Archive for the Artists Category


Hayate x Blade 2 (Nyan) Manga はやて×ブレード2（ニャーン）

December 24th, 2013

HxBnyan It’s official, Hayate x Blade 2 (Nyan) はやて×ブレード2（ニャーン） is out of the starting blocks and gaining speed!

The students of Tenchi academy have made their choice to be part of the Tenkuu or Daichi dorms, representing the Amachi group and the Black Group, respectively. For a brief moment, we turn our eyes toward Nagi, Hayate’s sister, and we are kind of surprised to see how bitter she’s become. But, then, we have to recognize that her sister was supposed to take and hold her place at Tenchi and instead went and became a rising star. Okay…yeah…that makes sense. Because Nagi’s and Hayate’s father (adopted) is Hajime’s master, Hajime attempts to recruit Nagi to the Black Group side. Nagi, contrary about everything, refuses, but then is scooped up by her shinyuu Kanai and forced to be a Tenkuu. Where Hayate was boke enough to break Ayana down, Kanai will clearly play that role for Nagi.

We also learn how Nagare encountered Hayate and Nagi. Not surprisingly, it was both absurd and poignant. In a train station, high school student Nagare finds herself accosted by twin infants who have been left in a row of lockers.

In the first few chapters of the new series, everyone is settling in – even Yagyuu Makoto has a new follower. But now that we’re all moved in and everything is ready to go…the First Tenchi Academy Ultimate Hoshidori (a portmanteau of Hoshitori and Randori, I believe) is ON!

Students have been given new stars, this time worn around their wrists, which makes them much harder to protect and the format of the randori has shifted considerably. The first round will consist of several fight cycles. Survivors move to the second round, the rules of which have not been announced. There’s gonna be a lot of fighting coming up. And in the middle of it, I bet Nagi and Hayate are going to have to have it out once more. Nagi has a wound that only Hayate can lance.

Ratings will be forthcoming when the actual volume is released.

There is no other manga I read where I exclaim “cool!” so often as this one.

Why “Nyan”, you ask? Look at the image above. ^_^





Dear Brother Set 2 Hits Full Funding in 24 hours on AnimeSols

November 30th, 2013

HappyReiThis weekend, classic anime streaming and crowdfunding site AnimeSols announced a Double-Up weekend in honor of the Thanksgiving Holiday, which is traditionally celebrated by manic buying of consumer goods, as you know.

Along with other series such as Creamy Mami Set 3 and Black Jack Set 2, they launched the second DVD set of Riyoko Ikeda’s shoujo classic, Dear Brother on Black Friday, with a very special deal – every pledge will count double. In the first 24 hours it was fully funded. In 24 hours, 152 donors, $13000+. With 70 days left and a totally reasonable $30 level that gets you the DVD Box, it’s now merely a pre-order.

AnimeSols founder Sam Pinanasky adds, “The enthusiasm we’re seeing during our Black Friday double up promotion is really amazing. Anime fans really want to know that their money is helping bring them more great classic anime and this is the perfect time for that to happen.”

Yuri and Shoujo fans, thank you and congratulations for making this set such a blowout success! Even Saint-Juste is happy. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Aoi Hana, Volume 8 (青い花)

October 29th, 2013

And here we are, at the final volume of Aoi Hana (青い花). Wow, have we come a long way.

High school graduation approaches, but before it arrives, the girls of Fujigaya head to London for a class trip. Unbeknownst to Fumi, Akira and Kyouko catch up with Sugimoto-sempai who now lives there with Kawasaki-sempai.

Then graduation comes, and Fumi and Akira are forced to have the conversation that has been building between them for some time. Is there, in fact, a “them” to discuss?

In the meantime, Yamashina-sensei finds that a confidence shared off the record has become general knowledge. The students learn that her lover is female after all.  And in the end, nothing changes. But, it seems likely that she’ll feel less inclined to be honest with the next student who asks. And you just know the rumors will continue.

Graduation passes, and so does time. Everyone is drawn together once again, this time by a happy occasion – Kyoko’s and Kou’s wedding. Time moves on, as Ya-san notes, for all of us.

Yamashina and her lover, Haruka’s sister,  consider holding a wedding ceremony themselves, a scene that made me inexpressibly happy. ^_^

Without spoilers, I will assure you that you the ending does not bring closure. It has the one thing I had hoped for – ambiguity.

Ratings:

Story – 10
Characters – 10
Art – 10
Lesbian Life – 10
Service – 3

Overall – 10

The story began on a day that led to many other days, full of joy, sadness, loneliness, friendship and love. Aoi Hana ends on a day that will lead to more of the same.

