“A fun and enjoyable manga from the creative mind of Kazunari Kakei.  Volume 2 features more characters and more action-packed battles!”

(C) NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM image is courtesy of SHUEISHA Inc.

MANGA TITLE: NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM VOL. 2

STORY AND ART BY: Kazunari Kakei (筧 一成)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: By Shueisha in 2004.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC.

RATED: T for Older Teen

PAGES: 214 pages

Nora, an unruly demon, has defied his Dark Liege one too many times. For the sake of his “education,” Nora is sent to live among mortals and enters a bond of servitude with cool-as-ice star student Kazuma Magari. Kazuma is about to learn the ways of the underworld…and Nora will learn more from the “real world” than he ever thought possible!

The Rage Ignites

Nora’s presence on Earth has made him a target for renegade demons.  But when he uses magic to fight them, it takes a toll on Kazuma’s body.  The Dark Liege sends Kazuma a ring to counteract this effect, but what Kazuma really nees is information on the legend of Cerberus, Nora’s true form.  Too bad the one with the info is one of the demons he’s fighting.

In 2004, manga-ka Kazunari Kakei had his breakout hit manga series “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM”. The series has just been released as a graphic novel published by Viz Media under their cutting edge manga imprint known as Shonen Jump Advanced (targeted towards older teens and young adults).

In Japan, there have been many manga and anime series which pits demons going after other demons and “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM” fits that type of storyline description but with a twist.

In the first volume, we were introduced to the situation in the Demon World as the Dark Liege (a female demon who tends to take on the shape of a buxom blonde diva) had banished Nora to Earth because of Nora’s short temper and his constant disrespect for the leader of the Dark Liege army.  The school president Nora, a self righteous and often arrogant but very intelligent individual has assumed the mantle as master of Nora and to train him obedience. Nora can’t use his powers freely unless Kazuma accepts.  Therefore, Nora is pretty much powerless unless he works together with his master.  Which at the time being, he has a hard time with having to play dog to Kazuma.

At the end of vol. 1, we were introduced to Knell, a high-ranking and perverted demon who Kazuma and Nora barely have beaten.  Now, both Kazuma and Nora know that they will have to work together in order to prepare for more difficult battles ahead.

With the latest volume of “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM”, we are introduced to a new Dark Liege member named Barik.  Barik is a trainee and dedicated to serving the Dark Liege but can’t stand Nora.  The fin-eared trainee has to deliver a bracelet to Kazuma because in the last battle, by overdoing Nora’s magic, it takes a toll on Kazuma’s body.  So, this time, the bracelet reduces the damage done to Kazuma but there is a catch.  In the bracelet are two tags.  If Nora is able to get one tag, he can nullify their agreement and freely gain his powers back.

Of course, with Barik around, Nora can’t stand him either and the two start showing off their powers against each other and the battle between the two trainees begin.

Meanwhile, Nora tries to find ways of getting these tags from Kazuma and tries several ways to get them.  But each time, Kazuma is one step ahead.    As for Kazuma, he wants to know more about Nora and this Cerberus, with Nora not knowing anything about his past, Kazuma decides to visit the evil demon Knell at the beach (and as usual, flirting with the girls) but before Knell can say anything, Nora finds another Dark Liege member on Earth.  This time it’s Rivan, a General of the Dark Liege who just wants some peace and to go fishing.

Kazuma wants to know about Cerberus and Rivan says he will him if Kazuma and Nora can beat him in fishing.  But Nora, with his hot temper starts getting into a fight with Rivan and both then go to battle.  While fighting Nora discovers he has a power that he was unable to tap into before.  The Dark Liege believes his time with Kazuma has been training Nora quite well and he has become even more powerful.  But Nora is not sure where this unknown power is coming from.

While Kazuma and Nora try to figure out this new power, the Resistance is not enjoying the news about Nora’s increasing power and Cerberus’s presence on Earth and start’s killing off Dark Liege members.  A shark like member of the Resistance named Jeek is now wanting to kill both Nora and Kazuma.  Do the two have what it takes to beat this murderous demon?

ARTWORK:

As for the character designs and artwork, Kazunari Kakei tends to use a lot of simple line art for his character designs but effectively showcases the character’s emotions quite well.

But where Kakei shines is when he features the various battles, the monsters, Cerberus and even the Dark Liege in her buxom blonde mode. Kakei starts featuring these battles with a lot of lines and these characters with a lot of blacks and grays and really capturing the action effectively on paper.

The second volume of “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM” continues the action-packed storyline of this enjoyable manga series.  Whereas in the first volume, you get to learn how Kazuma is not such a cool guy and he actually is quite arrogant, this time around, you see the two working together and Nora growing in power.

With the introduction of more Dark Liege members to the scene with more killer members of the Resistance on a murderous rampage, it’s going to be interesting to see more of these major battles unfold with each volume.  Especially with Rivan and Barik, you never know if these demons will be there for Nora as backup or they will be more of an opposition.  So, it will interesting to see how the storyline unfolds in future volumes.

