“A Shocking Conclusion” – B-Shock (manga) – 1/10 Desks

Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance. ~ Oscar Wilde

Mangaka: Junko Nakano

Genre: Romance/Comedy/School/Seinen

Review Status: Complete (4 Volumes/4 Volumes)

Licensed: This manga is unlicensed in the US.

Art/Animation: Eh. Typical manga art. I really wasn’t that impressed. Both th characters and backgrounds are very undetailed, and could be replaced with Generic Manga Character #2. Nothing really stands out.

Summary: “B-Shock!” is mostly a screwball romantic comedy, a showcase for Nakano’s wry sense of humor that does not often show in her work in “Young You”. However, “B-Shock!” is also a shrewd commentary on the relationship between the upper and working classes. As much as the Japanese pride themselves as being a homogeneous society, there still exists economic “haves” and “have-nots” as in all industrial societies. What would happen if you force together two people from different social strata who would normally not give each other even a passing glance? (Manga-Sketchbook)

Review: I can have a harder time connecting with romantic comedies from a guy’s point of view, simply because I’m not a guy and still don’t understand quite how guy’s minds work. However, there are certain standards of comedy that I think both genders can enjoy. Instead, this goes for a raunchier attempt at romance which manages to fail hard on a number of levels.

The premise is that a normal guy, Arata, is at college and in love with a girl, Hatsune, from afar. One day, a wacky professor decides that for the heck of it, he’s going to connect them via electronic bracelets; should they attempt to move outside of a safe range (for most of the series it’s one meter) then they’ll be blown to bits! This is where the first misstep is – the idea that physical violence (DEATH) can inspire romance between two people. It’s not improbable, otherwise there wouldn’t be Stokholm Syndrome, but these two can live and work in the outside world. To boot, they aren’t allowed to tell anyone about the situation or they’ll be killed remotely.

I’m not against having two people trapped together and developing feelings for each other. My issue is how this is executed. There are the standard issues for when they’re stuck together, like how they navigate going to the bathroom. That was good for a few chuckles, but wasn’t anything new or interesting when I’ve seen tsundere romcoms. A lot of elements were pretty similar. It was the same case for how they navigated living in the same room.

What caught my attention and was different from the norm was how they had to deal with not being able to tell anyone what was going on. This meant Hatsune was forced from her family’s home under the shame of the assumption that she’s not a virgin anymore and therefore spoiled goods. While that was unbelievably insulting – no woman’s value should EVER be determined on her sexual experience alone, and Hatsune was the smartest girl in the school! – it still made for an interesting situation when they had to find work to support themselves. Often, how a student does so is glossed over or assumed to be taken care of by the parents. This plot twist left Hatsune without any money, and because of their inability to be farther than a meter apart, Arata couldn’t keep his original job. Trying to find one that they could do together was honestly the best part of this manga!

That doesn’t make up for the rest of it, however. This goes for blunt ecchi comedy, including discovering Hatsune’s father in the midst of an affair, Arata almost being seduced while Hatsune was in the same room, and the repeated use of rape as comedy. That’s right, rape is supposed to be funny and/or alluring. The first time they go to Arata’s room he makes a move to have his way with her, even though she’s not hot on the idea. Who would have guessed that she wouldn’t want to have sex with a complete stranger?! Around the middle of the series he seriously considered making a move on her while sleeping and she’s depicted as liking it even though she didn’t want it. It is never disputed, and the only reason he decides against it is simply because she doesn’t want him in the same room. Appalling? YES. Ever so much.

It repeatedly goes for objectifying women sexually, not only in how Arata treats Hatsune (and how the rest of the family treats her, to boot), but with the side characters as well. One member of their group is trying to create the perfect sexbot and constantly is asking Arata and Hatsune about their sex life in order to create a better one. Another one has absolutely no moral compass of his own and marries Hatsune’s rival merely because he took her virginity (supposedly. He thinks so, and the rival uses it to get him to marry her). There’s no actual love in their relationship and that is disturbing on so many levels. Hatsune’s father? Has affairs because he can’t get it from his wife. The sexual shennanigans are simply appaling because there’s no romance behind it and no reason to like these characters. They’re all in it simply for their own self-satisfaction and personal goals! Seeing them doesn’t contrast against Arata’s and Hatsune’s relationship and shows how much better it is – it highlights why so much of it is so wrong.

