Throw-Back Thursday Review - Rurouni Kenshin V.01

Title: Rurouni Kenshin
Volume: 1 (of 28)
Creator: Nobuhiro Watsuki
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA Inc.
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 10/7/03
Pages: 208
ISBN: 1591162203
MSRP: $7.95
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T+ (For Older Teens)

Description: It is the Meiji Restoration, and the feudal system separating the classes has ended. By law, the samurai must give up their swords - symbols of their traditional power - but a few still resist the changing times. Many of these that refuse have honed their power and skill in such a way that it would make them a horrible threat in an otherwise, peaceful society.

Although... not all that carry a sword carry it with the intent to kill, as the wanderer, Himura Kenshin will show. Using an elite style of swordsmanship known as Hiten Mitsurugi, he wields a reverse-bladed sword and fights to repent for his past, defending the oppressed and aiding those in need - all without killing anyone.

Contains Acts 1-6:

• Act 1: Himura – Kenshin Battosai
• Act 2: Rurouni in the City
• Act 3: Tokyo Samurai
• Act 4: Kasshin-Ryu Reborn
• Act 5: The Fight Merchant
• Act 6: Face Off: Sagara Sanosuke
• End-of-Volume Special: RUROUNI – Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story

Review:

Cover: The cover of Volume 1 of Kenshin is very close to the original and I still love it. The Background is a greenish flowery pattern, kind of somewhat resembles a table cloth. We have a very nice pic of Kenshin, as well as Kaoru peeking over part of the background. We have the Series Title on the top. The Mangaka’s name is on the bottom, followed by the Volume Number. Maybe what I really like about the cover is how retro it looks.

The Spine from top to bottom has the Shonen Jump logo, the Series Title, the Volume Number, the Mangaka, and a nice profile shot of Kenshin.

The back cover is just as nice as the front. We have the same green flowery pattern for the background. On that we have the Shonen Jump logo. To the left we have the Series Title. Then we have a white background with the Volume Title, and a Summary under it. We have a nice action shot of Kenshin to the right of the summary, with his sword drawn. The Volume Number is next to Kenshin.

As a whole, this is by far the best Shonen Jump Manga Cover yet.

Artwork: Kenshin was made a few years back, but the Artwork still looks very fresh and new. None of the art suffers at all, and the age doesn’t affect anything either.

Translation: Translation is excellent. All names kept the same and plot was kept intact. The only thing was that the sound effects were translated. Although I don’t really care for translated sound effects, I was able to tolerate it.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): As for the first Volume of a Series, they usually only consist of Character Introductions. That’s how this Volume is as well. In the first 2 Acts we have our main couple, Kaoru and Kenshin, who are introduced. We also have Kenshin in action for the first time since he was a Battosai.

Acts 3 and 4 consists of the introduction of Yahiko, a swordsman in training. He is also another one of the main characters. Kenshin saves him from a gang of thieves and then assigns him to learn the sword style from Kaoru’s dojo.

The last 2 Acts introduces Sanosuke. Kenshin and Sanosuke first hit it off, but some of Sanosuke’s supposed allies tell him that Kenshin is an enemy. Sanosuke goes to fight Kenshin and he would rather die then lose.

The main part of the manga ends here, leaving the reader wanting more. We do get a bonus chapter however. We get to see how Kenshin was supposed to be like if it were a manga 2 years before; the original Kenshin story. This was a cool bonus. I wish Shonen Jump would have done this with some of their other titles, like Naruto.

Objectionable Content:

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

Where Purchased: Waldenbooks
Overall Rating: 5 (Out of 5)

Original Review Date: 11/17/03

Review: One-Punch Man V.04

Title: One-Punch Man

Volume: 4 (of 10+)
Creator: ONE and Yusuke Murata
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Shueisha
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 1/5/16
Pages: 216
ISBN: 1421569205
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (Teens)

Description: Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem-he just can't seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on! Saitama is now a certified hero! And with that title comes great responsibility-he's required to perform one heroic deed per week. While Saitama makes the rounds to meet his quota, and incoming threat from outer space is screeching toward Earth...

