more manga catch-up

So, yes, new stuff I've read:


Toshokan Senso: Love & War

I have to say I was a bit disappointed with this.

A while back there was an anime adaptation, as it's originally a series of Light Novels and I quite enjoyed what I saw of them, so I figured I'd pick up this manga adaptation. The premise for the series is a bit daft, but what I really liked about it was that it had some interesting characters. It was also pretty much a shoujo series, which was interesting as I'd always thought Light Novels pandered to the male otaku crowd.

Anyway, the problem I had with the first volume of the manga was that it was poorly laid out and difficult to follow. I've encountered this a few times with Shoujo stuff, where the panels aren't really logically laid out and speech crosses over panels in weird and confusing ways.

I think I'll give it one more volume, but if I don't like that I'll probably drop it.


Polyphonica: Cardinal Crimson

I was also really disappointed with this.

Again, I saw an anime adaptation that I quite liked, so I figured I'd pick this up. Well, it turns out that the adaptation and this seems to have almost completely different stories and the story here is really badly done.

I dunno - the whole thing is badly set up and not very well written.


Seikon no Qwaser

I wouldn't say I was disappointed with this, as such, more I was disappointed with myself for picking it up.

Basically, it's got one of those totally bizarre set-ups where the writer has just made up a load of old cobblers. But really this is just a framework for lashings of fan-service.

The reason for the self-disappointment was that I watched a bit of the anime version and new it was all a load of old toot, yet I bought the manga anyway. And I'll probably keep buying it.


Natsume's Book of Friends

You'll probably notice the theme now when I say that this was another one I saw an anime version of and enjoyed, so I thought I'd pick up the manga. However, unlike the above two, there was no disappointment involved.

Well, I say that, I have to confess I'm not the biggest fan of the artwork. Shoujo stuff can often be rather stylised - people are often lanky with oddly exaggerated features - and this is no exception. It kinda works for the ghosts that feature in the series, but for the humans I'm not so keen.

My main issue is with the faces, I think - they can look a bit pinched.

But what makes up for that is a very nice set of stories. The mangaka explains that the series is an occasional one, so while the same basic idea is across all the 4 stories in the book, they're actually pretty much independent short stores and each one works well.


Kimi Ni Todoke (From Me to You)

And this one too is a manga I picked up having enjoyed my sample of the anime. It's also yet another shoujo series - perhaps I'm getting in touch with my feminine side or something? I think really it's more a reflection of the fact that women do more reading than men and are, by some account, basically propping up the entire publishing industry.

But back to the manga. I think of the stuff I'm reviewing here, this is my favourite. It has decent artwork that is pretty much like most shoujo stuff, but unlike Natsume Yuujincho above, it doesn't go too far down that road. Also, the panels are fairly well laid out - certainly there's generally a bright and breezy feeling to the panels, which tend to flow reasonably well.

The real strength, though, is with the characters and the writing. The story is basically about someone who's been ostracised because they look and act a little scary. They're actually a really nice person, though, and the story is basically about them gaining friends and becoming more integrated.

To be frank, I'm a bit of a sucker for that sort of story, so I'm probably biased, but I'm really enjoying it.