Chapter Review: Assassination Classroom Side-Story 2 - Time To Go To The Izakaya

Lots of more Adult weaknesses are exposed of Korosensei as he drinks with the assassins who are trying to kill him at the bar. Korosensei continues to flirt with the bartender, Azuza, which just continues to piss off the assassins even more. After they are done drinking for the night and head home, Azuza is kidnapped by the property owner due to Azuza not being able to afford the rent of the bar. He knocks out Azuza's daughter in the process. The next day when Korosensei and the assassins arrive to have another argumentative/fun filled night, they find out what happens and swear they will make the owner pay for what he has done.

This was yet again another fairly weak chapter for this side-story. Not much character development and with all of these new characters joining in, its beginning to get a bit crazy trying to keep track of everyone. So far I don't really know enough or even care for anyone in this series except for Korosensei; yes it is only a four part story, but it would be nice to at least learn who these new characters are besides just their names.

Rating: 2/10

Review: One-Punch Man V.05

Title: One-Punch Man
Volume: 5 (of 10+)
Creator: ONE and Yusuke Murata
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Shueisha
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 3/1/16
Pages: 216
ISBN: 142156954X
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!

To stop a Demon-level crisis, Saitama and company head toward the action. However, even Class S heroes prove to be no match for the Deep Sea King! In order to protect the good citizens, our heroes will need to summon all of their courage and confront this threat!

Contains Punch 25-29:

• Punch 25: Deep Sea King
• Punch 26: Unstable Hope
• Punch 27: Shining In Tatters
• Punch 28: It's Raining, So...
• Punch 29: Class B
• Bonus Manga: What Can't Be Bought

Review:

Cover: The cover for this volume features actually two characters if you look very closely. The main image is of Mumen Rider charging forward at the reader, with Deep Sea King in his visor. The series title is across the top in red lettering, with the volume number underneath it on the left side.

The spine from top to bottom contains the Shonen Jump brand logo, the series title, the volume number, the mangakas, an image of Mumen Rider on his bicycle, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover has an image of someone taking a photo of Saitama, Genos, Mumen Rider, and a fan girl with an iPhone on the top 2/3rds of the cover. The bottom 1/3 has the series title, followed by the volumes summary on a red background.

The covers for this series are amazing, and this one is no exception. What I love is not only that each volume uses a different character. but the scenes, colors, and all the little cool extra things that make it pop even more. I really like the inclusion of the Deep Sea King. The fun image on the back with the selfie also shows a bit of lightheartedness that is also what this series is about as well when our heroes aren't fighting Demon level threats.

Artwork: This volume is filled to the brim with massive shonen action, and its very detailed. There is not much comedy in this volume, so the art doesn't drift off into its less then stellar comical art moments. There's also quite a bit of two page spreads just to show how big these battles really are.

Translation: Everything is exactly like the original Japanese version of the manga. My only complaint, as usual, is the fact that VIZ changes the sound effects, What I don't get is they are not changed in VIZ's Shonen Jump magazine, but they change them here with the actual volume release.

Extras: There is a decent size bonus chapter that is a side-story to the regular series. There's also a 4 Panel comic and end notes that give a bit of translations.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): This volume is pretty much one large fight, so this portion of the review isn't going to be as long as it usually is since the content is pretty bare minimum (which isn't always a bad thing). The volume continues the fight with Deep Sea King as Sonic and Puri Puri Prisoner continue to fight the beast from the ocean. Deep Sea King makes easy work of them both.

Eventually more heroes arrive to try and stop this huge threat; Next to go down is Allback-Man, followed by Jet Niceguy, Bunbun Man, and "Snakebite Fist" Snek; they all range from Class C to Class A heroes. Genos finally shows up but he basically gets completely obliterated.

Finally Mumen Rider arrives with Saitama. Mumen Rider tries his luck at fighting the Deep Sea King, but he also is no match, leaving Saitama alone to fight Deep Sea King. As you all probably know, Saitama literally kills the monster with one punch. All the citizens watching the fight begin to praise Saitama for beating the menace, but he tries to cover up his strength by telling them the other heroes wore the monster down before he got there.

The next story arc begins in the final chapter, but it is so short we don't get a lot of information on what is going to happen yet. A seer named Shibawa predicts the end of the world before dying. The news must get to the Hero Association so they can be ready for upcoming threat.

In the meantime, Saitama is headed to meet with the Hero Association as well. He is getting promoted to a B Rank Hero.

As a whole, even though this volume is so heavy on action, it still worked. There was still some character development with the final chapter and a few of the heroes in the battle with Sea King; I really love Puri Puri Prisoner and Mumen Rider. To me its rather amusing too how we have a world of heroes based on ranks and none of them have the power Saitama has. Even Genos who is an S Rank gets his ass handed to him pretty quickly every fight he goes into, this one probably the worst as of yet.

With the Deep Sea King story arc finished, we are finally really heading into our very first multi volume story arc. Yes there is only one chapter in this volume for the new arc, but the next two volumes is all about the coming Alien Conquerors story, which is going to be Saitama's first real challenge. We will also be seeing a ton of new characters!

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

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

Overall Rating: 9/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 4/26/16

Chapter Review: Assassination Classroom Side-Story 1 - Time To Come Home

Months before the end of the Assassination Classroom manga ends is where this story takes place, This chapter begins with several assassins are on the hunt for where Korosensei lives after he is done teaching for the day. Their mission is to get close and find out who Korosensei really is in his after school life. We end up at a bar called Izakaya Azusa, where a blind mother and her daughter work. They take care of the assassin's needs who frequent the bar, but they are really only there because that is where Korosensei likes to hang out during his time out of class. We also begin to learn some of Korosensei's weaknesses, both in the bar as well as his home. Korosensei really doesn't mind them spying on him, until they see him in his Adult Film Studio filled with lots of porno magazines. Korosensei eventually moves his home with his mach speed not wanting anyone to see his dirty secrets. Back at the bar, Korosensei eventually shows back up to harass the assassin's again, but it seems hes toying with them and every bar they go to he follows them even if they tell him to quit following them.

For the first chapter to this side story, I must say it wasn't really anything special. I have not finished the actual manga yet, but I can say from what we got from this story, content wise, it was very bland and dull and so far I really wish this wasn't part of the main story. I love the idea that they Yusei Matsuei is telling what Korosensei does in his after school life, as we don't get much of that in the main series, but its just not really holding my interest. Hopefully this picks up for the remaining three chapters.

