Finally… Bloody Monday #4!

I finally went to Liang Court Shopping Centre for the first time in my life. I have heard that there were a lot of Japanese comics there compared to the main store Kinokuniya but I’ve never seen it for myself before today. And yeah, there were really a lot more Japanese comics there than at the main Store at Takashimaya. I probably won’t b going to the main store to get comics unless I know that what I want is available there lol, since Liang Court is remotely deserted I don’t want to go there if I don’t have to.

And yes… while browsing the gallery of comics available there, I saw something I couldn’t find for weeks in the main store that made my heart stopped for a moment. A comic with a green spine… Bloody Monday volume four! I pulled it out of the shelf immediately and proceeded to check if there was enough money left in my wallet. After confirming I have enough spare money to buy the book I went to the cashier immediately. =D Okay, then I continued on my work again. Hahahaha, yes I was working when I was at Liang Court, I had to do something there. Ahaha. =D I hope my boss doesn’t see this…

But anyway my work has ended today, for a while, until there are more things for me to do. So hopefully I’ll be able to do more reading and reviewing of manga. XD

I am busy

I apologize for the lack of updates these few days. I have found a temporary job and now I don’t even have time to read mangas anymore, much less the time to do a review. =( Anyway, this is a good thing if you look at it from another angle since I won’t have to buy anymore mangas until I finish what I have left currently. =D

And oh, do allow me to talk a little about myself, since I’m not doing any reviews these few days, or weeks. Anyway, I’ve just signed up for a voice-actor course! It’s really expensive, but I feel that it’s worth it because I’ve always wanted to give it a try. The seiyuu school is called 77-Star and you can check out there website over here. Those who are interested in voice-acting, or even if you’re not you can be sure to benefit from the course since the course teaches you the proper ways to project your voice, articulate words and the works, you better sign up now because the industry is still new in Singapore and they are going to need a lot of voice actors/actresses.

There will be an audition on the 5th of April for an anime (made by Singaporeans?) called 1,000 Stars and Squall. I’ve never heard of it but you can check out its sypnosis over at 77-Star’s page. I’m signing up for the audition and I’m really looking forward to it. I’m so excited about it! I think it’s going to be some kickass fun and be quite an experience.

Anyway, I’m out for tonight and rise up early for work tomorrow.

And oh, before you ask, no I am neither working in a maid cafe or as a maid. It’s just a damn picture.

DEVIL Vol. 1

An eternal being, known as the Pale Vampire, is the source of a virus that mutates infected beings into superhumans, or monsters, with special powers. Those whom are infected with this virus are called “Devils”. Decoppa, a 15 years old geek, unluckily happens to encounter one of them which could spawn and control spiders. After being surrounded and cornered by hundreds of the creepy crawlies in a fast food restaurant and robbed of his girl, he has decided to fight back instead of running away all the time. Decoppa realized that monsters, like humans, are mere living creatures, and that they too can be killed. Depending only on his intelligence and his environment, Decoppa defeated the spider Devil and proved to himself that even mere humans can kill Devils without use of any special abilities.

This manga is a little different from the others, in the sense that the protagonist and the heroine only appeared in the later half of the book. I was so sure I was in for some kind of cool fighting action between Devils and Devils but to my surprise, the Devils were killed by a science and mathematics geek. But hey, I’m not saying it’s a bad manga. Looking at a mere human defeating monsters with science, wits and mathematics provides a variety and is more awe-inspiring than looking at monsters fighting their own kinds. What I really like about this manga is the fighting action between the geek protagonist and the monsters. It’s full of action, so if you like action like me, I’m sure you’d like it too. As for the art in this manga, all I would like to say is I was attracted to its cover art and bought it with no hesitations, no regrets! Just for a little bit more information, the author/mangaka of this manga is the same as the one who drew Air Gear. I heard Air Gear is good but I haven’t read it though. It has an anime series, if I am not wrong, so I’m probably going to give the manga a miss and watch the anime instead.

