Review: I"S

Shonen romance can in some ways be some of the most timeless manga, but that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be any good.

 I"S (Aizu), by Masakazu Katsura.  First published in 1997 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

Ichitaka can seemingly do nothing but pine endlessly for Iori.  Too bad that she is way out of his league.  Not only is she one of the prettiest and most popular girls in the class, but she's also an up-and-coming model and actress and Ichitaka doesn't want to be yet another creep hovering around her.  He finally gets a chance when the two are thrown together on a project for the school festival, but a childhood friend who turned into a beauty in the meantime threatens to complicate Ichitaka's feelings.

Review: LONE WOLF AND CUB

It's time once again for Old School Month, and not even a disastrous windstorm can keep us away forever!  Let's kick things off with one of the first manga to find an audience in the US, all the way back in the 1980s.

LONE WOLF AND CUB (Kozure Okami), written by Kazuo Koike & art by Goseki Kojima.  First published in 1970 and first published in North America in 1987.

PLOT:

Ogami Itto was once the executioner for the shogun until his family was betrayed and his wife was murdered.  Instead of accepting death, he instead choses to fight back.  With his son by his side, he becomes a wandering samurai, taking the jobs that no one else wants so that both he and his clients can get their bloody vengence.