Monday 9 December 2013

Manga Box issue 1 review

Manga Box issue 1 Story & Art by Various Review

Manga Box is one of the larger attempts to simultaneously publish Japanese comics in English to date. So in that regard I think it deserves some credit. There are 22 titles in the English version of the initial issue of the magazine. Notable standouts thus far include High Rise Invasion which, In a Heartbeat, Horizon, and the Chronicles of Akoya among others. The first issue is solid as a whole though some of the 4-panel comics were weak.

The translations featured some glaring errors upon closer inspection but on a whole it is readable.  As the magazine has just launched it will be interesting to see how it evolves over time. All-in-all the first issue of Manga Box was a great read and it appears to be an ambitious project.

Rating: 7/10

Manga Box is available In English from DeNA.

Saturday 7 December 2013

Fort of Apocalypse Chapters 1-7 review

Fort of Apocalypse Chapters 1-7 Story by Yuu Kuraishi, Art by Kazu Inabe Review

                Falsely accused of murder, Yoshiaki finds himself in a merciless prison. It is not long before a zombie virus begins to spread. Along with his new found groups of friends, will Yoshiaki be able to survive in this cruel world?

Serialized in Monthly Shonen Rival in Japan, Fort of Apocalypse is a zombie series done right: the action is fast and furious and the series has terrific artwork. The series goes for a grimier more down to earth feel and it does so well. That being said the series is not without its fantastical moments which allow the viewer to use imagination. This is still a comic after all.

Fort of Apocalypse may be too dark for some people; it goes into quite graphic detail. The characters need much more development at this point as well. That being said Fort of Apocalypse is a grand old time that cannot be recommended enough.

Rating: 8/10


Fort of Apocalypse is available on Crunchyroll.