Category Archives: Manga

Review: My Happy Marriage by Akumi Agitogi

My Happy Marriage
Vol #1
Author: Akumi Agitogi
Illustrator: Rito Kohsaka
Character Designer: Tsukiho Tsukioka
Publisher: Square Enix Manga
Publication date: Sept. 13, 2022
Genre: Fantasy Romance Manga
Rating:

A “Cinderella”-inspired slow-burn historical romance with a paranormal twist set in Meiji-era Japan!

A browbeaten and mistreated daughter is cast out of her family home and sent to audition as a bridal candidate for the heir to one of the most powerful families in the land…

Considered nigh worthless for having failed to inherit the superhuman powers of the bloodlines into which she was born, Miyo Saimori lives her days unwanted and unloved.

She is treated as a servant by her half-sister who, unlike Miyo, is blessed with unusual powers, while her step-mother and very own father have little time or love for their eldest daughter.

Ultimately seen as nothing more than a nuisance and a drain on the family wealth, Miyo is packed off to the Kudo house as a bridal candidate for its heir, Kyoka Kudo.
But whispers abound about the Kudo clan, the most powerful in all the land. Still, will the allegedly cold and cruel house into which Miyo aims to marry prove much warmer than the family she left behind?

 

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Review: Mr Bride: Vol 3 by Natsumi Shiba

Mr. Bride
Vol. 3
By: Natsumi Shiba
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Publication date: Aug. 31, 2021
Genre: Romance Manga
Rating:

At 26 years old, Hayami is four years into her career as a saleswoman. She’s an ace when it comes to her work, but at home she becomes a massive slob. It just so happens that Yamamoto-kun, her junior who carries a bit of a torch for her, is a pro at housework! Hayami takes him in as her wife, and their life as housemates begins. But why does it feel like things are slowly starting to change between them…!?

 

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Review: Mr. Bride: Vol 2 by Natsumi Shiba

Mr. Bride
Vol. 2
By: Natsumi Shiba
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Publication date: Aug. 31, 2021
Genre: Romance Manga
Rating:

At 26 years old, Hayami is four years into her career as a saleswoman. She’s an ace when it comes to her work, but at home she becomes a massive slob. It just so happens that Yamamoto-kun, her junior who carries a bit of a torch for her, is a pro at housework! As he starts to look after her, she makes a proposal: “Will you be my wife?” Thus begins their life together as housemates. As Yamamoto-kun puts on the pressure, Hayami is completely oblivious to her feelings. Will they end up nothing more than ships passing in the night…?! Keep an eye out for a new character appearing in this volume!

 

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Review: Mr. Bride by Natsumi Shiba

Mr. Bride
Vol. 1
By: Natsumi Shiba
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Publication date: Aug. 31, 2021
Genre: Romance Manga
Rating:

Hayami is the it-woman at her job — she’s cool, confident, and admired by all. But her has-it-all exterior belies a dark secret… her house is a mess, and she’s no good at taking care of herself! Enter Yamamoto-kun — her colleague who thinks the world of her, and who refuses to let her slobbish behavior slide. Soon he’s over at her house often enough that she asks him to move in with her! Where will this roundabout relationship take them?!

 

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Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Volume 1 by Aya Shouoto

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 1
(The Demon Prince of Momochi House #1)
by Aya Shouoto
Publisher: Viz Media
Publication date: July 7, 2015
Genre: Fantasy Manga
Rating:

Himari Momochi inherits a mysterious house that comes with its own gorgeous demon guardian.

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she’s never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

 

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Review: High School Debut Vol. 3 by Kazune Kawahara

HSD4High School Debut
(Vol. #3)
By: Kazune Kawahara
Publisher: Viz Media
Published: May 6, 2008
Genre: YA Manga
Rating:
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Goodreads

Hopeless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing to the male species. Yoh agrees, with one catch: Haruna had better not fall for him!

But what does Haruna do when she does find herself liking Yoh? She starts acting weird and avoiding him, that’s what! When he confronts her about her strange behaviour and encourages her to be honest with him, will she quash her feelings or confess her love?

 

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Review: Manga Classics: Les Miserables by Stacy King

21433251Manga Classics: Les Miserables
By: Stacy King, Tszmei Lee (Illustrator), Victor Hugo (Original author)
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
Published: Aug 19, 2014
Genre: Manga
Rating:
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Introducing one of the most famous characters in literature, Jean Valjean—the noble peasant imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread—Les Misérables ranks among the greatest novels of all time. In it, Victor Hugo takes readers deep into the Parisian underworld, immerses them in a battle between good and evil, and carries them to the barricades during the uprising of 1832 with a breathtaking realism that is unsurpassed in modern prose. Within his dramatic story are themes that capture the intellect and the emotions: crime and punishment, the relentless persecution of Valjean by Inspector Javert, the desperation of the prostitute Fantine, the amorality of the rogue Thénardier, and the universal desire to escape the prisons of our own minds. Les Misérables gave Victor Hugo a canvas upon which he portrayed his criticism of the French political and judicial systems, but the portrait that resulted is larger than life, epic in scope—an extravagant spectacle that dazzles the senses even as it touches the heart.

