Review – Inuyashiki Volume 1 by Hiroya Oku

Inuyashiki Vol 1
By: Hiroya Oku
Translator: Stephen Paul
Release Date: August 25, 2015; (Original) January 1, 2014
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Series: Inuyashiki
Rating:


Sometimes we’re behind the curve. Sometimes we don’t read a certain manga or watch a certain anime when everyone else is talking about it. But sometimes we finally catch up and actually read the series we’ve been aiming to for years! Inuyashiki Vol. 1 by Hiroya Oku is a science fiction story set in the near future.

Review – Outbreak Company: Volume 1 by Ichiro Sakaki

Outbreak Company: Volume 1
By: Ichiro Sakaki
Illustrator: Yugen
Translator: Kevin Steinbach
Release Date: November 17, 2017; (Original) December 2, 2011
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Series: Outbreak Company #1
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


I am always on the hunt for new isekai (that’s ‘trapped in another world’ for those who don’t know) light novels. Somehow I’d missed the anime Outbreak Company when it first aired, so I jumped at the chance to read the light novel. Outbreak Company Vol. 1 by Ichiro Sakaki, author of Chaika: The Coffin Princess among others, is a light novel that is both fun, but unafraid to delve into the more serious aspects of politics and the issues that arise when transporting pop culture to another world.

Review – Ararat by Christopher Golden

Ararat
By: Christopher Golden
Release Date: April 17, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Award: Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel (2017)
Rating:


Sometimes a book lands on the to read list and sits there. Despite passing by Ararat each time I went to the library I didn’t borrow it. There was always a different book I’d come in for, or my stack was already piled four or five books high. However, this time was different. I finally read Ararat by Christopher Golden.

Why TokyoPop Still Disappoints

When I was young TokyoPop was one of the top publishers of manga in the US. They ate up IPs for manga. They published a huge variety of genres. They even published light novels, something that many other publishers, even those who did publish manga, largely didn’t touch. A great many TokyoPop titles still grace my shelves. My local library still has dozens of TokyoPop releases in their manga section. By all regards TokyoPop was extremely important in getting manga into the hands of my generations.

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Review – Sumo by Thien Pham

Sumo
By: Thien Pham
Release Date: December 11, 2012
Publisher: First Second
Rating:


I was completely unfamiliar with Sumo before stumbling across it when browsing shelves in the library. The cover was bold, with an amazing image of a sumo wrestler seemingly parting water, and I picked it up immediately without bothering to read any sort of synopsis. Sumo by Thien Pham is a quiet, beautiful story about a young sumo wrestler.