Category: Reviews

Manga of the Month: Bartender

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Bartender (バーテンダー) by Araki Joh and Kenji Nagatomo

hisui_icon_4040 I swore at some point in time I had written up Bartender as a Manga of the Month. I just can’t find any record of that ever happening. It might have been one of the early Manga of the Month posts that were lost to the mists of time (and maybe an obscure corner of the Wayback Machine) or it just might be that I have REALLY BAD memory. Either way since the current iteration of the blog does not have any such post it is time to correct that oversight no matter how it occurred.

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Manga of the Month: Limit

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Limit (リミット) by Keiko Suenobu

narutaki_icon_4040 The precarious balance of power that governs high school is taken for a dark and tragic ride in Keiko Suenobu’s Limit.

After a bus accident strands a few surviving high school girls in the woods, their vow to find help and get out the mountainous region quickly becomes a regime of suspicion and fear. Each person is tested when lies, jealously, and bullying weigh on them as each one is confronted with their choices and pasts.

Konno is a girl who quickly conformed to the high school scene to be accepted and in turn she pushed down others like bookish Kamiya and isolated Morishige. The tables are turned when surviving their ordeal becomes of paramount importance. Retribution is a tricky business and as is a redemption that may never come. Every girl has a story to tell and learning about each other pushes some closer and other further apart.

Despite the violent and often hopeless nature of Limit, it also works to create bonds and just a glimmer of hope at key moments. The affects others actions have on those around them and the devastation of high school life is on full display. A tense read for sure as you wait with bated breath for the next twist in their hope for survival.

~ kate

Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya #010: King of Magical Girls! Do you have enough swords?

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hisui_icon_4040 Well that was slightly shorter than I expected but that might just be a case of the KISS principle in effect (and not that Illya and Miyu dance to Rock and Roll All Nite at the end.) The original Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya was fairly short so it’s probably better that they just let the series run only 10 episodes with a minimal amount of filler rather than trying to stretch 10 episodes into 13.

It reminds me of a time when people complained about filler for filler’s sake and unnecessary stalling for ongoing series.  Anime fans were always asking for shorter seasons and breaks between them. Now that budgets have made it that series tend to be shorter and more often cut into multiple seasons with gaps in between I see more complaining about series being shorter.

I guess it just proves no matter which way you choose, you lose.
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