Review: THE APOTHECARY DIARIES

 As this 10th edition of the Merry Month of Manga comes to an end, it's time to cover one last oversight.  This has been one of my favorites for the last two years.  If not for the fact that its first volume came out so late in the year, it absolutely would have been in my 2020 Holiday Reviews.  Now it's time to finally give it its due.

THE APOTHECARY DIARIES (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto), based on the light novel series by Natsu Hyuga and character designs by Touko Shino, with story by Itsuki Nanao and art by Nekokurage.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2020.

PLOT:

Maomao didn't ask to be kidnapped and sold to the imperial palace as a servant, but it happened anyway.  She hoped to just work off her two-year contract and return to her father's apothecary in the pleasure district.  Unfortunately her curious nature and knowledge of herbs and medicine lead to her getting elevated to food taster for one of the imperial consorts.  Now when she's not fending off the attention of the handsome court eunuch Jinshi, she's dealing with all sorts of potentially deadly palace intrigue.

Review: DI GI CHARAT: DEJIKO'S ADVENTURE

Broccoli was a short-lived anime and manga publisher in the US, but during their short time they did their best to promote their most profitable, recognizable mascot with manga like this.

DI GI CHARAT: DEJIKO'S ADVENTURE (Dejiko Ado Be n-Cha), by Yuki Kiriga, based on the characters by Koge-Donbo.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

Di Gi Charat is the cute cat-eared mascot for the Gamers! store chain.  Alongside her friends Rabi-en-Rose, Puchiko, Gema, and the store manager, Di Gi Charat tries to rebuild the store they accidentally destroyed.  To do this, they have to raise money by doing any kind of job available, be it working in a bakery, exorcising demons, or entering a beauty contest.  Along the way, they enjoy summer vacation, re-enact Journey To the West, engage in a little high-seas piracy, and a lot more.

Review: X-KAI

It's never a good sign when a manga reminds me of one of the worst anime I have ever watched.

X-KAI, by Asami Tohjoh.  First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Kaito is a florist by day and an assassin by night.  He's able to infiltrate everything from hospitals to Yakuza hideouts in order to complete his missions, using only his wits, his power of observation, and his vast knowledge of plants.  He doles out justice for those who need it most, but is Kaito ready when his job leads him to a lost child and repressed memories from his own tortured past?

Review: THE GORGEOUS LIFE OF STRAWBERRY-CHAN

No mangaka is perfect.  At some point they will produce a less than great work, and it's worse when they work in comedy manga.

THE GORGEOUS LIFE OF STRAWBERRY-CHAN (Strawberry-chan no Karei na Seikatsu), by Ai Morinaga.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Strawberry-Chan is a pet frog belonging to the callous high-school student Akiyoshi.  Strawberry loves his master desperately, but Akiyoshi only loves torturing and smacking Strawberry around for his own amusement.  In contrast, Akiyoshi's roommate Masayuki has a fanatical crush on the frog, while the freshman girl Kaoru has her own desperate, masochistic obsession with Akiyoshi.  Life is so hard for a little frog when they have to face boys in frog suits, mad scientists, soul transfers, and the ever-present threat of Akiyoshi blowing him up like a balloon via a straw up his butt.

Review: THE LIFE-CHANGING MANGA OF TIDYING UP

A month like this gives me room to talk about manga that don't really fit any theme, which itself is fitting for a manga that's all about finding room for things.

THE LIFE-CHANGING MANGA OF TIDYING UP: A MAGICAL STORY (Manga de Yomu Jinsei ga Tokimeku Katazuke no Maho), written by Marie Kondo with art by Yuko Uramoto.  First published in 2017 and first published in North America in 2017.

PLOT:

Chiaki is a single businesswoman who is struggling with a lot of things, including her incredibly cluttered, messy apartment.  On a chance, she discovers Marie Kondo through an online search and signs up for a tidying consultation.  Soon after the real Marie Kondo shows up at her door, ready to help Chiaki reorganize her stuff and rediscover the things that truly bring her joy.

Review: ST. DRAGON GIRL

The older I get, the more I struggle with shojo manga.  It's hard to maintain one's enthusiasm when faced with so many titles like this.

