Review: Dragon Ball Super V.01

Title: Dragon Ball Super
Volume: 1 (of 3+)
Creator: Akira Toriyama & Toyotarou
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 5/2/17
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1421592541
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (for Teens)

Description: Goku’s adventure from the best-selling classic manga Dragon Ball continues in this new series written by Akira Toriyama himself!

Ever since Goku became Earth’s greatest hero and gathered the seven Dragon Balls to defeat the evil Boo, his life on Earth has grown a little dull. But new threats loom overhead, and Goku and his friends will have to defend the planet once again in this continuation of Akira Toriyama’s best-selling series, Dragon Ball!

Having defeated Boo, Goku is starting to get bored with his life on Earth. His wife, Chi-chi, wants him to get a job, but all he wants to do is train and fight stronger enemies. Elsewhere in the universe, the God of Destruction, Beerus, and his attendant Whis are traveling from planet to planet in search of food and entertainment. After blowing up some hapless victims, Beerus is reminded of a man from his dreams with the moniker “Super Saiyan God,” or something like that... The God of Destruction sets his sights on Earth to track down this mysterious man! Maybe this will give Goku something to do?

Contains Chapters 01-09:

• Chapter 01: God of Destruction's Premonition
• Chapter 02: Goku Defeated
• Chapter 03: The Rage of Beerus
• Chapter 04: Battle of the Gods
• Chapter 05: Beerus and Champa
• Chapter 06: Tournament Preparation
• Chapter 07: Warriors from Universe 6
• Chapter 08: The Battle Begins!
• Chapter 09: Goku vs. Botamo

Review:

Cover Art: The cover for this volume features Goku in his God of Destruction Gi, riding on Shenron. The series title is across the top. The volume number is in the lower right corner.

The spine from top to bottom contains the Shonen Jump brand logo, the series title, the volume number, the mangakas, a partial image of Chibi Goku and a Dragon Ball, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover features the series title on the top. The top half of the cover contains the volume's summary and an image of Super Saiyan Blue Goku on the right side. Under that we have a picture of our new God's of Universes 6 and 7, along with their companion helpers.

So this is the first new Dragon Ball series in over a couple decades. This series is also being handled by a different mangaka, with the original master, Akira Toriyama, supervising the series. With that being said, I absolutely LOVE this cover. It is reminiscent to the very first Dragon Ball cover which featured young Goku riding on Shenron. Another aspect I love is that we have the spine art doing what the original series did as well, these covers will be connecting to create a big picture so try not to miss a volume or it will hurt the overall image. Overall, its amazing that they decided to used almost a layout identical to the original series and it works very well!

Artwork: This is classic shonen style artwork, not to mention the new mangaka captures the essence of Toriyama perfectly. I honestly can't tell much of a difference and that is great since if your a new time reader to this series and want to start at the beginning, you really won't be turned away by this art style. Toriyama definitely picked an amazing person to continue his beloved franchise!

Translation: Character names, attacks, and locations are all left intact. Sound effects have been changed to English.

Extras: We have inbetween scenes following pretty much every chapter. There's also an interview with both creators. And a mini comic. Overall it's a nice set of extras. Hopefully this will continue with subsequent volumes of the series.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): This is a weird volume to review. Dragon Ball Super started first as an anime, and then received a manga adaption. Not that this is bad, since the series had two movies to adapt the first two story arcs after, but because its hard to really see where the manga was going to stand alone on its own. Anyways let's start.

The volume covers two story arcs of the anime and goes into the third. We begin with Goku being at a time of peace and what we think is a peaceful time really doesn't last long when a new God arrives on Earth, known as Beerus, who is looking for a Super Saiyan God. If none shows themselves, Beerus would destroy the planet. None of the Saiyans really know what that is, so it takes the use of the Dragon Balls to find a way to make a Super Saiyan God. Apparently there needs to be 6 Saiyans to make one, which reveals that Videl is pregnant with a Saiyan Child.

Goku becomes this God Super Saiyan and he manages to have a good fight with Beerus, which he decides to leave Earth around (its mainly because the taste of the Earth food is good).

Here is where we would have the Ressurection 'F' arc, but it is pretty much skipped over, yet still referred to that it happened.

The manga ends with the start of the 3rd story arc. There is another god, Champa, who is also Beerus' brother. They each rule a different Universe. Beerus Universe 7 and Champa Universe 6. We learn that there is a new set of Dragon Balls, called the Super Dragon Balls. These are the size of planets. Champa has already collected 6 and they are only scattered among the two universes. Champa and Beerus decide to have a tournament among the two universes to see who has the strongest warriors. Only one universe will win and gain the power to use the new Super Dragon Balls.