And in their relationship there are lewd daydreams and a horrifically contrived romance. It feels more like she falls for him simply because she doesn’t see any hope of ever being let out of the cuffs than anything else. And the worst part about of all this? The whole reason behind the experiment and why they were chosen is never explained! There’s no rhyme or reason to what happened other than a mysterious island laboratory and an explosion that leads to the disappearance of the scientist that cuffed them… and the only person that knows why he did what he did. It’s the dumbest, most contrived ending that I’ve come across in a long time. Between the completely unfunny jokes, the lack of explanation for anything, and the unbelievably offensive attempted rape, I am appalled that this ever was printed! It was a complete waste of my time to read it.

Overall, don’t even bother.

Recommended: 18+. This has plenty of partial nudity and suggested nudity, plus at one point the mains work at a love hotel… where they catch Hatsune’s father in the middle of sex.

Other titles you might enjoy:

ANYTHING else.

“Seeing The Light” – Lychee Light Club (manga) – 9/10 Sunflowers

You don’t have a soul.  You are a Soul.  You have a body.  ~C.S. Lewis

Mangaka: Usamaru Furuya

Genre: Horror/Drama/Ecchi/Psychological

Review Status: Comlplete (1 Volume/1 Volume)

Licensed: Yes, ths is licensed in the US by Vertical.

Art: This is fairly typical manga-style art, but the detail in the gore and dramatic shading make this visually darker and more atmospheric.

Summary: In an abandoned warehouse, a band of nine students have assembled to plot out a new future.  Their “leader” Zera is determined to cleanse his community of the ugly and cowardly. Having taken command of a band of young men to build him a god-like machine capable of changing the world.  This machine, named “Lychee,” will give them what they’ve been searching for…a beauty of the finest quality. (Amazon.com)

Review: Sometimes there really aren’t that many words to describe a series. This is one of the series that just leaves me speechless in many ways. Shocking? Yes. Dark? Definitely. Good? Amazingly so. This is in no way, shape, or form for those with weak stomachs – this is horror and starts crossing the line into Ero Guro simply because of how detailed and common the gore is and how the boys are part of and descending into a life of self-fulfillment at the risk of others. It never really crosses the line, since they are aiming for a kind of domination, though how far their goal is to spread and control is never really gone into.

What this story really is, is a tale of awkward adolecense crossed with Frankenstein. These boys have a highly unhealthy outlet for their teenage hormones, thinking that instead of learning to talk to girls they’ll just capture and hold them. To do it, they need someone able to capture the girls… a robot. It goes almost hilariously wrong at first, a strange injection of humor into an otherwise very sober story. To make it understand beauty as they do, they input a simple program: for the robot to think of itself as human.

This is where the various story threads start coming together – one story of the robot and the most beautiful girl teaching it to really be human, and the other a story of ruthlessness, madness, and paranoia bringing down the club from the inside. How these stories weave together makes perfect sense and is one of the most tightly-written plots I’ve seen in a while. Things get ugly a members grasp for power or try to stop each other. Many die horrific, gruesome deaths. At the same time, the girl imparts humanity to the robot, and it brings about the final downfall of everything the Lychee club was trying to do.

Overall, this is disturbing, but in many ways brilliant in execution.

Recommended: 18+. There is violent, graphic death, and a lot of it. There is one panel where it shows a young girl was violated with metal tubing. There is one sex scene, and one masturbatory scene.

Other titles you might enjoy:

I have nothing. I’ve never encountered something like this before, and it leaves me at a loss for recommendations.

“Just A Little Steamy” – Love Hina (anime) – 7/10 Pencils

Love isn’t finding a perfect person. It’s seeing an imperfect person perfectly. ~ Sam Keen

Genre: Comedy/Romance/Ecchi/Harem/Shounen

Review Status: Complete (24 Episodes/24 Episodes)

Licensed: Yes, this anime is licensed by Funimation.

Art/Animation: Eh, it looks fine. The animation has aged a bit but the character designs are still prefectly cute.

