Reading Tween The Lines

As I thought about what to recommend I found myself rejecting things. Why? They weren’t age appropriate. I began to notice that most of the manga I’ve reviewed has been for older teens. Which makes me wonder where all the Tween manga is hiding.

What I came up with…

• Fairy Tale
• Sgt Frog
• Hollow Fields

I even included one that was for teens with Bleach. Might as well, he’s reading it in Shonen Jump anyway.

We also decided to take him with us the next time we go manga shopping. That way he can find his own darn manga something he likes.

What would you recommend?

If you have any recommendations for younger readers please leave a comment or use the contact form. I’d really love to hear some other opinions on the issue.

Please share your recommendations for tween manga. Even if it’s a recommendation on what to avoid. Anything would help.

I’m sure my nephew would be very grateful.

Manga, Opinion, Age, Tween, Teen, Fairy Tale, Sgt Frog, Hollow Fields, Bleach

Story

Maki Aikawa is a former Olympic gymnast who uses her acrobatic skills in a new sport, street fighting. Her high flying gymnastic fighting style earns her the name “Air Master”. Maki becomes obsessed with pushing herself to her physical limit, taking on stronger and more skilled fighters. As she battles her way through more talented adversaries her skills improve and become more deadly.

My Opinion

I originally thought Air Master was older than it is because of the art style used. It was made in 2003-2004, but it looks like it was made in the 80s. That might turn some people away. That’s a shame because this is a great anime, and the dated look only adds to to it’s charm.

The opening theme really reinforces the dated feel. It looks like an opening that would fit in on television 20 years ago. The ending theme wouldn’t. I’m not sure it’d fit in anywhere. It’s a weird running sequence with some rockin’ music playing. It’s downright strange, but kind of addicting.

Air master is your basic fighting anime with each episode or two featuring a a battle with a different street fighter. Some of the fighters are fairly realistic, using real world fighting styles, but quite a few have strange costumes and outlandish fighting styles.

Is it worth it?

Air Master is worth checking out. The fights are cool and ending rheme will grow on you. I’d recommend this one to anyone. Even if it takes a little while to get used to the old school style, it’s well worth it.

You can find Air Master on Crunchyroll and on Funimation’s streaming video page.

Anime, Reviews, Action, Fighting, Street Fighter, Funimation, Crunchyroll, Air Master, Maki Aikawa

Season 2 of Gundam 00 started last night on the Sci-Fi Channel (soon to be SyFy) and I very nearly missed it.

My g/f was watching it while I was on the computer. I walked through the living room and we talked about how good it was. I didn’t recognize what was happening. That’s when I realized… it’s the second season!

Thankfully it had only been on a few minutes.

I’m glad I didn’t miss it, because it looks like the second season is going to be just as good as the first. Several gundam fights, character specific drama and the return of Lockon Stratos are just a few of the things squeezed into last nights Ani-Monday programming block.

If you haven’t seen the first season, I’d recommend that you watch it now. That way you can tune in on Monday nights and enjoy an hour of piping fresh Gundam 00.

All around some very good points made.

How MBAs killed Superman (and fundaes behind Modern Retail) « Strat . In.

I grew up reading comics, mostly Marvel with a few occasional DC titles. I had no idea what was going on behind the scenes at the time, but I remember the comics getting worse. You could almost see it happening, good comics deteriorating by the issue.

I hope the major publishers can get back to telling good stories about great characters again. It doesn’t matter if the characters are superheroes, kung-fu aliens or even high school girls. If the stories are compelling and the characters are believable (in context), then people will want to read ‘em. That’s what built the comics industry in the first place.

Online, Opinion, Comics, Manga

Story

Ichigo finds out who that mysterious guy he’d met really was. It turns out he was in his class at school. Uryû Ishida is a Quincy, whatever that is, and he’s got a problem with Soul Reapers.

When Ichigo finally tracks him down, Uryû challenges him to a contest. Uryû breaks a container of hollow bait and tells Ichigo that the town will be swarming with hollows. Whoever kills the most wins.

Ichigo isn’t the only one drawn into the competition. There are others in Karakura that can see spirits. They’ll have to deal with the hollow invasion in their own ways.

My Opinion

Bleach Volume 5 does a great job of putting the characters in bad situations. Chad has to deal with something he can barely see, while Orihime has to deal with a hollow that doesn’t even do it’s own fighting. How they get out of those situations will affect the rest of the story.

One of Tite Kubo’s talents is showcased very well in this volume, the cliffhanger ending. Kubo finds the point that the action really becomes intense then stops the story in such a way that the reader has to get the next volume. It can be frustrating sometimes, but I’m always looking forward to the next part.

Edited to add:

I know I’ve mentioned the endings before. I don’t want to sound repetitive, but I tend to think of it as part of Tite Kubo’s signature style.

Is it worth it?

Bleach is an amazing manga, and Bleach Volume 5 is no exception. It’s well worth picking up. I highly recommend the Bleach manga series.

Manga, Reviews, Bleach, Action, Adventure, Humor, Spirits, Viz, Shonen Jump, Tite Kubo, Bleach, Volume 5, Ichigo Kurosaki, Orihime Inoue, Yasutora “Chad” Sado, Uryû Ishida, Uryu Ishida, Soul Reapers, Quincy

Funimation is putting their streaming episodes back online. That’s good, but it looks like they’ve still got a lot of work to do. I tried watching an episode of Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino, but couldn’t get past the opening. I have a fair connection and I can’t get more than a couple of minutes to work before the connection cuts out.

