Tag Archives: manga

Manga Introduction: Black Butler, by Yana Toboso

Posted on by
4

black_butlerBlack Butler (aka Kuroshitsuji in the original Japanese) is a tale of a contract between a demon butler and a child in Victorian-era London…

After a dangerous happening in his childhood, Ciel Phantomhive is left an orphan with a demon contracted to him as a butler. The demon, named Sebastian Michaelis by Ciel, will take Ciel’s soul when Ciel’s goal is reached. Known as the “Queen’s Watchdog,” 12-year-old Ciel Phantomhive solves crimes at the Queens orders from mysterious deaths to insane nobles, while trying to reach is goal of avenging his family murder.

Black Butler is an simply amazing manga with wonderful drawings. Here are a few facts about this manga:

  • Published in September of 2006, it rose in popularity and is still popular today. It is also still being produced.
  • There are 19  tankobon volumes (manga books) with 4-5 chapters each. All of which are titled: “That Butler,_______”
  • The title Black Butler is used for the America, Germany, France, Italy and Spain releases while the original Japanese title Kuroshitsuji is used in the Japan, Poland, and Finland releases.
  • Published once a month by Square Enix in a magazine called Monthly GFantasy.
  • Has two seasons of animes as well as a OVA (original video animation). A live action movie was also produced and released this year. It also has had three two musical productions and a third run as a reprise of the second musical.

This is one of my favorites among the many mangas around. For one, this has simply incredible drawings.  The main character’s development during helps to bring much of the story together with a mix of trying to solve mysteries and the emotions and feeling that come with being a human.

This does contain demons, shinigami (death reapers), as well as many other mystical elements. It also contains many deaths and some other more gruesome happening due to some of the more insane characters included in the story. It also has a lot that deals with how human being act and why, which many be hard to understand. This is best for a slightly more mature audience.

I can’t decide everything so read it yourself and find the adventure waiting for you.

-Sarah J, 9th grade

Manga Review: Fairy Tail, by Hiro Mashima

Posted on by
2

 fairy_tail     Hey, have you heard yet?
     Of what?
     Of  Fairy Tail.
     Of course I’ve heard of them. You’ve got to living under a rock in order to have not heard of the top magic guild.
     Well, guess what. They’re making the Council angry at them. Again.
     What did they do this time?
     Well, I heard about  this one guy. I don’t know his real name, but he’s nicknamed Salamander. Anyways, he supposedly blew up a whole town. Fortunately, the town was abandoned.
     What a monster!
     I guess that you could call him a monster. However, he is very comical.
     Well, I prefer Titania, the Fairy Queen. I forgot her real name, too, but she is so hot and powerful! 
     Salamander isn’t my favorite; I personally like the exhibitionist.
     Who?
     I don’t remember his name, but he’s very funny because he takes off his clothes off a lot.
     Fairy Tail’s weird.
     I know, but that’s what makes them special. They may be crazy and weird, yet they are the one guild that I feel is the only one that develops a friendship within the guild and treats their other guild mates as if they are best friends…

That conversation you just heard was one from Fiore, a country where magic exists and wizards can perform jobs involving magic in guilds where bonds are formed. Wizard Lucy Heartfilla has been hearing rumors about Fairy Tail for a long time; about how crazy they are, how popular they are, and how devoted they are to one another. When she finally gets the chance to join Fairy Tail by a man with a scarf and his talking blue cat, Lucy unknowingly embarks on a journey that can not only change her life, but others as well. Not that she knows it either, but evil wizards are a-lurking.

I found this manga series very comical, since every part of the above conversation actually happened in Fairy Tail. There’s magic and action, but I personally was blown away by the plot twists. If you like magic, Hiro Mashima makes every wizard have a different magic, which is anything from fire magic to the ability to summon magical weapons and armor. And did I mention that there are dragons?If you don’t like long stories, then I won’t recommend Fairy Tail unless you like stories where there are a lot of plot twists. So far, there are at least 41 volumes with over 378 chapters (not including side chapters listed as “.5”), and it will continue on for quite some time.

The recommended age is for teenagers, but some 12 years might be able to read this series, too. A warning is suitable to kids under the age of 13: there are a few bad words said every once in a while, one guy is usually walking around in his underwear, and some of the girls wear revealing outfits (no private parts shown).The evil characters always seem to play with the character’s minds, some bad words are said, and since there is action, there is a bit of blood and screaming.

