Review: DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO

 It was inevitable that I would have to grapple with the series that gave us the go-to user icon/Favorite Anime Girl of online chuds everywhere.

DON'T TOY WITH ME, MISS NAGATORO (Ijiranaide, Nagatoro-san), by Nanashi.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

It began in the library, when Naoto accidentally dropped the manga he had been drawing in his spare time in front of a bunch of gyarus.  They all mocked it for a bit and then left...except for Hayase Nagatoro.

Despite being a year younger than him, she knows weakness when she sees it.  She needles him for ages, until he's on the verge of tears.  After that, it seems like she goes out of her way every day to tease him as he blushes and freezes.  Is it mere bullying, or something more complicated between them?  Naoto isn't sure, but neither can he quite gather up enough courage to make her stop.

Review: FLYING WITCH

There are many manga that posit what it would be like if magic and witches were real.  This is possibly the most ordinary notion of that idea possible.

FLYING WITCH (Furaingu Witchi), by Chihiro Ishizuka.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

As far as Kei and Chinatsu knew, they were simply hosting their big city cousin Makoto while she went to school with them in rural Aomori.  What they didn't know is that Makoto is a witch in training who has come there to further her magical studies.  So while they help her get her bearings and make some friends, she helps them navigate some of the supernatural things she encounters.

Review: A SCHOOL FROZEN IN TIME

Fittingly enough, we end this month on a distinctly spooky school, which has become the site of a very strange mystery. 

A SCHOOL FROZEN IN TIME (Tsumetai Kosha no Toki wa Tomeru), based on the novels by Mizuki Tsujimura with art by Naoshi Arakawa.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

It was seemingly just another snowy school day for Hiroshi, Mizuki, and their circle of friends.  It takes a while for them to realize that they are trapped in the school with no one else around, no cell phone service, and no way to get out of the building.  Stranger still, all their watches and clocks stop at the same time and mysterious messages start appearing on the chalkboards and coming through their phones.  It all seems to be tied to the suicide of a classmate three months prior, a classmate who has seemingly disappeared from their photos and memories.  In order to rediscover

Review: FROM THE NEW WORLD

In their time, Vertical Comics had a passionate fanbase of readers who considered the company to have better-than-average taste in licenses.  This is one of the few critical duds they ever released. 

FROM THE NEW WORLD (Shin Sekai Yori), based on the light novel series by Yusuke Kishi with art by Toru Oikawa.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2013.

PLOT:

In a Japan far removed from the one we know today, Saki and her six friends are enjoying their time together as they study to enter magic school.  Their friend Reiko struggles the hardest to get in, so much so that her friends secretly start practicing their magic with her after school in defiance of the rules.  She disappears one day, but Saki and pals have no time to linger on this.  They all decide to take a camping trip beyond the school's boundaries, where they discover both changing feelings and dark dangers they had not imagined.

Review: PEEPO CHOO

 I can hardly believe it, but this month marks the tenth anniversary of this humble little review blog.  What started out as a mere hobby blog has turn into...well, it's still mostly a hobby blog, but considering how much the manga blogging scene has changed it's one of the few still left standing.

Regardless, it's an achievement that's worth celebrating as part of our usual Merry Month of Manga.  But what theme could fit such a moment?  That's when the answer came to me: to have no theme at all.

Think of this as "dealer's choice," if you will.  There is no overarching theme to the reviews this month beyond the fact that I want to talk about these books, be they bad, good, or merely mediocre.  So let's kick things off with a manga that also defies a lot of categories.

PEEPO CHOO (Pipo Chu), by Felipe Smith.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

Milton is just another ordinary black kid growing up in Chicago, but he wants nothing more than to go to Japan.  Surely it will be just as wild as his favorite anime, Peepo Choo, and Milton would finally find a place where he could be himself.  In the meantime, all he can do is hang out at the local comic book store with the other weebs while the store clerk Jody calls them dorks and entertains them with lurid (and entirely fake) stories about his sex life.  The two end up on a store-sponsored trip to Japan, unaware to its true purpose.  It turns out the store's owner is in truth a hulking assassin whose latest target is Morimoto, a yakuza lackey who has styled himself as an American gangsta.  Along with tough-as-nails gravure model Reiko, their stories are about to collide in the most chaotic way possible.

Review: BLACK JACK

Once again it's Old School Month, and I can't believe it's taken me this far into the pandemic to talk about this particular series. 

BLACK JACK (Burakku Jakku), by Osamu Tezuka.  First published in 1973 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Black Jack is a man of mystery.  No one knows his real name, but everyone knows of his talent.  There are many stories about him, but there are a few things that everyone can agree upon.  He is said to be a doctor of peerless skill.  He can and will operate on those who have no other options available to them, but will do so at an astronomical cost.  He is said to be able save anyone or anything, no matter how dire their condition may be, and sometimes he is even able to use his hands to right some of the wrongs of the world.

Review: VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR

A romance set against the backdrop of space sounds epic, but stories like this prove that it can be intimate and longing as well.

