From the back cover:
Things are slowly coming together for Nana Osaki. The guitarist and drummer from her old band have joined her in Tokyo and she’s finally found a ripping new bass player to replace Ren Honjo. The Black Stones are back and they’re ready to kick some ass.

Nana Komatsu, however, can’t shake her old nemesis, the Demon Lord. She’s stuck in a dead-end job and there’s trouble brewing with her boyfriend, Shoji. He’s been working late and hasn’t exactly been the most attentive lover. Poor Nana. Life in Tokyo is turning out to be a total bummer.

Review:
Okay, now I get why everyone is so crazy for this series. It’s really hooked me for good with this volume—let me count the ways!

1. Realism. It may sound silly to say that a manga achieves this, but NANA does it probably the best I’ve seen. The relationships feel real, particularly between Nana K. and Shoji, and so do the challenges faced—job woes, learning to conserve funds, etc. Even the impromptu concert from the last volume has repercussions in the form of complaining neighbors. Come to think of it, this is probably why so many class this series as josei.

2. Nana Komatsu has finally won me over. Sure, she can still be kind of ditzy, but I really like how much she gets into helping Nana O. find bandmates. Last volume, she mentioned that her life was still missing something, and here she implies that Nana O. supplied it—a dream. Nana K. still doesn’t know what she wants to do with herself, so she’s devoting her energies to helping Nana O.’s dream come true and doesn’t notice that Shoji’s feeling neglected.

3. The narration. Is this new with this volume? I didn’t notice it before. In any case, I am a big fan of devices like this. An older (and seemingly wiser) Nana K. looks back fondly upon this time in her life and hints, too, that she might still be living in that apartment, but that Nana O. no longer is. So now I’m left wondering what happened to her—did she make it big? Did something else happen? Suggestions that the author does have a goal in mind will always be something I appreciate.

About the only complaint I could make is that the slang is still pervasive. It makes me sigh to read a line like “Don’t your ‘rents hook you up, dude?” in something so otherwise excellent.

From the back cover:
Ren’s manager Yashiro comes down with a nasty cold in the middle of an important shoot, and dares Kyoko to take over his job! Of course Kyoko accepts, but she’s in way over her head with a pack of new responsibilities and the scorn of everyone who thinks she’s doing a bad job. But the more time Ren spends with Kyoko the more he sees her kind and gentle side. Will all her hassles be worth his change of heart?

Review:
Though there’ll always be a fond place in my heart for volume 4 and its chicken-suited hijinks, this volume has usurped its place as my most favorite thus far.

The rich girl from the last volume made one last appearance, trying to injure Moko so she could not appear in the commercial. She was unsuccessful, however, and I was happy to see the girls actually complete filming without something happening to mess it up. Playing the part of a high school student made Kyoko wistful for what she didn’t have, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the president of her agency. To top it all off, Moko ended up writing Kyoko something really sweet in the stamp book in which she collects points for her Love Me Section jobs.

And in addition to all of that goodness, there was lots and lots of great interaction between Kyoko and Ren. I pretty much loved every scene they were in together, from talking about Sho Fuwa in the car, to Kyoko helping nurse Ren’s cold, to them rehearsing lines together at the end. Along the way, more of Ren’s memories of meeting Kyoko as a child were revealed, and they each made some realizations about the other, though each still believes the other hates them.

I can’t remember another manga that made me genuinely happy that two characters had finally become friends or another heroine whom I cheered on so whole-heartedly. Skip Beat! really is something special.

From the back cover:
“Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable house and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.”

With this opening sentence, a reader might seem quite justified in thinking Jane Austen to have painted herself into a corner. What could possibly happen from here? In Austen’s comedic masterpiece, however, Emma fancies herself a superb judge of human character and becomes entrenched in the amorous affairs of her friends. In doing so, she remains oblivious to her own romantic possibilities, and the resulting comical misunderstandings are highly entertaining.

This book is the acme of Jane Austen’s work, wry and funny all at the same time.

Review:
Merriam-Webster defines bildungsroman as “a novel about the moral and psychological growth of the main character.” I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that fit that description more than Emma.

I didn’t much care for the title character at first. In fact, she initially reminded me of Lady Catherine from Pride and Prejudice, dispensing unsolicited advice and basing many of her opinions on assumptions and an inordinate amount of focus on social standing. I found myself gleefully anticipating her comeuppance.

When she did begin to improve, Austen handled the transition incrementally, using friends to prompt Emma to give up meddling or urge her to accept a social engagement she’d believed beneath her notice. She learned from rebukes and mistakes and gradually became someone more likeable. The feminist in me tells me I should be perturbed that so many of these chastising remarks were delivered by her eventual love interest, but since Mr. Knightley was my favorite character, I can’t really be bothered.

The events of the plot were somewhat predictable, in a “the young lady introduced into the story in act two must be destined for the young man introduced not long after” sort of way. A big secret revealed toward the end was not a particular surprise, and also seemed recycled from Sense and Sensibility. Also, as I’m coming to find common in Austen’s novels, the sillier characters were given such free rein to display their ridiculousness that they really got on my nerves.

