Will Be Taking A Short Break!

I will be having surgery on my hand this Wednesday. Because of that, I won't be able to type any reviews for quite a while! I will get better as fast as possible so have no fear!

Throw-Back Thursday Review: Digimon V.01

Title: Digimon
Volume: 1 (of 5)
Creator: Yuen Wong Yu
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: Toei Animation Co.
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 3/11/03
Pages: 160
ISBN: 1591820766
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi
Rated: Y (Youth Age 7+)


Description: Seven kids enjoying summer camp are suddenly and mysteriously transported to another world ... a realm of amazing digital creatures that call themselves Digimon. With the help of their Digimon, the kids battle evil forces to save the digital world and to make their way home.





Contains Chapters 1-7:

• Chapter 1: Beginnings
• Chapter 2: I’ll Have Mine Super Sized
• Chapter 3: Rising From the Ashes
• Chapter 4: Izzy Meddles with Technology
• Chapter 5: Oh, Poo!
• Chapter 6: Batteries and Malicious Intent Not Included
• Chapter 7: Joe and Gomamon’s Eggcelent Adventure

Review:

Cover: As I have not seen the original covers for the Japanese Mangas, I can not really judge on this factor, so I shall just judge as a whole how I feel on the US Covers.

The Front has a nice Pic of Tai and Agumon. The background appears to be some sort of purple cyclone effect. The title, “Digimon: Digital Monsters,” appears on the top. They use the US title logo, which kind of bummed me. The Bottom has a small, golden “1” which represents the Volume Number. Directly on the bottom/center is the Mangaka. On the side is a yellow pattern with the Tokyopop logo on it.

The Spine of the Digimon series really surprised me. It has the same yellow design as the left side of the front. From top to bottom are the Mangaka, the Series Title, part of Patamon, and the Volume Number. What surprised me was the image of Patamon. The image is not whole for a reason. When more Volumes are released, they make a picture. So if you collect all the mangas the picture will be complete.

The Back Cover has what most covers have. To start off the background is purple with some data designs. We have on the left the continued yellow design, with the “Tokyopop” logo on the top. The Series Title is in the center at the top. Underneath that is the Volume Summary. To the left side of the Summary we have the 100% Authentic Manga Stamp. To the right side is the Anime picture of Tai charging forward, while Agumon is in an attack pose in front of him. As for this image, I did not care for that much. They could have been a little consistent with the design on the cover and not switch to an image from the Anime. They should have added another Manga Version pic.

As for the cover as a whole, I really enjoy it, but that’s not the only thing to look for in a Manga.

Artwork: The Digimon Manga is not that old, so the Artwork is fairly new looking. I don’t really have any complaints. The Art is clean and consistent, which pleases me a lot. Every Chapter includes a nice title page as well, which is a bonus. I don’t like seeing the title on a page with bubbles. It becomes hard to find at times and a nuisance.

Translation: The Translation to Digimon is fairly accurate. Since it aired in the US and never had a proper sub release when it came out to DVD, Tokyopop left everyone with their English names (Kind of a disappointment since it is Unedited). Another thing I did not care for was the Sound Effects. They were all dubbed. This is one of the only New Tokyopop Titles that I have seen this in. It doesn’t bother me that much however, because Tokyopop does it in a way where the letters almost look like the same font as the original version, not really tampering with the Artwork that much.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): I love the manga version of Digimon. It pretty much cuts all the filler episodes from the series, and just puts it to the point. This Volume for instance begins when the children are already in the Digital World. They don’t start off a Summer Camp. What’s the point of starting there when they can introduce it as a somewhat small Prologue?

The first Chapter is basically the children meet up, as they all have a Digimon. They are attacked by a wild Digimon. All the Children’s Digimon transform into Rookie level and they manage to escape.

The Volume is basically just about Beginnings. Each Chapter in this Volume mainly deals with the Children trying to find a place in the Digital World, as well as get acquainted with their Digimon. By the end of the Volume, and a lot of action later, we still don’t have any questions answered on why the children were summoned to the Digital World, or what is their purpose. We also get a new Digimon at the end of Volume 1 that seems to be a threat, another mystery for people who have not seen nor read the manga before hand.