There is quite a bit of content in this one volume and at times it is very hard to focus. Like I mentioned above too, its very hard as well to say what is the actual source material. Battle of the Gods and Resurrection 'F' have been done over and over, the story to me was just the same in the manga form. The third arc though differs slightly from the anime, which I really enjoyed. Buu doesn't even make it past a qualifier round that was not even in the anime. It was cool to see some new stuff that made the manga a bit fresh, to me so far this series is almost a best of type manga that focuses more on the important parts of the anime to make something that can continue the original series. I really hope that is not the case and we get some new stuff in volume 2.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 10/10
• Artwork: 10/10
• Translation: 8/10
• Extras: 8/10
• Story: 4/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles

Original Review Date: 6/20/17

Review: One-Punch Man V.09

Title: One-Punch Man
Volume: 09 (of 12+)
Creator: ONE and Yusuke Murata
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Shueisha
US Publisher: Viz
Release Date: 11/1/16
Pages: 216
ISBN: 1421586576
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (Teens)

Summary: What happens when a superhero can beat the snot out of every villain with just one punch? Can he find an opponent to give his life meaning, or is he doomed to a life of superpowered boredom?

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!

Time bomb Garo, a monster admirer, finally explodes, attacking the Hero Association! Meanwhile, Miss Blizzard visits Saitama at his apartment. Because of his lower rank, she plans to make him one of her subordinates, but…

Contains Punch 41-47:

• Punch 41: The Man Who Wanted to Be a Villain
• Punch 42: The Blizzard Bunch
• Punch 43: Don't Dis Heroes!
• Punch 44: Accelerate
• Punch 45: Hero Name
• Punch 46: Hero Hunting
• Punch 47: Technique

Review:

Cover: This cover features the Class B hero, Hellish Blizzard. She is stepping out of the car wearing a green dress. The series title is across the top in the same color as her dress. The volume number is in the lower right corner.

The spine from top to bottom contains the Shonen Jump brand logo, the series title, the volume number, the mangakas, an image of Hellish Blizzards backside, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover features another image of Hellish Blizzard. Chibi versions of Saitama, Genos, and Hellish Blizzard are also fighting in the background with silverware being tossed around too. The volume summary is across the bottom third of the cover.

One thing that I really do love is the amount of artwork on the cover, and none of it is repeated. Every image of Hellish Blizzard is different. The color scheme used was also a great choice; it doesn't really clash with anything and it just looks great! My only real drawback is the actual front cover. I don't like the image used. Yes it does make sense with the cover art and the content of the actual manga in this volume, but to me it doesn't fit the overall series tone. I really wish we had some sort of action pose or something.

Artwork: Tons of action sequences grace this volume again. One thing about this series is you can really see its a shonen series on every single page. Yes the action is crazy and all, but the detail in the artwork is amazing! By far when it comes to this series I honestly can't wait for the next chapter or tankouban to be released just for the art! This volume delivers greatly still and we are already nine volumes in.

Translation: Character names, hero names, cultural references, places, attacks, and the overall story left intact. Sound effects and honorifics have been changed and removed.

Extras: There is a small bonus manga dealing with Hellish Blizzard and her entourage. It really doesn't do anything to add to any part of the story either. It's mainly used for comic relief.

There's also a small translation page.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): The onslaught of Garo begins in this volume when he takes out everyone who comes in his way, proving there are actual Villains that Saitama might have to really finally try to fight soon. But let's skip that since this really isn't what this volume is really about.

The female villain, Hellish Blizzard seeks out Saitama to join her for her little team of B Rank Heroes, since Saitama has begun to make a name for himself among the Hero Association. Hellish Blizzard also has a warning, he must join her because he won't be moving up to Rank A anytime soon. A battle begins that pretty much gets interrupted by Sonic as he enters the fray once again in hopes of beating Saitama. Genos intervenes as well and they all team up and take down Sonic again.
Hellish Blizzard agrees to let Saitama just work along side her as she knows she won't be able to tame Saitama.

Going back to Garo, he continues his quest to kill all heroes in his path, including the entire Tank Top team and the Mugen Rider. Garo begins to show how much of a monster he truly is.

I know things are building with this story, but by far this has probably been the worst volume of the series so far. Garo however is probably the best part since he is a very intriguing new character and I really want to see where this series is going. The majority of the rest of this volume with the Hellish Blizzard story arc was a bit boring. She really doesn't have anything interesting about her and I feel she was more used to build on a certain S Rank Hero's character more then her herself. Hopefully this story will begin to get a bit better with Garo's killing spree continuing and his obvious eventual confrontation with our main hero.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 7/10
• Artwork: 10/10
• Translation: 7/10
• Extras: 5/10
• Story: 3/10

Overall Rating: 6/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles

Original Review Date: 6/6/17

Review: My Hero Academia V.06

Title: My Hero Academia
Volume: 6 (of 10+)
Creator: Kohei Horikoshi
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 11/1/16
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1421588668
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: T (For Teen)

Description: Izuku Midoriya is the inheritor of the superpower of the world’s greatest hero, but the mantle of greatness won’t come easy, and even superheroes have to go to school!

