GotWoot Manga Reviews

[Munsu]

Thought I'd give this a try, much like the "30 Second Anime Review" in General Anime. Hopefully people will do some reviews on what they are reading and maybe spark some interest on the manga.

Here are some rules:

• Please review something that has not been reviewed before in the thread. In the case that you find a review lacking, do a full review again yourself, rather than simply posting one sentence explaining what the previous poster ommited.
• Would preffer if the review is for a manga that is mostly unknown to us, but if you want to review something like Bleach manga, then I guess that's fine, but would preffer something obscure to us.
• Make the review at least one paragraph, 4 or 5 sentences. A one sentence review doesn't really tell much, and it detracts from the purpose of this thread.
• I think this goes without saying, but don't spoil the manga in your review. This is a very gray area, so use your best judgement, and try not to reveal any major surprises.

Here are some suggestions:

These are not a requirement, but I think it will make the review better in terms of sparking interest.

• I think it would also be helpful in your review if at the end you can post a link to another site that contains more info on the reviewed manga, for example if you're doing a Gantz review, maybe link it to the mangaupdates.com page that contains Gantz information.
• Also if you can provide a link to where you can download the manga, I think it will be helpful.
• I think that maybe providing a link to a sample picture of the manga might be helpful so that people can see the art.

Well hopefully this will improve manga discussion, and bring more readers to this forum section.

I will be doing a review of Dangu shortly so that you can use it as an example/template, but I'm tired of typing at the moment, so I'll edit this post later.


Dangu
Shaman Warrior Dark Horse Title

Dangu is a Korean manhwa set in a world inhabited by musas (warriors), baekjung (peasants), and the manshin-musas (shaman-warriors). The story takes place in the country of Kugai, and begins with Yarang, a manshin-musa responsible for the current greatness of Kugai. Ten years into the story, Kugai is currently persecuting manshin-musas out of fear, using the manshin-musa Yarang as an excuse for going berserk and slaughtering people 10 years earlier. The story will follow Batu, as he raises Yarang's daughter Yaki as a warrior to fend against her persecutors. At the moment the story is taking us through Yaki's adolescence, showing how she is progressing in her inhuman training preparing her for a ruthless world. I believe that that manga is going to show us Yaki's life from childhood all the way to adult hood. The manga has pretty good art, the story has been pretty good thus far, and there's none stop action.

http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=1276

The manhwa is being released by Nexgear, and you can find it here up to volume 4:
http://crackrabbitstudios.com/Dangu/Releases

[Dark Dragon]

hmm this thread couldn't have came up at a better time, i recently came upon this manga

Tokyo Crazy Paradise:

Kozuki Tsukasa parents are police officer that was recently killed while investigating a case,
leaving their 4 childrens homeless and in debt. Tsukasa has no choice but to seek help from a classmate name Ryuji who also happen to recently became the leader of the largest Yakuza group in the area because his father was assasinated. Ryuji was tricked into thinking that Tsukasa had seen the face of his father killer, one thing led to another and it end up with Tsukasa working for Ryuji as his body guard while Tsukasa is trying to get the family out of debt and become a Police Officer.

if you are interested in reading this it can be found here:
http://www.mangadownload.net/manga.php?a=series&sid=92

please refrain from reading the description on the website since it does spoil a little.

[Apraxhren]

Welcome to the NHK!

Image:


Summary:
Welcome to the NHK! is a hilarious psychological look into the life of a social outcast and his attempts to return to society. Tatsuhiro Sato is a hikkomori, he suffers from social withdraw; he is unemployed and no longer in school. He lives in a world filled with conspiracies, suicide, and drugs but one day he meets an innocent girl, Misaki, who wants to help Sato overcome his hikkomori ways. Questions abound and Sato is weary of Misaki fearing she is an agent of the Nippon Hikkomori Kyoukai. Meanwhile Yamazaki, a lower classmate who Sato saved from bullies, moves in next door and introduces Sato into the world of an otaku. Sato now addicted to this otaku culture pairs up with Yamazaki and the two try to create the world’s greatest hentai game. Will Sato be able to return to society? Is Misaki really that innocent? More from Mangaupdates.