What I enjoy about “NORA”, especially with this volume is creator Kazunari Kakei’s ability to have fun with the reader by answering their comments and even including “Manga-ka diaries” and other fun pages (after each chapter) and pretty much, despite the stress and challenges he has with being on schedule, he has fun along the way and communicates with his fanbase.

Another enjoyable volume in the “NORA” series!

“A fun manga about five college students attending art school.  They have parties, they have fun, they find love and everything in between.  A lot of humor, beautiful artwork and an all out fun, award-winning manga by Chica Umino.”

(C) Image courtesy of Chica Umino.  All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: honey and clover vol. 1

STORY AND ART BY: Chica Umino (羽海野 チカ)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shojo Beat Manga

RATED: T for Older Teen

Takemoto, a sophmore art student in Tokyo, thinks his greatest worries in life are finding ways to eat more meat and getting to class on time.  But with friends like his, life is never going to be that tame.

Beautiful, fun… Definitely a lot of positive things you can say about this Kodansha Award winning manga series by Chika Umino.

Having spawned an anime series, a live drama and film, it’s no surprise that many men and women have enjoyed “honey and clover” and now available from Viz Media via their Shojo Beat imprint is “honey and clover”.

Part of my interest in wanting to read the manga is that I enjoyed the film but I felt that there were much back story of the characters that I figured, if I really want to enjoy this series, start with the manga.  And so, after reading volume 1, I was surprised how different the manga series and the live film were.

In the manga series, the story revolves around three guys who live in an apartment complex and attend an art school.  They are:

Yuta Takemoto: One of the primary characters, Takemoto is the youngest of the guys and majoring in architectural design.  He seems to have a ho-hum life but is the normal guy of the group who has taken a liking to the gifted artist Hagumi.

Shinobu Morita: A carefree, does whatever he wants type of guy.  Very cool but very strange.  A gifted sculptor who has attended the University for years, has not graduated but tends to make money doing freelance work and constantly on the move.  He is drawn to Hagumi because she reminds him of a Koropokkur (a leprechaun or fairy) that he actually takes pictures of her in situations and puts it on the Internet and promoting her as one.

Takumi Mayama: Mayama is the quiet type.  A senpai for Takemoto and works at a design firm in which he likes the owner Rika.  Although he knows that he’ll never get that close to Rika, he somewhat does what he can for her.  He is also the guy that Morita turned to when he needed help but now Mayama has passed the duty on to Takemoto.

Characters also featured are:

Hagumi: A shy, gifted  sculptor who is being taken care of by her uncle, Professor Hanamoto.  She is not very talkative and very, very short.  She is almost like a little girl but she’s actually 18 and her cuteness makes everyone in a good mood.  She does have a hard time knowing that so many people expect a lot of things from her because of her talent but also knows that because of dedicating her life to that talent, she doesn’t live a normal life like the other girls in school.

Ayumi Yamada: Yamada aka “Iron Man” is another gifted student at the art school who is madly in love with Mayama.  She knows that he is not interested in her but she takes it hard and sometimes can’t tolerate his attitude but she does because she’s so in love with him.  She’s very blunt, very beautiful, very athletic but also can get very violent (ala her karate moves).

What I found quite charming about this storyline is that it’s life of a college student.  Trying to do your best at school, not knowing your own future after school, not having enough money and just the fun that people have amongst friends.

Chapter 1 is more like an introduction to the characters but you can’t help but laugh when you see Morita making Hagu pose as a Koropokkur.

Chapter 2 features a guy coming to the University to see if the Koropokkur is real and the guys learn that Morita is making money off his popular website but Hagu is not to thrilled about what Morita is doing that he does something nice for her.

Chapter 3 is how the guys can’t understand why all the girls give him so much attention.  Especially since he’s lazy, oversleeps and uses the public faucet to shower and you get an idea of how far out Morita really is.  In one point, Morita needs clothes, so he grabs the curtains from Professor Hanamoto’s class and wears the clothes like Moses from the “Ten Commandments” with no shame.

Chapter 4 features the guys really hungry and haven’t eaten any meat for a long while because they are broke.  They survive by the noodles brought home by one of the guys who live in the apartment but things change when Lohmeyer-san returns back on campus from the family farm and brings so much ham, sausage and vegetables for the guys that Takemoto learns why everyone loves him.

Chapter 5 features the guys and Hagu going out for some fun and light some fireworks and Takemoto gets to see a kind side of Hagu.

Chapter 6 features Mayama getting a phone call from someone and Takemoto suspects that he may have a girlfriend.  Meanwhile, Morita is contacted to do a high paying job and Takemoto tries to make himself look great in front of Hagu and tells her that he’ll create something for her, since he is an architectural major.

Chapter 7 introduces Ayumi Yamada and how she is in love with Mayama.  Meanwhile, Takemoto finds out who the girl that called Mayama is.  Her name is Rika, a colleague of Professor Hanamoto and Mayama’s boss and that Mayama was just doing a lot of work for her.  But Mayama does like her and Yamada takes it very hard.

Chapter 8 focuses on Hagu and how the pressures of being a talented sculptor and not having a normal life like the other young women on campus starts to make her depressed.  The pressures of life start to drain her emotionally.

