Natsume's Book of Friends Volume 1

Natsume's Book of Friends

Volume 1

Art and Story by Yuki Midorikawa

I give this one 4 Squeed, because while I enjoyed the story, and would probably share it around to the right reader... the artwork isn't spectacular so there isn't anything to draw me back to stare at the pages. I have a feeling my enjoyment of this series will really depend on where it goes in later volumes, and how much it deviates from other anime/manga of this type.
So far it's cute, but not totally unique or exquisite.

Amazon Synopsis:

With friends like these, enemies are overkill. R to L (Japanese Style). Takashi Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. He has always been set apart from other people because of his gift, drifting from relative to relative, never fitting in. Now he is a troubled high school student who has come to live in the small town where his grandmother grew up. And there he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko. Takashi Natsume can see the spirits and demons that hide from the rest of humanity. He has always been set apart from other people because of his gift, drifting from relative to relative, never fitting in. Now he is a troubled high school student who has come to live in the small town where his grandmother grew up. And there he discovers that he has inherited more than just the Sight from the mysterious Reiko.

Characters:

Natsume Main character, Grandson of Reiko. Has the ability to see Yokai and is in possession of the Book of Friends, a book containing the names of the Yokai that seek him out. He is a bit of a loner and standoffish, but still incredibly likeable, although his agreement with Nyanko is a bit dubious.

Reiko Natsume's Grandmother, the creator of the book of friends, and the cause of all of Natsume's problems. From the gist of it, she didn't seem all that nice, using the Yokai to alleviate her own boredom.

Nyanko Fat little Kitty Yokai, he's been sort of physically combines with the "Good Luck" statue he inhabited for years. He's made a deal to take the book of friends from Natsume when Natsume dies... and until then Nyanko is acting as his guide in returning the names of the Yokai in the book.

Yokai The spirits and demons that seek Natsume out, thinking he's Reiko, as they look to get their names, and their freedom back. Mostly they just all seem really lonely.

Story:

So far, I have to admit, I'm not quite sure what Nyanko is doing. It seems to me that under the deal he made, it would be better for him, power-wise, to knock Nastume off earlier rather than later... but that doesn't appear to be his motivation. Nastume, on the other hand, I totally understand. His Grandmother seems like a real piece of work, and he's left cleaning up the mess for no other reason than he was cursed with the same gift she was, and with her worldly possessions after she passed. Thanks, Grandma. :P Being without parents, Natsume is just trying to fly under the radar and not be "weird"... something that he often is since he can see Yokai everywhere. So far, I'm rooting for him and his good intentions.

Artwork:

The artwork in Natsume's Book of Friends isn't the most solid I've seen. It's a looser style... but the expressions are often fun and dynamic, and the poses the little Yokai are often found in are pretty amusing. This isn't a series I would have ever picked up on artwork alone, but the story is strong and enjoyable, and the artwork is cute.

Manga Review: Gate 7 by CLAMP, Volume 1

 Gate 7: Volume 1

by CLAMP

Characters:
Chikahito Takamoto - main character, obsessed with Kyoto history, in High School. I have to be honest, if his name is historically significant, I'm unaware. I know little to nothing about the whole Warring States period of Japanese history, or any of the time surrounding that... so to truly appreciate this story, I'm going to have to do a little research.
Hana - girl who lives in house with sakura and tachibana
Sakura - Tall, light-haired dude who is generally good natured.
Tachibana - Dark haired dude who is generally sour natured.
Hidetsugu - guy with little girl demon oni who seems to be in charge of the house Chika-chan is living in (Hidetsugu represents the spirit of Toyotomi Hidetsugu ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyotomi_Hidetsugu ) )
Mikoto - Hidetsugu's oni
Mitushide Akechi - snotty guy who attacks them with his Oni (who looks just like him with elf ears) (also another of the historical figures ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akechi_Mitsuhide )
Enka - Akechi's Oni
Dairokutenmaoh - most powerful oni, MIA
Nobunaga - human who made a contract with most powerful oni, MIA (also another historical figure: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobunaga )

In the first volume, Chikahito finally gets to take a trip to Kyoto (he lives in Tokyo) to see the ancient temples that fascinate him so much. Unfortunately, once there, he gets sucked into an incident with Hana, Sakura and Tachibana as they battle. Hana then gives him a kiss, which acts to draw him back to Kyoto to live (through a bunch of really weird circumstances)

He moves into Hana, Sakura and Tachibana's house where he acts as chef to pull his weight, and attends a local school. Hana is obsessed with noodles, so having a chef in the house isn't a bad plan.