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

In the aftermath of the sports festival, the Class 1-A students begin their internships. Midoriya goes to study under Gran Torino, who was once All Might’s mentor. Gran Torino appears to be a washed-up nutjob, but the old hero still has more moves than a football team, and Midoriya has a lot to learn! Elsewhere, the League of Villains enacts another sinister plot and unleashes a terrifying new enemy!

Contains Numbers 45-53:

• No. 45: Time to Pick Some Names
• No. 46: Bizarre! Gran Torino Appears
• No. 47: Struggling
• No. 48: Getting the Knack
• No. 49: Midoriya and Shigaraki
• No. 50: Kill 'Em Dead
• No. 51: No, Knock It Off, Ida
• No. 52: Hero Killer Stain vs. U.A. Students
• No. 53: From Todoroki to Ida

Review:

Cover: The cover for this volume features Ida and Midoriya standing back to back in their hero costumes, with a very vicious Stain in the background with his tongue sticking out. The series title is across the top, with the volume number to the left of it, this time featuring Todoroki.

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

The back cover has a maroon colored background across the left. The volume summary is listed on the top half, with Midoriya on the bottom. The right half of the cover features Gran Torino sitting on a microwave.

Love the front covers layout a lot! Probably the best looking cover so far in terms of style. It shows what this volume really is about and the comic book layout still continues to blow me away. It's the back cover that I could do without. The colors used for the text and the balloon bubbles where the summary are is kind of repulsive. I wished they used another pic instead of the rehashed Midoriya one we got. The only thing great here is the right side with Gran Torino.

Artwork: Lots of detailed work in this volume as the action is consistent for practically the entire thing. Whether it be the huge training montages or the epic fight with Stain, it's very detailed and has lots of greatness within the pages. My only problem is towards the end with the Stain fight. There are a lot of darker scenes that are a bit annoying to look at, but it could be just where the fight takes place.

Translation: Character names, places, attacks, and cultural references all remain intact. Sound Effects have been changed as usual, and no honorifics.

Extras: Character pages and mech stuff based on hero suits. There's also an afterword and a mangaka assistant page. I really love these extras and I wished a lot of other shonen mangas included extras like these.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): The sports festival is now behind us, and we head into the next story arc. But before that we have a few chapters that we need to go through before we jump right back into the overall action.

Class is back in session and our soon to be heroes must now decide on hero names. To help them is Midnight. This is only for one chapter though so we don't need to be fully bored as we go back and forth seeing if our characters hero names are appropriate or not.

We then move on to all our heroes going their separate ways to meet the heroes who will be training them to become the heroes they are meant to be. Midoriya meets his new master, Gran Torino, who has a very similar personality as Master Roshi from Dragon Ball. Midoriya first must win him over before he actually begins the real training.

While all this is going on, Stain is on the move for his next targets, but our villain from the USJ Arc, Shigarki, comes back as well and tries to recruit Stain for his own motives. Stain doesn't really believe in his cause, he's a lone villain and begins to prove it by causing havoc after their encounter.

Ida and Midoriya become the first involved with Stain, and Todoroki eventually joins the fray as well. This is one villain that it seems might be very hard for our heroes to possibly defeat as he slowly makes work of them with his ability of paralysis. The battle is fierce and we don't have a resolution unfortunately within this volume.

The series still continues to amaze me. Yeah I know it still seems like another type of series like Naruto and One Piece, but My Hero to me feels like it has much more feeling. We do have underdogs in all of the Shonen Jump series, which is what makes them so great and easy to relate to, but with Midoriya, he really speaks to the readers and in a sense we have a bit more of a connection with him. The volume does begin a bit slow, which is understandable coming right out of an action packed fighting tournament type arc, but it picks up fast and we hit the ground running even harder then ever before. The pacing is getting a bit better to from the beginning of the series as the battles are feeling much more life threatening and drawn out. As I have said previously, this is one series manga fans definitely need to check out, especially moving into this story arc.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 7/10
• Artwork: 7/10
• Translation: 3/10
• Extras: 10/10
• Story: 8/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 6/1/17

Weird Schedule...

I will be out of town this week, so I posted the review for the week early. Trying to somewhat keep a schedule. Everything so far on the review plate is done, and is just awaiting to be posted. The first week of July might not have a review though, due to Anime Expo. Also I am in the process of moving, so sometimes reviews might be a bit off in terms of posting. I am sorry, but I'll do my best to keep you all updated.

