Book Review: Destroy All Humans Vol. 2 by K. Ise and T. Yokota

Destroy All Humans, They Can't Be Regenerated Volume 2 written by Katsura Ise and illustrated by Takuma Yokota

See my review of Volume 1 here!

To improve their standing in the Magic: The Gathering world, teens Kano and Sawatari go with their local MTG store owners to Tokyo during summer break to play at the DCI Tournament Center. The center has MTG tournaments all the time. The only downside is that the center is full of adults, a bit off-putting for the teens. Kano finds another youngster, Yakumo Suwabara, at a table by himself. He strikes up a conversation and they play a casual game where Kano easily defeats Suwabara. Once the contest is started, Sawatari and Suwabara are paired off. Suwabara is a bit nervous to play a pretty girl but he plays well because he was just using a "fun deck" earlier. The tournament ends with an unacknowledged love triangle between Kano, Suwabara, and Sawatari. The drama plays out from there.

The plot moves in an expected direction. The characters are charming enough to keep it engaging. The Japanese world of MTG is interesting to see, though I really know nothing about the American world of MTG, so it is all new to me. The game play is depicted well, imagining the monsters from the cards attacking opponents. Kano and Sawatari's slow blossoming romance is fun to see. I look forward to the next volume.

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 13 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 13 story and art by Tatsuya Endo

Twilight, aka Loid Forger, is in the middle of a tough fight in enemy territory to protect secrets for his side of the cold war between Ostania and Westalis. Fellow spy Nightfall (who has the hots for Twilight but it is not reciprocated) is there to help out and she goes overboard in the fight, severely injuring herself to save Twilight. They manage to get away with an enemy spy in tow, though Twilight has left Yuri Briar a pummeled mess. The complication--Yuri is the brother of Yor, the woman pretending to be Loid's wife. A further complication from the last issue, her office mates told her every marriage has quarreling in it so she been trying to come up with reasons to fight with Loid. That issue gets resolved while Loid and Yuri have a cat-and-mouse game of Yuri discovering Loid's secret identity. Meanwhile, daughter Anya is trying to get in good with the target at her prestigious school, and trying to study hard to pass exams coming soon. Good thing an ex-college professor has moved in next door!

This is another entertaining run through the lives of the Forger family and the wild antics that surround them. I really enjoy this series and so do my kids.

Recommended.

Book Review: Destroy All Humans Vol. 1 by K. Ise and T. Yokota

Destroy All Humans, They Can't Be Regenerated Volume 1 written by Katsura Ise and illustrated by Takuma Yokota

Hajime Kano is a nerdy middle-school student in 1998 Japan. The new, hot craze is Magic: The Gathering (MTG), a trading card game set in a fantasy realm. Players fight one-on-one with constructed decks. Kano is the star player in his grade and wishes he was the star student. The real academic star is Emi Sawatari, his rival since she transferred into his elementary school. She always comes out ahead and is completely aloof to his competitive and nerdy nature. She complains that he's cluttering up a school room with "non-essentials" like MTG cards. The next weekend, he goes to a neighboring city where a shop hosts MTG tournaments. It's his first time there, so he's both awkward and amazed. The shop's star player hasn't been beat that day so he decides to try his "all black" deck against her. He wins the first round but she comes back in the second round. Before it's finished, he drops his D20 (a 20-sided die used to track health). They both go to the floor to pick it up. He knocks his hat off and she recognizes him after he's already realized who she is...Emi Sawatari! They strike up a friendship based on their fascination with the card game.

This book provides a nice twist on the usual school-based manga. Typically the school is weird or overly specific or the interest is in the school's sports team. Here, the school is just a social setting that creates a contrast between Kano and Sawatari that is countered by their afterschool hobby. I don't have nostalgia for MTG (I've never played it). Even so, this story is charming.

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy X Family Vol. 11 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy X Family Volume 11 by Tatsuya Endo

Anya's class is supposed to go on a field trip but the situation takes a frightening turn. Terrorists take over the two school busses. The baddies are from the organization Red Circus and want some of their compatriots freed from jail. To prove how serious they are, they strap a bomb around Anya's neck. With Anya's mind-reading ability, she discovers that the bomb is a fake meant to scare the kids into submission. Her bus gets cornered by the local police, leading to a hostage stand-off.

