RIGHT TURN ONLY!!
Assorted Candies
by Liann Cooper,
Buy It Now!  Viz Story & Art by Miki Aihara $9.99 US Break out those geometry skills because there's a mad love triangle going on in this latest installment of Hot Gimmick. When Mrs. Tachibana gets word of a rumor that Hatsumi and Azusa were having an illicit rendezvous in front of the complex, she instigates a social freeze-out for the Narita family. Believing the cause of the freeze-out was because she turned down Ryoki, Hatsumi finds Ryoki and begs him to make her his slave again. As it turns out, Ryoki doesn't want Hatsumi for his slave - he wants her to be his girlfriend! In a strange twist of events, Ryoki makes Hatsumi's brother, Shinogu, his personal math tutor. This immediately puts the Narita family back in Mrs. Tachibana's good graces, but causes extreme amounts of angst for Hatsumi and Shinogu. After seemingly running into a dead end after its “revenge story,” Hot Gimmick felt destined to float in a stagnant, angsty cloud. However, with Shinogu being thrown into the Hatsumi/Ryoki mix, Hot Gimmick appears to have found a refreshing new angle to its story.  Alice 19th: Unrequited Love Volume 4 Released by Viz Story & Art by Yu Watase $9.99 US As the title states, this volume deals with unrequited love - more specifically, the unrequited love between Mayura, Kyo, and Alice. Even though Kyo has professed his love for Alice, he has been branded with Mayura's evil seal which forbids Alice to tell Kyo that she loves him. If she does, Kyo will be engulfed by the darkness in his heart and will never be able to feel love. Having been given the cold shoulder by Kyo, Mayura's heart has become completely consumed by jealousy over Kyo and Alice's blossoming relationship. In order to save Mayura, Alice and Kyo have accepted the titles and responsibilities of Neo Lotus Masters. ed by fellow Lotus Masters Frey and Chris, Kyo and Alice must use the Mirrors of Lota to enter Mayura's inner heart and prevent her from being taken over by the dark mistress, Darva. With a Tamahome look-a-like and a ticked-off Aya wannabe, Alice 19th is like a menagerie of Watase characters. Lucky for us, Watase draws pretty characters and even with its cliché plot and repetitive character designs, Alice 19th will completely suck you into its moral-driven storyline. Besides, how can you go wrong with a story that has a magical bunny in it?  Tokyopop Story & Art by Masami Tsuda $9.99 US The culture festival has started and with the beginning of the festival comes the unveiling of Aya's anticipated play, “Steel Snow.” Telling the story of a scientist and his two androids, Steel Snow strikes a nerve with Broccoli Books Story & Art by Kanan $9.99 US Broccoli Books is an expert in producing pretty books; Please Save My Earth Volume 4 Released by Viz Story & Art by Saki Hiwatari $9.99 US Confused and scared, Alice is still having difficulty coming to that she is Mokuren. However, her acceptance of the fact may be sped up considerably with the sudden discovery of someone who could be Shion. But, little does the moon group know that Haruhiko is being manipulated into pretending to be Shion by the real Shion - eight-year-old Rin. Please Save My Earth is old (first published in 1986), so the artwork is a bit of an acquired taste. It also takes a while to get into the swing of things, so it's strongly suggested that you begin with volume one. If you try and start the series in the middle, you'll find yourself extremely lost. With the premise of Moon colonists being reborn in Earth teens, Please Save My Earth is rather like ADV Manga Story & Art by Wataru Murayama $9.99 US Naoto Saki's most notable trait is his ability to sleep... a lot. While he sleeps, Naoto dreams of a place called Orgos – a barren land populated by desert people. For the longest time, Naoto was a mere observer to the commonplace battles between the Elphis and the Sand Dusts. That is, until he is “summoned” by a Sand Dust named Lusia, which lands him smack dab in the middle of an Elphis-Sand Dust battle. Now that he exists in this daydream realm, Naoto is about to discover a world of sorcery, turmoil, and very little sleep. With an interesting and humorous foundation in place, Desert Coral has the potential to be really good. Readers should definitely keep their eye on this fantasy series.  Eerie Queerie! Volume 2 Released by Tokyopop Story & Art by Shuri Shiozu $9.99 US If the two pretty boys on the cover didn't get your attention, the color, foldout picture of Mitsuo and Hasunuma on the inside sure will. Just from the title, the reader might suspect that Eerie Queerie! is a M Manga Story by Yoshihiko Ochi $9.99 US Three columns in and we're already going against the title. Reading left-to-right, Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch is a rerelease by M Manga, presented in the smaller, standard-sized format. With the evil powers of the Grey Witch becoming more and more evident, Lodoss Island is on an imminent path to war. The fate of the island lies in the hands of an eclectic group of heros: a soldier named Parn, a forest elf Deedlit, the dwarf Ghim, newly appointed priest Etoh, and the sorcerer Slayn. Together they journey to Valis with the hope that Valis' army will them in the fight against the Grey Witch's encroaching forces. Though it possesses a fairly solid story with relatable characters, Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch's dated art may cause it to only be picked up by a Blue Inferior Volume 1 Released by ADV Manga Story & Art by Kyoko Shitou $9.99 US Why, oh why did Kagerou-Nostalgia: The Resurrection Volume 1 Released by ADV Manga Story & Art by Satomi Kubo $9.99 US Again, ADV felt the need to present another of their releases in same gross-feeling material that covered Blue Inferior. However, even with the displeasing texture, you'll still find yourself drawn to Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac Volume 3 Released by Viz Story & Art by Masami Kurumada $7.95 US We must be getting punished for past wrongdoings, otherwise such a terrible title surely wouldn't exist. Knights of the Zodiac is, by far, one of the lamest series to ever grace bookstore shelves. Its premise: boys in shiny, mythologically-inspired armor fight evil boys in shiny, mythologically-inspired armor. Volume three takes this premise one step further; it reveals that prissy evil Phoenix Knight Ikki is—gasp—the older brother of prissy Andromeda Knight Shun. But, pitting brother against brother isn't the only plot twist in this "delightfully entertaining" volume. During the "brother vs. brother" skirmish, the Gold Cloth - which isn't even a cloth; it's actually pieces of armor - gets stolen. To recover the Cloth, each of the Bronze Knights must face off against their counter part Black Knight. These matchups will inevitably furnish the plot for subsequent volumes. So, what happens if you take ugly 80s artwork, combine it with some weird take on Greek mythology, and then mix it all together with bad plot? You get Knights of the Zodiac. The only good thing about Knights of the Zodiac is its $7.95 price tag and even then, there are much better ways of blowing eight bucks. Even if you were partially brain-dead, blind, and it was the only manga on the shelf, it would still be advised to steer clear of Knights of the Zodiac. |
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