Humor: 4/10
Plot: 5/10
Character Design: 7/10
Overall: 6/10

This title is available in:
- Japanese
- Chinese (Heard from a friend, but I can’t find it on Chuang Yi’s website, maybe it’s by another publisher, *shrugs*)

Bloody Monday Vol. 2

Fujimaru’s younger sister, Haruka (oh I forgot to mention he had a cute little sister?), was abducted by the group of terrorists, leaving Falcon no choice but to help carry out their evil deeds. Meanwhile, Fujimaru’s father, Takagi Ryuunosuke, sought help from an old friend in order to analyze a base sample extracted from the deadly virus outbreak in Russia. This was when the killer appeared again to assassinate the scientist, pushing an extra murder charge against Ryuunosuke. Fortunately, not all odds are against Team Falcon & Friends. Their high school teacher’s, Ms. Orihara Maya, alibi went crumbling down when the team discovered a flaw in her alibi. However that alone does not prove her to be part of the terrorist organization. Thus, in a quest to find out if their teacher is truly an ally right from the beginning, or a dangerous enemy spying on their every move, Fujimaru has decided to look for clues in the high school teacher’s apartment.

If volume one did not manage to hold your interests (which I doubt so!), then I hope volume two will do a better job. I strongly advise you to read Bloody Monday if you haven’t already! Volume two is when the plot is thickening and things are getting more and more exciting, I believe this is when I got truly hooked to the manga! I curse Kinokuniya for not having volume four even though it was out since such a long time ago! Curse them, curse them, curse them all!! *ahem* Anyway, let’s get going, shall we? In this volume, Falcon does hacking in ways that you’ll never even imagine! With his father driven to a corner, his sister abducted and a possibility that an ally might actually turn out to be an enemy knowing their every step, how will Falcon save his friends, family, and consequently, Japan from the evil clutches of the unknown terrorist organization with his computer knowledge and hacking skills?

Good news to people who are living in Singapore as Books Kinokuniya Singapore is selling this title, otherwise you could import it online at Amazon Japan!

Manga Review: Shining Tears

Title: Shining Tears シャイニング・ティアーズ
Author: Kanda Akira 神田　晶

After some research, I found out that this manga is an adaptation of its game counterpart. No wonder it felt like I was playing a game while reading it. The story is set in your typical RPG game setting where there exists knights and soldiers, archers and spell-casters.

The Story
After being saved when he was lying unconsciously near a river, Xion lost all his memory and found himself in an inn in a small town called Shildia. Soon, Xion found himself joining hands with the band of mercenaries, that rescued him, in order to defend Shildia from Lungeist’s (I hope I got the name right) assault. It was then that Xion discovered that he had a pair of rings with him; one was with him, strangely irremovable from his finger, while the other was now with the elvish archer, Elwyn, who had save him earlier. After the other ring had a bearer, Xion immediately changed into another person. The wimpy and polite young boy now became uncouth and rude. He jumped into the battlefield without any hesitations and slew every Lungeist solider he met. Meanwhile Elwyn was raining volleys after volleys of arrows into the battlefield. The rings had given the couple power. Power enough to wipe out an entire army on their own. Indeed, what is the origin of the rings and how did it landed in the hands (or in this case, fingers) of Xion? Does the amnesia of Xion has something to do with the rings’ predecessor, a fighter who had once saved the world from darkness with the power of the rings?

The Review
I have to admit. The storyline isn’t that great, it is an adaptation of the game (which received criticisms for its storyline, by the way) after all. There are a lot of fighting scenes in this manga, definitely, but they are very much like a hack and slash game where a large group of enemies dies with a single, large blow from the good guys. But hey, this is one of the easiest to read manga that I’ve came across. The Japanese used in this manga isn’t too deep (just information for people who reads manga to learn Japanese, like me) and you can pretty much scan through the pages, since there aren’t too much dialogues in it. It’s also quite relaxing to read the manga, a good title to kill time when you want to pass time relaxing. Right, one thing I forgot to mention is I felt like playing a RPG game after reading the book. Haha. Maybe those who have the game might feel like replaying the game after reading this, lol. Overall, I would say this title is more suitable for the younger audience (the fact that I’m going to continue on this title proves I’m young at heart!).

Right, judgment time:

Humor: 4/10
Plot: 5/10
Character Design: 6/10
Overall: 5/10

This manga is currently published in:
- Japanese
- No idea if it’s available in Chinese or English, but I doubt so

I hate Mangas

Wow, I’ve been reading manga at such a fast pace recently that I’m almost finished with what I’ve raided at Kinokuniya during the 20% discount period. I’m finding myself visiting Kinokuniya at least once a week and now I’m too broke to afford anything. But… but… I really want to continue on the current titles that I am reading! I can’t wait to find out how the story continues, especially Bloody Monday and Mx0 (Vol. 8 is out but I haven’t read it!)! Of course, there is still a bunch of continuation volumes that I really want to purchase… I’m sure you guys know how I feel right now, lol. And man… Running out of mangas means running out of manga reviews! orz.