This issue had more drama than comedy, though plenty of comedic moments pop up. Loid and Yor have only very minor roles in the story, this is Anya's opportunity to shine. Can she defuse the situation and make progress on befriending Damian Desmond? The story is fun and exciting, leaving me wanting more (though the situation is resolved by the end of this book).

Recommended.

Book Review: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Vol. 1 by Haro Aso

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead Volume 1 by Haro Aso

Akira Tendo is a twenty-something Tokyo resident who has spent several years in a dream job that turned out to be a nightmare--the hours were very long, the one cute girl in the office is not interested in him and has a thing going with the boss, and he's lost touch with all his friends. Getting out of bed in the morning is the first of many daily trials. Then, one day a zombie apocalypse happens and he does not have to go into work. He is overjoyed with his new freedom, probably the only happy person in Tokyo given the circumstances. He decides to make a bucket list of 100 things to do before he turns into a zombie. He sneaks out of his apartment, climbing down the outside wall and offering to get groceries for the downstairs couple, even though he's just going on a beer run so he can get wasted and watch TV all day. He meets another young, attractive woman at the supermarket who has no interest in him because he's collecting every type of beer while she is getting necessary supplies to survive. He does not have proper risk analysis or priorities. They part ways but by the end of this volume, she realizes he has something that no one else has...a happy attitude. Maybe she should team up with him?

The story has an interesting premise but it leans heavily into one of my pet peeves about manga. Women are almost entirely depicted as large-breasted sex objects with little other worth to any of the male characters. Even the sensible woman at the supermarket is in a non-sensically skimpy outfit and is somehow ultimately swayed by his shallow demeanor. The attitude is so persistent, it drags the rest of the story down. Also, the guy is not that compelling a protagonist. I am not interesting in reading any more.

Not recommended.

Book Review: The Way of the Househusband Vols. 8 & 9 by Kousuke Oono

The Way of the Househusband Volume 8 by Kousuke Oono

Tatsu the Immortal Dragon (former Yakuza member turned househusband) continues living the domestic life while using his organized crime sensibilities to handle difficulties. He has a bunch of problems like golfing, choosing a DVD to watch on movie night, fighting against mass-produced donuts, dealing with snow, and, in a bonus manga, fighting a zombie apocalypse. The stories are entertaining and light without a lot of consequence (the zombie story is a one-off and not a continuing problem). If you liked previous volumes, you'll like this one.

Mildly recommended.

The Way of the Househusband Volume 9 by Kousuke Oono

More tales from the life of Tatsu--he and his friends tell horror stories by candlelight; a rhino beetle and a stag beetle go head-to-head in a fight, coached by Tatsu and a rival; Tatsu turns sidewalk salesman to help out some favorite shops that are losing business to the mall. The routine is the same as other volumes, with humorous organized-crime takes on everyday situations. The best one was probably Tatsu using his homemaker skills to help some gang members stay cool on the streets during an extreme heatwave.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: My Hero Academia Vols. 23 and 24 by Kohei Horikoshi

My Hero Academia Volume 23 by Kohei Horikoshi

The big battle between Class A and Class B finally finishes with dramatic (and expected) results. As the kids go back to their school routine, the story shifts to the villains. The band of bad guys has some potential new resources offered by a mysterious doctor. He'll let them have the stuff if they can defeat a powerful monster that he unleashes on their leader. Meanwhile another group, the Meta Liberation Army, is going public in an effort to let those with quirks do whatever they want. 

The story takes an interesting shift, showing some of the villains' plans as the heroes retreat to the background. The MLA has a lot of corporate sponsors who are ready to unleash over 100,000 followers, or so they claim

Mildly recommended--it's fun to come back to this story but readers need a lot of the backstory, this is not a good starting point.