Rating: 2/10

Things May Slow Down A Bit...

Sorry for not keeping up with the actual reviews being posted on the days they were supposed to, the other dates might change as well. I will be having another surgical procedure tomorrow, but it should not keep me away for as long as my last procedure.

I am glad everyone has been enjoying the reviews! It has been pretty steady as well. This is not going to stop either once I am back at them and you will all still be getting 3 reviews a week and possibly maybe more.

I will be starting reviews for Manga Chapters soon, specifically from certain titles from Shonen Jump magazine as they are released. First up will be the four part Assassination Classroom Side-Story. These will be much shorter reviews, since the chapters are MUCH shorter then a full volume. They will be probably around 1-2 paragraphs of content, followed by commentary. I will also be reviewing the Naruto One-Shot story coming out next week, as well as Boruto the series. These will be posted as they come out. I know I am behind on Assassination Classroom's side-story, but they are coming!

I will also do my best to read and review the next Naruto Hiden novel as soon as it comes out, so look forward to that as well!

Review - Magi V.16

Title: Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic
Volume: 16 (of 27+)
Creator: Shinobu Ohtaka
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: SHOGAKUKAN
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 2/9/16
Pages: 200
ISBN: 1421577925
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Sunday
Rated: T (Teens)

Description: Deep within the desert lie the mysterious Dungeons, vast stores of riches there for the taking by anyone lucky enough to find them and brave enough to venture into the depths from where few have ever returned. Plucky young adventurer Aladdin means to find the Dungeons and their riches, but Aladdin may be just as mysterious as the treasures he seeks.

Aladdin’s studies at the Magnoshutatt Academy are going well, and he continues to advance. Among the upper-ranked students is another young sorcerer whose power seems to rival Aladdin’s. The two become friends and continue their climb up Magnoshutatt’s caste system. But the dark secret they discover among the downtrodden people of the city takes them into even more danger…

Contains Nights 149-158:

• Night 149: Titus Alexius
• Night 150: Aladdin vs. Titus
• Night 151: Unnatural Magic
• Night 152: The Truth About Titus
• Night 153: Mission
• Night 154: Cooperation
• Night 155: The Fifth District
• Night 156: Cattle
• Night 157: Magoi Reactor
• Night 158: Thought Education

Review:

Cover Art: The character featured on this cover is Kouen Ren. There is a lot of reds, oranges, and blacks coloring a majority of the image as well. The background appears to be some kind of war happening behind him. The series title is across the top in a lighter orange. The volume number and mangaka are on the bottom.

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

The back cover has an image of Aladdin dressed in his Magnoshutatt Academy uniform. Under that is the volume summary.

I honestly don't get this cover at all. Typically we have some type of relation to what is going on with that volume referenced on the cover, especially with how many characters this series has it should have some type of character in the volume on the cover. Kouen Ren isn't present in a single page in this book. There isn't even a mention to him. I know there was a bit of him in the previous volume but this volume is focused on Aladdin entirely. There was plenty of characters that they could have put on this cover that were new to this volume as well, but none of them were used. Also the orange and reds kind of blend a bit to much making it a bit bothersome with the text and everything else on this cover. The only thing I liked was the image of Aladdin on the back. The white background with the glyph behind him was a really great choice; the colors work well and seeing Aladdin in an outfit that isn't his usual vest and turban was pretty cool.

Artwork: This volume features a lot more action and drama then previous volumes had. The humor is a bit less due to the content that this story focuses on; there is still a small bit of comedy but its barely noticeable with the scene changes since this volume has such a huge impact with the current story arc.

One thing to note too is at the beginning of this volume the action sequences are cleanly drawn out. Towards the end they seem a bit more rushed almost like the artist began to rush the story to get through the current arc which will most likely end with the next volume.

Translation: Cultural references, character names, weapons, attacks and plot are left intact. Sound Effects have been changed to English, which as one of my pet peeves is something I don't really care for since it destroys the original art at times.

Extras: There is a two-page bonus manga chapter that is about the Kou Empire. The artwork is a bit bad. It also does not advance any of the story related to the Kou Empire. Moving on...

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): For this volume, our story has finally shifted back to our main character, Aladdin the Magi, and it actually focuses on him for the entire volume this time as well. When we last left off with him, he had just entered a wizard academy school to learn how to control his powers more, as well as see why these magic users are so hateful towards normal humans. Several months have passed since he started learning and he is now the top of his current class.

For the first part of this volume, Aladdin takes on another student in a match of to see who is a stronger magic user. His opponent is Titus Alexius, another magician who has power that is on an equal level to Aladdin's. The two fight it out, both having secrets to hide from one another which they both eventually uncover, but still hide it so they won't be punished and removed from the school.

With the match over, it is revealed that Titus is working for the Leam Empire and he is at the school to learn better ways to help defend it. Aladdin reveals to Titus his own plan and the two decide to help each other to find out more about a recently discovered inaccessible 5th District to the academy where humans live that can not pay their living expenses. When Aladdin and Titus ask about going to the 5th District, they continuously get denied, until they hatch a plan to transform themselves into their teachers and sneak into the district themselves.

When they finally reach the 5th District, they learn that the Magicians are draining the life from all the citizens in the lower levels to help power the machines used in all of the other districts. These machines are what help the magicians produce there own sources to make food and to live, so the humans are basically cattle for the magicians. Aladdin wants to try and stop this Magoi Reactor project, but a new enemy, Lord Doron arrives to put a stop to Aladdin and Titus, as well as bring them back to the leader of Magnoshutatt for punishment for going to the 5th District without permission. Just as our heroes are about to be finished off, Aladdin's teacher comes to their aid and defends her pupil.

The volume ends when Aladdin is eventually brought to the headmaster, where he tells Aladdin he will finally reveal to him why Magicians exist in their world.

This volume was actually probably the best I have read from the series in quite some time. It was paced extremely well, not too fast and not too slow. The new characters introduced wasn't too overwhelming this time as well; last volume we got a whole family practically thrown at us. I am also really intrigued at the whole almost Hitler-esque views of the Magicians, as they keep humans in an underground area just to use them for power as they are slowly drained of all their life force. It will be quite interesting with the next volume to see why the Magicians do what they actually do and the need for them in this world.  I highly recommend this volume!