Review: Fruits Basket CE V.06

Title: Fruits Basket
Volume: 6 (of 12)
Creator: Natsuki Takaya
Format: Unflipped
Original Publisher: HAKUSENSHA
US Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: 10/25/16
Pages: 384
ISBN: 0316360716
MSRP: $20.00
Genre: Shoujo/Comedy
Rated: Teen

Description: Tohru should be having the time of her life during summer break at the Sohmas' vacation home...but ever since Akito appeared, Yuki and the others go off every day to meet with the zodiac leader. On top of that, Yuki is acting weird...! And when Tohru encounters the Horse of the zodiac, does that leave Akito as the Rooster?! Later, as the next school term begins, the new student council assembles at last!! While Yuki and those around him are occupied, Tohru secretly visits Kazuma. She wishes to free everyone in the Sohma family from their "curse" and looks to him for a clue...Unexpectedly, however, Rin is poised to hinder Tohru's efforts...!!

Contains Chapters 60-71:

• Chapter 60 
• Chapter 61 
• Chapter 62 
• Chapter 63 
• Chapter 64 
• Chapter 65 
• Chapter 66 
• Chapter 67 
• Chapter 68 
• Chapter 69 
• Chapter 70 
• Chapter 71

Review:

Cover: The cover for this volume features two of the cutest members of the Zodiac. The front features Kisa, looking innocent in her lilac school uniform. The series title is on the top left corner, with the volume number underneath. The background is white, with the text being a mustard yellow color.

The spine from top to bottom contains the volume number, the series title, an image of Kisa and Hiro taken from the front and back cover, the mangaka, and the Yen Press Company logo.

The back cover features Hiro standing in a black suit.

As a whole the characters used are two of my favorites of the series, but being that they are the youngest of the zodiac, they don't take up much space at all over the whole visual cover. There is a lot of white background. And the yellow text also doesn't do well in terms of being able to read it that well. Overall, I have to say this is the worst cover design so far. Kind of makes me a bit sad at how amazing these covers have been so far and then a simple cover like this kind of killed the trend.

Artwork: The artwork for this volume kind of flipped back to some of the original design of the first couple of volumes. We have the awesome simple beauty that we all have come to love with this shoujo series, but we have the weird comedic moments again where it seems the mangaka became a little lazy and went with the stick figure method at times too. I don't mind it, but it at times can become a bit weird when a whole scene carries out with different art forms.

Translation: Translation is 100% accurate. Character names, sound effects, honorifics, cultural references, pretty much everything about this edition is left intact.

Extras: We have several color pages and an afterword by the mangaka. Still wish the original mangaka notes with each chapter were included with this edition, but the mangaka removed them because she felt they were irrelevant.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): The very long vacation story arc that started last volume finally concludes in this volume, but it still drags on quite a bit before we move on to the next part of the series, which isn't really a bad thing either.

Akito continues to try and torment Tohru from afar by inviting all of the members of the Zodiac to visit him and leave Tohru alone and possibly miserable. This isn't the case though as it just gives Tohru time to think more about what the family is really all about and a way to possibly free the members from Akito. Akito finally invites Tohru herself to see him, thinking that maybe if they met face to face he could crush all of Tohru's dreams entirely. As Tohru thinks Akito is actually the last member of the Zodiac, the rooster, Akito shares the news that he is not, but Kureno is. Akito is actually the 14th person in the story, God himself. His job is to control all of the Zodiac until the day they all die. Tohru then decides to figure out a way to break the family curse, but before the end of this trip, Akito becomes a bit violent with Tohru, scaring her face a bit. Kureno steps in and stops Akito from doing more harm. Akito returns to the Sohma house and Tohru returns to the summer house to finish her vacation with the other Zodiac members.

Moving onto the remainder of this volume, we have quite a few lack luster side chapters, but the real story begins to unfold as we head into the second half of this series. Tohru begins to ask the other members of the zodiac, as well as close friends how to possibly break the curse for good, leading her to now find ways that the zodiac members must stand up for themselves against Akito in order to break the curse from them.

