Merry Month of Manga Review: ONCE UPON A GLASHMA

Sadly, they can't all be winners.  Today's review is a perfect example of that: one that takes a premise rich with potential and mostly whiffs it until the end.

ONCE UPON A GLASHMA (Hajimari no Glashma), by Kumiko Suekane.  First published in 2006 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

One day, the women of the world disappeared and a few select men began to develop magical powers.  It's the duty of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication to take a census of the known wizards of the world.  Thus, it's up to investigators like Nippori and his eyepatch-wearing, bat-wielding Sempai to go out and confront unregistered wizards and keep their powers under control.  During the course of their work, Nippori discovers that Sempai knows more than he lets on about what caused all the women to disappear, and it's a secret that threatens to destroy what's left of the world...

Merry Month of Manga Review: MR. MINI MART

It was inevitable that I would cover some BL manga this month, so if I must then I want to talk about ones worth talking about like today's example.

MR. MINI MART (Konbini-kun), by Junko.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Thanks to years of bullying, Nakaba has spent most of his teen years as a recluse.  As a way to try to bring him out of his shell, his family gets him a job as a clerk at a local convienence store.  The only problem is Yanai, another clerk with a rough face and an even rougher tongue who rubs Nakaba the wrong way.  When the two start to bond over a stray cat, they learn that their feelings may run deeper than mere friendship...

Merry Month of Manga Review: ANGEL'S COFFIN

Once again, we return to the works of You Higuri, a mangaka with a love of history and an even greater love of turning real historical events into shoujo-tinged nonsense.

ANGEL'S COFFIN (Tenshi no Hutsugi - Ave Maria), by You Higuri.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Marie is a minor noblewoman in the dying days of the Austro-Hungarian empire.  She has a massive crush on the crown prince Rudolf, but she doesn't dare get close enough to him to make her feelings known.  Then she accidentally summons a demon named Seto who promises he can make Marie's wish come true.  As Marie grows closer to Rudolf, Seto finds himself falling for her in spite of her cursed destiny.  Will he come to terms with his feelings or are he, Marie, and the world doomed to burn together?

Merry Month of Manga Review: HIMEYUKI & ROZIONE'S STORY

Yen Press is not a company known for putting out short-story anthologies.  Part of me wonders if the reason they do so is because of the lackluster performance of books like this.

HIMEYUKA & ROZIONE'S STORY (Natsukashi Machi no Rozione), by Sumomo Yumeka.  First published in 2005 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

Himeyuka was looking forward to living on her own until a weird little boy named Rozione shows up and makes her life a pain...at least, until she learns of his connection to her own past. Ayano is the heir to a Yakuza clan who hopes to distract herself from her arranged marriage by flirting with the cute boy at the local ramen stand.  Shalala is a hapless half-witch hoping to increase her magic with the tears of a human boy, but things become complicated when she starts to fall for him.  Finally, in a world where humanity only exists as the clones of a select few, two robot protectors come to terms with their own sense of humanity.

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.