Lostphrack

Vinland Saga, Vol. 8
by Makoto Yukimura, Translation by Stephen Paul
Kodansha Comics, 416 pp
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

After a long, painful journey, Thorfinn is home. Unfortunately the family reunion is short lived as he sets out once to seek out his destiny and to make amends for his blood spattered past. With fellow freed slave, Einar and the legendary Leif Erickson, Thorfinn leaves to establish a peaceful society in Vinland. Before he can do that, he’ll need money, supplies and men. To this end he seeks out the wealth viking, Halfdan. What should be a simple yes or no proposal quickly becomes complicated with weddings, misunderstandings and more, as Makoto Yukimura’s viking epic continues, with Vinland Saga, Vol. 8!

The father and son theme continues with Halfdan and his son Sigurd. Sigurd clearly wants to live up to his father’s reputations and expectations, but he keeps falling short. In this volume he repeatedly disappoints his father for jumping to conclusions and getting stabbed on his wedding night. What’s most interesting about Sigurd isn’t his longing for parental approval, but the loyalty and camaraderie that his warriors and allies show him. They affectionately refer to him as Siggy and do their best to cheer up despite his occasional abusive outbursts. One telling moment in their relationship come when Sigurd claims that great leaders must inspire fear in those around, to which they respond with a mixture of confusion before telling him that fear isn’t why they hang around him. It’s interesting to see an antagonist whose portrayal bounces between fearsome and dangerous, to kind of sad and desperate.

Another thing that helps make Sigurd an interesting and enjoyable antagonist is Makoto Yukimura’s decision to give him a rather unique weapon. So far we’ve seen warriors fighting with fairly traditional weaponry, Thorkell’s penchant for using trees as javelins aside, but Sigurd is armed with a pair of chains. It’s a very different fighting style that produces some fantastic moments thanks to Yukimura’s amazingly kinetic artwork. The way he uses the chains isn’t just enjoyable to see, but it informs and reveals aspects of his character and shows his desire to follow in the footsteps of his father, Halfdan the Chainer. The chains are a physical representation of how he and his family maintain control over their servants, through financial bondage and debt repayment. It’s one of many flourishes that help make Vinland Saga a consistently fantastic read.

Vinland Saga, Vol. 8 is the kick off of the next major arc. Thorfinn and his friends encounter new allies and enemies, with new obstacles which promise to send them to the furthest reaches of their known world. With this eighth installment, Makoto Yukimura hasn’t lost a step and he continues to spin a wonderfully compelling tale. The series continues to be a must read and one of the best series on the shelves. Highly recommended!

Vinland Saga, Vol. 8 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Ghost in the Shell: Deluxe Edition
by Shirow Masamune, Translation & English Adaption by Frederik L. Schodt and Toren Smith, Additional Translation by Stephen Paul
Kodansha Comics, 352 pp
Rating: Mature (18 +)

Just in time for the release of the live action, Kodansha rolls out a new edition of Shirow Masamune’s classic manga, The Ghost in the Shell!

Originally published in the late 80s/early 90s, Ghost in the Shell was one of the major manga/anime franchises to make its way to the U.S. in the 90s. Mamoru Oshii’s anime adaption was a staple of Blockbuster rental stores and helped introduced a new generation to the world of Japanese comics and animation. The manga was no different. Initially published by Dark Horse Comics 90s, the series was translated/localized by the late, great Toren Smith and his Studio Proteus, and regularly appeared on the rack of comic and book stores throughout the 90s, back before the U.S. manga scene really exploded into what it is today. Over the years it’s seen numerous reissues and reprints and now Kodansha is rolling out a new “Deluxe Edition,” just in time for the upcoming release of the live action movie!

For those not familiar with The Ghost in the Shell in one form or another, it follows the adventures of Major Motoko Kusanagi and the rest of Section 9, a Japanese “hostage rescue unit” active in espionage and counter terrorist operations in a future Japan. The series is a cyberpunk/political thriller mash up with stories focused on corporate espionage, corrupt politicians and institutions, terrorists and the mysterious super hacker known only as “The Puppeteer”.

The series consists of a number of stand alone investigations and chapters, Shirow uses each one to explore different aspects of the futuristic society and the ways in which humanity and technology interact, and how technology affects our ideas of what it means to be human. If we create technology capable of rewriting memories, then how sure are we of our own past? If robots become so advanced that they’re indistinguishable from humanity, then what does it really mean to be human? and similar ideas. The characters discuss and ponder these issues, while also engaging in incredibly goofy banter and explosive actions scenes.

Shirow Masamune’s artwork definitely looks and feels a little dated. This is most obvious in the clothing styles, which reflect an 80s era idea of what the future of fashion would look like. Poor fashion choices do nothing to obscure the quality of the visuals or the masterful storytelling in Ghost in the Shell, though. Shirow’s art is super detailed with dense backgrounds that help create atmosphere and add weight to his futuristic portrayal of Japan. The cities are crowded, people crowd the sidewalks and the open air markets, while trucks and cars fill the streets. There’s a wonderful lived in feel to the world, and it really helps breathe life in the story by conveying a strong sense of location and setting. His designs for the technology at work, ranging from the mecha-like Fuchikoma’s, cybernetic bodies and weapons are all amazing and interesting to look at. His action scenes are likewise fantastic and engaging to behold, with the Major and her opponents flowing across the page in wonderfully choreographed fights and chases. If there’s a downside to the visuals, it’s that the color pages aren’t quite up to snuff. They’re not horrible, but the colors don’t quite pop off the page, and there’s a muddy, murky quality to them.

Unfortunately, this “Deluxe Edition” doesn’t quite live up to it’s name. While it’s nice to have the original sound effects in place, and wonderful to see Ghost in the Shell finally presented in it’s original left-to-right format, there are two major issues that keep this from being the definitive edition of the material.

The first problem is the ever present issue of the “controversial” lesbian sex scene involving Major Kusanagi. Originally, when the series was released in the U.S., this sequence was omitted and Shirow redrew the surrounding scene so it’s absence wouldn’t be an issue with the flow of the story. Since then, the scene has been absent from nearly ever U.S. edition, and this “Deluxe Edition” is no different. Despite its frequent omission, it remains a point of contention among the fans. This time around the criticism of it’s absence actually garnered a response from Kodansha. The short version; they consulted with Shirow about it and he requested they use the redrawn version. It’s omission doesn’t really impact the overall story, but it’s absence does result in a potentially bisexual character being presented as heterosexual. An unfortunate side effect, to be sure.

The second issue is that, despite the claims of bonus material, there’s actually material missing from this edition that was present in earlier editions. This primarily comes in the form of nearly 10 of notes on the world, technology, and political aspects of the manga. Admittedly, these aren’t really essential to the enjoyment or understanding of the story, and the copious margin notes are still present, but its absence is bizarre and at odds with what long time fans might expect from a “Deluxe Edition.”

So is The Ghost in the Shell: Deluxe Edition worth purchasing? While the core material still holds up, the artwork is still lovely, the story and character’s are still engaging, this release does fall short of previous versions. If you’re a long time fan with some of the previous releases though, and you were hoping this might be the definitive version of the material, you’re probably going to be disappointed. On the other hand, if you’ve never read the manga before, or are just checking out the series because of the upcoming the movie, than this is probably a perfectly acceptable edition to own and read.

Ghost in the Shell is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Neo Parasyte F
by Various Creators, Parasyte created by Hitoshi Iwaaki
Translation by Kumar Sivasubramanian
Kodansha Comics, 288 pgs
Rating: Older Teens (16+)

Originally crated by Hitoshi Iwaaki, Parasyte was a critically acclaimed sci-fi horror series from the late 80s/early 90s, which told the story of Shinichi, a teenage boy, and Migi, a parasitic organism which took control of his right hand. Despite ending over a twenty years ago, Parasyte still has some life left in it. It recently received an anime adaption, which was dubbed and aired in the US on the Toonami block in late 2015/early 2016. If that wasn’t enough, the original manga has been released in the U.S. by three different companies! With that in mind, it’s not surprising that Kodansha chose to bring over Neo Parasyte F, a single volume anthology which pays to tribute to the critically acclaimed sci-fi/horror series with. Full of stories set within the world he created, loving satires and more, it features contributions from no less than thirteen shojo creators!

As a single volume, Neo Parasyte F is a pretty solid and engaging read. While some stories are more enjoyable and memorable than others. Three of the anthology’s stand out gems are; “The Telepathist and the Parasite” by Kashio, which is set years after the original series and explores the burgeoning friendship between two high school students and the powerful emotional connections often developed during that time of life; “Forbidden Fun” by Mikimaki, is a hilarious comedy with some truly laugh out loud moments as Migi presses Shinichi on the topics of relationships and sexual attraction; And “The Royal Prince” by Miki Rinno, one of the lengthier installments which involves lost memories, parasytes and a doomed romance. Each one approaches the idea of the parasytes in their own way and does a fantastic job at highlighting some of the different approaches to the world and the material.

In addition to the stories, each creator gets a page which highlights their works and includes a paragraph from the creator talking about <bParasyte. In a few cases, this simply involves mentioning that they were fans of the original series, while others talk about what the series meant to them, what they liked about it and how it inspired them. It’s a nice little touch which might lead people to more work from their favorite contributors, while also highlighting the lasting impact of the original series how it resonates and inspires others to this day.

