Title: Akuma Bengoshi Kukabara

Author: Youn In-Wan

Artist: Yang Kyung-Il

Chapter: 1 (One Shot)

Summary

When someone dies, their afterlife will be spent either in Heaven or Hell. But what happens when Hell awaits you in the afterlife? Jake Watson is the latest soul that will experience an eternity in Hell, unless he signs a contract to the devil advocate. The devil advocate will agree to defend Jake in exchange for the devil essence that surrounds his soul when he died. He now has a choice: to make a contract with the devil advocate D. Lorian Kukabara, or have his soul taken to the fiery depths of hell.

The Good

Story

There is something I find interesting when combining religion, or religious themes, with fiction. It’s probably because many people see it as taboo, but I think it should be used. Here, the concept of suicide as an ultimate sin is looked at. It questions where a child should be held accountable as a sinner for committing suicide. If this was the real world our view would be “no,” but this is another realm. A realm that is untouchable and ruled by one being. I guess I just spoiled my second “good” about the manga.

Setting

The story is set on God’s turf, but then again what isn’t God’s turf (unless your belief is different). It’s a helpless setting, something a mere human can’t overcome. I like stories about super-human beings, but I also like stories where unfamiliar places have a weakening effect on the “super” human race. God’s cruel like that.

The Bad

Short

The story could have been a great series to explore if it got serialized. There was enough of an interest built in the first chapter that could have taken it further than just a one shot. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like that will happen.

God Sucks (the Manga Version)

I couldn’t help but be baffled by this lousy God. There are a few reasons to this:

***Spoiler Alert***

God has a chick, known by as the death bringer, carry his orders. She follows his laws by the book. She tries to take Jake to hell and fails to carry out her orders. Afterwards Jake goes to heaven…

Doesn’t this make God a) an imperfect being and b) contradict the reason to why he/she/it made suicide a sin? There are multiple reasons as to why suicide is a sin, though from my point of view it is a sin because humans were meant to live in peace and suffering on Earth. Committing suicide meant the person wanted to a) join God in heaven on purpose or b) to ease their suffering or both. I maybe wrong, but I don’t think I’m wrong about the interpretation on the almighty in the manga. Then again, I may be thinking too much into it.

Overall

I should point out I’m not offended by the manga’s interpretation of God. I actually found it quite fascinating, but flawed through reasoning (sounds contradictory, don’t it). Though if the manga were serialized, I could have explored more into its notion of God and his/her/its mind set. It’s an interesting read, so check it out. I give it a four out of five.

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

Note: There is a full series based on this one shot, though the name has changed to Defense Devil.

Title: Apple

Author & Artist: Naoshi Komi (First name, last)

Chapters: 1 (one-shot)

Summary:

Aramiya Satoshi has the ability to shapeshift into any living thing on earth, as well as some psychic abilities. Life is simple and swell in his junkyard home, except for the fact that the Government wants to capture him and use his abilities to control the outcome of the Earth. And all this trouble was due to a theory that the Earth created him in order to save itself. In other words, he is the key to saving the Earth. Hopefully the whole thing will blow over after dinner.

The Good

Story

The story is pretty interesting. A boy with a power is the one to either save or destroy the Earth. Doesn’t sound interesting, but on the other hand there isn’t many heroes that shapeshift with their own story. There also seems to be a green feel about the story. You’ll see what I mean when you read the ending.

Humor

It isn’t much, but there are funny parts to the manga. Certain humorous scenes stick out more than the manga itself.

Short Read

I know this is a one-shot, but this is good for those looking to pass the time.

The Bad

Nothing Memorable

Though I did like the story, there was nothing memorable about the manga once I was done reading. It was probably due to the fact the characters couldn’t be fully explored in one chapter.

Overall

For those looking for a short read, this is a good one-shot to start with. But it didn’t exactly leave a lasting impression afterwards. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. It was okay. A three out of five.

Rating:***~~ (3/5)

Title: 13

Author & Artist: Hideaki Sorachi

Chapter: 1 (One-Shot)

Summary:

Young Mondo Fujieda is in love with his classmate Izayo Gorugo. But instead of getting close to her, he ends up humiliating her. To Mondo’s surprise, Izayo vows to kill him. And this is after Izayo’s bizarre presentation about her entire family being assassins. She moves away, but Mondo makes some changes out of preparation. Years later, he is the king of delinquents who goes by the name “Thirteen.” Izayo makes an appearance as a new transfer student to his school. She has come back to seek vengeance. Will Mondo be able to survive an assassin’s wrath?

