#>Graphic Novels<

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Luna’s Manga Reviews #16

Check out this weeks #Manga Reviews incl. Beauty and the Beast of Paradise Lost, You're My Cutie, The Girl The Shovel and the Evil Eye and many more #mangareviews

The Girl The Shovel and the Evil Eye Vol. 1 by Chouchouhasshi & Kayatamaru (Illustrator) Tsuguto Sumihara is way too nice…or rather, was too nice. He lost his life in a bus accident after being bullied into giving up his seat, and somehow was reincarnated into a mining camp! Not only that, the mine is at the base of an impossibly tall tower. It’s there he meets the ram–horned Loulier, his first…

[liahaymadab1983-blog]

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[lunaslittlelibrary]

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the visuals, wwith a choice of

Top Ten Favourite Graphic Novels/Comics

Ten Comics on My TBR

Top Ten Favourite Picture Books

Ten Comics on My TBR

Top Ten Favourite Picture Books

With so many options that I didn’t really know what to pick. In the end I’ve settled on Top Ten Graphic Novels (incl Manga’s) that I’ve reviewed on my blog.

  Sailor Moon by Naoko Takeuchi

Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!

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Vampire Princess Miyu by Narumi Kakinouchi & Toshihiro Hirano

Miyu is an eternally youthful, 13-year-old vampire. Her peculiar appearance; golden eyes, pale skin, and hair tied with a ribbon in a strange fashion, are concealed during the day. Miyu is the Guardian, whose duty it is to return the Shinma – god-demons that prey on humans – to the dark. She has the power to call forth fire, which burns Shinma and sends them to the dark. Her only companion, friend, and protector is Larva, a Western Shinma who is bound to serve her. Together, they hunt stray Shinma across Japan. How Miyu became a vampire is unknown, so is how and why she became the Guardian. However, more mysterious is the gift she bestows on the people she feeds from…

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Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord by Bessora

Alpha Coulibaly sets off from his home in Côte d’Ivoire, bound for Paris, where his sister-in-law has a hair salon near the Gare du Nord. Alpha’s wife Patience and son Badian left for Paris months ago, travelling without visas, and he has heard nothing from them since. He carries their photograph close to his heart as he crosses the continent and meets other ‘adventurers’ seeking a better life.

Alpha is emblematic of the refugee crisis today – just one of millions on the move, at the mercy of people traffickers, endlessly frustrated, endangered and exploited as he attempts to rejoin his family, already in Europe. With a visa, Alpha’s journey would take a matter of hours; without one he is adrift for eighteen months. Along the way he meets an unforgettable cast of characters, each one giving another human face to the crisis. The book is presented in graphic novel format, with artwork created in cheap felt-tip pen and wash, materials Alpha himself might be able to access.

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Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects – and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil.

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El Deafo by Cece Bell

Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece’s class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends.

Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school–in the hallway…in the teacher’s lounge…in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it’s just another way of feeling different… and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?

This funny perceptive graphic novel memoir about growing up hearing impaired is also an unforgettable book about growing up, and all the super and super embarrassing moments along the way.

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Habibi by Craig Thompson

‘Habibi’, based on a Middle Eastern fable, tells the story of Dodola, who escapes being sold into slavery and rescues an abandoned baby she names Zam.

They live in isolation in an old boat in the desert. As they age their relationship shifts from mother and son, to brother and sister and eventually lovers.

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Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren’t the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona’s powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

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Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

A smoke-filled alley in Chinatown harbours Count D’s Pet Shop. The pets sold here aren’t your everyday variety and the Count prides himself on selling Love and Dreams in the form of magical creatures that come with an exclusive contract. But buyers beware. If the contract is broken the Count cannot be held accountable for whatever may happen. A fascinating and macabre look into the very soul of human nature.

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Phoebe and Her Unicorn (Heavenly Nostrils) by Dana Simpson

It all started when Phoebe skipped a rock across a pond and accidentally hit a unicorn in the face. Improbably, this led to Phoebe being granted one wish, and she used it to make the unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, her obligational best friend. But can a vain mythical beast and a nine-year-old daydreamer really forge a connection? Indeed they can, and that’s how Phoebe and Her Unicorn unfolds.

This beautifully drawn strip follows the unlikely friendship between a somewhat awkward girl and the unicorn who gradually shows her just how special she really is. Through hilarious adventures where Phoebe gets to bask in Marigold’s “awesomeness,” the friends also come to acknowledge that they had been lonely before they met and truly appreciate the bond they now share.

