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.