Teen Review: Naruto, vol. 58: Naruto vs Itachi by Masashi Kishimoto

Our teen reviews are back! Today's recommendation is from a manga-lovin' teen: Naruto, vol. 58: Naruto vs Itachi.

Want to see your own review here? Fill out our What Did You Just Read form today!

What did you read? 

Naruto, vol. 58 by Masashi Kishimoto.

I'd say this book was *mostly* about...

War;Ninja.

This book's main character(s)...

Inspired me.

If others were interested in this book, I'd tell them...

Check it out RIGHT NOW.

Book Summary: 

Naruto is a young shinobi with an incorrigible knack for mischief. He's got a wild sense of humor, but Naruto is completely serious about his mission to be the world's greatest ninja!

12 Days of Teen Lit: 8 Dudes in Danger

Because, really, when was the last time you saw a milk-maid?

The 12 Days of Teen Lit is proud to present: 

8 Dudes in Danger

Above. When insane exile Corner and his army of mindless, whispering shadows invade Safe, a secret, underground community of freaks and disabled outcasts, Matthew, traumatized shapeshifter Ariel, and other misfits go to the dangerous place known as Above, where Matthew makes a shocking discovery about the histories entrusted to him.

The abused werewolf rescue group. When Tobias wakes up in a hospital with no memory of the night before, a mysterious man tells him he has a dangerous condition, and he finds himself involved with a group of werewolves convinced he needs their help.

Dangerous boy. In this modern twist on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Harper is surprised by tumbling into an intense romance with Logan, a newcomer to her Enumclaw, Washington, high school, but soon Logan's sinister twin is pulling them apart.

Erebos : it's a game : it watches you. When sixteen-year-old Nick Dunmore receives a package with a mysterious computer game called Erebos, he hopes it will explain his classmates' strange behavior. He is quickly drawn into the cryptic world of the game, where players must obey a strict code. Erebos watches its players and begins to manipulate their lives in frightening ways. It soon becomes clear the game has a deadly agenda. When Nick sets out on a dangerous mission, reality and the virtual world begin to blur.

Fall from Grace. Inspired by an intriguing girl who is nothing like his shallow girlfriend, a high school senior whose life has been mapped out by his parents makes some surprising decisions that lead him to take dangerous--but exhilarating--risks.

Hold me closer, necromancer. Sam LaCroix, a Seattle fast-food worker and college dropout, discovers that he is a necromancer, part of a world of harbingers, werewolves, satyrs, and one particular necromancer who sees Sam as a threat to his lucrative business of raising the dead.

Infernal devices. When sixteen-year-old orphan Tessa Fell's older brother suddenly vanishes, her search for him leads her into Victorian-era London's dangerous supernatural underworld, and when she discovers that she herself is a Downworlder, she must learn to trust the demon-killing Shadowhunters if she ever wants to learn to control her powers and find her brother.

Where things come back. Seventeen-year-old Cullen's summer in Lily, Arkansas, is marked by his cousin's death by overdose, an alleged spotting of a woodpecker thought to be extinct, failed romances, and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

Attack on Titan

I should be working on something else at the moment. Something that has a crucial deadline, but I feel like my brain has fried itself out right now. So instead of working on the project I have due on Monday, I'll tell you about a new manga series I read a few weeks ago.

As I stated earlier last month, I've been reading graphic novels during my lunch hours. Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama is the horror, action manga set after humanity has been decimated by the giant humanoid Titans. One hundred years have passed since the first attack and humans have rallied together behind a walled city that has three separate walls that progressively get taller. No one knows why the Titans attack and eat humans. The few brave humans who go out scouting end up being brought back in pieces. There's only one weak spot on a Titan's body--no, not on it's Achilles heel that would be way to convenient. It's the back of its neck. In order to fight the Titans, the military fighters use air mechanical equipment that allow them to run and climb faster, and jump higher. All seems well within the walled city until a giant Titan peeks over the city's first wall and then all heck breaks loose.

