Title: 07 Ghost

Author: Yuki Amemiya

Artist: Yukino Ichihara

Chapters: 1-50 (Ongoing)

Summary

Teito Klein is an orphan who is a promising student at an elite military academy. This academy trains their students to use a type of magical power called Zaiphon in order to be well-crafted soldiers of the Empire. Casted out by other students for his past life as a slave, though his real past is a mystery, his only friend Mikage helps his survive the day. However, all does not goes well for Teito once he learns of the Empire’s secret. He soon realizes there is a power to save or destroy the world and the Empire ruthlessly is after it. He journeys to find this source of power and his past with the help of three mysterious priests.

Sorry for the half-assed summary. Very busy this week.

Why You Should Read It

There is so much going on in the story it would be a spoiler if I said anything. Though the first chapter has some familiar elements like a child of prophecy, amnesia hiding a secret life, or homosexual undertones, there is something about the series that just engages me to read more (though not so much the homosexual part). And this engagement is the plotlines to the story. There is so much happening throughout the story (Empire on Teito’s tail, Teito trying to remember past, the 7 Ghost mythology, etc.) that keeps me on my feet the whole time reading. Some people may not like complex plotlines, but I think it’s a very special element in 07 Ghost which does a good job keeping everything together.

For those who like shounen manga, this is not so far from the actually thing. Though it is a joesi type manga, that does not mean it’s “watered down” to let female readers in on the action. On the contrary, it has just as much action as a regular shounen title. But there is a downside to this approach.

Downside

The main characters are all male. Is that bad? No, but I don’t know why many of the male characters have feminine characteristics. They are a little too caring if you ask me. This is probably not a big deal to others, but it just seems odd to me (especially with religious connections to the story). But then again, I have not read a lot of manga where the characters are the same gender (except for Claymore…somewhat). There are some female characters, but they are either stock characters or foils. For those who don’t know, a foil is a character that is only in the story to make another character look better. Kind of like the black material that surrounds diamond rings in those velvet box. There is one female character introduced in the manga, but she is buried in the later chapters.

The distinguishing features of characters is problematic. Hair and accessories are what separates one character from the other. I’m not good with names though I’m much better with appearances. But when two or more characters have a similar hair style, I can’t really tell who’s who. Bother bother.

Even though this is a male dominated manga title, 07 Ghost has some interesting plot lines going for it. The manga was well worth it. Just give the first chapter a read.

Title: Tales of Innocence

Author & Artist: Kaidou Hiroyuki

Chapters 1-12 completed (since January at least)

Summary:

For many years the Kingdom of Regnum has been in control over the land.  After the many years of tumultuous war, Regnum has managed to have peace over the land.  But people who display supernatural powers (known as Inousha) start to appear. The people come to fear and hate them, causing a nationwide search to seize and capture them.  Around this time the main character Ruca, a simple merchants son, discovers that he also displays the same supernatural powers.

The Good

Pictures:

I love the artwork in this manga.  Sure it looks like it was all inked, but it makes the story.  This is the style that I would love to learn how to draw.  The proportions were spot on.  The heads weren’t too big and the arms too small.  It looked like an anime, but it comes off very realistic in the end.  I love it.

Story:

The plot was what made me want to read this.  I wanted to know what was going to happen and who was in it.  It sucked me in right at the get-go.  The flow of the pictures leads your eyes from one picture to the next.  In the beginning of the manga you get the background story right when you start reading.  It might seem confusing (because it is), but as you go along it gets more explained.

Characters:

At the beginning you get most of Ruca’s story instantly.  The other characters not so much.  All of the personalities were different.  Ruca was a nervous shy kid.  Iria the obnoxious gunslinger girl.  Spada the cool rogue.  I could go on and on.  I also really liked how they all changed towards the end.  It was mostly because of the background story.  But, their characters grew and became better.

The Bad

Pictures:

Nothing bad to say here.

Story:

As I mentioned earlier you get the background story as soon as you start reading.  But, it makes me ask why?  It was very confusing and hard to follow.  It can be very discouraging to read if it continued on like that (thankfully it didn’t).

Characters:

I loved how you knew where Ruca was coming from.  But, the background story for everyone else was non-existent.  It was like only picking one name out of a hat and throwing the rest away.  I wanted to know a lot more about all the characters, but oh well.  I also mentioned how I loved how they all changed.  Except for Iria.  She freaks out later and does the “feeling sorry for myself” bit.  I hate it when characters, especially girls, do that in manga/anime.

The General

After everything is said and done I really liked this manga.  It might be a bit more destructive and bloody for the beginner, but if you like that action/adventure stuff this is for you.  For beginners this is a bit violent, but I recommend this for you guys who can handle that.  I give this a four point five…out of five.

Rating:****½ (4.5/5)

Character Names:

Main: Ruca Milda

Side: Iria Animi

Koda of the Muse

Spada Belforma

Serena Ange(?)

Hermana Larmo

Thitose

Title: Dear School Gang Leader

Author & Artist: Fujikata Mayu

Chapters: 1-10 (Ongoing)

Summary:

Due to family problems, Hirayama Hayaka transfers from a private high school to a public high school. But, as she enters her new school, she finds out that there are 850 boys enrolled, and she is the only girl around (no pressure there). She also finds out that gangsters still exist in this era (she has been living under a rock). When she begins school, a fight erupts between her classmate Katou Yuuni and some gangsters. And so begins Hayaka’s eventful life in public high school…

Special Note: I, Jules, apologize for Windy’s lazy rehashing summary.

The Good

Pictures:

I love this manga because it’s my kind of genre.  Comedic.  There were also some other good points that I would like to point out.  The artwork really reminded me of a similar manga I had read a while back.  It took five minutes before I realized that it looked similar to Fruits Basket. As I read on I realized that it wasn’t the exact same, but I gave it some credit.

