Love Hina Vol. 1

Before I get to the actual review I must first explain that Love Hina, in its animated form, holds a special place in my heart as it was one of the very first anime I had ever watched all the way through. From the very first episode I was hooked on Urashima's antics which both annoyed and humoured me while Narusegawa mesmerized me with her strength, intelligence, and at times, gentle nature. I fondly remember trying to get the pronunciation of her name just right, and wishing I had had the good fortune to become curator of a girls dorm...

Suffice to say, I fell in Love with the Hinata house, and those sentiments have not changed since. Do I have a bias? Yes, I suppose I do, but, at least you know about it?

With that having been said, the first volume of Love Hina, is quite similar to the anime, which is usually how things go when a manga gets converted to an anime. The introduction of all the characters is handled quite hilariously with Keitaro unknowingly stepping in to situations that always seem to set him up to be a pervert, or pedophile, or some other such thing, the constant battering of Keitaro abuse can be both overwhelming and annoying at times, and consider the fact that there are 13 other volumes, if this style of storytelling is not your to your taste, then you should probably forget about this series all together.

Fortunately though things never get too out of hand, and Keitaro usually comes out on top *ahem* one way or another.

Taking in to consideration the age of this series and its art style I think it has grown gracefully. I find it as 'readable' as it was watching it many years ago. And surprisingly enough the story seems to be holding up really well so far. Just after the first few pages I felt myself sinking back in to the same childhood mindset I had when watching the anime for the first time, it was a very nice feeling to be sure.

The first volume of the manga sets up the rest of the series quite nicely with subtle romance and hinted at mystery. Who are these girls? Was it just coincidence that they all happened upon each other? Only time will tell!

I am, embarrassingly enough, giddy with excitement to continue reading the rest of the series and rekindle my love for the Hinata house and its inhabitants. The only question is can I find all the volumes?!

Here's to number 2 which is on its way to my greedy open palms. :)

Rating: 10/10

From the back of the book:

When Keitaro Urashima fails his entrance exams to get into Tokyo University for the second time, he's officially an unemployed and uneducated slacker. To make things worse, his parents have kicked him out of his house. Fortunately, his grandmother owns the fabulous Hinata House and Keitaro is going to be the new caretaker. What he doesn't know is the lodge is actually a girls dorm and he's the only guy around! Most guys would kill to live with five cute girls, but if Keitaro's not careful, this job will kill him.

20th Century Boys Vol. 2

I have come to firmly believe that Naoki Urasawa is a story telling genius. I am simultaneously reading two of his series presently, Pluto, and of course what I am reviewing today, 20th Century Boys.

The second volume in the series continues, obviously, from where the first left off, meeting Yukiji. We learn a bit more about Kenji, and their relationship with each other and the plot thickens as old mysteries are revealed while new ones are set in motion.

I find it amazing how Urasawa is able to make me, the reader, emote, whether good or bad, for each character in the story, even the minor ones. The persona's all draw you in to the ever expanding story, nay, mystery. They engage the reader like very few manga can. And when you find yourself actually caring about what happens to the protagonist, you know you have found something special.

However I have to give special recognition to the translator, Akemi Wegmuller. Translating such a dialogue intensive book can not be an easy task, and keeping the depth and range of emotions conveyed throughout the story must be infinitely harder, yet I find that he pulls it off gracefully. To be fair, I have not (nor am able to) read the original Japanese version but I find it hard to believe that the translation varies too much.

Another aspect I am enjoying with 20th Century Boys is the art and art style. Every character is so distinct in their appearance that at times it feels like these people could have really existed. It's as if I could reach on to the page and shake the hands of Kenji and the gang. You can easily imagine what their real life counterparts would look like. No brush stroke is wasted, and it shows. This is a beautifully drawn manga to which I am the proud owner.

The cover paper quality is also above part, at least to my finger tips, though the actual page quality, while thick enough not to allow any bleed through is yellowish in tone, but I can't tell if that was intentional or not.

And lets face it, when the only bad thing I can think of saying is in regards to the yellowish hue on the paper...

Rating: 10/10

From the back of the book:

The Friend, an enigmatic cult leader who plans to destroy the world, declares, "The cosmos has begun choosing those who are true friends." Meanwhile horrifying incidents are taking place: the emergence of a mysterious virus, the revelations of a man on the run... Kenji tries to find out who this Friend is but the answer is still far ahead. The footsteps of doom slowly creep closer and a shadow falls over the city...

Yukiji remembers who came p with their group's enigmatic symbol: Otcho. She also discovers that, nine years earlier, Otcho had been working in Thailand but mysteriously vanished. Could Otcho be the mysterious Friend? Also, a legendary detective is hot on the trail of the Shikishima kidnappers, but the clues he uncovers lead him dangerously close to the Friends cult. Is his life now in danger as well?