Notice I haven't talked about the characters in the previous paragraph. This ensemble cast blends together with little back story given to any one character in the first volume. The military has both male and female characters and leaders which I give huge props to the author for since so many times the female characters aren't the strong ones in the military--or heaven forbid, are the ones who need protection. There is one exception to the ensemble cast, by the end of the first volume, you begin to learn more about Eren, a young fighter who wants to see the world. He is the most intriguing to me as a reader and you will definitely get a shock at the end of the first volume about him--so be sure to grab volume 2 as well!

The art is a bit odd--Sometimes it's brilliant in its showing movement; other times, it's very ordinary and rough for an action manga. The horror part of the series is when the Titans attack. Yes, it has the action scenes, but it also shows the Titans chomping off people's arms and heads or even gulping them whole.

When I got back from lunch, I immediately began gushing about it to a coworker who reads manga. Then promptly grabbed volume 2 for the next day's lunch! I thoroughly enjoy manga that manages to surprise me. This one does that and more. Take a chance and pick it up today at the library!

Wandering Son

I just got back from lunch and I liked this manga I was reading soooo much that I had to immediately blog about it. Usually, I like to percolate about a title first, but this one just touched me as a reader I want to gush about it.

Wandering Son Volume One by Shimura Takako

follows Nitori Shuichi (male) and Takatsuki Yoshino (female) (last names first, first names last) during their fifth grade year as they become friends. They each feel a disconnect with themselves and their gender. Takatsuki's mother keeps buying her dresses. One day Shuichi sees a dress and tells her that it's pretty. Takatsuki tells him it would look good on him, but gives it to him to give to Shuichi's older sister. Shuichi dreams of wearing the dress--has nightmares where his family calls him a freak. Little does he realize that Takatsuki wishes she wouldn't hit puberty and could stay asexual where she could easily pass as a boy. The artist has taken such a sensitive subject matter and has made it accessible and understandable to readers of both sexes.

I know this title isn't going to be for everyone. But there are very few titles --prose novels and graphic novels -- that delve into this topic that when one appears as shining as this one did to me then I need to mention it to as many people as possible. A co-worker just interrupted my writing to talk about something else and I told her about Wandering Son. That's how well done I think it is.

Beyond the storyline, there will be other things that will detract from its readership. It's a manga first of all. There are so many people out there that won't read it purely because it's sequential art and not a prose novel. Okay, but in addition to that, it expects the reader to know manga. It references Rose of Versailles--which if you are Japanese you will know, even if you don't read manga. But if you're an American, you probably don't know it unless you have read a lot of manga and watched anime (it's referenced a lot in manga and anime). (side note: It's awesome as well and should totally be released in English--please!!!) There aren't any background notes to help readers out, so they may be a little confused in places.

Overall, this is a very well done graphic novel in general; a great exploration on the gender dissonance in two pre-teen children; and deserves a wider audience than it will probably reach--hence, my gushing at the beginning.

Wish

Several years ago, the library owned a copy of the manga series Wish by CLAMP. The series is now out of print. Our copy at the library went "missing"--or walked out the door without being checked out properly.

For quite some time, I couldn't share this title with anyone. :(

But now I can! Some lovely angel donated the whole series to the library recently. This delightful four volume series is about an angel who had been rescued by a human man. In return she wants to grant his wish, but he insists that he has no wishes since he can get what he wants on his own. Instead she decides to move in with him until he needs a wish granted. The nice human that he is, he allows her to stay.

But with the angel comes her issues. During the night, her powers are reduced so she is in "chibi" form. Her rival demon/devil taunts her and tries to harm her. And to add even more, the angel is very klutzy, so every time she tries to help her human she ends up making a mess!

Overall, this series is one CLAMP's cute short pieces that showcase their humor and romance in the best light. It's a perfect introduction into CLAMP's works if you haven't tried them before.

I am currently sitting in my Anime Afternoon program watching Tsubasa and I started thinking about my goal of having a blog post each day that one of the teen librarians is working. No, I'm not going to be posting from home, but I want to give as many different reading choices I can to as many readers as possible.