ST. DRAGON GIRL (Kiyoshi Seinto Doragon Gaaru), by Natsumi Matsumoto.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Momoka is a spirited (if somewhat hapless) young martial artist.  At her side is Ryuga, a master of magic and Momoka's childhood best friend.  When a mutual friend of theirs is threatened by a dragon king, Ryuga summons a dragon god that ends up getting sealed into Momoka.  Her newfound power makes Momoka an attractive prospect for malicious spirits and humans alike, but Momoka's greatest challenge might be overcoming her reluctance to telling Ryuga how much she truly loves him.

Review: SEVEN OF SEVEN

There are certain people in Japanese media who are just as adept with anime as they are with manga.

Today's review is not an example of that.

SEVEN OF SEVEN (Shichinin no Nana), written by Yasuhiro Imagawa with art by Azusa Kunihiro.  First published in 2001 and first published in North America in 2003.

PLOT:

Nana Suzuki is a shy teenage girl who wants nothing more than to be with her crush Yuichi.  She wants this so much that she makes a wish for it at night on a weird crystal she got from her father.  Little does she know that this crystal is indeed magic and it splits her into seven different versions of Nana with seven different personalities.  Now it's up to the original Nana to keep her splinter selves in line before they ruin her grades, her crush, and her life.

Review: BAMBI AND HER PINK GUN

 When it wasn't churning out one mediocre BL manga after the next, manga boom-era DMP would sometimes go out on a limb and license something crazy like this.

BAMBI AND HER PINK GUN (Banbi), by Atsushi Kaneko. First published in 1998 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

A mysterious email was sent out to every assassin, hitman, and petty crook in the era.  There was a little boy stolen by a woman with a pink gun known as Bambi.  The reward for him is 500 million dollars, so long as he remains unharmed.  

Of course, to get to him they have to get past Bambi.  That's no easy feat, as she has no respect for others and no reservations about shooting anyone who gets in her way.  Her motives are as mysterious as her background.  She doesn't even seem to be all that fond of the kid.  All that is certain is that she's going to get him to the old men she keeps talking about, one way or another.

Review: GENJU NO SEIZA

Sadly this is the last remaining title from Matsuri Akino to talk about here, so let's make this review a good one.

GENJU NO SEIZA, by Matsuri Akino.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2006.

PLOT:

Fuuto Kamashina has spent his live wandering from city to city with his mother, never staying anywhere long enough to make a friend.  Then one day a massive bird-man named Garuda appears to him, declaring him to be a king.  More specifically, Fuuto is the true reincarnation of the king of Dhalashar, a faraway kingdom currently ruled by a pretender to the throne.  Fuuto tries his hardest to deny his destiny, despite the fact that he's manifesting new powers and memories and seems to be the only person who can see Garuda's true form, but he can't run forever when other mystical creatures start attacking him in the name of the false king.

Review: PARADISE RESIDENCE

It's always hard for a mangaka known for one long-running series to branch out and try something new.  This series is certainly proof of that.

PARADISE RESIDENCE (Paradaisu Rejidensu), by Kousuke Fujishima.  First published in 2008 and first published in North America in 2016.

PLOT:

At the all-girl Kikka Institute, there is an old-fashioned dormitory building.  It's there that Hatsune Takanashi lives, a vivacious tomboy who lives for food and sleep.  This series follows her everyday adventures alongside her long-suffering roommate Suzuka, the elementary-aged dorm mother Misawa, the scantily-dressed foreign exchange student Stephanie, and more.

Review: CHIKYU MISAKI

During the manga boom of the 2000s, it seems that publishers would put out anything.  We got a lot of garbage titles out of it, but we also occasionally got a diamond in the rough like today's title.

CHIKYU MISAKI, by Yuji Iwahara.  First published in 2000 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

After the death of her grandfather, Misaki Makishima finds her the new owner of a huge old house on the shores of Hohoro Lake.  Just as she starts to get used to small town life, she discovers that the rumors of a lake monster are true.  Not only that, but the monster is tiny, adorable, and turns into a little boy with a kiss.  Now Misaki and her friends have to find a way to protect this creature, since he's now the only thing standing between a thief and the suitcases of gold he lost in the lake after a plane crash.

Review: BTOOOM!