All in all, the story is becoming much deeper with this volume. We are moving out of the more light hearted tales and getting into a much more spiraling tale of angst now knowing what Akito is and how much pain these people will be going through in order to stand up for themselves and truly be independent. Tohru herself is a very kind hearted person, so it will be a challenge for her to get through this as well. I haven't read this far in the series before, but from knowledge and how I see the road paved as of now, its going to be a great struggle for everyone with lots of heartache as well which I may not enjoy getting through, but I will have to to see the happy ending these characters truly deserve.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 4/10 
• Artwork: 7/10 
• Translation: 10/10 
• Extras: 3/10 
• Story: 8/10 

Overall Rating: 6/10
Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles

Original Review Date: 5/20/17

Review: Inuyashiki V.05

Title: Inuyashiki
Volume: 5 (of 7+)
Creator: Hiroya Oku
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Kodansha
US Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: 10/18/16
Pages: 192
ISBN: 163236297X
MSRP: $12.99
Genre: Seinen
Rated: OT (Ages 16+)

Description: SINNER TO SAVIOR

Shishigami’s identity as a vicious murderer is known to the nation, prompting him to take refuge. As public outcry calls for him to be brought to justice, a tragic event pushes Shishigami over the edge, and his once violent pastime turns into a mission of revenge. With vengeance on his mind, Shishigami strays further from his humanity into a killing machine, but the affection of a new friend may cause him to have a change of heart.

Contains Chapters 36-44:

• Chapter 36: Shion
• Chapter 37: Lamentation
• Chapter 38: Kill You All
• Chapter 39: Punishment
• Chapter 40: Is 3 Alive?
• Chapter 41: Do I Look Human?
• Chapter 42: Don't Leave Us Behind
• Chapter 43: Spread The Message
• Chapter 44: A Pleasant Day

Review:

Cover: The cover for this volumes features the main protagonist, Inuyashiki, with the display of his back weaponry and jetpack. The background coloring this time used is blue, with the series tile running along the right side of the cover and the volume number on the bottom left corner.

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

The back cover shows us Inuyashiki's opened up weapon arm on the lower right side of the cover. The left side of the cover has the volume summary, along with some reviews by a few reviewers.

As a whole, the cover is nice to look at, although I think they should have featured Shishigami, since Inuyashiki really did not make an appearance at all in this volume. Yeah, I know they seem to have a standard now with odd volume covers being our protagonist while the even volume covers have the antagonist, but over all the cover just doesn't really fit with this volume's content at all. The visuals are still great though!

Artwork: The art style follows the same type as previous volumes, no real changes. I did however notice that certain background scenes suffer with a bit of a grainy real world overlay style, which is ok, but it looks like it is something that could be reused in certain scenarios (maybe some old GantZ backgrounds?). Overall though, it is still a very pleasing manga to read, even on art alone.

Translation: The translation is again very accurate to the original. Character names, places, cultural references, sound effects, and other real world things are left intact.

Extras: All we have is Translation Notes and a color page. Wish this series would have a bit more to work with.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): If I can sum up this volume in one word, I'd call it AMAZING. We had an entire volume with the story focused entirely on the villain of this series, but as it looks, he might have had a somewhat redemption.

Shishigami literally does a 180! We start out with him moving in with a girl that has a huge crush on him at his local high school. He want's to stay in hiding from the previous volume after he was found out by the government and does not want harm to come to his mother. This doesn't help though as the media has began to move in on his family and stirs up even more trouble, as his mom has gone missing (pretty much dead if I would say) from all of the commotion of the news and reporters. This causes Shishigami to begin to hunt these people down, eliminating them one by one as he tries to somewhat gain a peace of mind.

But this doesn't stop there. There are people on the internet who also begin to send out fake news and rumors to harm Shishigami even more, and he uses his power to literally kill each and every one of them through their social media platforms.

He finally however reveals the nature of himself to the girl he is living with, and although she is completely afraid of him, she still shows how much she cares for him and can't live without him. He then has a change of heart. What he has done has been wrong, so he begins to use his powers the way that Inuyashiki used his, by helping to cure people. All looks once again at peace as Shishigami has taken a new lease on life, but then we have a massive cliffhanger, the feds arrive after finding out his location.

I have to say this volume was gripping from beginning to end. The action was intense, the drama was powerful, and it really brought a lot of character development to the villain who we thought was purely evil. All I can say is what's coming next can become very bad, or it could lead to a new beginning. I'm going with the complete catastrophe scenario, but we shall have to wait and see until V.06 comes out. I HIGHLY Recommend this, go buy it now!

Objectionable Content: 

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

Score:

Cover: 7/10
Artwork: 7/10
Translation: 10/10
Extras: 1/10
Story: 10/10

Overall Rating: 7/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 5/16/17

Review: Platinum End V.01

Title: Platinum End
Volume: 1 (of 4+)
Creator: Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: SHUEISHA
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 11/1/16
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1421590638
MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Jump
Rated: M (Mature)

Description: Troubled Mirai’s life changes when he gains the power of an angel, but he may need to become a devil to survive in the battle against others just like him!

As his classmates celebrate their middle school graduation, troubled Mirai is mired in darkness. But his battle is just beginning when he receives some salvation from above in the form of an angel. Now Mirai is pitted against 12 other chosen humans in a battle in which the winner becomes the next god of the world. Mirai has an angel in his corner, but he may need to become a devil to survive.

