Hello!
Welcome to The Anime & Manga Review!
It has been my dream to create a world on TheO where users can go for anime and manga reviews and finally here it is! I plan to make this world an active, exciting and helpful place for learning about and finding entertaining manga and anime to read/watch.

Hey! Did you know I do all kinds of things to make it easy to search specific genres and reviews?
For information on how to search for genre and such things please see my info post!
Its the first post of this world and will help you find your way!

~Tsubasachro
(aka Tsu)

Tista

Tista
Author: Endou Tatsuya

Hello!
Today’s manga series is Tista! A psychological, action, drama and one of my favorites! When I was browsing through series trying to figure out what I should share with you this week, I came across an old top ten list of mine and Tista was number 8 on my list. “Oooooh! I forgot how much I like this one!” I thought and promptly reread it so I could talk about it properly.
Oh man! This is a great short series! While it is only 9 chapters long and is a “young assassin associated with the church” manga it is really really good! The plot follows Tista a college student/assassin who inadvertently becomes friends with a senior at her school who dreams of becoming a big time artist.
Where this series sets itself apart from some others in its genre is in how the mind of Tista is show in the series. What she’s thinking and feeling and seeing is all very cleverly (And coolly!) shown through visual metaphor and literal hallucinations. It’s really fun to read and watch this character just struggle with morals and her feelings of revenge mixed with guilt and obligation. (Trust me its awesome!)
The artwork is nice too and filled with dark thick lines and moody shading. ^-^

This is just such a cool series! And it’s nice to see a female killer with practical clothes! Lol This series is emotional and hard hitting without being a downer and I highly recommend giving it a try!

Sorry this review is short, but I don’t want to give spoilers as it is a good read!
Also thank you once again for the views!

Got something you want me to review?
Leave me a comment or pm me!
I shall watch or read the series and before you know it you’ll have someone to talk to about that obscure thing you love!

~Tsu

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Manga VS Anime

Hello everybody!

Wow! Thank you all so much!
Thanks to your support this world is right on the brink of 2000 views! *bows* I know I’m getting redundant but… thank you for helping me keep this world running!
Tell you what when we make it to 5000 views I’ll do something ultra special!

Ok to the point! A little mini article to celebrate!

Manga VS Anime
Which do you prefer?!

You just heard about that new good series, there’s an anime for it and there’s a manga for it! Which do you decide to check out?
I know a lot of us turn to the internet or a friend to tell us which is better, but lets face it, there are always people who vote on either side and in the end you have to make to choice yourself.
So is it manga or anime?
Lets look at some pros and cons of each.

Anime
PROS
It’s awesome to see our favorite characters moving.
Color! Its sooo much fun!

CONS
Takes a long time to watch
Isn’t always true to the manga (may not apply depending)
The episodes may release slow.
Those rehashes at the beginning reminding us what happened (I just don’t like those…)

Manga
PROS
Usually by the time there’s an anime adaptation there’s quite a few chapters released! (Binge reading time!)
More detail, the story has more time to be fleshed out
Faster to read than to watch. (you can read that DBZ battle in less than an hour to the 3 or 4 in anime for example)

CONS
It doesn’t move or talk… and that’s fun in anime
More reading (I don’t mind it but hey we all get tired during those really wordy chapters when its all talk and explaining)
Again possible slow chapter release

So which do I prefer?
I’m a manga reader. I read a (probably) unhealthy amount. (I read on average a series or so a week, plus I keep up with weekly updates) >.> I am such a terrible terrible geek… *cough* To the point! Manga to me tends to be better than the anime, as it tends to be more detailed. Of course there are a handful of series to which I would say skip the manga, but those tend to be series that are manga adaptations of the anime or and anime and a manga based off the same light novel. For instance, the Darker than Black manga…. (at least the first one) just isn’t that good, or at least nowhere near the awesomeness of the first season of the anime.
There are also series where I feel both have merit in one area or another.
Now mind you! I still go all google eyed when my favorites get the anime treatment!

The anime’s out! The manga is available!
Which do you grab
?

~Tsu

PS. There will still be a regular review this week. No idea what it will be yet… I should get on that…

Weird Shoujo... and Pudding!