Remember the old days, when getting sucked into a video game was all the rage in video games?  This manga certainly does.

BTOOOM!, by Junya Inoue.  First published in 2009 and first published in North America in 2013.

PLOT:

Ryouta Sakamoto has big dreams.  Sure, he might be unemployed right now, but surely his prowess at online games and occasional gig as a beta tester will lead him to the career of his dreams!   His skills are put to the ultimate test when he wakes up one day in a real-world version of his favorite game.  Ryouta is now stranded on a strange island with a light implanted in his hand and a handful of supplies, and his only imperative is to survive.

Review: MY ANDROGYNOUS BOYFRIEND

The constant cry of the modern josei manga fan is "where's all the new josei titles?"  They are out there, but like today's review a lot of them tend to fly under the radar.

MY ANDROGYNOUS BOYFRIEND (Genderless Danshi ni Aisareteimasu), by Tamekou.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2020.

PLOT:

Wako is a hard-working editor at a publishing company.  Her long-time boyfriend Meguru is increasingly demand as an influencer and model thanks to his colorful, androgynous style.  Together the two endure a lot of the challenges of living together, working long hours, and people making assumptions about their orientations.

Review: MUSASHI #9

We could always use more action-oriented heroines in shojo manga...maybe just not like this particular one.

MUSASHI #9 (Kyuban no Musashi), by Miyuki Takahashi.  First published in 1996 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

There is a secret organization known as Ultimate Blue that dedicated to preserving world peace.  They are a force of only nine members, but each member is like an army onto themselves.   Their most notorious agent is #9, nicknamed Musashi.  No matter whether she is saving kidnapped teens from terrorists, Russian refugees from Middle Eastern conspirators, or the President of Russia himself, Musashi can save the day and slip back into the crowd, leaving nothing but admiration and rumors in her wake.

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: STRAVAGANZA

Good news!  I found a fantasy manga to review this month that isn't an isekai light novel adaptation!  The bad news?  Well...

STRAVAGANZA (Sutoravugantsu: Isai no hime), by Akihito Tomo.  First published in 2012 and first published in North America in 2019.

PLOT:

The young and beautiful Queen Vivian rules over the tiny, peaceful realm of Miteria from behind her majestic iron helmet...that is, when she's not sneaking out of the castle, posing as the commoner "Claria," and getting into all sorts of trouble.  Her youthful hijinks come to an end when her kingdom is invaded by the umbra, a race of monstrous, murderous apes.  Vivian now must lead the survivors to a nearby kingdom of giants in the hopes that they can find shelter and the assistance she needs to reclaim her land.

Review: GIANT SPIDER & ME: A POST-APOCALYPTIC TALE

 Never has a post-apocalyptic story been so fluffy.

GIANT SPIDER & ME: A POST-APOCALYPTIC TALE (Owari Nochi, Asanagi Kurashi), by Kikori Morino.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Not far from the ruins of a city lives 12-year-old Nagi.  For the last few years, she's been waiting for her wandering father to return.  She passes her days by gathering food and cooking, but she longs for company.  She just so happens to discover a giant spider in the woods one day with a gentle (if skittish) nature and a taste for home-cooked food.  She takes it in, names it Asa, and enjoy happy times until a strange visitor shows up at Nagi's door.

Review: SHORT SUNZEN

The Tokyopop library is riddled with manga like this - no-name titles with a few interesting ideas that were unceremoniously dropped because no one bought them.

SHORT SUNZEN! (Shoto Sunzen!), by Susugi Sakurai.  First published in 1999 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

Tama High is notorious as one of the roughest high schools in the area, and few of its students are as rough-and-tumble as Satsuki.  Even though she's only a first year, she's more than ready to take on any challenge and find fun wherever she can.  At her side is her best friend Sendou, who is absolutely smitten with Satsuki.  How can he find the nerve to tell her how he feels when Satsuki won't stop getting into trouble and is seemingly oblivious to every romantic overture?

Review: AWKWARD SILENCE

No mangaka, however great they may be, can churn out hits forever.  Sometimes they're going to miss, or in the case make something that is decidedly mediocre.

AWKWARD SILENCE (Bukiyou na Silent), by Hinako Takanaga.  First published in 2006 and first published in North America in 2012.