Chapter 9 is about Christmas and Morita invites everyone to Hanamoto-san’s office for a Christmas party.

The final pages feature a bonus manga diary titled “Life of Umino” and a glossary of terms used in the manga such as words like what is “Koropokkur” or what is a “system 6″ operating system.

I really enjoyed this first volume.  Similar to young novels or manga (or even dramas) such as “Asunaro Hakusho”, “Wakamono no Subete” or “Hakusen Nagashi”, I really enjoy stories that cover young adult life.  From the parties to just hanging out with friends, meeting new people, career choices to finding love (or not finding love),  “honey and clover” is one of those series that is realistic in the sense that many people can related to these characters.  So, you really take an interest towards the characters and I really liked the overall development of the characters through the course of the nine chapters.

Umino’s artwork and her storytelling is enjoyable, beautiful and has a good balance of entertainment through humor and that occasional love triangle drama that pulls you in.

So, I was very surprised of the differences between the life film and the manga.  With the film, there’s so much that can’t be done in a film under two hours from a manga series that has many chapters of storyline and character development.  I can see why so many people were entertained by this manga series.  It’s very entertaining and artwork that is just beautiful look at.

This is one of those stories that appeals appeals to both men and women and overall, the first volume is quite entertaining thus far.  Definitely check it out!

“In your mid-20’s, the beginning to one’s adult life of having to have your own place, wondering if you are happy with the job you have or even questioning your love for the person that you are with and whether it can stand through the test of time.  ’solanin’ is one of those manga that is more realistic, well-drawn and well-written, that you just appreciate every page because there is always something that you can relate to or just find a beauty within each panel.  Asano Inio’s ’solanin’ is fantastic!”

(C) Image courtesy of Inio ASANO/Shogakukan, Inc.

MANGA TITLE: solanin

STORY AND ART BY: Inio Asano (浅野)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN:  Shogakukan, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Maiko Inoue is a recent college grad working as an office lady in a job she hates.  Her boyfriend Naruo is permanently crashing at her apartment because his job as a freelance illustrator doesn’t pay enough for rent.  And her parents in the country keep sending her boxes of veggies that just rot in her fridge.  Straddling the line between her years as a student and the rest of her life, Meiko struggles with the feeling that she’s just not cut out to be a part of the real world.

Life is never easy.   And that first year out of college and trying to find a career and getting a feel of whether the career you chose is what is right for you.  Finding the right apartment, wondering if the person you are in love with will be there forever.

“solanin” by Inio Asano features a beautiful artwork that captures Tokyo, from it’s buildings, the homes, the walkways and scenery and just drawn with quite a bit of detail of just Tokyo that I found quite enjoyable.  But as the artwork is part of the enjoyability of the manga, the strength is also in its storytelling.

For me, I enjoy manga’s that capture the young adult life.  Many that are released as novels in Japan but to have it in manga format that deal with that important time in the lives of normal people but presenting a situation that people can relate to.  Stories such as “Asunaro Hakusho” which go into college friends and their love triangles, “Tokyo Friends” which features a woman from a farming area who needs to make a life in Tokyo to pursue her dreams and joins a rock band as the main vocalist to “Wakamono no Subete” which goes into friends who went separate ways in adulthood and choosing different paths in life which are normal and some that lead to a life of crime.

These three examples are storylines featured in graphic novels that have translated well into live drama series in Japan.    But “solanin”, it was well-featured on paper, via ink and an awesome manga it turned out to be.

According to writer/artist of “solanin”, “I drew solanin when I was about 24 years old.  I had just graduated from college and I was feeling a bit insecure about my ability to succeed as a manga artist and whether I would be able to continue to draw manga that were true to myself.  In my anxiety and impatience, I felt that all I could do in my manga was try to get a true depiction of the times as experienced by my generation.”

And that is where “solanin” shines.  It’s true depiction of human life and things that people go through.

“solanin” is a refreshing storyline that focuses on the character of Meiko.  Meiko is just tired of her life working a job as an OL (office lady).  She’s had enough and quits her job but she has a year or so of savings to help keep her on her feet but at the same time, her boyfriend Naruo crashes at her apartment and works as a part-time freelance illustrator but his dream is being in the band and for them to succeed with their music.

But like anywhere in life, some may pursue that life in music but others need to find that job to help pay the bills.  The first arc of “solanin” focuses on the relationship between Meiko and Naruo.  The second arc features Naruo going full force in making his dream for his music band happen.  The third arc is the plan if what if the dreams of not making it into the music industry doesn’t come into fruition.  If you can’t make it as a musician, what kind of job do you do next?

And the fourth arc which is just shocking and I definitely don’t want to ruin it for anyone because it’s so powerful.

Asano does a great job of making you care for these two characters but also showcases other characters (Naruo’s bandmates) and Meiko’s female friend and just how everyone is also trying to live life and focus on their passion with music but struggle of having a full-time job.  A job that they may not even enjoy but do it because they need the money.  Especially because they are in their mid-20’s.