Over all, Neo Parasyte F is one of the better manga or comic anthologies I’ve come across. The strongest stories are surprisingly good and even the weakest entries aren’t bad enough to bring the rest of the volume down. Long time fans of Parasyte will appreciate the humor and probably enjoy some of the stories set in the original series’ continuity. Hopefully newcomers will be intrigued by the stories that touch upon the emotional core and strong relationships, things which made Parasyte so enjoyable, and seek it out for themselves.

Neo Parasyte F is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Ghost and The Lady, Vol. 1
Created by Kazuhiro Fujita
Translation by Zack Davisson
Kodansha Comics, 304 pgs
Rating: Older Teens (16+)

Florence Nightingale is perhaps best known as the mother of modern nursing. In the early 19th century she pioneered ideas such as cleanliness and advocated for better nursing care. The Ghost and The Lady, Vol. 1, introduces readers to an untold tale of Nightingale’s life. That of her relationship with Grey, the ghost of a duelist who has promised to take her life when she finally gives in to despair! From Kazuhiro Fujita, the creator of Ushio and Tora comes the first in this two volume retelling of the life of Florence Nightingale!

With The Ghost and The Lady, Vol. 1, Kazuhiro Fujita weaves the biographical tale of the Nightingale’s life with that of the fictional duelist by named Grey. It’s mashes together fact and fantasy, adding the supernatural elements from Grey’s tale to the biographical story of one of the 19th centuries most influential personages.

Unfortunately, the mashup doesn’t quite click. The integration of the biographical aspects and the supernatural aspects never really feels smooth and the presence of the Grey feels like an intrusion on what would otherwise be a pretty solid story about Florence Nightingale. His fights with eidolons, while engaging, ultimately detract from the emotion and drama of Nightingale’s conflicts and decisions in those sequences. However, when the story focuses on Grey and delves into his past, it’s a pretty enjoyable and compelling read in its own right, even with the supernatural aspects. It’s when Fujita tries to bring Grey’s story and Nightingale’s story together that things start to feel awkward and forced.

Kazuhiro Fujita’s artwork is pretty fantastic, with nice detailed backgrounds which help reinforce the time and setting. When Nightingale visits an early war hospital, the grime, blood and suffering is tangible and lends a fantastic sense of weight to her story. This is another area where the merging of the two worlds and stories hurts. The human drama and suffering is fantastic and compelling, but then you have this goofy, almost cartoonish Grey hanging around cackling and being rendered differently from everything else and it just breaks the mood. Admittedly the decision to render him differently is nice touch as it reinforces his otherness, but on a whole his inclusion simply undercuts everything and is a distraction. His action sequences and clashes with the eidolons are fine, but the fights aren’t the point and they’re just further distractions from what’s going on. The eidolon designs are really wonderful, though. They’re weird fleshy creatures with bits of objects, like arrows or trumpets, protruding from them. Each one is different as they’re meant to be manifestations of resentment, guilt and other negative emotions unique to each individual.

What all this means is that The Ghost and The Lady, Vol. 1 is an enjoyable and engaging read, but one that feels a bit schizophrenic. It really feels like two separate stories that someone tried to mash together, each one being very good and enjoyable on it’s own, but when forced together they both suffer. It’s still a good read, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that if each story had been its own thing they wold have been that much more enjoyable.

The Ghost and The Lady, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Vol. 1
Created by Hiroyuki Takei
Translation by Alethea Nibley & Athena Nibley
Kodansha Comics, 192 pgs
Rating: Teens (13+)

Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Vol. 1 is tale set in a feudal Japan primarily occupied by… cats. Enter the mysterious Norachiyo, a one eyed cat who’s now a masterless samurai, or a kept cat without their “person.” Left on his own he wanders the feudal landscape, getting into tussles with criminals and corrupt cats, all while looking for… something. From the Hiroyuki Takei, the man who gave us Shaman King and Ultimo, comes Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Vol.1

There’s not a whole lot to say about Nekogahara because as of the first volume, there’s not much to it. Norachiyo is your typical mysterious badass with a mysterious past cloaked in mystery. There are hints scattered throughout that his “person” was once someone important and on the losing side of some war, but there’s not much information given about this. This actually highlights the main problem of the first volume, it’s just too vague. Everything from Norachiyo’s character to the world he exists in are just barely existent things.

For example, at first Nekogahara seems like it’s set in feudal Japan, but everyone’s a cat, yet as the volume goes on it’s revealed people exists and some cats are owned by people. This just raises more questions, though. Since there are people who are samurai, do they know that the cats are samurai and can talk? Is the samurai stuff some kind of secret cat world and the people just see them as normal cats? If so, then what about the all the cat cities and clothes? Where are the people anyway?

Hiroyuki Takei’s artwork is all over the place. It jumps back and forth between stylized and slick poses, such as when Norachiyo faces down a group of enemies, to an incomprehensible mess of lines and ink slashes, such as when Norachiyo attacks said enemies. Blank and grey backgrounds abound and they make everything feel like it’s happening in some kind of isolated void, cut off from any substantial world. When Takei does give us a background shot of a town, or a temple, it looks good and lends the scene a nice sense of atmosphere. Sadly, the infrequency of the backgrounds just highlights how detached the rest of the book feels without them.

If the art was a bit clearer it might be a solid action series, but as it is Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Vol. 1 is just a mess of cute cat puns, ultra violence and messy action scenes. Uninteresting characters, Norachiyo’s tacked on mystery and a world that doesn’t quite make sense, just make the whole thing feel like Hiroyuki Takei decided to make a series based on a character design, some cute cat puns and not much else. In the end, this is a forgettable, bland and uninteresting debut volume.

Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Phew! After a length absence I am back! My schedule at the new school was a bit more overwhelming than I had expected, but with winter break underway, I’ve got time to catch up on my hefty backlog of books. So, apologies all around, and now… on to the review!

Happiness, Vol. 1
Created by Shuzo Oshimi
Translation by Kevin Gifford
Kodansha Comics, 192 pgs
Rating: Older Teens (16+)

Makoto Okazaki has the typical life of a high school freshman. He’s short, shy, bullied and generally at the bottom rung of the social ladder. Things at home don’t seem to be much better as his parents constantly compare him to his more successful older brother. Things start to change for Okazaki when, after a night time attack, his body begins to undergo some distinctly unnatural changes. From Shuzo Oshimi, creator of the critically acclaimed Flowers of Evil, comes a new tale of the struggles of awkward adolescence, Happiness, Vol. 1!

If the cover and night time attack didn’t tip you off, then I’m about too. Happiness is a coming of age story filtered through a vampire story. The changes of puberty combine and entwine with the vampiric changes that Okazaki begins to undergo and are used by Oshimi to wonderful affect. The result is a series that combines traditional horror elements with the character work of his previous work, Flowers of Evil. Amazingly, neither side suffers from this combination.

Throughout the first volume, the vampirism is treated as a horrific and disturbing thing, providing a nice change of pace from the more romanticized take on vampirism that dominates pop culture at the moment, to say nothing of the numerous Japanese vampire franchises where vampirism is just an excuse to give people super powers. Admittedly, Okazaki does reap some benefits from his state, but for the most part the physical change’s he’s going through at shown to be weird and terrifying to him. Oshimi does a very good job at getting this across, too. The way he mixes Okazaki’s vampiric awakening with his sexual one is wonderfully creepy, complete with scenes of him catching a girl’s “scent,” with the unspoken implication that he’s perhaps picking up their menstruation. It’s a little gross, a little weird, a little goofy but does a great job at blending puberty with vampiric changes.

There are wonderfully creepy scenes like that scattered throughout the volume. Another memorable moments come after a brief fight with a bully and is more than a little reminiscent of a similar scene from Guillermo Del Toro’s Chronos. Oshimi doesn’t limit himself to in panel acts, and plays around with the physical layouts of the panels and their borders to further emphasize the breakdown in Okazaki’s world as his vampiric urges tug and threaten to overtake him. In one sequence the firm grid structure fades away as the panel’s begin to melt and churn. They take on more angular shapes and the artwork warps as if it’s being viewed through water.

If there’s any negatives to Happiness, Vol. 1, it’s that it’s not really doing anything new with the concept. It’s just doing it all far more competently than most recent vampire stories have. That said, it’s still a wonderfully unsettling and engaging read that left me eager to see what Shuzo Oshimi has in store for us.

Happiness, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Attack on Titan Anthology
by Various Creators.
Kodansha Comics, 256 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

Trying to explain what the Attack on Titan Anthology is can be surprisingly difficult. The short answer, is that it’s an anthology from Kodansha Comics featuring American comic creators telling stories inspired by and based upon Hajime Isayama’s hit franchise, Attack on Titan. That doesn’t quite do it justice though, nor does it really delve into the depth of talent among the roughly 30 creators who contributed stories to it. If that wasn’t enough, the stories run the gamut from comedy strips, to stories placing Isayama’s creation into new and different worlds, to stories set in the world Attack on Titan fans know and which sit neatly alongside the rest of the franchise. Suffice it to say, the Attack on Titan Anthology probably has something for anyone holding even a passing interest in the franchise.

