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

Book Review: Angel Para Bellum Vol 1 by Nozomu Tamaki

This manga is from the creator of “Dance in the Vampire Bund” which was an amazing series that I recommend to anyone who loves manga, action, romance and of course vampires. You can find it here on goodreads.

Before the review or even reading this series there is a key fact that people should know. Para Bellum means (along the lines of) If you want peace, prepare for war. Beautiful quote. Anyways . . .

       Seven Seas Entertainment          Published: July 3, 2012
192 Pages

 

This manga, Angel Para Bellum, is about a little boy named Mitsuru who looks like a little girl. Mitsuru is the key to preventing an all out war between heaven and hell and because of that demons are after him and he has two angels as his personal bodyguards.

The artwork for this manga was great; bright and detailed. There is really not much to question regarding the artwork. The story line however, was a bit weak. I was interested enough to keep reading and even read the second volume but the action almost immediately starts, which normally I don’t have a problem with, but it really doesn’t leave much to the imagination. It’s a hard balance that not many authors can pull off.

This is not to say that the story didn’t pick up in the second volume.  It did but I’m expecting better the third volume because there is a lot of predictability.

Overall this volume gets a 7 out of 10. I am expecting great things to happen by the third volume. If you can’t wait that long then this series isn’t for you.

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Tania Lasenburg is a communications major with dreams of owning /working for a publishing company as a high end corporate. In her spare time, she is working to make Motif Ink a house hold name. Follow her on twitter @mrztanyapickles