Happily Ever After is, as we well know, a process, not a destination. And for Fumi and Akira life is, as well.

This is the third manga series I like that has come to an end in 2013 and for the third time, I find myself left feeling happy, rather than sad. ^_^





Yuri Manga: Himitsu no Recipe, Volume 2 (ひみつのレシピ)

October 15th, 2013

In Volume 1 of Morinaga Milk’s Himitsu no Recipe (ひみつのレシピ), we met Wakatsuki and the President of the Cooking Club, on whom she has a raging crush. The feelings appear to be almost entirely one-sided, however and, as we head into Volume 2, Wakatsuki’s delusion about the two of them is clearly headed for a fall.

The problem is two-fold. One, the previous president of the club has taken to returning from time to time and it is quite obvious that the current president has deep admiration for her sempai. Wakatsuki sees the older woman as a rival.

More importantly, Wakatsuki is not a member of the cooking club because she enjoys cooking or wants to learn to do it. In fact, she’s a hot mess in the kitchen  and manages to sabotage nearly every meal with stereotypical “bad cook” tropes such as replacing sugar with salt. Sigh.

There are other only moderately funny scenes on top of this, culminating in the cooking club reluctantly eating crickets for a meal.

But Valentine’s Day saves the story, as Buchou offers to help Wakatsuki make chocolate and they exchange feelings and sweets. As the book closes, Wakatsuki tells the club in the most transparent way that her lover’s identity is a secret. I imagine no one was fooled.

As I said in my review of the first volume, this is not Morinaga-sensei’s strongest work. It’s not terrible, but there’s no self-awareness, no honesty, no real connection between the two. And as I worked on my lecture for Kanagawa U., I realized that that’s what I’m looking for in my Yuri – honesty.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 4
Characters – 5
Yuri – 6
Service – 5

Overall – 5

It won’t kill you to read this, but I’m glad Seven Seas went with Gakuen Polizi for their next Morinaga title instead.





Hayate x Blade Manga, Volume 18 (はやてｘブレード)

October 1st, 2013

In an industry filled with series prematurely ending, or fading out after hanging around just slightly too long, or long-lived series sputtering to an end a decade after the readers have moved on, it’s not often we’re around to see a well-told story come to a well-told end. It’s even rarer to face the end of a beloved series without tears and accompanying whimpers of self-pitying whining. ^_^ Here we are at Hayate x Blade, Volume 18. The End.

The Black Group has declared their purpose – they will bring Tenchi Gakuen to its knees by snatching all of the students. Unfortunately for them, those same students have developed tough muscles and thick brains in their time at Tenchi and have no intention of going down without a fight.

And while the Black Group fighters meet their matches all around the school, Hayate faces Maki, while Ayana faces her inner demons and fights Yukari. It’s not as emotionally crushing as it might have been, since Yukari has set the past aside and encourages Ayana to let go of hers. Eventually they are able to battle each other with everything they have.

Hayate and Ayana…lose their matches.

Hitsugi brings the Black Group encroachment to an end, by unmasking the leader of the enemy – Hajime is actually her cousin. And Hitsugi comes to a conclusion.

Her time as Chair of Tenchi has been fun, she tells the gathered students, but she wants to return to a more normal life. To that end, she is stepping down as Chair of the school and President of the Student Council. Furthermore, she’s splitting the student body into 2 dorms  – one headed by Hajime, the other by Kurea (whose punishment will never end, seemingly.) Sword-bearing students will still be able to fight, but the rules (and I’m guessing, the uniforms) will change. In two months, students will need to decide which dorm they will align themselves with. I’ve been guessing which pairs will go where since I read this the first time. ^_^

All the while this is going on, Hayate is visiting Tanpopo Garden, to present Chiharu with the school’s deed and to announce that she and Ayana have been awarded A rank.

The series comes to an end officially as Shizuku rings the gong, announcing the next round of Hoshitori.

The epilogue consists of Hayate (and Ayana) handing out Shigeru Family cat mascots to willing and unwilling (and confused, poor Kei,) recipients, as the students consider which dorm they will join.The volume ends with Hitsugi and Shizuku considering their mascots, while everyone else heads out to practice, as they all wait to use their swords in the Hoshitori once again.

I would write something really touching and emotional right about now, however I have already read the prologue of the new series and it begins with a visual gag that is spit-take inducing – it is this gag that is used as the promo for the prologue and now I’m laughing again.

So long Hayate x Blade! It’s been fun.

Welcome Hayate x Blade 2!  We look forward to meeting you.

Rating:

Art – 9
Story – 10
Characters – 9
Yuri – 0
Service – 0

Overall –  10

Thank you, Hayashiya-sensei, for being one of the best storytellers in manga. ^_^