Reading manga (especially Japanese ones!!) is such an expensive hobby, and oh, I refuse to read online. I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got a few reasons why I don’t like, and don’t read online/on the computer. Well, firstly, it’s the ever-so clichéd line, “There is no feel.” Oh shut up, I told you it’s clichéd. I just don’t like the idea of reading it digitally. Secondly, I told myself that I shouldn’t be facing the computer screen even when I’m trying to read a book, it’s also a way for me to get my eyes off the screen. And thirdly, last but not least, I try not to read mangas while I’m at home, so I only read them when I’m travelling, e.g. on the bus or on the train. With mangas, I can bring them out easily. I’ve got better things to do when I’m at home while I’ve got nothing to do while travelling. So why not? (: What about you? Do you like to read them digitally or is it only due to financial circumstances? I understand your pain, my friend. Damn imported stuffs. I can buy two volumes of ChuangYi’s production with the money I buy one Japanese volume.

Anyway, I need to slow down on my reading pace. Maybe I could take my time to admire the art or analyze how they construct their Japanese sentences (mangakas have good Japanese ok!? Some of the lines are phrased really beautifully). Meanwhile, I really need to get a job to support this expensive pastime, not to mention that I spend a shitload too when I’m at the arcades. Man, how much do you guys spend on mangas anyway? How often do you buy them? Or do you read online? Lol.

If anyone has any jobs to introduce I’d be more happy to take it up, preferably something that allows me to deal with Japanese I love Japanese! (: Or if anyone wants to sell their Japanese manga for cheap or are willing to lend it to me, I’d also be more than glad to do so! Do check out My Manga page to find out which titles I am specifically looking for! Thank you, my friends.

Bloody Monday Vol. 1

Today, I bring to you the review of Bloody Monday. I had intended to introduce this manga to everyone earlier, however I didn’t want to write a crappy review that the manga certainly does not deserve, so I took longer than expected. I really love this manga and it’s currently one of my two favourite titles, the other being Mx0. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading my reviews and hopefully they’re of help to you.

Takagi Fujimaru is Falcon; a young, talented hacker who was employed to work for the government after getting caught. Fujimaru now hacks for the police force of Japan and has helped solved many cases.

It was then that a piece of memory chip was recovered from inside a murdered Russian man’s corpse. Inside it contains what might be a clue to a massive terrorist attack that just occurred in Russia. Falcon was sought in order to decipher the codes and reveal what is hidden in the chip. However, things were not going smoothly for Falcon. Not only was he not able to progress on the deciphering of the chip because his new teacher, Ms. Orihara, accidentally destroyed his super-computer laptop, his father was framed for killing another police officer and is now on the run.

When the deciphering of the chip was finally completed, it turned out to be a home-made video, filmed in Russia during Christmas and titled “Genocide of Christmas” in Russian. It showed a little girl who had blood oozing out of her eyes before a man with his whole body full of pores appearing. A display of the virus’s fatality. Fujimaru made another shocking discovery when he analyzed the video further. A familiar Japanese woman was spotted in the video and it turned out to be none other than his new teacher… Orihara Maya. When confronted, Maya had a solid alibi to prove she was in Japan, and not in Russia on the day of Christmas. Is this purely a coincidence or … is there more than what it seems?

This is a fascinating suspense manga that I think is receiving lesser popularity than it should. I really think this manga should be exposed more and that’s also why I didn’t want to do anything (e.g. a crappy review) that will undermine its popularity. This manga has a deep plot and it is the very reason why I am so interested in it. I just can’t wait for the next volume, Kinokuniya should hurry up and import volume 4, god dammit! And I just discovered that this title has only 5 volumes, if I am not wrong. Oh man, I didn’t think it would end so early.

Humor: 3/10 (Terrorist, virus, blood are no laughing matters, my friend)
Plot: 9/10 (The reason why I can’t let it down once I start reading it)
Character Design: 6/10
Overall: 9/10 (You’d be a fool not to read it)

Very unfortunately for readers who do not know Japanese, once again this title is only published in Japanese.