For Meiko, she just wants a carefree life away from the workforce and feels that she can enjoy life more by livng free and learning that sort of freedom comes with a price.  For Naruo, there is just a bittersweet moment when he sees a band member (from a band he once idolized) now working for the corporate structure of the label and has changed.  It became an eye opening situation of how not all bands last forever, nor do they become financially successful.

The storyline progresses as you see these individuals grow as people but having to assimilate into the working force and grow farther away from the things that they love and knowing it’s time to grow up and say goodbye.  The progression of the characters not only makes the reader start to enjoy these characters but slowly build them from young adults who enjoy their freedom to young adults knowing that they have to change their lives and then leading up to an unexpected situation that is just so shocking.

First, let me just say how pleased I am that Viz Media bundled everything into one Viz Signature graphic novel, you definitely get your money’s worth with this thick manga graphic novel that features awesome artwork and a very cool, realistic storyline.

Second, this manga is for both men or women.  You get to see the perspective of life through Meiko’s eyes but also the eyes of Naruo and also both sides of the coin with the male and female friends.  “solanin” is a manga storyline that doesn’t focus on teenage love, this is a storyline of young adults and again, because of it’s realistic storyline, I definitely enjoyed it because it’s so different of what’s out there.  There is no supernatural powers, nothing feudal, nothing suspenseful, no guns, no fighting or action-scenes.   It’s a storyline that slowly progresses in human relationships, young adult angst and normal feelings that many people have and how one deals with those emotions.

My reason for enjoying this series is because it’s so different from what’s available in the US for manga releases.   Granted, these type of realistic storylines can be found on Japanese dramas or film but to have it featured beautifully on a manga and Asano really focusing on character development but also the sign of the times, “solanin” is just a fantastic title for those looking for a different manga that they are accustomed to reading.

Highly recommended!

In a recent manga review for the Daily Yomiuri, Tom Baker reviewed “AIR GEAR”. Here is an excerpt from that review:

Air Trek skates are marvels of engineering. Operating on a principle similar to that of spring-driven toy cars, these amazing roller skates gather their wearers’ kinetic energy in a way that allows them to accelerate quickly enough to actually take flight.

In the manga series Air Gear, Air Trek skaters can leap short buildings in a single bound, and they can skate right up the walls of tall ones. As a character remarks in Volume 1, “the city skyline is all concrete–it’s all road.” Thus, a limitation is turned into a means of liberation, getting the series off to a conceptually exciting start.

Unfortunately, the series doesn’t do much to explore the concept. The main characters are a gang of middle school students who are involved in an underground skate-fighting league. They stage one duel after another as the series goes on, with an especially long battle running from late in Volume 7 to the end of Volume 9. We rarely see the skates put to any other use.

The series is at its best when its focus is on relationships among the characters, but the rules and mythology of Air Trek dueling become more and more detailed with each volume, until they completely take over. It’s what the Harry Potter series would have been like if J.K. Rowling had written about nothing but Quidditch.

Manga-making can be a fluid process, as many artists respond to reader feedback as their serialized works progress. But Air Gear has a more improvised feel than most.

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“If you thought that ‘DEATH NOTE’ was dark and full of suspense, definitely give ‘BLANK SLATE’ a try.  Involving, dark, twisted but yet manages to keep the reader interested and entertained.”

(C) Image courtesy of Aya Kanno

BUY THIS MANGA

MANGA TITLE: BLANK SLATE (Akusaga)

STORY AND ART BY: Aya Kanno (菅野文)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: By Hakusensha, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

What does it take to find your true inner self? Zen’s memory has been wiped, and he can’t remember if he’s a killer or a hero.  And a lot of people will do anything they can to keep it that way.

QUESTIONS

Zen’s unearthly charm attracts a veritable rogues gallery.  A bounty hunter becomes obsessed enough to become his new partner, while the daughter of a general treats him like some sort of guru.  But when he meets a mysterious doctor who may know him from the past, Zen learns that the secret of his lost memory is definitely more sinister than saintly.

A story about a twisted killer.

I have to admit that when I started reading “BLANK SLATE”, I was surprised the manga was under the imprint “Shojo Beat”.  So, far from the first manga graphic novel by mangaka Aya Kanno, this is definitely not a serious about romantic relationships, love triangles or happy times.

This is actually a pretty unique storyline that almost reminds me of a “DEATH NOTE” style of manga.  Not that the series has any comparisons but I compare “BLANK SLATE” in the fact that the villains are stylish and despite their dark nature, somehow the charm of the main character (Zen), a killer bent on destruction has a quick wit and manages to find trouble but yet alludes the authorities who are on the manhunt to stop him.

“BLANK SLATE” is definitely a refreshing and unique storyline from Aya Kanno, a mangaka who started her career as an assistant to “Psychometrer Eiji” mangaka Masashi Asaki and began her own career in 2001 with the manga “Soul Rescue”.

Her fifth manga “BLANK SLATE” known in Japan as “Akusaga” is just an interesting storyline that revolves around a person named Zen.  A charismatic man but also the worst criminal in history, the most sought out villain for his role in killing people.

