More From the Pile: Black Butler, Blue Exorcist, Nura and Bakuman

I finally made a dent in my “to read” pile. Things are looking a lot more reasonable now.  I ran into a computer glitch last week, and while it appears to be resolved for now, somehow I think the inevitable will happen soon and I’ll have to replace my computer. So while things are running this is what I plucked from the pile this week:

Black Butler Vol. 6: Thankfully it’s at the start of a new story arc and I was glad to have the story back on track. In this volume Ciel is sent to investigate the disappearance of several children. None of the children have come up dead so the focus turns to a circus that happens to be in town. Naturally Ciel and  his butler, Sebastian, must join the circus to investigate. They soon find out that they are not the only ones searching for answers as they meet up with the Grim Reaper. Readers find out a little more about the Reaper’s role as well a few hints of Sebastian’s devilish intentions.

Black Butler Vol. 6 by Yana Toboso is published by Yen Press, and the next volume is set to be released late October.

Blue Exorcist 3: The first part of this volume is the story about Father Fujimoto’s familiar demon cat named Kuro. Learning of Fujimoto’s death leads Kuro to turn wild. Rin and Yukio, armed with a special weapon left to Yukio by the Father, arrive to diffuse the situation. For the first time we see that Rin has the ability to hear and communicate with demons.

In the rest of this volume we learn a little more about Amaimon , the King of Earth, when he tests Rin’s abilities by stealing the Koma sword. There is some kind of plan between Amaimon and Mephisto Pheles but we don’t know if it is for good or evil. 

A new character, Shura Kirigakur, is introduced. She is a Knight and a senior exorcist first class who seems to be against wearing clothes. Shura had been working undercover at the school, keeping her eye on Rin, but revealed her presence after Amaimon’s attack on Rin.  She had been asked by Father Fugimoto to teach Rin how to use his Koma Sword in order to control his powers.

This series is still a lot of fun to follow although I’m not too fond of the new character. There is still enough intrigue to keep me interested.

Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato is published by Viz Media, and Volume 4 will be available early October.

Nura Rise of the Yokai Clan 4: The Nura lands are being invaded by yokai from Shikoku. Rikuo’s grandfather, the current Nura Overlord, has disappeared. In an effort maintain order within the clan and to deal with the invaders, Rikuo is forced to assume command. The trouble is that during the daytime Rikuo must assume human form and is therefore vulnerable. The Nura clan rally around him to keep him safe. Rikou’s school is been infiltrated by a powerful yokai, Inugami. Fearing for the safety of the other students at the school, Rikuo must find a way to defeat him even though he is still in his human form.

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but my favorite thing about this series is the artwork. The inking is done by brush, which gives a fluid look that I find refreshing.

Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi  is published by Vis Medai.  Volume 5 is to be released in October.

Bakuman₀ Volume 6:   Well, Mashiro and Takagi are finally where they want to be. They are serialized in Shonen Jump with “Detective Trap” and have just scored the opportunity to  have color pages run for Chapter 19, along with the release of the fist graphic novel. Just when they  are ready to enjoy their success, disaster strikes. Exhausted from overwork and poor eating, Mashiro’s bad habits catch up with him and he ends up in hospital suffering from malnourishment and a liver condition that requires surgery. Alarmed by this turn of events, the magazine’s editor in chief, Sasaki, wants to put Detective Trap on hiatus until the boys graduate High School. Unhappy with the editor’s decision, Mashiro and Takagi do everything in their power to convince him otherwise. 

I found this volume a little difficult to accept because of the decision to keep working despite illness. The urgency with which to boys continue seems a bit over the top. Where are the boy’s parents? I find it difficult to think that they would let the boys, who are only 15-16 years old, make decisions that lead to them working themselves to death.

Credibility aside, there is still and infectious quality to this story. The way all the mangaka band together to convince the editor to let the series continue is energizing. I enjoyed the part where Mashiro insists on coloring in the hospital with a pile of Copic markers, which are my current obsession.

Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba andTakeshi Obata is published by Viz Media . Volume 7 comes out in October.

There is still more on my pile, and I am happily working my way through it. How big is your too read pile? What titles do have waiting to be read?