VOICES OF A DISTANT STAR (Hoshi no Koe), based on the film by Makoto Shinkai with art by Mizu Sahara.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Mikako and Noburo are middle-school sweethearts whose budding relationship is interrupted when Mikako is chosen to join a special space exploration force.  Her job will be to pursue a group of aliens on a chase through the solar system and beyond.  Now the two are literally separated by time and space; the further Mikako gets away from Earth, the longer it takes her messages to reach Noburo.  As time on Earth passes, Noburo has to come to terms with what Mikako means to him and how to move on in a world without her.

Holiday Reviews: BLOOD ON THE TRACKS

If you wanted something just as serious as My Broken Mariko but far more chilling, then 2020 delivered just that with Vertical's release of Shuzo Oshimi's latest manga.

BLOOD ON THE TRACKS (Chi no Wadachi), by Shuzo Oshimi.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2020.

PLOT:

Seiichi is in many ways your average pre-teen boy.  He hangs out with his friends at school, roughhouses with his cousin, and tries to navigate his crush on a pretty classmate.  Yet his mother, Seiko, dotes on him like he's still a little boy.  Even his relatives have noticed how overprotective she is to him, and Seiichi isn't sure just how to feel at this point.  He certainly could have never anticipated the terrible act his mother would commit while on a family camping trip....

Holiday Review: GO WITH THE CLOUDS, NORTH-BY-NORTHWEST

Emanon wasn't the only series this year to focus on slightly mystical journeys.  Vertical brought us another one from the creator of one of my guilty pleasures, Ran and the Grey World.

GO WITH THE CLOUDS, NORTH-BY-NORTHWEST (Hokuhokusei ne Kumo to Ike), by Aki Irie.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

Kei Miyama is a seventeen-year-old Japanese boy with the magical ability to understand machines with just a touch.  He uses this skill to help solve cases of missing items and lost people in the countryside of Iceland alongside his lusty French grandfather, his latest squeeze, and her ethereal niece Lilja.  Now Kei faces his toughest case yet: to find his missing younger brother Michitaka.

Holiday Review: BAKEMONOGATARI

As far as shonen manga this year, it was mostly dominated by the usual Weekly Shonen Jump suspects, but there were some surprises this year, such as this.

BAKEMONOGATARI, based on the light novel by Nisioisin & art by Oh!Great.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

It all started with an accident on the stairs.  That's how Koyomi Araragi discovered that his distant, haughty classmate Hitagi Senjougahara weighed virtually nothing.  It seems that a strange, supernatural force took her weight in exchange for a dark secret from her past, and Araragi is determined to take her to the one person who might be able to help her.

Review: WITCHCRAFT WORKS

Now that it's October, it's time to take a look at some spooky manga.  What could truly be more spooky than the topic of today's manga: RELATIONSHIPS!

Oh, and witches I guess.

WITCHCRAFT WORKS (Witchikurafuto Wakusu), by Ryu Mizunagi.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Honoka Takamiya is your standard issue ordinary high school boy, albeit one who always seems to end up at the fringes of the crowds that seem to constantly surround the strapping, silent class idol Ayaka Kagari.  The two begin to connect when a strange new girl attacks them both, forcing Ayaka to reveal herself as a fire-wielding witch.  Ayaka declares Honoka to be her 'princess,' possessing great power that rebellious witches will do anything to possess.  Ayaka is determined to protect him no matter what, teaching him the ways of magic and the world of witches.

Review: BLAME!

It's a little late - I'm going to blame this on a holiday meant for rest from labor, but I want to save this last spot for an incredible old-school work like this.

BLAME! (Buramu!), by Tsutomu Nihei.  First published in 1998 and first published in 2005.

PLOT:

Killy is a lone man wandering endless levels of destruction, the remnants of some unknown superstructure.  There are rumors of survivors in the levels above, but from where Killy stands all he can see are mutants, killer robots, and a few scattered groups of humans struggling to survive.  All of these parties may be part of a larger conflict with a body known as The Authority, but Killy isn't interested in that.  All he knows is that he needs to find the Net Terminal genes - those from a time before the mutations started - and that he must continue to climb upward if he is to survive.

Holiday Review: POP TEAM EPIC

Let's wrap things up with the most gentle, good-hearted manga to come out in 2018, a story of love, stardom, and magic...

Holiday Review: THE DELINQUENT HOUSEWIFE

There's actually a fair bit of josei manga to talk about this year, and one of my favorites was this little sleeper of a title from Vertical.

THE DELINQUENT HOUSEWIFE (Futsusuka na Yome desu ga!), by Nemu Yoko.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

As far as Dai Komukai is concerned, his brother's fiancee Komugi seems fine enough.  His sister may be suspicious and his grandfather may be kind of pervy about her, but she seems sweet enough.  Then he discovers her big secret: Komugi is a former biker gang member with no job and no talent for being a housewife.  Her fiancee is gone on an extended business trip, and Komugi is desperate to fit in with the family and keep her secret.  Dai agrees to help, but how long can the both of them keep up appearances?