All in all, if you want a quick fix of action and adventure, Digimon is for you. It has a lot of action, as well as some character development for readers to enjoy. Who knows, maybe you will get hooked.

Objectionable Content:

• Language: No
• Violence: Yes
• Nudity: No
• Sexual Situation: No

Where Purchased: AAA Anime
Overall Rating: 3/5

Original Review Date: 11/11/03

Review: Naruto V.72

Title: Naruto

Volume: 72 (of 72)

Creator: Masashi Kishimoto
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 10/6/15
Pages: 205
ISBN: 1421582848
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (Teens)

Description: UZUMAKI NARUTO - With Naruto and Sasuke working together, Kaguya is finally sealed away for good. But just when it seems that the ninja world can find true peace, one more obstacle appears. Fueled by opposing ideals, Naruto and Sasuke will determine the future of the world in one final fight!

Contains Numbers 691-700:

• 691: Congratulations
• 692: Revolution
• 693: Here Once Again
• 694: Naruto and Sasuke, Part 1
• 695: Naruto and Sasuke, Part 2
• 696: Naruto and Sasuke, Part 3
• 697: Naruto and Sasuke, Part 4
• 698: Naruto and Sasuke, Part 5
• 699: Unison Sign
• 700: Uzumaki Naruto!!

Review:

Cover: The cover for this volume features Naruto's back, during the final chapter of the series, as the new Seventh Hokage looking over the village of Konoha. The series title, mangaka, and volume number are on the lower portion of the cover.

The spine from top-to-bottom contains the Shonen Jump brand logo, the series title, the volume number, the mangaka, an image of Naruto from the front cover, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover has the series title with FINAL VOLUME right underneath it and the volume number to the right side. Beneath that is the volume summary, followed by a realistic rendition of Naruto and Sasuke.

I really like the whole presentation of the cover. We have grown so accustomed to seeing our famous unpredictable ninja, Naruto, grow from a boy to a teenager; it's no surprise we get our final cover featuring Naruto now as the man that he has become. It is truly a great end cap to this series.

Artwork:Naruto is a shonen series, so the artwork is very visually fast and action based. Kishimoto really did make the final chapters shine however as the final battle of the series was very explosive in the action sequences, but also shows a lot of heart with the inner conflict scenes and the emotional drama flashbacks that gave this final volume the push to excel at making this series still great as it was from the first volume. The last chapter looks a bit more animated then the rest of the volume, but it is because it was originally presented in color when released in Shonen Jump. The coloring is a bit darker, but it isn't that bad to completely ruin this volumes experience.

Translation: Character names, places, and story are all left intact. Attack names are translated into the English attacks used in the anime series. Sound effects are translated to English. The attack names have always been a big pet-peeve of mine. Most other Shonen Jump titles keep original attack names but for some reason even after 72 Volumes, Naruto still uses the American names of the Ninjutsus used in the show.

Extras: N/A

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Naruto and Sasuke finally have defeated the final threat of the Ninja World, Kaguya, and there is only one thing left to do; end the Infinite Tsukuyomi. As Naruto is about ready to put an end to the eternal dream, Sasuke has plans of his own by wanting to kill Naruto once and for all and rid the world of the Bijus once and for all.

Naruto still has not given up on his best friend and one final battle takes place to see whose reality will come into fruition. After a massive battle that takes place over the course of more then half of the volume, with even limbs being severed. Sasuke agrees that Naruto has finally won and will let the world go back to the way it is supposed to be.

The world is returned normal, everyone goes back to their home nations, and Sasuke embarks on another quest to find himself but vows to return soon.

Flash forward over 10 years and we see the village grow and prosper. Naruto has married Hinata and he has become the 7th Hokage. He also has a son, Boruto, and a daughter, Himawari. Sasuke has married Sakura who they also have a daughter together, Sarada. Everyone has matured and grown into the people who they wanted to be and a new generation is about to shine in the ninja world.