Overall, I really like this series. It’s super hilarious, I started even rooting for some of the romantic couples to confess their love, and Hiro Mashima is very good at the plot, as in he makes you think one thing is going to happen, but something else entirely different happens. In conclusion, the part I like most about this series is the devotion Fairy Tail members have to others, even ones not from their guild. The thing they’ll mostly likely do could be anything, from willing to sell their soul to save someone or attacking a whole group of over 50 people just to get one apology.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Manga Review: Ultra Maniac, vol. 1, by Wataru Yoshizumi

Posted on by
Reply

ultra_maniac_coverCool Ayu Tateishi is a popular girl who everybody wants to be like. But all that is about to change when she meets Nina Sakura. This seemingly normal girl isn’t all she looks to be. She’s a witch. Or rather, a witch that got flunked out of magic school and came to Earth to study abroad.

Nina decides to reveal her secret to Ayu, and decides to help Ayu with her magic as much as she can. Unfortunately, this results in disaster for poor Ayu.

This series follows Nina and friends on their countless misadventures. Other characters include Tetsushi Kaji, Ayu’s boyfriend, and Hiroki Tsujiai, who soon finds out Nina’s secret. There is also an anime for the series, and there are some manga-exclusive characters and some anime-exclusive characters. The plot and storyline are probably slightly different in the anime as to the manga.

I really think that this series is flat-out great. It seems a bit childish at times, but when those times pass, the story is great. Even though it is a shojo manga, there are some action-packed tidbits. This series is yet another one of those books that is there to make you laugh. Even though the title sounds a little stupid (I thought that at first too), take a look inside. As they say, don’t judge a book by its cover!

-Linna C., 7th grade

Manga Review: Naruto, By Masashi Kishimoto; Land of Waves Arc

Posted on by
Reply

naruto_vol2This is the third part of my review about Naruto. Please read the first and second parts if you missed them.

After the Instruction Arc is the Land of Waves Arc.The Land of the Waves Arc is the first major arc in the series. This arc is covered in between chapter nine to thirty three. These chapters were later complied together in the second to fourth tankobon volumes.

In the previous arc, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha were placed in a squad together with Kakashi Hatake-sensei (sensei meaning teacher) after graduating the Ninja Academy. They pass is test and officially become genin, which is the lowest ninja rank.  After being officially placed together Kakashi’s Squad, which is also known as Squad 7, they are given missions to complete in order to build their teamwork and give them experience that they will have to use when they are older.

This arc starts with Squad 7 receiving a new mission. Naruto, who complains about receiving a d-ranked missions, demands to have a c-ranked mission. Typically genin are only give d-rank missions because they are the safest and easiest to do. C, B, A- Ranked missions are only given to ninjas that are a higher rank. The Hokage, who is the leader or commander of the ninjas, reluctantly gives in. The Hokage gives Squad 7 a c-ranked escort mission. They have to escort Tazuna, a bridge builder, back to his home in the Land of Waves. At first this seams like a simple, easy escort mission. Then they start to get attacked by ninjas on the road to the Land of Waves. They learn that there is something much more to the mission that Tazuna did not tell them about. Squad 7 also meets Zabuza Momochi, who is a dangerous ninja that is out to stop them, and Haku, a mysterious boy that no one knows anything about.Will they ever reach the Land of Waves and come back alive?

This is one of my favorite of the many arcs of the Naruto series. This is were you see the first major developments of  the main characters. This is when Naruto, the main character, faces his first major adversary. You start to learn more the stories of the main characters. The story also starts to become more serious compared to the earlier chapters. 

This is only my view of the manga. I would recommend this for 8-years-old and up due to the fact there is violence. This is also very good for anyone who loves adventure and action. I don’t know how you would like it, so read it to find out.

-Sarah J., 8th grade

Manga vs. Graphic Novels

Posted on by
2

manga_gnEven though graphic novels and manga have many differences, they are alike in some ways, one of them being that they mostly use art to tell their story. For scenery, what in a normal book would take a few sentences only takes one frame in these kinds of books.

Manga are not the same as what you might think of as comic books. Manga reads right to left. Graphic novels and comic books read left to right. Though these differences are evident at first glance, most people still don’t know the difference between graphic novels and manga. At first I didn’t know the difference either, but over time I have come to recognize their characteristics and can now tell them apart.

One of the differences, as previously mentioned, is that manga reads right to left, while graphic novels read left to right, the way we are used to. The reason that manga reads “backwards” is because that is the traditional way the people read in Japan. The only publishing conversions that are made from Japan to America are that it is translated from Japanese to English, and that maybe the translator put in some notes. When manga first started being published in the U.S., publishers would “flip” the pages as to not to confuse readers as much. However, there was a downside to this. For example, a poster in the background saying, “Happy Birthday”,would read, “yadhtriB yppaH”. To preserve the original format, publishers now publish them right to left.

For me, another difference between manga and graphic novels is just the feel of the art. Manga has a more flowy style, while graphic novels have a choppier feel to them. Most manga also have titles that were not fully translated into English, and an example of a graphic novel could be a more modern version of a comic book.