Contains Chapters 1-3:

• #1: Gift From An Angel
• #2: Man's Nature
• #3: Hero of Justice

Review:

Cover: The cover for the first volume of the series, features our main protagonist, Mirai, in a laying back position. He is surrounded by white feathers which span the majority of the cover, with a red halo ring around his neck. The series title is across the center with the volume number between the words. The layout of the series title is very unique, as it has each letter overlapping each other. There's also another title under it which clearly spells out Platinum End, in case the reader can't read the way the title was intentionally placed.

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 back cover has the volume's summary on the left side, with a cool alternate angle of Mirai from the front.

I absolutely love this cover! From the front to the back it draws me in. The imaging of Mirai with the angelic feathers around him, but the darkness of him just shows that this series might not be all about good little angels. The cover also has a really cool holographic shine to it, making it pretty much sparkle and pop even more. Future volumes are gonna have to be just as good with a cover, as this one shines right off the press!

Artwork: If your familiar and love the art style of Death Note, this series will feel right at home. Since the artist is the same artist as the above mentioned, and due to the nature and tone of this series, Platinum's End's style is very similar. It does have a bit more of a mature flare to it as well, so expect quite a bit more skin then Death Note had, or pretty much any other Shonen Jump line title.

Translation: Character names, places, cultural references, and lore are left intact. Still have the sound effects though changed to English.

Extras: N/A

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): Our series starts with our hero, Mirai, yet he may not be a hero yet as we don't really know in what direction this series will truly go. Mirai has the worst life imaginable. His biological parents are dead and he's living with his aunt and uncle, who really are only using him for his money.

One day, he tries to commit suicide by jumping off the top of a building, when he is rescued by what appears to be an angel. The angel is apparently his guardian, and is there to make Mirai happy by bestowing onto him powers that will essentially make his life better. The powers so far revealed are Wings to help him steal. And two types of arrows; red to make people fall in love with him and white to cause instant death.

Mirai doesn't believe in these abilities, until he uses one on his aunt, who reveals that it was her and her husband who were responsible for killing Mirai's family years ago, and he was supposed to have died as well. When his uncle arrives home, he finds out what has happened and things go from bad to worse for this family (I won't reveal the outcome here as it is bittersweet).

Mirai now begins a life on his own and the remaining volume we learn that there are more guardians on Earth that have bestowed 12 other humans with similar powers. These humans are being judged in a sense to possibly become the God to watch over the planet. The angels are used as guides to these humans, but can't get too involved with them as they must prove themselves that they are capable of ruling.

I really don't want to spoil much more for this first volume. All I can say is, yes there is a cliffhanger that will leave us pretty thirsty for more. The series starts right off the bat with a unique premise. I love how its similar to Death Note in terms of people playing god on Earth, but in this incarnation these humans are in somewhat of a battle royale to prove they can actually become God. Platinum End shows tons of promise and I can't wait for the next installment to see where Ohba and Obata will take us.

Objectionable Content:

• Language: Yes
• Violence: Yes
• Nudity: Yes
• Sexual Situations: Yes

Score:

• Cover: 10/10
• Artwork: 10/10
• Translation: 7/10
• Extras: N/A
• Story: 10/10

Overall Rating: 9/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 4/11/17

Review: Magi V.20

Title: Magi - The Labyrinth of Magic
Volume: 20 (of 27+)
Creator: Shinobu Ohtaka
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: SHOGAKUKAN
US Publisher: VIZ
Release Date: 10/11/16
Pages: 192
ISBN: 1421583968

MSRP: $9.99
Genre: Shonen Sunday
Rated: T (Teens)

Description: Inspired by the stories of Sinbad and One Thousand and One Nights, Aladdin and Alibaba fight epic battles, journey to far-off lands, and search for the secrets of King Solomon and the mysterious dungeons. 

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.

The battle for Magnoshutatt reaches its devastating climax as the terrible Dark God takes shape and powerful Metal Vessel users from across the world arrive to join the battle. Defeating the Dark God will require Aladdin and Yamraiha to confront Mogamett and uncover his secret. They may also find the sacrifice required for victory too much to bear.

Contains Nights 189-198:

• Night 189: Ten Thousand
• Night 190: Allies in Flame
• Night 191: Eater of Rukh
• Night 192: Relentless Assault
• Night 193: The Traitor Magi
• Night 194: Time of Destruction
• Night 195: Full Strength
• Night 196: Hesitation
• Night 197: Message
• Night 198: Welcome Home

Review:

Cover: This volume's cover features Hakuei Ren in her Djinn Equip armor. The cover uses a very clear blue sky as it's background, with the series title centered across the top and the volume number 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 Hakuei Ren from the front cover, the magic lamp motif that has been on every volume since the beginning, and the VIZ company logo.