If you have been following this series, you probably know that this series still has various spin-offs and series in the works. The main series however is officially over. I must say it was not a let down at all. The tension between Naruto and Sasuke has always fueled the series from V.01 and it finally exploded to this epic conclusion. It was well worth the wait and it really showcased some of the best action in the entire series. The jump forward was a bit how I saw the series ending as well. It was good to see Naruto actually achieving his dream and everyone around him flourish as well. It's sad to say farewell to this series, but like I said, it is not the end to our favorite knuckle headed ninja; there is plenty more to come from this Ninja world.

Objectionable Content:

• Language: No
• Violence: Yes
• Nudity: No
• Sexual Situations: No

Overall Rating: 8/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 1/12/16

Directory Feature

I added a new feature to the right side-bar. It now has Pages to the reviews that I have done. There is a page for Anime Reviews and Manga Reviews. Each will bring up a detailed page sorted by series and volume number so all you will need to do is click links instead of having to search through the archives of posts.

Naruto V.72 is coming up too! Keep a look out! :)

Upcoming Reviews

So there has already been quite a few updates this month, and they aren't stopping anytime soon. I am going to do my best to do at least two or three reviews a week. One being new, the other being a Throw-Back Review. I could though do more new ones as well, depending on how busy my schedule is.

Naruto V.72 will be posted this week. It is already finished, but I am holding off on posting it right away since I already posted two reviews, and somewhat of a feature on my last post of some of the awesome things to look forward to this year.

Throw-Back Thursday this week will feature Digimon V.01. It is probably not a manga you can find that easy to this day, but it was still a fun read when it came out years ago.

I am currently reading One-Punch Man V.04, which will be the next new review. Following up after that is the Naruto side-story manga, The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring. I have several other titles that I also want to review, but at the moment I don't know if other mangas will be released in the meantime and toss a wrench in my plans to review them.

The Sailor Moon Crystal Reviews will also begin again soon! Season 3 is coming out this Spring, and I really want to catch up with the anime before then so I can do weekly reviews as they come out.

If anyone has any other animes they would like me to review as well, feel free to leave comments! Also mangas as well!

2016... Just Getting Started

Going down the calendar road for pretty much just the first SIX months, 2016 already looks to be an amazing year. Many new titles are still continuing into the new year; some older titles, and some that are just waiting to take off. VIZ has plenty still up its sleeve, especially with its Shonen Jump and Shonen Jump Advance brand.

ONE-PUNCH MAN has been a series that I have been long awaiting to come out stateside. Not only has the manga blown up within the pages of Shonen Jump Magazine, but it also has just gotten started with its collective editions. V.04 hit shelves this week and each volume is more explosive then the last. What really appeals about this series isn't that it just is another action packed Jump title, but it really hits a solid punch to almost all manga series in this time period. To me there hasn't been an amazing and fun series like this since the early 1990's when Dragon Ball and YuYu Hakusho ruled the Shonen world in manga.

This isn't the only awesome Shonen Jump title that is continuing this year. World Trigger's Invasion arc should be finishing up in the collected volumes and moving onto the current storyline which is running in the pages of Shonen Jump. Also My Hero Academia continues its freshman year with V.03 next month, as well as Assassination Classroom; both series also have respectable anime series (Assassination Classroom Season 2 started this week and My Hero Academia's premiere is later this spring).


Not only do we have amazing new series to look forward to but some awesome classics as well. Last year brought us a long awaited title back into print with All-New Chapters. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure originally started being released back when I was in college and it was only Part 03 that was released due to it being the most popular story arc that appealed to many fans, new and old. Last year however VIZ released Part 01 in its entirety, followed by Part 02. We only have the first volume of four released as of me writing this, but the remaining volumes will all be released this year so we will finally have a fluid Part 01-03 Story. This isn't the only great thing about the JoJo Franchise; the anime version of Part 04 is coming out this spring, as well as the Eyes of Heaven PS4 game. Only time will tell if we maybe get the remaining volumes of the series in print seeing on how popular this series is right now as it has had a major revival around the world. Hell, if we are lucky we might get some amazing hardcover reprints of Part 03.