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Red River by Chie Shinohara

Red River is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Yuri Suzuki, who is magically transported to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia. She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice. Yuri’s blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish, leaving Nakia’s son as the sole heir to the throne. As the story progress, however, Yuri not only repeatedly manages to escape Nakia’s scheming, she also becomes revered as an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar and falls in love with prince Kail.

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The #TopTen Favourite #GraphicNovels (incl #Manga #Comics)... #bookrecommdations #toptentuesday Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is all about the visuals, wwith a choice of…

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Reasons to read... My Brother's Husband, Volume 1 (Otouto no Otto) by Gengoroh Tagame & Anne Ishii (Translator)

Reasons to read... My Brother's Husband #OtoutonoOtto by Gengoroh Tagame #lgbtqia+ #manga #graphicnovel

Yaichi is a work-at-home suburban dad in contemporary Tokyo; formerly married to Natsuki, father to their young daughter, Kana. Their lives suddenly change with the arrival at their doorstep of a hulking, affable Canadian named Mike Flanagan, who declares himself the widower of Yaichi’s estranged gay twin, Ryoji. Mike is on a quest to explore Ryoji’s past, and the family reluctantly but dutifully…

[lunaslittlelibrary]

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Matt is a South African Librarian that has been working in London for the past 13 years, he loves working with young readers and also enjoys working with adults when he has to.

You can find him on twitter as @mattlibrarian and blogging about libraries, reading & young people at www.teenlibrarian.co.uk

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Comics and Diversity

Historically comics have featured a lot of hyper-steroidal white men fighting other white men or (usually in times of war) evil minorities.

Finding diverse comics in the 21st century is slightly less difficult than it was back in the 1980s and ‘90’s and as Otis Redding sang back in 1965 ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ but it is coming extremely slowly.

So if you are struggling to find comics that do not feature  straight whitesuperfreaks battling each other every month I have put together a list of some of the comics that I have enjoyed over the years that are a bit more than men in tights.

Growing out of the Blaxploitation craze of the 1970’s, Luke Cage aka Power Man was one of the first non-white super heroes. In the intervening decades Luke Cage has transcended his origins and can now be seen on Netflix as part of Marvel Entertainment’s growing television offer

The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st century by Frank Miller & Dave Gibbons blew my young mind, it is a collection of a series of comics about the adventures of Martha Washington, a young black woman who fights her way out of poverty and joins an American peace-keeping force. This was my first introduction to satire in comics and remains one of my favourite series to this day! The trade collection may seem a bit intimidating so start with Give Me Liberty – the first story in the sequence.

  The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew is an updated version of The Green Turtle – a comic that was created during World War 2 and just may have featured the very first Chinese super hero (seriously the afterword of this comic makes fascinating reading! Gene Luen Yang is one of my all-time favourite comics creators, his comic Loyola Chin and the San Peligran Order was one of the first comics I read when I came to the UK.

Kamala Khan is a name that has been gaining a lot of attention in the comics world, she is (I think) the first Muslim American super-heroine, taking the mantle of Ms Marvel, Kamala has to juggle being a good Muslim teen with super-heroics and the trials and temptations of being a teenager in America. This is super-heroics with a sense of humour, and for many an introduction on what it means to be Muslim in America although that is not the focus of the comic it is an important aspect.

The Black Panther is famous for being the one of the first big name black super-heroes to feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Black Panther is also one of the best comic series being published today, written by amazing author Ta-Nehisi Coates, it really is worth picking up!

Not all diversity can be found in super hero comics, several years ago Archie Comics shocked the world by featuring their very first openly gay characters Kevin Keller, over the past few years Kevin has become one of the most popular and well-rounded characters in the Archie canon.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur has become a surprise hit for Marvel Comics, featuring 9-year old Lunella Lafayette canonically the smartest person in the Marvel Universe beating out Reed Richards and Tony Stark to that title, she acquires a time lost giant read tyrannosaur who decides he likes her and sticks around.

The first gay super heroes I encountered in comics was thanks to Warren Ellis writing Apollo and Midnighter, first in StormWatch and in the following title The Authority. Initially Superman and batman analogues Apollo and the Midnighter developed their own personalities and their relationship was one of the more interesting things in the series.