Today I want to highlight the fantabulous manga series, Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE. I have a special place in my heart for Tsubasa since it has so many different characters from the CLAMP universe. For those uninitiated, it reads like an action adventure fantasy series. But those readers, who have devoured all that CLAMP created, will be able to recognize many characters and places from their various creations. It's the ultimate crossover manga masterpiece.

Tsubasa follows the adventures of Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, and Kurogane as they travel various worlds searching for the missing feathers that contain bits of Princess Sakura's soul and her memories. It's a new adventure for each feather, but the relationships between the four are ever growing and changing. It's a delight of a series since it has a little bit of every genre available. There are historical worlds, science fiction worlds, fantasy worlds. There's action, drama, humor, and romance. So much to offer in addition to the spectacular artwork that is in the recognizably CLAMP manga style.

I hope you all enjoy it! Next week in Anime Afternoons we're watching Evangelion 1.11 You are (not) alone. Hope to see you there!

And if you haven't signed up for the teen reading program--what are you waiting for? Sign up today

Deadly Books and Militant Librarians, Oh My!

I simply don't read enough. I spend entirely too much time on Facebook, driving my daughter to and from school, and sleeping. I love sleeping...

This is a problem, though, for as a librarian, I'm kind of expected to have book recommendations handy at the drop of a hat. Or text message. (Side note: in the past few weeks, I've given book recommendations via text messaging and Facebook messaging. That's what happens when your friends remember they know a librarian. :D)

I've found a bit of a solution, though: MANGA! They're quick (once you figure out which side to start from) and always interesting...even if the only interesting part is the figuring out how to read them...Just kidding, Kristin - I know how to read 'em now, I promise!

Now, not being at all familiar with manga/anime, I have to rely on others to point me towards books, and thankfully my coworker Merideth does this often.  I have her to thank for one of the books I'll writing about today. The other I happened across while shelving - hooray for taking more books home than I shelved! Sigh...

The super plus side to both of these manga is that they are about books and libraries.  Well, maybe that's not a plus for you, but it is for this librarian nerd.

The Reading Club, Vol. 1, by Cho Ju-Hee, artist: Suh Yun-Young
After being forced to work in her school's library, a freshman girl discovers a literally (heh, heh) deadly book that her dreamy fellow library worker may already know about...

A) I run two book clubs and am a member of two others, so the title grabbed me.
B) And then the cover creeped me out, which was even better.
C) Wait, a medical examiner (also with possible previous knowledge of this evil book) plays practical jokes on her assistants by pretending to be a dead body that - surprise! - comes back to life?

This is an oddball of a book, as it seems like a mix of The Ring and shojo, but I'm told this isn't uncommon. Either way, it was an interesting read and suitably creepy!

Library Wars: Love and War, Vol. 1, by Kiiro Yumi
Iku Kasahara has wanted to join the Library Defense Forces since the day a Defense Force agent saved her 'offensive' book from Media Betterment Committee censors, but soon realizes that becoming both a librarian and an elite soldier is a lot of work. Especially when your adorable instructor doesn't seem to like you much...

A) Militant librarians armed and fighting against censorship? Cool!
B) A world where the war between library defense agents and the censors is so violent that death incurred during these conflicts has been decriminalized? Yikes!
C) A young woman tough enough to perhaps be the first woman on the elite force? Awesome!

This was another bizarre mix of serious and cute - the conflict the forces face with censors is very real (so real, in fact, that Kasahara doesn't tell her parents what she's really training for), while her pratfalls and chibi emotional outbursts are comical. As strange as I find that mix to be, I still adored this book and immediately put volumes 2-5 on hold. So you'll have to wait for me to finish before you can read 'em! : P

Sailor Moon!!!!!!

