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PrettyKitty20034's Manga

take a look at PrettyKitty20034's Anime

This category applies to those titles in which I was reading/collecting that have been dropped by the publisher or just left stranded after a publisher bit the dust. =(

On hold titles▲▼Comment▲▼
50 Rules for Teenagers (manhwa)I read the one volume that ADV printed and it did seem promising. It follows a teen girl who lives with her father and two brothers. I was annoyed that the bulk of the housework and childcare duties fell to the only girl child, while her perfectly capable older brother was catered to hand and foot. This seemed to change by the end of the volume as our heroine has had enough and puts his useless ass to work. I would have liked to see how it all turned out, but the chances of someone rescueing this are slim to nil.
Apothecarius Argentum (manga)This one starts out slow with a more episodic storyline and begins to show signs of a larger plot at around volume 2. I was initially put off by volume one as I like a more involved plot, but I decided to try it again and read farther. I'm glad I did, as this is an excellent story. Both the plot and the characters are well written and developed. Yamashita manages to flesh out her world, introducing more characters and countries along with political intrigue. I'm really sad that I only got to read 8 out of 11 volumes as volume 8 ends in the midst of a lot happening. I only hope that someday some company rescues this gem and completes it, as it was one of the better titles in CMX's catalog.
By the Sword (manga)This reminded me alot of Matoh's other fantasy series, "Tenryu: the Dragon Cycle", except the art in "By the Sword" is a bit more polished. They share a lot of the same plot elements as well, and the story for both can be summarized as "party of characters goes on a quest", which is like a fantasy cliche at this point. ADV only published two of the three volumes for this series, and based on what I read, I'm not clamoring for anyone to relicense "By the Sword". It's mediocre at best and really only worth it for hardcore Sanami Matoh fans. Her art has really evolved from her early ninties style and I really like it. Her action sequences are clean and easy to follow and her character designs are pleasing. I haven't been impressed with any of her storytelling/plotting though.
Cantarella (manga)A lot of You Higuri's manga is set in historical Europe. This series is loosely based on the history of the Borgia family in renaissance Italy. Higuri has done her research and managed to get the feeling of historical Italy depicted in her art. As for the story, there are quite a few supernatural elements, starting with Cesare being born possessed by evil spirits. Cesare was an interesting protagonist, a bad guy that you empathize with and want to see succeed. I wasn't enamoured with the direction the story took in later volumes, with Cesare's weak, crying sister Lucretia taking center stage. She was pretty much useless, with no personality or agency of her own, only used as a pawn to further the plot. I'd love to be able to read the last two volumes, as I've only ever read the 10 volumes that GoComi! put out. But, this is a tragedy, so I can guess how it'll end.
Comic (manhwa)I didn't know what to make of this when I first picked it up. At first glance, it's yet another manga about manga. The lead character, Alice, had just won a contest and had her comic featured in a magazine. She ends up being roped into being an assistant for another very popular artist who also happens to be in her class as school. The comic creating elements in this pretty much disappear after the first couple of volumes. Good thing, because I don't find it that interesting. After that, it becomes a delicous melodrama full of misunderstanding and miscommunication. Lots of people are unbearably frustrated by stories like this, but I found it highly entertaining. Unfortunately, this series is on haitus. I've read up to volume eight so far and I will definitely be on board for more if it ever gets published.
Crimson Hero (manga)Having read and been underwhelmed by the mangaka's previous series, The Devil Does Exist, I was surprised by how good this was. Crimson Hero is a sports shoujo about a girl who loves volleyball and forms a team at her new high school. The sports aspect takes center stage, with lots of practicing and playing, and any character relationships are mostly related to volleyball, whether it's rival players, team mates, or a romance put on hold so that goals can be met. I think Crimson Hero is better than TDDE because Sumiyoshi is such a strong, driven character with a clear cut goal to work towards. This gives the series a direction that was lacking in the earlier manga. Unfortunately, sports series never seem to be very popular here, so Viz's release is on hold at volume 14. It would be nice if they would print the remaining 6 books, but I'm not holding my breath.
(The) Crimson Spell (manga)Ayano Yamane's art in Crimson spell is fantastic. (Literally too, since this is a fantasy series.) Even if the plot happened to be crap, which thankfully it's not, I would recommend it on the art alone. The plot is your basic quest based sword and sorcery fantasy. Prince Vald, along with his magic sword, and magician Havi search for a way to remove Vald's demon curse. Since this is a yaoi, there is quite a bit of man sex, but beyond that the plot is actually quite good. I enjoyed both volumes and I hope the series is eventually continued as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, Media Blasters looks to have discontinued their manga line and as of yet, there is no vol. 3 in sight.