Kinokuniya once again

Yesterday I received a phone call from Kinokuniya telling me that the two mangas that I ordered (they were out of stocks before then) have arrived. And it so happens that today is the last day of the 20% discount sales period. How lucky! I thought it would never arrive in time for it. Anyway, the two manga titles that I had ordered were: Shining Tears Vol.1 and Psycho Busters Vol.1. So I went down and collected them today. However, I also browsed around and found two more titles that got me interested. Luckily, I was able to resist buying them and took no more than the two books that I ordered out of the store. Sigh. I think I’m officially a manga addict now. Speaking of which, I still don’t see Bloody Monday Vol.4 anywhere around when it’s already out!!! AHH!!

I haven’t read them, I’ve still got quite a few books on my table still in their shrink-wrapped condition. Overview of my treasure raid from Kinokuniya’s 20% Discount Sales:

- NEEDLESS
- Dogs
- BLANの食卓
- Shining Tears
- Psycho Busters

Man, this is more like Kinokuniya’s raiding our wallets than us raiding their stores. =( I need a job, seriously.

Bloody Dining #1

Those of you who still remembers Kindaichi (Case Files) and how he always swears on his grandpa’s name, please raise up your hands. I didn’t read its manga nor seen its anime but I remember watching the live action of it on my local TV broadcast when I was younger. For those who don’t know, Kindaichi was a smart ass who was able to solve murder cases before the police does (or simply, just click on that the Kindaichi link to read more about it). I loved that show!

Anyway, if you’re wondering why I’m talking about Kindaichi when I’m reviewing BLANの食卓, simple, that’s because BLANの食卓 is like Kindaichi Case Files. Except that he doesn’t have a grandpa to swear on. Haha, anyway, read on for the review!

Yakushimaru Tooru is a high school student who has just binded a contract with Blan, an angel who feeds on caught criminals’ souls. As Blan’s servant, Tooru’s mission is to find the culprits behind the murder cases that occur near him. Tooru received his first case immediately after the contract. The art teacher was murdered in a classroom. Upon arriving the crime scene, Tooru managed to deduce why the teacher was leaning in such an awkward position, held a chiselling knife in her hand and why a wooden sculpture was moved away from its original position. After deducing so much it was not long before the killer was caught and the hungry Blan immediately began her feast on her first prey.

I have yet to read beyond the first chapter of the manga, so I can’t say much more lest I give out wrong information. But it’s probably going to continue in a case-by-case manner, much like any other detective case files shows. So if you liked Kindaichi Case Files or mind-engaging stuff, quizzes and puzzles, then this is probably for you!

Humor (How much I laughed): 5/10 (Humor will not be why you read this anyway!)
Plot (Storyline): 7/10
Character Design (Well, just… Character Design): 7/10
Overall (Overall feel of the manga): 7/10 (Read it if you like mind-engaging activities)

This title is currently only published in Japanese, if I am not wrong. Do correct me if I am wrong though.
- BLANの食卓~bloody dining 1 (Japanese)

More manga reviews coming your way

Barely recovering from my fever, I went to Kinokuniya @ Takashimya (Oh hey, they rhyme!) to purchase more mangas! I only went down today because I had something else to do anyway, but most importantly, they had 20% discounts today! So, woot, why not! My friend got Pretty Face Vol. 3 and 4 too. Though, I didn’t buy any volumes to continue the current titles that I am reading. I bought three spanking new titles: NEEDLESS, Dogs, BLANの食卓（しょくたく） or BLAN’s Dining Table.

I’ll describe each of them in a few lines just to give everyone an overall idea, however I haven’t read them yet too so I’m just guessing.

NEEDLESS art style looks very Megaman to me. Peeping through the shrink-wrapped cover, I figure it’s about fighting with high teched weapons like guns and missiles and… the works. I got attracted to its art, looks neat.

Dogs, after reading the summary at the back, it’s about the underground society: mafias! And I see a girl holding a katana. What can be more tempting than a katana when I am a Rurouni Kenshin fan? (: Anyway, like NEEDLESS, there are no furigana for the words in the manga. So both of them are going to be hard reads.

Last, but not least, BLAN’s Dining Table is about a mortal binding a contract with a BLAN (OMG Code Geass! and don’t ask me what a BLAN is). And that contract requires a boy, the protagonist, to punish evil people by feeding their souls to the BLAN (OMG Death Note!). Therefore, BLANの食卓 = Lelouch punishing people with a notebook. Anyway, I don’t think BLAN has anything to do with psychological battles or Geass or pizzas. I’m a bit skeptical as to how good this title will be but who knows? Let’s see how it turns out! (:

That’s it for now! Do wait for my reviews before you start spending money on those titles! (: