It’s Tokyo, 1897—only it’s not quite the Tokyo we know from the history books. Here, the rabble are entertained not by kabuki or sumo, but by bare-knuckle brawls between the monsters and ghouls that once roamed the land of Edo on the one hand, and a tattooed man nicknamed the Oni Slayer on the other.… Read More First Impression: Undead Murder Farce
In something like an early modern European-ish kingdom, Elianna thinks she’s a fake fiancée, a placeholder for some future “real” one. For reasons she seriously doesn’t comprehend, the shiny Prince Christopher proposed to her several years ago, and she accepted because…it meant she could read more books. But from the outset, Elianna expected to be… Read More First Impression: Bibliophile Princess
It’s the dead of night and a palace coup is afoot. Murder and mayhem! Vengeance and usurpation! The commoner prince takes out his wrath on the elderly Dowager Empress, and then storms to the secluded palace of the Raven Consort—where no man or woman dare set foot—in order to demand a favor of the mysterious… Read More First Impression: Raven of the Inner Palace
I liked Vol. 2 of Unnamed Memory. There’s tragedy, mystery, history. “Oh, sorry. I guess it really is a kraken after all.” War, the emptiness of revenge, vacation. Time travel (maybe). “Why did you end up killing another country’s god when you just went out on a short observation mission?!” And entertaining banter between the… Read More Review & Rambling: Unnamed Memory Vol. 2
A girl stands in the spotlight on stage and monologues about Voltaire, with a punchline about death. In the next scene, which takes us back to the beginning of her story, Doujima Mayumi nearly becomes that very punchline, but fortunately is rescued by a pretty boy in an outfit reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, just in… Read More First Impression: Pretty Boy Detective Club
The first episode of Mars Red kicks off with Major Maeda returning to Tokyo, having been called back early from a trip. His expertise is needed: There has been a series of vamp attacks, and one of the victims—a stage actress named Misaki—has been captured. He is led to the bunker where she is being… Read More First Impression: Mars Red
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie, Vol. 1 Shikimori seems like the perfect girlfriend—cute, sweet, bashful. But Izumi knows that’s only half her personality. Like some moe Jekyll and Hyde, in moments where her boyfriend needs her most, she becomes a super cool and dashing young woman, and it’s especially that part of her personality that… Read More Otaku Reader’s Corner: One Piece, Cutie Shikimori, and a Detestable Demon Falls in Love