Full Moon, vol. 1-7 (END)

Full Moon wo Sagashite
Arina Tanemura
Viz (Shojo Beat), around 170 pp. per volume.

Do you want to get in touch with your shojo-loving manga side? Do you want to push away all those action and fight scenes for a bit of emotional drama? Do you want a character-driven story that will most likely touch your heart at one point in the story? Well look no further, Full Moon wo Sagashite will do all that for you!

Mitsuki Koyama, age 12 has one year until she dies of a throat tumor. With that in mind, she wants to become a pop star! Despite her grandmother's hatred of music and singing because of past incidents, Mitsuki is detirmend to become a popstar, find her lost love Eichi, and live her life to the fullest. But can she do that all in one year? Or will she die trying?

Volume 1 starts the tale off with a bang. After finding out Mitsuki has a year to live, she runs off to become a popstar. But she's pursued by a pair of shinigami under the name of Negi-ramen, who want to take her soul! But rather than do that, they sort of hang around her because she's the only one that can see them because every day is one closer to her death.

Volume 2 brings on a bit of the popstar fluff. Peforming, costumes, and just about everything else that showbiz has, Mitsuki goes through it. But there's also a darker side of showbiz, with lyrics being stolen, banter between contestants, and shady members of the audience...

Volume 3 kicks everything into high-gear by jumping into the story. There's so much explained in this volume that it will amaze you. We find out Eichi isn't waiting for Mitsuki in America, and he actually died in a plane crash. We learn that shinigami are what they are because in life they committed suicide. And now that Mitsuki knows the truth, is it really worth following her dreams any more that her love is gone forever?

Volume 4 feels like a bit of a letdown after the most impacting volume 3, but is good nevertheless. Mitsuki is a bit crushed after hearing Eichi is dead. But what happens when her feelings start to blossom for Takuto, one of the shinigami following her?

Volume 5 picks up on a better note, with Mitsuki climbing the charts under the idol name Full Moon. But fame has a price, as I'm sure almost every celebrity knows. Among the many gifts she receives, there's a threat for one of the next performances! Is it true? Should Mitsuki quit being an idol because of this threat?

Volume 6 brings on more of the drama we've been waiting for. Mitsuki is in dire need of an operation, but with that comes the loss of her voice. Will she have the operation? Or will she refuse it and end up dying sooner? And what happens when the shinigami become more of a threat to her? Her life is bound to end soon...

Volume 7 is the final volume. Mitsuki is trapped by Jonathan, one of the most powerful shinigami in their world. Another shinigami, Izumi, is able to help her but doing so would release his final memory that he may not want to remember. So Mitsuki and Takuto die together, but end up living again. So what happens three years later with no Eichi to be found? Is it time to move on into another relationship?

As mentioned before, this is really a character-driven story. Despite it revolving around wanting to become a popstar, that really fades from the story as it goes into later volumes. The story is fueled primarily by Mitsuki, who is so in love with Eichi and is heck-bent on finding him. But her aspirations to find him slowly fade, and she's more driven to think about dying because she'd be closer to him. In the end, she has to make a decision over if she should let her love for Eichi go and be with Takuto or not.

The characters are what make the story. Mitsuki is surprisingly emotional for a 12 year old (13 in later volumes) and has determination. Takuto and Meroko (Negi-Ramen) are rather nice shinigami, who would rather see her live instead of taking her soul. Izumi and Jonathan are the more diabolical pair of shinigami, always plotting ways to steal her soul and/or kill her.

The art is surprisingly good. It improves little over the seven volumes, but Arina has her own style. It's big eyes, long, wavy hair, and somewhat lanky-bodies. It beats your average shojo-style any day, though it may take a bit of time getting used to.

The quality is average. Viz seemed to do an average job with the first 6 volumes, but kicked it up a notch with the last volume translating lots of extras, such as thank-you letters to Arina for writing Full Moon and some bonus manga from her about her adventures in signing copies of Full Moon in Taiwan. I also commend them by translating a Full Moon dictionary that she wrote in the back of volume 7, which was sort of an explanation of characters, songs, and events in the series.

Art: 4
Characters: 4.5
Quality: 3.5
Story: 4.5

Total: Rounded to a 4, or a A-. I'd recommend this to teen girls looking for a good emotional drama with nice characters and a good story. It's bound to touch your heart and make you feel for the characters. The series will only cost $62.93 without tax, so it's not that much of an investment.

Amefurashi, vol. 1

Amefurashi The Rain Goddess, volume 1
Atsushi Suzumi
Del Rey, 221 pp.
Available here.

I got this one the day it came out. I'm not sure what it was that made me want to get this...maybe it was the sassy girl on the cover? Or maybe it was the fact that it was by Atsushi Suzumi, the creator of Venus Vs. Virus? Either way, I'm glad I picked this up.

