The Wallflower: Volume 29

by Tomoyo Hayakawa, 154

First, Sunako is forced to go on a no-chocolate diet, with predictably unpredictable and disastrous results.  Next, Kyohei throws the world off-balance when he lets a little responsibility go to his head.  Then frugal Sunako refuses to turn on the air conditioner at the height of summer--and gets a houseful of unrepentant nudists in retaliation.  And lastly, Sunako has a little Twilight Zone-ish experience with what appears to be Kyohei when he was just a little boy.

*pffft*  This volume is sadly shorter than normal, but the stupid humor is returning to its usual caliber of snorts and guffaws.  And Hayakawa even manages to stick in a semi-serious warm-fuzzy chapter, a feat which she seems as surprised and amused by as the reader.  :P

Blue Exorcist: Volume 8

by Kazue Kato, 183 pages

As Yukio faces off against a silver-tongued demon, his brother Rin battles to find the heart of an amorphous plague while simultaneously protecting his friend Suguro, who's desperately trying to keep the poisonous clouds from spreading.

Yukio!  So much for being the "normal" twin.  I'm happy to see him finally show a little of his birthright, but I hope he's self-aware enough to avoid the emotional pitfalls that threaten to carry him over to the dark side.  He'd better start by having a real heart-to-heart talk with his brother so neither of them loses his footing.  Once the whole deathly plague thing is taken care of, of course.  And Kuro had better be ok, too.  Kitty!

Yotsuba&!: Volume 12

by Kiyohiko Azuma, 222 pages

This time around, Yotsuba watches the local noodle shop owner make udon, eats too much pizza, plays with bubbles, gathers chestnuts, learns you should ask before taking someone's picture, and experiences depression over her injured teddy bear, Juralumin.

First off, this is one of my favorite Yotsuba&! covers--everybody's reading a book, even Juralumin!  As for the stories, they are crazily cute and imaginative, as usual.  Yanda brings the hilarious with him every time, and the bubbles are no exception--but just everyone scrambling to hide (badly) when they hear him coming, and his reaction, makes me cackle out loud.  Later, when Yots is all worried about her bear and doesn't respond to Yanda's taunts, he can't leave her alone till he gets a reaction--and, oh, that face!  Brilliant Azuma has got to have a kid, or do an awful lot of observing of them.  Yotsuba may talk a little above her years sometimes, but her energy and imagination and entertainingly influence-able thought processes feel pretty true to life with a dose of artistic exaggeration.  It helps, of course, that she's surrounded by sometimes immature adults who egg her (and each other) on.  I want the next volume already, as Koiwai and Jumbo are planning a camping trip.  Yots and company in the woods with tents and bugs and campfires?  Yay!  Bring it!

Yotsuba&!: Volume 11

by Kiyohiko Azuma, 224 pages

Among many other silly, adorable, everyday things, in this volume five-year-old Yotsuba learns how to make pancakes, wanders around the electronics store with a neighbor while her dad shops for a camera, and is taught a very effective lesson about lying--namely, don't do it.

Bah ha ha ha!  Koiwai, Yotsuba's dad, is both an awesome parent and kinda scary in his own wonderfully twisted little way.  His infinite patience with the pancake experiments is admirable, but that calmly imparted lesson about lying....  O_o  Hee!  I guess if it works, it works, no?  Also, he's got some unique friends wandering in and out of his house, using his kitchen and spontaneously sparring with / babysitting his handful-of-a-daughter so he can get some translation work done without her distracting him by playing at his feet under the desk.  Yotsuba's abrupt change to battle-ready-face every time she hears moocher Yanda's greeting as he lets himself in is priceless.  And appropriately-named Jumbo's just her human playground.  :P

Durarara!!: Volume 2

by Ryohgo Narita (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (character design), and Akiyo Satorigi (art), 175 pages

Celty dwells on her missing piece and Ryuugamine gets an unwelcome visit from some representatives of shady Yagiri Pharmaceuticals.

There aren't many passive characters in this series, though some do prefer to observe more than others.  But underneath, they're all acting on their own inclinations, following their intuition, and shaping their own stories.  It's just that they're all bound together by the interconnectedness of their crazy neighborhood, and so bound to influence one another.  Nothing's ever static in Ikebukuro, which is one reason Ryuugamine's so drawn to it in the first place (and why the reader doesn't mind hanging out on the corner to see what happens next).

