Crayon Shinchan Vol. 1 Omnibus by Yoshito Usui

Crayon Shinchan, Volume 1
By: Yoshito Usui
Illustrator: Yoshito Usui
Release Date: (original) 1990; (English) October 15, 2012
Publisher: One Peace Books
Series: Crayon Shinchan Omnibus #1
Rating:


Crayon Shinchan is a very long running anime in Japan which had a shorter run in the US. It’s also an anime I’ve watched over and over again. When I saw the Crayon Shinchan, Volume 1 by Yoshito Usui was available to read on Scribd, I jumped on it.

Review – Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller

Blackfish City
By: Sam J. Miller
Release Date: April 17, 2018
Publisher: Ecco
Rating:


Blackfish City is a dystopian science fiction novel from Sam J. Miller whose novel The Art of Starving won the Andre Norton Award. The story takes place on an earth drowned by the sea. Climate change has shrunk livable land, countries have fallen, and refugees migrate to places like Qaanaaq – a floating city near a geothermal vent close to Greenland. But as much as Qaanaaq is a savior for the displaced, it has its own problems. Steeped in corruption and with no housing or work for incoming refugees from “drowned cities,” disease is rampant. A disease referred to as ‘the breaks’ spreads among the people while outside the city a mysterious woman riding an orca and with a polar bear companion can be seen, a woman steeped in mystery and rumor.

#Throwback Thursday Review: Buso Renkin Vol. 1 by Watsuki Nobuhiro

Buso Renkin, Vol. 1
By: Watsuki Nobuhiro
Release Date: August 1, 2006 (English); 2004 (Original Japanese)
Publisher: VIZ Media: Shonen Jump
Series: Buso Renkin #1
Rating:


If there is one genre of manga and anime I love above all else it’s shonen. Recently, I began Buso Renkin, Vol. 1 by Watsuki Nobuhiro, a series I know through the anime but have never read.

#MangaMonday Review – Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha by Dragongarow Lee

Dragon Ball: That Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha
By: Dragongarow Lee
Illustrator: Dragongarow Lee
Release Date: November 6, 2018
Publisher: VIZ Media: Shonen Jump
Rating:


Every once in a while something magical happens. Sometimes we’re blessed with fanfiction that gets sanctioned by the series. Sometimes, we get manga like this. Dragon Ball: The Time I Got Reincarnated as Yamcha is by Dragongarow Lee, a fan artist who is well known in the community.

#MangaMonday Review – All-Rounder Meguru, Vol. 1 by Hiroki Endo

All-Rounder Meguru
By: Hiroki Endo
Illustrator: Hiroki Endo (artist); Daniel Park (lettering)
Translator: Adam Hirsch
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: All-Rounder Meguru #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


One of the genres of manga that quickly became an unexpected favorite was sports manga. I’d not heard of All-Rounder Meguru Vol. 1 by Hiroki Endo before so, obviously, I read it immediately upon receiving a copy.

Review – Jaco the Galactic Patrolman by Akira Toriyama

Jaco the Galactic Patrolman
By: Akira Toriyama
Illustrator: Akira Toriyama (Art); James Gaubatz (Touch-up art and Lettering)
Translator: Tetsuichiro Miyaki
Release Date: January 26, 2015
Publisher: VIZ Media
Rating:


Maybe it’s because I tend to lean towards long-running shonen series, but it isn’t very often I come across a standalone volume of manga. Jaco the Galactic Patrolman by Akira Toriyama is exactly that.

Review – The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

The Prince and the Dressmaker
By: Jen Wang
Illustrator: Jen Wang
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Publisher: First Second
Rating:


The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang is an utterly magnificent story of acceptance, following your heart, and chasing your dreams. It is the story of a young prince, Sebastian, and a young woman, Frances, who wants to become a fashion designer and dressmaker. After seeing a dress Frances made, Sebastian hires her as his seamstress. But Sebastian’s secret and Frances’ dreams seem to go hand in hand.

#MangaMonday Review – My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 3 by Hideyuki Furuhashi and Betten Court

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, Vol. 3
By: Hideyuki Furuhashi
Illustrator: Betten Court
Translator: Caleb Cook
Release Date: January 1, 2019
Publisher: VIZ Media: Shonen Jump
Series: My Hero Academia: Vigilantes #3
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Out of the many spin off series that exist in the world of manga My Hero Academia: Vigilantes is probably my favorite. It offers a very different look at a society where everyone has quirks – superpowers. Instead of following teenagers trying to be young heroes we follow a regular college student named Koichi who moonlights as a vigilante.

Review – Standard Hollywood Depravity by Adam Christopher

Standard Hollywood Depravity
By: Adam Christopher
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Ray Electromatic #1.5
Rating:


I can finally say I’ve finished the Ray Electromatic series. Standard Hollywood Depravity by Adam Christopher is a novella set between the first and second books in the series. It’s a short, fun mystery that can be easily read as a standalone story if you haven’t read the first novel in the series Made to Kill.

Review – Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria

Beneath the Citadel
By: Destiny Soria
Release Date: October 9, 2018
Publisher: Amulet
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


I have not enjoyed a young adult fantasy novel quite this much since I read the Six of Crows duology. Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria is a standalone fantasy novel with a unique magic system.