I’ll be honest: I don’t know much about “Black Rock Shooter” but always thought the main character looked cool. Now, in nendoroid form, she’s given a cute / chibi dimension. A great nendoroid coming out later this month that is worth at least a look.

Black Rock Shooter and her Rock Cannon look intimidating, even in nendoroid form.

The way the Good Smile Company made her jacket and gloves look glossy was slick. The blue fire in her eye was nicely done as well.

BRS equipped with her Black Blade (left) and checkerboard platform (right).

The checkerboard platform is a nod to the room with checkerboard floors and walls in which some battle scenes took place. I’m glad the GSC didn’t include an entire set because the 3×3 platform does the job and keeps the cost down.

Black Rock Shooter in mid-air about to destroy someone (left)
and perched on top of her cannon (right).

Of course, a nendoroid from an action series wouldn’t be complete without action poses. This is the first nendoroid I can remember who really looks as if she’s about to tear a room apart. Even other nendoroids from action anime such as Yoko from Gurren Lagann just don’t look quite as ready to destroy anyone who gets in their way.

Is Black Rock Shooter a mandatory addition to a nendoroid collection? Let me put it this way: Even if I had never heard of “Black Rock Shooter,” I would buy this anyway. Consider this my first blogger’s choice.

All images courtesy of the Good Smile Company.

In “The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya,” Nagato Yuki is a shy human girl instead of an emotionless alien. Thus, this nendoroid comes with a variety of emotions for her instead of the blank face fans are accustomed to from the original anime.

I’m really excited about this nendoroid. This is one of those rare chances to see a familiar character take on a new personality without the use of cosplay.

Nagato Yuki trying to stay warm on a blustery winter day.

Making the coat and scarf sway in the wind was a nice touch. Yuki looks as though she’s trying to keep her hands warm by blowing hot air on them.

Something we don't see too often, or really at all, is Nagato smiling (right).

The sculptor did an excellent job of capturing just the right facial expression of a timid Nagato Yuki.

This is a really cute nendoroid, and really most Nendoroids are cute, but it’s not going to really stand out to collectors who aren’t fans of “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya” series. For those familiar with Haruhi and the gang, this is a must-have simply because it’s a Nagato Yuki we never see.

All images courtesy of the Good Smile Company.

“Haruna Aizawa thinks that school life is just like a monkey mountain — all the monkeys form cliques, get into fights, and get back together again. The school that she just transferred to is no exception. There’s even a boy called Macharu Yamashita who reminds her of a baby monkey!

It’s hard enough fitting in at a few school while dealing with family problems … Will Haruna remain jaded and distance herself from everyone around her? Or with Macharu win her over with his monkey magic?”

My thoughts
Haruna finds her family disgraced after a scandal her well-known father was in. As a result, she transfers to a low-key high school. To her, her new classmates are nothing but a bunch of monkeys. She retains a stubborn and stern outside appearance, which only results in being considered a snob and being rejected by many of her new classmates.

With the help of the childish Macharu she begins to come out of her shell and soon becomes accepted by her classmates. Haruna herself does come off as a snobbish character. She isn’t in reality and does it to be stubborn and partly out of fear. By the end of the volume she has opened up a lot but still retains a high-class mannerism yet true to herself appearance. She’s an interesting character in the realm of manga and she works. Macharu is adorable and a bit awkward, and his best friend, Atsuyuki, makes a welcome addition. The other characters in this volume fit the mold of the core story and well, that’s about it.

I enjoyed Monkey High more than I thought I would. It’s cute and just funny enough to set it above the bar of the average shojo. It’s a fast read, and it almost feels too fast. Within in a few pages of meeting Macharu and Haruna are already in the pre-relationship stage and are going out halfway through the book. I thought their relationship moved too fast, and there wasn’t a lot to build up to it. It was disappointing, so it’ll be interesting to see if the series can keep the momentum it has or get better as time goes on.

Macharu and Haruna are the core of the story and they’re a goofy couple to say the least. However, they’re a goofy couple in a welcoming way. As opposed to choosing the cool hot guy, Haruna picks the goofy guy whom a lot of girls just pass off as a friend. It’s very sweet and endearing for that reason. It’ll be interesting to see how this goofy couple develops and to see if they can last despite social differences.

There’s an underlying theme to Monkey high in social status. Haruna’s family was formally very upscale and its reflected in her mannerisms as she’s educated in different areas (such as sewing and cooking) and acts more mature than some of her classmates. Macharu on the other hand is your average high school boy, though a bit childish and less mature, he does show a side more mature than some of his classmates in certain circumstances. It’s a tale of social class and expectations and Haruna is thrust out of a top hierarchy because of her father’s ill-doings and into the norm.