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 4/10
• Artwork: 6/10
• Translation: 7/10
• Extras: 1/10
• Story: 8/10

Overall Rating: 5/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 4/19/16

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 19 - Time Warp - Sailor Pluto

Chibiusa tells Sailor Moon and the others the truth of where she came from and that she needs her help to save her mother and everyone from the future. Artemis tries to get more answers from Chibiusa about how her world was destroyed. She doesn't know, so Venus tries to force her to take them to the future but she refuses. Chibiusa wants to stay with Mamoru for the time being and maybe she will eventually give in and let the others help her.

Back at Mamoru's, he gets her ready to bed. She tells him a bit about her mother. Usagi is also at his apartment in the other room. Usagi tells Mamoru that Chibiusa loves her. Mamoru disagrees cause she is just a kid. Usagi asks Mamoru if she can spend the night too. Mamoru begins to see a vision of Usagi disappearing before he embraces her in a hug.

At Minako's house, Luna is having a dream of the future. Queen Serenity is looking for her and she is in a part of the castle that is off limits. Luna sees a forbidden door that is guarded by a guardian on the other side of it. Luna wakes up and begins to piece Chibiusa's key and the door together.

The next morning at Mamoru's, Chibiusa tells them she is going to the future and asks them to go with her. Later that day in the park, Chibiusa opens up a time gate and tells everyone to hold on to her hand and not let go. As everyone gets pulled in, Sailor Moon, Venus, Tuxedo Mask, and the cats get seperated from Chibiusa.

The Dark Moon notices a strange energy and figure out that Chibiusa is trying to return back to her timeline. Esmeraude sends out Chiral and Achiral to try and finish our heroes as they are now split apart from Chibiusa.

Back with Sailor Moon and the others, they realize they are somewhere trapped in time. They see a huge door in front of them when a mysterious figure confronts them, Sailor Pluto. She vows that she will destroy them if they try to pass her and go through the door. Sailor Pluto attacks them with her Dead Scream attack. Sailor Moon tries to reason with her. Before Pluto attacks again, Chibiusa finds them and stops her. She tells them that she brought Sailor Moon from the past to save her mom. Sailor Pluto is happy that Chibiusa has returned back to her own time. It is revealed that Chibiusa is a princess. Pluto opens up the door and allows everyone to pass. Sailor Moon asks if Pluto will go with them, but she can't leave the door because its her duty to protect it.

In the 30th Century Tokyo, everything is destroyed and dead bodies litter the floors of the city. There is a giant dark crystal that is glowing. Tuxedo Mask begins to hear voices telling him to turn back and not to go any further. As Chibiusa runs towards the crystal palace, a wall of ice surrounds everyone. Chiral and Achiral are responsible and begin their attack on our heroes. As Sailor Moon is about to use the Moon Rod, it doesn't work. All of the heroes get trapped in a column of ice. Esmeraude shows up to retrieve Chibiusa from the group when a mysterious man appears and tells Tuxedo Mask to break the crystal. Tuexedo Mask destroys the crystal and Venus and him kill Chiral and Archiral. Esmeraude retreats and the Crystal Palace then appears before Sailor Moon and the others.

Inside they walk the long hallway to the center chamber where a tomb lays in the center of the room. On the center of the slab is Neo Queen Serenity, encased in crystals. A small cat named Diana shows up and leads Sailor Moon and the others to the mysterious man, Tuxedo Mask from the future.

As a lot of the intersecting plotlines from the previous episode came to a head in this episode, their wasn't too much confusion in direction. Sailor Pluto made a pretty cool entrance, and so did her amazing Dead Scream attack. There was a lot of revelations in this episode too. Everything about Chibiusa's timeline is beginning to get revealed and it should all be revealed entirely with the next episode to follow. Chiral and Achiral I wish put up a bit more of a fight; we don't have many male enemies in the second story arc of the series so to me it was a bit disappointing.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Naruto Hiden - Shikamaru's Story - A Cloud Drifting in the Silent Dark

Title: Naruto Hiden
Volume: 2 (of 6) - Shikamaru's Story - A Cloud Drifting in the Silent Dark
Creator: Masashi Kishimoto & Akira Higashiyama
Format: Flipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA Inc.
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 2/2/16
Pages: 184
ISBN: 1421584417
MSRP: $10.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (For Teens)

Description: A new series of prose novels, straight from the worldwide Naruto franchise. Naruto’s allies and enemies take center stage in these fast-paced adventures, with each volume focusing on a particular clanmate, ally, team…or villain.

Two years after the Great Ninja War, Shikamaru spends his days racing around, hands full as one of Konoha’s key protectors. Then one day a large number of ninja from every region are reported missing. Even Sai disappears. And the place where the missing shinobi end up is the mysterious empire, the Land of Silence.

As a ninja, as an adult, to protect all that he is responsible for, Shikamaru must do battle with the shadow of a new generation.

Contains Four Parts:

• Konoha
• The Land of Silence
• Shikamaru
• End

Review:

Cover Art: Another spectacular representation of the original novel's cover! This cover features a hand drawn image of Shikamaru; he's sitting cross legged with a serious look on his face, gazing at the reader. The background is done in a similar style as the last volume, marble brown with a purple border. What I noticed this time reviewing this is you can see the original Katakana writing on the cover as well to the right of Shikamaru.  The volume title is on the mid-lower portion of the cover, with the novel's writer and series creator under that.

The spine from top to bottom has the Shonen Jump brand logo, the series title, the volume title, the creator and novel writer, and an image of Shikamaru from the front cover.

Being as this is a novel, the back cover is pretty basic, but that is totally fine here! We have the same cover design with the purple and brown marble from the front. The series title and volume title are on the top with the volume's summary under that.

Just like the previous volumes cover, I absolutely love this cover as well. Yes, it is a basic design, but so much care went into this to keep it so close to the original cover with even leaving the original title in its native writing on it as well. The hand drawn pencil sketches are also amazing. Besides the little one-shots he is doing of Naruto here and there, this is probably the only bit of his art for the series we will get for quite a while.