Banana Bread Pudding
Genre: Shoujo

Ok… Right off I'm going to let you know I enjoy weird things. I enjoy listening to unusual songs, going on odd adventures but, most of all, I enjoy reading weird manga.
And this innocent sounding title of Banana Bread Pudding is by far one of the strangest series I've ever read.
At 5 chapters long, Banana Bread Pudding is a short, bizarre creation by the mangaka Ooshima Yumiko. With chapter titles like "Before I Become Instant Coffee" this series is just so… very, very odd.
Here I feel the need to share part of the disruption from mangafox that got me to read it… "Now that Ira's older sister is getting married, who will take her to the bathroom after ten p.m. and sing 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' outside the bathroom door in order to protect her from the beautiful, androgynous, child-eating clown?"
Now tell me, How could I resist a description like that?!

Ok more into detail, Ira, the female lead who badly needs mental help, talks to a friend about her fears of being eaten by a clown. Now a good friend would tell her she should maybe see a shrink, but nope! Let's get Ira a boyfriend to distract her from her troubles! Thats all you need to make the crazy go away! And guess what kind of man Ira wants? No lies I am writing this word by word from the first chapter, Ira wants "A gay man who feels too guilty to reveal his secret to society." And does her friend tell her "No, thats silly and he'd never really love you back!" Nope! She goes off to start finding a gay boyfriend for her friend…
*Palm Head*
And yeah… it gets weirder from there, if that's even possible.
(and as it turns out… is)
Trust me when I say the story spirals quickly into crazy land…

I would not say this manga is good… but I wouldn't say its bad either.
It has this strange magic about it. Like those 'so bad its good' movies like Plan 9 From Outer Space, this manga has that crazy charm of watching a train wreck and just enjoying how very weird things can get.
Nobody in this series uses their common sense or gets the help and mental support they need but even as it frustrates me, I can never look away. I really enjoy sharing this with people and have found that it is a fun one to read with friends! (Just bundle yourselves around the computer and read it together! Trust me good times and conversations will start!)
Also the artwork in this manga is really quite lovely! And the fact that its drawn in that soft 70s shoujo style only adds to the bizarre nature of the story, in addition to making it pretty to look at!

If you are a lover of the weird, or just want a day trip from reality, you can never go wrong trying some Banana Bread Pudding!

~Tsu

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Vampire Manga of Every Genre

Vampire Manga of Every Genre!

Hello all! I recently finished reading Vampire Knight (probably the most popular shoujo vampire series) and I thought to myself "Golly!" (I spent a while in a place where they say golly) "What are people going to read to get their vampire fix now?!" Then I realized I know tons of vampire series, shorts and one shots, and hey I can totally help out! XD

So long story short, I have searched through my surprisingly long list of vampire manga and have collected what I think are some of the best for every genre, because let's face it, no matter your favorite genre you need more vampires in your life!
(oh and I am not counting Vampire Knight on this list)

(This list is in no particular order)

Vampire Princess Miyu
By: Kakinouchi Narumi
Shoujo
Vampire Princess Miyu is a classic Japanese vampire series, I believe the anime version of it was the first vampire anime, and it does not disappoint!
Following the story of the vampire Miyu and her servent/protector Larva, this manga combines traditional Japanese myths and demons with Western vampire lore. (Fun fact! Japan is one of the few countries that do not have a native vampire lore, the closest thing to it are blood and flesh eating demons that usually did not resemble humans)
Miyu attends high school by day to blend in, and fights demons that are not following the rules by night. Vampire Princess Miyu is a beautiful manga that has a very engaging and unique take on vampires. (The anime is also amazing!)

Hitsuji no Uta
Also known as Lament of the Lamb in English
By: Toume Kei
Sienen/psychological
This series is another one that plays around with the idea of the vampire. In Hitsuji no Uta the vampires are a pair of siblings, and they are far from the idea of a traditional vampire. (Think Dracula for traditional) They are victims of a hereditary genetic disorder that causes pain that can only be abated by drinking human blood. It is so interesting to read this and watch the siblings dissent into darkness (both mental and physical) as the story is about this mental breaking point more than anything else.
Read this to enjoy a great dark, twisted and fresh vampire tale!

Vampir
By: Itsuki Natsumi
Techically seinen but as far as seinen go, it's very light… it's more like a weird cross between a shoujo and a shounen
Vampir is yet another non traditional vampire manga. (Can you tell I like those yet? lol) The story begins when a young guy who almost dies getting hit by a suicide jumper. He then wakes up in the hospital with red eyes and blond hair (he had glowing green eyes and snow white hair! *cough* wrong series…) It turns out he is now a half vampire or vampir. In this universe, vampires are people who have died and then had the soul of one of these powerful vampir spirits combine with their body. Rather than a complete take over, however, it is more like a combining of personalities. Since our main character didn't die all the way however he is neither living nor dead and the spirit is left in a kind of limbo.
This series is a fun read, again, with a fresh take, and I definitely recommend it.