Review: GTO: THE EARLY YEARS

With another summer full of blockbusters upon us, it's time to do what they do best and look at some manga sequels, prequels, and sequels.  We'll start with a series that was sold as a prequel to a popular series, but in reality it's more like the popular series is a sequel to it.

GTO: THE EARLY YEARS - SHONAN JUNAI GUMI, by Tohru Fujisawa.  First published in 1990 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Eikichi and Ryuji are two of the baddest high-school hooligans in Hanagawa prefecture.  Together they are Oni-Baki, a yankii duo infamous for their ability to beat down any and all comers.  They're also a pair of doofy high-schoolers looking to lose their virginities and are willing to do ANYTHING to make it happen.  Their latest efforts to pop their cherries at a summer resort nearly work...until they discover that their dates are also their homeroom teachers.  Meanwhile, things get more complicated when a couple of girls set their eyes on the boys first out of revenge, then out of admiration.

Merry Month of Manga Review: TROPIC OF THE SEA

The Manga Test Drive has reached its sixth birthday!  As usual, that means a full month of manga reviews.  This year, I'm making it a month of one-volume wonders, single-volume stories that are divine, diabolical, and all points in between.  We begin with a stand-alone story from a man who was not hugely successful as a mangaka but would later become one of the anime world's greatest directors.

TROPIC OF THE SEA (Kaikasen), by Satoshi Kon.  First published in 1990 and first published in 2013.

PLOT:

Yosuke's family has been running the shrine in their sleepy little fishing town for centuries.  It is said that the shrine contains a mermaid's egg which must be returned to the sea every sixty years to ensure calm seas and bountiful fishing.  The harmony of the town is disturbed when a developer wants to turn it into a bustling modern seaside resort.  It'll take all the help Yosuke can get from his friends, family, and other locals if he's going to be able to save the egg and his hometown from exploitation and destruction.

Holiday Review: DISSOLVING CLASSROOM

There was a small but strong line up of horror manga to come out this year, kicked off with a collection by one of the genre's masters.

DISSOLVING CLASSROOM (Yokai Kyoushitsu), by Junji Ito.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Across Japan, a strange phenomenon is happening.  People are having their brains melted out of their very heads.  Sometimes their entire bodies disappear into a puddle of goo, leaving nothing but a stain.  Others have their faces warped into hideous visages, all while telling themselves that they are unparalleled beauties.  All of these strange occurences seemed to be tied to two people: Chizumi Azawa, a creepy girl with a fondness for brains, and her big brother Yuuma who can't stop apologizing for everything.

Review: MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING: THE GLORY OF LOSERS

It seems like no matter how many of these I do, I keep coming back to Gundam Wing.  This one is the most recent attempt yet, having debuted this year in English.  Can this version improve upon its precedesors?  Can it possibly make Gundam Wing's story any more coherent?

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING ENDLESS WALTZ: GLORY OF THE LOSERS (Shin Kido Senki Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz: Haisha-tachi no Eiko), written by Katsuyuki Sumizawa, art by Tomofumi Ogasawara, and based on the franchise by Hajime Yatate and Yoshiyuki Tomino.  First published in 2010 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

In the year After Colony 195, the United Earth Sphere Alliance is at war with the space colonies orbiting Earth.  To save themselves and fight back against the Alliance, a group of scientists send down five young pilots in powerful mobile suits to strike fear into the forces of OZ.  As we follow the charismatic pilot Duo Maxwell, he learns that not only is he not the only Gundam pilot on earth but that their mission will force them to confront some of OZ's most skilled and dangerous pilots.

Merry Month of Manga Review: ANDROMEDA STORIES

Well, at long last we reach the end of the month.  After all of these books, I want to end things on a high note.  As such, I decided to go back to the early days of shoujo itself for something special.

ANDROMEDA STORIES (Andoromeda Sutorizu), written by Ryu Mitsuse and art by Keiko Takemiya.  First published in 1980 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

Deep within the Andromeda Galaxy on the planet of Astralis, the people are celebrating the marriage of Princess Lilia of Ayodoyo and Prince Ithaca of Cosmoralia.  All seems joyous on their world until a bright star appears in an unfavorable position that soon falls upon Astralis and brings doom upon the royal house.  In the midst of this disaster, another ill omen occurs: the queen gives birth to twin boys.  The queen's nurse spirits one of the children away to be cared for by a gruff gladiator, unaware that this child may just be in fact the savior of prophecy who will save Astralis.

Review: FUKUFUKU: KITTEN TALES

Well, it's time to start wrapping things up with something warm and fuzzy.  Naturally, what else could be warmer and fuzzier than a manga about a kitten?

FUKUFUKU: KITTEN TALES (FukuFuku Funyan Koneko da Nyan), by Konami Konata.  First published in 2013 and first published in North America in 2016.

PLOT:

FukuFuku is a mischievous kitten.  His attempts at play delight and charm his elderly owner as well the other cats in his neighborhood.