Zen has an interesting history.  He doesn’t know much about his past.  In fact, he just woke up one day with urges to destroy and kill.  The only two words that has consumed him since he had woken and has done just that.

Before I scare anyone off and thinking this is a manga about some sadistic individual, fortunately the story doesn’t focus on psychopathic murders but features how people who come across Zen, change. How his evil ways, end up changing people and he enjoys seeing people who were once good being corrupted by evil.

In one chapter, a bounty hunter who is hired to kill Zen ends up somehow siding with him.

In another chapter, Zen who robs a bank ends up in a middle of a terrorist plot and while escaping, ends up kidnapping a daughter of a general.  The daughter who is blind and is literally stuck in her home and only able to wander in her back yard feels as if Zen is the person who can free her and destroy her world (ie. her life imprisonment).

This is just an example of Zen.  His ability to use people for his own purpose and literally watch them crossover from purity to their way towards becoming evil or helping evil.

But at the end of the chapter, it seems that Zen has met his nemesis and as a person who likes to be in control now knowing he can be controlled by someone doesn’t set well with him and now he wants to know why it happened.

Definitely an exciting first volume and the storyline and the artwork by Aya Kanno are just beautiful to look at.  The men are drawn in bishounen, cool style and overall, the artwork was done quite well.  In fact, the character designs for Zen and various pages featuring him in sinister mode or a withdrawn, everything is well captured.  Especially in the eyes.  Kanno does well in making Zen a handsome man but showing that those eyes can not only be beauty, it can also be death.

“BLANK SLATE” definitely has a lot going for it.  A very cool storyline and well-done artwork from Aya Kanno.  And the fact that she was an assitant to Masashi Asaki who created one of my favorite series “Psychometrer Eiji”, it definitely makes me excited to see what she has planned for this series.

As for why “BLANK SLATE” is under the Shojo Beat imprint.  I’m not entirely sure but perhaps its because the men are bishonen and even the first chapter had some yaoi vibe going on.

But the suspenseful storyline definitely draws you in.  You have a good balance of action and suspense but most of all, a refreshing story that focuses on a killer who has enjoyed destroying and murdering but now finds himself in a disadvantage because someone has one upped him.

“BLANK SLATE” is a fantastic title that fans of “DEATH NOTE” can probably get into and enjoy!  It’s not a happy storyline by no means.   It’s dark, gritty but yet it’s written well and the artwork manages to capture the storyline very well.  Definitely check this manga out!

In a recent “Through Otaku Eyes”, Kanta Ishida wrote:

Beatitude, the latest manga by Naito Yamada, is a shocking work for people like me who are in their late 40s and avid fans of the legendary Tokiwa-so group–so-called because they lived in the same apartment building, called Tokiwa-so, in their early years and developed a ground breaking new aesthetic.

Beatitude is set in 1955 when 18-year-old Shotaro Hananomori comes to Tokyo from the Tohoku region to become a mangaka. He settles in his dream place–the Tokio-so apartment–with his close friend Fujio Kubozuka. The wooden apartment, where Tezuka-sensei used to live, is inhabited by poor but young and ambitious people who are developing through friendly competition and forming the mangaka group Manga Ryozanpaku.

It is clear that Tokio-so is based on Tokiwa-so, in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, where such manga giants as Osamu Tezuka, Shotaro Ishinomori, Fujio Akatsuka, Fujio Fujiko and Hideko Mizuno resided in the 1950s. It is also apparent that mop-haired Hananomori and girlie Kubozuka are modeled after Shotaro Ishinomori and Fujio Akatsuka, respectively.

But what surprises me is that Beatitude is not a fact-based manga like Mangamichi drawn by Fujio Fujiko A (the duo originally known as Fujio Fujiko disbanded and became Fujio F. Fujiko and Fujio Fujiko A in the 1980s). Despite its similarity to that story, it has totally different aims.

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Comic book publishing studio eigoMANGA (http://www.eigomanga.com), has announced the upcoming release of a special graphic novel publication — Sakura Pakk Versus Rumble Pak Graphic Novel —  for the first time features a combination of shonen (male-oriented) and shojo (female-oriented) stories from Sakura Pakk (http://www.SakuraPakk.com) and Rumble Pak (http://www.RumblePak.com).

Rumble Pak and Sakura Pakk are Original English-language (OEL) manga anthology publication series that showcases original manga stories created by artists from around the world. Rumble Pak imprint are geared for male comic book readers while Sakura Pakk’s imprint is catered for female readers. Both publications debuted in 2004 and rapidly became internationally acclaimed OEL manga publications.

“We honestly never thought about EVER combining Sakura Pakk and Rumble Pak into one”, states eigoMANGA’s publisher Austin Osueke. “For years everyone of us within our editor to creator teams bitterly wanted to separate both imprints and create distinct identities for them. From time to time there were actually bitter rivalries between the Sakura Pakk camp and the Rumble Pak camps. A local fan asked us to combine our best works into one book. So just for laughs, we put a sample book together and it looked really good. So here we are”.