The end of the novel, however, was satisfying. I liked the way in which Emma was forced to finally realize her feelings for Mr. Knightley, as well as the mortification and regret over her past conduct that ensued. The conclusion could be called too tidy, I suppose, with no one left lonely or unhappy, but I found no fault with it.

From the back cover:
Kyoko lands a regular role on a TV show… as a giant chicken. Not content to settle for poultry recognition, Kyoko tries out for a big commercial. At the audition she runs into her Love Me-rival Moko, who’s having rival woes of her own. With a jealous rich girl out to bring them down, can Kyoko and Moko overcome their differences and act as a team to trounce the competition?

Review:
… Poultry recognition? I think that joke might be so bad it’s good.

This volume centered on an audition for a commercial and though I didn’t like the jealous rich girl at all—I’m kind of tired of seeing imperious rich girls randomly show up in manga (there was one recently in Ouran)—it turned out to be really cool.

The best bits were the last few chapters where, after performing one audition segment by reacting to Moko’s lead, Kyoko had to conceive of a routine herself and be the one to steer the scene, something she’d never done before. She ended up thinking of something clever (of course) that not only fulfilled the requirements of the routine but also seemed to expose a trust the girls had in each other’s abilities.

I really liked seeing these two begin to become friends. In any other series, these characters would probably be cast as the villains, but here they’re sympathetic. I was also happy at the result of the audition—I love that Kyoko’s path to stardom is slow, because it really allows one to rejoice when a good break finally happens.

From the back cover:
Could Tsukushi Makino really fall under Tsukasa Doumyouji’s spell? Desire and jealousy walk hand in hand as the crazed Tsukasa seeks revenge on behalf of Tsukushi. Rui Hanazawa surprises everyone with his return from France. Tsukasa’s mixture of cruelty and compassion is as perplexing as ever.

Review:
What a difference a volume makes! Volume 5 contained some of my least favorite moments remembered from the anime, while volume 6 had some of those I liked best.

Just as Tsukushi began to feel that she could return Doumyouji’s feelings—in fact, just as she realized she could no longer claim there was “nothing” between them—Rui returned from France and threw her feelings into complete confusion. This paved the way for some really great chapters, where Rui acted strangely and Tsukushi found herself torn between the two boys—not wishing to upset the one who used to be her enemy but still drawn to the elusive Rui, who’d clearly suffered something in Paris. It all built up to an excellent final chapter.

I distinctly remember falling in love with the anime in a big way right about here, and when people describe it as operatic, it’s these events that I always think of. I could see a plot like this annoying me if not well-handled, but the lead characters are so great in Boys Over Flowers that I’m really enjoying it.

From the back cover:
This volume contains innumerable ups and downs for our heroine, Tsukushi Makino. Tsukasa is as jealous as ever with the arrival of Thomas as lurid and embarrassing photos of Tsukushi and Thomas emerge. Just when she thought that things couldn’t get any worse, her tormentors up the ante of cruelty and violence! Will anyone come to her rescue?

Review:
I’m not a fan of prolonged misunderstandings in manga, so the “did Tsukushi sleep with a foreigner?” plot is not a favorite of mine. Possibly because of that, the crazed antics of Tsukushi’s schoolmates as they punish her on Tsukasa’s behalf seemed even more unrealistic than usual. It also didn’t seem like Tsukushi was quite upset enough when she believed she may actually have slept with the guy without remembering it.

On the positive side, Tsukushi did work out the truth before too long, and her confrontation with Sakurako (“I’ll never grovel for anybody!”) was good. I also liked that Tsukushi realized that although she didn’t care at all what anyone else thought, she wanted desperately for Tsukasa to believe her.

This set up the end of the volume, where the lackluster plot at least paid off with a rescue. Tsukasa finally realized what kind of person Sakurako was when she tried (and failed) to seduce him, and rushed back to Tsukushi’s side to proclaim his belief in her. I really liked that conclusion, though I’m still waiting for Tsukasa to simply tell the other kids never to mess with Tsukushi again.

From the back cover:
Kimihiro Watanuki has been saved from death by the sacrifices of his friends, but his recovery time is cut short. His special connection with the spirit world is needed to investigate a terrifying haunted house, placate annoyed Warashi spirits, and face the growing threat of a shadowy figure called Fei-Wang Reed.

Review:
This volume was interesting. It was liberally sprinkled with hints about something coming down the line—”the final moment,” as Yuuko called it—and preparations being made for its arrival. There were also more references to the travelers in Tsubasa than heretofore and suggestions that their decisions are affecting Watanuki’s fate in some fashion.

All of that was cool, but some of the episodic chapters weren’t exactly riveting. There was one cool tale about a girl who was frightened of sounds she heard in the house in which she lived that I liked, but it ended kind of abruptly. There were also a couple of appearances by Kohane, who is a child with abilities similar to Watanuki’s. I have no idea what her deal is, but find her fairly boring so far.