Wonder Woman is currently being written as a canonically bisexual character, this is not surprising as according to comics lore she came from Paradise island a place that was exclusively female until Steve Traynor crashed there and she had to return him to ‘man’s world’. Wonder Woman is an interesting character as she was created by William Moulton Marston a scientist who had an interest in bondage and domination. He created Wonder Woman as psychological propaganda for the new type of woman who he believed should rule the world.

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Sidenote from Luna: I’ve already started reading Ms Marvel & Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur – so good!

Great #Guestpost by @mattlibrarian 'Comics & Diversity' #DiveristyMonth Matt is a South African Librarian that has been working in London for the past 13 years, he loves working with young readers and also enjoys working with adults when he has to.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Alpha: Abidjan to Gare du Nord by Bessora (Illustrated by Barroux)

Alpha by @BessoraOnOff a NEED TO READ story for everyone @BarringtonStoke

“a searing tale of our time” Michael Morpurgo Alpha Coulibaly sets off from his home in Côte d’Ivoire, bound for Paris, where his sister-in-law has a hair salon near the Gare du Nord. Alpha’s wife Patience and son Badian left for Paris months ago, travelling without visas, and he has heard nothing from them since. He carries their photograph close to his heart as he crosses the continent and…

[lunaslittlelibrary]

I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one. So I’ve decided to split the series between those I think are worth saving up for & those I’d personally wouldn’t recommend. Enjoy.

  worthwhile investing in

Title: Uzumaki Author: Junji Ito Publisher: VIZ Media LLC Genre: Horror Volumes: 3 (available as omnibus edition) Series Rating: 4 Stars

Kurôzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed.

According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests itself in everything from seashells and whirlpools in water to the spiral marks on people’s bodies, the insane obsessions of Shuichi’s father and the voice from the cochlea in our inner ear. As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurôzu-cho are pulled ever deeper into a whirlpool from which there is no return!

Admittedly when you explain that the town is cursed by spirals this sounds more confusing then horror. Uzumaki starts with each chapter being an individual story about someone being consumed by spirals. They become obsessed by them, sometimes driven mad or taken over by the very thing that is causing their downfall. And they don’t see it.

Kirie is the constant in this book. Her boyfriend and family also guide the reader through the events as the inhabitants and town begin to crumble. Towards the end of the story the chapters become one narration instead of the individual stories at the beginning.

Uzumaki is subtle horror. The obsession people have with spirals and what they will do, especially at the end of this book is what makes it unnerving.

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not worth it…

Title: Butterflies, Flowers Author: Yuki Yoshihara Publisher: VIZ Media LLC Genre: Romance Volumes: 8 Series Rating: 1 Star

Choko Kuze is the sensible daughter of a venerable family who went bankrupt. She joins a real estate company as an entry-level office worker, but her eccentric boss is harder on her than anyone else in the company! After hearing him inadvertently call her “milady,” she realizes he was the young servant boy she knew as a child. At work he’s a tyrant, but after hours he insists on treating her like a lady of the nobility. Is romance even possible for a couple locked in such a crazy role reversal?

Filling this under ‘wtf was I thinking’. I tried book one a few months ago but didn’t get it, but I thought maybe second time round it would be better. I managed 2 volumes but I do not  get Butterflies, Flowers (story, characters, etc) at all.

Honestly I want to give this more stars because the artwork is ok but I feel overruled by the story pretty much killing any appreciation.

Luna’s #MangaReviews is back, this time with Uzumaki @VIZMedia #mangas #horror I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one. So I’ve decided to split the series between those I think are worth saving up for & those I’d personally wouldn’t recommend. Enjoy.

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for keeps

Title: Sailor Moon (also known as Pretty Soldier / Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon) Author: Naoko Takeuchi Publisher: Del Rey / Kodansha Comics Genre: Fantasy Volumes: 12 Series Rating: 4 Stars

Usagi Tsukino is a normal girl until she meets up with Luna, a talking cat, who tells her that she is Sailor Moon. As Sailor Moon, Usagi must fight evils and enforce justice, in the name of the Moon and the mysterious Moon Princess. She meets other girls destined to be Sailor Senshi (Sailor Scouts), and together, they fight the forces of evil!

I sort of feel like Sailor Moon is a mandatory series for anyone getting into manga – it’s massive. Naoko Takeuchi catapulted the ‘magical girl’ genre into the spotlight. Anime series, TV movies and countless merchandise. A word of warning; STAY AWAY FROM THE AMERICAN DUB of the original Anime).