Sample Line-Up From The RUMBLE PAK Imprint Features:

BLEED 1.0 Created By Carlo Borremo
Bleed is the meta-organic robot guardian beast that is protecting the innocent, yet mysterious little girl named Ginger. Ginger is targeted by intergalactic assassins because she may have a cosmic bomb activated inside her body.

THE MONKEY TALE Created By Myung Hee Kim
An American teenager discovers that he’s the missing piece and the re-incarnation of a living weapon created to prevent the rise of an ancient demon warlord. In order to follow his fate, he must take responsibility for crimes caused by his past life.

SHORT TRIP Created By Rob McPherson
It’s a super-powered Kung Fu Little Red Ridding Hood story of sorts. Join Mail and Let-Let, the youngest members of Okuru-Ro fighting temple in the misty inland of the Middle Kingdom, as they have their first and perhaps last adventure outside of the temple!

YOUR HALF Created By Taras Tymczyna
Set in present day suburbia, Melissa “Liss” Ogilvie was offered by her romantic interest, Kurt, to be his partner in his plans for violent global domination. Instead of accepting the offer, she took the hard suit Kurt designed for her, promised to ruin all his efforts, and abandoned him. The story concentrates on the battle between Liss and Kurt, as well as the complications they experience in their dealings with personal relationships and love.

Sample Line-Up From The SAKURA PAKK Imprint Features:

THE FROG PRINCESS Created by Jeff Loew
Marine Biologist, Larissa Talcott is torn between a renewed love relationship with attorney, Brian Liam, because Brian’s law firm is representing a company plotting to renovate a local pond into commercial property. Larissa is driven to stop them in order to protect the ecosystem that inhabits the pond; she is given the nick-name “Frog Princess” by her friends and colleagues. Will Brian and Larissa compromise their solid beliefs for the sake of their relationship?

MID SUMMER’S DREAM Created Silvia Chang
A school celebration of Mardi Gras takes Alice, a high school fortune teller, also known to her friends as the “Goddess of Love” back to a midsummer’s dream of long ago.

NATURA MORTA Created by Abril Espinosa
Wandering the streets on another sleepless night, Nikki finds the mysterious and silent Diego, and takes him home to tend his wounds. Little does she know that Diego is in the hiding from a strange and powerful woman in another realm, and the two worlds will soon collide. The Natura Morta story has many elements of vampirism and gothic themes.

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Sakura Pakk Versus Rumble Pak
Intended Audience: 13+
Genre: Anthology
Format: Hard Cover Graphic Novel, 220 pages, B&W, 8.5 x 11, Perfect Bound
Suggest Retail Price: $29.95
Release Date: 02/25/09
Distributor: Diamond Distributors
Diamond Item Code: DEC084011

About eigoMANGA

eigoMANGA is a comic book publishing studio that produces original Japanese-influenced comics as well as develop business and marketing projects geared towards the anime industry.
Visit http://www.eigoMANGA.com

About Rumble Pak

‘Rumble Pak’ is an Original English-language manga anthology series published by eigoMANGA. Rumble Pak showcases original comics created by artists from around the world including a line-up of stories written and produced by independent American artists.
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‘Sakura Pakk’ is an anthology OEL manga series created and published by eigoMANGA. Sakura Pakk highlights original comics stories created for female comic book readers.
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“The first volume of the shojo manga ‘We Were There’ features a fun storyline as we see life through the eyes of teenager Nanami Takahashi and how she deals with being a first-year student in high school, trying to make new friends but most of all, dealing with her own emotions after developing a crush on the popular Motoharu Yano.”

(C) Image courtesy of Yuuki OBATA/Shogakukan, Inc.

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MANGA TITLE: We Were There Vol. 1 (Bokura ga Ita)

STORY AND ART BY: Yuki Obata (小畑 友紀)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: By Shogakukan

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Worrying is a privilege of the living, isn’t it?

Nanami Takahashi falls for Motoharu Yano, the most popular, carefree boy in class.  For Nanami, it’s first love, but Yano is still grieving the death of his girlfriend who died the year before.

Nanami starts high school with high hopes of making lots of friends.  She develops a crush on the enigmatic Yano, but he may have too many secrets for her to handle.

The award-winning series known in Japan as “Bokura ga Ita”.

The popular award winning manga series “Bokura ga Ita” by Yuki Obata arrives stateside via the title “We Were There” through Viz Media’s Shojou Beat Manga imprint.

The manga which won the “2005 Shogakukan Manga Award” for shojo manga has sold 7.6 million copies in Japan and not long after, in July 2006 was adapted to a 26-episode anime series.  With a popular storyline, not only is it great to finally have the manga series in the US but due to its popularity, it’s great to know that the manga which was first  serialized in Betsucomi back in Oct. 2002 is still ongoing in Japan to this day.

The first volume focuses on Nanami Takahashi.  A teenager who is just entering high school and like most teenagers entering high school, having to deal with life of having to find new friends, getting involved in school activities and also dealing with emotions.  In this case, her crush on the most popular student in school Motoharu Yano.

Nanami (or Nana-chan) is not really head smart and if anything, she tends to have so many things going through her mind and somewhat lacking confidence in her own emotions to express herself.

