Edgar Colt

Vitor Miguel

Prisma Soulstorm

Serena

Jordan

Bruna Guedes

Husain Kothari

FRNK

Uendi Prifti

Abdul Hasib

Loughlin Sullivan

Delaney Knopp

Aishiteruze Baby is a shojo series that revolves around the life of Kippei Katakura, a popular high-school playboy who suddenly finds himself the surrogate parent of his 5-year-old cousin, Yuzuyu Sakashita, when her mother disappears.Kippei has a lot to figure out, like what to make for Yuzuyu's lunch and how to drop her off at kindergarten while still getting to high school on time. Kippei is enjoying his time with Yuzuyu, but not everyone is happy about it. The girls at school miss their quality time with Kippei, and one decides to play dirty to get him back.

I was one of those girls who said, “I don’t like Shoujo because it is too predictable. There may be a few good things, but it’s mostly blah. Shonen, on the other hand, is exciting despite its cliché.” Truth be told, I really do like most Shonen. As for Shoujo, I’ve liked maybe 2-3 manga while I haven’t been impressed by most. Before writing off this genre, I decided to read one last Shoujo, Fruits Basket. After all, it is a classic example of the genre. Clearly I have been reading the wrong books, because I loved FB.Sure, the description is laughable. Granted, the first few chapters are chock full of clichés and quite predictable. However, this manga slowly takes a turn and manages to grow on you. It would have been easy to make this a comedy by focusing on the day to day life of the characters, a la Ranma ½, but Natsuki Takaya does a great job in creating a psychological story.I loved that the characters are all unique and well developed. The backstories showed how their personalities evolved and what made them as they are. Almost all of them had a difficult past, yet they grew up to be strong. Overall, it is an inspiring read with a lot of darkness and subtle metaphors. You might dislike it in the beginning (I did too), but somewhere in the middle it starts to become amazing. Definitely worth a read!

When her only friend, Makiko, accidentally offends F4 leader Tsukasa, Tsukushi boldly defends her. Enraged, Tsukasa puts the dreaded red tag in Tsukushi's locker — a sign that she is now a target for the abuse of the F4 gang and the entire school. But when Tsukushi fights the gang with their own weapon, Tsukasa finds himself falling for her!

I think I finally reached the point where I had to stop to read “Fruits Basket”. My inner teen is very happy to continue reading now. *lol* Especially because after all those years I really want to know if Akito is really that bad. XD \
  Highlights of this volume:\
”I’m sorry. I spoke without thinking. I was happy, too… that you spoke to me. Really.”I totally dig Uo-chan and Kureno’s love story. But urgh that ending! Please tell me everything is going to be alright!?! (view spoiler)[I can’t believe he’s working for Akito?! Is he another one of the zodiac? And if yes, which zodiac sign is he?! Well, at least it would explain why he never got out of his house even though he’s 26 already. Gosh, I hate Akito!!! I hope Akito didn’t hurt Kureno as well. =(( (hide spoiler)]

Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he's just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he's employed in her little shop--a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience Most of Yuuko's customers live in Japan, but Yuko and Watanuki are about to have some unusual visitors named Sakura and Syaoran from a land called Clow. . . . XXXHolic volume one "crosses over with "Tsubasa volume one "Don't miss it "Includes special extras after the story Includes chapters 1-8

All-around average teenager Tsukune can't get accepted to any high school save one...but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn't appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can't wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec'--are those her teeth around his neck too...? Tsukune's going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn't between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Young Mikan runs away to Tokyo following her best friend, Hotaru, who has been enrolled in an exclusive, secretive private school for geniuses. But it turns out that there is a lot more to Alice Academy than meets the eye. If Mikan wants to stay by Hotaru's side, she has to both pass the strange "entrance exam" and face the even greater challenge of befriending her very odd new classmates. Whether it's Hotaru's gift for inventing gadgets, the cranky Natsume's fire-casting ability, or Professor Narumi's control of human pheromones, everyone at the school has some sort of special talent. But what ability, if any, does Mikan possess? Mikan is going to have to rely on her courage and spunk if she's going to stay in school, or even stay alive!

AT LAST, YOU'LL HEAR MY VOICEMei Tachibana was once filled with anxiety over her blossoming relationship with popular boy Yamato Kurosawa. Would she know what to do in a romantic relationship? How would she deal with rivals like Aiko and Megumi, while handling her own insecurities? Mei's managed to get over her fears with Kai's help, but now Kai has an unexpected confession to make that might throw everything back into doubt...