Last year also brought some very mature titles to a close; one of them becoming one of my all time favorite mangas, Bokurano - Ours. This year though many are still being continued.

Both MONSTER and Master Keaton will be continuing throughout the year and are definitely worth checking out. Not only that but another series that has grown on me is Inuyashiki from Kodansha. Although the later has not finished publication in Japan yet it still is one tile that will truly be pushing strong this coming year.

Another title that has really pushed the limit and has surprised me has been Tokyo Ghoul. The first four volumes have been released here and it has become another hit fan favorite. The series finished years ago in Japan but has such a huge cult following we finally got multiple anime series, OVAs, and even video games being released. Now that the series has finally made its way to the states, it just continues getting bigger and bigger. Season 1 of the anime is also available by Funimation if you aren't a huge fan of mangas, with Season 2 most likely to be released later this year (although the manga is truly the better media to pursue getting into for this title).

Moving on from series continuing, some are only just beginning, or what I should say is getting a re beginning. RD-VEDA, one of CLAMP's masterpieces will be getting a brand new release in an Omnibus presentation later this year by Dark Horse. Dark Horse has been pushing the envelope on CLAMP titles since last year as they have continued to re-release most of CLAMP's back catalog, which includes Legal Drug, as well as fan favorites Chobits and Cardcaptor Sakura, but also releasing newer titles like Drug and Drop which is the long awaited sequel to Legal Drug.

Kodansha as well as been doing an amazing job with CLAMP's other works with re-releases of xxxHOLIC and Tsubasa Chronicles, but also bringing us the long awaited sequel to Tsubasa Chronicles, Tsubasa World Chronicles.

Last but surely not least is probably my own favorite series currently being released, My Love Story. VIZ released this little Shojo Gem last year and I must say I wasn't expecting to fall in love with it as much as I did. Not only did I fall in love with it, but millions of anime fans around the world did as well when an anime adaption was released last year as well. I know I haven't done a review of this series, but maybe I might have to one day. This series truly does put a smile on everyone's face in any form. I remember first reading it and how much I fell in love with it. When the anime came out my partner decided to watch it with me and he too fell in love with Takeo and Yamato's story. The anime has also been licensed by Sentai Filmworks and an English dub too!

These are just a few amazing titles coming out in the next few months that I wanted to share with you all. 2016 has just began and already their are multiple new titles at our fingertips. Whether your a fan of action, romance, or classics. The manga genre has something for everyone.

Throw-Back Thursday Review - .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet V.01

Title: .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet
Volume: 1 (of 3)
Creator: Tatsuya Hamazaki & Rei Izumi
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: KADOKAWA SHOTEN
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 9/9/03
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1591824141
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Fantasy
Rated: T (Teen Age 13+)

Description: Old-fashioned role-playing games have experienced a renaissance on the World Wide Web. Twins Rena and Shugo are two middle-school students who enter 'The World' as level one game characters. When Shugo's character dies, he is transported to another level where he is entrusted to bear the Twilight Bracelet by the mysterious Aura. Shugo must find out who Aura is and why she gave him this powerful weapon to protect his sister from the peculiar characters in 'The World'.

Contains Chapters 1-6:

• Login 0: Prologue
• Login 1: The Legendary .Hackers
• Login 2: Kite’s Bracelet
• Login 3: Midnight in the Garden
• Login 4: Cherry Blossom Mayhem
• Login 5: Get Well, Grunty!
• Login 6: Starlight Special

Review:

Cover: The Cover to the .hack manga is very simple, and yet it looks nice as well. We have the title at the top, and underneath that we have a nice pick of Shugo, the main male character of .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet. To the left of Shugo we have a design that has a whole bunch of hexagons connected. In the top one we get the Volume Number. Random ones underneath contain images of some of the other characters from the series. The background is black, with a green streak on both sides of the cover.

The Spine is green. From the top to bottom we have the title, the Mangakas, a small pick of Shugo (a nice touch to this manga series), and the Volume Number. The Hexagons continue to run on the side, and even to the back cover.