Dub vs. Sub: I’ve been growing okay with more dubs as time has gone on, but this one just rubs me the wrong way! From Kitsune’s terrible Southern accent, to Su’s unplaceable one, there is an immense amount of terrible in this dub! If you really want to watch it, then it’s tolerable, but the sub is far better.

Review: Love Hina is considered a classic anime, that sparked a thousand imitations. Yet, for all its reputation, this still managed to surprise me. The characters are definitely prototypes for many you see today, like Keitaro’s sheer idiocy. He’s really not that much of a pervert – he’s more often a victim of obliviousness and circumstance when it comes to accidentally getting into trouble with the girls. He’s also fairly likeable (if an object of pity more often than not), only wanting to meet the girl from his past, and just not really smart enough to get into Tokyo U. to do it. He still works hard and studies harder, desperately trying to reach his dreams, and feels a whole lot of conflict and guilt when he finds himself possibly harboring feelings for a girl that isn’t the one he met in his childhood. And while a few of the girls end up with romantic feelings towards him, not all of them do, and that’s a nice change from most modern harems.

The girls that live in the hot springs are also cute and interesting. Naru, the main love interest, is the ‘girl next door’- she’s pretty, but she’s practical and tough. She has no time for Keitaro’s shennanigans, but still is a bit immature and doesn’t handle it well. Kitsune is the ‘playful older sister’ with no feelings towards Keitaro, and masking a heart that’s been hurt more often than not. When all her cards were laid on the table I really felt for her, and would liked to have seen her romance subplot work out. But she’s a troublemaker, no doubt about it! Su looks up to Keitaro as an older brother, is a genius, but is running from her own troubles stemming from the culture she was raised in. But she’s reaching for her dreams with all her might and the support and friendship of the other girls in the hotel. She tends to be responsible for most of the wackiness that happens in the dorms by virtue of her inventions and general airheadedness. Go figure, she’s also a magical girl in disguise! Shinobu, Su’s friend who ends up moving in, does have a crush on Keitaro but is very low-key about it. She’s the most practical, but the most shy of them all. It’s Keitaro’s aunt that speaks up and gets down to business when she appears.

The whole plot revolves around the wacky antics that happen in the Springs. I’m not talking about Keitaro accidentally walking in (though that does happen), I mean Naru being scouted as a pop idol, finding a labyrinth of tunnels underneath the springs, and fighting off giant, evil, mechanical turtles! Nearly anything goes when it comes to this show. Mixed in with the giant mechanical turtles are everyday issues that face the residents, like losing rent money, taking Tokyo U entrancec exams, and dealing with family. Those things make up more of the show than anything else, but still manages to be interesting through the stregnth of the characters and their interactions.

Keitaro and Naru are the main couple, but a third wheel does come into play about halfway through the series. It turns into a mess of accidental identity, childhood friends, and misunderstandings about who the girl in Keitaro’s memory really is. It works out in a pretty interesting way, but things get heated for a while when Keitaro tries to stay true to his childhood friend.

What hurts it more often than not is the fanservice jokes have been done in later anime repeatedly, and those get tiring. But overall, there are enough unique and fun parts where I don’t regret watching it. I won’t watch it again, but it wasn’t a waste of time.

Overall, it was fun, but not rewatch worthy.

Recommended: 16+.  This is a lot tamer than I had been led to believe- Ah! the differences between 2000 and 2012. The recurring joke is that he walks in on the girls in the hot springs, but they always have towels or covered by water. He occasionall falls over Naru in an awkward position – they’re almost always fully clothed. One of the girls grabs his hand and puts it on her breast to try and get free rent for a month (entirely her fault, Keitaro had no part in the plan). T=While doing a play, it’s implied that Keitaro accidentally rips off Naru’s bikini top – it’s totally an accident and he wasn’t going for that at all, but you do see the start of it, though it cuts away before you see anything. The worst is when a girl accidentally stumbles and falls out of the shower, naked and on top of Keitaro, but again you don’t see anything and nothing sexual actually occurs. One of teh girl seems to have the magical ability to grow into an adult under certain circumstances. This is really only pertinent for two episodes. There is talk of a cursed sword (it’s not). And one episode features a doll and a legend that after 99 years, if an object has been loved and cared for it gains a soul. The doll does seem to get one, but it ‘passes on’ at the end of the episode.  There’s also typical slapstick comedy. Keitaro gets slapped and sails off into space. There aren’t any serious injuries.