The Good

Characters

The way the characters interact with each other is fun to watch. Watching Mondo become a big shot and Izayo using his status to get him in trouble is very entertaining. It helps that the characters are likable, especially Izayo. You want to see Izayo kick Mondo around, but you want Mondo to do something about it.

Artwork

The artwork is perfect for this type of manga. It’s a blend of cartoony fun and finely illustrated moments. You can see Mondo’s nervousness through his facial expressions. You can see Izayo’s perfect attacks through her graphic motions. Everything about the art is a perfect fit for the story.

Quite Funny

Action is always good with comedy, as long as it’s done right. Here, it’s done right. Izayo’s attacks create odd trouble for Mondo, which are too funny. Of course if you put yourself in his shoes, not so funny.

Nice Reference

It’s not exactly great, but there is a videogame metaphor used in the manga. I was surprised it worked well.

Short

It’s about 37 pages. Pretty short for all you lazies.

The Bad

No More?

Even though it’s a one-shot, it felt like it could continue. The relationship between the two main characters isn’t resolved, clearly, though that seemed to be the intention.

Change In Perspective

There are times in the manga that the character speaking changes. The problem with this was the confusion it created at times. It was puzzling to read about Izayo talk of her assassin family while thinking Mondo was the speaker. As minor as it was, it took me out for those moments.

Lots of Words

There are times when the word count on the pages look daunting. A lot of words on one page can keep someone from reading the manga. So if you don’t like to read, this isn’t for you (lazy ass!).

Overall

I liked 13 a lot. For a one-shot, it was very good even though I would have wished to see more. Grade wise, the good overweighed the bad (I was having a hard time finding something bad to say about the manga). And with that, I give 13 a 4 out of 5.

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

Title: Tokyo Ants

Author & Artist: Kano Yasuhiro

Chapters 1-4 (completed)

Summary:

These are actually four different stories that only last one chapter commonly known as one shots.  The first is called Tokyo Ants and is about a group of skilled people who rescue a hostage.  The next two, Enma 1 & 2, are about two different people who can tell when someone is lying because they spark up electricity when around them.  The last is called Butterfly – Swallow Tail and is about a boy who sees Swallow Tail butterflies around people who are dying.

*Note: these are four different stories that were put into one book.  Since there are four of them I am going to give them each their own separate review.  It’s ten times easier than doing it all together.

The Good:

Pictures:

The artwork for Tokyo Ants was really up to par.  It really reminds me of something like Card Captors Sakura only with a touch of something from the nineties…The proportions for it were really good.  Their heads aren’t too big and their arms and legs seem to be the right size.  When it comes to the style of drawing I like Tokyo Ants the best.  The details of the eyes and the clothes made it look highly realistic while the hair brought you down to an anime level (spiky hair tends to do that).

Story:

The plot in this is really well done.  I could see it going on to become a really long series.  I don’t know if it could be another Bleach or Naruto, but I could see it going on to be a good series.  The dialogue is really good.  I mean, you can follow it and feel like you’re not reading something lost in translation.  For Tokyo Ants the background story has a very good explanation (even thought it’s only a chapter long).  It explains enough so that you don’t feel like you’re lost in the dark for that short time.  The ending like I said earlier I could see it go on and wish it would.  I could see this turned into an anime.

Characters:

Personalities were excellent and well thought out.  The girl was the typical brat-like girl in manga.  She’s the loud, in-your-face, I’m-the-boss type.  The guys were her followers, but the main guy was the kind that shirked his duties and defied his leader sort of personality.  But, the good guy in him comes out in the end.

The Bad:

Pictures:

I…couldn’t really find anything wrong…

Story:

Flow was kind of hard to follow for me.  I kept turning my head this way and that.  If it was put in a way that made it simpler for me to follow, it would have been perfect.

Characters:

The background was just not enough for me.  I wanted to see more of who they were, why they were there, and where they were going. (100 points to anyone who can name that movie). When talking about changes…none of them really had long to change so there weren’t any that I could really see.