The Back is simple; black background with the green strips on the sides. We have more hexagons with more pics of characters from the series in them. The top has the Manga Series Title, followed by a summary of what to find in the manga. Also the 100% Authentic Manga Stamp graces the cover, which is a given with most all Tokyopop Covers.

Artwork: As I had seen the Anime version of .hack before I read the manga, I came to think that the mangas Artwork would be somewhat close to the Anime. Boy was I wrong. The mangas Artwork is a lot simpler designed. Although there are a lot of detailed pictures, there are still a lot of pictures that look a little immature for the story and plot of the manga. I don’t think this is bad. It still has a lot of great Artwork, so it is still worth buying.

Translation: Since I have read .hack//DUSK in its original version, I can safely say that the US Versions translation is identical to the Original. A couple of the phrases may have been changed just to suit American Readers better, but other then that it was a completely perfect translation. Even the sound effects were untranslated.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): I never really got interested on Animes that try to pull a role as a Video Game Anime. Same thing goes with Manga. I can’t really stand series based on RPGs. But for .hack, the moment I saw it I was pulled in. Same thing goes for the Manga. To understand all of .hack, you need to Watch it, Play it, and Read it. For the Manga portion I am sure you all guessed you have to read it.

.hack//Legend of the Twilight takes place after the .hack Game Series and the LIMINALITY OVA. Rena wins the Legendary .Hacker Skins on the MMORPG called “The World.” She chooses the Skin of BlackRose and gives her brother, Shugo, the skin of Kite.

As soon as they hit the floor of their first game, they decide to explore the dungeons of the game. They choose an easy level to start out on, as they anticipated leveling up. When they got there however, they were forced into fighting a super powerful fiend, who beat them in an instant.

As Shugo began to lose continenceness, a girl went to his side and bestowed to him a Legendary Weapon, The Twilight Bracelet. The Bracelet is used to destroy super strong enemies, as well as monsters that have been infected.

There is a stranger however that is watching Shugo the whole time, Balmung. He is afraid of the same events happening that happened a few years back when “The World” was at its peak. So while Shugo does certain tasks and makes new friends, Balmung is always a few steps behind him, making sure chaos does not break out in the world again.

Most of the Chapters in this Volume are basic fillers, even though we are introduced to the characters throughout the Volume. Even though they are filler chapters, it is still a good way to get acquainted to such an amazing series. If you like the .hack series, then buy this manga series. It is what you have been waiting for. Just be warned, if you were hoping for a “Happily Ever After” ending, you won’t get one at the end. This series leaves the reader wanting more, and it is doubtful that the .hack Project and BANDAI will make a sequel to this manga.

Objectionable Content:

• Language: No
• Violence: Yes
• Nudity: No
• Sexual Situation: No

Overall Rating: 4 (Out of 5)

Where Purchased: AAA Anime
Original Review Date: 11/9/03

Reviewer: TheGodofJurai

Review: Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic V.15

Title: Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic
Volume: 15 (of 27+)
Creator: Shinobu Ohtaka
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: SHOGAKUKAN
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 12/8/15
Pages: 192
ISBN: 142155965
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Sunday
Rated: T (Teens)

Description: Alibaba arrives in the Leam Empire and begins training under the renowned warrior Shambal Ramal. Learning to perfect his Djinn Equip means mastering two mis-matched types of magoi within him, and the training won’t be easy. Elsewhere, Morgiana continues her long journey home, and in the far-off Kou Empire, a succession crisis is brewing that could have dire consequences for everyone!

Contains Nights 139-148:

• Night 139: The Leam Empire
• Night 140: Yanbara
• Night 141: Colosseum
• Night 142: Fusion
• Night 143: The Highest Priestess
• Night 144: The Great Rift
• Night 145: Gathering
• Night 146: One World
• Night 147: A New Emperor
• Night 148: Six Months Later

Review:

Cover: The cover this time features another new character who shows up for the first time in this volume, the High Priestess of the Leam Empire,  Scheherazade. Her character is shown straight on with a golden green light shining down on her. The Colosseum from this volume is behind her. The Series title is across the top in lime green color. The volume number and mangaka are across the bottom.