Flower of Life: Volume 4

by Fumi Yoshinaga, 207 pages

Hanazono and Mikuni make their first attempt at trying to become professional manga-ka, Hanazono's shut-in older sister attempts to re-enter society, and relationships shift and grow as secrets are revealed, bonds are tested, and life moves forward.

A little something that's been niggling at the back of the reader's mind since volume one comes to the forefront with an emotional punch as the title's relevance becomes clear.  Fear and laughter, uncertainty and hope; life offers no guarantees, and family, friendship, and love are complicated--but that just makes them matter all the more.  Yoshinaga's a bit of a genius when it comes to the human condition, really.  She shows its weaknesses and dangers, but with an empathy and optimistic strength that make it feel worth fighting for.  The future may be scary and unknown, but her characters bravely face it, buoyed by each other and by their own inner strength.

Flower of Life: Volume 3

Fumi Yoshinaga, 190 pages

Shopping with friends (or better, without, and meeting up afterwards), creating manga together without breaking the friendship, planning a class Christmas party without letting each other down: the kiddos experience many new things and learn important lessons about consideration for others and responsibility and being honest about their feelings.  The usual silliness, a few surprises, and a shocker or two fill things out along the way.

No one will ever be able to accuse Yoshinaga of playing it safe and predictable, that's for sure.  My goodness.  I love how she knits together all these little plots and plans with one another and with telling snippets and moments that add depth and seriousness and character development.  You laugh hysterically one minute and then your eyes pop out of your head the next and then you want to scoop everybody up for a comforting hug the next after that.

The Wallflower: Volume 28

by Tomoko Hayakawa, 156 pages

The local market is in danger of closing down due to competition from a shiny new grocery store, Kyôhei suffers the attentions of a pitiful young man who says he reminds him of the girl who stole his heart, and a what-if? chapter relates the exploits of an Edo-era thief helping the downtrodden in a silly period piece cast with the series's characters.

This is not one of my favorite volumes of this series, sadly.  The first story is too similar to plots that have come before and the last one is just too silly and random (and that's saying something for a series founded on silliness and randomness).  I must admit, though, that the middle story with put-upon Kyôhei as romantic proxy made me snicker.  If only the rest of the volume had done the same.  Hopefully, things will return to fun form in the next one.

Flower of Life: Volume 2

by Fumi Yoshinaga, 174 pages

Hanazono's class gets caught up in quiet, unassuming fellow schoolmate Sumiko Takeda's homemade shojo manga just as the school's preparing for exams and then the annual cultural festival.  As Hanazono and Mikuni take on the challenge of writing their own comic for the manga club's contribution to the festivities, Majima's unquenchable opportunistic nature sees potential self-profit in the romance-filled pages circulating around school.  Class D's competitive spirit kicks in!

This is probably the most fun, unpredictable school cultural festival story I've come across (school festivals are a very common story frame in manga--and I've read a lot of manga!).  I won't spoil you, but I laughed out loud multiple times, was a little gob-smacked, and had my heart strings tugged on.  I might have to buy these...after all, it's only a four-volume series....

*worries her greedy OCD completionist tendencies will get the better of her budgetary common sense*  :-P

Durarara!!: Volume 2

by Ryohgo Narita (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (character design), and Akiyo Satorigi (art), 174 pages

We meet even more people Mikado is told he should know about / avoid / not tick off in any way.  And of course he bumps into them right away and gets sucked into their business.

For more information on Mikado's adventures in his crazy new neighborhood, please check out my full review of the first two volumes on NoFlyingNoTights.com!

Durarara!!: Volume 1

by Ryohgo Narita (story), Suzuhito Yasuda (character design), and Akiyo Satorigi (art), 172 pages

Tired of his quiet life in his hometown, excitement-starved Mikado Ryuugamine doesn't hesitate to follow a childhood friend's suggestion that he transfer to the latter's high school in the Ikebukuro district of Tokyo.  But once happily reconnected with his friend and joining the neighborhood's perpetual hubbub, he worries the longed-for adventure may be a little more dangerous than he expected.

You'll want to be awake before you crack this series open, as information and names and faces come at you fast and not always in order.  Adapted from an illustrated light novel series, Durarara!! has a little of everything: action, adventure, mystery, romance, horror, comedy, fantasy.  (There's also an excellent anime adaptation of the original books.)  The art is a nice fit and the story is intriguing.  I doubt the real Ikebukuro is quite this exciting, but that's the fun of fiction, no?