Not wishing to cause a scandal within the Joneses' household, Emma chooses to make a clean break from her old life and takes a train to the sea. As chance would have it, Emma finds herself sharing a car with another maid, who serves at a large manor in the country. A big house bustling with servants seems an ideal place at which to move forward after losing her mistress and leaving her love back in London. Learning the precise dance of domestic service in her new environment is a welcome challenge, but how long can hard work divert Emma's mind from the longing of her heart?

[This is a review of the whole series.]We sometimes encounter things—moments, vistas, sounds, ideas—that wholly disarm us. Things that slide so neatly between our hope for the world and our experience of the world that our rational mind is sheared momentarily from the engine of our dreams, that part of us that fuels and crafts desires, longings, hopes, and wishes. We sometimes encounter things that divorce us from the corrupting coolness of reason and leave us in a state, however temporary, of unblemished joy. These things are treasures. These things give us a glimpse of What May Have Been and sometimes even What Could Someday Be. These things are rare and wonderful.And sometimes these things are books.Yotsuba&amp;! is one of these sources of magic for me. And, I suspect, for a great number of others as well. Kiyohiko Azuma’s series is an unexpected pleasure. Even if one approaches the work with the knowledge that Yotsuba&amp;! bubbles forth as a fountain of joyfulness, this little girl’s nature and adventures will still surprise in how purely they deliver one into this momentary Other Place.Plainly put, Yotsuba&amp;! is one of my favorite reading experiences of all time and the only one to so wholly transport me into a world of smiles and laughter.Azuma’s story concerns a strange young girl—a five-year-old with green hair and pigtails—and the way she interacts with the world about her. (Her name, Yotsuba, means four-leaf and refers conveniently enough to the way she wears her green hair in four distinct pigtails.) While there is always some exploration of the outside world, the book primarily revolves around Yotsuba’s interactions with her father, Koiwai, and her next-door neighbours and their three daughters.Plot descriptions, of course, cannot remotely approach conveying any sense of why these stories are such a joy. Really, they have to be experienced firsthand to fully apprehend their power to carve out so magical a world, but here: let me at least try.Yotsuba’s sense of wonder in the way she approaches an environment with which she apparently has had no experience is astonishing in its guilelessness. Yotsuba brims with enthusiasm and the pleasure with which she takes on each new experience leaves us breathless as that enthusiasm spreads. Her father is consistently amused by her naïveté and her neighbours are never certain what exactly to make of her. And yet, she really does inspire affection in everyone she encounters.Again, my descriptions can only serve as a diminishment to what pleasures are actually found in the book. I am entirely out of my depth to sound out Yotsuba&amp;!'s charms, but perhaps we should just leave it at this: whenever a new volume arrives in the mail, I curl up comfortably with my wife, finding the best lighting possible under such snuggly conditions, and I read each chapter to her aloud, trying to muster in my own voice the clear enthusiasm in Yotsuba’s own.And then we both smile a lot.______________________It should be noted that there are two English translations available. ADV Manga held the license for Yotsuba&amp;! for a number of years but as the manga bubble burst due to over saturation and ADV experienced its own problems that from the outside simply looked like poor business management, the company let slip the license to publish the book in America. Yen Press thankfully picked it up and has been publishing ever since, both taking on the new volumes and republishing their own translations of the previously released volumes.While I am very thankful that due to Yen Press’ work, Yotsuba&amp;! is still available to readers today, I really did prefer ADV’s translation. While I don’t speak or read Japanese, it looks like Yen Press’ translation is probably more faithful to the original language, retaining honorifics such and -san and -chan. That’s good and I applaud their fidelity, but as a reader, ADV’s work just flows better and breathes more life into Yotsuba and her supporting cast. While the books are still greatly enjoyable, whenever I read the books out loud, I find myself translating from Yen Press’ English into ADV’s on the fly. It’s tiring, but it makes for an altogether better experience for readers/listeners.[review courtesy of Good Ok Bad]