Can I just say that I was giddy with excitement yesterday when I heard that Kodansha Comics is publishing the Sailor Moon manga series this fall. The series has been out of print for many years and our library copies are dreadfully mangled. I've kept them going out purely due to the love I have for the series--and the knowledge that this is a series that is the first for many manga readers. Heck, it was the first manga that I called "mine." Before I picked it up, all the manga I read was my husband's (at that point, my boyfriend) and mine. This one--all mine. It was such a girl power moment in comics for me. And I hope this fall, it will be a girl power moment for the readers who check it out from the library.

If you don't know, Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi is a magical girl shojo manga series, which means it's about a group of girls who transform into superheros. Usagi Tsukino discovers that she is Sailor Moon, a magical protector from the moon and she must gather her fellow Sailor Scouts to stop the Negaverse from causing mayhem and destruction in Tokyo. In addition to the battles they must fight, they are searching for their lost princess and figure out what the mysterious, but handsome Tuxedo Mask is all about.

Geez, I want to go read it right now! Beautiful flowing artwork. Great romance. And an adorable main character. I was thankful to Tokyopop for bringing it out when they did. And I'm thankful to Kodansha Comics for bringing it back. Squeeee!

Inoue's Real

I'm working on a presentation later this month and was pulling some manga earlier today. I came across Real by Takehiko Inoue. The library owns three of Inoue's manga series: Vagabond, Slam Dunk, and Real. I wrote about Vagabond quite awhile back. I've always been sad that Slam Dunk doesn't have its followers here at the library like it does in other places.

And now for Real. Like in Slam Dunk, basketball is the focal point of this manga series. Unlike Slam Dunk, there's nothing cartoony and funny about this series. Real follows three main characters and their love of basketball and how that love helps them through life-changing events--motorcycle and bicycle accidents and cancer.

Prose books that realistically deal with accidents and/or cancer are plentiful but manga not so much. Even with the drama of overcoming the fear of driving, losing a leg, and the horrors of coming to terms with being paralysed, the series has lots of basketball action.

I'm not a sports fan, but if I'm watching something--it's going to be basketball. Sports manga, if it done well, will get you excited about the action happening on the pages. Real does that and then gives you even more with the added drama of the storyline. It's refreshing to see a manga that is not all about the boy/girl attraction or all about action, but has more to offer the reader.

If you missed it...Ani-Manga Club Picks

The Ani-Manga Club met this week to discuss action manga, which is by far the largest genre of manga at the library. All the favorites were mentioned: One Piece, Tsubasa, Yuyu Hakusho, Gundam, Bleach, and of course, Naruto.

Instead of boring you with descriptions of those well-known titles, I thought I'd try my hand at convincing you to check out some lesser known action manga.

Tegami Bachi by Hiroyuki Asada

In a world covered by almost complete darkness, messengers deliver packages between the different towns, fighting against the giant metal insects that infest the darkness. Gauche Suede has one last delivery to make before he is promoted. The package: a boy named Lag traumatized after his mother's abduction.

What makes this manga unique is its world building artwork. Great detail, interesting world, intriguing characters. It has everything to make it a great manga series.

Air Gear by Oh!Great

Take inline skating, gangs, comedy, and a few cute girls thrown in and you have Air Gear. Itsuki is the leader of his junior high gang and when he is devastatingly beaten by a skating gang, he is introduced to Air Trecks inline skating that gives him the ability to regain his face and into the world of skater gangs.

Oh!Great skims the line of appropriateness with his comedy, sexual innuendo, and action mixed storyline. But he does it with great success and popularity. The artwork is great, the storyline has a sort of real world feel to it, and the skating action works.

And finally, the title that I think mecha fans should read over Gundam. Neon Genesis Evangelion by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Most anime fans are already familiar with the storyline, but this manga is a reworking of the series. It follows the basic storyline (In 2015, the "Angels" have returned, and Shinji Ikari, a fourteen year-old child of the new Earth, is forced by his father Gendo--commander of the secret organization NERV--to pilot the monstrous biomechanical weapon called "Evangelion" to match the Angels' fearsome power...) but is in manga format. Unlike the other Neon manga series out there, it's closest to the anime.

