Current Parent's Reviews
- AzuManga Daioh, Book One. A collection of four-panel comics with short gags, mostly centered on school. The humor is sophomoric. I don't think it's that funny, but my kids roar at it.
- AzuManga Daioh, Book Two. Four-panel comics with schoolgirl humor that is often elusive to grownups, but apparently accessible to kids.
- Black Jack, Book One. A mysterious doctor cures bizarre maladies and provides rough justice in the process. Intriguing but not for the squeamish.
- Boys Over Flowers, Book One. A spunky girl stands up to a powerful clique.
- Boys Over Flowers, Book Two. Having stood up to a powerful clique, Tsukushi is now attracting the attention of the leader, Domyoji. But she likes two other boys, the moody Rui and the cheerful Aoike. She also must contend with Rui’s girlfriend, the impossibly beautiful—and nice!—Shizuka.
- Crimson Hero, Book One. An aspiring volleyball player struggles to play the game she loves, even though that means leaving her family and working in a boys’ dorm.
- Et Cetera, Book One. A Chinese girl and a priest encounter every cliche ever generated in the Wild West and get themselves out of scrapes with a magical gun. Funny but a bit over the top in places.
- Fruits Basket, Book One. A sweet girl gets mixed up with a gloomy but lovable family that suffers from an ancient curse. Many preteens will identify with the two characters that feel they are the odd ones out. Some cartoon violence, no nudity or sexuality, some bad language. The book includes a section on the Chinese zodiac and notes from the author.
- Fruits Basket, Book Two. .
- Fruits Basket, Book Three. The story of Tohru Honda and the cursed Sohma family continues, with new characters, Valentine's Day hijinks, and a trip to a hot spring.
- Hikaru no Go, Book One. A slacker kid is haunted by the ghost of a master of the ancient game of Go. Kid starts learning the game and faces obstacles along the way.
- Inu Yasha, Book One. A modern-day schoolgirl travels back in time and teams up with a demon to regain possession of a powerful jewel. Interesting plot, but the graphic violence and nightmarish images are inappropriate for pre-teens.
- Iron Wok Jan, Book One. A manga take on Iron Chef: Two young cooks go wok to wok in the busy kitchen of a Chinese restaurant. Lots of action, plus cooking tips.
- Kare Kano, Book One. The tangled tale of a girl and a guy, both trying to appear perfect, both afraid they are really frauds. Good art, and an entertaining, if exaggerated, take on the tribulations of adolescence. Highly recommended.
- Kindaichi Case Files, Book Six. A group of people are trapped in a secluded resort—and someone is killing them off one by one! A clever take on an old plot, but definitely not for the kiddies.
- Kindaichi Case Files, Book Eight. A string of suicides shakes up a prestigious cram school, but things are not always what they seem. Although he's far from a star student, teenage sleuth Hajime Kindaichi looks at all the angles to solve a mystery with supernatural overtones. A good read, but not for kids.
- Megatokyo, Book One. A video-game freak and an anime/manga fan take an impulsive trip to Tokyo and don't have the cash to get back. The humor is aimed at gamers, but others will find it funny as well. This entire manga is available for free on the web.
- Mink, Book One. A computer disk from the future allows Mink to change from ordinary schoolgirl to glamorous rock star. The artwork is chaotic, making this manga a bit harder to follow than most.
- Oh My Goddess!, Book One. A perpetual loser accidentally gets a goddess as a companion. Hilarious complications ensue. A winner.
- Revolutionary Girl Utena, Book One. Swordplay and symbolism combine in a complex tale of a girl who wants to be a prince.
- Ruroni Kenshin, Book One. Bloody but idealistic, a good read with interesting characters, strong storyline, and historical interest. Warning: The series gets more violent in subsequent books.
- Tokyo Mew Mew, Book One. Strawberry Shortcake meets Godzilla. Five girls are injected with the DNA of endangered species and sent off to fight space aliens who threaten the earth. Good story but a little more mature than the rating suggests. Since animals become evil this is not a good choice for children who are scared of animals.
- World of Narue, Book One. This is a funny book that gets its laughs from adolescent awkwardness but is never mean. There is some cartoony violence, very mild language, and images of women in their underwear, but no nudity or explicit sexuality. All situations are played for laughs.
- Zodiac P.I., Book One. A teenage sleuth solves murder mysteries with help from spirits of the zodiac. Good, old-fashioned mystery plots, spiced up with the supernatural angle. Includes murder scenes and discussion of suicide that may disturb younger children.