But her interest in the most popualr guy in school has suddenly caught her off guard.  But each time she feels drawn to Yano, he does something very nice and sincere and once you think everything looks good between the two, Yano will do something that really ticks her off.

So, to say the least, throughout this first volume, it’s about Nanami (or Nana-chan) wanting to get closer to Yano but wondering how she should deal with the emotions that she is currently feeling.  Should she express those feelings towards Yano?

At high school, Nanami makes new friends but one person catches her interest.  In class, she sits next to a smart and very quiet girl named Yuri Yamamoto.  When she asks Yuri about Yano, Yuri makes a comment that she detests Yano.  Nana doesn’t understand why all girls think Yano is so hot but yet Yuri doesn’t like him at all.

But Nana starts to learn more about Yano and learns that his ex-girlfriend died in a car accident a year ago.  Her name was Nana and was the older sister of her Nanami’s classmate Yuri.  This derails Nanami’s plan to express her feelings of her crush to Yano and knowing that his ex-girlfriend was beautiful, older and popular, she feels that she doesn’t have a chance.

But everyday is a new day and Nanami does what she can to motivate herself and express those feelings she has inside.  Will she be able to?

When it comes to shojo manga, may it be a storyline such as “Hana Yori no Dango” or “Kare Kano”, there are plenty of manga series that revolve around high school love.  But so far, I think that readers can get a sense of the purity of Nanami’ s character and these are genuine feelings that not just girls share but also boys who enter a new high school and has a crush on someone.

There is no ulterior motive, there is no villain.  This is pretty much a drama-like series that focuses on emotions that anyone can possibly related to when they were younger or are currently that age and going through it right now.

Overall, the first volume features a pure and humorous storyline.   Nanami is just a pleasant character while Yano is your typical cool guy character who likes to play with Nanami’s emotions.  And the interaction between the two is quite interesting.  At times where you feel like Yano is a jerk, you’ll see him coming through for her and overall, you just want to see how the two interact with each other, if there is chemistry and wonder when or if the two will get together.

ARTWORK:

Obata’s artwork is simple and clean but  she puts a lot of emphasis on the eyes and the emotions of the character. Obata effectively uses quite large panels effectively in getting a person’s emotions across.  Overall, the artwork and storytelling naturally blend quite well with each other.

Overall, “We Were There” is an enjoyably, fun shojo manga and vol. 1 pretty much captures the emotions of teenage angst but the happiness and sadness that goes along with the emotions that Nanami has throughout each chapter.

With “We Were There”, these are realistic emotions that any person can feel for a person and I like how Nanami says one thing but in her mind, she constantly thinks if what she did was the right thing or not.  A rather indecisive person but she’s portrayed as a girl who has her faults, is aware of it, others are aware of it but yet manages to make the best of her life.

All in all, the first volume was enjoyable to read.  There is a good amount of humor but most of all, a good balance of emotion and a touching storyline in the first “We Were There” vol. 1.  An enjoyable manga to read and I look forward to seeing how this relationship between the two progresses.

“A fun and enjoyable manga from the creative mind of Kazunari Kakei.”

(C) NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM image is courtesy of SHUEISHA Inc.

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MANGA TITLE: NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM VOL. 1

STORY AND ART BY: Kazunari Kakei (筧 一成)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: By Shueisha in 2004.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC.

RATED: T for Older Teen

PAGES: 214 pages

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Nora, an unruly demon, has defied his Dark Liege one too many times. For the sake of his “education,” Nora is sent to live among mortals and enters a bond of servitude with cool-as-ice star student Kazuma Magari. Kazuma is about to learn the ways of the underworld…and Nora will learn more from the “real world” than he ever thought possible!

A Match Made in Hell - When the seal for Nora’s form is released he becomes Cerberus, the vicious dog of disaster. But Nora can only use magic when Kazuma grants him permission…and Kazuma doesn’t grant permission easily. The Dark Liege wants the two to team up and crack down on renegade demon factions in the human world, but how can they do that if they can’t even get along?

In 2004, manga-ka Kazunari Kakei had his breakout hit manga series “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM”. The series has just been released as a graphic novel published by Viz Media under their cutting edge manga imprint known as Shonen Jump Advanced (targeted towards older teens and young adults).

In Japan, there have been many manga and anime series which pits demons going after other demons and “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM” fits that type of storyline description but with a twist.

In the first volume, the unruly demon Nora has gotten in quite a bit of trouble with the Dark Liege Army leader and she’s not exactly to keen when Nora keeps calling her “ugly”. But also not too keen about Nora’s uncaring attitude about the Dark Liege’s priority which is to go after the demons that are feeding in the human world.

So, because of his repeat offenses, he is forced out of Hell and forced to live with the humans without his powers.  Where he must be educated on learning about humans.

Unfortunately for Nora, he must become the familiar (or slave) of The cold as ice Tenryo Academy Middle School President Magari Kazuma. The popular president, a genius, athletic but seems to be bored and unsatisfied with life.

