Tea?

Lots of good stuff came out this week, need time to read it all. Finishing up some old series and starting more new ones. Seems like I start three times as many as I finish. Oh well.

After School Nightmare volume 4

Angel Sanctuary volume 19 & 20 (Final Volume)

Battle Vixens volume 12

Hana-Kimi volume 17 & 18

King of Thorn volume 1

Missing "Kamikakushi no Monogatari" volume 1

Rose Hip Zero volume 3

St. Lunatic High School volume 1

The Devil Does Exist volume 9

The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross volume 2

The Last Uniform volume 1

Yotsuba&! volume 4

Yubisaki Milk Tea volume 5

making up for lost time

I think this is the third update in the last week. Lots of good stuff coming out recently. I received a package in the mail, Yeah the books I bought up in DC are finally on the shelf along with some extras (GTO 1-3 and Fushigi Yugi 1-6) Thanks Dale.

GTO volumes 1-3 (A gift from a friend)
Hayate the Combat Butler volume 4
Hellsing volume 8
Magical x Miracle volume 5
Someday's Dreamers Spellbound volume 3
Trinity Blood volume 3

A book you will never see but should

I just finished reading chapter 28 of Kodomo no Jikan. It's a well written story about a girl trying to cope with every day life in grade school. A lot of the topics addressed in the series might seem to be a little too adult but the truth is that children these days are maturing at an accelerated rate. The main cause of this is their unrestricted access to pop culture, the infinite sea of information available to them, and media saturation by commercial broadcasting. The other main problem is a lack of parental guidance; not parental restriction mind you, that's even worse. It's akin to not teaching a child about wildlife and then wondering with disbelief why the child stuck their arm in a lion's mouth and got it bitten off. Ignorance is bliss, but it is also death in disguise. This series is a in depth look at what children are faced with today, It is a shame that Seven Seas pulled the publication of this book after buying the rights to it. I think there are a lot of people that really need to read it, unfortunately they are the ones who would see it not hit the shelves of book stores. My advice, find a copy on line and read it. Go past the superficial and read between the lines to what the author (which happens to be a woman) is trying to show. A big thanks to SaHa for translating this to English so the rest of us can learn from this story. 30 chapters have been published so far, 1-28 and 2 preleminary chapters.

beauty is only skin deep

I am currently reading Pretty Face. When I first looked at the back of the book to read the premise for the series, I thought "oh another take on Kashimashi" but not quite. this gender bender is only superficial and there are a lot more complex issues going on under the cover of this book than you might guess. it's definitely worth your time.

Speaking of Kashimashi, volume 3 is out and looks to be just as hilarious as its predecessors.

Kamiyadori..... This series by the same author that wrote Testarotho is a serious critique of the dangers of modern democratic bureaucracy and the struggle of mid and lower level employees in that system to fight the inherent corruption of the system and the unfathomable pet projects of the upper echelons. All the while trying not to get killed by the enemies that wish to overthrow the government and by other factions in your own government with there own agendas. This series is a lot more true to life than most people would care to believe.

You thought your in-laws and relatives were bad, you might reconsider after reading the fourth volume of Chibi Vampire. Karen's grandmother is back from the basement. Gee, how did all those boulders get piled up on your coffin. The story of the family's move to Japan is finally explained along with the fate of all of karen's relatives.


Blame! volume 9
Chibi Vampire volume 5
Fruits Basket volume 17
Kamiyadori volume 3
Kashimashi volume 3
Pretty Face volume 1

Oops!

It's been a few weeks since the last update. I haven't stopped buying manga, I just have not had the time to update. Things like a couple's shower in DC and buying a house, things like that.
that brings me to the reason behind the title to the entry. I went to a Borders up in DC while we were up there and bought a few new books. I then proceeded to accidentally leave them at the people's house we were staying at. OOPS! So, I am going to have to wait till they ship them to me before I can add them to the list. I had been waiting a long time to read Hellsing 8 so I guess I can wait a while longer.

There are a lot of really good books in this latest set. Topping the list is xxxHOLiC 9. Its new years and this volume is all about dreams and how dreams can come true. This can be a good thing and as Watanuki finds out, it can also be a bad thing.

I had to return a couple of series a while back because the publication sucked, but luckily the Japanese retold the story in there own fashion and they did it right. I'm talking about Witchblade Takeru. The artwork is beautiful. Takeru is absolutely dripping with sensuality when possessed by the whichblade. It just sends tingles up your spine. And thank God, they cut out all the excessive internal angst and dialog that choked the life out of the flow of the story.

Also out is another of my faves by Clamp, Tsubasa 14. I already have the second season of the anime, so this is looking to be a long one.

Absolute Boyfriend volume 04
Air Gear volume 05
Aoi House in Love! volume 01 (Why not volume 3?)
Blood Sucker volume 01 (very cool, on the bloody side.)
D.Gray-Man volume 06
Disgaea 2 volume 02 "Cursed Memories"
Hollow Fields volume 01 (cute and dark at he same time)
Iono-sama Fanatics volume 01
Le Chevalier d'Eon volume 01
Tsubasa volume 14
Venus Versus Virus volume 01
Witchblade Takeru volume 01
xxxHolic volume 09