News and reviews for the discerning manga fan
Though I read my fair share of shojo, it’s been a while since I’ve reviewed some good, juicy titles here at The Manga Critic. So this week, I’m pulling out the stops: I already reviewed Itazura Na Kiss (DMP) on Sunday; today, I review two brand-new additions to the Shojo Beat imprint: Butterflies, Flowers, a [...]
A death-metal legend who just wants to write tender pop songs. A stony-faced child solider who works the illegal arms trade. A teenage girl who discovers she’s the sole heir to the Tokugawa throne — these are just a few of the characters who feature prominently in this week’s Short Takes column, which focuses on [...]
I read a Rumiko Takahashi manga for the same reason I watch an Alfred Hitchcock thriller: I know exactly what I’m going to get. Certain plot elements and motifs recur throughout each artist’s work — Hitchcock loves pairing a brittle blond with a rakish cad on the run from authorities, for example, while Takahashi loves pairing [...]
Warning: the Surgeon General has determined that reading Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture may be hazardous to your health. Individuals who routinely consume large quantities of yogurt, miso, or natto; keep stashes of Purell in their purses and desk drawers; or have an irrational fear of germs or dirt are cautioned against reading Moyasimon. Side effects [...]
This week’s column looks at three recent shojo and seinen titles. Up first: Bloody Kiss (Tokyopop), a romantic comedy about a girl who inherits a house — and two vampire roommates — from her grandmother. Also on the agenda: Maria Holic (Tokyopop), a boarding school comedy with a cross-dressing twist, and X-Men: Misfits (Del Rey), [...]
At first glance, this week’s column seems like an unimaginative stunt; about all these two books have in common is their titles, as one is a “geek’s diet memoir” and the other a tribute to “the power of negative thinking.” But probe a little deeper, and you’ll see that Toshio Okada’s relentless optimism is the [...]
Dangerous Minds, Dead Poets Society, Stand and Deliver, and To Sir, With Love all depict teachers who are heroic in their self-sacrifice, renouncing money, family ties, and even their reputations in order to inspire students. Kojiro Ishido, the anti-hero of Bamboo Blade, won’t be mistaken for any of these noble educators. He’s bankrupt, morally and [...]
With the Fourth of July right around the corner, I decided to keep things light and sparkly here at The Manga Critic by reviewing three humorous shojo titles: The Big Adventures of Majoko (UDON Entertainment), an all-ages title about an inept witch; The Magic Touch (VIZ), a comedy about a group of high school students [...]
Detroit Metal City is a rude, raunchy comedy that’s both a satire of death metal culture and a loving portrait of the folks who labor in its trenches. When we first meet the series’ hero, twenty-three-year-old Soichi Negishi, he’s wearing a fright wig, kabuki makeup, fangs, and a pair of knee-high platform boots that look [...]
I’m not a big fan of squirm-inducing comedies like The Office; it’s hard to root for a loser who … [Read More...]
Are you an adult reader new to manga? Or a librarian who's looking to add more graphic novels to … [Read More...]
Back in the 1990s, Matt Thorn labored hard to make Keiko Nishi a household name among American manga … [Read More...]
Between the Manga Movable Feast and end-of-the-semester duties, I've fallen hopelessly behind in my … [Read More...]
Below is a list of helpful English-language web resources about manga and manhwa. I update this page on a regular basis, so … [Read More...]
Since joining the Good Comics for Kids team in 2008, I've reviewed a variety of comics, graphic novels, and manga for younger … [Read More...]
Though Vertical has published two series by Keiko Takemiya, the Magnificent 49ers' work remains largely unavailable in … [Read More...]
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