My Hero Academia Volume 24 by Kohei Horikoshi

The next big battle is between the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army. The MLA is ostensibly pro-quirk, wanting those with special abilities to be treated equally. They see the League as an obstacle to their agenda, so they start a fight in their headquarters's home town. The story delves into the backgrounds of a lot of the villains with nary a hero in sight. The drama is good with the weird shift into sympathizing with, if not rooting for, the bad guys. The author does a good job showing how the bad guys wound up on the side of evil and develops some more of the bigger story of quirk development and enhancement.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 10 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 10 by Tatsuya Endo

The series continues with some random yet related stories. The first tale gives some background on Loid, the "father" of the Forger family and the spy for his country. His life as a child reveals that he had some simplistic and unrealistic ideas. He plays "war" with his friends with the sides being Westalis and Ostalis. He learned more about the complicated nature of war as a real war breaks out. The story comes back to the present with a tale about an Ostalis opera star who wants to visit Westalis on a good-will tour. A lot of controversy springs up about him in his home country, or is that just the warmongers trying to scuttle any detente? Oddly, none of the Forgers are in this story. Loid's handler is the main character. In the final tale, Yor has a run-in with a woman at a department store. The woman invites Yor to join her wives' club that plays volleyball and hangs out. Yor's athletic abilities are so combat related that she isn't that good at volleyball but they have a fun time anyway. Yor finds out that the woman is Melinda Desmond, wife of the man that Loid has been trying to get close to. Loid wonders if the situation is some sort of trap but decides to let things play out as a backup to original plan. Their "daughter" Anya is trying to befriend the Desmond's son at an elite school. Anya is making slow progress on that front, though she has a short comedic time with the school's headmaster.

This volume is a bit more serious than the previous ones, especially the first two stories. The tone shifts back to the comic spy tale by the end, which seems like it will stay that way. I don't mind a little seriousness, but the change was very noticeable and far outside the typically whimsical nature of the series. 

Recommended.

Book Review: Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga Vol.1 by Yusuke Osawa

Star Wars: The Mandalorian: The Manga Volume 1 adapted by Yusuke Osawa based on the series created by Jon Favreau

This manga faithfully reproduces the first couple of episode of The Mandalorian, a Star Wars series that manages to have almost nothing to do with the Skywalker saga (no small accomplishment) and develops a new and interesting mythology within the Star Wars universe. The graphic novel's style is mostly faithful to the television series, with occasional bits of manga-style thrown in.

Unfortunately, this manga is like many other manga, i.e. it is an almost literal translation of the source material. I've read a few manga that were exactly the same as the anime series they were based on (or on which they were based). Consequently, I felt that either reading the manga or watching the anime was sufficient to get what the narrative offered. Having watched the first series of The Mandalorian three times (it is that good), I don't feel any need to keep reading this manga adaptation.

Mildly recommended--if you've seen the series, you've seen all the best bits. But the series is excellent, so if you haven't, the manga is sure to entertain.

Book Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 7 by Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 7 by Hayao Miyazaki

The story ends as Nausicaa travels with the God Warrior, a weapon designed for destruction that also has some sentience, to the Crypt of Shuwa. The crypt is a sort of warehouse of technology developed long ago to restore the world to its previous status quo. But the world has changed, and though many changes have been deleterious, humans have adapted and struggle to survive in the new situation. The old paradigm is no longer relevant and will only cause more trouble. Nausicaa has always believed in a better future and in everyone working toward that future. She remains true to her nature, leading to a hopeful resolution of the story.

The final speeches in the book are a lot more pantheistic than I would like. Throughout the narrative, natural processes are perverted by technology, or at least held in check. Nausicaa's more innocent and humanist approach to reality, and especially to living creatures, is depicted as the heroic solution to the problems that her world is facing. While I agree that technology can be abusive, I was hoping for some more of an integration of technology and nature as a solution rather than the rejection of technology. Even though this story is considered a classic, I've come away with less admiration than I started with.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 6 by Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 6 by Hayao Miyazaki

Unsurprisingly, the death of Nausicaa in the previous volume turns out not to be true. She comes back as everyone grows weary of war. Everyone except the Vai Emperor, who wants to rule the whole world, or what's left of it. He has a doomsday device that might prove to be Nausicaa's downfall. 