If you are a mecha fan, you should read this.

Romance is in the air...

So here's what you missed this week at the Foothills library. Ani-Manga Club. Seriously--why weren't you there!? We focused on romance manga this month since our February event is after the big V-day. So here a few of my suggestions for the BOYS. Girls will like them as well, but boys usually don't have romance books all that often. And let's not call it romance to them, but relationships... :)


My favorite of the bunch is a two volume short story collection called Short Program by Mitsuru Adachi. Each story is about two people connecting. In one, it's about a very tall guy watching on television a girl attempting to high jump over his height. Another is about a secret crush discovering her affection while repairing her stereo. Another is a stalker story that you don't realize until half-way through the date that something is off. Each one different but still just as fabulous as the last.


Rumiko Takahashi's titles are great titles with hints of romance interspersed with the action, and comedy. I particularly love Maison Ikkoku, but really every single one has love in it somewhere!


Train_Man Densha Otoko I've spoken about before. I will just say again. Love it! Geek finds love on a train and support to woo the love from his friends online.


Okay, so there's a snippet of the books that you missed hearing about at the Ani-Manga Club this week. You also missed very yummy chocolate fondue. Don't miss out next month (February 22nd 4 pm) when we talk about ACTION manga! And I think we'll make manga magnets as our activity.


See you there!

Manga, Manga, Manga

So December's Ani-manga club was all about laugh out loud manga. As I was creating the booklist, I realized that funny to one person is not funny to another. A perfect example is Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (say that five times fast!) by Yoshio Sawai. I thought it was an absolutely senseless, ridiculous manga about a guy who fought with hair. But then I gave it to two teen boys. Wow, I have never been so amused by teens reading a book. They were cracking up! They got a lot of the parody in the graphic novel too! It actually made me want to try it again. Someday. In the far far future.

Maybe they wouldn't enjoy nearly as much some of my favorite funny manga. Maybe they would. That's what makes this Ani-Manga Club so much fun to be involved with. We all have our favorites--and we all talk about them. And most of the time, there are new readers for them afterwards!

So come join us on the 25th of this month at 4 p.m. to talk up romance manga. We'll be making chocolates too!

Oh and if you're interested, here were some of my favorite funny manga:

Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma

Ouran High School Host Club by Bisco Hatori

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi

Fantasy Manga

So last week was the monthly meeting of the Ani-Manga Club. This month was all about fantasy. And manga has a lot of different fantasy titles available to read! As the teens were going around the room telling about their favorite fantasy manga, we kept thinking that so many of the basic plot points were similar to other fantasy titles--both manga and novels. So here are some of the highlights of the booklist:

If you like the time traveling--or transporting to another world storyline, then you might like

Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles by CLAMP
In this CLAMP crossover, the characters may look familiar to you, but they are completely different. Sakura is the Princess of Clow and Syaoran is her childhood friend. When Sakura's powers trigger in an archaeological dig, she loses her memories one by one in the form of feathers. With the help of Syaoran and others, she will travel through dimensions to gather them back again. This series is set to be finished this month! So start reading now!



Are post-apocalyptic fantasies more your cup of tea? Then you may find a series like Basara by Tamura Yumi more to your liking.

Born as the twin sister of a boy prophesied to be the "Child of Destiny," Sarasa lives a lonely, forgotten existence. But when her village is attacked by the Red King's Army and her brother is killed, she must face the courage to lead her people into victory masquerading as her brother the whole entire time. This long series has a lot to offer: relationships, mistaken identities, battles, war tactics, and so much more.




And last but not least, the RPG-type fantasy. This fantasy genre has the journey, the battles with magic or with creatures, and usually has more humor built into it. The creator, Ryo Mizuno best fits this category. Best known for Record of Lodoss War and Louie the Rune Soldier, his work has a mixture of the above elements. RLW is all about the quest. Louie is more of a comedy with a street brawling sorcerer at the center of the story.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy some of these titles. Next month in Ani-Manga Club we'll be discussing humor manga. We're meeting on the 14th at 4 pm, so if you're a teen and you like manga, you should come!