They go to meet Hidetsugu, who ?owns? the house and decides to allow Chikahito to stay when Hana tells him Chikahito is the opposite of her (not that we really know what Hana is, we just know that Hana says they are alike in the ways of "not"). Chika-chan also finally gets to see an Oni, Mikoto, who travels with Hidetsugu.

At the end of the story they run into Akechi (many of these people (Hidetsugu, Akechi, etc), Chikahito recognizes as historical figures. Akechi challenges them to battle.

Just before that, Hidetsugu's Oni, Mikoto, explains how Oni work to Chika-chan.

The story itself is intriguing, and the main character, Chika-chan, is adorable, likeable and someone I want to learn more about, but the most amazing, fascinating thing for me about this series is the mixing of CLAMP styles.

This series incorporates the beautiful, delicate, intricate, detailed artwork of the caliber you'll find in X/1999 with the adorable, cartoony, chunkier style you'll find in their work like The Tsubasa Chronicles. Over the years, CLAMP has exhibited several art styles, but for whatever reason, Gate 7 has just struck me as the most beautiful marriage between them.

Some examples:

Beatiful, X/1999 style artwork:

This is Hana, one of the main characters... look at that beautiful line work 0_0 Especially around the eyes and hair. These aren't even the best examples... there are some really amazing fight scenes as well... but I tried to choose non-plot important images. XD

Now... here is Hana again:

This is her in a more chibi, adorable, sort of The Tsubasa Chronicles like mode... where human forms get more "cartoonish" in proportion and expression... it's amazing. Especially since in the image above you can see how in the next panel she's right back to being "Serious Hana"... and when you view it in context of the entire manga, it works... amazingly.

What also impressed me though was the mixing of the styles IN one panel. Tachibana and Sakura are almost always drawn seriously... even when others are not:

Chika-chan and Sakura

Hana and Tachibana

I love it, because you can continue to see them as "Two serious dudes" even when everyone else is being goofy.

This isn't the only comic you can find this marriage of styles in, XXXholic seems

to do this as well... but for whatever reason, Gate 7 is the one that has really struck me as the perfect marriage of the two.

Here's another example of a very cartoony style.

Gah, aren't they just friggin adorable?

REVIEW: The Clarence Principle by Fehed Said, art by Shari Chankhamma

  The Clarence Principle

by Fehed Said, art by Shari Chankhamma

Synopsis:
Clarence is a suicide, and finds himself in a strange, Wonderland-like afterlife where he's still seeking answers and looking for closure to the events that caused  him to end his real life.

Character Likability:
Some of the characters in this story were downright cute in a very goofy, stupid sort of way. The main character was ok, but not my favorite... and most of the women in this story just annoyed me.

Quality of Writing:
It flowed easily, but because of the nature of the story, and the fact that the afterlife is supposed to appear strange and perhaps a bit disjointed, the story itself didn't always flow together easily... and you found yourself jumping from one scene to another, often rather abruptly.

Ending:
I'm not sure how I feel, or what I think of the ending. In the end, essentially, he ends up following someone else's heart... and I'm not sure how I feel about the treatment of the afterlife... I mean, the kid is surrounded by demons, I can only assume he's in some sort of version of Hell... and yet, it seems like he's passing through, not about to be a resident. The story ends up leaving almost all of its questions unanswered, except for the one, "Can the dead die?".

Plot:
The story asks questions like "Can the dead die?" and makes me think that the author spends a lot of time dwelling on being forgotten, and being able to forget. This is essentially the aftermath of a tragic love story that we really get to see no part of. Things obviously didn't go well for Clarence... and yet he gets a chance, in this demonic afterlife, to redeem himself to a degree. He helps those he comes across, and in the end, helps himself. There is a reoccurring theme of pink water flowing throughout this world, and I think at one point it's tied in to Clarence realizing what he'd done to himself... but seeing as how its a black and white comic... the pink water was perhaps not quite as prevalent as it could have been. I think it would have been something much better seen and not always spoken about.



Illustration Quality:
I actually really liked the dark, gritty, smudged illustrations in here. They reminded me of the old Nightmares and Fairytales comics... which I miss dearly... and admittedly, it was the art style that made me pick this one up. My only complaint would be the strange, ram horn style ears that the characters have.

Believability of World:
I struggled constantly trying to balance this afterlife with what I know of Dante's Inferno. The story hinted just enough at Dante's for me to be annoyed by the inconsistencies. That, and you don't really get a good feel for how the world works. Things seem to happen solely to benefit the character without really adhering to any over-arcing plan for the world itself.