Flower of Life: Volume 1

by Fumi Yoshinaga, 174 pages

Sixteen-year-old Harutaro Hanazono is a year older than, and a year behind, his classmates when he joins them a month after school starts.  He's a little nervous, but a smile from another boy in the front row encourages him to introduce himself and get the inevitable explanations for his late start out of the way by cheerfully announcing that he was in the hospital being treated for leukemia, but that he "got better!" following a bone marrow transplant and is looking forward to becoming friends with everyone.  As the other students--some of whom had moments before been snickering and cracking harmless jokes--sit in stunned silence, their homeroom teacher lazily intones that they'd all better be really nice to the new boy or they're going to look really evil.  As a group, they swear they will be nice!  Hanazono quickly makes friends with kind Shota Mikuni, who smiled so nicely earlier, and, by proxy, makes the acquaintance of Mikuni's friend, the uber-serious, adult-looking, talk-your-head-off otaku, Kai Majima.  Despite a rocky start with awkward, prickly Majima, Hanazono soon feels at home and does his best to learn from and enjoy the high school experience.

This is so good!  It's hilarious and warm-fuzzy-generating and thoughtful.  Hanazono's exuberance and honesty are part of his nature, but they're also clearly influenced by his illness, which has left him unable to have children.  His goofy family (consisting of his older, bone-marrow-donating sister and his professional chicken-sexer [seriously! it's a real job!] parents) holds him a little closer, too, having nearly lost him.  Watching their dynamic, and sitting in on their talks with Mikuni when he comes over, you can see the love and feel your eyes start to tear up even as you're encouraged to giggle at them.  It's lovely.  Adorable Mikuni, with his insecurities regarding his weight and his past failings as a friend, is treated with as much care and affection.  Even Majima, annoying as he can be, isn't entirely unsympathetic, thanks to his amusing idiosyncrasies and Mikuni's support.  This is as much a picture of the class and their teachers as it is of Hanazono, so we get insight into the hearts and minds and lives of many others.  Much of it is excellently played for laughs, but there's enough true-to-life complexity mixed in with the silly extremes to make you think some deep thoughts as you read and grow to care about the lot of them, imperfect and human as they are.  This is one of those series that makes you look around and appreciate the little things and the caring people in your life.

Cowboy Ninja Viking: Volume 1

by A. J. Lieberman (story), Riley Rossmo (art, tones), and Clayton Cowles (lettering); Dave Casey (cover design), Jim Valentino (book design), 154 pages

An unstable man with multiple personality disorder is drawn back into the defunct secret government program that turned his affliction into an asset in the War on Terror in this high-energy, humor-driven action series.

For more details, please see my full review on NoFlyingNoTights.com!

Dengeki Daisy: Volume 10

by Kyousuke Motomi, 190 pages

Teru's friend Rena has resigned herself to her upcoming arranged marriage to a powerful young businessman, but when Teru accidentally runs into and is attacked by Akira at the hotel where she was supposed to be lunching with the happy couple, Rena worries that her fiancé's suspicious behavior may be linked to Akira and the others seeking to force Kurosaki's hand.

Yay, Teru's friends (and former harassers) at school look to be getting some page time!  Although we don't see nearly enough of them, the teen side characters of this series are one of its selling points, as they regularly surprise the reader by not filling the roles their "types" normally do.  I appreciate that Motomi makes the effort to slip in a little unpredictability in the character development of even minor members of the supporting cast.

Dengeki Daisy: Volume 9

by Kyousuke Motomi, 192 pages

Teru desperately wants to find Kurosaki, but he's too guilt-ridden to come back.  She does know one way to convince him to come running, but will she really throw herself to the wolves just to see him again?

Ha ha ha.  Teru's always been a little foolhardy, but she's not stupid.  I like that she can be pragmatic and unconcerned about pride (hers or Kurosaki's) when the result is a healthy smack upside the head and a return to togetherness.  Romantic melodrama is not in short supply in this series (especially that loooong stretch in the middle before everybody admitted they knew what they knew), but that's easily dispensed with in favor of more satisfying progress now that everything's out in the open and everyone's on the same page.