The environmental themes get a lot more nuanced in this volume as several different characters have different but similar reactions to the restoration of some lands to an idyllic state. Some want to leave it be, some want to live in harmony with the new, healthy environment, some want to exploit it. The story ends in a big battle that Nausicaa wins in her typical way. She's such a charming character, it's natural to root for her and be happy with her success.

Recommended.

Book Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 5 by Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 5 by Hayao Miyazaki

The emperor marshals a new army to help him take over, disregarding how the storms of mold are ravishing the countryside (including the people living there). His plan for unification leaves the question what will be left to unify. Meanwhile, Nausicaa continues her journey, discovering more about the relationship of the mold and the Ohmu creatures. 

The story gets a bit heavy-handed with the environmental message in this issue as it provides a surprising ending. Since it leaves the situation in a very unexpected state, I am more interested to see where the story will go.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Tombs by Junji Ito

Tombs by Junji Ito

This manga horror anthology is by the author who had an anime series of his stories adapted by Netflix (see my review here). He has a very macabre and imaginative style.

Here's a story-by-story review:

1. Tombs--A brother and sister go to visit the sister's friend in a remote town. On the drive, they accidentally hit a girl on a mountain road. She's still alive, barely, so they put her in the back seat, hoping to get to a hospital. The girl dies and they put her body in the trunk. They arrive at the town to discover a lot of small stone pillars in the road. They are tombstones from people who have died and mark the spot where they died. The friend has a bit of trouble convincing them that it's a normal situation (because it isn't) but the narrative shifts when she realizes her sister is missing. The sister had been hiking up in the mountains. The awful doubt about the hidden dead girl twists together with the macabre town to make an unsettling and tragic story. This is the basis for one of the best episodes from the anime.

2. Clubhouse--A trio of high school girls visit a haunted house in their neighborhood. One stays outside, the other two investigate. They find a stairway that's partially blocked, only one of them goes upstairs while the other goes out the front door. Waiting for their friend to return from the second floor, the two girls are caught off guard when she comes around the corner of the house, having used the back stairs. Things don't return to normal for them as the two who went in the house become antagonistic to each other. The story is nicely creepy and ends with a rather horrible dilemma for the third friend.

3. Slug Girl--A school girl develops a speech impediment that gets bad enough that she no longer goes to school. Her classmate goes to her house only to discover the horrible truth--the girl's tongue has turned into a slug! Her parents try all the usual methods of getting rid of slugs to help their child, with some very horrific results. This is a disturbing take on body-horror. Yikes and yuk!

4. The Window Next Door--A family moves into a small, very affordable house. One neighbor is a nice family. The other never answers the door and has only one window up on the second floor. The son has the upper room and at night, the middle-aged woman from across the way tries to talk to him and wants to come over or have him visit her. He's creeped out but his parents think it was a bad dream since there's no evidence. The mildly disturbing story has an interesting, very weird ending.

5. Washed Ashore--A giant, weird sea monster washes up on the beach. People flock to see it, even people repulsed by the sea and fish. As the scientists examine the creature, a very horrible discovery is made. This tale is short and just an odd horror concept, like a quick painting or poem. It doesn't read like it was fully developed.

6. The Strange Tale of the Tunnel--A young man returns to his home town, walking towards an old, abandoned train tunnel. As a child, his mom died when she was hit by a train in the tunnel. A lot of the local people are drawn to the tunnel without knowing why. The mountain had old, old legends of being evil, though no one really believes that today. Everybody also avoids the mountain, so maybe they just say they don't believe. The mystery slowly unpacks, getting weirder and more frightening as it goes.

7. Bronze Statue--A vain, ugly old woman wants to be remembered as a young beauty. She is not a nice person as readers can tell from the beginning of the story when she buries her husband (the town mayor!) in a small swamp in their house. She goes on tormenting other people, including the sculptor who makes statues for her. The tale is more sinister than horrifying.

8. Floaters--Mysterious floating hairballs start showing up. When they are stimulated, they speak in the voices of certain people. They tell honest, though often hidden, thoughts. At first, it's a diversion for kids at school but it swiftly turns into a nation-wide problem, especially as embarrassing secrets come out. This story is more like a weird episode of The Twilight Zone than a straight-up horror story. The idea is interesting but the execution is a bit predictable.

