T to Z

Actually, I made up that title, as I have no idea what the Japanese version is called. I read the French version, named "Le Cadeau de l'Ange". Anyway, on with the story, or stories, as is more appropriate here. There is a collection of shorts here, including drafts for the series that later became City Hunter. Another story is about boys from a traditional Japanese school and girls from a modern Catholic school who are being forced to live in the same boarding house. There is a romantic bit about a photographer in love with a girl who turns into a cat come midnight. Finally, the story that gave its name to the French version of the collection, which translates as Gift from an Angel, is about childhood friends who realize their love for each other through a mysterious little girl which forces them to spend the day together.

This first volume of short stories is a huge disappointment when I consider Hojo's excellent work on City Hunter, Komorebi no Moto de, etc. However, the author himself has written that these stories date from the earlier parts of his career. It shows: the artwork in the City Hunter chapters and the boy-girl school bit is about as attractive as a dead rat, while the storylines all enter into the Plot? What plot? range. The last two stories, better drawn since they were made later, are way too sappy. The final short is actually nice, but doesn't justify the purchase on its own.

Plot: 1 out of 5. All predictably romantic, not to mention what seems to be Hojo's new favorite plot device: girls with gooddoing magic powers that show up and disappear out of the blue.

Art: 1 out of 5, 3 out of 5 for the last two shorts.

Overall rating: I'll be kind and give this a 2 out of 5, but it doesn't even deserve that.

Tsukasa Hojo Short Story Collection-Volume 2
by Tsukasa Hojo

Ah.... This is more like it. Much more recent than the previous collection, volume 2 has the beautiful art which Hojo's style has evolved into, not to mention the plotlines are much better. I think the Japanese title of this collection is "Sakura no Hanano Sakakoro". On with it:

The first short in this collection will appeal most to those who've read the author's wonderful manga Komorebi no Moto de, since it expands the backstory of a character of that series. However this can also be read as a stand alone with great enjoyment. The focus is on plant-loving Sarah, who is actually an immortal fairy that goes around naked when she communicates with trees. Pretty nice, but probably a bit pointless without reading the afore-mentioned manga.

The second short is the most boring of the lot, and tells the story of an amnesiac photographer whose memories come back thanks to the one he loves, yadda yadda. Well-drawn, as are all the stories in this volume, but empty as a bottle plotwise.

I just love the third story, since it copiously uses comedy, while also constructing a romantic intrigue in a few pages. It is about a singer pretending to be mute to escape her manager, and a vampire masquerading as a taxi driver in search of the blood of a virgin. Of course, our virginal singer just happens to get into this particular taxi. Pointless to explain more, this is so funny that you have to read it.

Finally, the last short story. It is the tale of Misato, who, for an unknown reason, hates her father who she lives away from, is scared of water, and only draws pictures of Peter Pan at the design school she goes to. A bad fall plunges her into a coma while her spirit is sent to frolic around in the memories of her past...

Wow. This has got to be one of the most visually stunning stories I've read. Misako's spirit-world is appropriately surreal (and Toshio, Kaori, Ryo and Hitomi are there as guest-stars! When they appear, one almost feels as if this was Alice in Wonderland!), and the author has beautifully crafted this atmosphere through the use of upside-down images and strange shadow and light effects. Plotwise this is worth maybe a 3 out of 5, but the artwork of this story alone is worth the price of the entire volume, if you ask me. To sum it up, this volume, with gorgeous visuals and touching storylines, is an excellent work, and one which has revived my faith in the author.

Video Girl Ai
by Masakazu Katsura

Yota is a shy guy in love with his childhood friend Moemi. Moemi doesn't know his feelings and is in fact in love with Yota's best friend Takashi, who doesn't care that much about her. One day that he's very depressed about this fact, he rents a videotape from a strange club, which will supposedly cheer him up. Normally, a girl will actually come out of your screen when you watch the tape, but Yota's video is broken, and the girl turns out to be a tomboy, to top it off, she can't go back. So Yota is stuck with this weird girl who slowly starts falling in love with him...

Argh... This makes my head ache, trying to keep up with the love hundred-sided polygon... The story is good though, and can become painfully touching at times. One can't help but feel for Ai as she falls for Yota. Speaking of which, the theme of a timid guy having about a dozen girls fall for him is getting really cliché, don't you think? (Tenchi, El Hazard...) Katsura's art is very nice. The only thing about this manga is that it takes itself too seriously, this is teenage "angst", in the real sense of the word.

Plot: 3 out of 5. Could have done with a bit more humor.

Art: 4 out of 5

Overall rating: 4 out of 5. Very emotional, though, so it won't appeal to you if you don't like that kind of thing. Recommended by Washu, but first she has to get Mihoshi to stop crying.

Yu Yu Hakusho
Yusuke Urameshi is the classic bad guy, he smokes, fights, engages in petty thievery and skips school. The only girl who dares speak to Yusuke is class president Keiko, his hot-tempered childhood friend. As he is skipping school one day, Yusuke saves a small child from being killed in a traffic accident, and dies instead. However, he is sent back to Earth since his death wasn't in the program(!) and there isn't enough space in heaven or hell(!!). So Yusuke is reincarnated, but he has to become a detective for the spiritual world.

Hilarious! I nearly died when Botan told Yusuke why he wasn't going to hell or heaven... I think this is the funniest manga that I've ever read. There isn't much to the story, and it's essentially a fight manga, but by jove it's funny (Kuwabara beats his opponent by giving him indigestion). The fact that humor is always present keeps the manga from becoming downright dark, in some places. IMO that's a good thing. The characters, even if they aren't very well developed or original, are charismatic and attractively drawn. To top it all off, there is even a Takahashi-esque style romance.

Plot: 3 out of 5

Art: 3 out of 5. The quality lapses considerably during the twelfth volume, but I think the author was sick then. Apart from that it's OK.

Fun factor: 5 out of 5. Great jokes in this one, that will leave your sides aching.

Cool factor: 4 out of 5. You know, I'm usually a sucker for cool characters, but I didn't like Hiei or Kurama. The thing is, they were superficial at best, as the author chose to focus mostly on Yusuke. Speaking of Yusuke, he is a great character, but the most important thing about him, as declared by Koemma: he is an idiot!

Overall rating: 4 out of 5. A hilarious read that occasionally pulls at the heartstrings, and manages to introduce good suspense between the volumes. And even though she thinks 14 year-old guys are a bit too young for her (17 is okay, tho!) Washu recommends this manga!

Yu-gi-oh
by Kazuki Takashi
Yugi is a timid guy whose only hobby is playing all kinds of games at his grandfather's toy store. One day, he solves a mysterious puzzle which gives him weird powers, and he sometimes transforms into the "game master" to punish bad people. Thanks to his newfound confidence in himself, he also makes some friends.

The art here is very different from what we are used to seeing in manga, but then it is also very appropriate as it immediately reminds one of video games. The premise is interesting, and I liked how the author presents different sorts of games from all over the world. On the whole, however, there is no ongoing plotline, and what is there tends to become somewhat boring. My biggest problem is that Yugi becomes an outright sadist when he transforms into "game master"! But then that's just my opinion. I didn't like this manga that much, but if you're into video games, card games, mind games, whatever, don't hesitate to read this.

Plot: 3 out of 5, though a bit lacking.

Art: 3 out of 5. Very appropriate for the story.

Fun factor: 4 out of 5. One of the strongest points of this manga, and I really liked being taught about all these sorts of games.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5