Deadman Wonderland (manga)In this series, Ganta is sentenced to the Deadman Wonderland prison for killing his classmates. He's innocent of course, and the prison is a cover for some sort of research facility. I read up to volume five before being forced to stop. There really is no good stopping point for this series, as the plot is fast paced and never lets up. The twists keep on coming too. It's unpredictable and I never know what to expect when I pick up a new volume. I do wish someone would rescue this and finish out the series, but I'm not holding my breath. Perhaps somebody will license the anime so I can find out how this story ends.
DVD (manhwa)I only was able to read the two volumes that Dramaqueen published, But I really wish I could have continued. This manga is about an "odd trio", two guys and a girl who end up living together. The characters have unique personalities and they play off of each other interestingly. The art and character designs are pretty distinctive as well. It's too bad this is unfinished, as it is a bit more "off the beaten path" than what is normally published here, but all the more refreshing for it.
Embracing Love (manga)I read all 5 volumes CPM put out and I loved it. Youka Nitta draws men in a manly way, which is a welcome break from all the girly looking boys invading yaoi and shoujo manga in general. She takes time here to actually develop some characters. They're memorable and quite recognizable. This series ran for 14 (?) volumes and I'd love to read the rest. Unfortunately, despite it's popularity, I'm not sure we'll ever see this again due to Nitta's tracing scandal.
From Eroica with Love (manga)Sigh. This was one of the casualties of CMX. It is a wonderful 70's shoujo about a flamboyant art thief and a very strict NATO officer and their run-ins with the KGB. Based on the first volume, I wasn't quite sure what the fuss was about. The series opens with three teens with psychic powers. These were supposed to be the main characters. About halfway thorugh, Aoike realized that the antagonist Eroica was much more interesting and decided to focus on him and also create his exact opposite, the Major. The series takes off from there and the three teens are never seen again. The series main strength besides the characters is that it doesn't take itself seriously at all. Reading it is like stepping in a time machine. It's very campy, full of hilarious action and witty dialog. Whoever translated this did a great job, as the humor reads very naturally. I've read all 15 volumes and would love to read more. Fortunately, volume 15 wraps up a story arc, so it's a decent stopiing point.
Fujoshi Rumi: Mousou Shoujo Otaku Kei (manga)Fujoshi Rumi has got to be the most hilarious otaku in-joke style manga I've ever read. I do love Genshiken and Lucky Star is great, but for sheer laughs, Rumi wins. The manga-ka really gets into Rmi's twisted head and the comedic reactions are priceless. Unfortunately, Media Blasters stopped publishing this manga at volume 3, so it's unfinished. I'd love for them to start publishing manga again, but I'm not holding my breath.
Future Diary (manga)This series reminds me a lot of Higurashi:When They Cry, most likely due to the psychotic axe wielding character, Yuno. It shares a few other elements too, like when seemingly ordinary situations end up in murder. The premise goes like this: "God" is about to die and bestows 12 humans with the "future diary" and declares that they must fight to the death to become the new God and remake the world. The story is fast paced and fun to read. The art is clean, attractive and easy to follow. I only wish that Tokyopop had survived long enough to publish volume 11, which wraps up the main story. I can pretty much guess the ending, but there were a few loose ends, such as Yuno's identity, that I was curious about. I did enjoy the ten volumes that I did read thuogh.
Gakuen Prince (manga)This is a trashy fanservice manga, only for girls. The premise is a little disconcerting: Mizutani is one of the few male students at a newly intergrated all girls school so in order to avoid hazing and constant sexual harassment by the female students, he enters into a fake relationship with a plain girl. Obviously, the fake relationship will end up being a real one by the end. In the meantime, all sorts of ridiculous obstacles are thrown in their way. It's all very over the top. I'd have liked to read more, as it is compulsively readable, but Del Rey only published three volumes. I can't really say it is any good, but it is fun.
God of Dogs (manga)I enjoyed this, but it was a bit confusing. Nothing is explained. There are a lot of chacters and the plot is pretty expansive. I felt like I''d been dropped into the middle of a story, which turned out to be the case. There is a prequel that introduces the characters and kicks off the plot which hasn't been published by June. There's also a volume 2. Apparently, this was a poor seller for DMP and there aren't any plans to print the rest. That's too bad, because this series really has potential. It's pretty violent and action oriented, which is a far cry from all of the saccarine, plotless BL that June usually publishes.