Horror & Supernatural Manga

The Foothills library has a monthly anime and manga club called Ani-Manga Club. Each month we talk about manga and anime and do some sort of activity. Last month, we made character buttons. This month we played Anime Bingo and focused on horror and supernatural manga titles. I wanted to share with you all some of the titles we discussed. Just in case you would like to read some too!


It's interesting to booktalk horror manga since there are so many different types available. If you want a truly Japanese horror experience, then look no further than Junji Ito's manga. The one I like the most is Uzumaki, a book creepier than any Tales of the Crypt or Twilight Zone. Kirie lives in a small town that has become obsessed with spirals. Yes, you read that correctly, spirals. So obsessed that people kill themselves attempting to become a spiral and the spirals seem to focus their own obsession with Kirie. A three volume series, it's perfect for a late night October reading.


For a bloody violent vampire manga, you have a few options, but I enjoyed Lunar Legend Tsukihime by Sasakishonen. Shiki has the ability to see the weaknesses in things and people. He sees them as lines on the object that if cut, it would be destroyed. He hides the ability with his glasses, but one night walking home he uses his ability and kills a woman. The next night, he meets the woman again, who scolds him and informs him that "it hurt." Now, he is forced to work with the woman--a vampire--to fight and destroy a maniac vampire on the loose killing humans and hunting her.



And last, but not least, supernatural manga which can cover a huge amount of manga titles! More of the lighthearted fantasy manga could fall here. The gothic lolita styled manga tends to be in this category too. I thought I'd talk about my favorite one of this field, Demon Ororon, but I've probably written about it before. So instead, I'll write about Gothic Lolita mystery series called Godchild by Kaori Yuki. Cain is the Earl of Hargreaves who spends most of his days hunting down poisons for his collection, solving dark mysteries, or opposing the criminal organization that his deceased father started. Detailed artwork is this manga creator's strength. Yuki creates the mood of the story in every ink stroke in the panels' artwork. Deliciously moody and a true guilty pleasure of yours truly.

I hope you find some enticing reads for the last week of October. The next Ani-Manga club meeting is Tuesday, November 16th at 4-5:30 p.m.

death manga

There are several nominated manga titles for the death and dying popular paperbacks list. including
Bleach, Death Note, Vampire Knight, Zombie Loan, Chibi Vampire, Line, Canon, and Yurara. I've been re-reading these titles to see how well they fit the list. Not all of them will end up on the list for sure. The main idea of the booklist is that death or dying has to be prevalent within the book for it to fit the list. As I've been reading them, I've been trying to figure out if killing the undead counts as death. Or does just being undead count? If so, all of these fit for me.

Death Note and Line are the most dramatic titles and they both fit the list pretty well. Bleach, Zombie Loan and Yurara deal with the undead and spirits left in the world after their human bodies have died. At least in Zombie Loan there is an actual dying moment in the first volume. Vampire Knight and Canon are the two more problematic titles. There is no death or dying, but the characters are already undead.

I guess we won't know until the middle of January. I'll let you know what we decide to vote onto the list and what doesn't make the cut then!

Oh and by the way, Line is a really well done single volume manga. You should check it out!

Manga I've been reading part 2

I have a short attention span when it comes to series. It has to be a really good series for me to continue with it. If it gets too long, my mind wanders because the storylines I care about are spread so thin and a lot of filler episodes are thrown in. It drives me batty. Sometimes I'll go back to a series when a lot more volumes have been published and I can read sevral in a row. But most of the time, I just give up on the series. It's not just manga I do this with--anime and TV series too. I'm just not motivated enough! :) I couldn't get through the anime series of Rurouni Kenshin for the mere fact that I knew that the last season didn't follow the manga. Now I read through all 28 volumes of the manga because the best storyline is the last story arc! :)



