The O-Talk Podcast

I love manga but is does not seem like it. The thing is, I have been neglecting that hobby lately. I forget when a new volume of a manga series I'm reading comes out. Even sometimes, I hold it off to buy it another time. As of right now, I have started to buy all of the missing volumes in my collection. At the same time, I also want to start buying all of the manga in my wishlist. I wanted to share my list to everyone because I looks pretty good.

Hajimemashite! It's Silver-chan! This review is for 'Hanako and the Terror of Allegory'. (Disclaimer: These are my views, *squish*, and I‘m sure everyone's views are different.)

Hajimemashite! It's Silver-chan! This review is for, Crimson-Shell.
(Disclaimer: These are my views, only my views, and I'm sure everyone's views are different.)

Crimson-Shell by Mochizuki Jun one Volume only.



Claudia is the Rose Witch, the foundation of which the Crimson-Shell stands, a special division of the Red Rose. The goal of the Red Rose is to capture the Black Roses, results of experiments gone wrong created by a mad scientist. When infected with the seed of the “Premier Rose,” poison from the Black Roses, humans turn into insane killing machines. When it appears that Claudia’s friend, comrade, and protector, Xeno, has betrayed the organization, will she be able to prove that her friend isn’t a traitor, and what blooms in his heart isn't jet-black?



I would rate this manga a 2 out of 5. This manga had good things and bad things. The good- The art was pretty. The writing was solid; it makes you care about Claudia, you want her to succeed. It's a great blend of mystery, action, and fantasy with plenty of twists to keep most interested and has a shocking enough ending go a long way to make this a descent story. The bad- Crimson-Shell isn’t a bad manga, just rather overfilled random plot twists and not enough pages to answer your questions. This single volume has a ton of potential that just never develops. Key plot points seemed to have come from nowhere, the pace and story-telling are both rather inconsistent. Despite its flaws, I am looking forward to checking out the artist’s longer series, Pandora Hearts. I think that if Crimson-Shell had been given another volume or two it would have been even better. Or make it a prequel. Hey it could happen, ne?

I made it through May, did you? Ja ne’

Hajimemashite! It's Silver-chan! This time I’m reviewing, Blank Slate.
(Disclaimer: These are my views, huggles, and only my views.)


Blank Slate by Kanno Aya Vol 1


What would you do if you couldn’t remember your own past? A)Find out who you are? B)Start over as someone new (hey you might have horrible debts, you never know). C)Go on random killing sprees while doing whatever seems interesting. Well our Zen, of Blank Slate, chooses C. Zen's memory has been wiped, he doesn’t know if he was a good guy or bad, and a lot of people will do anything they can to keep it that way. So he has decided that he no longer cares; is consumed with desire to be destructive, to kill, commit atrocities and whatever else he feels like doing. Zen's charm and good looks attract people, like moths to a flame. Most, to their regret.



I would rate this manga a 2 out of 5. This manga had good points and bad points. The good- Zen is hot! (I’m shallow). Shojo Beat actually has a intense, suspenseful, violent action manga. There is good (fun for me) chemistry between the characters. The bad- The storytelling seemed rather detached. The action scenes at times seemed wooden and kinda boring. Zen needed to show some emotion. Like rage, crankiness, or something so he didn’t seem like a robot. (a Hot robot) I think that she tried but it didn’t work for me as a nice violent, evil, action manga. Now some of you might like it. But I would suggest taking a look at it first. Not doing what I did, just looking at the hot guy on the cover and then buying it.


I hope to everyone has had a good April! Ja ne’

Hajimemashite! It's Silver-chan! This time I’m reviewing, Natsume's Book of Friends. (Disclaimer: These are my views, yep, yep, and only mine.)


Natsume's Book of Friends by Yuki Midoikawa Vol 1

This manga is about Takashi Natsume. Takashi is a loner, moves from place to place within his family and has no friends. He's always been viewed as something of an odd attention seeking child, and this is mostly attributed to his random freak-outs and spastic reactions. Little do people realize that Takashi has a unique ability, a power to see spirits and demons known as Yokai. To say that Takashi has looked upon this power unfavorably would be an understatement. He soon discovers though that it's an ability that, with the proper application, has its uses.