Highpoints in this collection include “Attack on Attack on Titan” from Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dwyer. It’s a series of wonderfully satirical comic strips which skewer the franchise and is easily the funniest thing in the book and, probably, the best comedic handling based on the franchise to date. Another high point comes from Genevieve Valentine and David Lopez, “An Illustrated Guide to the Glorious Walled Cities.” Set in the years before the start of Isayama’s main series, it It’s less of a comic and more of a travelogue providing a glimpse into life, fashion and travel behind the walls, while also hinting at the darker secrets at the heart of the human civilization. It’s absolutely gorgeous with beautiful maps, location shots, sections about fashion trends, travel and more. It does so much to flesh out the world of Attack on Titan that it almost feels like it should be supplemental material found in the back of the original manga.

Some tales take the Titans out of their original setting, like Si Spurrier’s “Fee Fie Foh”, which sees the Titans relocated to a feudal England and explores the methods and means employed by the people to survive. It’s a beautifully illustrated story about survival and responsibility. Similarly, Scott Snyder’s “Under the Surface” sees the Titans thrown into a near future world on the brink of social and economic collapse, taking on the role of heralds of the end times. Even these aren’t all serious and brooding, as Sam Humphries’ “Attack on Playtime” uses the Titans to enact a schoolyard revenge fantasy in a contemporary elementary school setting.

Still other stories sit perfectly at home alongside the other Attack on Titan side stories and series. Stories like Rhianna Pratchett and Ben Applegate’s “Skies Above” explores the cost of suppressed technologies and knowledge by the royal family, while Asaf and Tomer’s Hanuka offer one of the more emotional and haunting stories with “Memory Maze,” a tale of one family’s loss and suffering at the hands of the Titans.

The wide variety of talents, styles, settings and stories on offer in Attack on Titan Anthology means that there’s almost guaranteed to be something for everyone. If you don’t like one story, wait a few pages and you might like the next one. It’s such a rare thing to see American creators working on a Japanese franchise, that it’s fascinating to see how they interpret the world or the roles of the Titans. It also shows how versatile the massive creatures are, something that’s touched upon in the introduction by the original Attack on Titan editor who mentions that Isayama had hoped to make the Titans and giants in general a popular monster. Well, if this anthology is anything to go by, it looks like he’s succeeding.

Attack on Titan Anthology will be available on Oct. 18th from Kodansha Comics. Review copy of Attack on Titan Anthology provided by the publisher.

Queen Emeraldas, Vol. 1
by Leiji Matsumoto, translated by Zack Davisson
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

In the future mankind has taken to the stars, colonized other worlds and explored the vast reaches of space. There are few names known throughout the cosmos, but Emeraldas is one of them. A mysterious woman, alone aboard her massive ship The Queen Emeraldas, she eternally travels the sea of stars for reasons known only to herself. Created by the legendary Leiji Matsumoto, Queen Emeraldas, Vol. 1 represents one of the rare instance of his work coming to the U.S. thanks to translator Zack Davisson and the fine folks at Kodansha Comics.

Throughout the volume Emeraldas is portrayed as a mysterious and tragic figure, compelled by an unknown event in her past to travel the space ways in search of something. She presents a fairly compelling and almost otherworldly figure, one who’s shown to be capable of nearly anything and whose mere name is enough to send people running. She’s deeply intriguing and I immediately wanted to know more about her, so you can imagine my dismay when I discovered that the first volume is only partially about her.

For much of the book we’re stuck with a far less likable figure in the form of Hiroshi Umino, a young boy with dreams of traveling through space. That might make him sound like a plucky underdog who we can get behind and it’s clearly what Matsumoto wanted, but sadly that isn’t the case. Umino comes off as an unlikeable jack rude and also someone we’re clearly supposed to sympathize with despite his being a complete jerk. He treats everyone he encounters horribly and is hardheaded to the point where he’d be dead if it wasn’t for the unearned generosity of others. It’s one of the more baffling aspects of the volume. Nearly everyone he encounters ends up liking him despite his dickish attitude and they do so to absolutely ludicrous extremes. He’s clearly the weakest link in the series, but it seems like we’re stuck with him for the foreseeable future.

The artwork is lovely and Matsumoto’s layouts are surprisingly dense and do a fantastic job at ramping up tension and conveying a sense of disorientation that verges on the dreamlike at times. This is reinforced by Davisson’s translation which, as many others have pointed out, feels almost lyrical or musical at times. The artwork is clearly aged, but it holds up pretty well and Emeraldas’ character design and ship design are both memorable and instantly recognizable. Matsuomoto’s imbue’s Emeraldas’ eyes with powerful emotions that resonate despite the series age and the older looking artwork. At times her gaze is almost breathtaking.

Queen Emeraldas, Vol. 1 is a rare glimpse at the work of a classic manga creator who isn’t Tezuka. Those with an interest in the history of the medium owe it to themselves to pick this up. Even those who might not necessarily enjoy classic works may find themselves drawn in by the amazing mood and atmosphere that Davisson’s translation and Matsumoto’s artwork help build. It’d be nearly perfect if it wasn’t for that Umino. One can only hope that he won’t stick around for much longer.

Queen Emeralds, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copiy provided by the publisher.

Attack on Titan: Special Edition, Vols. 18 + 19
by Hajime Isayama
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (16 +)

It’s the showdown readers have been waiting for! The Survey Corps attempt to retake Shinganshina district and repair the hole in the Wall Maria, but standing in their way are the two titans who have plagued them since the first volume: The Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan. Add the enigmatic Beast Titan to the mix and the Survey Corps could be facing their last stand. All this ,plus the anime adaption of Levi’s backstory, awaits in Attack on Titan: Special Editions, Vols. 18 + 19 from Hajime Isayama!

Much of volume 18 serves as set up for the showdown in 19. Isayama gives Eren and company time to recover from the massive events of the previous volumes, the over throwing of the government and the truth behind the royal family, which means we’re treated to some surprisingly silly moments. Much of the volume is split between a party and a lengthy flashback. The party provides us with some comedic moments, while also allowing Isayama to give us a rather touching moment between Eren, Armin and Mikasa where their chemistry and friendship shine though. It’s contrasted nicely against Levi, who listens in from the shadows. One can’t help but think that the trio reminds him of his friends from No Regrets. Their relationship is something we saw a lot of earlier in the series, but as the group’s been split up or engaged in battles for quite a while, revisiting it was a smart move before throwing them into battle once more. Meanwhile, the flashback sheds more light on Eren’s family while also delving into some philosophical talk about whether people are special and what it means if they are. While the flashback is nice, the philosophical meanderings of the series has never really been its strong point and this is no different. The story grinds to a hault during these moments. Thankfully they’re not terribly long and are followed up by some much lighter fare.

Much like volume 18 was talking and flashbacks, volume 19 is action, action and more action. The operation to retake Shinganshina and repair Wall Maria dominate the volume and Isayama treats readers to some intense and satisfying action scenes as the Titans and Survey Corp clash in a showdown that’s been a long time in the making.

Throughout the series its been clear that Isayama’s artwork has slowly been improving and that change and improvement is still here. Character anatomy seems tighter and the backgrounds nicely detailed, with geography and location playing an important part in the fights. Isayama’s visual strength has always been the intensity he imbues into characters movements and that’s on full display here. Indeed, there are some moments in volume 19 which rank among the best action scenes and memorable splash pages the series has offered.

Like the previous Special Edition releases for the series, these two volumes come with several extras. Each one includes a slipcover by a different American artist, with Cameron Stewart turning in the cover for vol. 18 while Paolo Riveria handles vol. 19. Each one also includes part of the Attack on Titan: No Regrets an anime adaption of material from the Attack on Titan: No Regrets, Vols. 1 + 2 manga series, detailing Levi’s introduction into the Survey Corps. While there are some minor differences between the two series, it’s nothing major. The inclusion of the DVD’s here are also very timely as the manga volumes toss in several flashbacks to events from it which may be a little confusing if readers aren’t familiar with this material.

For the past four or five volumes Attack on Titan has been nothing but major event, major event and major event and these two volumes don’t really do much to change that. The down time in volume 18 is really needed and it’s fantastic to spend some time with these characters out of combat. It’s a nice bit of quiet before the storm. That storm, so far, seems to be living up to its promise as Hajime Isayama delivers the high stakes anything can happen feel that made the series such a hit at the start.

Attack on Titan: Special Edition, Vols. 18 + 19 are available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copies provided by the publisher.

Real Account, Vols. 1 + 2
Story Okushou, art by Shizumu Watanabe
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (16 +)

Real Account is the social network that’s taking Japan by storm! Nearly everyone is using and Ataru Kashiwagi is no different. Shy and quiet, Ataru uses Real Account to help find solace from his lonely life. This plans works, but when a mysterious being known as Marble takes over Real Account and transports thousands of its users into the site, forcing them to compete in a series of games related to the social networking site, Ataru’s social awkwardness becomes a matter of life and death. From Okushou and Shizumu Watanabe comes Real Account!

