Legal Drug Omnibus review

Legal Drug Omnibus Story & Art by CLAMP Review

From the publisher: “Kudo Kazehaya’s name evokes the wind, which is given to warn him that one day he, too, might disappear. He almost thought his time had come—until he was rescued by the dark, handsome, and equally mysterious Himura Rikuo. Now they both reside where Rikuo works, the Green Drugstore, a place that dispenses not only medicine but the secret powers of both Rikuo and Kazehaya, as the pair embark on missions into the paranormal at the bidding of its strange proprietor, Kakei.”

                Dripping with fan service, Legal Drug proves to be well worth the purchase. Few pages will go by (especially in the final third) without the book dripping in gay subtext. Apart from that though, Legal Drug has plenty of CLAMP’s trademark imagination. Though it is disappointing that by book’s end no subplots were concluded.

                Thankfully there is a sequel on the horizon. Instead the book opts to introduce several new characters and disregard the main narrative altogether in the final third. The first two thirds of the book have plenty to offer as well though. Each character in the core cast is compelling in their own respect. Although notably missing in the final third is the two characters providing most of the fan service (not to mention the most interesting characters). All-in-all CLAMP’s Legal Drug was a fun read that is easy to recommend.

Honey Blood volume 1 review

Honey Blood volume 1 story & art by Miko Mitsuki Review

From the publisher: “When a girl at Hinata Sorazono’s school is attacked by what seems to be a bloodsucking vampire, everyone is on edge and wonders who’s next. Hinata refuses to believe that vampires even exist, but then she meets her new neighbor, Junya Tokinaga, the author of an incredibly popular vampire romance novel. Dressed in a kimono with an old-world air about him, Junya has a taste of Hinata’s blood and tells her it’s sweet... Hinata can’t help but be drawn to Junya, but could it be that he’s actually a vampire—and worse yet, the culprit behind the attacks?!”

Retreading several ideas from the supernatural romance subgenre, Honey Blood manages to be both dull and forgettable. It introduces no new ideas and is subpar with the already existing ones. That said the final pages bring with them some promise. However as this series has one other main volume left (the third is supposedly just one-shots and other extras) I do not foresee there being much payoff.

The problem romance novels face is giving the audience a reason to care about their characters and this one gives little. Both leads are rather standard of the genre with little about them being compelling especially the heroine. The male lead also falls into several tropes. All-in-all Honey Blood is a boring read and offers nothing new and will most likely be forgotten moments after being read. 

elDLIVE Chapters 2 & 3 review

elDLIVE Chapters 2 & 3 Story & Art by Akira Amano Review

Seeing as this may very well be the last review I do for elDLIVE I might as well do nothing remotely different with it. Kidding (?) aside I enjoy reading this series each week. My one complaint is that this length of a read on a weekly basis is difficult to keep up with. That being said the artwork is gorgeous! Akira Amano makes use of colour to superb effect.  It is nice to see a potential overarching narrative for the series. The art feels a touch rough at times though. All-in-all elDLIVE has been a pleasure to read and I hope we get to see more in the future!

World Trigger Chapters 77-79 review

World Trigger chapters 77-79 Story & Art by Daisuke Ashihara Review

The most notable aspect about this set of chapters is the chapter with unfinished artwork. This sort of threw the series off balance for me. After much dragging in the plot we have finally reached a turning point for the series! I feel it is worth noting that the cast of thousands aspect of the series continues to make it frustrating to follow. This should be a pivotal moment but I’ll be darned if I can keep track of characters at this point!

Nisekoi Chapters 141-143 review

Nisekoi chapters 141-143 story & art by Naoshi Komi Review

Little continues to be accomplished for the majority of this set of chapters. Though in the third of the group Onodera and Raku’s romance progresses slightly. Truthfully despite the relative progress in a side plot the series is rather unrelenting with just how little it accomplishes despite being given so much time to do it. It’s almost depressing. Nisekoi continues to be a painful read in this clump of chapters if you see a glimmer of hope in this like me you may want to continue otherwise perhaps just wait until the series finishes and skip the extraneous filler chapters to finish it up. 

My Kitty and Old Dog Chapters 1-25 review

 My Kitty and Old Dog Chapters 1-25 Story & Art by Cho Review

From the publisher: “Nang-Nak, an old poodle with blurred eyesight, and an adorable kitten, Soondae, love their owners whom they are loyal to. Here are the episodes of the mature dog and the energetic young kitten that always wait for their owners to give them love and affection.”

               

My Kitty and Old Dog is basically a series of vignettes about pets and their owners. Some are tragic, others are heart-warming. The chapters are very short even given the nature of the content so even sampling a chapter would not take too much time. Some of the more tragic stories feel at odds for the potential audience this would appeal mostly too. The art when applicable is nice. The webtoon plays like a sort of biography. So in conclusion My Kitty and Old Dog is off to a decent start and I am curious to see where it goes.

Blue Exorcist Chapter 61 review

Blue Exorcist Chapter 61 Story & Art by Kazue Kato Review

This chapter is gorgeously drawn. It has become increasingly clear how talented Kazue Kato is as an artist. Content wise this chapter has more substance than the previous. Culminating in a psychological battle which in turn leads to a poetic, if tragic, conclusion. That is not to say the last chapter was not necessary as it emotionally built up the tragedy which unfolds. It is just that this is probably the better of the two chapters visually as well as emotionally. If I could make one complaint it is that this arc’s villain is a cartoon even by cartoon’s standards and is not terribly compelling. Otherwise this chapter was fantastic!