Putting all that aside, Sailor Moon has a lot of things to offer. The reason it I didn’t give the series 5 Stars is because I have never loved the Chibiusa storyline, but who knows – you might.  :D

What you have with Sailor Moon is a young girl (Usagi) who isn’t the standard image of a superhero tbh. She’s clumsy and whines but her heart is in the right place and when the cat Usagi rescued returns to freak Usagi out by talking and then gives her the ability to transform into Sailor Moon the journey begins.

This series might look a little fluffy and cute but there are some amazing storylines throughout those 12 books. It’s about friendship, love, family and sacrifices. Usagi is 14 when the series starts and while she’ll burst into tears over missing a meal she’ll stand tall in battle.

I’ll happily list this series when people ask me for recommendations concerning good female role models in literature. Each of the girls is unique and I worry that their characters are missed because of the bad translations (curse you American TV dub) and people taking one look at the outfits then promptly dismissing the whole series. Btw I love artwork so deal with it.

Also one of the central romances in the story is that of Haruka and Michiru and they’re both girls. Which is many kinds of awesome. ♥

Tip: Get the most recent English translations by Kodansha Comics, they’re really well done. I borrowed a few to compare to my worn out German copies and hopefully I can save up and get my own.

    worthwhile investing in

Title: Vampire Princess Miyu (also known as Vampire Miyu) Author: Narumi Kakinouchi & Toshihiro Hirano Publisher: I.C. Entertainment (English) & Carlsen Manga (German) Genre: Horror / Paranormal Volumes: 10 Series Rating: 4 Stars

Miyu is an eternally youthful, 13-year-old vampire. Her peculiar appearance; golden eyes, pale skin, and hair tied with a ribbon in a strange fashion, are concealed during the day. Miyu is the Guardian, whose duty it is to return the Shinma – god-demons that prey on humans – to the dark. She has the power to call forth fire, which burns Shinma and sends them to the dark. Her only companion, friend, and protector is Larva, a Western Shinma who is bound to serve her. Together, they hunt stray Shinma across Japan. How Miyu became a vampire is unknown, so is how and why she became the Guardian. However, more mysterious is the gift she bestows on the people she feeds from…

Vampire Princess Miyu has a 5 volume sequel series, which I’m not including has part of this review. Also I’m basing my review on the German translations. This is important because

A) those are the books I own and have re-read over and over

B) I have a copy of volume 1 of the I.C. Entertainment version and it’s not good.

I really wanted to put this series in the ‘for keeps’ section but if you’re stuck on getting the official English translation then I feel it’s letting you down. Content aside the actual quality of the book is poor and I really hope another publisher picks this series up to do it justice.

The artwork is beautiful; Narumi Kakinouchi draws with wispy watercolour style that works with Miyu’s otherworldly existence. There is an overall storyline that runs through most of the books but we also have individual stories about the Shinma Miyu is hunting. It’s the standalone stories that I loved the most. They’re like little horror stories you tell in the dark.

  not worth it… but kinda, on this occasion, maybe yes

Title: Happy Café Author: Kou Matsuzuki Publisher: TokyoPop Genre: Contemporary Volumes: 15 Series Rating: 3 Stars

Romance and happiness blossoms at the Happy Café! Uru takes her mother’s remarriage as an opportunity to work part time at the Happy Café. There, she befriends Ichirou and Shindou, two of the most unsociable guys she’s ever met! To make matters worse, it turns out that Uru is not exactly meant for the waitressing world, as she’s a HUGE clutz. But as this hilarious shojo tale unfolds, true happiness – and even true love – lurk just around the corner.

Please note that TokyoPop only published the first 10 books, if you’re a stubborn reader like me there are online fan translation of the last 5 volumes of this series, so you can complete the story – if you should is another matter.

Happy Café’s charm is the everydayness of it. Uru wanders through each book with a beaming smile. She is full of good intentions and wants everybody to be happy. More and more characters get introduced, they all adore Uru and everybody loves the desserts.

On the one hand it’s ridiculous but for the first few volumes of Happy Café I completely bought into it because between the characters (who at that time were still possible to keep track off) and the stories. I enjoyed myself. Cheesiness be dammed.

The series takes a nosedive halfway through because nothing changes. Had the series ended after 8 books I probably would have given it a much higher rating but this manga gets dragged down further and further. With more characters and random hints of story being thrown in, these then reappear 2 books later and when it suddenly makes sense.