Other Titles You Might Like:

Ai Yori Aoshi (anime or manga)

Mahou Sensei Negima! (manga)

Seto no Hanayome (anime)

Toradora! (anime)

“The Yellow Brick Road” – Dorothy of OZ (Manwha) – 8/10 Beach Balls

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware. ~Martin Buber

Genre: Comedy/Action/Adventure/Fantasy/Ecchi

Review Status: Incomplete (4 Volumes/5 Volumes)

Licensed: Yes, this manwha is licensed in the US. However, Udon cancelled it at volume 4.

Art: Bold lines for everything- there is rarely a weak or non-existent line to be seen. This isn’t a bad thing- the art is bold, and it suits. The colored pages are brightly colored, and there is great contrast between the blacks and the whites.

Summary: When Mara Shin’s dog Toto gets lost one fateful day, she goes in search for him along some yellow brick road and ends up in the wonderful land of Oz! Everyone starts calling her Dorothy, but these aren’t the cowardly lion, scarecrow, and tin man adventures you remember! This fantasic fairy tale features familiar characters… but with a definitely action animated twist! (from back cover of the first volume)

Review: Mara has been to this land once before as a child. She no longer remembers it, though she has seen the Yellow Brick Road. As her dog Toto decides to go barking down the road she follows- and finds herself in a world that she could never have imagined. This is not the Oz that most people are familiar with- the Witches are actually advanced scientists, at war with each other. Each witch has their own forces and ways of trying to take over, from the clones from the South that have psychic powers (one of which is codenamed “Scarecrow”), to the androids from the North (one of which is codenamed “Tin Woodsman”), and the magic boots of the witch of the east, which age her body ten years but help her access her magic.

It’s a dark, funny, twisted take on the tale. OZ is being ripped apart from the inside and attacked from the outside. All the witches of the Four Points are at war with each other, using their armies, while a force from the outside is insidiously gathering power from others that want to rule. And the Wizard is the worst of them all- someone with real magic and the original owner of the glove that Mara brought back from OZ when she was a child.

It plays with things that we know from the story and other common anime tropes. For instance, Mara -nicknamed Dorothy early on due to a belief that she is the key to a prophesy that isn’t really explained- ends up with magic boots when the Witch of the East dies (and she definitely does not die from a house on her head!). Those magic boots give her a Magical Girl transformation, one that she is fully aware of, as are her enemies and friends. Mara’s friends are all bishies, which is played with since she seems to have a small crush on Abee (the shortened version of “Scarecrow” in Korean). Jokes and crazy situations abound. In the first volume, though, we get a glimpse of the darkness that is taking over OZ, and know that things won’t be pretty. People die left and right, some of them innocent, others not so much. Interesting and violent creatures abound, putting our hero’s lived in danger.

Through it all, they manage to keep a brave face on. I deeply regret that this manga was cancelled early in Korea, at 5 volumes, and wish that Udon would have printed that last volume.

Overall, this was a great twist on a familiar story.

Recommended: 16+. There is some rare language (no f-bombs). There is some perversion from side characters, and of course Mara is self-aware about the magical girl transformation. All the important bits are covered by strips of floating cloth or her hands, though you might see some bare bum. Other characters obviously see the change, though. Some of the outfits for women can be pretty stripperiffic. Tick-Tock ends up in the hands of dwarves, and she starts getting stripped due to the dwarves planning on melting her down for scrap metal. The violence is pretty solidly there, though. People are stabbed, shot, crushed with stones… most of it is off-page, but it’s obvious what happened. You do see dead bodies, but it’s never graphic- just them in their clothes with some blood around them.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Toto: The Wonderful Adventure (manga)
Yureka (manhwa)
½ Prince (manhua)

"Cryin’ Right Now" – Asura Cryin’ (Season 1) (anime) – 4/10 Leprechauns

The mind, that ocean where each kind / Does straight its own resemblance find; / Yet it creates, transcending these, / Far other worlds, and other seas, / Annihilating all that’s made / To a green thought in a green shade. ~Andrew Marvell

Genre: Mecha/Action/Supernatural/Ecchi

Review Status: Complete (13 Episodes/13 Episodes)

Licensed: Yes, this anime is licensed in the US

Art/Animation: The character designs are rather bland. In some scenes, they actually seem deformed. The animation is sub-par for when it was made.