I bought the first 7 volumes of Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya as they came out, but then stopped reading it. I think I got distracted by several other manga series I was reading at the same time, but I just picked them up to re-read. Tohru Honda is an orphan with a great attitude. When her grandfather remodels his home, he asks if Tohru can stay with a friend during the renovations. Rather than put her friends in uncomfortable situations, she stays in a tent in the woods. But the woods are owned by the Sohma family. After a landslide, the Sohma family allow Tohru to move in with them in exchange for doing the housework and cooking. Immediately after she moves in she discovers that the Sohma family have a dark secret--they are cursed by the Chinese Zodiac animals. When hugged by a member of the opposite sex (or they're sick) they transform into their zodiac animal!


The humor still makes me smile. The supposed hatred between the rat and the cat make me chuckle, but the story drags for me. So many side stories that I didn't care about. But this is one of the most popular shojo series the library owns, so I definitely understand the appeal.


What do teens in Glendale think about this series?


One teen reviewer wrote: "I love it. It's so funny! But there are very real life situations in it. The characters are so unique!Kyo is the best! "


Noemi wrote: "This is one of my favorite Shojo mangas ever. The stories are a little sad, but it has happy times too. And if you read it, you just have to read it ALL the way to the ending. It's soo awesome, it has everyting: comedy, romance, some action, etc. Now ENJOY~"


What more can I say? If you like longer running manga series that have a little bit of something for everyone, then try Fruits Basket!

Manga I've been reading Part 1

So I'm trying to clean up my graphic novel collection at home. I've been rereading series to see if I want to give any of them away to the library or sell at a used bookstore. Some of them, I was sure I wouldn't need to own them anymore. I was right in some cases--others I was wrong. Two of the ones I've decided to keep are Maniac Road and Juline. Completely different manga series. Maniac Road takes place in Akihabara as sisters take in a model otaku and help him create a new anime/model store in the first floor of their home. I have owned this series for about three years or so and had never read it. I was sure it would be donated to the library, but instead I found myself laughing at the characters' antics. Now I have to see if it's still available or not to buy so I can buy it for the library! Juline is a shojo martial arts series by the creators of Vampire Princess Miyu. I thought the artwork was too pretty to give up, so sorry folks, that's another one I kept for myself! :)

So how about a manga that the library has or will be getting shortly? Okay, I can talk about a series that the library just got. Crescent Moon by Haruko Iida. We've had the first volume for quite awhile (I donated that one a few years ago). And then I went and purchased it and more volumes for myself again! Mahiru is the main character in this shojo fantasy. She brings everyone, but herself good luck and when she looks in water she sees things no one else can see. Her good fortune and water seeing abilities are explained slowly when she meets people from the lunar race--a set of beings who are searching for lunar crystals that aid in their powers. And their powers are quite unique-- there's a werewolf, vampire, and demons in this group. Centered in this fantasy is relationship drama as Mahiru is the descendant of the Japanese princess who supposedly betrayed the love of a demon. As a child, she promised him to marry him, but when she gets older she doesn't keep the promise. The demon stole her away, but the humans fought back and stole the demon's powers. A bit of sad folklore thrown into this fun series. Teen girls who enjoy Vampire Knight or Yuu Watase's creations will most likely candidates to read this series!

Uzumaki

Uzumaki: Spiral into Horror 1 is an account of the gruesome events that take place in a Japanese town that is cursed by horrific manifestations of spirals. If you’re asking yourself: “What the heck is so horrific about a shape?!”…Trust me when I tell you that after reading this book, you’ll never look at spirals in the same way again. The story is told from the point of view of Kirie Goshima, an inhabitant of the town who watches in dismay as spirals wreak havoc on the lives of those around her including her boyfriend (Shuichi) and his family.

In the first chapter, Shuichi becomes concerned when his father suddenly develops an odd fascination with spiral-shaped objects (i.e., snails, pottery, water spirals, etc.). This obsession gradually blossoms into an uncontrollable mania that expresses itself physically in some pretty disturbing ways. For instance, when Kirie visits Shuichi’s home to deliver a spiral bowl, Shuichi’s father shows her how he is able to stick out his tongue and roll it into an obscenely large and juicy spiral. Shuichi’s father eventually meets a ghastly demise that would make him the envy of carnival contortionists everywhere.