I do recommend Happy Café but only for the first few books. Enjoy the cuteness for a little while, and then leave knowing it remains – continuously.

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If you have any Manga recommendation please let me know in the comments!

  Luna’s #MangaReviews I finally talk about #Sailormoon 'cause it makes sense @KodanshaUSA I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Like most kids, Katie was a picky eater. She’d sit at the table in silent protest, hide uneaten toast in her bedroom, listen to parental threats that she’d have to eat it for breakfast.

But in any life a set of circumstance can collide, and normal behaviour might soon shade into something sinister, something deadly.

Lighter Than My Shadow is a hand-drawn story of struggle and recovery, a trip into the black heart of a taboo illness, an exposure of those who are so weak as to prey on the vulnerable, and an inspiration to anybody who believes in the human power to endure towards happiness.

How did I get the book?  Present from ChrissiReads  

Genre: Graphic Novel / Memoir

Review: I remember first seeing Lighter Than My Shadow in a bookshop last year but on that day I just couldn’t take it home, it’s a stunning graphic novel but it’s not exactly light – in subject matter or weight, but my lovely my friend gifted it to me this year.

The artwork in Katie Green’s memoir is uncomplicated. As much as I adore intricate and detailed illustrations the layout and storytelling for Lighter Than My Shadow work better with this approach. Don’t misunderstand, the art is beautiful in its own way and there are some pages that really left an impression long after I finished.

Lighter Than My Shadow is a memoir, consequently its one person’s experience of their struggles with an eating disorder. Yet I do think that because of the format and since Lighter Than My Shadow focuses more on Katie’s feelings (there is no mention of weight) and her journey to finding herself, this graphic novel is definitely worth reading.

Recommend it?

Absolutely

Lighter than My Shadow by Katie Green "this #graphicnovel is definitely worth reading" #WeNeedDiverseBooks Like most kids, Katie was a picky eater. She'd sit at the table in silent protest, hide uneaten toast in her bedroom, listen to parental threats that she'd have to eat it for breakfast.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

You NEED to read #NIMONA by Noelle Stevenson cause it's brilliant @Gingerhazing #bookreview

The graphic novel debut from rising star Noelle Stevenson, based on her beloved and critically acclaimed web comic, which Slate awarded its Cartoonist Studio Prize, calling it “a deadpan epic.” Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic,…

[lunaslittlelibrary]

I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one. So I’ve decided to split the series between those I think are worth saving up for & those I’d personally wouldn’t recommend. Enjoy.

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for keeps

Title: Red River Author: Chie Shinohara Publisher: VIZ Media Genre: Historical Fantasy Volumes: 28 Series Rating: 4 Stars

Red River is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Yuri Suzuki, who is magically transported to Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia. She was summoned by Queen Nakia who means to use Yuri as a human sacrifice. Yuri’s blood is the key element needed in placing a curse upon the princes of the land so that they will perish, leaving Nakia’s son as the sole heir to the throne. As the story progress, however, Yuri not only repeatedly manages to escape Nakia’s scheming, she also becomes revered as an incarnation of the goddess Ishtar and falls in love with prince Kail.

Series Review: I was a bit hesitant about sticking this in the “for keeps” section given that at 28 books you’re looking at some serious financial output. If you can I’d recommend reading the first few books to see if you connect with Red River the same way I did. Also, I want to add that despite the fact that I enjoyed this series I do think it would have done with losing a bit of the story, particularly towards the end. Queen Nakia is still scheming, we got it.

Having got that out of the way, let me tell you why I like this series.

Red River follows a Yuri as she gets dragged from modern Japan (via a puddle) to the Hittite Empire. This is at the time when Pharaoh Tutankhamen rules nearby Egypt. Yuri is there because the queen (Nakia) wants to use Yuri as a sacrifice for magic to make her son king. Yuri gets rescued by one of the other princes, Kail Mursili.

What follows is a lot of scheming by Queen Nakia to get Yuri back, not to mention the war’s between the Hittite Empire and their neighbours. The whole series if packed full of battles, intrigue, loss and love. At the centre Yuri grows from a school girl to an army commander.

The strengths of this story are also sometimes its weakness. Red River has a lot of characters and they keep coming back. The strength is that even those that die don’t get forgotten but have a lasting impact on Yuri and how she grows. The problem is that at some point you’re thinking; ‘who’s this again?’