Personally, since I have been reading manga for a long time, I feel that graphic novels are a tad tacky. Nevertheless, I love reading either manga or graphic novels in my spare time, and both kinds are usually enjoyable for people of all ages.

-Linna C., 7th grade

Manga Review: Kitchen Princess, by Natsumi Ando

Posted on by
Reply
kitchen_princessFans of food and want to cooks: here is the perfect book series for you! Kitchen Princess is a comical manga (Japanese comic book) that will warm peoples’ hearts for generations to come.Imagine that there’s a recipe for a realistic fiction book. The main ingredient in the recipe calls for a really famous private school in Japan that has a special class full of talented people. Some really important side ingredients are two cute brothers, one named Daichi who keeps trying to ignore his relationship with the school, and the other named Sora, who is loathed by his brother and loved by most of the girls in the school. The next ingredient is a model named Akane, who is jealous of the main girl because of all the attention she gets. Finally, there is a special ingredient that changes all of the other ingredients. Its description is of a middle school orphan from Hokkaido named Najika, who is the best cook ever, loves to eat, tries to make new friends and find the “flan prince who saved her life, gave her some flan and a spoon with a certain symbol on it.

At the end of each book of the ten book series, Najika gives a recipe of each dish that was mentioned in each current book. However, despite the title, boys might actually like this series because it can teach them for future references what girls like and hate.
Readers should note that in Kitchen Princess, there is bullying, one scene where the guy has his shirt off, a kiss on the lips twice, a time where two people die near the middle of the series, and depression. Because of all those reasons, I would recommend this series to people 13 and up.

Although the hardships are tough, Najika and her friends learn some lessons and also teach them to others, such as when Najika tells everyone in the school that they shouldn’t make fun of someone when they do something weird for an unreasonable reason.

-Megan V., 8th grade

Manga Review: Naruto Introduction Arc, by Masashi Kishimoto

Posted on by
1

naruto2This is the next part of my review about Naruto. (See my previous one here.)

The manga series, Naruto, is a huge story that has many smaller story arc that tell a part of the who story. Introduction Arc is the first story arc of the series. This arc covers the first eight chapters of the manga. The first tankobon volume of the series contains the first seven chapters and the eighth chapter is in the second volume.

As the title suggests, it introduces the main characters in the series as well as some of the supporting characters. The main character which the story revolves around is Naruto Uzumaki and his life which starts in the Ninja Leaf Village or Konohagakure.

Naruto is a 12-year-old, blonde-head boy who is full of energy and mischief and is at the bottom of his class. Then there is Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Both of them are the same age as Naruto but Sakura is a pink-hair girl, that hates Naruto and is crazy about Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, is child genius that is the last of his family and has a goal to gain revenge against a mysterious person. Sasuke has no other goal or ambition beyond that. Kakashi Hatake is the person that becomes the sensei of the three after they graduate from the Ninja Academy. With silver hair, sleepy looking eyes and a habit of being late Kakashi might not seem much but he has plenty of secrets. Then there is Iruka Umino.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are put through a graduation test, by Kakashi, to see if they are worthy of becoming ninjas and his students. They are presented with the task of trying to retrieve two bells from Kakashi’s belt. This is no easy task since Kakashi is one of the most powerful ninja in the Leaf Village. On top of that only the two students who successfully retrieve the bell will graduate but there is a hidden motive beyond what they were told. Will they ever find out?

This personally was and remains one of my favorite arcs because this is the first time the I ever met the characters. I look back after reading the later chapter and realize how much they have grown. This arc has a lot of comedic parts that made me laugh and enough serious parts to balance them out. The art is simple and well-drawn.

This is a great read for anyone who likes adventure and manga. There are some fighting scenes but I would still recommend this to anyone over the age of 8. The only way to learn more about it is to read it! So read it and find out!

-Sarah J., 8th grade

Manga Introduction: Naruto, by Masashi Kishimoto

Posted on by
Reply

naruto_coverThis was my first ever manga I ever read. This is the manga series that got me hooked into the word of manga. Since then I have learned about many more.

Here are a few facts about Naruto:

  • Naruto was first published in September of 1999. It quickly became popular and now remains as one of the top 5 most popular manga in the world.
  • There are over 60 tankobon volumes(Manga books) each containing about 8-10 chapters per book. Each chapter is a full set of about 18-20 pages of black and white drawings.
  • Every week Naruto’s publisher magazine, Weekly Shonen Jump, publishes one chapter of Naruto.
  • Naruto, due to its popularity, has two anime series, both featuring over 200 episodes.

As you can see, Naruto is a rather large and popular manga series. In this manga series, ninjas are the ones who have most power in the land where the series happens. The series mainly focuses on Naruto Uzumaki, who is the main character. There are also many incredible main supporting characters.

-Sarah J., 8th grade