Now I could go on and give way to much away of the story line, so I’ll stop there. Now I rate these volume of manga, a 4 out of 5. It was unusual volume though, it had chapters, but they were done as the mangaka says “Wrote each episode with the assumption that it could be the last.” So its almost a collection of one-shots with continuing main characters. Although the way the chapters are done with that thought in mind, the art is quite detailed, doesn’t feel lacking and I believe it gets better with each chapter. Its different, original (I believe though I could be wrong), and contains a nice balance between humor and drama. I'm really looking forward to the second volume, and have already preordered it.

Well, that’s all for this review, until we meet again, huggles. Ja ne’

Hajimemashite, it's Silver-chan! Time to be reviewing, Beast Master. (Disclaimer: These are my views, which Otaku Dan may or may not share. But he should!)


Beast Master Vol 1 & 2

This manga’s main story is about a normal if overzealous animal-loving girl, Yuiko Kubozuka and a not so normal looking boy, Leo Aoi. Leo Aoi looks scary with his wild eyes and glare. So no one at his new high school will go near him! There are even all sorts of rumors that he beat a bunch of thugs almost to death! Or that he lived in a dangerous place like L.A.! But Yuiko isn’t so sure he’s that dangerous. She has seen Leo’s special connection with animals. But he does have a few secrets. When ever Leo sees blood he goes berserk. Will Yuiko be able to help him during these violent moments? Or will Leo's ferocious side turn on her?


Now I rate these volumes of manga a 4 out of 5. The main story was rather good in both volumes. The art is lovely, even when showing some strange emotions, but then it was funny. All questions you have are answered, which is always nice.

I didn't like the bonus story in the first vol. I give it a 2. Even the mangaka says she wrote it some time ago. It would have been better to have an extra chapter for the main story. Now the bonus story in vol. 2 was better. I give it a 4. It was amusing, though now I know more about cactus than I think I need to.

All in all, I think both volumes are well worth what I paid for them. I will read them again and maybe let my friends borrow them. Nah, they can buy them. You should always support the mangaka. Also, I think I will see about other manga that she has written. She has a nice style, flows and they were funny.

Well, this is what I think and feel, and it's up to you if you want to read it. Ja ne'

I can't believe I'm doing this. This manga series is the embarrassment of my collection. Battle Club was written and drawn by Yuji Shiozaki, the mind behind Ikki Tousen(also known as Battle Vixens). I remember reading the first couple of chapter at a bookstore and I liked. When I attended Metrocon, I bought the entire series for $5 a volume. When I finished reading it, I felt ripped off.

The story is about the high school freshmen, Mokichi Saitou who failed at making his badass debut and was totally humiliated. He later decides to join the school's Wrestling team to be come stronger. At this point I'm liking the story because it's about seeing the underdog growing stronger and the reader feeling for him. The main focus on Mokichi ends by chapter 6 of the first volume. The new main character is Tamako Kaneda, a fellow member of the wrestling team who is ditz and has a natural talent for wrestling. I was scratching my head wondering why the focus was changed. Then I saw the reason why it happened, well two big, round, and bouncing reasons.

The one thing I don't like about this manga, since was short, the ending was rushed. There was this great premise that Mokichi and Tamako joined an underground fight club. so much could have been done like for example seeing both characters move up the ranking in the organization. However, what we get is that the leader of the organization puts a hit on the members of the wrestling club. Then it's over. The sad thing about this, since the manga was short, so Shiozaki created six more chapter just to fill up rest of the final volume.

It had some much potential but it became a pile of crap in the end. You must be wondering why I did not say a thing about the fan service. I was already expecting it since it was created by Shiozaki. The only reason would ever recommend this title is for the boobs but any other series with fan service does it better. Don't waste your money on this manga.

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WOW, let me just start out that, this post is not safe for work. Now that I pointed that out, lets start the review. The other day, while scanning through Yen press manga library, I randomly picked the next manga series I was going to read. Sundome was the winner.