Download:
Chapters 1 & 4 - 26 are available from Evil Genius here
Chapters 2 & 3 are available from Jinmen Juushin here

[Munsu]

Kurosagi: The Black Swindler

Started reading this today, and so far I find it to be entertaining. It reminds me a bit of Death Note because it deals a lot with people trying to outsmart each other, kinda like Light and L going at it. The manga is about swindling. White swindlers are people that swindle other out of their money. The main character is called Kurosaki, and he considers himself a black swindler, a person who swindles white swindlers out of their money. He is doing this because his dad was a victim of a white swindler, and ended up committing suicide. Kurosaki is on a journey to find the white swindler who did this in order to kill him, so he became a black swindler. The main character is great, it's fun to see how he is one way, and then totally transform into someone else in order to accomplish his task.

http://entropy-manga.com/projects/kurosagi.php
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=587

The manga is being scanlated by Ton1x and also by Entropy. Just to note, that Ton1x doesn't translate the term kurosagi and shirosagi, which mean black swindler and white swindler respectively, while Entropy does translate it. Also Ton1x seems like they're dead, so for future releases Entropy will provide them.

I only know of IRC to download it.

The Entropy version you can get from #entropy @ irc.irchighway.net
Here's the bot list http://entropy-manga.com/downloads/bot-list.php

The Ton1x version you can get from #lurk @ irc.irchighway.net

Entropy has done up to chapter 3 so far
Ton1x up to 4, but as I said, they are dead.



There also seems like there's a live-action adaptation if you're interested:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/ency...me.php?id=6240

[masamuneehs]

Black Cat


You've probably heard of the disasterous anime, but the manga is actually awesome!

Summary: Train Heartnet is the most lethal and feared killer in the world, Number XIII, the Black Cat. Working for the shadowy Chronos organization, the Black Cat becomes the object of desire for one of his co-workers, the batshit insane Creed Diskenth.

One day Train meets a mysterious young girl who is a Sweeper, a bounty hunter who makes sure never to kill. As they spend more time together, Train becomes unsure of his position as a killer and begins to contemplate leaving Chronos. However, at the same time Creed is plotting a earth-shaking movement, and his obsession for Train makes him unstable and even more dangerous.

Things quickly spiral out of control. But in the end Train has the chance to start anew as a Sweeper.

A story about second chances, human nature, and kick-ass gun battles.

Masa's Review:
The Black Cat anime sucked, sucked bad, even though it started out fairly well. Curious, I picked up the manga and was amazed at its depth, character and beauty. This manga does an excellent job balancing humor and action, and both are delivered through beautiful manga medium.

Story: (9/10) Themes may remind people of Kenshin, but the story is rich and detailed, giving time and attention to the awesome side-characters while progressing the main plot. The conflict between Train and Creed is a little creepy, but I like that. The arcs within the manga often have pretty good stories themselves.

Note: The manga starts at a point after some events in the summary, but they're all covered in flashback chapters (which kick assbtw)

Characters: Ususually I'd put this with plot, but Black Cat stands out because of the number of characters and how well they're all presented. You come to get a real understanding for them, and their interactions are great.

I love Creed because I'm a sucker for absolutely insane, sword-wielding villains... Sven and Eve also have excellent characters, and their interactions with Train almost always provoke a reaction in the reader. (10/10).

Drawing: I think it's frickin high quality stuff. You decide for yourself.


Status: 24 chapters and still going.

Masa's Overall Score: 9 out of 10.
Source: Where else but At Manga Traders!?
The group scanlating it there is quite good. Accurate, thorough translation and nice scans.

[Ryllharu]

Glass Mask

This is one of the preeminent shoujo series. Started in the 70's and still ongoing, this is the epic shoujo series that has been emulated countless times in manga and anime, usually as a parody or hommage to the "Glass Mask Reaction" (seen below in the third image). It is as epic in shoujo series as Berserk or HnI is to shonen/seinen.

It tells the story of Maya Kitajima, a 14 year old plain girl who doesn't realize her natural talent as an actress. A once legendary actress takes Maya under her wing to train her as her sucessor after Maya runs away from home. Along her path, she meets the incredibly talented Ayumi Himekawa, rich daughter of a famous actress and director, and the cold hearted Hayami Masumi, president of a large production company. She learns a great deal about the stage and her talents as the years pass.

What makes this series stand out so much is how much depth all of the characters get. Nemeses, seemingly minor coworkers, friends, and even side characters get a disproportionate amount of character development. Main characters are fleshed out completely, side characters given chracterization usually only seen in main characters during certain chapters and story arcs. Even the plays are given a large number of pages so the readers can get the same feel as the theater audience in the manga.