9. The Bloody Story of Shirosuna--A young doctor heads to the small, isolated town of Shirosuna. He meets the mayor at the end of the road and they hike to the village. The mayor is pale and emaciated, inspiring a bit of concern. Once at the village, everyone is pale and emaciated. The doctor starts treating people, becoming concerned about the ubiquitous unhealthy condition and the strange throbbing sound he hears all over the town. The story gets stranger and more tragic as it moves along to its sad ending.

The collection make an interesting set of weird fiction done in manga-style. The stories are interesting but do not have the typically cathartic resolutions that classic horror stories usually have. They lean into bleakness and pessimism (in addition to the body-horror elements), so though I enjoyed what I read, I don't think I will revisit this volume.

Mildly recommended--you need to be a modern horror fan to get the most enjoyment out of this.

Book Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 4 by Hayao Mizazaki

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 4 by Hayao Mizazaki

Nausicaa flees from the siege after releasing prisoners in a humanitarian gesture. The gesture is not without fruit as she has a run-in with her enemies in a great swarm of large insects. One of the enemy leaders gives her enough trust that they can focus together on the problems they share. Their world is falling into chaos slowly but surely. A deadly mold is spreading across the land, causing more death and destruction for everyone.

The story takes another interesting turn as the world faces even more apocalyptic problems. 

Recommended.

Book Review: Slam Dunk Vols. 9 and 10 by Takehiko Inoue

Slam Dunk Volume 9 by Takehiko Inoue

The Shohoku High team is in the playoffs, thanks to some non-team fans taking the most of the blame for the fight that broke out in the last issue. The coach still thinks some players need some discipline, so he benches Hanamichi, Rukawa, Ryota, and Mitsui. At least, they are benched for the start of the first playoff game. The boys still have issues to work out and Hanamichi needs to figure out two things: how to shoot free throws and how not to foul out of games.

The story is definitely improving since the last issue, with more focus on basketball and less on personal dramas. The comedy works well too.

Mildly recommended.

Slam Dunk Volume 10 by Takehiko Inoue

The team advances to final four contention with a big game against Shoyo. The Shoyo school team is dying to play against their rival Kainan but must get Shohoku out of the way. Shoyo's team is huge, almost all six-footers. Shohoku has momentum coming in. The game starts as a blow-out in favor of Shoyo but the Shohoku squad starts slowly making it back from a big deficit by leaning into the strengths of the individual players, making a better overall team.

This whole issue is only half of the game, which may sound like the game is dragged out but it really is not. The action is exciting and the players' dynamics are finally starting to coalesce into a team. Can they win and move on to the next level? While I think the answer is a given, I'm still going to read the next one.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Vol. 3 by Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind Volume 3 by Hayao Miyazaki 

Nausicaa's travels across her world finally place her in the middle of the war. She sides with the Torumekian forces. They are trapped in a few fortifications as the enemy advances. She lands with Princess Kushana, who was the leader of the defenders. Kushana wants to be the ruler of Torumekia and has been in conflict with her three brothers who have been using her army to hold the line against impossible odds. Kushana has a bolder and more brutal plan to save her part of the Torumekian army. She wants to break the siege with a clever assault that could be costly. Nausicaa is opposed to excessive force and wants the safety of all living things. She fights in a style that limits killing to the bare minimum, making an interesting contrast to Kushana.

This volume has a lot more action and excitement. The humanist attitude of Nausicaa is less front and center but still anchors her character, even in the fight scenes. More is revealed about cryptic items like the seemingly insignificant stone Nausicaa was entrusted with. I am looking forward to the next volume!

Recommended.

Book Review: Spy x Family Vol. 9 by Tatsuya Endo

Spy x Family Volume 9 story and art by Tatsuya Endo

The Forger family's adventure on the cruise ship finally ends, happily of course. They have a little vacation comedy at an island resort before it's back to the spy business. Returning to the city, Anya is back at school trying to get chummy with Damian, the son of Loid Forger's target--Donovan Desmond, head of the National Unity Party for Ostania. There are a lot of random adventures with minor characters like their dog Bond and the spy-gadget provider Franky. This volume ends with drama back at Eden Academy as Anya makes a little bit of a connection to Damian, which also jeopardizes her academic stance at the school.