Real Account, Vols. 1 + 2 attempts to add social commentary to the popular “trapped in a game” genre and the results are decidedly mixed. The basic idea is that someone’s seized control of the site and is now forcing the users to compete against each other for their own survival. The catch is that if one of the contestants dies, then their “friends” on the site die as well. Each competition is designed around a function of social networking in our modern day and age. Marble forces people to compete in contests of looks, to keep friends, by digging up embarrassing or humiliating posts and more.

The series wastes little time in getting to the hook. Readers are introduced to Ataru and he’s almost immediately sucked into Marble’s weird and twisted competition and Real Account never lets up from there. The plot itself moves at a near break neck speed with Ataru, and a small circle of allies, being whisked from one contest to another with no time for anyone to really catch their breath. The deaths come fast and the series quickly establishes the idea of no character truly being safe.

Unfortunately the social commentary feels a bit shallow and basic. It covers territory and uses some of the same criticisms that people have been making about the internet since the 90s. Things like “how many of your online friends are really your friends?” and attempts to highlight hypocrisy by bringing out people’s flaws and weak moments where they vent online, or by playing up whether or not everyone online is a big fat liar or not. It’s all pretty basic stuff and while it doesn’t get in the way of the story it doesn’t really lend it the amount of depth you’d hope for.

Shizumu Watanabe’s artwork is serviceable but unspectacular. One of the notable things about the artwork though, is how he varies up the faces and the character designs to help reinforce the shallow aspects of social networking sites. It’s lovely to see characters with faces that have some variation in their shape and profile. For the most part, though, the character designs are fairly middle of the road and aren’t terribly memorable. This is something that plagues the rest of the books visuals as well. They’re serviceable, but there’s nothing that really jumps out at you or sticks with you. Even Marble’s design feels a bit lacking.

In the end Real Account, Vols. 1 + 2 is a fairly middle of the road series. It’s ok and has a few entertaining bits, but there’s nothing really notable about it and the characters just aren’t interesting or engaging enough to really hold attention. The pacing is solid, making it a quick and easy read, just not one that really grabs you or pulls you in.

Real Account, Vols. 1 + 2 are available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copies provided by the publisher.

A Silent Voice, Vols. 4 – 7
by Yoshitoki Oima
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (13 +)

As Shoya continues to struggle with his guilt for bullying Shoko his circle of friends continues to grow, expanding to include more former classmates and even a few newcomers. Unfortunately, thing’s aren’t as peaceful as they appear and the past continues to haunt Shoya in new and unexpected ways, threatening to tear his new, burgeoning friendships apart. Will Shoya ever find what he’s looking for, or will his inability to forgive himself doom him to a life of solitude? Yoshitoki Oima’s amazing story reaches its climax with A Silent Voice, Vols. 4 – 7.

Yoshitoki Oima’s done a fantastic job crafting enjoyable and realistic characters, dealing with incredibly heavy themes of bullying and shame, and keeping the tone light enough to not become oppressively depressing or disheartening. These final four volumes continue to delve into Shoko and Shoya’s lives and relationship, but we also get a single volume dedicated to fleshing out the rest of the cast as well. It’s a huge help and does wonders for the supporting cast, a few of whom were little more than blank slates before this. She also takes the opportunity to delve into the dissolution of Shoya’s family, something that’s incredibly emotional and also brings to the forefront an underlying theme that’s been in the series since it started. Namely, the way people react to disabled individuals.

From the get go A Silent Voice has touched upon this, going so far as to show professors criticizing disabled students as an imposition and a burden. When Yoshitoki Oima shows Shoko’s family coming to an end, it’s made clear how some people view the disabled and even those who give birth to the disabled. It’s an incredibly brutal and heart wrenching scene, but one which echoes throughout the series and even into the final few volumes. Shoko’s father and his family espouse views we’ve heard from other students and teachers, showing that this isn’t simply a problem that exists in the isolation of the schoolyard, but one that’s present through the larger society as a whole.

A Silent Voice works, not only thanks to Yoshitoki Oima’s fantastic writing, but also her amazing art. Whether it’s her use of X’s over peoples faces to represent Shoya’s inability to connect or befriend others, or the lines around chubby Tomohiro’s body everytime Naoko, one of Shoya and Shoko’s former classmates, is around to denote his fear of her, Oima’s artwork manages to convey the emotionally fragility of the character’s mental states beautfilly.

Yoshitoki Oima’s done an absolutely amazing job with A Silent Voice and has crafted one of the best manga series to hit the U.S. in years. While it’s been receiving much critical praise, the series still feels like something of an overlooked gem. It totally deserves the praise it’s getting and is easily one of my favorite releases from Kodansha. With it’s conclusion, I’m very curious to see what else Yoshitoki Oima’s done and whether or not any of it will land stateside. If her other work is anything like this, then they absolutely should.

A Silent Voice, Vols. 4 – 7 are available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copies provided by the publisher.

Complex Age, Vol. 1
by Yui Sakuma
Kodansha Comics, 208 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

Meet Nagisa Kataura. To most she’s a typical office worker, but her close friends know another side of her, that of a dedicated cosplayer! For years she’s kept these two worlds separate from each other, keeping her cosplay life away from her family life and work life, but time and age seem to be conspiring to force her to choose between her two lives. From Yui Sakuma comes the award winning Complex Age, Vol. 1!

In Complex Age, Vol. 1 Yui Sakuma crafts an engaging story focused on the life of Nagisa Kataura, a long term and hardcore cosplayer, and how her hobby affects her life and her social interactions. The amount of time and effort she puts into her cosplay hobby is on full display, as is the toll it takes on her day to day life. She stays up all night to add a single design element to an outfit, is worn out and sleepy at work, spends nearly all her money on materials and lives with her parents, keeping all of her cosplay gear stowed away and hidden from sight. She’s keenly aware of how the rest of society views cosplayers and is also becoming aware of how her age sets her apart from the cosplay scene itself, something dominated by younger women and teenage girls. This is something that’s bound to strike a chord with older readers, that societal pressure of being an adult and deeply invested in something that society considers for children.

One of the really fun things about Complex Age, Vol. 1, beyond the fantastic premise and themes, is the fact that Yui Sakuma created an entire fictional magical girl series for the main characters to obsess and cosplay as. In the back of the book are several pages of extras featuring concept art for the fictional magical girl series along with little story, plot and character summaries. The costumes are lovely and frilly and lacy, exactly what you’d expect from a magical girl series, and I was left wondering if there are any fans in Japan cosplaying these characters. I half expect to hear about Yui Sakuma doing a spin off series based on this magical girl series she created for Nagisa to obsess over.

Also included is the one-shot “pilot” manga for the series. While it does have a similar theme and concept, the characters and their situations are different enough to make it a nice extra. Hopefully the ending of the main series won’t be as depressing as the pilot’s conclusion.

Complex Age is off to a strong start. A series examining ones hobbies, their importance, the way society at large may view them and what it’s like to be aging and into something that’s traditionally considered a young persons game. Despite not being into cosplay myself, the central theme of being into something that most people consider the domain of the younger generation resonated and the insecurity and self doubt Nagisa displayed is bound to strike a chord in anyone over the age of 24 with a niche hobby or interest. This continues the trend of Kodansha Comics cranking out some really engaging material aimed a slightly older audience.

Complex Age, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – Side: P3, Vols. 1 + 2
Created by Atlus, manga by So Tobita
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (13 +)

So Tobita’s Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – Side: P3, Vols. 1 + 2 is an adaption of the similarly titled Atlus game featuring a crossover between the two most popular installments of their Persona game franchise. Focusing on the Persona 3 characters, this two volume manga sees the characters trapped in a mysterious world with no choice but to delve into the bizarre Alice in Wonderland styled maze in the hope of finding a way back to their own world.

This is clearly designed for fans of the Persona game series and isn’t the easiest things for newcomers to get into. Right from the start half a dozen characters are thrown at us with only the most basic introduction and it’s clear that their relationships are already established and readers are left to puzzle it all out in a sink or swim fashion. One immediately noticeable issue with the series is that the nameless “Leader” lacks any personality at all and everyone else is as one note as you can possibly get. While nearly all of the characters featured in the first volume are from the Persona 3 game, there are apparently two new characters introduced who seem intimately linked to this new mysterious world. Sadly they’re not terribly interesting either and both are little more than cyphers, even after two volumes. To make things even more complicated, the second volume throws in the characters from Persona 4, meaning that we’re stuck with nearly a dozen different characters running around and with almost no backstory for any of them for those not already familiar with them.

If this sounds bad it gets even worse, because there’s absolutely no resolution to the story or any of its mysteries. It just kind of peters out and readers are presumably intended to go out and buy the game to find out whether our heroes make it home and find out what’s going on in the first place.

