Review: HIGH SCHOOL DXD

There was a time when you couldn't swing a stick without hitting a manga adaptation of a light novel series where some horny doofus and his harem of marketable waifus go to Magic School and have fanservice-laden adventures.

This is...certainly one example of those.

HIGH SCHOOL DXD (Haisukuru Di Di), based on the light novels by Ichiei Ishibumi and character designs by Zero Miyama with art by Hiroji Mishima.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2014.

PLOT:

Issei was your typical horny high school student, hoping to score some girls and touch some boobs instead of hanging out with his even hornier, stupider friends.  It figures that the first girl to give him the time of day turned out to be a fallen angel who killed him.  Now he's been resurrected as a demon, the latest minion of the bombshell popular girl/demon queen Rias.  Issei is now a soldier in a never-ending war between demons and angels, but he's got a secret weapon up his sleeve.

Review: GAKUEN HEAVEN

 It's back-to-school time here at the Manga Test Drive, which in the manga world means attending anything but your ordinary Japanese high school.  That's certainly the case with our first review, a visual novel adaptation about a very special (and very gay) school.

GAKUEN HEAVEN, based on the visual novel by SPRAY with art by You Higuri.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Keita Itou is a lucky boy.  While he seemingly has no outstanding qualities, he has been accepted to the prestigious boys' school Bell Liberty Academy where every boy has a special talent or quality.  Once he gets there, he is welcomed by the very tall, handsome student body (and in particular by the student council president Niwa).  Soon enough Keita is swept up in a school scavenger hunt where the winner is granted whatever they want.  The competition is fierce, especially once a group of boys use this opportunity to get to Niwa by attacking Keita.

Review: TUXEDO GIN

One of the nice things about Old School Manga Month is that it's a good opportunity to bring forgotten favorites and hidden gems back to light.  Today's review is a prime example of both, a series I remember reading and liking even before I began this blog but was seldom mentioned by anyone then and all but forgotten now.

TUXEDO GIN (Takishido Gin), by Tokihiko Matsuura.  First published in 1997 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

When Ginji Kusanagi saw Minako Sasebo, it was love at first sight.  He certainly didn't expect a girl like her to accept a date from a rough-looking kid on the verge of his pro boxing debut like him, but a motorcycle accident kills Ginji the day before that date can take place.  An angel gives him a second chance, but in order to get his body and his life back Ginji must live out a second life as a penguin.

Things don't get easier for the newly dubbed "Gin" as a penguin.  No sooner does he manage to escape his aquarium home than he has to deal with the goons who caused his killer accident, Minako getting kidnapped, and a rich rival who's determined to make Minako his.

Review: GALAXY ANGEL

 It's once again time for Old-School Manga Month!  Although some of you might object to the inclusion of today's title as "old-school" as some of y'all are old enough to remember when the franchise this came from was brand new.  Alas, I cannot stop the passage of time from coming for your bubble-era faves no more than I can stop myself from giving my own hot take on them.

GALAXY ANGEL (Gyarakushi Enjeru), based on the original concept by Broccoli with story and art by Kanan.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Deep in space, an intergalactic civil war rages to determine who will control the Transbaal Empire.  The wicked Prince Eonia has killed everyone else in the royal family save for his youngest brother, Prince Shiva.  The only thing that stands between Shiva and Eonia is the Angel Troupe, five young women with quirky personalities whose duty is to protect the prince...at least, when they're not getting distracted by food or exploring their own massive ship.  Their mission only becomes more chaotic when the space patrolman Takuto gets caught up in their schemes.  Charmed by their mission and good looks, he's determined to help the Angel Troupe bring peace back to the galaxy.

Review: YOWAMUSHI PEDAL

It's once again time for the Summer Olympics, so in turn I'm going to be looking at some sports manga (and in particular those featuring sports you're likely to see at the Olympics), and that includes bike racing.

YOWAMUSHI PEDAL (Yowamushi Pedaru), by Wataru Watanabe.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2015.

PLOT:

Sakamichi Onoda is an otaku who loves nothing more than his regular trips to Akibahara.  It doesn't matter that he lives in the hilly countryside nearly 50km away from the heart of Tokyo - he's happy to bike his way there and back if it lets him save that much more money for another vending machine toy.  Eventually Sakamichi's endurance is noticed by a couple of classmates who are part of the school's biking team.  They eventually convince Sakamichi to give them a chance, but the transition from casual trips to Tokyo on an everyday bike to serious races on sporting models is a rough, even perilous one.