Story:

The title and summary really had me intrigued from the get-go.  I would have to say that the plot is very interesting.  I don’t want to give any of the story away, but it is sort of like Fruits Basket in that there are a bunch of boys who revolve around this one girl.  She’s got nothing good going on for her in the beginning until she makes friends with the boys.  The flow of the manga was like a regular manga.  Your eyes was pulled to the right frames at the right times.  The dialogue was freaking hilarious.  “They’re gangsters so why do they still go to school on time?”  Hehehe.  If you don’t get it yet, you will.  When you read the first chapter of the manga you really get a sense of the background story.  You pretty much understand what she gets when she comes to school.  It just has that kind of rep.

Characters:

At the beginning it does explain some of the one of main characters background.  Hayaka’s family life is troubled and it makes her move to a different home with a different school.  The personality for Katou is really different.  He’s like a person who’s rough, but somehow you get some motherly kindness out of him.  It’s so. . . refreshing.  I do like how the characters change.  Realizing that the boys are girl crazy (there’s only one girl), I saw that they probably weren’t going to become different people.  But, the main characters Hayaka and Katou change the way they feel.  For Hayaka it’s the way she feels about the school.  Katou is the way he feels about Hayaka.

The Bad

Pictures:

The proportions were so off in this comic.  It looked like the artist had either been blind when he learned how to draw or this manga was done in the dark.  Either way they were awful.  I was disappointed in this manga because of how it looked.  I mean it didn’t have a touch of realism in it.  It looked like something I could have drawn (I am improving though).

Story:

Since this manga is not yet completed I expected to read some more of this.  But it seems to have ended at only chapter ten.  When I say that I mean that I haven’t seen a new chapter in two months.  It’s very vexing when you actually really like the manga, but you don’t get to read all of it. <_>

Characters:

I really did not like how long you had to wait to find out about Katou’s background.  He’s everywhere in the manga and you are kept in the dark for six chapters.  And there’s only ten.  When it comes to personality I have seen the one in Hayaka in almost every manga with a girl heroine.  She can’t do anything and she’s nervous around guys.  I want to see a strong girl for once.

The General

This is a pretty good manga for anyone not just those beginning to read it.  I’m really into it and I’ve been reading this kind of stuff for a while.  For the author I would like to say well done.  I rate this a four…out of five.

Rating:****~ (4/5)

Character Names:

Main: Hirayama Hayaka

Katou Yuuni

Side: Wata Seshun

Ebihararei Ichiro

Maeda Mirai

Title: Beelzebub

Author & Artist: Tamura Ryuuhei

Chapters: 1-24 (Ongoing)

Summary:

Oga Tatsumi is the strongest juvenile delinquent. During a beating, Oga witnesses a mysterious man floating down a river. The man then splits in two to reveal a baby who then becomes attracted to Oga. And why not? If you were the son of the devil king and soon-to-be devil king, you would want someone as strong as Oga raising you. But Oga has to uphold battles with school gangs to uphold his title, all the while taking care of the young Beelzebub.

Why You Should Read It:

It’s funny…well not in the beginning. I was trying very hard not to judge the first chapter too harshly. The beginning includes some comedic performances that didn’t sink in, but that may have been the characteristics of the characters weren’t explored yet. Luckily in later chapters, the comedy is obvious and hilarious.

Oga’s growth is the main attraction to the manga. No he isn’t really growing, nor is it really seen. But the manga is about a delinquent who has to take care of a baby that will destroy humankind while he is in high school… Need me to repeat that? He will grow, as a character, in one of these chapters. It’s only a matter of time.

The artwork is pretty decent. It’s quite cartoon-looking on the surface, goes with its comedic part, but very striking during the fight scenes.

Downside:

Although I would like to see Oga grow, I want to see him grow away from his fighting status. The story arcs are more about him fighting the number [insert number] best of the school. Taking care of the demon baby is more of a side story. Yes I know it’s shounen, and taking care of babies is shoujo’s job, but switching up the story to the baby may spice it up a bit. An example: instead of taking on normal delinquents, how about angelic beings that have come to destroy the little Beelzebub? See, something that doesn’t involve school bullies. Maybe that’s too soon.

There is potential in this manga. Though only 24 chapters in, it is becoming a rising star in the shounen weekly. Give it a read.

Title: Dolls

Author & Artist: Naked Ape (group)

Chapters: 1-15 (scanlation)

Summary:

In a seemingly apocalyptic future, the crime rate in third Toutoh empire has gone out of control. A law was established to help expedite trials and relieve the pressure on the overcrowded prisons. The law states trials could be held without the presence of the accused criminals and sentence them to death, even if they haven’t been captured. To capture or kill such criminals, the Special Execution Police Force was created by the military to uphold that special law. These are their stories (Law & Order joke).

Why you should read it

Did you not read the summary (ignore last sentence)? That alone got my attention.

The story plays much like a cop show, though more like Criminal Intent. The beginning of each chapter usually is in the perspective of the killer, and then turns to the perspective of the special police force. Of course in the end, unlike those cop shows, the killer is killed instead. It’s that bitter type of Justice people prefer over lawyers.

Downside

There is always a flaw in Justice. In the case of Dolls, it’s the comedy. Yes, there is comedy in this manga. The only problem is it isn’t funny and feels out of place. In the story, the Special Execution Police Force (also known as Tokkei) are nicknamed Dolls by society for their lack of emotion when executing a criminal. Comedy is used to show they are human, but from a reader’s point of view it doesn’t work. It’s more like silly antics than comedic.

However, one downside shouldn’t stop you from reading an interesting story. Read at least the first chapter of Dolls. A great read.