Translation: Another great job in the translation of this novel. The typo's were a bit less this time around but it was extremely great to see pretty much everything left in as close to perfect as possible.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): I must say this story was a much better read then Kakashi's tale, there are a bit of similarities but let's just jump right in.

There is a great leader in the Land of Silence named Gengo. He has persuaded the entire country as well as several people who visited the country, Sai, to try and elect him to take out the Daimyo's of all the countries in the world. His theory is Ninjas have the power so why should they be the ones who should live in Hidden Villages.

That is where Kakashi steps in as he sees this new radical movement as a possible threat that could possibly cause doom to the entire planet eventually. He picks Shikamaru to go out on an Assassination mission to take out this radical leader. The shadow ninja embarks on a quest with two new characters to the Naruto Universe, Anbu Ninjas Soku and Ro. They are not to tell anyone else about this mission as it is a secret.

The three ninja's venture out to the Land of Silence and they think they have a chance at killing Gengo easily as he is giving a speech to his people, when all three of them fall under a Genjutsu spell. Genjo has not an Ocular Genjutsu, but a Genjutsu that whatever he says people believe him. The three of them get thrown into prison cells. Ro and Soku get tortured, Shikamaru resists the spell as long as possible.

When Shikamaru is about to fall victim to the spell entirely, his friends from the Sand and Konoha arrive and break the Genjutsu. Many battles break out, including one between Temari, Ino, and Sai. Eventually our heroes manage to take out Gengo's tongue and break the spell on the nation he has control of. Shikamaru takes Gengo into custody and throws him into Fushu Castle's prison. The novel ends with Shikamaru gaining some peace as he finally goes on a real date with Temari, and eventually has a child with her.

As a whole this felt like much more of a conclusive story then the previous novel. One thing I noticed was Gengo it was revealed he was from the Kimigakure clan, which was the same clan as Zabuza, as well as the same clan of Garyo from the last novel. It seems so far there is a pattern to these antagonists and I hope I am catching on to it cause it would be cool if we actually have some kind of overall connection to the beginning of the original Naruto manga series.

The new characters Ro and Soku were very interesting as well. I highly doubt they will be in any more of the Naruto stories in the future, but their playful interactions, as well as Shikamaru always pissing off Ro by calling her her real name was pretty funny.

Gengo was also a better villain all around then the last novel. Garyo didn't really do much, although he was someone who was trying to be broken out of a prison, he still was and didn't really cause a threat at all. I really enjoyed seeing his radical views. To me it was almost like he was a Neo Nazi in today's real world era. He wanted to take out the normal humans because they were far superior then the ninjas. Glad he was taken down of course, but I would never have expected an antagonist on that level within the Naruto Universe.

With the overall pacing of this novel, it was much better then the last. I am really looking forward to the next, and hopefully with how well this one was received, maybe VIZ can one day license the final three volumes to the Hiden series.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 10/10
• Translation: 10/10
• Story: 8/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

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

Throw-Back Thursday Review: Naruto V.02

Title: Naruto
Volume: 2 (of 72)
Creator: Masashi Kishimoto
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 12/3/03
Pages: 206
ISBN: 1591161789
MSRP: $7.95
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (For Teen)

Description: Twelve years ago, a giant fox demon with seven tails attacked the ninja village of Konohagakure. Defeated by the Hokage, the village champion, the mighty demon's soul was sealed into the body of an innocent orphan child: Naruto Uzumaki. Now, Naruto is a 12-year-old ninja-in-training, struggling to be the best, together with his classmates Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura have passed the final test to become junior ninja - but now the real challenge begins. Tired of finding stray cats and doing day care, the young ninja ask for a tougher assignment, and find themselves - together with their teacher, Kakashi - body guarding a cranky bridge builder from the faraway Land of the Waves. But Tazuna the bridge builder is in more danger than anyone realizes: he's the target of elite ninja assassins, including Zabuza, "the demon," the most murderous of the Mist Ninjas. And to even have a chance of defeating Zabuza, Kakashi will have to use the secret power concealed in his always-hidden left eye...

Contains Chapters 8-17:

• Number 8: You Failed!
• Number 9: The Worst Client
• Number 10: Target #2
• Number 11: Going Ashore
• Number 12: Game Over!!!
• Number 13: Ninja!!
• Number 14: The Secret Plan . . . !!!
• Number 15: Return of the Sharingnan
• Number 16: Who Are You?!
• Number 17: Preparations For Battle

Review:

Cover: Volume 2 of Naruto has stuck the same with the cover. It is almost exactly identical to the Japanese Version. The front we have a nice white background. We have out three Genin Ninja’s, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, doing some attack poses, which I find rather nice with the content of this Volume. In the back of them is a picture of Konohagakure Village. Under our heroes is the Series title, which stays true to the original as well. Then we have the Mangaka, followed by the Volume Number in Orange letters. The front cover truly stands out and its not a bad stand out either.

The Spine from top to bottom is the same as all the other Jump Mangas. We have the Shonen Jump Logo, the Series Title, the Volume Number, the Mangaka, a profile shot of Sasuke, and the Viz logo. I don’t mind the spine all that much. Putting it up against Naruto Volume 1 is still rather a nice look. Maybe we will see a Box Set one day and it may look even nicer.

The Back Cover had a different fighting pose of out three ninjas, which is kind of nice to see as well. The top of the cover we have the Shonen Jump Logo, the Series Title, and the Volume Number. To the left of out ninjas we have the Volume Title, The Worst Client, followed by a nice summary explaining the contents of the Volume.

All in all the cover is quite nice. The only problems I have is the same problems I have with the other Shonen Jump Volumes, the repeating of the Series Title and Volume Number at every corner of the book.

Artwork: The Artwork in Naruto flows rather nicely together. All the images are of the same style, which is pleasant to see when reading a manga. The lines are done very clean as well, which is also very pleasing to look at as well.

Translation: The translation is VERY ACCURATE. I have read the original and Fan Translations, and VIZ did an excellent job with their translation of Volume 2. The only thing I did not care for was the dubbing of sound effects. This can easily be looked over though, as I find I am getting used to this by the Shonen Jump line.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Naruto Volume 2 continues from where the last Volume left off our 3 Genin Ninjas have failed Kakashi’s test, leaving them down. He lets them try to pass again but the only way that they can pass is if Sakura and Sasuke eat the prized food, and not give any to the tied up Naruto. Sakura eventually gives in and this is what let’s the ninja’s pass his test, the showing of Teamwork.