The back cover features an image of Alibaba, about ready to use his Djinn Equip. The series title is in the upper right corner, followed by the volume number. The bottom half of the cover has a blue background, matching the color used for the spine and series title, with the volume's description in white.

This volume almost broke away from its previous volumes in terms of design. The color schemed used was much better then the last several as the title and everything pretty much stand out greatly. My issue this time is the image used. I wish there was a bit more color detail put into the front cover; Hakuei Ren is a huge character in this series, and she just does not stand out at all to the point that if I did not buy this from a chain retail store I'd swear I bought a bootleg copy. As for the rest of the cover, Alibaba's image was great! It's just sad when it could have been so much better, but the front cover is what draws a person to the purchase.

Artwork: Once again we get a semi-decent volume in terms of art style as the battle continues once again in this new installment from cover to cover. My only complaints at times though is that there really is so much action that the creator begins to lack in detail a bit and at times with so much stuff going on, we do get a bit of sloppiness.

Translation: Character names, places, attacks, and the central plot was all retained. The sound effects have been changed.

Extras: We get 6 pages of bonus manga this time around, that is supposed to fill in gaps between stuff that happens in the volume as comic relief, but it is so bad it really is not worth reading at all. To be honest, I'd rather an extended chapter then this because it really brings down the review score in the end.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): This is probably going to be yet again another short review as we conclude the Magnoshuttat story arc with one last epic hurrah against the Black Rukh and the Dark God that Mogamett summoned two volumes ago.

In the last volume it almost seemed like our heroes were about to defeat the Dark God fairly fast, but it is revealed in this volume that it isn't happening anytime soon since the Black Rukh is growing more and the Dark God is eating pretty much anything it touches.

All seems pretty much lost, but then more friends from the past show up like Hakuryu Ren and even Lady Morgiana, as well as Judar to stop this threat once and for all. With the help of everyone, the Dark God is essentially finally beaten, and we have a long reunion that I am sure tons of readers were very eager to get to since Alibaba, Morgiana, and Aladdin were finally together again. We also learn that a new Magi has been born, Titus, and hopefully he will now join our heroes in the coming volumes.

The series ends on a cliffhanger though; even though we have an endcap telling readers the Magnoshutatt story has officially ended, we are left with two pages leading into the next arc. Judar has absorbed all of the black Rukh, cause only a fallen Magi can do that, and Hakuryu Ren reveals he is now an enemy to our heroes.

As a whole it was a very interesting volume. Although not a lot of stuff really happened, it was a great ending with tons of action that I am sure a lot of fans will enjoy if you have not read it yet yourselves. I for one really loved this volume, and with the next arc and Judar looming over our young, heroic Magi, things are really going to start getting very interesting.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

• Cover: 6/10
• Artwork: 7/10
• Translation: 8/10
• Extras: 2/10
• Story: 7/10

Overall Rating: 6/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles

Original Review Date: 4/5/17

Another Collection Update

I added a bunch of new mangas to the Manga Collection page. I still have a few other odds and ends volumes I need to add from the current collection... We are in the process of doing a move soon and I will be going through the other mangas I have as well in storage and have a BUNCH more to add to this as well.

One more thing of note, sorry for the late review of Erased. I know I said it would be coming a lot sooner then when I posted it. The good news is, Reviews will begin regularly starting next week! So keep an eye out! Schedule is on the right hand side...

Review: Erased V.01

Title: Erased

Volume: 1 (of 4)

Creator: Kei Sanbe
Format: Right-to-Left
Original Publisher: Kadokawa
US Publisher: Yen Press
Release Date: 2/21/17
Pages: 384
ISBN: 031655331X
MSRP: $30.00
Genre: Seinen
Rated: Teen

Description: Twenty-nine-year-old Satoru Fujinuma is floundering through life. Amid his daily drudgery, he finds himself in the grip of an incredible, inexplicable, and uncontrollable phenomenon that rewinds time, a condition that seems to only make his drab life worse. But then, one day, everything changes. A terrible incident forever changes Satoru's life as he knows it...and with it, comes a "Revival" that sends Satoru eighteen years into the past!

In the body of his boyhood self, Satoru encounters sights he never imagined he would see again--the smile of his mother, alive and well, his old friends, and Kayo Hinazuki, the girl who was kidnapped and murdered when he was a boy the first time around. To return to the present and prevent the tragedy that brought him back to his childhood in the first place, Satoru begins plotting a way to change Hinazuki's fate...But up against the clock and a faceless evil, does eleven-year-old Satoru even stand a chance?