The story is about a 15 year-old high school student Hideo Aiba. He's part the Roman club, which happens to be a paranormal club with a twist, the members vowed to stay virgins until they are out of high school. One day, a mysterious girl transfer to his school and to his luck, he sits next to her in class. Hideo tries to get out of the Roman club to have a chance with this girl but he is forced to become the clubs new president. It sounds bad doesn't it, but the new girl, Kurumi Sahana decides to join the club. This is where the stereotypical high school comedy end.

When Hideo is alone with Kurumi, she asks him to masturbate in front of her with a nail inside his penis(this was one of the most painful thing I had to write in my life). He does it, she laughs and tell him that he will never have sex with her. Their relationship starts out as a master(Kurumi) and slave(Hideo). However, it evolves into a mutual relationship.

This manga has a lot of sexual scenes that either involve Hidoe being teased or Kurumi being pleased. Now the things they do to each other at times, will shock you at times and it will make you wonder what is going on in their minds. The interesting thing that keeps me coming back to this manga is trying to figure out Kurumi's past. Kurumi does not share her past with anyone and seeing Hidoe finding out, makes you understand why she acts that way.

I would like to give this manga a score but I can't, the series is not over yet in Japan. There are some rumors that it will end in November but I don't trust rumors. There is two types of people who I would recommend this manga to are perverts and people who are into figuring a characters psychology.
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Lately, I have been seeing a lot of bloggers showing off their cute HoiHoi-San model kits. I'm interested in the model kit and I'm planning to buy one in the future. However, that goes against my personal policy of not buying figure and/or model kits that I don't know where the character originates from. After some intense research(2 minutes on Wikipedia), I learned that HoiHoi-San comes from a one volume manga with over 60 chapters(don't worry, the chapters are about 1 to 2 pages long).

The plot of HoiHoi-San is that in the year 20XX all of the insects in Earth have become immune to poison. In order to combat these evolved insects, small extermination androids were created. The HoiHoi-San androids are insect killing machines. They use miniature guns, swords, laser beams, and mech suits to get the job done.

The story follows Aburatsubo-Kun, a lonely otaku who his only companion is his HoiHoi-San, and Kimiko Dewa, a young woman who works at a pharmacy and has a phobia of HoiHoi-Sans. Most of the comedy comes from the interaction of Aburatsubo-Kun and Kimiko with the HoiHoi-San. Around the end of the manga it tries to have some romance, but it fails in the end.


There is also a HoiHoi-San video game for the PlayStation 2. It's a third person shooter with mission to kill insects. At the end of the mission, you get money to buy new weapons and outfits for your HoiHoi-San. After learning so much on HoiHoi-San, I really want to get a model kit. However, I'm going to wait and see if any other designs come out. I really want to see PEST-X-San being released. So, are you going to get a HoiHoi-San in the future and what do you think of them?

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What if Frankenstein's monster was a cute teenage girl but with the surgical abilities of Dr. Black Jack? Well, you get Franken Fran. Franken Fran is a comedy horror manga by Katsuhisa Kigitsu. When I started reading this manga, I thought it was going to be silly in a way. However, it got me by surprise because of the tons of blood and gore.

Fran's way of thinking is interesting. If the brain works, then she can do the surgery. There are multiple times that she brings people back to life whose bodies are in no way shape or form usable, but she will find a way. Even though she does grotesque surgeries, human experiments, cloning, and other questionable acts that no doctor should ever do, she is quite a nice girl.

The comedy itself is pretty funny. Most of the funny dialog happens between Fran and her friend, Okita(he has the head of a man but the body of a cat). I find it hilarious when Okita makes fun of Fran and in the end, she makes him look stupid.


The main reason why I like this manga is that it makes the reader question his/he own morals and values. Some of the surgeries that Fran does makes one wonder what goes through her mind. Are her actions nothing but a sick and twisted game or is she naive? So, I strongly recommend this manga to those who like this sort of stuff.