After the first Chapter we move on to the second ARC of Naruto, the Zabuza and Haku ARC. This Volume mainly takes up this ARC as well, as well as the next 2 or 3 Volumes. Our ninjas are assigned the task of bringing a bride builder back to his own country so he can finish the bridge his country has been building. Along the way, the ninjas are attacked by Zabuza, an evil ninja who works for a rich man named Gato. Gato does not want the bridge to be finished so he will stop at nothing to kill the bridge builder.

Zabuza has other plans as he finds out that the Genins teacher is Kakashi. Kakashi does battle with Zabuza and is eventually caught in one of Zabuza’s Ninjutsu techniques. Naruto and Sasuke work together and free Kakashi. Kakashi then uses his Sharingnan Eye and mirrors all of Zabuza’s attacks. As the battle continues, another ninja, Haku, steps in and supposedly kills Zabuza. He says he will take Zabuza from here and takes away Zabuza’s body.

Haku does not really kill Zabuza, just injures him. The two work together and they now must regroup and attack as one next time. The volume ends with Kakashi teaching his students about Chakra as they are about to do some more training (Tree Climbing).

All in all it was a rather pleasing Manga. If you are a fan of Shonen Titles I would suggest picking it up. There is a lot of action and suspenseful scenes. The only real problem with the volume is the lack of back story and character development. There is some, but not enough for my interest.

Objectionable Content:

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

Overall Rating: 4 (Out of 5)

Where Purchased: Walden Books
Original Review Date: 12/2/03

Review: Ninja Slayer Kills! V.02

Title: Ninja Slayer Kills!
Volume: 2 (of 2+)
Creator: Koutarou Sekine, Bradley Bond, Philip Ninj@ Morzez
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Kodansha
US Publisher: Kodansha
Release Date: 12/22/15
Pages: 232
ISBN: 163236087X
MSRP: $10.99
Genre: Shonen
Rated: OT (Ages 16+)

Description: Ginichi is a young man who leads a double life. In his free time, he's the undefeated, electric king of the video arcade. However, beneath his cool exterior lies a nervous geek who struggles with the pressures placed on him by his mother and school to pass the Center Exams and become part of the elite kachigumi. But a fateful encounter with a beautiful punk girl may bring some exciting changes to Ginichi's hollow existence. Just as things seem to be going well for Ginichi, he and his new friend become witness to a ninja battle between a perverted, creepy Soukai ninja and the crimson-clad grim reaper, Ninja Slayer! As the deadly ninjas clash in mortal combat, will Ginichi be able to make it out alive?

Contains Killz 7-11:

• Killz 007: Kickout The Ninja Motherfucker Part 1
• Killz 008: Kickout The Ninja Motherfucker Part 2
• Killz 009: Kickout The Ninja Motherfucker Part 3
• Killz 010: Back In Black Part 1
• Killz 011: Back In Black Part 2
• Bonus Extras
• Ninja Setting Design Collection

Review:

Cover Art: The cover this time features our favorite Ninja Slayer again, but this time as his human identity, Fujikido. The image used is kind of a bit menacing, as he might be about to transform into his alterego so he can kick major ass and kill a bunch of ninjas. The series title is on the top right corner, with the volume number on the lower right.

The spine from top-to-bottom contains the Kodansha company logo, the series title, the volume number, and the mangaka.

The back cover has the volume summary on the top third of the cover. There's an elaborate image montage featuring several of the enemies and allies that our main protagonist runs across in this volume.

I really like this cover a lot. The image presented on the front and the way the character stands really gives a focal point right from his hand all the way up to his face. Although the image of the character covers a majority of the cover, it still doesn't present itself as if it is cluttered. The back cover's image as well is pretty epic, displaying several other characters in a neat action pose that really shows off their appeal within the pages.

Artwork: This series is a much more mature shonen series then a lot of other typical shonen titles. The artwork is a bit on the dark side with lots of grotesque and gruesome imaging. Lots of fast action sequences fill this volume from cover to cover and although most of them are spectacularly drawn, there are still quite a few pages and panels that seem to be a bit rushed. There's also a bit of fan service.

Translation: Character names and places are left intact. The sound effects are the original ones used from the original release. The plot has also retained, not changing anything from the original release.

Extras: One thing this series has not seemed to skimp out on is the extras. First we have a foreward and an afterward from the mangaka, which I absolutely love having these and they should be in all mangas! Next we have a very extensive guide to all the new characters in this volume, as well as if the character has a new design (the main character) it is also covered. Last is a translation notes section which has various information that some of the over sea readers don't understand due to our cultures being very different.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): This volume begins with a brand new story, not picking up from the first volume's somewhat cliffhanger with the enemy ninja organization going to send everything that they had at the Ninja Slayer.

Fujikido stumbles into a part of the city and runs into a guy, Ginchi, who is down on his luck. He thinks that if he can become a member of the Kachigumi like his father once was, he might be able to bring fortune back to his family. As he enters a club to find some connections, a ninja known as Agony is dispatched to cause problems. Fujikido becomes the Ninja Slayer and after a very long battle, he manages to kill his enemy, but hurt the people as well inside of the establishment. I'm not really sure if this was all we will see of Ginchi, as he is not included in anything else after this story. Also to note, this story takes place before the events of the first volume.

The second story, which covers the remaining two chapters, goes back to where we left off at the end of volume 1. We are introduced to even more new characters including Dragon Gendoso and Yukano, who appear to be rounding up a somewhat team for our hero Ninja Slayer. At first they put up a bit of a fight for our hero, but after an explosive and long drawn out battle they end up defeating him so he asks them to help train him to take down the rest of the worlds evil ninjas.