There were several cute scenes where Watanuki showed kindness to a creature and made it very happy. At one point, he was tasked with naming a magical bird he’d given Himawari for a pet. As he mulled, we got a panel of the bird in question, all sparkly and adorable with “Great Expectations” written in the background. Later, the pipe fox spirit was sulky on account of not having been named yet, and repeated the same pose when Watanuki deliberated once more. It was extremely cute.

On a final note, there are some visual spoilers for Tsubasa volume 16 and slightly beyond, so if you’re following that series and aren’t up-to-date, you might want to get caught up before reading this volume.

From the back cover:
The five dimension-hopping travelers have stuck together through all sorts of worlds and all kinds of harrowing adventures. But when the group enters the ruined city of Tokyo, two powerful fugitives set in motion a disastrous chain of events that may cause their tight-knit friendship to unravel. Syaoran’s mysterious past is finally revealed, and a tumultuous battle leaves one of the friends near death, while another becomes an enemy after a shocking act of betrayal. Don’t miss this pivotal volume in the Tsubasa saga!

Review:
Holy crap! Now that’s what I call major payoff! It took quite a long time, but wow! In retrospect, maybe all that lag time was necessary to make the events in these chapters even more shocking by contrast. This was easily the most suspenseful volume of manga I’ve read in ages.

In addition to all the stuff in the blurb above, which was incredibly awesome, there was also movement on a couple of subplots—namely the twin vampires that Seishirou is after and Kurogane’s quest for revenge against the person responsible for killing his mother. These chapters were very, very creepy and every bit as dark as something like Tokyo Babylon or X.

I am really glad that I didn’t give up on this series. If, like me, your interest waned around volume 10, I urge you not to give up on Tsubasa. It’s volumes like this that really show what masterful storytellers CLAMP are. Now if only they could get over their thing with eyes…

From the back cover:
Kurogane, Syaoran, Fai, Mokona, and Princess Sakura have come upon a desert of shifting sands and ruined skyscrapers. This postapocalyptic nightmare is all that remains of the booming metropolis that was Tokyo, and the survivors are battling for the few life-giving resources left in the world. As the five dimension travelers search for another piece of the princess’s lost memories, they will all be tested to their limits in ways they never expected!

Review:
When did I start to like Kurogane so much? It’s crept up on me unawares. My favorite thing about him is how observant he is. It was Kurogane who, a few volumes back, knew something was up with Tomoyo and her Dragonfly Race. It’s been he who’s noticed Syaoran’s shifts in personality, and it’s he who initiates a fascinating conversation with Fai in this volume about how the latter has been keeping his distance while wearing a “constant grin.” What I love is that no one ever cried, “Gee, Kurogane! You sure are observant!” Instead, the character trait is portrayed with subtle consistency, and I really like that.

There’s a lot to like plot-wise in this volume, too. The gang from X is almost all here, but with some differences. The groups that Kamui and Fuuma lead are reversed from how they were in the X manga, and Subaru and Seishirou are missing. All of Tokyo is battling over water—a precious resource in this country—and it’s a pretty interesting landscape for our leads to be thrust into. More importantly, there is a major development concerning the villain’s plans that also seems like it might shed light on Syaoran’s mysterious origins.

Every time I resume reading this series I realize anew how entertaining it can be. Some chapters are uneventful, and I find it hard to care very much about Syaoran and Sakura, but I really adore Fai and Kurogane and anything that pertains to them.

From the back cover:
You know that couple who was obviously meant for each other, and everybody knew it, except them? That’s Yukino and Soichiro, the two top students in school, who are capable of anything other than a normal relationship. Still, despite all they’ve been through, it seems they could finally be getting together. But now, the school’s token pretty boy, Hideaki, is intent on wedging himself between them, for reasons they can’t begin to imagine.

Review:
One of the things I am enjoying most about Kare Kano is Tsuda’s innovative use of panels to dramatic effect. Take, for instance, the climax of chapter four. In what I would call one of the classic moments of shoujo manga, Yukino (after several failed attempts) finally reveals her feelings to Arima by silently taking his hand in the middle of a student council meeting. No words are spoken, and what follows are two pages of their facial reactions and then one final page, showing the both of them from behind. I can’t really explain why I love the perspective shift at the end so much, but I really do.

Another thing I like is that if a character is alone somewhere, like in a classroom or waiting outside a movie theatre, there will be a large panel of their environment and superimposed upon it will be tiny panels showing what’s going on in the immediate vicinity—some students laughing down the hall, a quiet patio, a couple meeting up for a date. There’s a lot of sky and clouds in her imagery, too, and though I won’t try to decipher its metaphorical meaning, it makes me realize the opening sequence of the anime was very appropriate. I must also mention the fabulous panel of Yukino’s silhouette against a darkening sky as she pined for Arima.

And, of course, I also like the story. I think I didn’t like the character of Hideaki much when I read this the first time, and now I wonder why that was. My second favorite chapter, after chapter 4, is chapter 7, where we see both Arima and Yukino’s differing perceptions of the same or similar events. Yukino worries she’s not good enough for Arima, and Arima worries he’s too boring in comparison with her, but by the end, they’ve each leant the other some optimism, so they end up reacting identically in a separate conversations with Hideaki. It’s neat.