What I read in January: Digest Version (3 of 4)

I had a dream one night that someone rescued an unfinished title I liked and started publishing the next volume due instead of wasting time and money and testing fan patience and memory by going all the way back to the beginning.  Then I woke up and wanted to cry because it was just a dream.

b Himeyuka and Rozione's Story: I like this author's art a lot, but the storytelling isn't up to par with the art.  A collection of odd and sometimes touching (and/or confusing) stories.

b HunterxHunter 10: Oh, Gon.  You're walking that razor edge, and that's one of the reasons I adore your quirky shonen series.  Killua is definitely a sociopath, but his experiences with you may pull him to the hero side some day, as long as you don't fall off the wagon into sociopath territory yourself . . .

b Invisible Boy 1-2: If there is a polar opposite of Seiho Boys' High School, this is it.  Sweet and melancholy and wispy set of short stories about a bunch of guys at an elite boys' boarding school.  Frustrating because there is no real resolution to anything.  It's like incomplete slice of life that begs for more time.

b Kekkaishi 24: I still love it.  This book had a lot of build-up in both plot and characters.  I do hope the series ends well because I want these threads to weave something strong and beautiful.

o Madness 2: Well, that certainly deserved its MA rating.Um, I really can't recommend this one to most folks because the content is just appalling.

b Maison Ikkoku 13: Painfully slow, awkward, full of miscommunications, and really wonderful.  I do adore this series.  How does he get in these situations?  He gets taken advantage of, grumbles and complains, and mostly does the right things, except when it comes to clearly communicating with the one he loves.  Reading this is like watching some of my real-life friends stagger around in the morass of relationships.

o Monkey High 6-8: Well, yes.  That's over.  It had its cute moments, but it really got sort of boring, conventional, and by-the-numbers at the end there. 

b Natsume's Book of Friends 2, 5: Oh, Natsume, I love you and all your awkwardness.  I love your weird yokai and your isolated and lonely protagonist and the painful process of reconnecting to others (or deciding against it).  This volume could be called Natsume makes a friend who almost gets him killed.  This episode was darned scary in the anime, which I wish will someday be released to DVD, so I can buy it.  Until then, there's Crunchyroll for you tech-savvy folks.

Will I catch up with January before May hits?  Stay tuned.