Kurobara no Alice
Also known as Black Rose Alice
By: Mizushiro Setona
Josei (some websites say shoujo but I've read it and its more adult than the average shoujo)
The story begins with Dimitri, a famous opera singer, and his tragic love triangle, where due to his station he will have to watch his love marry his best friend. Not giving spoilers but skipping ahead a bit, he becomes a vampire, which, in this series is a corpse that is filled with bugs the animate the body. I know that sounds really gross but trust me when I say the artwork in this manga is gorgeous and the bugs aren't that bad, and I hate bugs. I would love to give more of a plot synopsis but I really can't without taking away the intensity of the beginning. So read it for a twisted romance with spice and great art!

Crimson Cross
By: Negishi Kyoko
Shoujo (ok some sites say it is shounen ai, but as there's not even anything implied… I am going to say I don't think it counts at all, but you might be able to argue it is)
Traditional vampires done right! These vampires burn in the sun, fear the cross, drink blood, and are basically the opposite of Twilight vampires. The story follows Carl Van Helsing who has been hunting the vampire Elliot. Elliot turned Carl into a vampire as a way to pass the time and loves causing him torment.
Sooooo good! I love it, I think that other vampire fans will love it. Read it for awesome art and an amazing story! Oh and great action scenes and a couple werewolves too.

Hope these help you find a great vampire manga to read this week!

~Tsu
Next week there is a 90% chance the review will be Towan no Quan.

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Top Manga About Fathers

Since today… Or tomorrow, not sure when this review will get posted as of right now, is father's Day where I live I thought it'd be fun to share some great father/child love manga! (not that kind of love pervs…)
Anyways I time to count down the best manga father's I know!
(Also after this point take spoiler text seriously. I do not use it lightly in reviews.)

Goggle
Author: Toyoda Tetsuya
The only reason this one is not higher on the list is because the man in manga taking care of the young deserted child is not actually his father, or even his adoptive parent, but merely a temporary baby sitter. At any rate a friend of our main character drops off the daughter of a friend who refuses to speak or to remove her goggles. The man steadily continues to try to get her out of her shell as he learns more about the silent kid.
He's a great father figure if not a father and I like this one shot, is sweet, heartfelt and all in all a good read.

Nicoichi
Author: Kindaichi Renjuurou
The story of a dad that pretends to be a mom. Why you ask? That's a loooong story but basically the dad's a good guy that got into a pattern to take care of his kid. Ok fiiine I'll go into a little more detail. When Suda's (the dads) son was a baby his mother died and he was living with just his father and wouldn't stop crying, Suda desperate to help his kid started cross dressing… and now his son thinks he's his mom… and Suda now leads a double life as mom and as a salaryman
This is a great series! A funny manga with heart the story of a single father and his son. The reason this isn't higher is because of a lot of the plot revolves around Suda's troubled dating life… but still a fun read with an enjoyable twist!

Luck Stealer
Author: Kazu Hajime
Nothing is better than a good supernatural assassin manga right? Well This dad does whatever it takes to keep he daughter alive. This series has been a favorite of mine now for several years as I've waited for fan translations. (I do know enough Japanese I could translate it for myself but I can't find it anywhere… >o> whyyyyy?!) Anyways the story mostly follows Kurusu who is an assassin that can steal a persons luck with merely a touch (thus the title of the series) and when you run out of luck you die. Why does he do this? His daughter was born without any luck and as such is constantly close to death. He can steal luck and also pass it to his daughter so she can live.
Luck stealer is great! Poor Kurusu's only this far down the list cause he murders people and doesn't actually live with his daughter. But a seriously good manga with a seriously dedicated dad is a must read!

Forever Honey
Author: Kanno Aya
Why does every manga I read ever try to make me cry?! Anyways a little one shot about a doting father who still uses baby talk with his daughter and his annoyed preteen who just wants her father to grow up. As pre usual in a manga about fatherhood he's a single dad, and his daughter thinks making him "cool" and getting him a girl friend will set him on the right path.
Seriously read this… it's a bitter sweet beauty of a one shot, I highly recommend it.

~Tsu
PS I was thinking about switching to doing some video reviews mixed in. Is there anyone who would prefer that or would actually watch them if I did that?

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