Manga Maniac Cafe For the Geek in all of us

I have succumbed to whatever creeping crud is going around the office, so I don’t have the attention span for a full blown review.  Instead, here are two short musings on some Viz publications.  Hopefully, I won’t be coughing up my lungs tomorrow, and will be able to sit up for longer than fifteen minutes at a time before caving into exhaustion.  If you have any soothing advice for colds or flu, please feel free to share below.

 

Title: Muhyo & Roji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation Vol 13

Author: Yoshiyuki Nishi

Publisher: VIZ

ISBN: 9781421524276

 

May Contain Spoilers

All heck is breaking loose at the Magic Law Society as Muhyo and company search for The Writ of Passage.  They aren’t the only ones looking for it, though!  Scary, deadly Gingko Hag wants it too, and she’s turning everyone who crosses her path into stone.  Will they find it before she does, or will they all end up as lawn statues?

There are few things quite as comforting as shonen action yarns.  The personal drama as heroes strive to gain strength, the suspense as villains flex their evil might – where else are you going to find a formula as satisfying, that keeps you on the edge of your seat?  This installment has several characters stand up and defiantly confront stronger, nastier foes, leading to multilayered fighting as the race to obtain The Writ of Passage continues.  There’s even a bunch of frogs and  a nose picking envoy, and if that doesn’t take the cake, nothing does or ever will!!

Seriously, though, Muhyo and Roji zooms along at breakneck speed, throwing frogs, umbrellas, and even houses into the brawl for possession of the only weapon powerful enough to destroy the evil Teeki.  This has all been done before, but Yoshiyuki Nishi’s unique art style and creepy monster designs wraps it up in a different shade of chaos.  For brainless fun, this series is hard to beat.

Grade: B

Title: Rosairo + Vampire Vol 3

Author:  Akihisa Ikeda

Publisher:  VIZ

ISBN: 9781421519050

I’m not sure what I find so appealing about this series.  It is chock full of all of the things I usually find distasteful – gobs of fan-service, an over-endowed harem fawning over a hapless hero, and more fan service.  You get the picture, I’m sure.  Tsukune is about as forceful as a damp dish cloth, yet he’s got all of the hottest girls in school drooling over him.  This earns him absolutely no brownie points with all of the big, bad guys at school, and since they are literally monsters, Tsukune has his work cut out trying to stay alive and in one piece.

This volume actually gives Tsukune a way to fight some of his own battles, instead of always having to rely on Moka’s alter ego to save his bacon.  For a few brief panels per chapter, he transforms into a totally cool guy!  Yay!  While the plot is still paper thin and the formula is extremely repetitive,  Akihisa Ikeda manages to deliver a good time for all through the combination of attractive art and intense battles.  I love all of the different monsters Tsukune encounters, though they are often presented as if they are walking straight out of a monster manual.   And, at the end of the day, Tsukune and Moka are so darned nice that you can’t help but like them both.  This is another series that isn’t going to be taxing on the gray matter, but sometimes that’s part of the fun.

Grade: B