This is much better than Tanemura-san’s more famous Full Moon wo Sagashite. I was a little hesistant to read it, but now I might even buy it in the new year.

I have a funny feeling that this was a victim of poor translation. If not, I can’t figure out why CMX would have bothered with it.

One of the ‘running jokes’ was completely messed up because of poor editting—and the flow of the book was broken up by the amateurish dialogue. Rather than having nice transitions, the characters literally had to introduce ideas by asking the question: “Is there a story behind this?”. Very disappointing.

Its rare for a manga to be so emotionally stirring. The art on it’s own captures the intensity of the soul of both the creator and the created. Every time I read through this series I leave with a sense of passion and purpose.

Yoshikawa is my sensei.
Musashi is my hero.
Takehiko is my idol.

I am so grateful for this series!

The cover art for this tankoubon is so beautiful!

As far as plot and pacing, this manga doesn’t hold much value; I would even go as far as saying that it is irreverent, mistakenly paced, poorly controlled, artistically uninspiring and completely predictable.

But…there is still value here. The meat of this story is found in the form of insights into the construction of Japanese sequential art. To give depth and history to the protagonist (though completely unsuccessful) Yagami Chitose adds her own technical experience as a successful manga-ka. I’d say it may even be more apparent than such Otaku-based stories as Genshiken and Comic Party.

The people who would enjoy this the most are probably new fans to the shoujo-manga genre. I would discourage anyone else from reading it.

Yuu Watase is definitely one of my favourite manga artists; I have ‘never’ been disappointed with one of her stories. That being said however, I will concede that this story of Fushigi Yugi gets a little ‘long-winded’. I would have completely been satisfied with it ending of volume 13 when Miaka & Yui have renewed their friendship and the ‘new’ Tamahome appears in the real world.

I like a little bit of suspense at the end of my series. I want to WANT more. That doesn’t happen when you explore every possible scenario. At the end of the next 4 volumes I’m spent. Don’t misunderstand, I still enjoy the last bit of the series, but I would have liked it on a greater scale if the decision to continue the story hadn’t been made.

To all of you who consider yourself ‘manga readers’...this is a definite must! (but I won’t force you to like it)

Dragon Ball Z filler episodes are so much fun!

A Shoujo Beat Manga with graphic & bloody imagery…who would’a thought!

I really didn’t read anything for the first half of the month… probably had something to do with being broke. But now I have a new job and I can afford manga again. yay! I guess I’ve been working on finishing some series & starting some new ones. Apparently most of the manga I buy will be finishing their runs by the end of the year—so I need to start some new ones. Saving money is for chumps!

Best New Series: Oyayubihime Infinity. I bought the entire series on a whim and I absolutely loved it. In fact I’ve read it through several times already. The characters are so charming. The ending is completely satisfying. Very very cute. yay!

Most Surprised by: Cipher. It has been one of my favourite series for a while now; and it never ceases to amaze me at how ‘moving’ it is. I find myself in tears reading it. What’s wrong with me?! This is one comic where when you die, you stay dead… But it is a beautiful story; I’m mostly concerned that Cipher might be thinking about hurting himself.

Worst Series: Bird Kiss. I really enjoy Manhwa (korean comics), but this one is not inspiring much confidence. The heroine is not likeable and I’m really disappointed that she’ll be getting her happy ending. So, not fair!

If you already are aware that there is a rabbit living on the moon, the story might interest you…but it is pulled off poorly. There is little time for emotional attachment to the characters—the ideas are brought forth too quickly; and are rather rediculous//fantastic. I’m not a fan. Although, I really liked the colour plates at the beginning of the volume.