Contains Chapters 01-12:

• #1: Life Flashing Before Your Eyes, May 2006
• #2: Death Row Convict, May 2006
• #3: Grim Reaper, May 2006
• #4: Attempted Kidnapping, May 2006
• #5: The True Culprit, May 2006
• #6: Fugitive, February 1988
• #7: Lost Time, February 1988
• #8: The Town Without Me, February 1988
• #9: The Beginning of Failure, February 1988
• #10: The Christmas Tree, February 1988
• #11: Repeated Scene: February 1988
• #12: Birthday Party, March 1988

Review:

Cover: The cover of this volumes features Kayo walking through the snow. There are several of her footsteps behind her, and its really the only thing present on the front cover except for the white background, and the series title and volume number in the lower right corner.

The spine from top to bottom contains an image of Kayo (from the front cover), the series title, the volume number, the mangaka, and the Yen Press company logo.

The back cover uses the same white background, but has Satoru walking in the snow, possibly looking back at Kayo. More footprints and a few other students appear at the top, walking off the cover.

I actually really like how simple this cover is done. Although there is not a whole lot of stuff on the cover, it speaks to the reader and fans of the series. Seeing Kayo trudge through the snow and alone on the front, and then Satoru looking for her on the back was just great in terms of summing up the series without actually speaking. I hope more nods like this continue with the remaining volumes.

Artwork: This series is a Seinen series, so in terms of art style it is pretty much a more mature version of a Shonen title. One thing that I don't however care for are the huge lips that some of the characters have, specifically with Satoru's mom. They are kind of distracting, especially when most characters have the same artstyle and then here come's his mom.

Backgrounds are pretty minimal as well, but as this series isn't really action focused, it's a bit forgivable. Overall though, it's not my favorite in terms of art, but it is not the worst either.

Translation: 100% Accurate. Really don't need to say much more about this. I couldn't be happier!

Extras: We have a mini-comic that is 4 pages. This basically tells the day to day life of the mangaka. Also some translation notes. I would have loved some character sheets. I think its too soon for bonus chapters if there is any for this series, but maybe in future volumes.

Content (Warning: May Contain Spoilers): As the anime did come out last year, which I absolutely loved, I wasn't expecting much extra in terms of story until I read it, and damn was I wrong!

Erased is a story about a guy named Satoru who has a strange ability almost like the Butterfly Effect, he's in a place where something that leads to a death or a death actually happens and he gets the chance to fix it. Over the first six chapters, or rather the first actual volume of the series, we see quite a few of these butterfly effect moments as Satoru saves a couple people's lives as they are near death or have already been killed. Whats neat is some of these aren't actually in the actual anime, which was really refreshing that I was not going to have to read this manga word for word like a lot of other anime adaptions.

As the first story arc/volume comes to a head, a mysterious man attacks Satoru's mother while he is away at work. He ends up killing her, and as Satoru comes home, he catches the man, but doesn't get a good look at him. As a chase begins, cops get involved, the man gets away, and Satoru is on the run for his life, until his power kicks in and he gets pushed back in time before the events of not just his mother's death, but the death of a childhood classmate. Now it's up to Satoru to pretty much keep an eye on this classmate, Kayo, as the days of her death draw closer and hopefully he can prevent her death, which is most likely linked to the death of his mother as well.

Not going anymore into this like I usually do with most first volumes, but this is a series manga fans really need to check out. If you have seen the anime for Erased, I do recommend checking this out as well. Some scenes are changed, scenes are added, and it really does show a lot more character development then the anime had. I have no complaints about this title, the story is intriguing and the mystery behind it will really draw the reader in, even if you read it there is still much more to learn about this story within the pages of the manga. Anxiously awaiting the second volume as we continue to follow Satoru deeper into his past to save his present.

Objectionable Content:

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

Score:

Cover: 8/10
Artwork: 6/10
Translation: 10/10
Extras: 4/10
Story: 10/10

Overall Rating: 8/10

Where Purchased: Barnes and Nobles
Original Review Date: 3/26/17

Manga Collection Update

I updated the Manga Collection Page. It still isn't up to date, but the series I currently had in there are all updated with the new stuff in our collection. I am almost caught up with where I want to be before I start posting some new Reviews too. It will be a lot of backlog stuff, but there will be a special review of a new manga that I just read that will be put up before I get back to a regular schedule!

UPDATES, UPDATES, UPDATES!!!~~~

Sorry for the lack of posts! My Laptop crashed again, so now I have a new one! I have gotten a few reviews done, 3 to be exact. I want to have at least 5 before I start a new schedule. That will basically cover at least one full month worth of reviews.

That being said, the side panel has been updated a bit. The Boruto manga chapters I will try to do in free time. I want to at least get the content done up to the release of V.01, which is coming up in April. Sailor Moon Crystal Season III will prob be a little longer, as I want to get screen caps of the episodes before I post any. So expect some reviews maybe by the end of this month, if not it will most likely be in beginning of March!