Contains Punch 21-24:

• Punch 21: Giant Meteor
• Punch 22: Voices
• Punch 23: Threat from the Sea
• Punch 24: Deep Sea King
• Bonus Manga: Purison

Review:

Cover Art: The cover features Master Bang striking a fighting pose, with Saitama looking at him oddly drinking tea in the background. The background is white with the series title in dark blue across the top and the volume number and mangakas under it on the left side in red.

The spine from top to bottom contains the Shonen Jump Brand logo, the series title, the volume number, the mangakas, an image of Master Bang in a different pose, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover's top half has an image of Saitama in the ocean water floating in an inner-tube. Genos is underwater being dragged into the deep by some sort of octopus monster. You can also get a glimpse at Deep Sea King.The Volume summary is on the lower portion of the cover on a dark blue background.

This is by far probably the best cover yet. I absolutely love the pose of Master Bang and Saitama looking on pretty much bored while he sips tea. The colors used also really help it pop more. If the cover wasn't white, it wouldn't work as well. The back image is also cool cause it foreshadows events that happen in this volume and continue on into the next. I feel it was really important to include Deep Sea King somewhere on the cover as he is basically the first huge villain Saitama will face that goes beyond just one volume of the series.

Artwork: Same as previous volumes of this series, V.04 continues to deliver the heart-pounding action that every previous volume has done so to this day. The comedy scenes are a bit sarcastically drawn, but it just makes the scenes even funnier. But what really amazes me is the two page action spreads that this series continues to dish out in very volume and almost several in every chapter.

Translation: Having not read the original manga, except in the English Shonen Jump release, I can't give an accurate translation part to this review. However, from seeing the original Japanese anime release, I can say that the character names and places are left intact. The only changes that are noticeable are the sound effects, which have been translated into English text.

Extras: There is a bonus manga chapter in this volume that deals with how Puri-Puri Prisoner (a new character who premieres in this volume) and Sonic bust out of prison.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): All is peaceful once again in the world; Genos and Saitama are discussing their ranks after the last encounter in the previous volume when they hear on the news that a massive meteor is headed towards earth. The Hero Association calls in Genos to help with the now identified Dragon Level threat; he brings in Saitama as well. We are then introduced to Master Bang and Metal Knight, two S Rank heroes who also try to prevent the meteor from crashing into the planet. Genos, Master Bang, and Metal Knight. Genos and Master Bang work together, while Metal Knight wants all the credit for himself so he can move up in rank, but the three of them aren't a match for the meteor. The only person capable of stopping it is Saitama and his One-Punch, who not just saves the planet from extinction, but breaks the meteor up into smaller fragments as they destroy surrounding buildings in nearby cities.

The second chapter is pretty much a filler story. We are introduced to the Tank Top Gang, who basically are guys that are all similar but are also heroes. Two of the Tank Tops are in this chapter, Tank Top Tiger and Tank Top Black Hole. The two basically harass Saitama and get the attention of local city folks to gang up on him too after he broke the asteroid down and it destroyed a bunch of buildings.

The remaining two chapters in this volume begins the Sea King story arc. The tides begin to rise all around the planet and tons of sea monsters begin to surface and attack the citizens of cities. Many C and B Rank heroes show up to take down the Wolf level threats that quickly grows to Tiger level as more powerful sea monsters begin to surface. the crisis escalates again as the Deep Sea King surfaces and easily defeats all the heroes fending off one of the towns. With Saitama and Genos on the way to help there really is no one else who is able to stop this threat, that is until Puri-Puri Prisoner and Sonic arrive to take on the threat head on.

The volume ends with a heart stopping cliffhanger. Although it seems like their isn't a lot of content in these volumes with there being only four chapters in this volume, they are quite long. The filler story was kind of needed as it built a bit of character for our hero as we now know what people think of him a bit more from how destructive his One-Punch is. I am very much interested in seeing what transpires in the rest of the Sea King Arc. The anime version was amazing, and I am pretty sure the manga will be even better as with just the beginning parts of this story there is already so much more that wasn't even shown in the anime.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 10/10
• Artwork: 7/10
• Translation: 8/10
• Extras: 8/10
• Story: 9/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 2/16/16

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 15 - Infiltration - Sailor Mars

The mysterious girl holds Usagi at gunpoint demanding her to give up the Silver Crystal.Mamoru jumps into rescue Usagi when the gun goes off and fires flowers into Usagi's head. The girl runs off as Mamoru yells after her.