The General:

Generally I liked it a lot.  But that’s because I love action and a good story.  I’m not really sure that I would recommend this to beginners, but if you go for this kind of stuff then by all means read it.  I give this story a four out of five.
Rating:****~ (4/5)

Character Names:

Main: Riku

Side:  Umi

Tsukuno

Title: White Clouds

Author & Artist: Hisae Iwaoka

Chapters: 1 (It’s a one-shot)

Summary:

A beautiful and touching story about life, death, and thereafter from the eyes of a rare perspective.

The Good

The Story:

It’s rare to have a story so short be quite saddening. For anyone who was ever close to their grandparents, they would find a relatable quality within the manga. But even so, you don’t have to have a relationship with your grandparents to understand the story. It’s understood in its simple storytelling, and yet heartbreaking at the same time.
The ending didn’t disappoint either. It left the story on a lighthearted note. So lovely.

Artwork:

No, it’s not top notch. Yes, it looks like a kid drew it. But there is something about the simple artwork that combines so well with it’s simple story. The best reason to this has to come from a more professional point of view. From Scott McCloud’s universally praised Understanding Comics :

By stripping down an image to its essential “meaning,” an artist can amplify that meaning in a way that realistic art can’t.

In other words, the “meaning” is universally understood as a ***Fill in the Blank*** (like a happy face ). The “crappy” drawing of an old man and his dog is understood by the reader to be… an old man and his dog (just an example, no offense). And because the artwork isn’t praiseworthy, that leaves the story to be focused on to which it does a great job on. Yeah, it’s that kind of manga.

Perspective

The manga takes an interesting perspective. The main character is… on second thought I better not. Mainly because of the next point.

Short Read:

The reading is very short. There are only about 16 pages to read, yet somehow it is enough to tell a complete story.

The Bad

The damn thing made me cry… that’s all I have to say.

Overall

Dear God this was so sad to read, but very touching at the end. Even though the manga was short, 16 pages to be exact, White Clouds accomplished in telling a simple, yet great story. I give White Clouds a 5 out of 5.

Rating:***** (5/5)

Title: School Mermaid

Author & Artist: Yoshitom Akihito

Chapters: 1-3 (Complete)

Summary

Yoshiko and Haruko are in love (not with each other). When one is in love, they must confess to the person of interest to see if they feel the same… right? Not in this case. Both girls decide to take a more subtle approach. When cleaning one of the floors of the school, the girls find an old book that relates to a concurring rumor. Late at night, mermaids appear in the school and if you eat their flesh your love will come true. Will the girls kill for love?

The Good

Setting:

It’s rare to complement a manga or a comic for the use of setting. Setting is usually the last thing people think about when reading a comic, but here it works. Being somewhere familiar (like a school), but in a different setting (at night) can be quite nerve racking.

The Mermaids

I am vaguely familiar with the Japanese myth around mermaids, though the story serves its own mythology. Without giving too much away, the mermaids were the main highlight of the story. Not only that, but the process of how they came to be is (to a point) horrifying.

Short Read

It’s short (like this sentence). However…

The Bad

Character

There is a point in the story where I found the character to be very unbelievable. Even in the beginning, I couldn’t believe the whole notion that girls would kill something for “love”. I want to say this may be a “cultural thing,” but I doubt that completely. This could also go under my hatred of the manga female archetype, but I would be wasting my time.

Not Really Horror

There isn’t really anything horror about the manga. Yes, there is an exploration of empathy and the loss of humanity, but other than that nothing.

Ending

I did not like the ending, but that is because of a “cultural thing” with me. I am used to the “happy ending” treatment and I am not afraid to admit that. I have seen movies and read stories that didn’t have a “happy ending,” and in the long run I did not like the majority of them. Here, however, I’m torn. I know I don’t like the ending, but I’m trying to see the meaning of it. It feels like a message hiding in the story rather than just a short tale. Even so, I still can’t see pass the badness.

Overall

It’s hard for me to recommend this manga to beginners mainly because of the ending. The ending may actually discourage beginners from reading any more manga, or I’m just thinking too much into it. My dislikes outweigh the likes, yet I think there is more to this story than what my current thoughts give it. This will be all on the reader to decide and debate. I give it a 3 out of 5.

Rating:***~~ (3/5)

Note: The story is very short so spoilers were out of the question. Sorry I couldn’t go into detail any further.