The story is about average. It has it's weaknesses, but manages to be unique in a way. Gimmy is on a mission to save his younger twin brother and sister because they accidentally shipped themselves off to the Rain Goddess. So he has to get them back from the sassy goddess Sora. Along the way, there's another goddess that wants to get in Sora's tree so that she can control the rain.

It works out pretty well, except for the few weaknesses. One of them is Sora's story. There really isn't any reason why they send up gifts to Sora. Yes, after that it does rain but why? Why would you go send dolls up to a goddess? Another is the plot itself. It's fairly predictable.

The characters are great. Gimmy is much like Watanuki from xxxHolic, but isn't the same character. They share similar traits. Sora is a very sassy and somewhat immature goddess. Just about everyone else other than the two main characters is cookie-cutter, from the twins to Daryl, the parental figure in Gimmy's life.

The art is by far the strongest point of the book, which is very good. It's got detail and still fares well during action scenes. The characters are drawn very well, with costume detail and expressions that stand out.

The publication is great, mainly because it's from Del Rey. This book is extra thick, coming in at 221 pages with just the main story and a few notes with sketches. It has the extras, translation notes, and has a decent (but untranslated) look at the next volume. These are the great things that make a worthy publication.

Art: 5
Characters: 3.5 (Bought up to four point five by the mains, but taken down by the cookie-cutter side characters)
Quality: 5
Story: 3

Overall: Rounded to a 4. It's an A. It's a good, short shonen story that's only two volumes long. Your mileage may vary if you're used to reading long shonen and don't enjoy short ones. If that is the case, you man not enjoy this title to it's full extent.

Aria, vol. 1

Aria volume one
Kozue Amano
ADV manga, 176 pp.


Grade: A
On the planet Aqua, a world once known as Mars, Akari Mizunashi has just made her home in the town of Neo-VENEZIA, a futuristic imitation of the ancient city of Venice. The technology of "Man Home" (formerly Earth) has not entirely reached this planet, and Akari is alone, having no contact with family or friends. Nonetheless, the town, with its charming labyrinths of rivers and canals, becomes Akari's new infatuation, along with the dream of becoming a full-fledged gondolier. Reverting to a more "primitive" lifestyle and pursuing a new trade, the character of Akari becomes both adventurous and heartwarming all at once.

Actually, I don't think Aria needs a summary. It's a good ol' slice-of-life manga about gondoliers in an incarnation of Vince set in the future.

Aria follows Akari, an undine in training. For those not in the know, an undine in this series is an in-training gondolier. It follows events in Akari's life, such as gondola races, waiting at the Bridge of Sighs for a friend and a trip to the shrine where she witnesses a sun shower. It's very simple and relaxing, and is meant to point out to you that there are some magical times in life and to enjoy them.

Akari isn't smart, and she isn't supposed to be. She's kind-hearted, ready to stop a race just to pick up some fruits that a woman dropped in the water and is naive. Her friend Akia is level-headed and is competitive, and one of the more experienced undines Alicia is kind and caring. Along with the cat (?) President Aria, they make up a perfect slice-of-life crew who live out the most enjoyable moments in life.

The art looks better in black and white then in color I must say. The cover really didn't hook me into reading this manga because of the coloring. But once inside and reading, the art was pure wonderful, with several somewhat-detailed two page spreads.

It's okay quality wise. The cover feels a bit weird, and is marked and dented easily. This particular volume comes with a few helpful translation notes in the back. I must note, this is the ADV version, not the Tokyopop version. ADV version is rated all ages while Tokyopop's is OT. Why? I have no clue, because I didn't see one objectionable thing in this whole volume.

Art: 4
Characters: 4
Quality: 3.5
Story (charm): 5

Overall: A 4.2. I must say that I keep the .2 in there because this is a noteworthy book that almost anyone can enjoy. It's got those qualities that really make a slice of life manga, with likable characters, a good setting, and charm. I think also the older you are the more you can appreciate it. A and recommended.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, vol. 2

Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei: The power of negative thinking volume 2

Meet the most melancholy high school teacher in Japan: Nozomu Itoshiki, whose fashion sense is strictly nineteenth-century, whose personal goal is self-annihilation, and whose signature phrase is “I’m in despair!” He’s similar to Franz Kafka and Jean-Paul Sartre–if Kafka and Sartre had had to deal with a classroom of short-skirted, lovesick students. And to make matters worse, Itoshiki’s family wants him to get married. Forget the bride, here comes the gloom!

Hands down, this is one of the most enjoyable manga I've read in a long time.