To summarize Monkey High, it’s a good series so far. It’s not perfect, but it does rank above your average shojo on the marketplace and it’s fun. It’ll be interesting to see where it leads and how social aspects affect the relationships of the characters in general. The art style is good and what you would expect in a shojo, and that’s all it needs. While I don’t plan on running out to buy the second volume of Monkey High, it is a series I plan on continuing because it has promise and I think the mangaka is well on her way of grasping it.

“Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima — at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy … somehow!

At age 6 Hikari lost to Kei in an impromptu wrestling match. Now, at 15, Hikari joins “special A,” a group of the top seven students at a private academy, for the opportunity to trounce the guy who made her suffer her first defeat.”

My thoughts
Poor Hikari just can’t seem to beat her lifelong rival, Kei. Despite years of failing to beat him in anything, she continues to work hard. Hikari and Kei are the top two students at an elite private high school and belong to the top group of students known as “Special A.” All of the students, excluding Hikari whose father is a carpenter, come from rich families and strong backgrounds; sound familiar?

The first volume of SA is average to say the least, but it’s not without potential. The characters don’t stand out a lot themselves and this results in a bland atmosphere and dialogue pattern. However, Hikari is a strong character with a good head on her shoulders and is a welcome personality in the world of shojo. For Kei, I found him to be a curious character whose feelings and motives are unclear as of the end of the first volume.

Story-wise I had to laugh at Hikari. As much as she tries to beat Kei she comes up just short. Kei isn’t uncaring to her efforts to beat him and in more than one scene shows that he admires her work ethic and worries that she tries too hard by scolding her. Yet, by the same token he teases her to keep trying. By the end of the volume, the author has set the stage for a potential “thing” between Hikari and Kei, but the question is how will it develop and not become a stale romance out of rivalry.

I do have a pet peeve with SA. Every chapter begins with a story summary. This includes reintroducing all seven members of the special class and Hikari’s rivalry with Kei. It takes away from the story and quickly makes things repetitive. It’s unnecessary and SA isn’t the only manga I’ve read that does this. All it succeeds in doing is boring the reader and adding useless details unnecessary for the story or reader enjoyment.

Speaking of story, not a lot happens in the first volume. It feels as if the first volume is composed of short story shots that try to build character but ultimately create vague spots of shallow plot development. There is potential, I just don’t think we’ll see it until the second or third volume. The artwork of SA is well done and the individual characters have looks that reflect their personalities. Hikari has a determined and strong look while still looking feminine, and Megumi looks quiet yet artistic.

Overall, SA as a volume is well, average. It’s a mixed bag of shojo fun that has a lot of clichés, good artwork and room for potential. I didn’t dislike reading SA, and it can be a fun read at points, but it’s obvious the author didn’t go as far as she could have. The question remains if the author will utilize this or if SA will just become another high school shojo.

“School life is a drag, and home life is no better. Sometimes it seems like the devil really does exist!”

“High school is hard for Kayano. When she tries to confess her love to the kind but distant Yuichi, the school bully Takeru makes her life hell. But things get worse when Kayano’s mother gets engaged to Takeru’s father, the school principal! How will she cope with having the devil himself living in her own home?”

My thoughts
The Devil Does Exist begins with Kayano, a 17-year-old student about to confess her feelings, via a note, to the kind and quiet Yuichi. However, luck isn’t on her side and she accidentally slips the love letter to the school bully and roughneck, Takeru! He immediately takes interest in her and her torture begins. As Takeru says, he gets what he wants and he wants Kayano. Fortunately, her friends and even Yuichi are there to help her, at least until they meet Takeru!

The Devil Does Exist is one of those manga that clearly stand out from the rest and with good reason. Despite being a shojo, its down to earth and real. The characters themselves are mature and rational and are 3 dimensional, more so than most manga characters. There are some goofy characters thrown in for kicks (such as Takeru’s father and Kayano’s mother), but for the most part the characters are very human. The Devil Does Exist feels like a story that could actually happen with real people something that is lacking in most manga.

The art style itself is unique. It’s not your typical manga drawing and Takanashi Misuba has clearly created an effective style all her own. Some manga fans may not find it the most attractive, but it works for a story like The Devil Does Exist that is realistic. My only artwork peeve was Takeru. He looks like a girl in some scenes and downright creepy when his hair is up. There isn’t a good deal of background detail as the focus is on the characters and emotion of the story.

The Devil Does Exist is a manga I can’t recommend enough. The first volume hints at things to come between Takeru and Kayano, so those who are weary of step-sibling relationships may be turned off. It’s also a volume that leaves at a comfortable ending. You’re not dying to know what happens next, but by the same token you’re living to know what happens next. In the end, I hope the unique and compelling pattern the first volume sets continues on through the manga’s 11-volume span.