At least Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – Side P3 has some adorable looking artwork going for it. Under So Tobita’s pen everyone is pretty damn adorably, including the weird shadows, monsters that the characters encounter. They’re so adorable that it really works against any attempt to build drama or tension, but at least they’e nice to look at. The backgrounds are the usual vaguely defined white space with the odd checkerboard floor, bush or wall tossed in. This does make things a bit bland and also takes away from the idea of them being stuck in some bizarre Alice in Wonderland inspired world.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – Side: P3, Vols. 1 + 2 are kind of a mess. The lack of characterization, the absolutely adorable looking artwork and the lack of a resolution all combine to create a series that feels like little more than a trailer for the game. Fans of the franchises involved may get some enjoyment out of seeing their favorite characters in this medium, but newcomers will find a muddled, bland and forgettable read full of flat characters and a story that ultimately goes nowhere.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth – Side: P3, Vols. 1 + 2 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Fairy Tail: Ice Trail, Vols. 1 + 2
by Yuusuke Shirato, created by Hiro Mashima
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (13 +)

Are you a fan of Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail and wondered what Grey, the resident ice mage, was like as a kid? If so, then Kodansha Comics has the manga for you! From Yuusuke Shirato and Hiro Mashima comes Fairy Tail: Ice Trail, a two volume story about the Grey’s childhood adventures as he sets out on the path that ultimately leads him to Fairy Tail!

While Fairy Tail: Ice Trail does fill in a few blanks, mostly about how he ended up at Fairy Tail, it doesn’t really break any new ground or offer any new or shocking insights into Grey’s past. Further, since Grey’s fate is already known to us there’s not a whole lot of tension or suspense to the stories in these two volumes. His story also suffers from a weird emotional disconnect. It’s set a short time after Grey lost several people close to him, but throughout most of these two volumes he seems perfectly fine and untroubled. At one point he does show crack a little, but it’s short lived and immediately afterwards he’s back to his upbeat, high energy self like nothing really happened.

Yuusuke Shirato is apparently one of Hiro Mashima’s assistants and it shows. His art in Ice Trail is reminiscent of Mashima’s but feels looser and more kinetic in places. His action sequences are pretty impressive and high energy affairs, but at times they suffer from a lack of clarity. Certain panels are overstuffed with voice bubbles, sound effects, speediness, etc. Tight shots meant to show impact can be muddled and unclear at times, breaking the momentum and hurting the flow of the action. His character and monster designs seem like a perfect fit for the world of Fairy Tail and the supporting characters and new villains would feel right at home alongside those in the main book.

Fairy Tail: Ice Trail really feels like a safe read. There’s no real risk or real tension and comes off as standard shonen-y action adventure fare. Hardcore fans who just can’t get enough Fairy Tail, or fans desperate to see more of Grey in general will clearly get the most out of this, but even they may find it lacking since nothing really important happens. Most will probably see it for what it is though, a fairly bland and forgettable read with some ok art.

Fairy Tail: Ice Trail, Vols. 1 + 2 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Mysterious Girlfriend X, Vol. 1
by Riichi Ueshiba
Vertical Comics, 404 pgs
Rating: Not Rated

When new girl, Mikoto Urabe, arrives in Akira Tsubaki’s high school class things start to get weird. Soon Akira finds himself in a relationship with the mysterious Urabe. From Riichi Ueshiba comes the adult romantic comedy, Mysterious Girlfriend X, Vol. 1, the manga behind the 2012 anime series of the same name.

If the first volume is anything to go by, then Mysterious Girlfriend X, Vol. 1 is a fairly straight forward tale of young love and the awkward excitement that comes with a first relationship. Throughout the volume Urabe and Tsubaki grow closer, spend time with each other as their relationship slowly develops. This isn’t really new ground, there are many series that follow a similar premise. What really sets Mysterious Girlfriend X apart is the twist.

Drool.

Yes, drool.

In one stomach turning moment, Tsubaki’s relationship with Urabe begins when he decides to basically lick her drool off of a school desk. Apparently Urabe’s drool is akin to heroine and Tsubaki quickly finds himself jonsing for more as he suffers withdrawal symptoms. Urabe realizes what he’s done and that’s basically the framework for the series. It’s not just a weird hook, but also a metaphor for their feelings and desires for each other, sexual awakening, the feeling out process and more. The drool isn’t just a weird one off hook, it’s a constant in the series and nearly every chapter features a scene of Urabe feeding it to Tsubaki in what becomes a rather repulsive ritual.

While the idea of swapping spit isn’t really shocking, it happens every time people make out, licking and sucking it off a desk or off of someone’s finger is pretty nasty. The artwork doesn’t help matters. The drool is usually thick and sticky and seems to resemble another type of bodily secretions, reinforcing its nature as a sexual metaphor. Despite these gross moments, Riichi Ueshiba’s artwork is actually pretty fantastic. He crams detail after detail into each panel, resulting in a wonderfully realized and grounded world for the rather weird love story. There’s a great sense of weight and texture to the work, the character’s winter clothes look heavier and warmer, meanwhile the city backgrounds have a lived in feel to them. There are a few weird dream sequences which is where he really gets to flex his muscles by creating huge, sprawling splash pages or two page spreads featuring a dream world crammed full of interesting looking figures and buildings and signage. This is all a welcome change from the many other romantic comedy series which often take place in a white space devoid of everything but passing clouds of toning.

Gifted with some solid comedy and relationship building, not to mention some really great artwork, Mysterious Girlfriend X, Vol. 1 is tainted by it’s drool gimmick. It’s including interrupts and derails what would be an otherwise perfectly acceptable romantic comedy and even it’s symbolic meaning doesn’t detract from how nasty it is. It’s inclusion feels like a shock tactic done to attract attention, which is a shame because it’s detracts from a pretty de cent read.

Mysterious Girlfriend X, Vol. 1 is available now from Vertical Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Legend: The Graphic Novel and Prodigy: The Graphic Novel
Original story by Marie Lu, adapted by Leigh Dragoon, art by Kaari and Caravan StudioPenguin/
Penguin/Putnam
Rating: Not Rated

Sometime in the future the United States is hit with a series of disasters which destroys much of the east coast. From it’s ashes rise two rival powers, the Republic and the Colonies. Day and June are two teenagers in the Republic on opposite sides of the law. Day, an infamous rebel fighter and June, a military prodigy soon find their paths crossing as they’re forced to ally with each other against the powers that be. The two must decide who to trust and attempt to navigate the web of lies and conspiracies if they any hope of surviving and getting unraveling the secrets looming over both their lives. Based on the popular young adult novel series by Marie Lu, Legend: The Graphic Novel and Prodigy: The Graphic Novel adapt the first two volumes of The Legend series thanks to the talents of Leigh Dragoon, Kaari and Caravan Studio.

Sad to say, but these are not the best introduction to the world that Lu’s created. The two graphic novels move at a break neck pace and while they do a pretty solid job at getting across each of the main character’s basic traits, it really felt like a lot was missing from the overall picture. Things are referenced but never really fleshed out or explained. Mentions abound about the Republic unleashing plagues and viruses, but they’re given little more than a brief and passing mention. Hints and suggestions about each character’s past are thrown about, but never quite followed up on, such as Day’s childhood.

Likewise the world building feels a little lacking. Readers are shown how cruel the Republic can be in Legend, but when the Colonies are introduced in Prodigy they feel like a half formed idea. There’s a vague mention of them being run by corporations, but the impact this has on the citizenry and how it makes them functionally different from the Republic is never really explored. They end up feeling very similar with no real difference. On one hand that may be the point, but when Day and June arrive in the Colonies and mention how it feels weird there’s no real reason given for this aside from a brief conversation. Beyond that, they may as well be in the Republic.

Kaari and Caravan Studio do a great job convey emotions through the characters expressions, their eyes are wonderfully emotive, making the quieter moments that much more powerful. When it comes to the action scenes however, it tends to feel a little stiff and awkward. The fight scenes are super compressed due to the page count, but there are sequences which are clearly supposed to be exciting edge of your seat moments but lack the oomph needed to pull them off. Chief among these was an exciting plane chase through a tunnel.
The grey and bland backgrounds are a mixed bag. They make it difficult to tell certain settings apart, but at the same time they do reinforce the idea of faceless, concrete architecture that’s reminiscent of Eastern European, Soviet style construction and all that implies.

Legend: The Graphic Novel and Prodigy: The Graphic Novel are probably not the best introduction to the series. They were short, quick reads, but as a newcomer they failed to really grab me or pull me into the world or into the characters. There’s always bound to be something cut and missing when adapting a story from one medium to another, but these really felt like some key points where cut. Newcomers curious about the series might be better off going straight to the novels, but there’s definitely some appeal here for fans of the series. It’s always nice to be able to see characters and places you’re a fan of depicted and this certainly does a good job at that.

Legend: The Graphic Novel and Prodigy: The Graphic Novel are available now from . Review copies provided by the publisher.

the gods lie
By Kaori Ozaki
Vertical Comics, 216 pp
Rating: Not Rated

After an argument with his new soccer coach, 6th grader Natsuru skips out on Summer soccer camp and ends up spending time with his classmate Rio and her younger brother. The two quickly bond, but as the Summer draws to a close their bonds will be tested. Kaori Ozaki’s the gods lie is a single volume tale about Natsuru, Rio, friendship and the pains of growing up.

The story about Natsuru and Rio is one that, for the most part, should be familiar to just about anyone. Intense friendships are a regular part of growing up and Kaori Ozaki does an amazing job at making the friendship between the two feel natural and real and genuine. It’s not all sweetness and roses though. There’s a strong sense of loss and pain throughout the book, but it never becomes overwhelmingly grim or oppressive even when Ozaki throws in some surprisingly dark moments. She also does a really good job at developing Natsuru and Rio to the point were their pain, fears and emotions hit hard, making the ending very potent and emotionally resonant.