I have to admit, I didn’t watch anime on the Funimation site before, so I don’t know if the problems they’re having are new. I went to check out the site since I heard so much complaining when it was gone. I was surprised by how much they’re offering online. Tons of episodes are, or at least were, available.

I’ll keep an eye on the Funimation video section and let you know when it’s back up.

Anime, Online, Video, Funimation, Gunslinger Girl, Second Series, Il Teatrino

The anime sale is great, but they’re doing something else that makes this one worth telling your friends about. If you buy 2 of the selected items in the sale, you can get a Hellsing Ultimate messenger bag free. (While they last, which won’t be long.)

Check out the details.

The sale ends July 6th and I’m sure the messenger bags will be gone long before that. If you want to get in on this one, you’d better hurry.

Wow. Not many people have entered the June giveaway. By that, I mean no one has entered. I thought there would be more entries simply because it’s open to everyone with no geographical restrictions.

Maybe I didn’t explain things clearly. Guess I’ll try again.

Prize

1 Year membership to Crunchyroll paid by me.

You get one full year of the anime membership on Crunchyroll.
Features include…

Early access to Simulcast anime. A growing list of titles such as Naruto Shippuden, Gintama and Shugo Chara. New episodes can normally be viewed 1 hour after they air in Japan.

HD video streams. You can view many of the video streams in high definition. If you want to get the most out of an expensive monitor, this is a good way to do it.

Fewer Ads. This is the big reason why I have a paid membership. No video ads on the shows you watch.

More Than Anime

Crunchyroll has more than anime. The Drama section as some great TV shows. Coffee Prince and Last Scandal being two of my favs. There are even movies from Japan, including some great horror titles.

How to Win

Add me as a buddy on Crunchyroll and send me a message that you want to enter this giveaway. Something along the lines of “I want to win the free membership” will work fine. You can also leave a comment here with your username, but don’t forget to add me as a buddy or you’re not entered.

Here’s my profile on Crunchyroll. My username is 2xKnight.

2xKnight’s Profile

So add me as a buddy and drop me a note to let me know that you want a chance to win a year of membership.

There’s still time to enter, so don’t miss your chance.

Story

This volume start with Kon striking out on his own. Declaring his independence he sets off on an adventure to find the place where he belongs, or a cute girl. Whichever comes first.

There’s a new hit TV show sweeping the nation. Seems like everyone Ichigo knows is a fan. The only people who don’t like the show are Ichigo and his sister Karin. The show is “Spontaneous Trips To Spiritual Hot Spots” (or just “Spontaneous Trips” for short) staring the new century’s premier spiritualist, hell’s messenger… Mr. Don Kanonji. Ichigo thinks the guy is a fake. Ichigo finds out just how wrong he is when “Spontaneous Trips” comes to his home town.

My Opinion

It’s been long enough since I’ve seen the earlier episodes of the Bleach anime that the memory of it doesn’t interfere with reading the manga. Not that it really interferes, but the differences between the manga and anime aren’t as glaring.

I’m enjoying reading about Ichigo’s early days as a Soul Reaper. I also liked the short adventure with Kon and his first encounter with Yuzu Kurosaki. There are a couple of good introductions in this volume too. We get to meet Don Kanonji as well as getting out first look at Uryû Ishida.

The only problem is, now I want to sit down and read all of ‘em. That’s gonna take a while. Even if I could drop $100 on the manga box set, that only covers the story up to Volume 21.

Dang.

Is it worth it?

Bleach volume 4 is worth it. If you’ve seen the anime you know it’s a great story. Check out the manga and get a new look at Tite Kubo’s work.

Manga, Reviews, Bleach, Action, Adventure, Humor, Spirits, Viz, Shonen Jump, Tite Kubo, Bleach, Volume 4, Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Uryû Ishida, Uryu Ishida, Soul Reapers

Story

The Narcotics Control Division continues to pursue Ryugen. The investigation of a popular entertainer provides some insight into how the criminal orgainization works. That may be all they can get from the case however, because Hal is still injured and Kai is in serious trouble.

One of the NCD’s Substance Analysts gets the chance to go undercover. Kai doesn’t want to dress like a girl and the club that their target hangs out will only admit mixed gender groups. Kai and Hal need the help of a female agent, and Miss Mari Kuzui wants a date with Kai. Can someone accustomed to the lab handle the danger of an undercover investigation?

Later Hal and Kai infiltrate a high school in search of a gang of drug dealers. They’d better be careful though, there’s more going on in Teito Academy than they expected.

My Opinion

I enjoyed the second volume of Switch better than the first. There seemed to be a bit more humor in this volume. That helped to lighten the mood when things got a bit too dark.

I particularly enjoyed the story which featured Mari Kuzui. Her infatuation with Kai was both funny and sweet. I hope she finds her way into future stories.

The cover of Switch Volume 2 isn’t tainted by laws of nature alien to our world. Take this brief respite and cherish it. The gaze of those who wait may have passed by us for now, but beware… it could return.

Is it worth it?

Switch Volume 2 is worth it. The humor of Mari’s crush on Kai really helps offset the drama.

The absence of a cover that causes insanity is also a plus.

Manga, Reviews, Viz, Older Teen, Drama, Humor, Police, Drugs, Mari Kuzui, Teito Academy, Naked Ape, Saki Otoh, Nakamura Tomomi, Switch, Volume 2