“Ayumu Shiiba is studying for the all-important high school entrance exams. She is struggling to get by, but thankfully has help from her best friend Shii-chan, who is at the top of their class. But when the test results come back, their friendship falls apart — Ayumu surpasses Shii-chan’s scores and gets into her high school of choice while Shii-chan doesn’t!

Losing Shii-chan is so painful for Ayumu that she starts cutting her wrists for comfort. Hoping for a fresh start, Ayumu arrives at her new high school and finally opens up to a new friend, Manami. But will Manami prove to be the friend that Ayumu truly needs or send her further in a downward spiral?”

My thoughts
Life focuses on Ayumu who is studying for her high school entrance exams. She isn’t the best student, but her best friend, Shii-chan, offers to help when she learns Ayumu wants to get into the elite school she’s applying for. While Ayumu gets in, and Shii-chan doesn’t, Shii-chan is devastated and breaks her friendship with Ayumu. This has a devastating effect on the young Ayumu who begins cutting herself to ease the pain. When she arrives at her new school she has difficulty fitting in until Manami befriends her. This is one manga not for the faint of heart.

Life falls into one of those manga categories where it’s good to read when you’re young and naïve, but once you grow older you find yourself shaking your head at the characters. If you’re an older reader, the first volume of life will feel exactly like that, at least in the attitudes and thoughts of the characters. Due to the context (cutting and depression) it’s aimed for an older audience, but it’s a series that you either like or don’t.

The artwork is average at best and the character models and lines are very simple. The author wanted to make a statement about a serious social issue in Japan as well as raise awareness, and as a result that is the core of the manga’s heart, at least for the first volume. The characters are dull and lacking in effort except for the main character. Ayumu is likable, but when reading through, I spotted a few instances where she made easy mistakes, but by the same token regained them. She’s a typical teenager with a serious problem.

All that being said, Life is a very dark manga that gets darker. The characters and artwork are bland, but the dialogue is fresh and moves the story along at a good pace. However, it suffers the unfortunate fate of having a terrible first volume while the rest of the volumes get better (similar to Chrono Crusade). I can’t say that I would recommend Life vol. 1 as a good read, but it’s a decent read. If you like dark, depressing stories about teenage life then it’s a great book to pick up. Otherwise, pass and skip to later volumes.

My thoughts
Najika is the daughter of two pastry chefs who died when she was young. Shortly after their death she met a young boy who cheered her up and gave her a spoon. The spoon had the emblem of Seika Academy, a prestigious school in Tokyo, and she was determined to find her prince. Oh, and she loves to cook and is amazing at it! Rest assured, Kitchen Princess isn’t just another shojo title. While it does have some cliches, it’s handled in a fashion that makes it new and refreshing in the genre.

Kitchen Princess is one of those rare manga that break stereotypical molds. There are some tried and true clichés well-known to the shojo genre such as her early encounter with the schools princes and their quick liking to her. However, there’s something refreshing and new about everything that Kitchen Princess does. With the exception of the bully, Akane, who is just plain annoying.

Speaking of characters, most of them are well, sweet. While even the main characters are a bit shallow without a lot of depth, it works for Kitchen Princess. Najika is happy, optimist, sweet and unusually mature and stable. While a lot of shojo heroines can be helpless, Najika stands as both an independent and dependent person who does the right thing and does it well. The outbursts she does experience from not being included are justified and while the first volume doesn’t state her age we can assume she’s in late junior high (14 most likely). The supporting characters are the usual, though maybe a little too perfect in some cases (Sora and Daichi), but mostly same old same old.

There’s a special flair to Kitchen Princess. It has a special something be it in the way it tells the story in a happy and fulfilling way, or just its cute style, it’s something hard to put down. As a special treat for kitchen lovers, the back of the manga includes the recipes for all the treats Najika makes. The story really moves things along, along with unique elements and it’s a hard series to stop.

If you love cooking, like cute stories or just like shojo Kitchen Princess is an irrestible manga. It’s not a simple or complex read and sits as a sturdy title. I know I can’t wait to read the next volume (ok, so I already did) and it’s a read that won’t be over in a snap or take as long as molasses. That being said, I highly recommend it and recommend it to your friends. Any desire to bake after reading is understandable too; it made me bake a gingerbread cake. Speaking of which … rice is done.