The spine from top to bottom has the Shonen Sunday brand logo, the series title, the volume number, the mangaka, an image of the High Priestess of Leam taken from the front cover, a magic lamp, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover has a very ancient looking image with our two Magi's, Aladdin and Judar, on the top half of the cover. The bottom half has the volume summary.

Out of the entire cover, the best part for me was the image on the back with Aladdin and Judar. The artwork is just beautiful, almost like an oil painting. The rest of the cover for me falls a bit short. I don't like the color scheme and using random characters now on almost every cover for the past 10 volumes now is becoming a bit dull. It would be cool to see characters that are actually in the series a bit more, even ones from previous volumes; the Priestess is literally in two chapters in this volume and doesn't even stand out, nor has she been in any other volume of this series yet!

Artwork: The series is done in a shonen style of artwork. While I love the action sequences, the artwork tends to be a bit more cartooney when it goes into its more comedic moments. It's not a bad thing when a series changes art styles, but the artwork in this series changes so much that it kind of feels like a three year old is drawing those sequences.

Translation: Character names, places, relics, and attacks are all intact. Sound effects are changed to make it easier for English speaking readers to understand.

Extras: There's a two page mini-comic that has no relevance at all to the main story. When this series first started, the mini-comics were like deleted scenes. Now they are just more chances for a bit of comic relief that really isn't even funny.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Last volume we got to see what happened with Aladdin as our main heroes departed each on their own individual journeys. This volume begins with Alibaba as he is now in the Leam Empire and is looking to be trained by Gladiator warriors in order to gain more strength to be of help to his friends. It takes a bit of time before he can actually be trained by the Gladiator master of Leam, as he must first battle in the Colosseum and prove he is worthy enough to become a Gladiator himself.

We later get to see Morgiana as she continues on her quest to find her people. She meets a boy named Yunan who tells her she can finally rejoin her people, and it may be the best for her well being as the Kou Emperor is dead and that a great war will soon be coming.

The last main focus of the volume deals with Hakuryu returning home where his siblings are all trying to decide who will be the next emperor, but it is his step-mother who takes the thrown. Hakuryu is enraged and uses his Djinn Equip to try and kill his evil step-mother once and for all, but her own magic is much more powerful and he can't penetrate the barrier that surrounds her body. Six months eventually pass and we see Aladdin as he is now top class of the Magnoshutatt Academy.

The majority of this volume really focused a lot on Alibaba, which I actually enjoyed a lot with the whole Colosseum fight. I really wish though we got to see a bit more of Morgiana's story as we only got a glimpse of her travel, nor do we learn yet if she decides to go find the rest of her clan or not. The Hakuryu story is where we have most of the drama right now in the series, as it is more on a political level with characters trying to figure out what will now happen after their leader had died. The real probably disappointment in this volume is while we got to see where our heroes ended up, it just left us readers with a lot more questions that need to be answered. I also wish that Aladdin had a bit more screen time as we did not even get a full chapter with our main Magi.

Objectionable Content:

• Language: No
• Violence: Yes
• Nudity: No
• Sexual Situations: Yes

Overall Rating: 6/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 1/4/16

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016

2015 has come and gone and the new year has just started! What does that mean? Well first off I am going to try my best to update this blog more then I normally do since I haven't really done as much as I had promised to do. I'm also going through my Backlog a different way to try and get caught up a bit faster and I am going to see how that works out for the time being (so far, so good as I have almost knocked out the rest of the Naruto mangas I have had in my back log).

This week, expect a review for Magi V.15, followed by a review of Naruto V.72. I really want to review this final volume of the Naruto manga, and I wanted to do it when it first came out, but being so far backlogged it prevented me from doing so. I also got a few new mangas over the Christmas season that I have not yet input into my backlog list. My partner however did get me Rosario Vampire V.01 for Christmas which I will be reviewing as well as it seems like an interesting Shonen title with a few Shojo elements in it as well. For now though, keep a look out for what's to come!