PLOT:

Satoru is not just you usual introverted teen.  He's so shy and stone-faced that he's all but incapable of physically demonstrating his emotions.  That makes it terribly hard for him to communicate just how badly he's crushing on the class baseball star Keigo.  Amazingly, Keigo is able to see through Satoru's extreme shyness and confesses his own affections for Satoru.  Everything seems to be hunky-dory for them...if not for the bouts of jealousy they feel when a bubbly new girl and one of Satoru's old friends join their class.

Review: RUMIC THEATER

Finally, a Rumiko Takahashi manga with all the quality of her best-known works but doesn't require committing an entire shelf to it!

RUMIC THEATER (Takahashi Rumiko Gekijo), by Rumiko Takahashi.  First published in 1987 and first published in North America in 1996.

PLOT:

This collection of short stories covers everything from a struggling wedding chapel to an old woman coming back from the dead to right some wrongs.  Along the way, there are women dealing with suspicious neighbors, troublesome penguins, and unwanted household gremlins.

Review: ARIA

 Oh god, I'm totally going to get cancelled for not liking this iyashikei classic.

ARIA, by Kozue Amano.  First published in 2002 and first published in North America in 2004.

PLOT:

It is the 24th century and Mars has been transformed into a watery paradise.  Its prime attraction is Neo-Venezia, where the undines guide their gondolas through the canals to ferry people across the city.  We follow the newest trainee, Akari Mizunashi, as she meets new people, enjoys the everyday pleasures of life, and grows ever closer to becoming a full-fledged undine.

Review: QWASER OF STIGMATA

You have to try really hard to make an ecchi manga that stands out, particularly if you were making one in the time before monster girls.  This one...well, it certainly tried.

QWASER OF STIGMATA (Seikon no Qwaser), written by Hiroyuki Yoshino with art by Kenetsu Sato.  First published in 2006 and first published in North America in 2010.

PLOT:

Tomo and Mayuri are two sisters who are left adrift after their uncle/guardian disappears.  Their home is converted into a school dormitory shortly thereafter and the new dean's daughter has made it her mission to make the girls miserable.  Mayuri gently accept their fate with the hope that someday things might get better, but Tomo is picking for a fight.  They soon find an ally in the form of a strange Russian exchange student on the hunt for a legendary Orthodox icon hidden somewhere in the school.  He and Tomo must somehow find a way to get along if they are to find the icon and protect it from those who want to use its power for harm.

Review: WALKIN' BUTTERFLY

There's a lot of great josei that got completely overlooked in the 2000s, and few were as overlooked as this title.

WALKIN' BUTTERFLY (U-okin * Batafurai), by Chihiro Tamaki.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2007.

PLOT:

Michiko has always been taller than average.  By the time she turns 19 she's over six feet tall, and years of teasing, comments, and insults from others have given her a major complex about her height.  She feels physically and psychologically isolated from the world, to the point that she dropped out of school and is now stuck in a series of dead-end jobs with a gaggle of fellow dropouts.  

Michiko's world changes when a pizza delivery gone wrong leads to her being mistaken for a model.  When a designer declares that she will never be a proper model, Michiko is inspired like never before.  Now she'll take on anyone and anything to become a model, if simply to show that cocky jackass just how wrong they are.

Review: SEIMADEN

This month provides me with a good excuse to go back to the CMX well, which always produces something interesting.  

SEIMADEN, by You Higuri.  First published in 1993 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

Hildegarde is a beautiful, graceful dancer haunted by a past she can't remember.  She spends her days in a small town full of refugees and other forgotten people like herself.  She ends meeting with two men who are fascinated by her beauty and seem to know something about her past.  The first is Laures, a powerful demon prince who swears he will win Hilda's heart.  The other is Roddrick, the last survivor of a magical race that swears Laures is lying.  Hilda isn't sure who to believe, but she fears that they will destroy the town in their pursuit to possess her.

Review: MARIONETTE GENERATION

Sometimes a character designer can successfully make the leap from animation to manga.  Today is an example of a beloved old-school designer whose leap was not quite so graceful.