Takasu Ryuuji begins his second year of high school trying to look his best. However, there is one thing that torments him: despite his gentle personality he has inherited his gangster father's intimidating eyes, which often leads to misunderstandings by his classmates. But all that is about to change, on the first day of the new school term he accidentally bumps into the most dangerous being in school - Aisaka Taiga, also known as the Palmtop Tiger. Despite her diminutive appearance, Taiga has a very negative attitude and has left a "bloody trail" wherever she goes, hence her nickname.After his unfortunate encounter with Taiga, Ryuuji does his best to avoid her. Yet by chance he discovers that Taiga has a crush on his best friend Kitamura Yuusaku, while Taiga finds out about his crush on her best friend Kushieda Minori. And so Taiga decides to let Ryuuji help her hook up with Kitamura as her "personal servant", and in return, Taiga will help Ryuuji get closer to Minori.Due to Ryuuji's obsession with cleanliness and the close proximity of Taiga's apartment block, besides sleeping, Taiga ends up spending most of her time at Ryuuji's place. Over time, Ryuuji witnesses a side of Taiga that people normally don't see, and their relationship becomes so close that rumours begin to spread about whether they are going out as a couple.Thus begins the clash between the Tiger and the Dragon - Toradora!

\
  Ryuji Takasu has learned the hard way that appearances can be deceiving. Despite his inwardly sweet personality, his unintentionally sharp gaze and aggressive features give him the air of a delinquent thug, putting his chances at making friends, let alone a girlfriend, next to zero.It’s Ryuji’s first day in junior high school and it seems as if things are looking up. He gets to sit in between his only friend, Yusaku, and, more importantly, the girl he’s secretly crushing on, Minori Kushieda. But just when he thinks the stars are aligned in his favor, he unwittingly crosses the most feared girl in school, Taiga Aisaku, making her into his arch enemy. To top it off, Taiga has moved in right next door to Ryuji and happens to be Minori’s best friend! Can this school year possibly get any worse?!\


A strong-willed high school girl and a hot, young scion of a business empire can’t help wanting to outwit each other every chance they get… But could these opposites be conning themselves out of the perfect match?!After her older sister refuses to go to an arranged marriage meeting with Takane Saibara, the heir to a vast business fortune, high schooler Hana Nonomura agrees to be her stand-in to save face for the family. But when Takane and Hana pair up, get ready for some sparks to fly between these two utter opposites! Hana’s scores on her proficiency test are dismal, and everyone around her, including her teacher, blames her new love life! Hana adamantly denies that to be the cause and vows to study hard to do better on her finals. But when Takane storms in to tutor her, will his help actually prove to be more of a distraction?

身寄りのない中村詩春(16歳)の、将来の夢は保育士さん！ 夢を叶えるため保育園でアルバイト三昧だが、訳あって双子のベビーシッターをすることに。バイト先は爽やかが売りのTVアナウンサー・松永政ニの家だが…!?

This was an amazing read. I think the manga is the best version of the story, but I want to give the anime and tv series based on the manga a chance as well. In this volume, I love Kyoko and her determination. Although she thought about giving up, when she saw Shou, it refueled her passion. Although, she wants to take revenge on someone (which I really do not think is right), I feel in Kyoto’s situation, it is okay. I can’t wait to see what happens to the Love Me Section in the upcoming volumes. Also, I love the characters besides Shou. The ending was fantastic. Can't wait to read Volume 3 and I hope it keeps getting better. Overall, an incredible read.

\
  "If it is with Ayuzawa, whatever I do, wherever I am, I am happy. So it's okay."\
 Maid-sama is about a girl named Misaki who is the president of Seika High. Her family is going through a rough time, financially, and in order to help out, she decides to work as a maid in a restaurant. It was all a secret, up until the most popular guy in school named Usui, discovers this. He catches interest in Misaki and new bonds and relationships arise.  \
  "That's exactly the way it should be. Doing only unexpected things, otherwise, I'll lose my reputation as a perverted outer-space human."\
 The adventures that Usui and Misaki have to go through are getting better and better as the volumes go by. I had so much fun reading this and there were so many swoon-worthy moments. It was sweet, funny and I had a great time reading this! I can't wait to read more, the chapters go by so fast, it takes about 10 minutes to finish the whole volume.  Their bond just keeps getting stronger and stronger and I just love it. I love seeing the character development and comparing their lives from when it was before they met each other. I can't imagine a life Misaki would have without Usui in it. It would've been a cycle of the same thing over and over again. And Usui changed Misaki in a way too.  The manager is so nice, when i get a job, I hope that I have someone like her as a manager. She is so nice and understanding. She is one of the easygoing characters that I love and thinks exactly what I am thinking. She is also very funny! But I hate Kankou, he is so annoying. (I think that is how you spell his name but I am not sure. He is the president of a rich high school) I highly recommend this to anyone who watched the anime. This is so much fun to read, it's like you are re-watching the anime. If you haven't read any manga yet, this is a great one to start off with. It is funny and unique, you will love it, even though it isn't realistic :) If you have read manga and want to read another one, you should definitely pick this one! I am going to read the next volume and I will be back as soon as I finish!

