Manga: Love*Com vol. 1
Story: 7
The manga is very similar to the anime (or the other way around, but I happen to watch the anime first) but it has some extra elements in the story the anime cut out. I feel that events are better explained in the manga and it all feels less rushed. The absurd humor still manages to get across to the reader. The height problems Risa and Otani face are funny and the way they tease each other with them is hilarious.
I wasn’t expecting too much because the anime went with a style that was rather unique but not really eye-catching, however I was glad the manga was much more stylish. The character design is much more detailed and cuter. It still has the weird facial expressions I loved about the anime, but it didn’t really have the overhand. A lot of time has been spent on designing the outfits of the characters who did wear all kind of different outfits for a change. It was a nice detail I liked because in most series characters seem to wear the same clothes all the time.
Risa and Otani are really fun characters. They first dislike each other but after they join forces to go after their crushes, they start to appreciate each other more and they even become friends. This of course still doesn’t go without some insults or fights. I like the fact that they aren’t plain characters without weird quirks, it’s rather the opposite.
Even though I recently watched the anime, the manga still managed to amuse me a lot. The over the top comedy between Risa and Otani is still very entertaining. The manga brings across that point as well as the anime does. The story follows along the same line still and therefore I should rate it the same as the anime. However since I really liked the stylish artwork much better then the animation the anime used, I rate this a bit higher.
Manga: Aishiteruze Baby Vol. 2
Warning: This document contains spoilers!
Story: 8
In this volume Kippei continues to take care for Yuzuyu, however when he tries to combine that with starting a serious relationship with Kokoro, he forgets to make Yuzuyu lunch or to collect her from school. Yuzu feels that she has become a burden to Kippei and decides she is going to take care of herself from now on. She tries to walk home by herself but she ends up being lost.
The artwork stays of the same quality as volume 1. In my opinion Yoko Maki manages to get the emotions of the characters across to the reader. Further I don’t have anything to add in order not to repeat myself.
Yuzu gets a letter from her mother and therefore she is reminded how much she misses her. Now there is the chance that Yuzuyu has to share his attention with Kokoro, and Kippei keeps making mistakes in taking care for her, Yuzu feels she has become a burden. She wants to be a big girl so that Kippei doesn’t have to worry about her and can spend more time with Kokoro. However since she can’t make it home alone from school, she only ends up worrying Kippei and the others more.
This volume continues on the same level of quality then the previous one. I still enjoyed the story very much, however I liked the previous volume a tad better, and that is why I rated this one a bit lower. But it is still a great series and I’m looking forward to buy volume 3!
Manga: Rozen Maiden vol.1
Story: 8
The first volume basically follows the same storyline as the anime. (Or the anime is true to the manga, but I watched the anime first) It focuses mainly on Shinku in this volume and it is the introduction to a strange story about dolls that have a mind of their own. This volume is only the beginning of things to come and there isn’t too much going on yet but it surely makes the reader curious because it does let on that there is much more going on then is revealed. In the last chapter of the volume Jun and Shinku are entering the N-field, a place where many worlds are connected, for the first time and it ends meeting the mysterious hare.
The artwork is very detailed and beautiful, particularly the characters. Costumes are also an aspect of attention. They use negative space on a frequent base, especially in the N-field. The background aren’t really detailed but since the foreground already is, using too detailed backgrounds would make things crowded to my opinion. All in all the manga is really eye-catching and there isn’t anything I could find that brings down the quality.
As stated before this volume is mainly focused on Shinku and Jun. The personality of Shinku is one like a lady that has high standards and peculiar wishes. She sees Jun as her servant but Jun is not amused and this causes many quarrels. Yet they as the volume progresses they start to care for each other. Even though they continue bickering, they also start to appreciate one another.
This is a must read for anyone who hasn’t watched the anime! The unique story and characters are one of a kind. There is a good mix between humor, cuteness, action and mystery and therefore appealing to a broad audience. Even if you have seen the anime already, it is still worth getting because it is really no punishment to read everything again. However don’t expect anything new, at least not in this volume.
