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When I picked up this manga I really didn't expect much, I haven't read manga in a while so I decided to do some light reading, something with no real plot and some ecchi to spend the time. Browsing through the adult section, this particular title caught my eye. BDSM in western culture is generally viewed as very dark and inhumane. While in Japan, there are practices such as shibari, a rope bondage, that is considered as art. It was a topic that I wasn't very familiar with and wanted to know more about.

After a bit of reading, I was heavily mistaken. What I expected ... to be some perverted, nonsensical, easy read manga, turned out to be one of the best romance story I've ever read. I guess I can understand why "Fifty Shades of Grey" was so popular. The concept of S&M is explained extremely well throughout the manga. The author does a very good job in depicting the physical and emotional aspect of the practice. But what really got me into the manga was the 2 main protagonists.

Kaoru and Nana are childhood friends that live next to each other and go to the same school. She is the perfect model student, good grades, good at sports, and the vice president of the student council all the while being praised for her good looks. Kaoru, on the other hand, is a failing student with his only passion being towards Nana and S&M. The relationship between the two is an awkward one. They used to be good friends but, after entering high school, Kaoru had a difficult time maintaining their friendship due to academical differences and differences in interest. That is until one day, Nana finds a leather piece used for bondage in Kaoru's room. Out of curiosity she tries it on and accidentally locks herself to the clothing that needs a key to open. With help from Kaoru she is able to get it off, but she finds enthrallment from wearing the leather piece. From then on, they start to develop a secret relationship as master and slave while trying to contain their true emotions from each other and from others.

Their methods gradually go deeper into the world of BDSM as their feelings for each other grow. She uses the practices as a "breather", a way of relieving stress, letting go of all her problems and letting Kaoru take full control. For Kaoru, he couldn't have asked for more. Being able to perform his beloved S&M to the girl he has always looked up to and secretly admired.

Stories of polar opposites attracting are nothing new, in fact, fairly common. Nana to Kaoru is no exception. When based strictly on romance there are tons of other better mangas. What makes Nana to Kaoru so special isn't the story of love between the two, but the way they portray their feelings for each other during their "breathers". During their breathers, it feels so real it feels so significant; the author makes you believe that S&M is the answer to all the problems. It is beautifully written and drawn capturing every emotion that makes you kind of want to try it out for yourself.

In conclusion, I loved this manga. I have not read anything like it before. I highly recommend it. I cannot wait until the next release and will be reading its somewhat sequel, "Nana to Kaoru: Black Label" the moment I get the chance. Whether or not you are a fan of BDSM, you will undoubtedly grow interest after reading this manga.

As an individual who visits a bar on a regular basis, this manga was a very interesting read: filled with information on a variety of cocktails, origins of liquor, and the relationship between a bartender and his/her customer. There is a sense of maturity (obviously it's about alcohol!) that will disregard the younger audience, however I think it's recommended for all ages.

After reading quite a bit of this manga, I went to my bartender with my newly acquired knowledge and we engaged in a full blown conversation about cocktails and the hardships of becoming a bartender. What I really like about this manga is ... the realism it ensues. It's an educational manga to say the least, you'll be surprised by how much you will learn about alcohol. It's a handy asset to have for social interactions.

The story is about a genius bartender, Sasakura Ryuu, known for his "Glass of God". He is an honorable young man who does not want money nor fame but to achieve perfection in the art of bartending. Throughout the story he works at different bars and at every place he is praised by the owner, his fellow co-workers, and the customers due to his kindness and his excellent skills as a bartender. He is a very likable character, always doing what is right, who is not afraid to admit his own mistakes.

The customers that visit his bar are usually feeling under the weather, something in their life has taken a turn for the worse. He serves them a drink along with a story like how the drink came to be, relating to the customers current situation he is able to give them hope. Sometimes, it back fires and he finds himself in a spot where he has offended the customer; but he does not hesitate to step up and deal with the problem head on.

Other than Sasakura Ryuu there aren't any other characters that leave a strong impression or have any major importance in this manga. Miwa Kurushima, for example, is the first customer introduced in the manga. She takes interest in Sasakura Ryuu and starts to visit his bar often. However, she has no real purpose, she just feels like another customer. They are good friends and help each other out in their time of need, but it didn't convince me enough that she plays a significant role.