Osaka also does a fantastic job with the visuals. Her characters are wonderfully expressive and their emotional states and personalities come through nicely. Worry on a parents face, suspicion on that of another adult, heartbreak and more are all clear as day under her skilled hand. Her sense of pacing is pitch perfect as well. She knows which moments to let linger in the air for readers to absorb and take in. Much like her pacing, her use of backgrounds is dead on. She knows when to use them to enhance a scene or to ground it, and when to let them drop away to let readers linger and focus on the action or emotion in a panel.

I went into the gods lie cold, knowing almost nothing about it. By the time I put it down I was saddened that it had to end. Kari Ozaki’s crafted a moving tale that rings all too true in what it says about childhood friendships and the harsh realities of the world. It’s absolutely worth a read and left me wanting to see more of Kaori Osaka’s work.

the gods lie. will be available on April 19th from Vertical Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Attack on Titan: Special Edition Vols. 16 + 17
by Hajime Isayama
Kodansha Comics
Rating: Teen (16 +)

After years of teasing, slowly dropped hints, vague suggestions and fan theories, revelations regarding the history of the world, the nature of the Titans and more abound in Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan: Special Edition, Vols. 16 + 17! There’s so much going on within these two volumes that they’re almost exhausting to read. Long held suspicions are confirmed while the Survey Corps have their showdown with Kenny the Ripper’s special Anti-Maneuvering Gear squad. Meanwhile Eren and Krista are confronted with revelations about their families and a choice that could leave one of them dead.

Attack on Titan, Vols. 16 + 17 do a fantastic job at highlighting the best things about the series. These two volumes are full of amazing twists, turns and other plot insanity that’s been a big draw for the series since it’s get go. Isayama does a fantastic job at handling the revelations and imbues them with a strong sense of emotional weight and meaning for the characters, not to mention the world of the series in general. They’re clearly going to have lengthy reverberations for the rest of the series and they truly feel momentous and help enforce the idea that we’ve reached a major turning point for Attack on Titan.

The action sequences are lovely to behold and, much like the story revelations, also carry weight to them. Not just because the results could affect the plot in a major way, but because of how they affect the individual characters. Up until the last few volumes, Eren and the rest of the Survey Corps members have primarily been battling the inhuman Titans, but with the introduction of Kenny and his Anti-Maneuvering Gear Squad, they’re fighting other humans. This forces them to cross lines they’ve never considered before, namely taking the life of another human and all that entails. On a more exciting note, it also means that Isayama gets to stretch his muscles a bit and create an exciting, large scale aerial battle which is pretty fantastic!

Unfortunately it’s not all roses. Eren’s always had something of a martyr complex, but in these two volumes he’s a little too eager to get up on his cross. His moments of self doubt, desire for atonement and to do the right thing bounce between emotionally powerful to distractingly goofy, sometimes in a matter of pages.

The Special Editions of both volumes come with several nifty extras. Volume 16 includes a slip cover by American comic artist and co-creator of the Walking Dead, Tony Moore, and a deck of playing cards with colored art from the manga. Meanwhile, volume 17 comes with a 30 minute anime adaption of the manga chapter, “Ilse’s Notebook.” These Special Editions look like they’ll be regular features for the U.S. edition of Attack on Titan going forward, and Kodansha Comics have already announced that volumes 18 and 19 will include anime adaption of the Levi side story manga, Attack on Titan: No Regrets.

Attack on Titan, Vols. 16 + 17 feel like they’re fit to burst with important plot and character moments. It’s easy to see that these are two rather important pieces in the length saga Hajime Isayama has planned. Throwing out major reveals like this can be tricky and often end up feeling unsatisfying and can leave readers feeling like they’ve wasted their time. Isayama’s managed to avoid this with these volumes. He may have not solved every every mystery in the series, but he’s provided enough answers to satisfy readers while ensuring they’ll come back for the rest.

Attack on Titan, Vols. 16 + 17 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy of Attack on Titan: Special Edition, Vol. 17 provided by the publisher.

Noragami, Vol. 7
by Adachitoka
Kodansha Comics, 200 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

In the wake of Yato’s battle with Bishamon and the revealing of Kugaha’s role in orchestrating the conflict, it’s time for the gang to recoup and unwind! Hiyori attempts to resume her school life, only to find it sidetracked thanks to Yato’s antics, and Yukine takes his next step on the road to being a fully functional shinki. Meanwhile, hanging over it all is the unanswered question: was Kugaha a solo act, or was he merely the start of something much bigger? Adachitoka’s charming supernatural action adventure series continues with Noragami, Vol. 7!

Much of this volume deals with the aftermath of the Yato and Bishamon battle and spends quite a bit of time exploring the changes to Yato and Hiyori’s relationship due to the battle and certain things said during it. It also moves the mystery of the masked ayakashi along and allows Adachitoka to engage in some more world building. A meeting between the gods is shown, more information on the their abilities and the role they play are given out, and we even get some funny and intriguing glimpses into Yato’s life prior to the start of the series.

Noragami is constantly walking a tight rope between the cliche reactions and comedy bits that plague many of its contemporaries, but some how manages to pull it off without ever drifting over into obnoxious territory. Yato’s goofiness and his slavish devotion Hiyori and his ridiculous hijinks come off as endearing and lovable rather than annoying. Likewise Hiyori’s complicated feelings towards Yato and the others gods and shinki she’s met over the last few volumes feel genuine rather than forced and there to simply meet plot demands. Moments like Yato finally getting a shrine thanks to Hiyori come off as surprisingly touching and real, even if his obsession and reaction verges on ridiculously over the top.

This is all due in large part to the excellent teamwork between both halves of the creative team. The writing and the artwork work together expertly, reigning each other in when they need to and letting each other run wild when it’s the benefit of the story. The trembling eyes and look of awe on Yato’s face when he finally receives his shrine are perfect for the scene. Likewise when Yato temporarily takes over Hiyori’s body, you don’t mind how ridiculous his behavior and dialogue is as it melds perfectly with the visuals.

With Noragami, Vol. 7, Adachitoka continues to spin an interesting and engaging series that has consistently been a pleasant surprise for me. It’s worming its way into my heart and each new volume leaves wanting the next one, which means that I clearly need to catch up with it!

Noragami, Vol. 7 are available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu
by Junji Ito
Kodansha Comics, 120 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

From horror master Junji Ito, the creator of Uzumaki, Gyo and Tomie comes the adorably goofy Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu! Based on events from his life, Cat Diary shows the ups and downs that come from owning two cats, all drawn in a distinctly Junji Ito fashion!

While he’s best known for his horror series, Cat Diary shows that Junji Ito’s not totally incapable of stretching his muscles into other genres. Things kick off with J. and his wife buying a brand new house, but they won’t be living alone for long. J.’s wife quickly brings Yon and Mu, a pair of cats to live with them, and Ito pens some pretty adorable and silly adventures of the acclimation process.

Cat Diary may be a comedy, but it’s still a Junji Ito book and quite a bit of the comedy comes in the form of disturbing reaction shots and demented depictions and his creepy rendering of normal people and daily lives. For example, his wife is depicted with nearly completely white eyes, giving her a rather creepy and unsettling feel, especially when she grins! Likewise J.’s overreactions to adorable kitty antics are tinged with a hint of madness one would expect to see in Ito’s horror manga. Incidentally, this is probably one of the few times I’ve found myself enjoying comedic over reactions, and that’s because they skew away from the typical depictions of such moments. It’s proof that even over used comedic tropes can still be fresh and entertaining in the right hands.

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu is a quirky and breezy read. It’s fun and surprisingly short. Fans of Ito’s horror will probably be bummed out that this got published before some of his other works, but it does provide a surprisingly personal look into the creators life and can be genuinely touching at times as well. If you’re a fan of cats or Junji Ito’s other works, you should definitely give this a look.

Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu are available now from Kodansha Comics.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 4
by Miki Yoshikawa
Kodansha Comics, 192 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

Miki Yoshikawa’s Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 4 sees Yamada and his gang of misfits struggling with Summer Classes as they attempt to unravel the mystery behind their kissing powers. Along the way, they stumble across Ostuka, who just might be the next of the titular seven witches! Gender swapping hijinks and misunderstandings abound!

With its fourth volume, Yamada-Kun and the Seven Witches is starting to feel a tad bit repetitive. Not just in the general story format of finding a new witch and discovering what their power is, but in the rest of the gags and jokes that pepper the series. I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that I’ve seen all this and been through it all before, just with some minor changes. Maybe it’s the just the sheer volume of school based manga that I’ve been reading lately, because how many high school scenarios can you run in which a slightly awkward and outsider guy/girl builds themselves a circle of friends made up of slightly off kilter but good people?

The powers don’t really add anything new to the formula, and it doesn’t really feel like it’s exploring problems or delving deeply into these characters lives and their personalities. Most of the characters in the series feel fairly flat and one note. A few feel like they exist solely to provide opportunities for awkward comedy or fan service. The simmering mystery about their powers isn’t something that’s really grabbing me and, despite being a semi-important factor in this Summer School story, feels like an after thought rather than anything of real consequence.