Plucked From The Pile: We Were There and Higurashi When They Cry

This summer I’ve been drowning under a giant pile of books to read. I’m not complaining, I like having lots to read. It is just that seem l to be going through a particularly large pile at the moment. I had put various things on hold at the library at different times, however they all seemed to arrive at the same time. This along to with a bunch of new realises out this month (and last) has given me quite an impressive stack. The reading part is easy, finding the time to review is more difficult.

I’m continuing my foray into Shojo Manga with We Were There by Yuki Obata Vols. 1&2.  Having never been a romance/ soap-opera /drama kind of girl, I had long avoided books in this category, although looking at my blog reviews one wouldn’t have that impression!! In general the books in the category delivered what I expected to find: sweet, a warm-hearted romance. It wasn’t until I read The Sand Chronicles, that I discovered that Shojo can be more than just teen romance. They can be interesting peeks into the thought processes of characters, allowing the audience to journey with them as they work through some heavy life issues. I am always fascinated with stories that explore the psychological aspects of the characters.

We Were There is a coming of age teen romance but it offers an interesting look into the struggle of dealing with the aftermath of a death.  The main character, Nanami Takahashi, develops a crush on the school heart throb Motoharu Yano. He exudes self confidence and posses a charisma that leads to his instant popularity. However Nanami often encounters a contemplative, isolated and tired Yano. It isn’t until she learns that his girlfriend had died in a car accident during the summer that she is able to understand his confusing behaviour. 

I liked the way this story unfolds. We learn about what is plaguing Yano the same time as the protagonist Nanami finds out. We start to see just how wounded Yano is and how he puts on a brave public face to hide his true state of mind betrayed only by his inability to sleep at night which causes him to fall asleep in school.   

The first two volumes set up the relationship between Nanami and Yano and the series I assume, continues from there. There are fourteen volumes in the series; Volume 13 is set to be realised by Viz Media in October.

We Were There by Yuki Obata is published by Viz Media under Shojo Beat.

Also in my reading pile was Higurashi When They Cry: Eye Opening Arc Vol. 1 & 2. This is what I’d call a thriller manga. A short while back I remembered seeing the promo for this on the Yen Press home page. So when I came across it at the library, I decided to give it a try. It was a bit confusing at first because there seemed to be many different “arcs” within the series. I managed to match a couple or arcs and went from there. It wasn’t until later when I figured out that this series is based on a video game and the arcs represent different aspect of the game. Overall the story focuses on a young group of friends and the strange events that occur in a small town.

In the Eye Opening Arc we have twin sisters Shion and Mion Sonozaki. One sister, Mion, is set to become the next family head of what appears to be a mafia-like organization. The other, Shion, who should have been destroyed at birth as was the tradition, was instead hidden away at a boarding school. Unhappy with Academy life, Shion breaks out of school and returns to her home town of Okinomiya where she, with her sister’s knowledge, hides by impersonating her twin. All goes smoothly until Shion gets involved with a boy named Satoshi Hojo. He is a tragic figure whose parents were victims of the so called Oyashiro-sama’s Curse. For three years in a row, in the town nearby village of Hinamizawa, at celebration called the Night of the Cotton Drifting, a murder occurs and it has become known as the curse. Now orphaned, Satoshi and his younger sister have been forced to live with an abusive aunt. Satoshi tries his best to protect his sister. Shion, under the guise of Mion, develops feelings for Satoshi. His home life becomes increasingly dire as the Cotton Drifting approaches. When the celebration is over, it’s discovered that the Oyashiro-sama Curse has struck again. This time the victim is Satoshi’s aunt.

 In Volume 2 we find out that Satoshi is being suspected in his aunt’s death.  In an act of desperation, Shion blows her cover in order to give him an alibi. Now that her family knows that she is back in town Shion is punished, and is forced by her sister to inflict torture on herself by her sister as restitution. Despite her sacrifice, Satoshi disappears. She suspects that he has been erased but doesn’t know if that means he’s alive or dead. From there Shion descends into darkness as she tries desperately to figure out what happened to Satoshi.

Higurashi When They Cry was an interesting change of pace. This story is part mystery, thriller and dark romance that is peppered with violence and unpleasant characters and situations. Now that I know that the story has origins in a video game, it explains why the story seems to have many layers. Although I’m not in love with this series, I am curious to know how this arc ends. There are four volumes in the Eye Opening Arc, the last of which is being released later this month.

Higurashi When They Cry: Eye Opening Arc story by Ryukishio7, Art by Yutori Houjyou, published by Yen Press. 


So how big is your to read pile?