The new enemy appears to have caught a glimpse of the Silver Crystal. Prince Demande calls onto his adviser Wiseman for advice who tells him to go after the Sailor Senshi of Fire. One of Demande's entourage, Rubeus, summons forth the four Spectre Sisters to retrieve the Legendary Silver Crystal and eliminate the Sailor Senshi. Operation 001 Re-cruit begins with Koan taking center stage.

Usagi and Mamoru find the mysterious girl, Chibiusa, sitting on a swing crying and mentioning her mom. Mamoru goes to comfort her and as he touches her he sees a vision of the future. Chibiusa seems to have a bit more of an affection towards Mamoru over Usagi as well. Usagi and Mamoru take Chibiusa back to Usagi's house . Chibiusa uses her Luna-P ball and casts a spell over Usagi's parents and brother to believe she is a member of the Tsukino family. Usagi goes to scold Chibiusa when they are called down for dinner. Luna notices a key and what appears to be the Silver Crystal around Chibiusa's neck.

Usagi meets with the other Senshi. Luna gives them new Transformation Pens and communicators. Rei needs to leave for a school festival.

Back at Rei's school, Rei meets up with the president of the Research Supernatural Club, Kotono Sarashina. Rei notices a book on UFOs and questions why she actually helping the club. Kotono shows her pictures of some strange sightings both in the sky and some odd crop circles on the ground. Rei believes a new enemy might be responsible. We also learn that people have been spontaneous combusting. Another student interrupts saying another club is presenting the same information as they are called "The Black Moon." Later that night Rei has a strange premonition of a UFO and Koan attacking a man.

Usagi heads to Rei's school fair the nest day; Chibiusa follows her. The Black Moon booth is predicting peoples deaths, so Rei goes to investigate.The one doing the predictions is Koan. Rei goes to report the club to her teachers, who seem to have been taken control by Koan as well. Rei and Kotono stumble upon a teacer who has spontaneously combusted. Usagi and the others arrive and transform so they can take on the new threat.

The teachers transform into drones and the Sailor Senshi make quick work of them with their new powers. Koan reveals herself as one of the Spectre Sisters. She reveals she is after the Legendary Silver Crystal. Sailor Mars attacks with her Burning Mandala attack.She manages to kill off the rest of the drones, but is then put into a blue fire prison. Sailor Moon attacks with her Tiara but it is not enough. Tuxedo Mask arrives to help and with their powers combined create  a new weapon, the Moon Rod. Sailor Moon defeats Koan with her new Moon Princess Halation attack.  Crimson Rubeus then shows up and reveals he is from the Black Moon. Demande makes Rubeus bring Mars back to his planet, Nemesis.

The start of Season 2, the second major arc, began with a bang. This episode was handled very well. The animation for this episode I feel was a bit better then previous episodes of the show. From the episode to manga chapter point of view, nothing was really changed. This season also should be dramatically different for the first half so everyone should be in for more surprises with the next few episodes as well. Probably my only complaint with the Black Moon Arc is the new enemies don't get a lot of screen time; however each Senshi technically will have an entire episode to focus specifically on them. So farewell to Sailor Mars for a few episodes; next up, Mercury.

Rating: 8/10

New Review System and When To Expect New Reviews

I have been diligently working on trying to type a few new content reviews for you all. As of now I have two brand new ones awaiting to be published. I am going to try to go for one or two more before I actually start posting these (want to have a few for backup just in case at one point I can't type any or get too busy). I will also be starting to do the Sailor Moon Crystal Reviews soon as well (this week!).

Starting with the new manga reviews moving forward, I will be grading them based on each category moving forward. Sometimes certain aspects lead to an overall bad review score. This way you can pick and choose by stuff like the content or artwork on how I felt about each title.

So get ready people! Three reviews this week, maybe more! Definitely expect Sailor Moon Crystal Act 15, One-Punch Man V.04, and a Throwback Review!