Manga: Kimi wa girlfriend
Story: 7
This one shot comes from the same mangaka as
The artwork is appealing the eye and fits the shojo genre. Big eyes, cute character designs are the trademark here. This is accompanied by typical sparkly backgrounds but don’t have too much detail. Expressions are drawn somewhat exaggerated to add some extra comedy here and there. Like in S.A there are no huge flaws in the artwork and she remains the same quality in this work.
This one shot mainly focuses on the two main characters and how they differ from the other people who go to the same school. They are each others opposites and this fact makes certain events that happen very entertaining. Because it is a one shot there is only so much development going on but the female leads character changes gradually over the chapter, however she still remains her rowdy self at times. The male lead didn’t develop so much to my opinion. The thing that develops most is the relationship between the two of them.
This is an entertaining little story from a different point of view. It is funny to see how stereotypical gender behavior gets done by the opposite gender. The artwork is good and the story is enjoyable if you skip the ever repeating introductions. It isn’t a must have, but it isn’t a waste of money either.
Manga: Aishiteruze Baby vol.1
Story: 8.5
Kippei Katakura is notorious for his playboy behavior around girls. He spends time playing around and takes nothing in life seriously. But when his 5 year old cousin Yuzuyu comes to stay in his house and Kippei is appointed to take care of her, his life changes in a drastic way.
The artwork is really gorgeous. Everything is drawn in a cute way but still realistic. I really liked the background panels filled with cute things like strawberries and flowers the enchant Yuzu’s cuteness. They also used darker panels for the lesser moments in the manga, like when Yuzuyu gets bullied. This adds to the whole atmosphere of the story. In short: Cute character designs, realistic and matching background panels, make this manga eye catching.
The characters are very loveable almost right from the start. Especially the little Yuzuyu is really adorable. She refers to herself as Yuzu which is really cute. Kippei on the other hand comes across as shallow in the beginning, but in the course of the story, Kippei starts to care for Yuzuyu and he tries his best not to disappoint her, even if this is in his own clumsy way. Of course the bond between Kippei and little Yuzu grows stronger over time and in the progress Kippei manages to gain the respect of a classmate Kokoro, who disrespected him at first for his carefree behavior.
This is one of the better shojo manga out there. It actually has a realistic story that differs from the majority of this genre. It really drew my attention and I had to finish it in one go. The artwork is awesome, it has a realistic story and the characters are very lovable. What more would you want?
Manga: MeruPuri vol. 1
Warning: This document contains spoilers!
Story: 7
In this manga the fairy tale world comes together with our normal everyday life as a young prince from a kingdom comes through the mirror of a teenage girl to hide himself from his older stepbrother who did cast a spell on him. The prince takes shelter in the girl’s home for the time being and this causes all kind of weird events to happen.
About this aspect of the series I can be very short: The artwork is simply great. I like the adorable character designs. It sometimes feels a bit crowded but it is easy to follow along. The combination of the attractive art and the enjoyable, sometimes wacky story gets you drawn in easily.
As stated before, the male lead is originally only 10 years old and on top of that being a prince, so he is very spoiled. On the other hand he can also be very cute. The funny thing is that when he grows older, his body does but his mind doesn’t. This causes some comical situations.
The artwork is great so that’s no reason to leave this manga on the shelf. However I wouldn’t recommend it if you can’t stand lolicon at all since the series does have elements of that. However if you are looking for a fun fairy tale meets modern world manga and doesn’t take the underlying hints to loli seriously this story provides an enjoyable read.
Manga: S.A (Special A) vol.1
Warning: This document contains spoilers
Story: 6.5
S.A is short for Special A. It is the top class of an elite school where only the 7 top students belong. They have a special building within the school apart from the others. All students of this elite school are very rich, except for Hikari who is the daughter of a carpenter. The only reason she insisted to go to this school is because of her rival Kei.
She lost to Kei in an impromptu wrestling match at age 6 and she swore she would defeat Kei some day. Now at age 15 she is still fighting every day to meet up to her goal. She wants to beat him someday whatever it takes.