I have tried to like this series, but for me it is just very hard to follow. It might be due to having not read the original Ninja Slayer manga, as this series kind of highlights the battle more then what is actually going on. The action sequences are spectacular. My issue is the direction this series is going. This volume started out with kind of a prologue, yet it did not really tell its readers that the first story arc was a prologue unless you read the Afterward portion at the end of the volume. There also isn't much character development. The villains are cool, but it would be nice to see a bit more about them like where they came from or why they are actually doing the dirty deeds. I might give this series one more try to pick up its mess before I part with it for good.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 8/10
• Artwork: 7/10
• Translation: 10/10
• Extras: 10/10
• Story: 2/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 4/12/16

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 18 - Invasion - Sailor Venus

Rubeus takes Sailor Jupiter away to the Black Moon, leaving only Venus and Sailor Moon left. Tuxedo Mask finds one of the Malefic Black Crystal Earrings. Luna sends it back to Artemis to be analyzed. Artemis finds out that the enemy is using warp holes from somewhere else in the universe to attack them on Earth. Venus tells Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask that they need to confront Chibiusa to find out what the Black Moon really wants.

Usagi and the others go back to her house to confront Chibiusa. When they arrive, Chibiusa has a new friend over named Momo. Chibiusa sees the Malefic Black Crystal and freaks out over it.

Back at the Black Moon headquarters, the enemies plan their next attack against Earth. They are trying to revive the planet Nemesis with the power of the Malefic Black Crystal, but the Silver Crystal must be destroyed before that can happen. Prince Demande leaves Esmeralde, Rubeus, and Saphir to decide where they will strike next. Rubeus decided to send out the last of the Spectre Sister, Calaveras, to take on Operation 004, Code Rebirth, to avenger her sisters.

Back at Usagi's home, Usagi, Minako, and Mamoru confront Chibiusa. She tells them she is trying to saver her mother, but that is the only information that is given. Usagi goes to school when Naru and Umino meet up with her and show her a video with Calaveras in a trance by Rubeus. The Black Moon is trying to get through the people of Earth with the use of channeling. Usagi leaves to tell the others what she saw, leaving Naru to suspect that there is a lot more to Usagi then her being just a normal school girl. Calaveras is planning on doing a public seance in a park in Tokyo.

Mamoru calls forth the apparitions of his knights at his apartment. They discuss with him about the Black Moon. They too do not know how to defeat them or what they are planning, but they do lift Mamoru's hopes up that he will be needed in the coming fight.

That night, while Usagi is sleeping, Chibiusa steals her brooch. The next morning is the seance. Minako, Luna, and Artemis are all attending it and try to stop Calaveras from brainwashing everyone at the park while Usagi looks for Chibiusa. Minako transforms into Sailor Venus. Calaveras summons spirits of her deceased sisters to help her fight. She manages to trap Venus in energy chains. Usagi eventually finds Chibiusa at a fountain. Rubeus finds them and attacks, but Tuxedo Mask arrives and defends them. Tuxedo Mask finally uses his awakened power "Tuxedo The Smoking Bomber," making Rubeus retreat. Chibiusa gives back the brooch to Usagi so she can transform into Sailor Moon.

Sailor Moon arrives at the park, breaking Venus out of the energy chains. She uses her Moon rod, defeating Calaveras for good and managing to protect Venus from being captured by the Black Moon. Sailor Moon asks why Chibiusa took the brooch. Chibiusa explains she thought with the power of two Silver Crystals she would be able to save her mother. Chibiusa is from the 30th Century and she finally admits she needs Sailor Moons help to save her home.

This episode has so much to take in. I know this all took place originally in a single chapter of the original manga series, but they really crammed so much development in this episode it could have been split into two or even three episodes. First off we learn why Chibiusa is in the present day and that she is from the future timeline that our heroes will one day be a part of. We also learn why the Black Moon is really after Chibiusa. There was quite a bit of character development for Mamoru as well as we got to see his knights once again from the previous season and the awakening of his own inner power. One thing in the manga that I felt was this chapter was a bit more about Sailor Venus, as the original title suggests, but the episode version seemed to focus more on Mamoru. With so much detail and plot from this one chapter trying to fit it into a 23 minute episode, it began to seem a bit convoluted. I love how they have been trying to cover each manga chapter into a single episode but for this episode in particular it doesn't seem to really work and just began to get me completely lost at certain points.

Rating: 4/10

Throw-Back Thursday Review - Angelic Layer V.01

Title: Angelic Layer
Volume: 1 (of 5)
Creator: CLAMP
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: KADOKAWA SHOTEN
US Publisher: Tokyopop
Release Date: 6/25/02
Pages: 200
ISBN: 193151447
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Rated: A (All Ages)


Description: 12-year-old Misaki is beginning school in Tokyo. Upon arriving in the city she spots a competition being broadcast called Angelic Layer - the latest high tech battle game fought by using dolls (Angels). Enchanted with one of the Angels she sees fighting, Misaki is inspired to create her own Angel and it leads her on an adventure that she never in her wildest dreams would have thought possible!

Now Misaki has entered the tournament with her doll, Hikaru, and together they plan to take the sport by storm!



Contains Chapters 1-5:

• Battle 1
• Battle 2
• Battle 3
• Battle 4
• Battle 5

Review:

Cover: The cover for the first Manga of Angelic Layer is one of the nicer original covers that Tokyopop first released. First off we have a solid blue background, with a faint white light. The top we have the Series Title, kept to the original logo. Under that we have a big image of Misaki looking very cheerful (isn’t she cute!!!). Sitting on Misaki’s hand is her Angel, Hikaru. To the left of Misaki we have the Manga Volume. To this series however, they made the Volume name Original. We have a nice little Angel Egg with “Battle 1” written on it. The bottom has the Mangaka. To the side we have the usual Tokyopop side bar.

The Spine looks just as nice as the Cover. From the top to bottom we have the Tokyopop logo, the Series Title, a full shot of Hikaru, the Mangaka, and the Volume Number. I really like the full shot of Hikaru, a very big bonus on the cover.

The back of the cover has the same background. There is a little cedar color box with the summary in it. To the right of that we have a nice big, full shot of Hikaru. To the bottom left of Hikaru is the 100% Authentic Manga Stamp.

One thing I REALLY love about this cover is the finish of it. The texture of the book has a glossy feel to it, as well as a smooth creamy feel.

All in all, this cover has to be one of my favorites that Tokyopop has done.

Artwork: The Artwork of Angelic Layer is another masterpiece. When it comes to CLAMP’s style of drawing, it’s just pure perfection. Angelic Layer is no exception. The battle scenes run very nice and smooth. Characters are nicely drawn. It even has some abstract shots with Misaki at school which is nice and pleasant to see from CLAMP.

