Pet Shop of Horrors by Matsuri Akino

Ahoy,

So, I'm back in action again on the manga front! Now, if I could only find some new anime series to watch and review... Anyway, I'm happy to start reviewing a series that is new to me, though in reality it's actually a pretty old series - I just completely bypassed it because it's a "horror" manga. Anyway, I'll begin. 

'Pet Shop of Horrors' is a horror manga series by Matsuri Akino, consisting of 41 chapters and an additional follow-up story that was released in 2008. The series first appeared in 1995 and ran through 1998. (Yes, I know I read a lot of 90's manga, usually considered the worst, but I think it's my true age showing through that I read so much of it!) 'Pet Shop of Horrors' follows the whereabouts and happenings at the eccentric pet store ran by the even more eccentric Count D. Count D's pet shop appears to be an average pet store with dogs, cats, and other typical animals, but when strange disappearances are linked to purchases at his store, the police becomes involved. The chapters show different encounters with Count D's customers and the unusual and rare pets he sells, as well as the unlikely friendship between Count D and the officer recruited for his case. As his officer attempts to catch Count D red handed knowingly selling dangerous pets, he begins to see that Count D is one of the most enigmatic people he will ever meet. 

I'm only about halfway through the series, but I was very impressed with it's unique story line. However, I'm not impressed with the artwork, which looks like the general 90's style of manga character sketches. I don't like to judge a manga series entirely on its artwork, so I'll say that the storyline is definitely strong enough to ignore the artwork. One of my favorite aspects of the manga is that most of the animals in Count D's shop appear to be human, which plays around with the question of what distinguishes animals from us at all. It's really a very intriguing series and I highly recommend it!

Read it here: http://manga.animea.net/pet-shop-of-horrors.html

And, now I'm off to enjoy summer away from the computer screen! ;)

Best, 

Pseudonymous Jayne 

Gravitation by Maki Murakami

Hello again,

So, look who's getting back on schedule here? I have been having such a good week, though to be honest I  still haven't been reading very much manga, and especially not watching any anime. I did catch up on some of the series I've reviewed though, since quite a few of them had new chapters released last month. This week I'm diving into the past for my manga review and picking one of the first manga series I ever read. In my opinion it's one of the best manga series made because it includes music, drama, romance, and it's hilarious. So, without further ado I'll introduce 'Gravitation' by Maki Murakami.

'Gravitation' is the story of Shuichi Shindou and his band who are on their way to becoming music icons, while also following the exploits of Shuichi in his attempts to make famous romance novelist, Eiri Yuki, fall in love with him. Shuichi and Yuki could not be more opposite, as Shuichi is a charismatic jokester and Yuki is harsh and cruel. The manga is both serious and comically ridiculous as it includes a lot of typical shonen-ai qualities, but also quirky additions like panda robots, machine gun femme fatales, and spontaneous nose bleeds. The story is also heavily rooted in the romance between Shuichi and Yuki, who are known for their majestic and sometimes painfully one sided gay romance, as Yuki cruelly plays with Shuichi's infatuation.

When I first read this manga, I was not impressed with the art. It looked rushed and in the old style of manga from the 90's. However, as I read more volumes, he art improved as did the unusually compelling storyline. I was definitely more interested in the romance between Shuichi and Yuki, because at that time I didn't realize my favorite genre was shoujo... but, the rest of the plot still kept me interested to keep reading. I don't think this manga is for everyone, as it takes itself a little too seriously or just not at all. The series ended in 2002, but new chapters are released for a sequel series called 'Gravitation Zero' or 'Gravitation EX'. The original series even has an OVA anime, which is supposed to be pretty good, though I didn't enjoy it as much as the manga.

Read 'Gravitation' here: http://manga.animea.net/gravitation.html

Best wishes,
Pseudonymous Jayne :)