After orphan Teru Kurebayashi loses her beloved older brother, she finds solace in the messages she exchanges with DAISY, an enigmatic figure who can only be reached through the cell phone her brother left her. Meanwhile, mysterious Tasuku Kurosaki always seems to be around whenever Teru needs help… Could DAISY be a lot closer than Teru thinks? Discovering DAISY's true identity not only shocks Teru but makes things more confusing for her as well. Meanwhile, someone pretending to be DAISY threatens to spread a computer virus at school! But who's the true target of this attack?

¡¡¡¿¿¿Cómo que solo queda un tomo más???!!!Voy a llorar, lo juró, finalmente Misa y Usui dierón un paso tan gigante que argh!!! argh!!, el mejor tomo de todos (hasta el momento) y ese "nuevo" rival me tiene de :O Es muy dificil contar todo lo que quiero sin hacer spoiler :(

Please note: reads right to left (Japanese Style) Sachie Wakamura just lost her mother, and her estranged grandfather has shown up to take care of her. The only problem is that grandpa is the head of a yakuza gang! Too scared to join her new family, Sachie tries to continue living her normal life. She can't run far though, since one of the most popular guys in school is part of her grandfather's gang and her new protector. No one at school knows about Rakuto's hidden life, and soon Sachie finds herself falling for her bodyguard. But she's the granddaughter of Rakuto's boss, and he can never show his feelings for her. Can Sachie find a way to fit into her new family and grab her chance at love?

Can high school delinquent Mafuyu clean up her act and still kick some butt?!Mafuyu is the no-nonsense, take-charge and hard-hitting leader of her high school gang. But when she gets expelled for being a delinquent, her mother, fed up with her daughter’s wayward ways, sends Mafuyu to an isolated school far off in the country.Mafuyu is heading home for the weekend to get some much-needed TLC. But neither her mom nor her hometown seem to be in the mood for a warm welcome. Trying to walk off the weird feelings, Mafuyu and some of her old East High comrades are caught in a trap set by the gang from West High! Can she help her former friends without compromising her fresh start?

TasteDive Official

Raven Sparrow

I'm going through my second childhood enjoying graphic novels (anime/manga). Actually I'm only interested in the ones which are cultural or historical. The second installment of A Bride's Story is better than the first story wise. It delves more into the cultural and historical setting of the story than the first book. Mr. Smith (no relation) who is an a young British researcher/anthropologist and is a guest of Karluk and Amir's family is more visible this time in the story. In the first book I wondered who is this blonde guy with glasses and how does he fit into the story? He just pops up a few times in book one. At the end of the book the author once again writes an interesting afterword of the what, when, and why aspects of the novel. Karluk and Amir's story ends as Mr. Smith rides off to another town in Central Asia to continue his research and thus another bride's story will begin. The A Bride's Story series is made up of multiple books. It's possible I might read more of them though none of the libraries here in Georgia have any volumes beyond book two in the series.

Going home for his grandfather's funeral, thirty-year-old bachelor Daikichi is floored to discover that the old man had an illegitimate child with a younger lover! The rest of his family is equally shocked and embarrassed by this surprise development, and not one of them wants anything to do with the silent little girl, Rin. In a fit of angry spontaneity, Daikichi decides to take her in himself! But will living with this overgrown teenager of man help Rin come out of her shell? And hang on, won't this turn of events spell doom for Daikichi's love life?!

A new shonen sensation in Japan, this series features Monkey D. Luffy, whose main ambition is to become a pirate. Eating the Gum-Gum Fruit gives him strange powers but also invokes the fruit's curse: anybody who consumes it can never learn to swim. Nevertheless, Monkey and his crewmate Roronoa Zoro, master of the three-sword fighting style, sail the Seven Seas of swashbuckling adventure in search of the elusive treasure "One Piece."

Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a gang of boys who try to save the world.Failed rock musician Kenji's memories of his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.

books

Active tastebuds