Miki Yoshikawa’s artwork is fine. The story telling is clear, any action, comedic or otherwise, is easy to follow and there’s never any confusion about what’s going on or who’s who. In fact, one of the strongest elements is how Yoshikawa manages to convey the body swapping idea through the art alone. Character’s postures change, their body language is different, their expressions are different, it’s really one of the visual high points in the series.

Yamada-Kun is an strange little series. Despite my frustration with it, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t enjoyed what I’ve read of it. It’s just that once the cover’s closed and my review is done the series pretty much leaves my mind. That might not sound like a bad thing, but it kind of is. I’m not eagerly awaiting the next volume, I’m not left wondering what will happen next. It’s just disposable entertainment.

Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Vol. 4 are available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copies provided by the publisher.

A Silent Voice, Vol. 3
by Yoshitoki Oima
Kodansha Comics, 192 pgs
Rating: Teen (13 +)

Shoya’s struggles with his guilt over his shoddy treatment of Shoko in elementary school continues and grows in Yoshitoki Oima’s A Silent Voice, Vol. 3. In his latest attempt to make amends for his past, Shoya tries to reconnect with other kids from their elementary school class for Shoya, but he soon finds that not everyone shares his change of heart.

The series approaches guilt and shame in an incredibly real and honest way. At the risk of sounding pretentious, it’s hard to look at Shoko’s behavior and not think of a line from The Wire, “shame’s some tricky shit aint it? Makes you think you want tochange then beats you back down when you think you can.” So far that fits Shoko to a t. Motivated by guilt and shame, he spends a lot of time trying to change and make up for his past, but then his shame and guilt twists and beats him down so that every success he has comes with the feeling that he doesn’t deserve it. Amazingly, at no time does the story become overwhelmingly oppressive or depressing, this is thanks to Yoshitoki Oima’s ability to insert humor and lighthearted moments that don’t feel forced or detract from the theme and characters. It’s a fine line to walk and she does so spectacularly.

Yoshitoki Oima’s artwork is wonderfully expressive and the detailed backgrounds help ground the series and even help reinforce some of the awkward moments between characters. Shoko and Shoya’s ride home on the crowded train, standing apart really clicked and felt awkwardly real. The character designs, while contemporary, are interesting and varied enough that you can tell nearly everyone apart with a glance. Body posture, facial expressions, body shapes, head shapes, height and more are all used to differentiate the characters and help build their characters. A Silent Voice suffers from none of the sameness that often plagues contemporary, school based manga.

With a A Silent Voice, Vol. 3, Yoshitoki Oima continues to put on a clinic of how to handle deeply complicated subjects and emotions without descending into doom and gloom. Her characters wrestle and struggle with some pretty heavy emotions, but she never neglects the lighter moments and the result is a wonderful read that feels genuine, true and a surprisingly fun read too.

A Silent Voice, Vol. 3 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

LDK, Vol. 1
by Ayu Watanabe
Kodansha Comics, 176 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

When her parents relocated for work, Aoi chose to stay in her home town. Now living alone in an apartment, Aoi’s basically your typical high school student. Things are about to change though! After her best friends asks out Shusei, the hottest guy in school, and is coldly rejected, Aoi discovers that he’s now her next door neighbor! To make matters even more complicated, circumstances quickly force Shusei and Aoi to share an apartment! From Ayu Watanabe comes Kodansha Comics’ latest Shojo series, LDK, Vol. 1!

LDK, Vol. 1 feels like the platonic ideal of a shojo manga comedy. The volume is one cliche after another and the result is an incredibly bland and forgettable read. Most of the tension and conflict in this volume comes from Aoi’s slowly developing feelings towards Shusei and her loyalty to Moe, her friend who also has feelings for Shusei. Unfortunately none of it feels very tense and Aoi’s feelings towards Shusei end up feeling like they’re feeling dictated by the plot rather than any sort of natural development of her character. Shusei, for his part, is your typical shojo male lead. He’s a nearly perfect, incredibly hot guy who’s outwardly cold, but secretly soft, gooey and sensitive in the middle. The two have zero chemistry and Shusei’s flirtations and playful antics usually come off as kind of creepy and lame.

Ayu Watanabe’s artwork doesn’t help things either. It’s equally bland, lifeless and stiff. Backgrounds are present, but when it comes to the Aoi’s apartment and the scenes with Shusei and Aoi sharing it, they fail to really reinforce how cramped and small it must be. There’s no real sense of size, which seems rather important given that the cramming the two into such a tight space is played up for laughs. The character designs match this and feel incredibly generic and uninspired.

In the end, LDK, Vol. 1 is a rather bland and forgettable shojo series. It’s not a horrible series, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like it’s offering anything new or different. It’s incredibly flat and lifeless and will probably end up inspiring nothing but bored indifference in its readers. Given the quality of some of the other shojo series Kodansha’s got out right now, I’m really a little surprised that this got picked up at all.

LDK, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Say I Love You, Vol. 9
by Kanae Hazuki
Kodansha Comics, 176 pgs
Rating: Older Teen (16 +)

Kanae Hazuki’s solid exploration of love, romance, friendship and all the tangled feelings that come with them continues with Say I Love You, Vol. 9! Following the contest in the previous volume, it’s time for the King and Queen to have their date! As Mei struggles with her insecurities and feelings for Yamato, he must venture on his date with Mei’s romantic rival, Megumi. Meanwhile, we catch up with Yamamto’s brother Daichi and learn about his own personal story of love and loss.

While there’s a little bit at the beginning of the volume focusing on Mei and Yamato, most of the volume is dedicated to exploring the relationship between Yamato’s hair stylist brother Daichi and his assistant Kyoko. The book’s overly romanticized version of the hair style industry didn’t really click for me, but the exploration of Daichi’s feelings towards his ex and Kyoko’s interest in him rang true and was surprisingly moving and touching at times. This break from the main story was very welcome and Kanae Hazuki did a lovely job at using these two minor characters to explore the loss of a loved one and the difficultly in moving on.

The artwork continues to be solid and fitting for the story, but the creepy hands and similar, thin, lanky body types continue to dominate the book and it’s character designs. Usually it’s something you can just ignore or roll with, but when a flashback focusing on Daichi’s ex requires us to believe that she’s considered fat or unattractive and she looks similar to many of the other attractive characters in the book, it’s to the detriment of the story. The lack of backgrounds and the heavy reliance on toning and borderless panels also makes the story feel a little ungrounded in places and often results in some pretty empty pages from time to time. It’s clearly meant to reinforce the story’s emotional beats, but they’re used so often that at times their weight and emphasis sometimes felt undercut instead.

Say I Love You has always been at it’s best when dealing with emotional arcs and entanglements that ring true and feel real. Mei’s insecurity in the earlier volumes, her friends and their individual histories with body issues and preconceived notions based on their appearance, and now the impact of loss upon Daichi’s life. While some people may lament the two main characters taking a back seat to such minor ones, I think it was a smart move and it reminded me of why I was so fond of this series back when it started.

Say I Love You, Vol. 9 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Title: Yowamushi Pedal, Omnibus 1
Author: Wataru Watanabe
Genre: Sports, Shounen
Publisher: Yen Press (US) / Akita Shoten (JP)
Release Date: December 15, 2015
Original Magazine: Weekly Shonen Champion
Purchase

Newly-minted high schooler Sakamichi Onoda spent his middle school years never letting anyone know he was an anime otaku. Alone, Onoda opts to bike the 90 kilometers to the otaku paradise Akihabara on a weekly basis instead of taking the bus — riding his bike is free, after all. Hopeful that high school will net him an anime club and some friends, Onoda finds his dreams quickly dashed when the club is disbanded for lack of participation. On another solo ride to Akihabara Onoda happens to run into cycling club ace Imaizumi. Impressed with Onoda’s long distance riding skills on just a “mommy bike,” Imaizumi challenges him to a race…

Yowamushi Pedal, commonly shortened to Yowapeda among fans, is a sports manga fan favorite; at over 40 volumes in Japan, US manga publisher Yen Press has seemingly taken a huge risk in licensing the series for English speaking audiences. Sports manga (and its anime counterparts) have never caught on well with North American fans, myself included. Yowapeda picked up more of a following when the anime began streaming on Crunchyroll back in 2013. Since then it’s been on my radar, but it turned out to be my fervent love for another recent sports anime that pushed me to try Yen’s first omnibus release. Yes, Yowapeda is indeed a bicycling manga, a sports manga… and it is very, very good.

Looking at the sports manga and anime I have enjoyed recently, I’ve noticed two large components where Yowapeda excels: not bogging the reader down in the mechanics of the sports, and having a likeable main character and expanding cast. I’m obviously biased here, but it is so refreshing to see a character like Onoda, especially an anime otaku character, who enjoys his hobby and who doesn’t get to high school and want to shed his nerdy ways. When he finds the anime club disbanded, he makes it his mission to gather members to revive it, and the only reason he bikes so well is because his passion for anime regularly leads him to Akihabara. Onoda sincerely just wants to make friends that share his interests, but he’s not overly pushy. Of note too is Imaizumi; obviously Onoda’s raw unpolished cycling skills are a threat to his own, but instead of marking him as an opponent Imaizumi helps Onoda and encourages him along. Even with all of the feel good energy between frienemies the races still feel fairly intense, as they’re scattered with characters’ thoughts, strategies, physical exhaustion and appropriately sprinkled biking terminology. Author Watanabe casually weaves minor biking knowledge into the story, some of which we helpfully see through the eyes of girl biking nerd Miki Kanazaki, making it easily digestible for the reader. This combined with the expanding and likeable cast make it easy to start getting attached to Onoda’s journey even in the first volume.