A Kiss For My Prince (manhwa)This sunjeong manhwa features your standard Cinderella plot in which the housemaid dreams of being a secret princess. She ends up working in a household with three handsome princes. The housemaid is a vain twit. For that, it was interesting. It's not often that you run into such a dislikable lead character. Usually, they tend to be likable in some way so the audience identifies with them. Also, the art was quite lovely. Infinity Studios printed the first two volumes with several color pages and dustjackets. Their quality was excellent and I'm sad that they're gone.
Legend of "Zipangu" BLOOD SUCKER (manga)I'm a little burnt out on pretty boy and loli vampires, so coming across a series where they are portrayed as monsters and the bad guys was like a breath of fresh air. It starts out a little rocky, with some confusing time line skipping, but soon finds its bearings. Depite being a pretty gorey action heavy series, the characters are interestingly written and I wanted to know more about them and how their story unfolds. Unfortunately, Tokyopop only got to volume 7 before putting the series on haitus, and now that they are gone, I don't expect to see anyone else to release this. The series is pretty solid action/horror fare and I'm wondering if it didn't get a little lost in Tokyopop humungous catalog. This is more like something Dark Horse would release, right alongside Blade of the Immortal, Hellsing, and Berserk.
Love Attack (manga)This is basically a run of the mill high school set romantic comedy shoujo. Even Shizuro Seino's humor can't pull this one out of the pit of mediocrity. Not that it's bad, the characters are fun and the humor is humorous, but the plot is one we've seen a million times already. The main couple start dating at the end of volume one, with contrived plot elements popping up in subsequent volumes to challenge their relationship. The crazy dad interferes, the old female friend pops up, annoying misunderstandings occur, and at the end of volume six, there appears to be a male rival as well. In fact, as the series wore on I was beginning to take more interest in a couple of the secondary characters. The series doesn't look like it has the plot to drag on for much longer, but regardless, it was only published up to volume six in the US. If Kodansha decides to finish it someday, I may pick it up, but I'm not going out of my way for it. I liked the series, but only marginally.
Masca (manhwa)Oh CPM! This was another casualty of your demise. Only one volume made it out. How I would have loved to read more. For one, the art is absolutely stunning. The plot, involving demons, was intriguing. I highly doubt anyone will pick this up and that's a crying shame as I'd be first in line to buy more.
Oh my god! (manga)I didn't like this one at first. I read the first volume and was put off by the silliness. For some reason, I had the second volume and forced myself to try it again some months later. I really liked it the second time around. The art was great and the humor got a couple of chuckles out of me. Unfortunately, Deux only printed the first few volumes before disappearing so I'm not holding out much hope for seeing the rest of the series. I really hope they prove me wrong though.
Papillon - Hana to Chō (manga by Miwa Ueda)This series bears a lot of similarity with Ueda's previous series "Peach Girl". This one features a shy and insecure girl named Ageha and her pretty and popular twin, Hana. Hana is also insecure and works to sabatoge Ageha's relationships with boys. I see a lot of Sae in Hana and a lot of Momo in Ageha. Both girls in Papillon eventually grate on the nerves with their insecurity though. Despite that, I still find it entertaining. It's addicting. I fully admit that it's trashy and pulpy, but I can't stop reading it. Unfortunately, this is one of those seris that Del Rey was publishing that hasn't gotten picked up by Kodansha. If they ever do print the remaining volumes, I will surely buy them. I hate having incomplete series on my shelf.
Peace Maker Kurogane (manga)This is the sequel to the five volume Peacemaker manga. While the first was pretty much a coming of age tale starring Tetsunosuke, the sequel is quite a bit darker and focuses on the other members of the Shinsengumi and the organization as a whole (and it's downfall). The series is still ongoing, although Tokyopop stopped at volume four (which ends in a cliffhanger). It seems to be taking history heavily into account, rather than making everything up, so I can safely predict that the ending will be quite tragic. Some characters have already bit the dust and tragic endings are forshadowed for a few more. Peacemaker appears at first glance to be a lighthearted shounen set in the Bakumatsu period, but it quickly outgrows that illusion. Even Tetsunosuke himself is noticably aged up as time passes. I really wish I could continue with this series, as I found it a pleasant surprise. Hopefully it is finished in some fashion. I hate cliffhangers.