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I originally was going to only review Detroit Metal City, but I decided to throw in Lucky Star. Both of these manga series are comedies, have successful anime series, and have a big fan base. But lets see which one comes on top.

Lucky Star Review:
Either you love it or you hate it. Ok, I can't make a review that is 8 words long. We all know that the manga came out before the anime, but I personally prefer the anime. The delivery of some of the jokes do come up stale if you have already seen the anime. I know that it's a 4 panel manga and the jokes are supposed to be quick, but still some are a hit or a miss. The character design is almost the same except for Konata. Konata's character is actually better in the manga because she looks much cuter. I know that this manga is not to be taken serious, it is meant to be for a quick read from time to time. I recommend this manga to those who are a fan of Lucky Star and want more from it.

Detroit Metal City:
First of all, I did not expect the DMC manga to be released in the United States anytime soon. When I heard that it was released, I thought that Dark Horse picked it up. However, I was surprised that Viz Media licensed it because of all the profanity, the crude humor, and the overuse of the word "rape"(it is repeated over 90 times in the first volume)this manga has. This has to be the funniest manga I have read in a long time. Hell, it is even funnier than the anime. I have met people who dislike the manga when I tell them the plot but as soon as they are done reading it, they love it. If you can get over the bad language, I recommend this manga. If you are still not convinced, it also brings some sweet temporary tattoos.

You all know that I'm big manga fan but there is one thing that rubs me the wrong way, censorship. We all know that manga in Japan is mostly uncensored which is cool but in the United States, it's a different story.

When is come to the United States, it is up to the companies to decide it they are going to edit stuff out. Viz media is well known for censoring nudity(Claymore), really extreme violence(Jojo's Bizarre Adventure) and any religious references(Full Metal Alchemist) from their manga. I know that Viz has a policy to censor their manga just so they can reach a wider audience and to meet the demands of some mega-stores like Wal-Mart. However, Viz did try releasing an uncensored version of Dragon ball but it was not successful.

Tokyo Pop and Dark Horse do release their manga uncensored but at a small price; they use a parental advisory logo on the front cover. I know that book don't have an actual age rating system so they adopted the P.A. logo from the music industry. I personally find it to be a double edge sword, the reason why is because it does inform the parents of what their children are reading but at the same time it's very annoying. Old Tokyo Pop and Dark Horse use P. A. sticker which can be removed but it may damage the cover. Newer Tokyo Pop makes the P. A. logo part of the cover artwork which bothers me.

I really hate that sticker.

The real reason why companies censor manga and use the P. A. logo is to cover their butts from being sued. In the U.S. people will sue for anything. I can imagine some angry mother suing a manga company because little Bobby saw some "disturbing" images in manga at the bookstore. So, what do you think about this topic?

I was recently looking for new Junji Ito manga to read. While doing that, I came across some Shintaro Kago manga. I have never read any of his manga before, I thought he was a horror manga artist but I was wrong. Shintaro Kago is really a guro manga artist and now I can't remove those images from my mind.

For the last couple of weeks I have been reading the manga Uzumaki(no relation to an orange jumpsuit wearing ninja) by Junji Ito. Junji Ito is horror mangaka, he is best known for the manga series Tomie which spawned 8 movies. This has to be one of the greatest horror manga I have read to date.

The story is about Kirie, a teenage girl living in the rural town of Kurozo-cho. For some reason, spirals are being naturally created like in vines and whirlpools. After a certain indecent that greatly affected Kirie's boyfriend, a lot of strange and creepy events started in Kurozo-cho. Madness is spreading like wildfire in this town from people turning into giant snails to pregnant women attacking hospital patients and consuming their blood for to please the wishes of their unborn children. The art style of this manga is very similar to Drifting Classroom even thou it was made in 1998. The horror elements of this manga is constantly changing from psychological to gore, keeping the reader on their feet.


After reading Uzumaki, my going read Junji Ito's other work like Gyo and Museum of Terror. I recommend this manga to anyone looking for a short but great Horror Manga series and should be part of anyone's collection.