This is another fun, light volume of action and comedy.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: One-Punch Man Vol. 11 by One et al.

One-Punch Man Volume 11 story by One and art by Yusuke Murata

The story breaks into several plotlines: Saitama fighting in the martial arts tournament, Metal Bat fighting Centichoro (a gigantic, intelligent centipede), and monsters attacking various cities. Saitama's storyline is mostly played for jokes while Metal Bat has to fight above his hero rank and face off against hero-hunter Garo while exhausted from the centipede battle. A random assortment of monsters and villains show up in other cities and wreak havoc, causing the Hero Association to panic. 

I was extremely disappointed in this issue because of one of the villains, Monster Princess Super S. She is "dressed" in S&M straps and wields a whip that forces other to become her love slaves. This is the stuff that gives manga a bad reputation and is completely unacceptable. I don't want my kids seeing this; I don't want to see it either. Treating women like sex objects, even in a joking way, is unacceptable (even if the woman herself choses to be treated or treat others that way).

Not recommended at all.

Book Review: One-Punch Man Vols. 9 & 10 by One et al.

One-Punch Man Volume 9 story by One and art by Yusuke Murata

A new, ambitious villain shows up. His name is Garo and he has admired villains since he was a little kid. He thought it was unfair that heroes always win so he decides to become the first triumphant villain. The best way to triumph is to beat good guys, right? Meanwhile, Rank 1 of Class B, Hellish Blizzard, has shown up at Saitama's apartment to recruit him as part of her group of heroes. He's not interested in a partnership. She finds that annoying and fights him. Speed-O'-Sound Sonic has also shown up and is fighting with Genos because he wants revenge against Saitama. 

This book has a lot of action, some of it serious like when the Tank-Top corps goes up against Garo with bad results. The conflict with Blizzard is much more comedic. The story is still interesting enough to keep me reading.

Mildly recommended.

One-Punch Man Volume 10 story by One and art by Yusuke Murata

Garo continues his campaign against the heroes, taking out lower level guys and gals as he preps to take on the Class-S set. Meanwhile, the clueless Saitama prepares to enter a martial-arts contest incognito, resulting in an incidental run-in with Garo. Nothing comes of that. While he's at the contest, some gigantic intelligent centipede-monsters show up and make trouble for Metal Bat, another mid-level hero who shows his character as he fights tougher and tougher multipedes. The book ends with a couple of bonus manga that are more humorous than plot-driven.

The story developments are a bit random (a martial arts contest?) and the storytelling is starting to slip into standard manga stuff (the battles are getting crazier, the depiction of women is moving toward objectionable) but it still is interesting overall.

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: One-Punch Man Vols. 7 & 8 by One et al.

One-Punch Man Volume 7 story by One and art by Yusuke Murata

The battle with the alien invaders ends in classic style with a punch-up between Saitama and the head of the aliens, Boros. The fight is ridiculously over the top and ends as one expects. The destruction of City A leads to a new future for the Hero Association, rebuilding their headquarters and developing faster ways to respond to emergencies in other cities.

Recommended--I enjoyed reading this a lot--nothing deep, just a lot of fun. 

One-Punch Man Volume 8 story by One and art by Yusuke Murata

Saitama and Genos have a run-in with King, an S-Class hero who is called the strongest hero. A lizard-like villain is harassing the populous but he gets scared when he sees King. As that bit of comedy is resolved, a much larger and imposing Artificial Intelligence villain shows up. The A.I. wants to kill King and use the battle for research on improving his programming. King says he has to go to the bathroom or his powers are diminished, leaving Saitama and Genos to handle the robotic bad guy.

This story sets up a contrast for Saitama and expands the universe a little bit. I liked the comedy and there's some fun bonus stories thrown in, including a classic "save the cat" mission for Saitama.

Recommended.