My thoughts
Train Man grabbed me from the get-go for some reason. The story itself is an uncliche storyline stemming from a cliché story plot. Geeky guy meets beautiful woman. Guy has no clue what to do. However, it’s not that the geeky guy with a beautiful girl is anything new in manga, but Train Man does give some interesting twists in the form of the online web. At any rate, it starts when Train Man (identity never exposed) saves a group of women from a pervert. Relieved to have been saved and have found a nice young man, the women take his contact information and one responds by sending him tea cups as a gift. By this point he has posted the story on a forum and is receiving response after response of what to do. Thanks to encouragement from members of the forum he calls her and asks her on a date. Thus, a friendship begins, but will it lead where Train Man wants it to?

Train Man sets itself up as a quirky title. However, the quirkiness comes mainly from the involvement of the internet. That being said, the characters are people you probably know in real life or can picture in your head. However, the characters are a bit dull and the dialogue is not witty although it carries the story at a smooth pace. As far as artwork goes, Train Man fares averagely. What does pick up art-wise are the expressions of characters. It’s easy to imagine exactly what each character is thinking or feeling, but it doesn’t really convey beyond the pages.

Technology is what sets Train Man up as being just another manga. The simple nature and general geek-beautiful woman cliché are forgotten as the story moves along. The story is told from a guy’s perspective which sets it in the small genre of romance manga from a guy perspective. There’s not a lot to Train Man, but it does suffice as not your typical manga.

Train Man is a quick read and an easy manga to digest. The ending of the first volume doesn’t warrant the immediate “I must read the next volume!” effect, but it does leave you curious. If you’re looking for an easy to read and somewhat quirky title, Train Man will be a pleasant read for most manga fans (especially if you’re into the technology age).

My thoughts
In reading the first volume of A Perfect Day for Love Letters I was disappointed. It was not completely terrible, but it still wasn’t a manga to get your hopes up for (your $10.95 is better spent on one of Del Rey’s other series). That being said, let’s plunge into volume 2 and see what happens! One thing you will notice in this manga is there is less emphasis on love letters and some of the stories are just simple confessions of love through discreet ways (like taking swim lessons). The stories are all also longer and have better plots.

The good news is the manga really picks up and becomes a healthy dose of well paced one-shots about high school romance. The bad news is the artwork is still ugly. At one point in the manga a character states that a girl looks ugly that day and I thought in the back of my mind, “You mean there are attractive characters in this manga?”

If you’re looking for a healthy dose of romantic one-shots, A Perfect Day for Love letters volume 2 is a great collection to grab. It’s not without its faults (the stories are sometimes cliché, but they do have their share of fresh ideas), but they’re not boring. In reading the second volume I realized how boring the stories in the first volume were.

If you like one-shots and romance, this is a must-have. Beware of the terrible artwork (if you’re picky, you might want to steer clear). It’s also done by Del Rey which is one of the better manga publishing companies so you can expect to see additional information and accurate translations. One other thing to be warned of is that you won’t see a lot of development; this is a good collection to read for pleasure and not much else. That being said, if romance and one-shots are up your alley (and you can tolerate the artwork), head to the nearest bookstore and enjoy a copy. Oh, and feel free to breeze by the first volume.

My thoughts
I really love short story collections which is what drew me to A Perfect Day for Love Letters. In it, we’re introduced to five short stories about different people (not necessarily high school students) finding letters of love that give them a hope of love or new love. Now, despite being a fan of short story collections, I found this one to be fairly disappointing, yet a good read.

To start off, the artwork isn’t pretty. It’s very simple and I found her character designs to be ugly. Even the backgrounds are as simple as necessary and something an amateur artist could easily do. It’s not the worst I’ve seen, but for readers who are picky about art styles, this may be a troubling series.

Artwork aside, the short stories themselves make up a little for the artwork. The stories are simple and are clichéd to an extent, but at the same time they do tell an interesting story. There are some hard issues dealt with in one or two of the stories, but there’s not enough emotional draw to them. The tricky thing about short stories in manga is they either affect you or seem like pointless garbling.

That being said, the premises are interesting. In a day where we are surrounded by technology, handwritten letters, especially love letters, are rare commodities; it’s a fresh idea. The stories have clichés and predictability, but they also have fresh dabs of something new making for a hit or miss collection of individual stories for the reader.

It’s hard to say whether I’d recommend A Perfect Day for Love Letters. The artwork isn’t great, the stories are hit or miss (I’ve seen better short-story collections), but the premise is interesting. If you want something a little different, you might find A Perfect Day for Love Letters a decent book to read through once. The same can be said of fans of short story collections. If you’re looking for romance, I wouldn’t recommend it because there are better stories on the market. If none of the above applies, I’d skip A Perfect Day for Love letters. It’s not a perfect collection, but some readers will enjoy George Asakura’s stories.