Overall Grade: C

REVIEW: St. Lunatic High School, Volume 1

   St. Lunatic High School

by Majiko!

** I find this 2 manga series to be adorable and funny, and usually like to
pick it up for a reread around Halloween**

Synopsis:
Niko's brother, Atchan, gets a real job teaching a night class at a school called St. Lunatic (why doesn't that raise suspicion?!) They are promised a home with a bathroom and garden... only to find out that what was meant was the house (if you can call it that) is on school grounds, and they are allowed to use the restroom in the school.
Sadly, though, after fleeing their last abode without paying, this is the best these siblings have got. However, what Niko didn't realize... what her brother might have forgotten to mention, was that the night class at St. Lunatic was filled with monsters.

Character Likability:
The characters in this manga are goofy, quirky, cute and endearing. At times, I suspect if I were watching the anime version (if there even is one) they might be terribly annoying... but being written on paper, their over-reactions and disbelief are really quite endearing.

Quality of Writing:
There is nothing in the manga that seems strange or out of place, the translator did an excellent job.

Ending:
This is a 2 manga series that, in and of itself, is a bit episodic even within the short volume of one manga. The manga did end on a humorous note, dealing with the poor situation of Niko and Atchan... and how they can never quite catch a break. It was a closed enough ending that the series could have stopped there without anyone feeling too dissatisfied, but thankfully there is another volume... and I truly wish this quirky manga was more than just two volumes long.

Plot:
The main plot here is that Niko has to adapt to her new life at St. Lunatic. She makes the effort, despite being constantly razzed by her rather bizarre classmates, for the sake of her brother, who has never held a job longer than a week (thus their issue with having no money). Oh sure, she still thinks her fellow classmates are weird as heck, but she finds ways to relate and cope with their bad behavior.
There are other things going on here as well, such as a strained father/son relationship between one of Niko's classmates and his dad, the reoccuring issue of hunger, starvation, and this interesting, Boxeresque notion that if you just work harder then everything will be ok.

Illustration Quality:
I LOVE the illustrations in this book. The characters are adorable, and the artist really has expressions down well... Niko goes through such a constantly changing array of facial expressions that it is endlessly entertaining. Proportions are well done, line quality is lovely, and detail is amazing.

Believability of World:
Despite the fantastic nature of the creatures and things going on around Niko, her world is believable because it remains consistently against her and her brother, lol!


Overall Grade: B+

REVIEW: The Dark Hunters, Volume 1

The Dark Hunters, Volume 1

Synopsis:
Kyrian of Thrace is a vampire hunter with a dark past, a dark present and a dark future...

Amanda Devereaux is an Accountant with quite the strange family... one that always seems to drive the 'normal' boys away... 

Suddenly the two of them find they are stuck together, and an unlikely bond forms.

Character Likability:
Kyrian is your typical machismo jerk in the beginning, He knows everything, he doesn't need any help... he's got it covered. The more vulnerable he becomes throughout the story, the more likable he is. He loses points for falling in love too fast though.

Amanda is strong willed, and able to protect herself. Likable insofar as being a strong female... but she loses points with me for "falling" too fast, as well.
Quality of Writing:
I found this incredibly wordy, with a lot of info dropping for a Graphic Novel. The big blocks of text put me off in certain sections... but overall the story was ok, and it flowed nicely.
Ending:
Very nice cliffhanger ending for the first volume.
Plot:
The two main characters get stuck together through a case of mistaken identity... and Amanda is dragged into the freakish world of her family she's struggled so hard to avoid. The background of Kyrian has me interested, and his reason for being what he is also holds a lot of interest... but I see this story falling into a typical plot problem with Manga... by the end of the first volume, the characters seem to be in love... Kyrian is even pondering whether or not they're Soul Mates. Now... I can only hope in later volumes, "Soul Mate" means something different than "Omg the one I'm supposed to be with forever"... but the way it's going right now, it seems that, once again, with very little rhyme or reason, the two main characters are in love.
Quality of Illustration:
This manga was a bit of a conundrum for me. First, I'm not even sure I should be calling it a Manga. It's very obviously emulating the Japanese comic art style... and I was fairly impressed with the rendering of Kyrian... he hits the manga style pretty close.... but Amanda still has that creepy, "Non-Japanese person trying to emulate the look of Manga" look... and what bothers me is that she really waffles between having that look and not having it. I should probably dig up visuals to really explain this, but it's something about facial feature placement and line quality that is just off.

Now, admittedly, this is a well illustrated novel... and if that's not something that bothers you... and you like vampire hunter stories, pick this up. It's possibly one of the best non-Japanese manga I've read.

Overall Grade: B-