Translation: What I love about Tokyopop is they have yet to ruin any of CLAMP’s works. The translation of Angelic Layer is so dead on; it’s like reading the original. It even leaves in all the references from the CLAMP universe. The only problem I have is the Sound Effects. Some Sound Effects are left in, while others are translated. It would have been nice to have it consistent, but at least the CLAMP Universe Plotline was left in tact.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Angelic Layer begins with a nice smooth start. Misaki moves to Tokyo where she is to go live with her aunt. When she gets off at the wrong train station, she witnesses an Angel battle on a TV. There she meets this strange man in a lab coat, Icchan, who tells her all she needs to know about playing in Angelic Layer. Misaki uses all her money on an Angel Egg and has to call her aunt for a ride home. That night, Misaki makes her own Angel and names it Hikaru.

The next day while Misaki is going to school, Misaki runs into a girl named Hatoko, who also plays Angelic Layer. Hatoko is only in Kindergarten. Hatoko’s brother, Koutarou, shows up and tells his sister to go to school. Koutarou and Misaki head to school together, since they are both in the same class. When they arrive at school, Misaki meets Tamayo, a girl who seems to always beat up Koutarou for some odd reason.

After school, Misaki runs into Icchan again, and he gives her some material to make some clothes for Hikaru. It takes Misaki several hours to make the clothes, but Hikaru is then finally complete.

The next day, Icchan takes Misaki to the Angelic Layer store where she practices for 2 hours with Hikaru. Misaki learns a lot in those two hours, so Icchan enters Misaki in a small tournament.

At the tournament, Hikaru goes up against some cat-like Angel. Misaki still has a little trouble using Hikaru in battle. She eventually figures out how to control her Angel better and wins the match.

Misaki is then entered into a bigger Tournament. Her first match is up against Hatoko. Hatoko does not go easy on Misaki, and Misaki loses the match. Misaki has only one more chance if she wants to make it all the way to the finals. In the second match for Misaki, she goes up against a pop star, Ringo Seto. Ringo uses the Angel Lanka. Lanka and Hikaru begin their duel, and they both look evenly matched.

The manga ends with a cliffhanger (Those always suck). The manga is done rather nicely. It kept me interested all the way to the very end, and it made me want to read more of the later volumes. All in all, this was another great start of another great series brought to you by CLAMP.

Objectionable Content:

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

Overall Rating: 5 (Out of 5)

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 11/26/03

Review: School Judgement - Gakkyu Hotei V.01

Title: School Judgement - Gakkyu Hotei
Volume: 1 (of 3)
Creator: Nobuaki Enoki & Takeshi Obata
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 2/2/16
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1421585669
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (For Teen)

Description: In order to curb the crime running rampant in the elementary school system, a new solution has been enacted in the form of the School Judgment System. Now the young students themselves will be responsible for solving the issues that befall them. But are they up for the task?

At Tenbin Elementary, there is only one way to settle a dispute—in a court of law! All disputes bypass the teachers and are settled by some of the best lawyers in the country…who also happen to be elementary school students. The accused this time is a boy named Tento. His crime? Murder of the beloved class fish Suzuki! Luckily for him, the state has sent him a defense attorney, Abaku Inugami. But is this wild young lawyer skilled enough to argue his client off the hook?

Contains Chapters 1-7:

• Chapter 1: The Suzuki Murder and Dismemberment Case
• Chapter 2: The Suzuki Murder and Dismemberment Case (2)
• Chapter 3: The Pretty Idol Airi Takanashi Photo Voyeurism Case
• Chapter 4: The Pretty Idol Airi Takanashi Photo Voyeurism Case (2)
• Chapter 5: The Shuichi Higashide Cheating Case
• Chapter 6: The Shuichi Higashide Cheating Case (2)
• Chapter 7: Beware of the Magical Powder

Review:

Cover: The cover for this volume features our main protagonist, Abaku Inugami, standing in a destroyed classroom. There's a little blurb on the chalkboard letting reades know that the artist of this series was the artist of Death Note. The series title and volume number are displayed 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 mangakas, and the VIZ company logo.

The top half of the back cover has he volume summary. The lower half features an image of the supporting cast.

I really like this cover a lot. The colors are very bright and vivid which makes it stand out well. My only problem is the colors used for the test and series title. I was looking for this volume on two specific outings before I actually had to ask an employee help me look for it and it was in front of my face the entire time. Even the spine is hard to recognize with no actual character present to identify.

Artwork: The artist for this series is world famous Takeshi Obata, which is the main reason I decided on this purchase. To me it reminds me of a more childish version of Death Note. The series is also a court type drama so don't expect a whole lot of action when picking up this series. Besides saying that I really do still enjoy this style of art a lot. The character designs are very fresh and uplifting and almost feels like they are alive on the page. Even though this is a short series, I wouldn't mind watching an anime of it just from the art alone.

Translation: Character names and for the most part the cases were left entirely to the original plot. Sound effects and honorifics have been changed and omitted, which is expected since this is a Shonen Jump title.

Extras:  Character profiles and fact sheets, a translation notes section, and an afterword are included in this volume. The fact sheets are pretty entertaining as both mangakas give lots of details on how certain characters were originally supposed to be and how they actually ended up.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): As I mentioned above, this series is pretty much a mystery courtroom drama. For the most part it has a format that stays the same over the course of the entire volume as each story takes place over two chapters. The first chapter being the case introduction and the second chapter being the courtroom scenario to it being solved. Since there are 7 chapters the last case is not finished in this volume and we have to wait for its conclusion in V.02.

The first case we are introduced to our main character, Abaku Inugami, who just transferred to a new school . In this world schools have Judgement systems that the students have court cases to solve problems and mysteries related to their classroom dilemmas. And just like clockwork within the first couple pages we have a mystery to be solved as the class pet fish appears to have been gutted and left for dead inside its tank. Over the course of the first two chapters Abaku gathers his clues and goes up against his female rival, Pine Hanzuki, in a classroom courtroom with a Pre-K judge who looks like an old man from all the stress from making the tough decisions in court.

The same set-up goes on for the next four chapters as we have other cases dealing with a student being spied on from a hidden shelf in her locker to another student being blamed for cheating on a test. The last chapter sets up a case to be concluded in V.02; a mysterious highly addicted sugar is being pushed out like a drug among the students and its up to Abaku to find out who is behind it.