Despite the dated art (it was drawn in the 70's) emotions are clearly felt and the impact of them is hightened by the "Glass Mask Reaction." Miuchi Suzue takes her character's own advice and makes sure to display even the subtle emotions on the faces of her characters. The art may seem simplistic, and the pace can sometimes be a little slow, but the series is well worth it.

The very in-depth review that got me reading it can be found here. (Warning: some minor to moderate spoilers)
Additional series info here
.
There are roughly 20 volumes scanned of the total 42 currently out. TJO and Stage-Storm are doing a joint on volumes 19 and above. I do not know of any place other than #lurk at irc.irchighway.net to find the first 18 volumes.

TJO can be found at their irc channel: #TJO@irc.irchighway.net

[Munsu]

Akumetsu

I started reading this a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say that it's an amazing one at that. It gives a whole new meaning to the word vigilante; the main character might be similar to V for Vendetta, in the sense that he targets high ranking officials. I'm really recommending this for the sole reason that the main character is one of the most unique and kickass characters I've encountered. He is Akumetsu, and he's on a journey to clean up Japan of all evil with his twisted view of justice, and what he considers evil are high ranking officials that prey on the good society. For example, he targets the former president of the main metropolitan bank, accusing him of embezzling money, the cause for the increases in taxes which he argues to have killed at least 30 people. He submits the president to a rigorous questionnaire while torturing him until he realizes his evil ways. After all is set and done, Akumetsu is one sick motherfucker who doesn't take shit from anyone, and it's awesome to see how he accomplishes everything. The manga is very violent and graphic so beware.

http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=397

The manga is being scanlated by AT-T:
http://manga.nagi-fanboi.net/
http://att.white-reflection.com/

[Death BOO Z]

edit: Sorry, I guess there are some more apporopiate threads for my earlier post.

[Augury]

7 Seeds

7 Seeds is a story about survival. It starts out with a girl waking up on a sinking ship with no recollection of how she got there. She and three other people manage to use a lifeboat to land on a deserted island, but none of the others remember how they got on the ship either. The four each have very different personalities but need to work to compromise - or not - to survive and figure out what's going on.

http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=548
http://www.mangatraders.com/manga/series/347

I can't really say more in the description without giving away too much, but in terms of storyline / interest I'd rank 7 Seeds in my top ten. The manga is being scanlated by Boku-Tachi and Lavendar Tinted, but unfortunately it seems like they became inactive around the end of February. There are five volumes of 7 Seeds on mangatraders, and 13 volumes (ongoing) in Japan.

[Augury]

Historie

I would highly recommend this for anyone who likes Vinland Saga. Historie is about the life of Eumenes, who would eventually become Alexander the Great's secretary and archivist. So far, the series has focused upon his youth based on a blend of historical transcripts and the author's storytelling to connect the gaps. Historie is aimed at a mature audience. There are elements of gore as well as romance, but its main focus is its storytelling.

Historie is being scanlated by Kotonoha, who are following the volume releases. The first four volumes are available on mangatraders or Kotonoha's website.

Mangatraders
Kotonoha
Baka-Updates Manga

[Ryllharu]

I read a lot of shoujo/josei manga, but there isn't always a lot to discuss, so here is the first of hopefully many posts explaining a few standout titles.


For reference, I might refer to a "standard shoujo formula." If you've read a few shoujo mangas, you're probably familiar with the premise. Strong willed heroine, meets bishonen and one of two things happens:
1) Heroine is hostile at first towards him at first, then she falls for him.
2) He is above her in social status, she falls for him instantly, he gets interested in her through a set of circumstances (often includes 1).
This is usually followed by a standard set of events, like jealous old girlfriend, the male lead's older sister/mother liking the heroine, squadron of girls attacks heroines for stealing their idol, etc.
The series ends happily, usually with the two of them getting together after some final trial. The once-strong willed heroine is often turned into a puddle of lovestruck goo.
Variations within the model of course exist, but there are a lot of series that fit this framework.


Kaichou wa Maid-sama

Ayuzawa Misaki is the Demon Student Council President of a former all-boys school. Because her father ran off and left her family with a huge debt, she went their because the tuition was cheap. Disgusted with the lax behavior of the boys, she personally made it her mission to defend the girls by becoming the Student Council President and making the school a safer environment for girls to attend. But she would feel guilty making her mother support her, she works part-time at a Maid Cafe. Embarrassed that anyone would discover the stern Student Council President works as a maid, she keeps it a well guarded secret...until Usui, a popular boy at school, finds out.

