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?

Waiting on Wednesday

 To join in the "Waiting on Wednesday" fun, click HERE!

This week, I'm choosing something a little different:

Skip•Beat! 29

Due out: October 2nd

Here's Amazon' synopsis of the issue:

Kyoko Mogami followed her true love Sho to Tokyo to support him while he made it big as an idol. But he's casting her out now that he's famous! Kyoko won't suffer in silence--she's going to get her sweet revenge by beating Sho in show biz!

On the way to the Dark Moon wrap party Kyoko bumps into her cast mate Kijima. He’s never paid her any attention before, but he heard that people called her beautiful when they saw her in her Natsu role. Kijima can’t contain his curiosity and buys Kyoko a total makeover for the party. But is his interest innocent, or does he have wicked plans in store?!

 I *really* love this series. It's a shojo manga, but unlike many shojo manga, the lead character is strong, amazing and incredibly likable. She's no sniveling pansy!

I have read Skip Beat from the beginning, and have loved every minute of it. It mixes drama and comedy seamlessly... and NO, this is NOT A VAMPIRE COMIC!!! 

(I know the cover illustration for volume 29 might have you thinking otherwise, but it's not)

What it is, though, is a good solid storyline that, for a shojo manga, has surprisingly little romance in it. It's more about self empowerment. I mean, are there hot guys? Yes, of course... but are they the *only* thing going on in the main character's life? No.

REVIEW: Tagami Bachi Volume 1

 Tegami Bachi Volume 1

by Hiroyuki Asada

In Amberground, it is the job of the Letter Bee to deliver the letters of the people... whatever those letters may be.

The story opens with us meeting a diligent Letter Bee by the name of Guache Suede. He and his dingo (the name given to the Letter Bee's helper companion... which can be anything from a dog to a man... in Guache's case, it's a dog named Roda)are on their way to pick up a letter, which turns out to be Lag Seeing, a small boy who has been left handcuffed to a post with a mailing slip stuck to him.

We quickly learn that this is not an unexpected letter... and that Guache is dedicated to his job. Lag is distraught, having recently been separated from his mother, and is upset over the fact that Guache will not be his friend, since a Letter Bee never befriends a letter.

Plot: This first volume is primarily about Guache Suede delivering Lag Seeing to his destination. Along the way, Lag is witness to heroic feats and true class in the form of Guache, and decides that when he grows up, he too will be a Letter Bee... both because he sees it as highly honorable to deliver the heart felt messages of the people, and because Letter Bees are allowed into Akatsuki, the capital, the place where he believes his mother was taken.
However, by the end of the volume, we see Lag off to begin his journey to take the test to become a Letter Bee. Inspired by the bravery and dedication of Guache Suede, Lag has stayed true to his word and hopes to cross paths with the man who inspired him, once he reaches the capital. On his journey to take the test, he picks up his dingo, a strange girl with amazing powers.

Truthfully, I was hooked from the get go... I love the concept that these Letter Bees are out there delivering anything and everything... and Guache is such a wonderful opening character. He's likable, heroic, and motivated by the purest of intents. Definitely someone I would want my main character patterning himself after.

Characters:
Lag Seeing: The main character, he starts the story as a young child and we see him grow to the point of going to test to become a Letter Bee himself. He's still incredibly young (12? I think?) and he's quite the cry baby, but I find his sniveling endearing. He's not a hard, manly character at all, he's obviously an emotional child who cares a lot about everyone.

Guache Suede: A valient, heroic, likable character who becomes Guache's model for how a Letter Bee should behave, and rightfully so. Guache is motivated to become the top Letter Bee to save his sister and move her into the big city.

Niche: A 'Package' that Lag finds on his way to taking his test... her shipping label had been damaged, which results in her remaining chained up for several days until someone comes and lets her free. Lag, having been a chained up letter himself, hates this and releases her. She is small, precocious and lacking in underpants (something that horrifies and is then remedied by Lag). She also has powerful abilities, because she is the daughter of a mythical creature... thus making her Lag's perfect dingo... and pretty much saving his butt in almost any fight they encounter.