 
 

1thoughts This is a great manga. I will admit that I’ve never read the story by Victor Hugo but I like Stacy King’s adaptation. For those of you who are like me and have never read the story, it’s not just about the French Revolution. Sure there is part of that in here but a lot of the story revolves around Cosette and Jean Valjean. You see, Jean is a convict. A man who is shunned for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his sister’s family. So he’s constantly on the run but manages to make a life for himself as a town mayor under an alias. Meanwhile, Cosette’s mother is in the same predicament. Because she had Cosette out of wedlock, she is turned away at every turn. Soon she finds herself giving her daughter to some innkeepers so that she can be raised appropriately while her mother does what she needs to for money (which are some pretty horrific things). But when she falls ill, she asks the Mayor to bring her daughter to her. Which is where Cosette and Jean’s paths cross.

I may not have read the novel but I think the author did a great job adapting this into a manga. Sometimes with mangas you feel left out or the story feels rushed, and I didn’t get that with this story. I felt like I had just watched a movie after finishing it. There were moments where I held my breath while the story unfolded. Stacy King did a great job with this, and so did Tszmei Lee.

Whether you are a fan of the classic or not, this is a great manga. I never had any intention of reading the classic or watching the movie but I may have to rent it now.
 
 
1favepart
LMCosette was treated as a slave while being “cared for” by the inn keepers. When Jean Valjean shows up, he sees how mistreated she is and how crappy of a life she’s had with these people and makes sure that she’s happy. First, starting with what appears to be her first gift while living there.
kRISTIN

Review: Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice by Stacy King

21433253Manga Classics: Pride & Prejudice
By: Stacy King, Po Tse (Illustrator), and Jane Austen
Publisher: Udon Entertainment
Published: Aug. 19, 2014
Genre: Manga
Rating:
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Beloved by millions the world over, Pride & Prejudice is delightfully transformed in this bold, new manga adaptation. All of the joy, heartache, and romance of Jane Austen’s original, perfectly illuminated by the sumptuous art of manga-ka Po Tse, and faithfully adapted by Stacy E. King.

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited, while he struggles to remain indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

1thoughts
I must admit that I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice. I’m not one for classics. Maybe it’s because I’ve been turned off by the fact that they were forced on me in school. Who knows, so I’ve never really had any desire to read P&P. However, I love reading manga, and when I saw this, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to see what everyone is talking about without bogging myself down in a massive book. You know, kind of like cliffnotes but comic book style.

I must say that I don’t think I’d have enjoyed the original story. Just the fact alone that not a lot progresses in this manga, I couldn’t imagine drawing it out for hundreds of pages. I think the manga does a great job summing up the story in entertaining illustrations. The artwork is great and has the feel of a historical classic while still keeping true to the manga feel.

Maybe it’s just me but I was not a Darcy fan. Heck, I wasn’t even a Elizabeth fan. So, the story itself didn’t really do it for me. The first day Darcy meets Elizabeth he goes off about how she’s a country bumpkin, who’s only out to get money, and how his friend had already set his sights on the prettiest one of the sisters. However, after giving this beautiful speech, to which Elizabeth overhears, he ends up having a change of heart the next time they meet. Now she’s the more beautiful woman he’s ever met and he chases her throughout the rest of the book. Meanwhile, after hearing such awful things about her, she pines away for him at first. Then decides he finds himself above her, and then she loathes him and tries to find another husband. I get that the story is called Pride and Prejudice for a reason but it all just seemed silly to me. I definitely could not have read the original novel.

I think this is a great novel for those who’ve read the classic, to see the characters come to life. However, it’s also great for people who haven’t read the book. It gives us an idea of what the book is about without overwhelming us with a huge book.

1favepart
ppI just thought this was funny because she always talks about how ornery he is and the fact that him being betrothed to someone who is meek and sickly would be a huge contrast to his character.

kRISTIN

Review: High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara

High School Debut
(Vol. 2)
By: Kazune Kawahara
Publisher: Viz Media
Published: March 4, 2008
Genre: Shojo Manga
Rating:
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Hopeless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing to the male species. Yoh agrees, with one catch: Haruna had better not fall for him!
Haruna begins to develop feelings for Fumiya, Yoh’s friend. Yoh talks her through her first-date jitters, but is Fumiya the right guy for Haruna? Especially when they walk in on Fuyima and Yoh’s sister Asami…kissing?!

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Review: High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara

High School Debut
(Vol. #1)
By: Kazune Kawahara
Publisher: Viz Media
Published: Jan. 1, 2008
Genre: Manga
Rating:
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When Haruna Nagashima was in junior high her life consisted of playing softball and reading comics. But now that she’s going to high school, Haruna decides to put all of her energy towards getting a boyfriend and having the high school romance of a lifetime. To help in her quest, she enlists cute upperclassman Yoh Komiyama to coach her as she eschews her jock tendencies and turns herself into the kind of girl who can catch a guy. Yoh agrees, with one catch: Haruna had better not fall for him!

 

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