I’ve read the first half of Red River multiple times and I still enjoy it.

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  worthwhile investing in

Title: Death Note Author: Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata (Illustrator) Publisher: VIZ Media Genre: Thriller Volumes: 12 Series Rating: volumes 1-7 = 4 Stars ………………….volumes 8-12 = 3 Stars

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects – and he’s bored out of his mind. But all that changes when he finds the Death Note, a notebook dropped by a rogue Shinigami, a death god. Any human whose name is written in the notebook dies, and now Light has vowed to use the power of the Death Note to rid the world of evil.

Series Review: What I like about this series is that the notebook, Death Note, is such a great discussion topic. The student at the heart of this story makes chooses one path, he says it’s for the greater good. “Bad people” begin to die and crime actually does go down. Does his plan for creating a crime-free utopia have merit? You could spend hours talking about this and I adore stories like that.

Death Note is incredibly intricate with many subplots. The first half of the series (which takes place over volumes 1-7) is in my opinion better than the second half. There is an cat and mouse game in the between Light and the super detective sent to catch him. Despite all the things Light does you do want to see if he can get away with this and it’s interesting to read how many turns the story takes.

Part 2 takes part a few years later and I found the story less engaging then before. The female characters in the series get reduced to mere play things for Light to manipulate.

Overall this is a series I would recommend searching out – definitely for the first 7 volumes.

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  not worth it…

Title: MeruPeri Author: Matsuri Hino Publisher: VIZ Media Genre: Fairy-tale Fantasy Volumes: 4 Series Rating: 2 Stars

On the way to school one morning, Airi loses her mirror – one that had been passed down to her through generations – and suddenly finds herself in a bizarre situation. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect Aram, a little boy from a magical kingdom, to have emerged from the mirror in the short time it took her to track it down!

Series Review: There is a wrongness to MeruPeri – Aram might “grow” due to his brother’s messed up spell but he’s still a little kid (he’s 7!) so after the first volume when Airi starts falling in like/love this starts getting uncomfortable.

Airi is 15 and Aram’s grown-up body is 17 and if he actually was 17  this would all be cheesy and cute. The fairy-tale aspect of a prince, a magical world and nice artwork but ARAM IS A KID! And I can’t get past that.

I’m awarding points for the artwork and the fact that the beginning of the story acknowledged the weirdness of this but then it just went wrong…

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bonus recommendation

Title: I Am Here! (Koko ni Iru Yo!) Author: Ema Tōyama Publisher: Del Rey / Kodansha Comics Genre: Contemporary Volumes: 2 Omnibus Editions Series Rating: 4 Stars

Invisible to her classmates, Hikage Sumino is an eighth grader with no self-esteem. Her only friends are the visitors to her Internet blog. One day, the most popular boy in the grade suddenly talks to her. Encouraged by this twist of fate, Hikage determines to transform her life.

Series Review: Admittedly I first thought this would be a bit underwhelming but I actually really ended up loving Am Here! The story is a little predictable but the artwork is pretty and Hikage Sumino is a relatable character.

Due to an accident Hikage wasn’t there at the beginning of the school year, she’s quiet and incredibly shy so she’s become invisible to those around her. Slowly she becomes more confident, spurred on by her online friends and the friendship she begins to build with the boy from her class. The story works because Hikage is so endearing.

Luna’s #Manga Reviews with #mangas frm @VIZMediaUK @VIZMedia & @KodanshaUSA I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one. So I’ve decided to split the series between those I think are worth saving up for & those I’d personally wouldn’t recommend. Enjoy.

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for keeps

Title: Pet Shop of Horrors Author: Matsuri Akino Publisher: TokyoPop Genre: Horror Volumes: 10 Series Rating: 4 stars

A smoke-filled alley in Chinatown harbours Count D’s Pet Shop. The pets sold here aren’t your everyday variety and the Count prides himself on selling Love and Dreams in the form of magical creatures that come with an exclusive contract. But buyers beware. If the contract is broken the Count cannot be held accountable for whatever may happen. A fascinating and macabre look into the very soul of human nature.

Series Review: Pet Shop of Horrors is the phrase “Be careful what you wish for”. At Count D’s Pet Shop customers don’t always go home with an ordinary pet, even if they and the Count call it a rabbit. Mainly they go home with a lesson, or sometimes their dreams.