The series is funny, because Misaki really emphasizes the hatred towards Usui in the early chapters. He's mysteriously skilled in just about everything, and always uses it to his advantage over Misaki. Events occur frequently where Misaki is reminded of her job to the amusement of Usui and the readers. However, the side characters is where the series really shines. From Misaki's moe obsessed female boss, her takes their job way too seriously co-workers, on down through the girls obsessed with Misaki at school and all the nameless idiot boys. Each and everyone of them adds to the humor of the series or making remarks that the audience sees would embarrass Misaki.

It doesn't really deviate from the standard model a lot, but it does it very well in a way that feels fresh. If you enjoyed Special A or Ouran Host Club, you'll probably like this series a lot.

Manga-Updates
This series is licensed in the United States, so if you enjoy it, considering picking up the volumes to support the author.






Hapi Mari
(Happy Marriage)

A full-time office lady and a part-time hostess, Takanashi Chiwa works night and day to pay off her father's debt from his failed business. One night at her hostess job, she insults a high-class customer and gets fired. Then the next day, she's called in to see the president of her day job - whom she had never even seen before in the office - only to find out he's the same guy she insulted in the bar, and she is to marry him!

Disclaimer: This title contains smut.

Another comedy, this series has a few similar elements to Kaichou wa Maid-sama above. The two enter an arrangement that neither is too thrilled about, and a lot of the humor comes out from where their personalities clash. There has been some nice development in the six chapters translated where you can see the two of them try to compromise as a couple and enjoy their forced marriage, but it wouldn't be any fun if things went perfectly smoothly.

The art has very nice clean lines, and Chiwa's personality is pretty cute when she's trying to keep their marriage a secret. Another series that has at least so far followed the standard model, but there are hints of maturity in the material, and not just because they have long left school behind.

Manga-Updates
MangaTraders




Midnight Secretary

Kaya takes her job as a secretary very seriously and has been recently assigned to Kyouhei Touma, a director who is legendary for his arrogance, ruthless business skills, and status as a playboy. Kaya's appearance is very plain, hiding behind false glasses and a severe hairdo, but that is largely to hide her baby face, as she is often mistaken for a girl half her age. She stays late one night, intending to catch the director doing something illegal, and discovers that he is actually a vampire!

Disclaimer: This title contains smut.

This series is quite entertaining as vampire romances go, largely because of Kaya. While most vampire series perfectly fit into the framework of the standard shoujo formula, Midnight Secretary tends to break it in many ways. Kaya, despite being in an inferior position of standing, overwhelms others with her overwhelming secretary skills and tends to stand up to Kyouhei and his superiority at every turn (along with other vampires as well). She is every bit an equal to him, and doesn't hesitate to take the upper hand when she can.

The art is higher quality than the average shoujo/josei series. I highly recommend this series, and it's now complete at 7 volumes.

Manga-Updates
MangaTraders

[Ryllharu]

Otaku no Musume-san

I started reading this one a whim, but it has turned out to be one of the better series I have read. It starts about a girl looking her father. She finds him, but to her dismay he is a hardcore otaku. Kanau, the aforementioned Daughter of an Otaku, was temporarily abandoned by her mother who ran off due to a severe debt to a loan shark. She was conceived back when her mother and father were still in high school. When Kanau's mother disappeared from high school, her father fell into a deep depression and was only brought out of it by dating sims. Kanau is now age nine, and her father must suddenly accept that he had a daughter with his long-lost love. Throw in an entire apartment of otaku, doujin authors, and a hardcore lolicon, all run by a mature looking landlady.

The series sounds like a rather cliché gag series, but underneath is a surprisingly deep and well thought out story and cast of characters. Kanau's mother appears in the story from time to time, and there is definitely a lot of secrecy surrounding her backstory. Each of the side characters gets a number of plot arcs, and they're actually very well fleshed out characters. They make mistakes, they have their own secrets, they grow and develop as people (even the minor ones!). The main characters, Kanau and her father, grow a great deal over time. There are fights and drama, but also a lot of compromise. Kanau overcomes her prejudice about otaku and their lifestyle, her father is forced to become a responsible parent, and everything in between.

The series is heartwarming, full of twists you didn't expect but make complete sense in retrospect, and loaded to the brim with various anime, manga, and game references (Eva, Maison Ikkoku, Nanoha, Street Fighter, Fate/Stay Night, etc.). Most striking to me was the characters came off as a real people (if a little exaggerated for humor) who really change from chapter to chapter.