Each subsequent chapter features yet another tale of an unfortunate soul haunted by spirals…A mentally disturbed woman who tries to rid herself of the spiral in her inner ear (her cochlea) with a pair of scissors…A potter whose work suddenly begins to take on strange spiral patterns and the faces of dead people…and so on.

Author Junji Ito is a masterful horror storyteller with a knack for creating creepy atmosphere and bizarre plotlines. Other popular works by Ito include: Tomie…the story of an eternally youthful and beautiful high school girl whose admirers are obsessed to the point of murdering her; and GYO…fish and other sea creatures with mechanical legs attack Japan.

Manga I wish more people would read part 2: Vagabond

It dawned on me that my subject heading makes it sound like no one reads these books I'm talking about. That's not true! It just that no one checks them out of my library collection, so I thought I'd try to promote them better! This next manga series is geared more towards adults than teens, but we have it in the teen collection since we didn't have an adult graphic novel collection at the time we bought the series.



Vagabond by Takehiko Inoue is a manga adaptation of Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. This fictionalized biography details the life of Miyamoto Musashi, the legendary swordsman who created the two sword techinque "nitenichi". He also was an author of The Book of Five Rings. The manga takes place at the end of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Pretty much a common thug at that point in his life, he begins his travels to become a strong warrior samurai.

The realistic look of this manga will surprise many readers. The artist, Inoue, is best known for his sports manga, Slam Dunk, so this work surprised many at his skill as an artist--especially me! The action and setting of the story is historically realistic, so samurai duels are bloody and violent. I think the reason many people haven't picked this title up is that samurai grpahic novels, besides Rurouni Kenshin, aren't that popular here at our library. I think this one would appeal to many people who don't like graphic novels but enjoy martial arts or historical fiction.

I only caution that this is a title best suited for older teens and adults due to the realistic portrayal of life in the 1600s Tokugawa-ruled Japan. The series has won top manga honors in Japan--including the Grand Prize Award at the Japan Media Arts Festival, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize, the Kodansha Manga Award--and was nominated for an Eisner Award here in America.

Try it out and then come chat with me about Musashi!

Manga I wish more people would read Part 1: Banana Fish

Banana Fish has always been near and dear to my heart. It saddens me when a manga series I really like isn't as popular as I think it should be in the library. So I have decided to use this blog to promote it!

Banana Fish is by Akimi Yoshida. She created the 19 volume series from the mid 80s to 90s, so the artwork is a little dated for people who only like the big eyed look of contemporary shojo manga.

Ash is a gang leader in New York City in 1985. A dying man gives him a drug and utters the words "banana fish." This is just one of the many deaths that are puzzling the police and as Ash starts nosing around, he discovers that the trail of suicides and this drug lead to mafia boss Dino, and mob ties throughout the world. Can Ash and his rag tag gang get to the bottom of the deaths? And how does Banana fish tie to Ash's Vietnam Vet brother?

The series was a bestseller in Japan. Even making a magazine's best shojo series ever list as #1, though it never won an award when it was first published. The reason for both of these is probably due to the fact that the series has serious appeal for both male and female readers. The crime family drama with a cast of all boys. I personally feel that the complex relationships and writing style is the main reason people in Japan loved the series. I know that I couldn't get enough of it when I first read the series. When I was visiting with a house wife in Japan, she shared with me her manga collection and she gushed about Banana Fish. It was probably one of the most enjoyable afternoons I've spent with a complete stranger. I had never met the woman, but she shared her house and her love of manga with me. What was even more amazing was that we had so much in common in our reading taste in manga!

So I hope that you all will give Banana Fish a try. It's not the typical manga series so many people pass over it, which saddens me. And of course, you don't want me sad, do you?