The Pet Shop of Horrors books each contain individual stories, each chapter follows another customer. This is a horror series so most of these stories don’t end well but I wouldn’t call Pet Shop of Horrors dark horror. Plus some of the ‘pets’ within the shop are spectacular. With mermaids, dragons and kitsune plus a pet shop owner who swoons over cake this not going to give you nightmares. But I love how this series regularly shows how given a person what they say they want ends up in disaster.

As each volume is essentially a short story collection this series is great for dipping in and out of. Also if you miss a book or read out of sync it’s not that big a deal. There is an overall storyline about the mysterious Count D, which I would keep in mind. Personally I’m all for order but if for whatever reason you have books 1 & 3 don’t worry about skipping 2.

TokoPop published the first volume of Pet Shop of Horrors in 2003, since then I have read the serious so many times. I’m not even sure how many. Frequently I’ll pick a random book and just read a few of the stories. They’re great for bedtime.

  worthwhile investing in

Title: Dengeki Daisy Author: Kyousuke Motomi Publisher: VIZ Media Genre: Contemporary / Thriller Volumes: 16 books Series Rating: 4 stars

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help. Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks?

One day at school Teru accidentally breaks a window and agrees to pay for it by helping Kurosaki with chores around school. Kurosaki is an impossible taskmaster though, and he also seems to be hiding something important from Teru…

Series Review: Dengeki Daisy was one of the new series I tried out this year, having been away from manga reading for a while – and it reminded me how great manga’s can be. It’s supposedly a “romantic comedy drama” though you can throw in intrigue, computer hacking, conspiracies and a whole lot of other stuff I’m not going to spoil for you.

The best part is that the characters have depth, not just Teru and Tasuku but also the other’s that get introduced as the story continues. The plot gets darker; there are reveals (and backstories that for the most part I think a woven into the storyline well) plus Teru and Tasuku struggle a lot with their relationship, which makes it more convincing.

As with any long running series Dengeki Daisy isn’t perfect. There a ‘filler’ chapter’s, some volumes feels like they’re dragging the story and there are some clichés. On balance though, these are small compared to all the things that Dengeki Daisy does well. I really enjoyed the series as a whole.

So the reason this isn’t in the ‘for keeps’ section has nothing to do with the story, it’s the amount of books. At 16 volumes Dengeki Daisy isn’t going to be cheap. If you can get it via your library or decent second hand copies that would be the way to go and definitely don’t buy a pristine full price copy of volume 16. I was disappointed by VIZ Media – it’s basically only 1 chapter, the conclusion and some random extra’s. They could have fitted the final chapter into volume 15.

  not worth it…

Title: Cactus’s Secret Author: Nana Haruta Publisher: VIZ Media Genre: Contemporary / Romance Volumes: 4 Series Rating: 1.5 stars

Falling in love with a clueless boy would turn any girl into a cactus!

Miku Yamada has a longtime crush on classmate Kyohei Fujioka. But no matter how many times she tries to show him how she feels, clueless Kyohei just doesn’t get it. Frustrated, Miku gives up on him, only to have him start calling her “Cactus” for being prickly when he’s around. Will Kyohei ever figure out Cactus’s secret?

Miku decides to try telling Kyohei her feelings by giving him chocolates for Valentine’s Day. But Kyohei, unaware that he’s the object of her affection, offers himself up as a practice partner for her love confession. Can Miku get through to him that he’s the one she loves?

Series Review: This is what happens when you’re stuck on a train (which is delayed and running slow) and have enough internet to download ePubs and then decide to persist in reading it to the end. Note to self; be less stubborn and just give up.

I do not get this series. Somehow I must be missing something but there is no character depth or development. Miku and Kyohei are not particularly likeable; truthfully I do not get Kyohei at all. As for Miku, well I thought her stubbornness about Kyohei could be potentially endearing but actually it’s not. Also, when new characters are introduced (like Kyohei’s brother) there is this promise of backstory or intrigue but actually nothing happens.

Originally I chose Cactus’s Secret because at 4 volumes it’s a quick read and the artwork is nice enough. I wasn’t expecting this to be outstanding but I thought it be cute and fun. It could be that this story and the characters just don’t translate well but Cactus’s Secret did not work for me.