MARIONETTE GENERATION (Marionetto Jenereshon), by Haruhiko Mikimoto.  First published in 1989 and first published in North America in 2001.

PLOT:

Izumi Morino is a down-on-his-luck artist who gets the shock of his life when a walking, talking rag doll shows up in his bed.  His wanna-be assistant/teen fangirl Kinoko is jealous from the start, but neither they nor the doll herself knows how she got there or how she came to be.  The answer may lie with the aggressive blonde doll-woman who keeps following them, but can Izumi and Kinoko get past their own personal problems long enough to notice?

Review: A CENTAUR'S LIFE

I want to state for the record that I am NOT anti-monster girl.  I'm just very particular about the kinds of monster girl manga that I like.

A CENTAUR'S LIFE (Sentoru no Nayami), by Kei Murayama.  First published in 2011 and first published in North America in 2013.

PLOT:

In a world populated with all sorts of half-human races lives Himeno the centaur girl.  She lives out her days with her centaur family, as well as her draconoid friend Nozomi and goat-like friend Kyoko.  Together they live out their everyday lives as they deal with the challenges of a world that must make accommodations for all the various races, be it racism against Antarctic snake people, the ethics of riding a centaur, or coming to terms with non-human genitalia.

Review: WANTED

I was hoping that this book could provide some summer fun in shojo manga form.  What I got couldn't be more different.

WANTED, by Matsuri Hino.  First published in 2003 and first published in North America in 2008.

PLOT:

When she was just a little girl in a troupe of musicians, Armeria was touched by the kindness of the young nobleman Luce.  Then Luce was captured by pirates and Ameria spent the next eight years searching for him, posing as the cabin boy Arlo.  She soon learns the terrible truth: her gentle Luce has become the ruthless pirate Captain Skulls.  Can Armeria learn to love a pirate?  Is Captain Skulls capable of telling his wayward admirer how he feels in return?

Review: HINADORI GIRL

Nothing hurts like getting your hopes up only to be disappointed, even by obscurities like this. 

HINADORI GIRL, by Mari Matsuzawa.  First published in 2004 and first published in North America in 2005.

PLOT:

While his scientist father is away on the moon, Yoshiki decides to tinker with his dad's greatest invention: Support Robot Sally 001.  She has a special program that allows her to learn about the world in the same way a child might.  This makes it hard to teach her basic things like cooking and cleaning, but makes her very endearing to everyone save for Yoshiki's jealous and quick-tempered sister Akira.  Can they raise Sally right while fending off the vain scientist Tsukiko who wants to steal Sally for herself?

Review: HIGH SCHOOL PRODIGIES HAVE IT EASY, EVEN IN ANOTHER WORLD!

 Of course, I can't do nothing but review stone-cold classics that are both old and new.  That would just get dull after a while.  This month is also an opportunity me to trash on garbage like this.

HIGH SCHOOL PRODIGIES HAVE IT EASY, EVEN IN ANOTHER WORLD! (Chojin-Kokoseitachi wa Isekai demo Yoyu de Ikinuku Yodesu!), based on the light novels by Riku Misora and character designs by Sacraneco, with art by Kotaro Yamada.  First published in 2016 and first published in North America in 2018.

PLOT:

Seven ultra-talented high school kids, talented in everything from politics and business to medicine and stage magic, find themselves transported to another world after their plane crashes.  Now they are stuck in a fantastical world with elves and beastfolk and corrupt nobles.  They will need to employ all their talents if they want to both repay the kindness of the village that took them in and get ahead in this strange new place.

Review: DICK FIGHT ISLAND

 Look, I'm not above cashing in on social media trends around here, especially if it means righting a wrong from last year's Holiday Reviews at the same time.

DICK FIGHT ISLAND (Hachinin no Senshi), by Reibun Ike.  First published in 2019 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

On the faraway islands of Pulau Yang Indah, eight strapping young warriors are gathering for a sacred tournament held every four years.  Their battles are waged not with weapons, but instead with sex.  The combatants use their bodies and elaborate penile armor to expose their opponents, make them come first, until only one is left to become king of the islands.  Harto is one of those eight young men, having spent the last few years far away at college.  Harto is up against a bevy of hot, well-built men but he hopes to use a secret technique learned abroad to help him win.

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.