The manga Sayonara, Zetsubou sensei revolves around Nozomu Itoshiki, a.k.a Despair-sensei, and his life as a teacher. But wait, he is no ordinary teacher, being suicidal and constantly in despair from trivial things to mannerisms to anything else in between. He teaches his class full of crazy students, from the overly positive Kafuka Fuura to illegal immigrant Maria to the "I'll sue!" double personality Kaere.

This particular volume starts out with wishes, which Zetsubou-sensei quickly points out that most don't come true. Then we have Commodore Perry come to the school and open everything, even though he's not truly Commodore Perry. Then we have commentary on some things aren't reported, even though people want to know, in this case the students wanting to know their grades. And then there is a chapter about shadowy outcasts.

The second half of the book deals with the "On-Edge" school, where everything would crack at any moment if someone burst a fuse. We also see Sensei and Fujiyoshi-san's passions for Doujinshi, even though they both have different visions of what doujinshi is. Then Sensei is arranged to marry-to anyone he makes eye contact with! And finally, the characters go through criticism training.

Usually, those things would only be worth a chuckle if performed normally. But this manga is satire, with some of the most funny and strange characters you'd ever meet. Everyone, from Sensei to Meru, the cute-but-nasty mute, pipe in on the situations in this book. It's funny. It's even funnier from the skewed perspective of Zetsubou-sensei.

As mentioned before, the characters are top-notch. You have to love them. They're all archtypes-the illegal immigrant, the hikikomori, the fujiyoshi, the positive one, the fanservice girl, and the balding one- would be boring usually, but Koji Kumeta makes them something special by having the comedy play off their archetypes. An example of this is Maria, the illegal immigrant, being a newbie to Japan and imitating others behaviors and not quite understanding everything completely.

The art is very simple, and it has it's own distinct style.

The quality is over the top, with pages of translation notes explaining pop culture references, Kanji jokes that American readers might not get, and chapter title meanings. The cover is so nice feeling and smooth, it makes you wonder why other companies aren't as good publishers as Del Rey. They also get bonus points for picking up this niche title.

This book really caters to the Otaku, Hikikomori, and Weeaboo, with lots of Japanese references and language puns. Most people will not enjoy this unless they are one of the aforementioned types, but those who will love it.

Art: 4.5
Characters: 5
Quality: 5 (Del Rey really went the extra mile)
Story (satire and comedy): 5

Overall: A 4.8. This is an A+ all the way. Highly recommended.

Mamotte Lollipop, vol. 1

Mamotte! Lollipop volume 1
Michiyo Kikuta
Del Rey, 208 pp.
Junior high schooler Nina is ready to fall in love. She's looking for a boy who's cute and sweet and strong enough to support her when the chips are down. But what happens when Nina's dream comes true…twice? One day, two cute boys literally fall from the sky: they're both wizards and they've come to the Human World to take the Magic Exam. Their success on this test depends on protecting Nina from evil, so now Nina has a pair of cute magical boys chasing her everywhere she goes! One of these wizards just might be the boy of her dreams…but which one?

I admit when I first got this, I really didn't have high expectations. From hearing the premise this sounded like it would be an average mixed magical girl shojo. But it turned out to be a nice romantic comedy with a bit of magic thrown in.

The premise sounds a bit silly at first. Two boys falling from the sky? Really? Having to protect the girl that likes them because she accidentally swallowed the item for a magical exam? It's all too perfect. But it makes a great starting point for a solid romantic comedy.

We go through Nina meeting Zero and Ichi, the two main wizards that she is crushing on, meeting rival wizards-in-training Forte and Sun, we get to see them got to the hot springs (which has censored parts!), Nina as a baby, and mid-terms. These are all things that happen in regular shojo, except there are twists such as using magic and the other wizards coming and trying to kidnap Nina because she has the crystal pearl.

The characters are average at times, but overall you feel like you get to know them more over the course of the book. The releatinship between Nina and her two potential boyfriends grow, and the rivalry between the wizards and other love rivals grow. The characters that are focused on are Nina, Zero, and Ichi, but there are also some recurring characters like Rokka (who loves Ichi but is 5), Go (Rokka's butler/gigolo), Forte (Sun's partner), and Sun (the crossdresser).

The art is great, surpassing my shojo standards. Yes, the characters have huge eyes, but who cares if it adds to their design?

The quality is top notch, which is pretty much a standard for Del Rey. One complaint: why did they censor one panel in the hot springs chapter? Goodness, it couldn't haven been that bad. Otherwise, I commend them for the translation notes, translating sidebars, and including an extra story Magical Medical in the back.

Art: 4.5
Characters: 3.5
Quality: 4.5
Story: 3.5 (Works out surprisingly well despite the average premise.

Overall: A solid 4. Or an A-. Recommended to most shojo fans looking for something fresh and appealing.