Monday 2 February 2015

Mahou Josei Chimaka Chapter 1 review

Mahou Josei Chimaka Chapter 1 Story & Art by Kaiju Review

From the Publisher: “Fifteen years ago, magical girl Shimmer Shimmer Sky Patcher Chimaka lost her final battle against her greatest foe, broke up with her "destined" boyfriend, and practically flunked out of school. Now a chemical engineer at Squid Petroleum, Chimaka is older, wiser, and a whole lot more bitter. But when a surprise phone call alerts Chimaka to the fact that her ancient enemy is getting restless again, it's going to be up to Chimaka and her best friend Pippa to try to reignite Chimaka's old magic...and save the world!

For all you readers who wanted to know what happens after your favorite magical girl series left off...KaiJu brings you "Mahou Josei Chimaka"!”


Serialized in Sparkler Monthly, Mahou Josei Chimaka has surprisingly good artwork and a more or less compelling plot. The way it stealthily pokes fun at magical girl tropes was amusing to say the least. And yet, it still believes in itself whole-heartedly and is compelling enough to not be a mindless parody. The first chapter has me really excited for future chapters and I am legitimately curious where it will go from here. In conclusion I would say read this premiere chapter as it is maddeningly addictive.

Sunday 1 February 2015

Hi-Fi Cluster Chapters 11-18 review

Hi-Fi Cluster Chapters 11-18 story & art by Ippei  Goto  Review

                In this final stretch of chapters, Cluster is charging forward at full force (until the last chapter where it gives some sort of vaguely optimistic, tonally jarring epilogue). As of this writing it is unclear if Cluster will leave any sort of impact on manga readers in the west let alone be remembered. I’m going to lean towards no for both. Although there seems to be forthcoming series replicating the failed formula. There really is little to say about the manga itself beyond that. It had a neat concept and had some compelling moments but, ultimately, wasn’t long for the world. It is a short read, though, and while flawed  it is also entertaining so if you have a means of reading it in its entirety and have yet to do so I recommend  giving it a read.