NYX: Wannabe
by Joe Quesada
Illus. Joshua Middleton and Rob Teranishi

Say hello to a pack of New York City gutterpunks, the likes of which the Marvel Universe has never seen! The X-Men's dream has always been one of creating hope from despair - in a young mutant's darkest hour, Charles Xavier will always be just around the corner, ready with open arms and a helping hand. But Xavier can't be everywhere at once. What becomes of a group of young mutants that have to rely on themselves for everything from food to shelter to love? Wayward angels with dirty faces who, instead of preparing for Magneto's next big assault, must learn to survive in the cold, harsh world of the city that never sleeps. The world of the X-Men is brought to the streets, and the struggle for survival has never been more uncertain!

Why I Read This
Assigned for Media Theory: Monstrous Feminine class.

☂☂☂☂

A very different kind of mutant superhero story, with empowered female leads, a diverse cast, and the visceral backdrop of New York City's most run-down sectors. I was quite engaged in each of the characters stories and personalities, but perhaps due to its 7-issue limited run, a lot of potential left unexplored.

review posted to Amazon.ca, Book Depository, goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari

Gintama ♥
aka "Silver Soul"
by Sorachi, Hideaki

20 years ago, the Amanto (aka "aliens") invaded feudal Japan and took control of the Shogun's rule, banishing the loyal samurai protectors and confiscating their swords. Now, machines have taken over the peoples' traditional way of life and men with the heart of true samurai dwindle.
Gintoki, a diabetic ex-samurai working as a freelance Anything, encounters Shinpachi, the son of one of the last samurai dojos, and Kagura, a human-like Amanto girl of the violent race known as the Night Hares. Together, they help people with Whatever in order to pay the rent: becoming drag queens, saving the world, and locating missing pets, just to list a few.
(my summary)

Why I Read This
Truth be told I was getting a bit bored with the formulaic goings-on of Naruto and Bleach. Once they were out of my life, I thought I needed another shonen manga to fill in the spot. At the time, I was sort of following Reborn! and some people suggested Gintama as similar in terms of hilarity, so I bit and got hooked right away. The anime for this series is pretty amazing in my opinion, but maybe that's just due to SugiTomo's excellent Gintoki voice ♥

☂☂☂☂.5

One can say Gintama repackages the social issues of today (AI ethics, capitalist imperialism, terrorism, government vs. police corruption, stereotyping the Other, etc.) into 20 pages of metaphors and parodies involving pudgy aliens, virtual worlds, obsessive fans, and altogether WTF-ness that explodes onto the page.
Thus, one needs not really think too much to enjoy this series, though it can make you think if you let it. I do suggest cultivating a patience to go through mountians of text in every 20-page chapter since this is a very dialogue-heavy manga.
The punchlines are worth it though ;D

review posted to Amazon.ca, goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari

This review was featured on a Japanese news site, Searchina, thank you very much!

Saiyuki ♥
aka "Journey to the Extreme"
by Minekura, Kazuya

Gensoumaden Saiyuki is Journey to the West revamped with dragons changing into jeeps, a trigger-happy monk, a 500-year-old baby monkey, a playboy water spirit, and a not-pig who cooks and sews and generally mothers the crew, three of whom carry within them the blood of youkai/demons. They travel across Shangri-La, killing the youkai who have gone mad, on a quest to retrieve one of the Heavenly Scrolls that have fallen into the wrong hands, and to prevent the revival of Gyumaou, the youkai king. (Gensoumaden = "Fantasy Legend")

Saiyuki Gaiden brings the story back to 500 years ago, to the birth of Goku, the monkey born from the Earth itself, and the bloodbath in Heaven that banished the four main characters, formerly all residents of the upper realm, to be reborn in the mortal world. (Gaiden = "Another Story")

Saiyuki RELOAD follows up Gensomaden with more focus the other side of the story, exploring the lives of youkai trying to keep their sanity, and splitting up the heroes as they contemplate their loyalties to each of the warring sides.
(my summaries)

Why I Read This
The Journey to the West and Monkey King legends had been my childhood obsession. I've even watched the really old 70s TV show in China, the Chinese cartoon adaptation, and all of the Hong Kong drama adaptations (Dicky is the Monkey King ♥). So of course when I found out there was a manga adaptation, I jumped at the chance to read it. The anime sucks though, don't watch it.

☂☂☂☂.5

Minekura has brought a gritty and flashy vibe to the classic Chinese myth of the Monkey King, throwing a bit of sci-fi into the fantasy mix, and twisting every character into her own tormented anti-heroes. The camaraderie and trust the characters place in each other, and the choices they have to face to survive are explored in detail and style, where there is no "right" answer, only the answers you choose to believe.

review posted to Amazon.ca, goodreads, Shelfari
RELOAD review posted to Amazon.ca, goodreads, Shelfari

One Piece ♥
by Oda, Eiichiro

One Piece is about pirates. The main character, Luffy D. Monkey, is a young boy who wants to be king of the pirates, driven by the promise he made to his childhood hero. He sets out on a small wooden boat and gathers crew members along the way:
Zoro, a rebellious "demon" pirate hunter who becomes his loyal first mate; Nami, a devious money-loving pirate thief who finds him amusing but is hiding her own secrets; Usopp, a compulsive liar and coward who joins him on a courageous whim; Sanji, a womanizing cook bound by duty to the floating restaurant he serves who follows him in search of the ocean of his dreams
...and many others along the way as the crew of misfits continue on their way in search of "One Piece", the treasure that would make one the Pirate King.
(my summary)

Why I Read This
I've always been a fan of shounen manga (graphic novels aimed towards males), and One Piece seemed to embody everything I loved about the genre. It has explosions, adventure, battles, but also strong themes of friendship. The characters did not try to "act cool" as a lot of other series tend to have, and there's less unwarranted violence. The characters are also very unique and wacky, fallible in their quirks, and there is no huge romance plot of angst to hinder character growth.

☂☂☂☂

An epic if not legendary shounen (young men) manga that features an almost stereotypically cast crew of shounen manga heroes, but each with their own unique story to tell.
This is a very addictive series once you get attached to the characters (I didn't get hooked until 3-4 volumes in), but it's definitely worth it to get an exciting new chapter every week where the action never gets dull and the characters never stop charming you.

review posted to Amazon.ca, goodreads, Shelfari