Manga Monday: The Voynich Hotel by Seiman Douman

Seven Seas
Published July 24th 2018

After a series of tragic events, Taizou decides to make a break with his past and go on a vacation to the tiny island nation of Blefusco. Little does he know that his hotel is a hot spot for contract killers, drug dealers, ghosts, and a coven of immortal witches. So much for rest and relaxation…- Goodreads

This review is on all three of the books.

I felt mislead reading this series. I was promised comedy, supernatural, murders and assassinations. It didn’t deliver, which was extremely unfortunate because there was a lot the author could and should have done.

You ever read a book or watched a series that was jammed packed with everything within the first book or first season? That is what this felt like. There series is three volumes that pack a lot of information, a lot of paths, a lot of depth but only gives you surface level conversations.

It really was like reading a pilot. The characters were great. Every single one of them brought something to the table and it fit well into the bottom plot of the story. However, the “romance” was trash. It was forced, weird and the author did no way to build it up. It just happened. It was one of the most uncomfortable interactions I have read.

Why did I finish reading the series? Because the way the manga was written and all the little details made you want to see more. It gave you hope that something was going to happen. And I was super disappointed once it ended.

I really wanted to like this manga. It had promises of something huge. But it wasn’t fleshed out enough.

Overall,

1 Pickle

Manga Review: Wonderland by Yugo Ishikawa

Seven Seas
October 30th 2015
180 Pages

Teenage girl Yukko awakens to find that she has shrunken in size–but this is no rabbit hole or fairy tale–this is real life! In a desperate and bloody struggle to stay alive, while fleeing giant predators and other twisted dangers, Yukko learns that she is not the only person who has turned tiny.

Can she survive long enough to learn the truth behind her curious transformation?- Goodreads

This is a Alice in Wonderland retelling. But it is no where near your typical retelling. Yukko is the focus of this manga with Alice, technically, the side character (I only read the first volume, so that may be subject to change).

The story takes place in the modern world and Yukko wakes up tiny. She comes to find out her parents are tiny as well as the people of her neighborhood. From the time she wakes up, it is a battle to survive. At first, I thought this manga was going The Borrowers route and I honestly wouldn’t have been mad at that (its a classic movie to me). However, I am glad it didn’t go that route.

This manga is a bit dark. What makes it dark is reading how humanity reacts to this issue. Yeah, you see death. Yeah, there is an emotional pull and yes, you see blood. But you expect some really messed up cover-up from the government but what you don’t expect is how the people around you react. I mean maybe you do but it still isn’t pretty to look at.

In regards to artwork, there is nothing special well let me rephrase. . .  nothing groundbreaking about it. Its good, do not get me wrong but the artwork didn’t caught me; only the story.

The pace of the novel is A+ It moves fast enough where the reader doesn’t feel like the author is adding a lot of fluff and oddly enough the first volume gives you a lot of background information. It is a really good balance and keeps the read interested.

Overall, I liked this manga and plan on continuing it.

3 Pickles

Manga Monday: A Girl on the Shore (Umibe no Onnanoko #1-2) by Inio Asano

Vertical Comics
Published Jan. 19, 2016
408 Pages

When Koume and Keisuke’s relationship begins to take shape, it is apparent that they are both searching for something. Maybe Keisuke wants something more than a kiss from the fair Koume. Maybe Koume is looking for someone better than Misaki, the local playboy. But what they find in each other over the course of a summer might be far greater than anything they were expecting.

Their lives are going to change. And this will all transpire before high school exams!- Goodreads

I didn’t particularly enjoy this manga and I believe a lot of this has to do with not understanding where the author was going with this.

Firstly, if you are uncomfortable with sexual themes and images, you will not enjoy this book in the least. Secondly, although the manga starts off with a very obvious storyline, it jumps a tangent and generally becomes confusing.

Koume and Keisuke are young kids and they have a very weird relationship. There is obviously abuse within their relationship and they are both using each other but for what, it isn’t really defined. The cycle keeps going for a while and it becomes really disturbing. When you do see some kind of truth, it is hard to put two and two together.