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A while back, I left comment in Lovely Duckies' post on how one chooses an anime. I mentioned that I go in blindly when I pick a new anime to watch because I like to be exposed to everything. That comment that I made got me thinking and I notice that I'm the total opposite when it comes to manga.


When I pick a new manga to read, I do a lot of research on it. I first check if that manga is completed in Japan and how many volumes it has. Then I try to find out who is currently publishing it in the U.S. because some companies tend to be a little sloppy with the translations(not saying any names) and I have seen manga having been published by different companies and being re-issued.


I know that by me doing that research takes the fun out of discovering something new without prior knowledge but I do want to be disappointed at the end. I have bad experience in the past by going in blindly with manga on 3 separate occasions and I don't want it to happen again. Two out of the three manga I have bought without knowing anything about had a crappy plot and the other one was put on hiatus. I feel that picking up a manga that has gone on hiatus is a waste of money because won't know when the next volume will be released and you will end up forgetting about it. I have been meaning to pick up X/1999 but since I know that this manga has been on hiatus for many years, I have been thinking twice about it. The same goes with Berserk, I know that this manga has a great but I know that a new chapter is released maybe every 6 months.

Mr. Arashi's Amazing Freak Show is a manga created by Maruo Suehiro. Maruo Suehiro is known for pushing the boundaries on how twisted his work can get. I'm going to say this now, this manga is not for everybody because of the disturbing things that happen in this manga. MAAFS is a 1 volume manga with 8 chapters retelling an old Japanese story.


MAAFS is about a 12 year old girl called Midori who is taken in by a traveling freak show to work as a maid and her only payment is a roof over her head. The reason why Midori is doing this is because her dad left home one day and never returned and her mom died of an illness. So pretty much, Midori is trying to survive day by day the mental and physical abuse that is giving out by the freaks. She hopes that one day, that she can find happiness. I'm going to have to say that this has to be the most disturbing and twisted manga I have ever read in my life.

I was browsing around Amazon.com looking for a new manga series I should pick up next and this one manga called MPD-Psycho got my attention. Then I had an Epiphany, I have been only reading horror, slice of life, and action manga. I thought I had a diverse taste in manga but in reality I have been attracted to these manga series unconsciously. I have only read one shojo series which is Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angelic days but it is not much of a shojo title.

I really want to start reading some shojo manga but I don't know where to start. I search for a shojo title in my copy of Manga: The Complete Guide, but I don't know what to choose. There are some many titles that it is overwhelming for me.

You have been useless to me, this time!!!

Right now I'm asking my readers to recommend me a good shojo manga that I should pick up and also tell me your favorite shojo manga, I want to know. By the way, NO FRUITS BASKET.

Well, just like the title says, this post will be about what manga series I'm reading and why. First up is Claymore, I'm reading this right now because I have heard a lot of good this from it. This manga is like Berserk but instead of having a big guy wielding a big sword, it is a woman wielding a big sword and it does not have a epic storyline that is over 20 years old. This manga is great to read while you are waiting for the next volume of Berserk.


I'm also reading Hellsing. You can go wrong with a manga about a vampire who kills evil vampire nazis. It is only 10 volumes long but only 9 volumes have been released, hopefully the last volume will come out by the end of this year.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service is my second favorite manga(Genshiken is at first place). This manga is like Scooby Doo but with dead bodies, great crime mysteries, and there is no stupid talking dog.

It has been almost a year and half since the last volume of Yotsuba&! was released in the United States. This great manga is finally making its comeback.


It was announced at this year's New York Comic Con that Yen press got the rights to Yotsuba&!. ADV use to have the rights to this manga but due to the financial issues they lost the rights to it.

Yen press will be releasing volume 6 of the manga on September 2009, I think that fans can wait a little longer. Everyone is expecting volume 1 through 5 to be released with the Yen Press logo on the manga books. So, who likes Yotsuba&! and are you glad new volumes are going to be released?

By the way, Yen press got the rights to the Spice and Wolf novel series.

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Manga fans have it easy in the whole otaku fandom. Manga books is cheaper than anime DVDs, there are a lot more manga series than anime series that one can choose from, and it is better for the development of one's mind.