Summary: Natsume Tomoharu is a normal high-school student in every way with one exception: he’s being followed by the ghost of his best friend, Misao.

After moving into his brother’s old house, Tomoharu expects to continue living his normal life but is one day left with a mysterious and locked briefcase without any instruction. At first he plans to leave it in storage, however his house is soon invaded by multiple groups of people after the briefcase. Although still not knowing the purpose of the briefcase, Tomoharu and Misao attempt to escape with it.

From there on, Tomoharu tries to learn the secrets behind the briefcase, the connections between it and Misao and why it has the power to change the world. (MAL.net)

Review: You don’t necessarily have to know what’s going on to enjoy a show. Asura Cryin’ takes that idea and runs with it. For the first episode, you have Tomoharu getting a mysterious package, dealing with having a ghost floating around him, and having two factions fight over him.

Then it starts falling apart. Unlike Darker than Black or The X-Files, where you may be drawn into a story along different arcs but never get a sure answer to the mystery that they’re solving, the story is choppy and haphazard that most interest is lost in it.

Half the epsiode is filled with lighthearted comedy that involves partial nudity, sexual innuendo, and boob jokes. Usually, it’s completely unnecessary to any character development. Then you have some action. Someone attacks Tomoharu and his harem that seems to grow with every episode, after that there might actually be some plot or you learn a fact about the Asura Machines, and then there might be some more action. I can even tell you about how much of every episode each part will take up.

Part of the problem with this is that the plot is driven by the mystery and purpose of the Asura Machines- so to only get one piece of information an episode, and then have no plot to back up the story being told is very frustrating. With X-Files, for instance, you had a plot (ex.- to get the kiler), and pieces of the puzzle were scattered throughout the episode(s). When there is no purpose to half an episode for Asura, there is little reason for watching at all. It’s even worse when the fact that they reveal was already told in a different episode, which makes the entire episode rather purposeless.

To top it off, there is little explanation to all the rest of the elements. What is the purpose of the Science Club? Why are they at odds with the Student Council? Why is there more than one Student Council? Doesn’t anyone find it wierd that the student council president has a really funny robe that he wears out in public?

Some things just make absolutely no sense when put into the context of the world this anime occurs in. For instance, why is everyone okay with Misao being a ghost and attending classes? Most people can’t see ghosts, presumably don’t believe that they don’t exist, but when Misao shows up out of nowhere, floating, it’s totally accepted and okay.

The other problem is that they continually add more and more elements to this, making it confusing to follow. I actually needed to make myself a list of terms and ideas so that I could keep track of who was who, their backstories, what the deal was up with contracts and handlers, and why I should care about them. When you need to be reminded of why you should care about someone after 13 episodes of watching about them, it’s a bad sign.

This anime just tries to do too much with too many characters. Having a billion characters that show up with little to no explanation, and trying to be a mystery and action and ecchi…. it’s too much. And they spread it over too many episodes to make a compelling, coherent story.

Overall, while this has some interesting aspects to it, I wouldn’t watch it again.

Recommended: No. But 16+ due to the nature of the humor- much of it is sexual, having to do with sex, and in one case comes within a hairsbreadth of porn. It highly rembles it, at the very least. And there’s at least one risque joke every episode, in addition to the bouncing ladies’ chests.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Eureka Seven (anime)
Code Geass (anime)
Darker Than Black (anime)
Escaflowne (anime)
Full Metal Panic! (anime)
Heroic Age (anime)
Xam’d: Lost Memories (anime)

"A Strange Encounter" – Negative Happy Chainsaw Edge (manga) – 8/10 Turkeys

Bad things are always going to happen in life. People will hurt you. But you can’t use that as an excuse to fail or to hurt someone back. You’ll only hurt yourself. ~ Anonymous

Genre: Action/Romance/Ecchi/Psychological

Review Status: Full (2 Volumes/ 2 Volumes)

Licensed: Unlicensed in the US

Art/Animation: Very nice. The action scenes are clear and flow well, the art itself is well-defined and clear. It looks lovely.

