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>Review based on the first volume.


I've been thinking about buying this manga because the story sounded interesting and the cover art was cool. I borrowed it from a friend first to preview it, and I'm sure glad I did!

Though the art was nice, the plot wasn't as clean. I'm sorry if I'm being demanding, but when I see these thieves risking incarceration and spending tons of money to steal a pen? I want a better answer than "Well, we do it because we like making people smile! :D".

Props to the author for making the techie one of the hot guys, though. I mean, without the ... stereotypical glasses or "bookish" look. I had been totally calling the guy to be the "Hot-Headed Romantic Rival" type (and although that's probably what he's going to be later... he can build spy planes! He has a tool kit! WHEE! xD)

I really wouldn't suggest buying this book. Save yourself the trouble and go find something good. ^.^

Gaba Kawa is the story of a young demon girl’s search for love. Rara, sent to Earth to cause nothing but mischief, finds herself falling in love with a hot human boy. So begins her wacky attempts to worm her way into Retsu Aku’s heart.

This would be your normal romantic comedy except for one very important factor: whenever demons use their powers to help humans, they lose that power. Lose enough and the demon will disappear entirely! This brings up a question that every true shojo heroine must answer for herself: Is true love worth dying for?

Overall, I really liked this book. The characters were ... cute and entertaining. While it sometimes strayed from total believability (come on, it’s a story about a love-struck demon!) I’m glad I bought it, and I plan to check out more from Rie Takada. If not for one small problem, I’d slap 5 stars on this baby and call it a day.

Since this is a one-volume series, the main question for me was: does it end well? Too often do I see short series scramble to wrap up everything in the last chapter. Unfortunately, Gaba Kawa falls victim to this. Instead of being a fitting conclusion to a funny series, it seems rushed and not very thought out. Gaba Kawa is a manga that just misses being “Great” and is instead regulated to merely “Good”.

If you’re in the mood for a quick read with cute characters, this is the one for you.

If you’re in the mood for something that you’ll want to read again and again… look elsewhere, my friend.

>Review is based on first book in the series.


The first thing you have to know about O-Parts Hunter is this: it’s essentially the zany union of Dragon Ball and Naruto. Like Dragon Ball, it features a young girl on a quest (Ruby Crescent) accompanied by her younger protector (Jio Freed). Like Naruto, the young boy is possessed by an ancient and terrible evil. But while most copy-cats are destined to lurk in the shadows of their source material, O-Parts Hunter rises to the challenge.

Originally called “666 Satan” in Japan, the story follows two kids, Ruby and Jio, as they search for the “Legendary O-Part”. Their ... motivations are very different: Ruby wants to fulfill her father’s dream, while Jio unapologetically states his goal is “World Domination”. Their partnership is both a blessing and a curse for our plucky heroine.

On the one hand, Jio is incredibly strong. Showing all the usual shonen-hero luck and resourcefulness, he manages to save the day just in the nick of time. On the other hand, the demon that possesses this boy is a bloodthirsty monster. Naruto’s Kyuubi looks like a tame kitten in comparison. The devil inside Jio seems determined to destroy anything the boy ever loves, and he frequently gains control of his host to do so.

What I liked most about the story was comparing it to other books, and seeing where they differed. Jio grows up ostracized just like Naruto, but reacts to it in a very different way. Ruby’s resemblance to Bulma seems like an intentional homage—she even has the blue hair!— and she serves well to move the plot along without being too annoying. Even after reading just the first volume, I was already invested in the future of our little hunter duo. As far as shonen series go, this is one to look out for!

>Review is based on the first book in the series


I’m a big fan of Her Majesty’s Dog, so when Bound Beauty (also by Mick Takeuchi) came out last September I went to buy it. Unfortunately, if this first volume is any indication of the rest of the series, I won’t be buying the rest.

Bound Beauty starts off by introducing us to the main character, Chiyako, who can see a person’s “Red String of Fate”. You know, the threads that tie you to your soul mate? Chiyako is making a killing with her “Love Fortunes”, and it turns out that some people don’t like that. It’s ... never satisfactory explained why theses people don’t want her fortune telling, only that they don’t. The important part of this is that her confrontations with the trio of men (Hirotsuna, Akeo, and Aya) lead her to discover a special spool of thread in Akeo’s basement.

Through an illogical bunch of twists and turns, Chiyako ends of the master of another mysterious power: she controls the white thread Shirogane. But for every gift there is a price: the thread that tied Chiyako to her “most precious something” is broken. Conveniently, Chiyako wanted to grow up more than anything else. So, for the rest of the book we get chibi-Chiyako.

Except, of course, when she uses Shirogane. Suddenly she’s back to her normal size (and also naked), which begs the question: If Chiyako can be reunited with her “most precious something” when she uses her power, then why don’t the other guys get that chance?

This book annoyed me with the plot holes and a confusing story. I found myself flipping to the back for footnotes almost constantly, which really hampered the reading experience. Chiyako herself was puzzling because she was OOC half the time, or reacted in ways no normal human would. I wouldn’t recommend this book.