Manga Review: Take Me to Heaven by Nase Yamato

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Deux/Aurora Publishing

Release Date: 2009.

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

He sees ghosts... and one sexy guy!

High school student Fumiya possesses the ability to see things normal people can't: ghosts and spirits. Every time Fumiya sees one, he turns to the tall, handsome and popular Shogo, the son of a temple priest, for help. After being rescued time after time by Shogo, Fumiya can't resist developing certain feelings towards his savior. Watch as ghosts and spirits work to drive these two together!

Review:

Meh. I wasn’t really impressed.

Fumiya sees ghosts, and he cries whenever they’re near. Shogo is the son of a priest and knows how to exorcise them, only he doesn’t actually believe in them or want anything to do with it.

Mostly, I was annoyed with how insensitive Shogo was to Fumiya. He teases him a little too much, and Fumiya is rather weak and annoying of a character. On the other hand, I did like how open Shogo was with his relationship with Fumiya, and that while he had female groupies, they all believed he was actually in love with Fumiya.

In the end, it was an okay story. I liked the episodic ghost story chapters. The art was okay, nice to look at.

Manga Review: Hanky Panky by Koreaki Kamuro

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Deux Press/Aurora Publishing

Release Date: 2008

Volumes: 1.

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble.

Goodreads Synopsis:

From Super-Geek... To Super-Hot!

Geeky, glasses-wearing college student Manaka is always getting picked on at school, especially by his popular classmate Doi. But... once night falls, the glasses are ditched and this super-geek secretly becomes a super-hot host club owner! What is Manaka to do when Doi aspires to become a host at the same club?! There's no telling what hanky panky they'll be up to!

Review:

This was a pretty average yaoi one-shot. All short stories, none of it really stands out for me.

The title story is about two classmates, one who only notices the other when his glasses are off and he’s working as a host, surprised to find out he’s also the classmate he teases at school.

The artwork is very average, the expressions just okay and the smut average. I didn’t connect with any of the characters, and there wasn’t much development for most of the stories. Fast-paced, and short.

Just meh, mostly.

Manga Review: Love Machine: Etowa by Amayo Tsuge

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Publisher: Deux Press/Aurora Publishing

Release Date: 2009

Volumes: 1

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Anti-social people hater, Kokuyou is always going in and out of the hospital. Unable to stand it any longer, his friend Seiki gives him a 'replica', a boy android named Shiro who can monitor his health and do chores. Will Shiro's puppy-like devotion and dogged perseverance be able to win Kokuyou over in the end?

Review:

The artwork was fine here, a little average but pretty.

It’s about a guy who’s given a robot, made to be devoted to do everything he needs and wants. But the robot needs love and care, and the guy doesn’t want to take the time for it. Until he falls for the robot, begrudgingly.

I didn’t really care for the plot line, honestly. Maybe it was overdone, a little too complicated or made to be sad at some points. The characters were all right, though I didn’t grow too attached to any of them. There’s a side story for two of the side characters, and it was all right.

I just wasn’t blown away by the plot or the characters here.

Manga Review: Love Round!! by Hinako Takanaga

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Deux Press/Aurora Publishing

Release Date: 2009

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. RightStuf.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Two Knockouts In Love!

Pretty boy Kaoru Komatsuna is self-conscious about his feminine good looks and his cute, but girly, name. Handsome school boxing champ Junya Kubo just happens to pick up Kaoru's notebook and proceeds to make fun of his strange name. Kaoru gets angry and knocks down the champ. This inspires Kubo to desperately try to convince Kaoru into becoming a boxer. After doing his best to resist him, Kaoru finds himself falling for the relentless knockout, Kubo. This yaoi comedy packs a punch!

Review:

I picked this up solely because of Awkward Silence.  And even though this wasn’t that great, I will get more, because I love her.

This is about two boxers who fall in love, only one of them gets embarrassed easily and then gets violent.  Still, the other one continues trying and is devoted. 

It was a cute enough story, and some of it was quite funny.  The characters were okay.  The artwork is definitely her earlier work, and not nearly as nice, but more average.  It just didn’t stand out to me, mostly.  It was just okay.