Another issue I have with this manga is repetition. The manga follows this general line of events: a customer comes to his bar, Ryuu helps them with their problem along with a drink, rinse and repeat. I know it contradicts what I said, but by no means does it make this manga boring just a bit repetitive. There are other events that partake throughout the story but it feels more like fillers than anything.

This manga is an unpolished gem. It has the right idea with the art style and the overall setting, but it fails to keep things interesting. I find myself not being able to read more than 1 chapter at a time. Nonetheless, it is a manga that tries something different and as far as I'm concerned it works. An informative manga with a touch of slice-of-life. If you like alcohol or is interested in bartending definitely check this one out.

If you enjoy watching anime or even movies, you have had to heard of Spirited Away at least once. This masterpiece by Hayao Miyazaki, creator of other remarkable animations such as: Lupin III, Future Boy Conan, My Neighbor Totoro, Porco Rosso etc. is the most successful film in Japanese history. It topped Titanic which is an incredible feat and still lives on as one of the best films of our generation.


-Story- [10]
The movie begins with Chihiro, a sullen 10-year-old girl, moving into a new town with her family. On the way to their new house, they take a little detour into ... an abandoned amusement park that becomes alive at night with spirits as the visitors. While her parents are pigging out (quite literally) on one of the food stands, she decides to do a little exploring and runs into a mysterious young boy that warns her and tells her to run away. Confused by the whole situation our main protagonist goes back to her parents to find that they have turned into hungry, free loading pigs.

She is trapped in this uncanny place with nowhere to go and no one to trust except the mysterious boy that she has just met. He tells her that she has to work in order to stay as a human and leaves her with instructions on how to acquire a job. However that is easier said than done as she is lead to the owner of the bath house; an unforgiving witch who refuses to let Chihiro work. Constant begging accompanied with crying of a very large baby, she is able to convince the evil witch into giving her a job. Thus begins the magical journey of love, compassion, bravery, deception, hardship, and the will to never give up.

There really is nothing to hate about the story of Spirited Away. From start to finish, you follow Chihiro as she learns to be independent and grow into a capable young lady in this terrifying adult world. The story is simple for younger audiences to follow along while portraying a deeper meaning for an older audience to ponder about. Every time I watch this movie I find something new, nothing big, just an extra little detail that I may have not noticed or even cared about before. It's incredible how in depth the story actually is with countless morals and themes that are involved. I don't think I have ever seen such a pure and innocent love story. Definitely a better love story than Twilight, 10 out 10.


-Art/Sound- [10]-[10]
The art style and the animations are phenomenal. There is something happening on almost every single scene. The characters move and act so lifelike it's hard to believe that it has been over a decade since the film has been released. There are a plentyl of impressive set pieces you encounter that seems too "real" because of how natural everything is. Atsushi Okui, who was in charge of the cinematography, has really outdone himself in animating what Miyazaki has envisioned in his mind. It couldn't have been done any better - a solid 10 out of 10.

My favorite thing about this whole film is the musical score. The music works so incredibly well with the entire atmosphere and the setting; it might as well be a part of the dialogue itself. It is not too overwhelming, at the same time powerful enough, that no amount of dialogue is befitting to create the mood/emotion a scene can offer. Once again a perfect 10 out of 10 no arguments here.


-Character- [10]
The characters in Spirited Away are unique to say the least. Most of the characters in the film are spirits, you can easily identify them by their appearance. The spirits may look different from humans, however; they act and think in the same mannerisms as humans do. Only major difference beyond the looks would be that night is day for them since they are of course spirits. One of the more intersting spirit in the film is No-Face, a loner spirit who gains admission to enter the bath house by Chihiro.

The major characters are very well thought out and likable. Rin being one of them, is a loud mouth outgoing worker in the bath house that becomes Chihiro's aqcuintance and a mentor. She teaches Chihiro eveything from ground up and become a support for chihiro, making the whole situation a little less of a burden for our little heroine. The more important character would be Haku, the one I mentioned as "a mysterious young boy". He is the errand boy for the owner of the bath house, Yubaba, who helps Chihiro greatly in her ordeal. 10 out 10.


