A to D

When he has a goddess agree to stay with him forever, student loser Keiichi has to move out of his no-girls-allowed dorm and live in an old temple with his sister, the goddess and her two sisters. Somewhere along the way, he falls in love with Belldandy, the sweet-tempered divinity.

This manga is very disappointing when compared to the anime. The oft-utilized plot gimmick where a strange girl with magical powers comes to live with a loser isn't anything new (Wingman, Video Girl Ai etc.), and the author hasn't constructed a memorable story. In fact, the manga reads more like the script for a Sailor Moon series, where there are lots of filler episodes between the key events.

Plot: 2 out of 5

Art: 4 out of 5. This is very pretty, even though Fujishima's style takes getting used to.

Fun factor: 2 out of 5

Cool factor: 2 out of 5, for Urd.

Overall rating: 2 out of 5. A huge disappointment.

City Hunter
by Tsukasa Hojo

Ryo Saeba and his partner Kaori Makimura happen to be the best mercenaries in Tokyo. They lead an Akane-Ranma relationship, never admitting that they love each other, and the situation is made even worse by the fact that Ryo is the most perverted man on earth.

Wow! I know that there might be some concerns about this manga because Ryo gets erections every two pages, but there is nothing truly offensive here, except maybe a 100-tonne mallet... This is like James Bond made into a manga with lots of comedy and lechery added in for good measure! City nightlife, an aloof, charismatic and attractive hero, sexy women and gangsters, all these and more can be found in City Hunter. Tsukasa Hojo's art is beautiful and I really like his humorous touch! I have only one problem with this manga, and that is the same in the anime: We all know that Ryo and Kaori like each other, however nothing much happens between them in the first 30 or so volumes. There are some developments in the last five volumes but nothing really satisfactory. Apart from that, though, this is a great manga.

Plot: 2 out of 5

Art: 5 out of 5. Hojo's drawings are pretty bad at the beginning, but they get better along the way.

Fun factor: 5 out of 5! Mallets, and lechery galore!

Cool factor: 4 out of 5, for the urban setting and Ryo, when he's being serious.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5. Li'l Washu likes!

Detective Conan
by Gosho Aoyama

Shin'ichi Kudo, 17, is a budding detective, but his mystery-solving doesn't sit well with his potential love interest, captain of the school karate team Ran. One day, Shin'ichi gets in trouble with some men in black and is given a poison which traps his brilliant mind in the body of a six year old. Shin'ichi, calling himself Conan to avoid attracting suspicion, starts to live with Ran and her father, a lousy detective, in the hopes of finding the men in black and obtaining an antidote. Meanwhile, he helps Ran's dad's reputation by solving his mysteries for him.

Mystery-solving has always been a favorite, one needs only to look at the popularity of Agatha Christie or Conan Doyle to see that. This series follows in that vein and presents us with intriguing mysteries. And in the background are Ran and Shin'ichi's feelings for each other, which Shin'ichi, trapped as Conan unknown to Ran, cannot voice. It is very touching to see how they suffer even though they are actually living together. However, the same problem as in City Hunter arises here, in that Ran and Shin'ichi's relationship develops at a snail's pace.

Plot: 5 out of 5. Very clever mysteries, and I'm amazed at how the author keeps coming up with different ones for each chapter.

Art: 3 out of 5. The style is unusual, but not bad, and some pictures of the murders and murderers etc. are downright creepy.

Fun factor: Mystery solving is always fun. 5 out of 5.

Cool factor: Shin'ichi (not Conan), is a cool character, the few times we get to see him. And Ran does karate. 3 out of 5.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5. Suspense and good thrills, and even though she says she can solve all the mysteries before Conan, Li'l Washu recommends this!