I really don't want to go into much details with this title as I don't want to spoil the outcomes of each case. I can say that this was a very fun read and I highly recommend it. The characters all have unique personalities and hidden backstories that really pulled me in to want to learn a lot more about them. April can't come soon enough for the next volume.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 7/10
• Artwork: 8/10
• Translation: 6/10
• Extras: 8/10
• Story: 8/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 4/5/16

Review: Sailor Moon Crystal Act 17 - Secret - Sailor Jupiter

Rubeus takes Mercury back to the Black Moon, leaving only Sailor Moon and two of her friends to try and prevent Chibiusa from being kidnapped by the enemy. Usagi and Chibiusa return back home. Usagi sulks in her room now that she has lost two of her friends. Chibiusa tries to comfort her with a stuffed Tuxedo Mask doll that she got from Mamoru. Usagi is a bit upset that she didn't get a doll from her boyfriend, but she is still a bit happy that Chibiusa tried to cheer her up.

Usagi goes to visit Mamoru at the arcade and Chibiusa follows her. Makoto and Minako are nearby and go check out the arcade when their communicator begins to react when Chibiusa begins to conquer the levels of the game. Makoto appears to have a cold. Mamoru takes Chibiusa home so Usagi and the other girls can discuss plans about the Black Moon. So far there is no news on where Mercury and Mars were taken to, but they do know that Chibiusa is the key to finding more out about where the Black Moon is, since they seem to be after her.

At the Tsukino residence, Chibiusa runs away from home. It starts to rain, so Chibiusa turns her Luna-P ball into an umbrella. Mamoru finds her roaming the streets and as he touches her he gets a vision from the future of Neo Tokyo being destroyed.

Prince Demande and Wise Man begin to discuss plans on what to do next, when Petz decides she will go and capture Sailor Jupiter with Code 003 - Operation Renew.

Mamoru and Usagi are at a coffee shop when Usagi begins to vent on how much she doesn't like Chibiusa. Mamoru tells Usagi what he saw when he touched Chibiusa. Asanuma, one of Mamoru's friends is nearby and sees that Luna can talk.

Makoto is on her way home when Asanuma runs into her. He sees she is not feeling well and sees if she can help her. He takes her home and she offers him some tea. Makoto turns on the TV which is showing more Crop Circles cropping up around the city. Asanuma tells Makoto about everything he has seen lately with Luna talking and other strange occurrences. Makoto reveals to him everything about her and her friends and that she needs to continue to protect them. Asanuma wants to protect Makoto to and her friends. She kisses him before he leaves and says he won't tell anyone her secret. A typhoon warning is shown on the news before Makoto passes out.

Petz sends out her droids to infiltrate Tokyo. Makoto is attacked in her apartment. She transforms into Sailor Jupiter. Minako and Usagi arrive at her apartment and transform as well to help fight the enemy. The enemy takes the appearance of Makoto. Jupiter throws her out the window. The fight then moves outside, where Petz is waiting for them. Jupiter uses her Flower Hurricane and Sparkiling Wide Pressure attacks and rids Tokyo of all the droids surrounding Petz. Petz's attack is too much for Jupiter and she is put into an electric prison. Usagi uses her Moon Rod and defeats Petz, but Jupiter is still taken away by Rubeus.

The second season of this series continues to blow my mind on how well it is following the original manga story. Each frame is literally lifted right out of the pages, from every single line to attack. What I really enjoy is the attacks used are all unique and they never run the same attack a second time in terms of animation. The original series used a lot of stock footage, so its pretty neat seeing Sparkling Wide Pressure and Moon Princess Halation done differently every time the senshi do their attacks. I really like how they handled Asanuma as well. That scene was pretty emotional in the manga seeing as we do learn a bit more back story on Makoto and how she wants to be their for her friends to protect them as if they are her family. Also, unlike the previous season, the Ayashi Sisters are all being killed off appropriately, not like the Generals of Beryl who when they were supposed to die, they were just shelved until the climax of the season when they were all brought back to fight the Inner Senshi one final time. The way the second season is turning out, Season 3 is gonna be amazing to see once it finally gets released.

Rating: 8/10

Updates, Updates, Updates...

First off, sorry for not posting the throwback review this last Thursday, got a bit busy and forgot to post it. I will be posting the new review for Sailor Moon Crystal later today though!

Next up is a bit of a rant on the Winter Season shows. I haven't finished all of my main series yet as I still have a few episodes left of Divine Gate to get through. ERASED has to be by far the best of the shows this last season. It kept me on the edge of my seat for pretty much every episode with its jaw dropping cliffhangers. Even after we learned who the killer was, it still wanted me to ask for more. I know the manga has a spin-off series that just started in Japan so maybe one day we will get to see that animated as well!

Myriad Colors Phantom World was also pretty amusing. I thought it was going to be more of a series similar to the style of My Hime, but what I got was more along the lines of a harem action comedy. It turned out really good and surprised me a lot more then what I was hoping for. I really hope they eventually decide to do a Season 2 if it is possible.

Now that the good is out of the way...

Dimension W was alright; It started out reminding me of classic series like Cowboy Bebop meets Samurai Champloo, but by the time we reached the end it began to get a bit too over the top. From its ending there might eventually be future adventures with this cast as they try to steal more coils, but in all honesty the ending we got seems a bit crazy and I hope it went off track from the manga as I still am enjoying it from what has been released so far state side.

Active Raid was another series I was hoping for a bit more from. What I envisioned when I first saw the promos and animation was something along the lines of a Tiger and Bunny police force action series. We did mecha police action, but it was a bit heavy on the fan service then what I was really hoping for. Season 2 of this series is already planned for this Summer, so maybe it will change a bit?

The Spring Season has already started as well. I have only watched Mayoiga so far and was very impressed with the first episode. 30 young people trying to escape their lives and start over by building a village in the wilderness that they can call their own paradise. There already seems to be a lot of tension from several of the people, so we will see how that plays out in the coming episodes. I'm hoping this will be my 5 Star series for the season, but only time will tell.

Anyways, like I said earlier. the reviews are incoming this week. I'm currently reading My Hero Academia V.01, which will be reviewed as well as the rest of the volumes currently out as well. No release date on those being put up yet though, but they might be added at random times to give you all a bit more reading material. See ya all soon...