-Enjoyment- [10]
Why would I watch a single movie so many times if it wasn't enjoyable? Although I do have a tendency to rewatch a lot of movies (check out Shawshank Redemption, City of God, and How to Kill a Mockingbird if you haven't already). This movie will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. From astonishing visuals and audio to exceptional plot management, everything is done right. It's simply a bliss to watch that cannot be described in words. 10 out of 10.


-Overall- [10]
Now, I haven't criticized a single thing about this movie because it really has none. The only thing bad about it is that it ends. Even the dubs are done fantastically. I have watched it in Japanese, Korean, and English versions of the movie and it was perfect. All the voice actors fit their part and nothing was out of the ordinary. I've seen a great deal of excellent films but never a movie that makes you feel that no matter how old you are, there is a kid in all of us. A cinematic masterpiece such as this comes out every so often, Miyazaki has left us with another memory that will forever be engraved in our hearts.

I watched the first few episodes of this anime and couldn't get into it. It was only recently that I picked it up again and finished it on a single sitting. All I can say is that I loved it. It mainly takes place in a city named Roanapura, where the baddest of the bad come to drink, party, and spend their loot on some hookers and blow.

-Story- [7]
The story was a bit of a hit and miss for me. It revolves around the crew of Lagoon Company, more so a Japanese salaryman that gets kidnapped by the crew and later joins them. They are ... a group of pirates/mercenaries that are given missions that usually lead to dangerous tasks and becomes a fight to stay alive. What I didn't like about the story was that it left me asking questions that really seems should be answered, I won't get into detail in order to make it spoiler-free. But one major flaw in this anime would be the lack of progression in the storyline.

-Art/Sound- [10] - [9]
The production value of this anime was incredible. The fights were very well executed, from the gunfights to hand-to-hand combat.There isn't much to criticize about the art style or the sounds in this anime, it was fantastically done and really fit the gloomy setting of Roanapura. Oh and great opening!

-Character- [10]
This anime had an abundance of colorful characters. My favorite character was Balalaika, it was what made me watch this until the end. I wanted to know how she got into power, her past (burn marks), and the story behind Roanapura and its major powers: Hotel Moscow and the Hong Kong Triads. They somewhat explain the stories of the characters, but it left me wanting more. It seems to be the lacking feature of this anime, it constantly keeps the viewers wondering. They would go into a character but leave out a crucial information in what seems to be an attempt in keeping the character seem protective of its past. This is done in a lot of anime and I have no problem with this, but in this one; it seems as though every character has a dark past and remains in the dark since none of them is really explored.

-Enjoyment- [10]
Although there are some crucial flaws in this anime, like not describing their very well created characters, or the fact that it doesn't have a main plot, I still very much enjoyed this anime. The action covers up everything that lacks from character development to story telling. The humor in this anime is pretty dark, for instance playing rock paper scissors to decide which one can kill first, or the poor bartender who gets his bar blown up every time the infamous Lagoon Company visits. I found it incredibly humorous huehue.

-Overall- [9]
This is my current favorite anime, so why did I give it a 9/10? This anime has a really slow start, in the manga it starts with Rock already in the crew while in the anime Rock is kidnapped then joins the crew. They should have did it like the manga, it wasn't necessary at all and kind of boring. But get past that and you're in one hell of a ride.


Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage 10/10

Honestly this is where it started getting good. A little bit more character development and a sense of direction into the story. The characters start showing their true colors and you become immersed in the hell hole that is Roanapura.


Black Lagoon OVA: Roberta's Blood Trail 6/10

After I finished the series I was genuinely sad and wanted to see more of Ronanapura and Miss Balalaika's reign of terror. I'm not one to watch OVAs but this one I had to. Roberta's Blood Trail left me with nothing but disappointment, it was nothing that I wanted from the series, although some interesting characters make a reappearance. This one I would say is for the die hard fans out there. It isn't very long (5 episodes) so you can still watch it if you want, but don't expect much from it.