This was frustrating and even at the end, I was even more frustrated because there didn’t appear to be any reason behind it any of the actions. What I mean is the bigger picture was just not there for me.

But I finished the book because the characters were interested. I wanted to know more about Koume and Keisuke, specifically I wanted to know more about what made them tick and a bit about their past. Granted they are young and there may not be a long winded history but something like that would have made the story less confusing and gave it a kick.

In regards to illustration, it was drawn very well, detailed and you can see the care in the artwork.

Overall, I would have to give this series

2 Pickles  

2 because initially I enjoyed the story, was looking for progress and I finished it.

Manga Monday: Future Diary by Sakae Esuno

TokyoPop
Published July, 21, 2006
195 Pages

High school 2nd year, Amano Yukiteru, is a boy who has problem making friends. He thinks of himself as a bystander and will always write down everything he sees in a cell phone diary. Tormented by solitude, Yukiteru began to imagine things like a friend called Deus Ex Machina who is apparently the Lord of Time & Space.

Seeing Yukiteru’s miserable state, Deus gives him a new ability. His diary will now record events that will happen in the near future. Yukiteru is then forced to participate in a game which the winner will become Deus’s successor.- Goodreads

This is a oldie but goodie. Published in 2006, Future Diary isn’t your typical what is reality and what is fantasy manga. Because of how dated this manga, I would not be surprised if this influences some of the new sucked into a video game manga that is being released more frequently. But to the point of the review.

I liked Future Diary but what killed it for me was the redundancy. Midway through the series you can see the same theme over and over again and although there are some twists and turns that come about the theme doesn’t change. Yukiteru doesn’t have enough confidence within himself to handle this game and depends on those surrounding him to be saved and yes, at a point that changes but it takes too long for me to actually respect him as a player. Even at the end, he becomes a sorry excuse for an individual and its gross after reading all of that to see how he turned out.

In regards to plot, the author could had complicated much more. Things were pretty straight forward and that includes the ending. There isn’t a whole lot of surprises but despite all of this the manga was entertaining.

There is a lot of action, explosives and cunning supporting characters and without that this manga would have been a bust.

Overall, I’m giving it

3 Pickles 

And a majority of that was because of pure entertainment.

Manga Monday: The Ghost and the Lady by Kazuhiro Fujita

Kodansha Comics
Published Oct. 25, 2016
304 Pages

Deep in London’s Scotland Yard sits an evidence room dedicated to the greatest mysteries of British history. In this “Black Museum” sits a misshapen hunk of lead–two bullets fused together–the key to the untold story of a wartime encounter between Florence Nightingale, the mother of modern nursing, and a supernatural Man in Grey.

The record books show Florence fought for compassion as empires’ petty rivalries threatened to destroy the hopes and lives of common people. But a guest in the Black Museum knows the truth is not so simple, and the famed Lady with the Lamp had a ghastly secret.- Goodreads

I had no idea what to expect with this read as I picked up the book before even checking out the summary.

Its different. The entire paranormal historical plot is different from any manga I have ever read and it is slightly hard to explain. But overall, the man in grey is telling someone his story and why he is where he is at. This story includes Florence Nightingale and it is a interesting twist to her story as she becomes the mother of modern nursing. I would say this manga is romantic but not in the way most people think of it now. It provides a lightness, even though it mentions death and sickness. It isn’t dark, at least for me. But this is also not saying it can’t get dark. The author seems to leave a lot of openness in the world and I am not 100% sure if that is intended.

The story is slow and towards the end of volume one you get to know about the man in grey as opposed to majority of the volume was about Florence. What I liked about this manga beyond its uniqueness, its lightness and feel of romance, is you can take your time reading this and feel like you’re not missing anything. You’re reading a twist on historic events and that is the pull. The man is grey, although can be funny at times, tells the story as if he was speaking with you.

In regards to artwork, it is not typical manga style not even close. It is though detailed and as the story follows very light.

I know this is a fairly short review but its hard to really describe this manga. I liked it though. It is well throughout, full of history, emotional and at times full of giggle moments.

Overall,

4 Pickles