Review: ALICE THE 101ST

Of course, there are plenty of shojo titles about schools (and music schools in particular), but few of them are as messy as this one.

ALICE THE 101ST (101 Hitome no Alice), by Chigusa Kawai.  First published in 2007 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

There is no academy that can compare with the Mondonville School of Music.  Only the most talented kids are admitted, and only 100 students are admitted each year.  That's why everyone is surprised when there's an extra boy on this year's list by the name of Aristide Lang.

Aristide (nicknamed "Alice") comes from a long line of violinists, and while he's got an incredible ear for music he struggles with actually playing and the formality of the school's curriculum and students.  This combined with his short stature and pretty face makes him a target for bullies like Richard de Diamant, the wealthy second chair violinist who sees his place in the school as his birthright.  He doesn't understand why his late grandfather insisted that he come to this school, but Aristide is willing to work hard, make friends, hone his skills, and prove his worth.

Review: NEGIMA! MAGISTER NEGI MAGI

 It's back to school time here at The Manga Test Drive!  God knows there were plenty of magic school harem manga to pick from in the 2000s, and while today's title is not strictly a magical school title it did involve both schools and magic and was one of the most popular examples of its kind.

NEGIMA! MAGISTER NEGI MAGI (Maho Sensei Negima!), by Ken Akamatsu.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2004.

 

PLOT:

Negi Springfield is a magical genius, a boy who managed to graduate from the magic academy at the tender age of 10.  Curiously, his first assignment after graduation is to become an English teacher at Mahora Academy, a non-magical, all-girl's school in Japan.  He's got his work cut out for him, considering that he has to keep over 30 rowdy girls in check, share a room with the hot-tempered Asuna, and keep her from blabbing to everyone that he has magic powers.  

Review: ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT GIRL NUKU NUKU

This is a manga release I suspect most of you didn't even know existed.  As we'll see, maybe there's a good reason for that.

ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT GIRL NUKU NUKU (Banno Bunka Nekomusume), by Yuzo Takada and Yuji Moriyama.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Late one Christmas Eve, young Ryunosuke and his scientist father Kyusaku discover an injured cat.  Ryunosuke begs his father to save the cat, which Kyusaku does by implanting its brain into a prototype android body.  Now she is Nuku Nuku, a teen girl with the strength of a robot and the instincts of a cat.  All she wants to do is please her newfound family, even if it means dealing with school trips, alien cats, and Kyusaku's ex-wife.

Review: THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SARAH

It's time for yet another Old School Month here at the Manga Test Drive, and we're digging deep into the Dark Horse library to dig up a forgotten story from one of manga's most legendary creators.

THE LEGEND OF MOTHER SARAH (Sara), by Katsuhiro Otomo with art by Takumi Nagayasu.  First published in 1990 and first published in North America in 1996.

PLOT:

In the future, nuclear devastation has driven humanity to space stations in low orbit.  A civil war broke out between those who wanted to stay in space and those who wanted to use an experimental bomb to reboot Earth's ecosystem and were unafraid to bomb those space stations to prove their point.

Only a small portion of humanity made it back to Earth, struggling to survive in this post-apocalyptic world.  One of those survivors is Sarah, who wanders the world in the hopes of finding the children she lost during the evacuation.  In the process, she finds herself in a mining town ruled by a tyrant.  There, water is just as precious as gold and there are plenty who would fight to control them both.

Review: FRUITS BASKET ANOTHER

Let's wrap things up with the modern sequel to one of shojo manga's most beloved series.

FRUITS BASKET ANOTHER (Furutsu Basuketto Anaza), by Natsuki Takaya.  First published in 2015 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Sawa can't seem to do anything right.  Everyone seems to be judging her: her teachers, her classmates, her mother, her landlord.  Her anxiety is so bad that she can barely function.  That's when Mutsumi Sohma, the handsome school council president, extends his hand in kindness to her (while also securing her a spot on the student council).  Bit by bit, Sawa's world begins to open up alongside Mutsumi, his reticent cousin Hajime, and Hajime's perky twin sister Sora.