S. A is drawn by Maki Minami and this is her first published manga. Even though this is the case I didn’t notice anything that felt off. Character designs are cute. The panels are in the right places and she actually dares to experiment with the placing of the panels. There are a lot of scenes where bodies are in hard to draw positions but she pulls it all off.
Only the hair of the characters is too long, especially the bangs. She already admits in her manga that she does this on purpose to camouflage the fact she cant draw faces too well. However because she made this a part of her style, you don’t notice this. The backgrounds vary a lot, from detailed scenery to fluffy romance backgrounds with sparkles. It makes it a very varied whole.
I have to say that when I read the back cover I couldn’t imagine that there would be characters this shallow. I mean in reality who would strife for such a thing as Hikari does? However even though her goal in my eyes is absurd, she works hard for what she wants. She is actually the only one in S. A who has to follow classes to keep her number two position. It seems that all other members have some super human abilities and they basically don’t do anything except loafing around.
While I didn’t expect much of this manga when I read the back cover, it was a fun read and it was better then I thought it would be. All though I still have doubts about the chosen theme for this series. It seems this will be an 12 volume series (so far) and I really wonder if it will keep me entertained for that long. However I guess we will just have to wait and see. For a first timer this manga is of good quality and especially if you are into the Ouran like setting, it will be worth trying it out.
Manga: Clover (CLAMP) vol. 1
Warning: This document contains spoilers
Story: 7.5
Sue is a special child who has grown up without any human contact. This is because she has a hidden power, a power so great that the government feared it’s discovery.
Therefore Sue is very lonely. Sue has only one wish, to get to
This manga is unlike any other from CLAMP. Of course you can see by the character designs that it is CLAMP, however the surroundings are really different. There is an intense use of negative space and panels are drawn on weird places. This gives the manga a unique feel, but also makes it a bit harder to follow.
Sue kind of reminds me of Chii from Chobits. She has an innocent character and isn’t aware of her own powers. She doesn’t know much about the world as she has been locked up all this time. In the first volume it becomes clear already that Sue is very lonely and that she longs for company. She hasn’t reached her destination yet, and therefore she is unhappy. In the final chapter of the manga, a glimpse of Sue’s power is awakening.
All though things still leave my puzzled after this manga, I think this is one with potential. I know I will be reading more of it to know the rest of the intriguing story. Because it is CLAMP, it was enough reason for me to check this one out, and I know that they have lesser works as well, but I think this ones might turn out to be quite enjoyable.
Manga: Sunadokei (The sand Chronicles) vol. 1
Warning: This document contains spoilers
Story: 7
Sunadokei (hourglass) is about a girl, Ann, who remembers the life she leads when she was younger. She came to live in a remote village with her grandparents and has to make new friends there. She has some hard times but she manages. There is a chapter when she is 12 years old and a chapter when she is 14 years old. A friendship starts between her and Daigo, the male lead. When Daigo helps Ann through some rough times, Ann, realizes she loves Daigo. The main focus is on the relationship between Ann and Daigo, however there is also
The art is like any typical Shojo manga, cute with some sparkles here and there to enchant things. While eyes are the stronger point of this mangaka (all though even sometimes the eyes are a bit off) mouths seem to be her weak point. Sometimes moths are drawn just plain ugly, too big or too thick lined. Sometimes body proportions are kinda off as well. It is not really the best drawing I have seen.
As stated before part one of the manga focuses mainly on the relationship between Ann and Daigo. You see how they become friends, and slowly develop into more. There is the regular turning and twisting and the female rival also comes along.
I don’t dislike this manga, it is kind of interesting and endearing, yet the far from perfect artwork throws me out of it. It prevents me from really getting into the story, I keep thinking: “Hmm.. that angle is off or that mouth is so unnatural.” It really meddled with my reading pleasure therefore I do not know if I will be reading all of this manga. I might give it another volume but the story must make up then what the art lacks, or the art must have improved by then. All in all I think this is just a manga for true Shojo fans.