Pine Kiss (manhwa)Pine Kiss is a really engrossing drama featuring some interesting but really flawed characters. The "poor little rich girl", Sebin Jo, is the worst of the lot. Her crush, the new teacher, Orion, is almost equally irritating in his wishy washyness. These two are also being pursued, for unfathomable reasons, by Dali and Sanghyung, both classmates of Sebin Jo. Rounding out the love pentagon is Dali and Sanghyung's friend Rocky. Nobody is partically likable here, but if I had to choose, I empathise the most with Dali and Sanghyung. However, their immaturity and stubborness make it hard. I wouldn't mind seeing Sebin Jo get hit by a bus though. This series is extremely addictive. I'm sad that Netcomics seems to have stalled out on it, as my need to know what happens is pretty strong. I've read up to volume four so far, so I have one more volume to go before the official releases stop.

After several months, I've finally read volume five. I had no trouble just jumping back in, as the characters were so memorable. Unfortunately, this is where the official releases stop, as this volume was released way back in 2007. I'm not holding up much hope for Netcomics to finish at this point, which is a shame, as this is a very engrossing drama and I'd love to continue.

Play Boy Blues (manga)I read the one volume that CPM/Be beautiful published. I know this series continues, but unless another publisher picks it up, I won't get to read it, as CPM no longer exists. It's a shame, because I did enjoy volume 1.
Portrait of M & N (manga)This is a cute shoujo about a girl and a boy with secret fetishes. They find out about each other and become friends. I would have liked to see how it ended as there were only two volumes to go before Toykopop closed up shop. I am a fan of Tachibana Highuchi's other series "Gakuen Alice" as well. Her art is nothing special, having a typical "Hana to Yume" look to it, but I do like her stories.
Saver (manhwa)Wow! I was expecting another run of the mill manwha when I picked this up, but that is definitely not what i got. Plot wise, it reminded me of Basara. Lena is transported to a medieval fantasy land where she disguises herself as a man, "Ley". She is the "chlid of prophesy" or some such. As a heroine, she reminded me quite a bit of Balsa from Moribito, or the Major from GITS. She's a capable sort who takes charge and gets things done rather than waiting around to be rescued from the hero. In fact, there is no clear hero here, which is also refreshing. I hate when you can predict the romance angle from chapter one. Not so here and romance is practiclly nonexistant after six volumes. Thus far it has all been action and adventure. Unfortunately, Tokyopop has only released 6 of 17 volumes before stalling out. I highly doubt that this series will be finished by them, as I never see anyone requesting it. Too bad more haven't discovered it, as I feel it's a hidden gem
(The) Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko (manga)I was only able to read two of this three volumes series, but I liked what I saw. Kanoko is a different sort of heroine. Dry and observant, she watches her classmates interact for entertainment all while keeping herself apart as an "objective observer". This doesn't always work out and Kanoko finds herself dragged in despite herself and manages to make friends anyway. About the only complaint I have is that Kanoko changes schools in every chapter. It's never explained, and it's just kind of a lazy way to set up new scenarios. Other than that, I enjoyed the manga and would have liked to be able to read that last volume.
Shinobi Life (manga)The first couple volumes of this were rather ho-hum. Kagetora is a ninja from the past who timetravels to the present day and meets Beni, a girl who looks just like the hime that he was assigned to protect. The beginning of the series is all about them exploring their feelings and having obsticles thrown in their way: an arranged marriage for Beni and Beni's dissaproving dad for Kagetora. It feels really contrived actually and I wasn't really into the story at this point. However, when Beni and Kagetora finally decide to be together, the story really takes off. The timetravelling is more important to the story and more time is spent in the past. The Ninja politics are far more interesting than the present day. Too bad volume seven, the last one that Tokyopop published, ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. I've warmed up to this series considerably and would really like to continue.
Skyblue Shore (manga)
Song of the Hanging Sky (manga)
Suppli (manga)I absolutely love this manga! it's about a working woman in her late 20's and her attempts to balance her workaholic ways with her attempts at forming personal relationships. I really like how it doesn't gloss over how women are treated in the workpalce, often getting handed the crap jobs, passed over for promotions and generally being dismissed. I really wish I could see the rest to find out how the romance plays out. I have feeling Fujii will have her heart broken several times before finding happiness, if she even does. Does this have a happy ending? I wish I could find out, but I doubt another publisher would bother picking this up, as even Tokyopop stated that it was a poor seller for them. I'd be first in line to buy though if I am proven wrong.
Your & My Secret (manga)Of all the Ai Morinaga manga I have read, this series is my favorite. The premise is silly without going over the top, the characters are fun and memorable, and the writing is genuinely funny. It may have jumped the shark though when Momoi's dad gets caught in the machine and shrunk. I still thought it was funny, but it seemed like Morinaga was stretching a bit for material. At the end of volume seven, she states that volume eight will be the last (probably). Too bad that I'll never get to read it, as Tokyopop's edition stops at volume 7. This is one I'd definitely like to continue.