Manga Review: My Hero Academia, Volume 1, by Kohei Horikoshi

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Volumes: 5+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks” at age four? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless?

Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…

Review:

Midoriya lives in a world where everyone has a superpower and is striving to be a hero. Except for him. Which means he’s bullied. But he also wants to be a superhero so badly that he knows everything about them, has books filled with notes, and has a bit of a hero-streak in him.

Midoriya is a great main character for this story. He’s smart, has been picked on and cries easy, and he just wants to be a superhero. The scenes we get of him as a child just hurt my heart, that poor little boy. I just want to hug him.

And then he finally gets his chance.

There are a bunch of different characters as well, and a lot of neat powers. There’s All Might, the biggest superhero that helps Midoriya, who’s real identity is a secret. There’s Bakugo, who bullies Midoriya, and wants to be the meanest villain around. Tenya, a guy who relies on his smarts in conversation, who I think is kind of great. Then there’s Ochako, the girl that befriends Midoriya, and she’s nice. And their teacher, who is the toughest teacher around and will fail everyone if he wants to.

I like the premise of this series, and this volume was really enjoyable. The group of characters are a lot of fun, and I’m actually interested to read more.

Manga Review: Toriko, Volume 29, Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Volumes: 35+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 1. 28. 30.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a savage world ruled by the pursuit of the most delicious foods, it's either eat or be eaten! While searching for the tastiest foods imaginable, Gourmet Hunter Toriko travels the world with his bottomless stomach, facing every beast in his way.

The horrific conclusion of the epic battle between the heads of rival organizations the IGO and Gourmet Corp. spells disaster for the entire world, and the sun sets on the Age of Gourmet. Having lost his appetite for life, Toriko wanders the world. Meanwhile, Toriko’s chef partner Komatsu finds a new purpose…at Gourmet Corp.!

Review:

I went into this volume with zero knowledge of what I was getting. I knew it had something to do with food, and it was shonen, but that was it. I’d barely even looked at a previous volume.

It really reminded me of Dragon Ball, even if I’ve only read a volume or two of that series. The set-up for fighting, the actual fights, and the relationships between the characters seemed similar. Only, the main theme in this series, is food.

At first, this was a little comedic for me, and it still kind of confuses me. I had a brief understanding of the characters and their relationships, and very vaguely understood why they were fighting. I’m still mostly confused why they talked about food like it was their special powers and whatnot. I don’t get it.

But there’s a big fight, a couple fights end, and one of the characters make a feast. The world is in a crisis, and they’re trying to get what food they can, as there’s a scarcity of it.

I would definitely have needed to read from the beginning to understand the world and the relationships fully. But I would recommend this series to fans of Dragon Ball, and I liked the comedic elements. Like the made-up foods that the author used, and the inserts with descriptions, for example the boozy shark.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!

Manga Review: Maid-Sama!, Volume 1 & 2, by Hiro Fujiwara

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Shojo Beat (VIZ Media)

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Volumes: 18.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

As if being class president of a predominantly male high school wasn’t hard enough, Misaki Ayuzawa has a major secret—she works at a maid café after school! How is she supposed to keep her image of being ultra smart, strong and overachieving intact once school heartthrob Takumi Usui discovers her double life?!

Can Misaki trust Usui to keep her secret from the rest of the kids at school? And why the heck is he always showing up at the maid café? Maybe she should start taking him seriously when he says he likes her—especially when he throws in an unexpected kiss!

Review:

I collected the previous version of this series, released by Tokyopop. I rather enjoyed the series then, but it has been a while since I originally read it.

First of all, I would definitely recommend this version over the Tokyopop ones. The translations are better, but this time, all of the sfx are actually translated, as opposed to the panels that Tokyopop couldn’t be bothered with. I like the font, as well, and the pages look cleaner. The design and color of the covers look nicer, not so plain. Plus, it’s a two-in-one, at a fantastic price.

I would have liked extras or color pages, but that’s okay.

Now, with a more experienced mind, I did notice different things in this read. Firstly, that it’s a bit rushed and exaggerated in the beginning. The transition of Misa’s job being revealed to Usui is super fast, and her reactions are a bit much. The story lines are a little rushed at times, and Misa’s hate for men is definitely exaggerated. The way she takes on every single responsibility, as well as her overprotective feelings for women, still drives me crazy. Why is she the only one who ever does anything? Not a single other girl can fight? Really?

It gets better as time goes on, though, as does Usui’s characters. He’s a little too pushy at first, but I do like him, and I enjoy the way he teases and cares for Misa. He does push her being a girl too much, though, like she needs to be weaker. In contrast to that, I like that Misa can easily handle her own most of the time, and he doesn’t always have to save her.

Misa also has to learn at times not to let her hatred of men take over when making decisions as president, and I like that she does actually listen. That shows growth, which I appreciate.

I like Yukimura, too, and the idiot trio. I hope that Misa makes a real girl friend soon, who stays in the picture. Overall, though, I enjoyed this volume. It was fun to re-read the books, and I’m definitely excited for this release to catch up with where the Tokyopop one ended. I can’t wait for more.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, and Erik Jansen from MediaLab PR. Thank you so, so much!