and sometimes funny ways. You'll cry for the chars you love and laugh at the ones you hate.

Art: I'd have to give the art of 5 out of 5, simple because of the fact the use 3D computer models to make every character proportionate (though some of the girls do have F cups >.> ....hey those happen in real life...) and their poses realistic and humanly possible. This only makes the charactes seem even more real. The attention to detail on the anatomy of the organs and vessels will make you cringe at some of these deaths 0.0. This is a comic of fan service...alot of it. So much so that I refused to call one character by name and simply referred to her as Fan service girl. But seeing as I'm a guy....i like that. 
 
Overall: I've never had  manga pull me in and make me love/hate it's characters so much. The world of Gantz is dark, gruesome and cold. But there are those times when you see the good times. Like characters falling in love and growing up in front of you. it really shows the good and bad that we know as the human condition. You can find any character here to identify with. From the jump this manga pulls no punches and keeps you on the edge of your seat and doesnt let you go. I've never seen an enemy in a manga make me go "....holy shit...0.0" so many times as in this manga. YOU NEED TO READ THIS MANGA. (5 out of 5)

Similar Manga: Yu Yu Hakusho. The great characters, awesome villians, great rivals, and the interesting interpretation of the afterlife. Afro samurai for the dark and cold world that still has a touch of beauty to it that makes it all somehow redeemable as well as a greatly written story. If your even a remote fan of those manga you'll love this manga.

[Kadri]

Since I just reread this, might as well slap out a review for it.
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Manga Title: Suki: A Like Story

Artist: CLAMP

Status: Complete

Genre: Shoujo, Romance, Mystery, Drama

Synopsis: Suki follows the story of high school student Hinata Asahi, an intelligent young woman with a child-like, innocent personality. For reasons unknown (in the beginning), she lives alone in a very large house with only her two teddy bears for companionship. Early on in the story, a gruff, handsome man named Shiro Asou moves into the empty house next door and Hinata is very excited to finally have a new neighbor... and her happiness only increases when she discovers that Shiro is to be her new homeroom teacher. She quickly develops a crush on her new teacher, and he seems to take an interest in her as well. However, Shiro's interest in Hina is soon called into question, as is the seemingly innocent coincidence that he just "happened" to move into the house next door to her.

Review: Suki is a light-hearted shoujo romance/drama, and though there are some more serious elements to the story, they are only lightly touched upon. CLAMP spends more time with the characters and the growing relationship between Hinata and Shiro. There are also subtle hints of mystery surrounding Hinata's unknown past and the reason she lives alone, and the strange coincidences that bring Shiro Asou into her life--first as her new neighbor, and then as her new homeroom teacher, where she can always be under his watchful eye.

On the characters side, I found Hina to be very sweet in an extremely clueless way (there are times when I just have to roll my eyes at how innocent she is). I love the way Shiro tolerates her many intrusions and bouncing enthusiasm with a "...(sigh) might as well indulge her..." attitude--which belies his true interest in her. There are also a handful of supporting characters, all of whom help to round out the story without taking any attention away from the main storyline--there is no excess of anything. Everything is compact, from the characters to the story, and I don't think CLAMP wasted a single panel.

Art: The art is typical, quality CLAMP. The panels are clean and the drawings are simple, uncluttered, and pretty. Although the style of Suki is not my favorite CLAMP style (I preferred their earlier art, from RG Veda to X/1999), it's still really well done. I do think that Suki is a little less "cutesy" and the art is more simplistic and mature than the other manga they were working on around that time (Angelic Layer and Chobits)... probably to balance out the story and Hinata's childish personality, but that's just my personal opinion. I give the art 4/5 stars.

Overall: Overall, Suki is a very cute, feel-good story. I enjoyed it. I give it 4/5 stars.