Skip Beat: Volume 27

by Yoshiki Nakamura, 199 pages

Ren and Kyoko spend their first day as the black-clad, multi-pierced Heel siblings and are organically working out the details as they come up, but when some delinquent guys trying to pick up "Setsu" don't take the opportunity to back off, Ren and Kyoko find their adopted personas more difficult to maintain.

Ooh, we get to see a brief flash of old-school Ren surface from beneath both his role as "Cain" and his seemingly usual self.  And dude, is he a little scary.  Even Kyoko's not sure if he was in or out of character at the time.  I want to know more about Ren's dark days back in the States, before he remade himself and became an accomplished actor.  We've only gotten hints so far, and not too many of those, so it's exciting to get a more concrete chunk, even if it's still small.  This volume ends on a slightly ominous note, so I'm impatient for the next one.  I love these!

Blue Exorcist: Volume 7

by Kazue Kato, 187 pages

Rin's temper flare-up gets him the worst possible response from the Vatican...an execution order.  But is Mephisto, the bearer of the bad news, actually telling Shura and the kids to break Rin out?  If they're going to help Suguro's dad and stop a deadly epidemic, they'll have to do it fast.

Woo hoo, sneaky Mephisto.  And we get to see Father Fujimoto's heart get a little nudge in the right direction in the previous volume's continued flashback.  Bonds are strengthened and desperate measures taken as the younger generation pools its resources and prepares to fight evil.  (That's what I like to see!)  But now I'm worried for Rin's level-headed brother Yukio....

Blue Exorcist: Volume 6

by Kazue Kato, 201 pages

Because he'd like to stay alive, Rin's on his best behavior as his classmates and fellow exorcists try to sniff out a rat in their midst before it's too late.  Some of his friends are even starting to talk to him again, but when an angry Suguro yells at his father, Rin's memories of his own hurtful last words to his adoptive parent Father Fujimoto snap his control over his temper.  His fiery remonstration of Suguro might do the other boy some good, but it also sets off alarms back at the zero-tolerance Vatican...

Flashbacks via a letter from Suguro's father to Rin begin to give us a little background on the old man's true motives and his fateful encounter with Father Fujimoto.  And it's nice to see the family environment the other boys grew up in, as it adds a little more depth to their characters and the setting.  Ah, siblings.  So much fun (to annoy).

Blue Exorcist: Volume 5

by Kazue Kato, 195 pages

When a dangerous artifact is stolen by a traitor in the ranks, the exorcists travel to the location of the artifact's equally dangerous partner, which happens to be under the protection of the home temple of Rin's classmate Suguro.  Tensions among the students are already high, as the others appear to have shut Rin out, but he does his best to be useful now that his secret's out and hopes they'll eventually accept him.  Clan conflicts within the temple family don't help matters, nor does the fact that Suguro's extra tense due to his rocky relationship with his aging father (whom he sees as irresponsible for having given up leadership of the temple years ago).

This series has definitely improved its pacing and transitions since the first volume.  It's also starting to diverge from the anime, which appears to have split off with its own ending after its schedule surpassed the available book volumes.  And that's fine with me, as I'm enjoying having no preconceived notions of what's coming next.

Ouran High School Host Club: Volume 18

by Bisco Hatori, 224 pages

Tamaki and Haruhi have finally confessed their love to each other, but they have yet to actually go on a date.  Haruhi's got something important to tell Tamaki, but he's been so busy lately, she's barely seen him outside of the host club.  Tamaki being obsessive Tamaki, though, there's a perfectly logical reason: he's majorly stressing over planning the perfect first date.  When they realize his problem, his dependable friends in the host club come to his rescue and promise to help him make it a most special and happy occasion (which naturally will involve a lot of covering for wacky Tamaki's wrong turns and excesses).

*waaaaaaaaaaaaaah*  This is the last volume!  I'm sad to leave these ridiculous kids, they make me laugh so.  But I will enjoy thinking of them as "adults" who've stuck together and gotten older and wiser and no less ridiculous.  And since Hatori kindly gives us little panels throughout with her scribbled thoughts on their futures as well as two little side stories of the months ahead, I've got plenty of fuel for imagined future shenanigans.  If they caused this much trouble as privileged teens with their own host club, think of the impact they're going to have on the world once they've got fulltime jobs with influence and have come into their trust funds....  :P  *squee*