Throw-Back Thursday Review - Chobits V.03

Title: Chobits
Volume: 3 (of 8)
Creator: CLAMP
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: Kodansha Ltd.
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 10/22/02
Pages: 184
ISBN: 1591820065
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Science Fiction
Rated: OT (Older Teen Age 16+)

Description: Computers are supposed to make people's lives easier, but as Hideki is quickly finding out, taking care of your computer can be a full-time job! Regardless, Hideki is thrilled to have a Persocom of his own - the enigmatic Chi - even if she isn't as user-friendly as other computers. His friends tell him that Chi is a supercomputer, possibly a legendary Chobit - an AI. That would explain why she acts so human. Maybe she's a little too human. The more time Hideki spends with Chi, the more it feels like an actual relationship. But as Chi's feelings for Hideki intensify, she begins to unlock the secrets of her past ... secrets that are better left forgotten.

Contains Chapters 25-36:

• Chapter 25
• Chapter 26
• Chapter 27
• Chapter 28
• Chapter 29
• Chapter 30
• Chapter 31
• Chapter 32
• Chapter 33
• Chapter 34
• Chapter 35
• Chapter 36

Review:

Cover: The Covers of Chobits just keep getting better and better. For Volume 3, we have a nice nighttime background. Chi is in the center, as usual, wearing a more revealing dress then the last cover. She is also sitting atop of a light post. On the top of the cover we have the title, which I still have not gotten used to. The bottom has the Mangakas to the left and the Volume Number on the right. We also have the usual side strip that is a grayish/blue with the Tokyopop Logo on it.

The Spine from top to bottom has the Tokyopop logo, the Series Title, the Mangakas, and the Volume Number.

The Back is the same nighttime sky background. On the top we have the Series Title (again) and the moon to the right of it. Underneath that we have a Bio on Plum, as well as a nice pic of Plum playing her Tambourine. Under that is the Volume summary, followed by a pic of Chi from the Cover and the 100% Authentic Manga Stamp.

All-in-all, this was a nice cover, except for the Series Title at every angle.

Artwork: The Artwork continues to look nice in Volume 3. Every time CLAMP releases a new volume, it looks better and better then the last. As for this Volume, the lines are very sharp and clean. Chi looks absolutely Gorgeous in all her close-up scenes. We also get to see Zima and Dita for the first time in this Volume, 2 of my favorite Characters in the Chobit series.

Translation: It all Translates good in this Volume. The Only problem I had was the translation of Sumomo’s Name. They could have left it alone.

The Sound Effects are left untouched as well. More props to Tokyopop!

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): As for Volume 3, there is not that much that really contains to the main story of Chobits, so without going into too much detail with this Volumes Summary, I will just point out the main points.

First we find out that Ms. Shimizu and Shimbo are getting married. We saw Shimbo in Volume 2 acting a little strange, so that clears that plot hole up with him.

We also have another encounter with Chi and her “other self” as they discuss Hideki and how he must come to terms about how he feels about Chi. This may seem kind of confusing, but it will clear up in future Volumes.

Chi also gets a job working for one of Hideki’s friends at a bakery. The baker has some kind of hidden past as well, maybe dealing with someone like Chi.

Chi also gets the next book to the series she reads. Hideki takes a look at the books and he realizes that they have a message concerning Persocoms.

While all this is going on, 2 new characters emerge, Dita and Zima. They are both Persocoms and they have their eyes on Chi. Why are they so interested in her.

Finally a new picture surfaces; it appears to be a picture of Ms. Hibiya and Chi. What has Ms. Hibiya been hiding about Chi?

As far as this Volume goes, it brought up a lot more questions then answers. It also was a lot of useless information. If anything, buy this book to just complete the series or for Chi. Or if you are a fan of Dita and Zima as well (I am!).

Objectionable Content:
Language: Yes
Violence: No
Nudity: Yes
Sexual Situation: Yes

Where Purchased: Frank and Sons Collectible Show
Overall Rating: 3 (Out of 5)

Original Review Date: 11/14/03

Status Update

How has everyone been? I am still out of commission for probably another month or two. In the meantime I have been reading quite a bit (mostly new titles that have been coming out). I have now four titles so far that will be reviewed soon as I can start typing with both hands again. The side panels have been updated a bit to reflect what I am reading, watching, and a few new future reviews.

To help with content I might try to start putting up the throw-back reviews with my limited movement. I can try to one hand type reviews but it won't be as frequent until my hand is in better shape.

So check back tomorrow, there might be a review to hold everyone over for the week.