K to P

Kyousuke and his family possess ESP. When they move to a new town, Kyousuke immediately falls in love with beautiful Madoka. But Madoka's exuberant best friend Hikaru falls in love with Kyousuke and declares to the world that they are a couple. Indecisive Kyousuke cannot bring himself to choose one or the other, especially since Madoka turns out to be an unpredictable person with radical mood swings.

Where KOR is concerned, many people usually get acquainted with the anime before the manga, thus they tend to become disappointed as soon as they open the first volume. Matsumoto's art is nowhere near as attractive as Akemi Takada's famous character designs, in fact some might even call his style ugly. However I don't think it was that bad, and the manga, being written while the anime was also in progress, got influenced a lot by the latter. Matsumoto's art changed to resemble Takada's, while the nostalgic atmosphere, already present, was emphasized, seen how it contributed to the anime's success. Also, the ending of the manga is much more satisfactory than that offered by either the TV series or the film, IMO.

Plot: 3 out of 5, but like the anime, the plot seems to fade next to the characters and the atmosphere here.

Art: 2 out of 5, goes up to a three in the last five or six volumes.

Fun factor: 3 out of 5. KOR is a comedy, after all, which is an aspect some people seem to overlook in their reviews...

Cool factor: One word: Madoka. 4 out of 5.

Overall rating: Beautifully nostalgic, funny, romantic and touching, I think this should be a part of every fan's collection. 5 out of 5, and recommended by Washu, of course.

Komorebi no Moto de
by Tsukasa Hojo

While trying to cut down a tree, young Tatsuya is stopped by an unknown girl called Sarah, who threatens to use his own axe on him if he goes any further. After this episode, the two become fast friends, but Tatsuya begins to discover strange things about Sarah: Her appearence hasn't changed in at least seven years, and she can communicate with plants...

What a manga. Another masterpiece by the author of City Hunter and Cat's Eye, Komorebi no Moto de is a title of a different calibre, as the story has none of the urban happenings of the previous two, but is an ode to nature. The characters' feelings are treated much more extensively, and little humorous touches here and there increase the reader's enjoyment. At the end of the third (and last) volume, one is left wondering the exact nature of Sarah, but then revealing this would have destroyed the magic of the work. The ending is beautifully nostalgic.

Plot: 4 out of 5

Art: 5 out of 5. Hojo at the peak of his talent, and none of the weaknesses of his earlier works.

Fun factor: 4 out of 5. I have yet to read a work by Hojo which doesn't use his wonderful sense of humor.

Cool factor: 3 out of 5

Overall rating: 5 out of 5, and at only three volumes, it is pretty affordable and you have no excuse to avoid buying it. Li'l Washu has already gotten to work trying to discern Sarah's magic. She thinks it's probably a combination of one of her botched experiments and Juraian botanical science.

Magic Knight Rayearth
by CLAMP

Three girls, Umi, Hikaru and Fuu, get transported to the magical world of Cephiro, and they have to become the Magic Knights from legend to save it from doom.

As in the anime, the manga isn't really exceptional storywise, but the ending of the first season, corresponding to the third volume, is again very unexpected and original. I found the rest a bit boring, to tell the truth, and gave up after three volumes. The SD humor comes across much better in the manga, and the art is simply breathtaking. You'll love this if you liked the anime.

Plot: 2 out of 5. And the power of friendship is getting to be a really cliché plot device for getting out of troublesome situations.

Art: 5 out of 5. You either love or hate CLAMP's artwork. I'm of the former. Very graceful, pretty images.

Fun factor: 3 out of 5. There is cute SD humor, but it could have been used a bit more extensively.

Cool factor: 3 out of 5, for beautiful Umi and handsome Ferio.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5. It is a shame that the story doesn't stand up to the gorgeous artwork.

Maison Ikkoku
by Rumiko Takahashi

Yusaku Godai lives in Maison Ikkoku, a mediocre boarding house where the other tenants make studying for college entrance exams very hard with their partying. Fed-up, Godai decides to leave, but that same day a beautiful young widow arrives, announcing that she's going to be the new manager. Godai falls hard for her and decides to stay at Maison Ikkoku.

You know, I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like Rumiko Takahashi's work. Maison Ikkoku is a bundle of zaniness which I like even more than Ranma, since it lacks the more ridiculous situations of the latter. While very funny, MI also has some serious moments where it focuses on the relationship between Godai and Kyoko, though I tended to get really fed up with them around volumes 9 and 10, always playing around each other but never saying anything. The artwork is nothing exceptional, but it is nice and clear and suits the characters perfectly. Anyway in Takahashi's stories the plot is always at the forefront, and the artwork is merely a device used to get the story across. Another great work from the author of Ranma 1/2.

Plot: 4 out of 5. I love the fact that the author has crafted such an interesting story from such a mundane setting and people who are much more real than the cast of Ranma. This means that ordinary people can also be manga or anime material!