Yen Press smartly packaged this first volume as a larger trim two volume omnibus, as the first two volumes establish some main players, give us a glimpse of how races play out, and make the wait for the second omnibus in April even more excruciating. The only minor quibble with Yen’s presentation so far — from an American standpoint anyway — is the use of the metric system without noting the conversions. A quick Google tells me Onoda’s daily 90 kilometers is a cool 55 miles (!), but the total gravity of that was lost on me while reading. Minor issues aside, even as a non/casual-sports fan I can still easily say that Yowamushi Pedal was a great way to cap off an exceptional year in US manga, and is well worth the pick-up.

The post Manga Review: Yowamushi Pedal, Omnibus 1 appeared first on Manga Connection.

Fairy Tail, Vol. 50
by Hiro Mashima
Kodansha Comics, 208
Rating: Teen (13 +)

As Natsu and Lucy attempt to rebuild Fairy Tail after a one year time skip, a new threat rears its head. The Avatar Black Magic Cult has appeared and is planning a ritual to summon Zeref. With Fairy Tail’s members separated and their fates unknown, who will be able to protect the world from this new danger? Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail, Vol. 50 ushers in a new age for the series!

HURRAY! It’s the big 50 for Hiro Mashima’s Fairy Tail! That’s a milestone any series should be proud to reach. It would be lovely if we could have celebrated with a jaw dropping volume and huge, shocking revelations, but sadly that’s not quite what we get here.

I was a little miffed by the time jump in the previous volume, but Mashima does a good job at making me forget about that complaint here with some nice moments that harken back to previous arcs and lingering subplots. Admittedly, the idea of another Zeref focused group so soon after the fantastic Tartarous story isn’t really lighting me on fire, but there are a few new twists here which could be interesting. In the past, moments of tension between the Fairy Tail crew have been few and far between. This volume offers quite a bit of set up that might change that and left me hoping that we’ll get a nice throw down between several members in the future. Sadly, I suspect the traditional shonen power of friendship and understanding will rob of us what could be some really nice character moments.

Hiro Mashima’s artwork continues to be sharp and polished and the action scenes we get do a fantastic job at showing off just how powerful Natsu’s become. This has always been one of Mashima’s strengths. He excels at large, impressive splash pages and double splash pages that highlight the impact of an attack, the scale of a blast, or the intensity of a blow.

Fairy Tail, Vol. 50 did a little to assuage my fears about this new arc. The twists and turns in the volume are interesting, but they didn’t quite blow me away or leave my jaw on the ground. Hopefully things will shape up as it goes along, but I can’t say that I’m terribly thrilled to see another group of evil mages trying to summon Zeref so soon after the last one.

Fairy Tail, Vol. 50 is available now from Kodansha Comics. Review volume provided by the publisher.

Even if you’re not a fan of Ultraman, the trailer for Ultraman X: The Movie is truly something to behold. It doesn’t feel like anything made during this era, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The cheesy sets, ham-fisted acting, and gigantic rubber monsters seem to have traveled through time, and that’s perfectly okay with me. Your mileage will vary, of course.

If you’re fluent in Japanese, take a trip to the official website. As far as I can tell, it contains a wealth of information, but I’ll be damned if I can decipher what it means. Regardless, the wonderfully silly trailer for Ultraman X: The Movie resides below. Watch it twice for the full effect.

The post Ultraman X: The Movie Trailer Delivers One Full Minute of Cinematic Lunacy appeared first on Dread Central.

Devil Survivor, Vol. 1
created by Atlus, manga by Satoru Matsuba, original characters by Suzuhito Yasuda
Kodansha Comics, 208 pp
Rating: Teen (13 +)

Kazuya and Atsuro make plans to meet the enigmatic Naoya in Shibuya, but their plans are turned on their head when another friend, Yuzu, arrives with gifts from Naoya… three mini-computers. Once Atsuro cracks the passwords on computers the trio find a mysterious email detailing events that have yet to occur, including demonic attacks! From Satoru Matsuba comes the first volume of Devil Survivor!

Video game adaptions are tricky things. More often then not they end up feeling pointless and make for awkward reads. Unfortunately, Devil Survivor, Vol. 1 is no exception. Characters explain the rules of the world in painfully unnatural exposition. A cryptic character is incredibly cryptic for no discernible reason, and no one really has much in the way of personalities. It bounces back and forth from trying to be a horror manga to feeling like some kind of Pokemon knock off. This is due to Kazuya and friends summoning monsters to battle other monsters via their computers, complete with stats for each monster and other useful information that you’d expect to find on a CCG card. As a result, it’s not terribly engaging or fun and everything feels incredibly plot heavy. Like things are happening because the story requires them to happen rather than something happening based upon character choices or decisions.

Satoru Matsuba’s art throughout is a bit bland. The monster designs are dull and unthreatening, while the action is short and uninteresting. The contemporary setting comes through with the backgrounds, but they fail to evoke much in the way of atmosphere or mood. The main characters don’t really stand out very much either. All three are slim with similar looking facial features and bodies. Admittedly, this and the monsters might not be Matsuba’s fault as Devil Survivor, Vol. 1 is an adaption of a video game. Indeed, a quick google search shows that in full color they stand out a bit more, but in black and white their distinguishing features boil down to a hat, headphones and one being a girl.

There’s another small problem with Devil Survivor, Vol. 1 that’ll be immediately noticeable to physical book readers, the pages vanish into the spine. Word bubbles, captions and panels all vanish within the spine and binding of the books. It might seem like a minor issue, but when you’re reading the book and suddenly parts of the dialogue vanish within the spine and binding it’s kind of annoying.

Video game manga can be tricky. At the very least you’d hope that they’d engage new readers and make them want to play the game’s they’re based on. Sadly, that’s not the case here. Devil Survivor, Vol. 1 is ultimately a bland and forgettable read that did nothing to make me want to look into the franchise it’s spun off from.

Devil Survivor, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics.Review copy provided by the publisher

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 1
by Junko
Kodansha Comics, 160 pp
Rating: Teen (13 +)

After undergoing an emotional trauma, Kae returns to school with a new attractive body that gains the attention of her handsome classmates. Sadly, for Kae this isn’t a blessing but a nightmare because her mild exterior hides a dark secret.. Kae’s a fujoshi who enjoys shipping her pretty boy classmates! Now Kae’s shipping fantasies are being derailed thanks to her newly attractive body! From Junko comes the comedy, Kiss Him, Not Me, Vol. 1!

If that premise sounds interesting, then I have some bad news for you. The first few chapters play up the awkwardness of Kae’s fujoshi-hood and obsession with anime, mining her shipping fantasies for some fun comedic moments. This material is really pretty funny and includes my favorite scene in the volume, where Kae “comes out” to the boys as an otaku and fujoshi. Sadly it doesn’t last and halfway through the volume it turns into a fairly typical romantic comedy. There are still a few funny scenes of the pretty boys vying for her affections, such as the group being kicked out of one place after another due to the boys yelling at each other constantly, but most of the jokes feel flat and run of the mill. For example, there’s an entire chapter given over to Kae’s attempt to learn soccer. It lacks the awkward charm of the first half and feels interchangeable with dozens of other romantic comedies. Kae flails about and is incapable of playing soccer. Thankfully one of the pretty boys plays the game and we’re given some awkward moments as he gains a new appreciation for her.

One of Junko’s strong points throughout the book is her sense of comedic timing. Even some of the cliche and predictable jokes are handled and depicted in such a way that they still get a bit of a smile. The visual pacing, the timing of reactions and visual puns is all really solid. Most of the characters sport the typical, contemporary, shojo look and at times I found myself getting one pretty boy confused with another pretty boy. Their lack of personality didn’t help any either.

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 1 starts out fairly enjoyable and funny, but stumbles towards the end. It really shines when Junko mines Kae’s shipping fantasies and otaku-ness for humor and the lack of that in the later half, with one notable exception, was disappointing and caused the book to suffer. Hopefully future volumes will be closer the first half of the book in tone, because otherwise it’s just another middle of the road romantic comedy.

Kiss Him, Not Me!, Vol. 1 is available now from Kodansha Comics.

Just in time for Halloween, artist Travis Falligant and Break.com have teamed up to bring us these magnificently macabre makeovers of classic Disney princesses re-imagined as horror icons.

Dig on a few of our favorites below, and then head over to Break.com to check out the rest of the gallery!

Really great stuff here. Check them all out; it’s SO worth it, and look for more treats throughout the weekend because once October passes, we’re then gonna have to wait a year for the rest of the world to catch up with us again!

The post Deadly Disney Princesses Remade as Horror Icons appeared first on Dread Central.