Link roundup 2008-03-31

Just a couple of reviews this time around:

Micole at Coffee and Ink on Vampire Knight, v. 4 and Kaput and Zosky.
Joanna at Comics Worth Reading on Honey and Clover, v. 1.

FYI, my comment notifications don’t appear to be coming through at the moment, so I apologize for any delays in responding to or moderating comments.

Cowboy Bebop

I’ve decided to start a new feature for this blog: the recommended series. I’ve been writing reviews of individual manga volumes and plan to do some of individual anime DVDs, but sometimes it makes more sense to write a post on a series as a whole. To start things off, here’s a look at one [...]

Nakajo, Hisaya: Hana-Kimi, vol. 1-2

Hana-Kimi, Vols. 1-2
Story and Art by Hisaya Nakajo
Translation by David Ury
English Adaptation by Gerard Jones
Rated T+ for Older Teen
Viz, 2004
(First published in 1997)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59116-329-9 (Vol. 1)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59116-398-5 (Vol. 2)
Review
Japanese-American teen Mizuki Ashiya has admired youth high jump champion Izumi Sano ever since she saw one of his competitions on television. Now she’s transferring into his [...]

Hoshino, Katsura: D.Gray-Man, vol. 2-3

My reviews of

White Day

(I may not have time to post on Friday, so you get this post a day early!)
If you read enough shojo manga, it won’t be long before you become an expert in how Japan celebrates Valentine’s Day and White Day. For those who haven’t yet reached that point of manga consumption, here’s a brief overview. [...]

Chrono, Nanae: Peace Maker, vol. 1

My review of Peace Maker, Vol. 1 has been posted over at Manga Life. A teaser:
Set in 1864, Peace Maker is the story of two brothers, Tetsunosuki and Tatsunosuke, who join the Shinsengumi, a group of swordsmen loyal to the shogunate. Tatsu, the elder, just wants to make a good living so he can support [...]

Link roundup 2008-03-02

David Welsh of Precocious Curmudgeon highlights offerings from Manga Month in Diamond’s Previews catalog. I happen to have gotten my hands on an advance reading copy of one of the titles he mentions, Seichi Hayashi’s Red Colored Elegy, and am looking forward to reading it when I have some spare time.
John Jakala of Sporadic Sequential [...]

Hoshino, Katsura: D.Gray-Man, vol. 1

D.Gray-Man, Vol. 1
Story and Art by Katsura Hoshino
Translation and English Adaptation by Mayumi Kobayashi
Rated T+ for Older Teen
Viz, 2006
(First published in 2004)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4215-0623-4
Review
Set in an alternate nineteeth century, D.Gray-Man tells the story of Allen Walker, a fifteen-year-old boy with a dark past. Allen is an exorcist: his left hand, disfigured since birth, hosts a fragment [...]