Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1

Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1 art by Naoki Urasawa, story by Hokusei Katsushika & Takashi Nagasaki Taichi Hiraga Keaton is a mild-looking fellow with a bumbling exterior personality.  You’d never guess that he’s a brilliant archaeologist, ex-SAS soldier and freelance insurance investigator.  He often takes leave of his day job as a poorly paid… Continue reading Manga Review: Master Keaton, Volume 1

Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Five

Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Five by Makoto Yukimura Warning: This review contains spoilers for the first four volumes of this series, so you may want to read the reviews for those if you are new to Vinland Saga. It has been a few years since the end of Thorfinn’s quest for vengeance on the man who… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga, Book Five

Manga Review: Yukarism

Manga Review: Yukarism by Chika Shiomi Teen author Yukari Kobayakawa was born with a birthmark that resembles a sword wound.  His books set in the Edo period of Japan are best-sellers; but curiously he never does any research for them.  It’s as though that knowledge is his birthright.   Yukari’s life goes from odd but… Continue reading Manga Review: Yukarism

Manga Review: Batman: the Jiro Kuwata Batmanga

Manga Review: Batman: the Jiro Kuwata Batmanga by Jiro Kuwata In the mid-1960s, the Batman TV show was a huge hit not just in America, but also in Japan.  As a tie-in, 8-Man creator Jiro Kuwata was hired to create a manga version of Batman for the local market.  While the television show was more based on… Continue reading Manga Review: Batman: the Jiro Kuwata Batmanga

Manga Review: Bokurano (Ours)

Manga Review: Bokurano (Ours) by Mohiro Kitoh Fifteen middle-schoolers are at summer camp when they discover a seaside cave and decide to investigate.  Inside, they find a man called Kokopelli, who is surrounded by electronic gear.  He claims to be developing a new game where you pilot a giant robot to defend the Earth against… Continue reading Manga Review: Bokurano (Ours)

Manga Review: Assassination Classroom

Manga Review: Assassination Classroom by Yusei Matsui Things are tough for the students of Class 3-E at Kunugigaoka Junior High School.  3-E’s where the elite school sticks all the losers and freaks, the bottom 5% of the student body.  Their classes are held in a decrepit outbuilding, they aren’t allowed any extracurricular activities, and the… Continue reading Manga Review: Assassination Classroom

Open Thread: Happy New Year!

2014 ends, and 2015 begins, so let’s see what this year’s top ten lists look like. (You like top ten lists, right?) Top Ten Posts of 2014 Comic Book Review: The Forgotten Man Graphic Edition Comic Strip Review: Spacetrawler Book 1 The Human Seat Manga Review: Weekly Shonen Jump (USA) Book Review: Insurrections of the… Continue reading Open Thread: Happy New Year!

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Four

Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Four by Makoto Yukimura SPOILER WARNING:  This review contains spoilers for earlier volumes.  If you have not read them, please see my earlier reviews. This manga’s main protagonist to this point has been Thorfinn, a young Viking serving in the mercenary band of Askeladd.  Years before, Askeladd treacherously slew Thorfinn’s… Continue reading Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Four

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (USA) 2014

Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (USA) 2014 It’s the second anniversary of this blog, so it’s time for the annual look at the online edition of Shounen Jump Weekly, the best-selling manga anthology in Japan. The big news this year was the end of the long-running and popular Naruto series (see my previous post on the… Continue reading Manga Review: Shonen Jump Weekly (USA) 2014

Manga Review: Naruto

Manga Review: Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto After 700 chapters and fifteen years, an animated TV series, multiple short movies and video games and piles of merchandise, the popular manga series Naruto has ended. For those who somehow missed the last fifteen years of hype, the premise goes something like this.  Blond, blue-eyed orphan Naruto Uzumaki is hated and… Continue reading Manga Review: Naruto