Kazuma cares about his student council but he seems to look at everyone almost as inferior and thus treats them like his slaves.  One day, while looking for his student body members who went to fetch him a drink, he is summoned via cell phone by the Dark Liege master who gives him the opportunity to be in control of destructive power.  Kazuma agrees and thus the training begins for Nora who must learn about the human world before he can be let back in to Hell.

And for Nora, he can’t stand Kazuma because despite his feelings towards humans, he is treated like a dog by Kazuma.  To make matters worse, to use any of his powers, Kazuma must approve or deny his request.

So, monsters are unleashed in the human world and these monsters known as the resistance have put Nora and Kazuma as a high priority target.  But what the resistance doesn’t know is that Nora happens to be the legendary demon known as Cerberus: The Hound of Hades

And so both must work together to stay alive but also to protect the human world from these deadly demons.

I found “NORA” to be an entertaining series and because the two main characters do not get a long and it’s twist of a demon having to learn from humans and forced to work with Kazuma (who seems to be doing this because it has made his life so much more satisfying) is quite interesting.  And a fresh twist of the demon vs. demon type of storyline that we have seen in various manga and animated series in the past few decades.

The first volume features the first three chapters and dedicated solely to character development and the interaction between Kazuma and Nora.  These two are just like oil and water but the two must learn to work together.

Because of the bickering of the two, there is a lot of humor between the two. But there is also a lot of action as the two confront the resistance in a few battles.  In order for Nora to use his magic spells, Kazuma must approve for its use but each time Nora wants it to happen, Kazuma tends to deny the request.

Both have two ways of handling themselves during battle with Nora attacking before thinking and Kazuma is more of the genius in observing tactics and strategies of the opponent.  So, despite them not getting along, they need each other to become successful.

ARTWORK:

As for the character designs and artwork, Kazunari Kakei tends to use a lot of simple line art for his character designs but effectively showcases the character’s emotions quite well.

But where Kakei shines is when he features the various battles, the monsters, Cerberus and even the Dark Liege in her buxom blonde mode.  Kakei starts featuring these battles with a lot of lines and these characters with a lot of blacks and grays and really capturing the action effectively on paper.

For the first volume of “NORA”, I really enjoyed the storyline.  Granted, I’ve read a good number of Demon vs. Demon storylines, “NORA” is pretty cool manga series featuring two main characters with two different types of personalities.

I use the oil and water description because these two don’t get along but Nora needs Kazuma in order to get back to the underworld and Kazuma needs Nora to make his life a bit more satisfying.

Also, the storyline doesn’t take too long to get to the action.  One chapter after the other, you’re pretty much watching these two take on a variety of demons and rarely do you see Kakei straying away from that (for vol. 1), although you do manage to see Kazuma’s student council buddies show up a few times but mainly as humans kidnapped by the demons.

So, for action manga fans, “NORA” is not at all cerebral. The storyline is easy to follow, the artwork is not too busy but overall, “NORA - THE LAST CHRONICLE OF DEVILDOM” is an enjoyable storyline with plenty of action, humor and more.  You won’t be disappointed!

In a recent review for Daily Yomiuri, Tom Baker reviews “Black Jack”.  Here is an excerpt from his review:

A woman lies at death’s door, and only a mysterious surgeon named Black Jack can save her. But his services don’t come cheap. He refuses to begin the operation unless her grown son, with whom she has a strained relationship, agrees to pay 30 million yen.

This is a typical scene from one of the 26 stories collected in the first two volumes of Vertical, Inc.’s new English-language edition of Tezuka Osamu’s manga Black Jack, which initially ran in Shukan Shonen Champion magazine from 1973 to 1983. The doctor has stunning skills and shocking fees.

At first the patient’s son in this particular story goes wide-eyed and rigid at the price. But when the doctor quietly asks, “Can you pay?” the man begins to shout. “I will! Whatever it takes! If it takes my whole life!”

Black Jack smiles grimly. “That’s what I wanted to hear.” And with that, the story ends.

There’s plenty of medical melodrama in these tales, which feature frostbite, cancer, disfigurement, radiation burns, earthquakes, traffic accidents and severed limbs galore. But that’s just what’s happening on the surface. Many of the Black Jack stories have deeper layers.

Though he does the seemingly impossible–even transplanting a brain in one story–Black Jack also suffers from devastating failures, and in at least one tale he loses a patient whom he cared about deeply. The reader can never be sure how a particular operation is going to turn out.

Although he is widely condemned as greedy, he sometimes displays a softer side, helping in tragic cases for free.

Some of the stories are both sentimental and ghoulish, such as one in which a young sushi chef loses his arms–while on his way to his elderly mother’s house, where he was going to make her sushi for the first time.

The stories are often ambiguous or open-ended. In the story of the 30 million yen, it is not entirely clear what Black Jack is up to. Has he simply helped the man to recognize the preciousness his mother’s life? Or does he really intend to make him a debt slave for the rest of his days?

How you answer that question depends on your sense of his character, which is only gradually revealed. Also doled out in small doses is the story of his origin, including how he wound up with two different skin colors on his face. Two volumes in, there are still a few things I would like to know. Luckily, Volume 3 is due out in January.

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