Art: 3 out of 5

Fun factor: 5 out of 5

Cool factor: 0. I'm sorry, but cool is the furthest thing from my mind when I see Godai washing diapers.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5. Maison Ikkoku is a must read for everyone.

Mermaids' Saga
by Rumiko Takahashi

According to legend, those who eat the flesh of a mermaid will either die on the spot, turn into a monster, or worst of all, become immortal. Yuta, a simple fisher, became immortal 500 years ago, and now he wanders the world in search of other immortals, because they are the only ones who can keep him company, and who won't perish in a few decades. At a mysterious village of old women, he meets immortal adolescent Mana, and the two set out together.

Here's a manga that proves Rumiko Takahashi can write more than slapstick. This story, poignant, tragic, chilling and violent, is a showcase for the talent of the author. The heroes Yuta and Mana have none of the funny characteristics found in Takahashi's other manga, they are very grave people. The relationship between these two immortals, one 500 years old and the other an adolescent, is an opportunity for the author to show that maybe immortality isn't all that it's cracked up to be, as Yuta slowly gets Mana used to the lonely life they are destined for.

Plot: 4 out of 5

Art: 3 out of 5. As always with Takahashi, the artwork is secondary to the plot.

Fun factor: 0. A very serious, sometimes downright dark manga.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5. And is there any work by Takahashi which doesn't get Washu's recommendation?

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
by Hayao Miyazaki

In the future, the earth has been ravaged in a war caused by industrial pollution. A toxic forest has sprung up, killing off all life except giant insects and the mysterious omu. Small pockets of humanity survive in protected areas, but survival is an uphill struggle. To make the situation even worse, the remaining humans are about to start a war among themselves. Nausicaa is the princess of a small valley which is protected from the toxic spores of the forest by a marine wind. She loves all forms of life, and tries to stop the war and to find a way to adapt and survive in this harsh environment.

The summary on the back of the Viz Perfect Collection called Nausicaa the story of the coming-of-age of a pacifist. While there is much, much more to the story than that, I thought that was a nice description. With this manga, Miyazaki has created an exceptional work that encompasses all the themes that are important to him. One cannot help but fall in love with Nausicaa the character, whose selflessness, compassion and bravery are traits all people must aspire to.

Plot: 5 out of 5. Fast-paced, poignant, touching and most importantly, deeply thought-provoking. All the characters are very well developed.

Art: 3 out of 5. As in all of his works, Miyazaki depicts nature wonderfully, even if nature here consists of a toxic forest, but the art in this manga is a bit crowded, and I had trouble discerning what was going on and who was who in battle scenes and such.

Overall rating: 5 out of 5. If I had to read just one manga, this would be it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion
by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto

I think that everybody knows the story already, but here we go: In the year 2000, half the population of Earth died in a cataclysm called the Second Impact, an event of an undetermined nature. Five years later, the fortress city of Tokyo-3 is being attacked by mysterious creatures called Angels. A secret organization called NERV has constructed Evangelions, giant robots, to combat the Angels. Shinji Ikari, the abandoned son of the commander of NERV, arrives in town at the request of his father, but the reception is unexpected since he is asked to pilot an Evangelion and fight an Angel.

Contrary to what is usually the case, this manga is based on the anime, so the story and the artwork are pretty similar. I'm not gonna go on about it, you can read my review for the anime, if you want...

Plot: 5 out of 5

Art: 4 out of 5

Overall rating: 3 out of 5. The manga fails to capture the thrilling excitement of the anime.

Piercing
by Takehiko Inoue

For the past three years, Ryota has been going to a cave at the seashore to wait for his elder brother, who disappeared at sea; but the peace of his sanctuary is one day disturbed by a girl.

I don't even know if I should be reviewing this seen as it is only twenty pages long. The only reason I bought this is because the author also wrote Slam Dunk, one of my favorite mangas. I thought it would be interesting to read a manga about piercing, but it's way too short.

Plot: 1 out of 5

Art: 3 out of 5, a bit different from that in Slam Dunk, but not bad.

Fun factor: 2 out of 5

Cool factor: 2 out of 5. Nice atmosphere.

Overall rating: 2 out of 5. Inoue fans might be interested.

Pineapple Army
by Takehiko Inoue

A veteran of Vietnam, Jed Goshi has now retired from the military and teaches self-defense to civilians, but only those who can pay for it. But no matter how much he swears that he will never get mixed up in their affairs, he always has to, because each time the bad guy turns out to be one of Jed's old enemies.

The basic premise was interesting, but the individual stories become predictable after a while and the plot goes nowhere.

Plot: 2 out of 5

Art: 3 out of 5. Not bad, but not great.

Overall rating: 2 out of 5. People who are into firearms and fighting and all that will probably like this.