Welcome to the first #Manga Review selection, keep or bin with #mangas from @TOKYOPOP @VIZMedia I love Manga’s and have been reading them for a long time but let’s be honest, as a hobby it’s an expensive one.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Habibi by Craig Thompson

Habibi by Craig Thompson "emotional, intricate story & spectacular artwork" @FaberBooks #bookreview

‘Habibi’, based on a Middle Eastern fable, tells the story of Dodola, who escapes being sold into slavery and rescues an abandoned baby she names Zam. They live in isolation in an old boat in the desert. As they age their relationship shifts from mother and son, to brother and sister and eventually lovers. . How did I get the book? I bought it Genre: Graphic Novel Review: I bought Habibi because…

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Manga Reviews are coming to Luna's Little Library

Manga Reviews are coming to Luna's Little Library! #mangas #manga #graphicnovels

During my teens I was massively into Manga and Anime. After I moved to the UK it became much harder to maintain this hobby, while Manga and Anime boomed in Germany (& also the US) that popularity never seemed to reach the UK. It’s improved but where I live it’s still only a handful of books in some bookshops. The first time I saw a Manga in my local library I thought I was hallucinating. Like…

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and honestly most of the time I’m like:

Some people really like it, others loathe it and I’m probably more in the camp of ‘it’s a marketing ploy’. Anyway I thought it would be much more fun to recommend some horror-type entertainment… it has red, just more like the bloody kind.

I don’t think you can do all of this in one day but you could give it a good try. ;)

The film recommendations do contain romance… some of them might even have a happy-ish ending.

Film

Warm Bodies

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Manga

Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino (10 Volumes)

A smoke-filled alley in Chinatown harbours Count D’s Pet Shop. The pets sold here aren’t your everyday variety and the Count prides himself on selling Love and Dreams in the form of magical creatures that come with an exclusive contract. But buyers beware. If the contract is broken the Count cannot be held accountable for whatever may happen. A fascinating and macabre look into the very soul of human nature.

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Web Series

A modern take on Sheridan Le Fanu’s gothic novella, Carmilla follows Silas University freshman Laura Hollis, as she investigates her the disappearance of her roommate while dealing with her odd, nocturnal and sarcastic new roomie Carmilla – who may or may not be a centuries-old vampiress.

There are 2 series already up on Youtube, 1 Christmas Special and CarmillaZero. So binge-watch worthy.

I still think this episode is such a great intro:

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Anime

Boogiepop Phantom (12 Episodes)

This can be viewed in 1 day but, well… let me know how that goes. (I did that the first time round.)

Five years ago, a string of grisly murders shook the city to its core and now the rumors have begun once more. Boogiepop… Everyone knows about Boogiepop: meet her one dark night and you are taken. People tell each other the stories and laugh: no one believes that she can possibly exist in this day and age. Still, strange things appear to be going on and the darkness is taking on many forms. Something is out there. Are you safe?

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Film

Horns

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Manga

Vampire Princess Miyu by Narumi Kakinouchi & Toshiki Hirano (Original Series, 10 Volumes)

Miyu is an eternally youthful, 13-year-old vampire. Her peculiar appearance; golden eyes, pale skin, and hair tied with a ribbon in a strange fashion, are concealed during the day. Miyu is the Guardian, whose duty it is to return the Shinma – god-demons that prey on humans – to the dark. She has the power to call forth fire, which burns Shinma and sends them to the dark. Her only companion, friend, and protector is Larva, a Western Shinma who is bound to serve her. Together, they hunt stray Shinma across Japan. How Miyu became a vampire is unknown, so is how and why she became the Guardian. However, more mysterious is the gift she bestows on the people she feeds from…

I have only read the German translations of these, so I don’t know how good the English version is.

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Film

Odd Thomas

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My Valentine’s Day is going to be amazing. :D

Add a little light-hearted horror to your #ValentinesDay it's much fun #book #film #carmilla #movie Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and honestly most of the time I’m like: Some people really like it, others loathe it and I’m probably more in the camp of ‘it’s a marketing ploy’.

[lunaslittlelibrary]

Asterix and the Missing Scroll (Asterix #36) by Jean-Yves Ferri & Didier Conrad

. #Asterix & the Missing Scroll "Turning each page just made me happy" @the_orionstar @ninadouglas

How did I get the book? Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review Genre: Comics / Graphic Novels Synopsis: The long awaited new album featuring Asterix, the Gaul. Following in the footsteps of Goscinny and Uderzo, the thirty-sixth Asterix album by Ferri and Conrad and centres around a mysterious missing scroll. 200words (or less) review: Asterix and the Missing Scroll bought back a…