Roda: Guache's dingo, a dog who takes a liking to Lag immediately and shares his hatred of the food Guache prepares.

Sylvette: Guache's younger sister whom he is trying to help.

Sabrina Mary: Lag's aunt, and the person Guache is to deliver Lag to.

Conner and Gus: The Letter Bee and his dingo who are to accompany Lag to take his test.

Art Style:
The illustration in this manga is beautiful. It is detailed, well crafted with beautiful line weight, color (where applicable) and excellent proportions. The expressions are quite lovely too.

Believability of World:
This is a well constructed, interesting world that I'm very excited to find out more about.

Overall: A

REVIEW: Yotsuba Volume 1

Yotsuba &!

by Kiyohiko Azuma

Synopsis:
Yotsuba is moving to a new house... this means new neighbors, new experiences, new everything!

She lives alone with her father, who is often called Koi for short. She quickly meets the adorable girls who live next door and her adventures truly being.

Character Likability:

Yotsuba: This kid is adorable. She's really quite weird, totally clueless, and yet, cute as heck. I found myself laughing several times while reading this first volume, because she IS so childlike and adorable. The author has really captured the wonder and awe that children experience when discovering new things... and the gullibility and ability of adults to amuse themselves by misleading children. At the same time, I would blame the neighbors if they found Yotsuba totally annoying... but they seem to be good natured... although inexplicably tolerant of how negligent Yotsuba's father is... perhaps this is something more to do with Japanese culture?

Yotsuba's Father: He seems a bit lazy, and doesn't really have any idea how to care for a small child... but everything seems to work out fine in the end... because this doesn't seem like the kind of story where bad things exist in the world to hurt Yotsuba.

Jumbo (Takashi Takeda): A friend of the family, Jumbo keeps showing up to help them move in, or to do other random things. He's a wee bit girl obsessed though, and falls for Ayase's older sister, Asagi.

Ayase: Yotsuba's neighbor and the middle daughter. She is in High School, incredibly polite and helpful, and often left to take care of Yotsuba in some way or another.

Asagi: Ayase's older sister, in College and very pretty. She's a bit more twisted and prone to teasing Yotsuba without Yotsuba understanding that she's being teased. However, you can tell she has a true affection for the girl and is overall very kind to Yotsuba.

Ena: Ayase's youngest sister, she often plays with Yotsuba and is very kind and tolerant as well.

Quality of Writing:
The writing really works wonders on making Yotsuba both really likable and really childlike. These are quick, entertaining reads... and I want more of them!

Ending:
This is the first in a series of I am not sure how many... and due to the nature of the way these are written, there isn't really an 'end' or a 'cliffhanger' or anything. Each chapter is Yotsuba discovering a new thing... such as, the first is Yotsuba & Moving!, the next is Yotsuba & Greetings! This continues through the entire book, each chapter not directly connected to the chapter before it. I think this helps to make it more childlike and cute... since Yotsuba has a fairly short attention span herself... it would be hard to follow a continuous story of her... since she probably doesn't actually do to much during a day if she's not discovering something exciting and new.

Plot:
It's a simple plot revolving around each chapter having us follow Yotsuba discovering something new. Her story is progressed just in so far as she is slowly learning about the world around her... where the characters around her have some story progression, but it is not as important as Yotsuba having fun. 

Truthfully, I picked this series up because I saw so many people on the internet raving about it, and wanted to know what the deal was. What I didn't realize, until after I'd finished this first volume, was that it is by the creator of Azumanga Daioh... which I saw as an anime and, at first, hated. Nothing happened, it was just a bunch of girls running around being dumb... but as I watched the series more, their antics grew on me, until it was possibly my favorite anime of the season (when I went to our college anime club). These characters have an endearing, honest quality, and are genuinely funny.

However, if you're looking for an intensely deep plot with layers and layers of meaning... this isn't for you. It truly is VERY light-hearted.

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:
Very believable, and truly enjoyable in a fun, simple kind of way.

Overall Grade: A