Bakugan Battle Brawlers vol. 3
Adaptation: Elizabeth Hurchalla
Letterer: Tomas Montalvo-Lagos
Publisher: Del Rey

Years ago before anime made such a huge impact in America, Viz released a set of ani-manga books called Dirty Pair. Now the Dirty Pair OAVs were only available in Japan or via horrible bootleg copies so these books were a blessing. Fast forward 17 years later and ani-manga is still coming out here. I have seen many Inu-Yasha and Naruto, but I had no clue that there were so many available. In case you don’t know, ani-manga is a manga that takes its panels from the actual show by using stills. Then someone goes in and letters those pictures. Anyway, Bakugan to me seems like the Pokémon formula that has been recycled over and over. However, this book seems to be a little more than just capturing a new monster and keep trying to catch them all eventually. This book introduces Masquerade and his Bakugan Rikimaru and its up to Dan Kuso and Drago to put a stop this new menace. With images taken from the Nelvana production, Battle Brawlers is a great introduction to the world of Bakugan. The images are well chosen, and the resulting book is easy to follow and understand. I can see why kids get into this series and to be perfectly honest part of me really got into the monster battle. C

Fairy Tail vol.8
Story & Art: Hiro Mashima
Translations: William Flanagan
Lettering: North Market Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey

I remember reading the first three volumes of Fairy Tail back to back when they first launched in America. I was already a huge fan of Rave Master so I didn’t have to get my arms twisted to read this book. The first thing that pops up about his artwork is that is looking more and more like Eiichiro Oda and this is not a bad thing. Of course their artwork could look alike because they shared the same studio at one time. Celestial wizard Lucy has always wanted to be in the wizard guild Fairy Tail, and she thinks she’s got an in when she teams up with Natsu, and his bobble-headed cat Happy, Erza, and Gray! While the art work is great, I have to say that the fight scenes are getting dull and repetitive. At times the angles and the way the characters are drawn make the fighting really hard to follow. Nothing is really standing out now, except for Ezra’s armor and weapon ability. What I do like about the book is the fast paced straightforward story. It is definitely filled with comic relief, mostly of the belly-laugh variety, lots of strange antics, and fun dialogue. Add in lots of mass mayhem when the wizards start brawling and it still a good read. B+

Mikansei NO. 1 vol.1
Story & Art: Majiko
Translation: Ray Yoshimoto
Adaptation: Hope Donovan
Publisher: Tokyopop

I’m assuming that when it states that this book is from the artist of Code Geass it means the manga, not the anime. Anyway, Mikansei has an interesting twist on time travel (no, not interesting like Time Crimes). For some reason Neo Takigawa wants to travel to the 21st century from the 23rd to be a pop star of all things. Somehow, because I’m still not sure how, she finds a bottle with weird mist inside and once it cracks open she appears in the year 200X. As soon as she appears in 200X she starts singing a duo with Saya Kudou and the two must get along if they are to make their dreams of becoming a pop sensation come true. Of course it’s not going to be easy when Neo gets on Sayaya’s nerves and she gets put in trashcans because the competition is rough. I can’t describe how fast this book moved. This book was made for people with ADD, because there is no time for anything. In one page Neo is the 23rd century and two pages later she is singing with Saya and for some reason no one wonders where she popped out of. It got aggravating to follow at times, but it took no time to read. I have to say that the art is the best thing about the book. It’s an appealing style that gives certain cuteness to the characters. The sequential art is easy to follow, but it really doesn’t help the story that seems to be everywhere. C

Papillon vol. 4
Story & Art: Miwa Ueda
Translation: Elina Ishikawa
Lettering: North Market Street Graphics
Publisher: Del Rey

Before you read this review I want you to know that unlike Omar, I am not biased at all when it comes to judging people based on their previous work lol. Just messin with ya! Anyway, I love and I really need to stress how much I loveeeee Peach Girl. It was a manga that seemed to me ahead of its time and the artwork was unique back then. I had never heard of Papillon so I decided to play catch up and read the first three books last week. It’s about a girl named Ageha trying to steal the guy she likes from her twin sister Hana. Hana seems to be the pretty and popular one of the twins. It’s amazing how much just happens in four volumes because now Ageha is confident and dating her guidance counselor Kyu, who is all about positive thinking. Now Hana wants to get Kyu’s attention. The characters in the book are very likable and the heroine is easy to relate to if you’re a shy or mousy person who wants to stand out, or if you’ve ever been in love with someone from a distance. Ageha’s attitude and confidence changes dramatically through a smooth transaction which takes place in the previous three volumes, so it feels like we are growing with her. Although it moves kinda slowly and nothing big happens, the characters deliver it well and Ueda’s artwork skillfully captures the expressions of love and heartache. The only bad thing about this book is that it seems to share the same formula that Peach Girl had with all the twist and surprises. I really hope they don’t keep doing that in this book, because it got old in Peach Girl. Overall I’m hooked on the series and can’t wait to find out what happens with all the characters specially Ryusei. Check it out if you love all that teen drama we’ve all been through. A