Summary: Yousuke is bored with life, feeling that he’s going nowhere fast and still dealing with the turnmoil of a close friend’s death. That is, until he’s offered an escape- by being saved from being hacked in half by a chainsaw. The girl who saves him has been fighting the Chainsaw Man for quite a while, knowing beforehand where he’s going to be and preventing him from attacking normal people.

Review: This manga has a serious story beneath the pantyshots and sex talk- it’s about a girl who’s wrestling with her own demons and fears about life, and a boy who’s dealing with death and what it means to live. And in the end, they’re happy to be alive and deal with the problems and unhappiness that life might throw their way, and hope that they can deal with it together.

Overall, if you can get past the panties, you’ll be rewarded with a very nice, serious story about life and loss.

Recommended: 17+. There are numerous pantyshots, some brief partial nudity and two panels of fairly sexual situations, a bit of bragging about sex (he’s not and it’s not particularly graphic), some minor violence with the two kids getting knocked about and the Chainsaw Man getting hit with numerous knives, but there is overall very little blood. There is also some minor language.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Ghost Talker’s Daydream (manga)
Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan (manga)
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (manga)
Undercurrent (manga)
Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 (anime)
Dennou Coil (anime)
Grave of the Fireflies (anime)
Haibane Renmei (anime)

"One Way Or Another" – Ghost Talker’s Daydream (manga) – 9/10 Pumpkins

It is required of every man, the ghost returned, “that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide; and, if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.” ~Charles Dickens

Genre: Horror/Drama/Comedy/Ecchi

Review Status: Incomplete (8 Volumes/10 Volumes)

Licensed: Licensed in the US

Art/Animation: Pretty good. On par with many good manga. The color inserts are vibrant but with an ethereal color and aura to the pictures.

Summary: This story is centered on a main character named Saiki Misaki who has two jobs, neither of which she is particularly happy with. Officially she is a dominatrix in a BDSM club who writes a column for a sex magazine. Additionally she works for a government agency, The Livelihood Preservation Group, as a necromancer. The term necromancer in this story refers to a person who can speak to and see ghosts, and who sometimes can allow the ghosts to speak with their voice to people who cannot see the ghost. Her government job usually entails helping to remove a troublesome ghosts. Misaki considers her government job to be less respectable than her work in the sex industry. (Wiki)

Review: This is one of the few ecchi I will not only review, but will openly admit that I greatly enjoy. Why? Because the stories and storytelling are so great! The dominatrix thing is never really sexual- instead it’s used for fodder for jokes and embarrassing situations, never really going over-the-top and usually with good taste.

That is where this story shines. It effectively mixes good horror with good comedy. The stories are all fairly dark and effective, from the boy who commits suicide due to bullying, the girl who loses her mom and little sister, and more. The people and spirits she interacts with all have feelings and motivations, and she goes above and beyond to try and make sure that they can rest peacefully.

That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have her fair share of troubles- she has a bit of a stalker… one that may be perpetrating many of the crimes in order to get her to those places. Her job also requires a certain type of dress, which she covers with a coat when she doesn’t have time to change. Doesn’t mean that she’s immune to tripping or a clumsy tug at it… in public! But it never is more than necessary, and doesn’t get in the way of the story.

Overall, 16+, preferably older if you’re going to pick this up. There’s language, parital nudity, somewhat sexual situations (one story actually takes place in her BDSM club!), and some general raunchiness. There’s also some gore and murder. You see dead bodies.

Recommended: Yes, if you can handle the movie Friday the 13th. There’s far less sexual stuff in the entire 10 volumes than there is in that one movie, and the gore seems to be about on-par.

Other titles you might enjoy:
Ghost Hunt (anime),
Zombie-Loan (manga),
Darren Shan (manga),
Kieli (manga),
Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service (manga)
Shigofumi (anime)
Muhyo and Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation (manga)