Cooro is a crow-like boy who is on a quest to find other +Anima. When he meets Husky, a disrespectful boy with a past shrouded in mystery, he finds a kindred spirit who also possesses animal-like powers. Together, they try to gain acceptance in a world cruel to anyone or anything that is different.

More: A cute manga with a message of acceptance, without being “preachy”! Cooro (which is written that way in the English language version, but is actually Kuro, a pet peeve of mine while I read the English release >.<) The interactions between the characters range between funny and serious. My favorite one is Senri, a very quiet, unusual character with a book he will fight for. The book, and Senri himself, remain an enigma throughout much of the manga. Kuro is open and honest, and believes the best about everyone, which often gets him in trouble. Husky (Hasuki) is pouty, jealous, and caring, although he'd rather not show it. Find out more about them the new members of their group as they travel across the country looking for more of their kind!

Train and his partner Sven go after a huge bounty, attempting to track down a weapons smuggler who is dealing dangerous new technology on the black market. They cross paths with an elegant thief who offers to help them, but will the alliance be fruitful, or will the burglar bring bad luck to Black Cat?

More: An awesome series! My opinion: you will love it! Their adventures continue, however without adding spoilers I will wait and see if anyone here has read/watched it and how far along in the series you are. I really love the characters, Sven and Black Cat being my favorite. Train is sweet and goofy, reminiscent of characters like Vash the Stampede, with a badass side to him you don’t want to mess with. The same goes for Sven. He is caring enough to offer a lost child some ice cream, then search for her later to let her know something. He, too, is mysterious and powerful and his patch over his eye…does it serve a purpose? What happened? Find out by reading the manga or watching the show! Enjoy!

Synopsis:

Little Lucy Snow was meant to be enjoying her first day at the nice elementary school in town; however a macabre twist of fate sees her enrolled instead at Miss Weaver’s Academy for the Scientifically Gifted and Ethically Unfettered – also known as Hollow Fields.

Located on the outskirts of Nullsville and run by the insidious Engineers, the grim boarding school dedicates itself to raising the next generation of mad scientists and evil geniuses! Classes include Live Taxidermy, Cross-Species Body-Part Transplantation and Killer Robot Construction, and for her own survival Lucy has to master them quickly… the student with the lowest grades at the end of each school week is sent to the windmill for detention – and so far, no child has ever returned!

Manga-ka: Madeleine Rosca
Status: finished (3 volumes total)
Genre: mild horror, shounen, steampunk, action/adventure

Opinion:

Honestly, I didn’t even read who the author was when I picked up the incredibly large full three-volume “omnibus collection” manga borrowed from a friend. The clockwork and gear images on the front as well as the sewn vision of Miss Notch on the front cover were intriguing. This story has a bit of an odd flair about it, much like the Alice in Wonderland series, yet entirely different in art and storyline. Each character from McGinty to Stinch has a distinct uniqueness. Stinch is a golem, a sock-puppet slave if you will, who is at the beck and call of the evil Miss Weaver. Lucy is the usual determined young lady, who is only 9 by the way, who decides to take it upon herself to save the children from the windmill. She soon realizes that she’s bit off more than she can chew, and tries to enlist the help of her classmate Summer Polanski. Summer, however, sees everyone as her mortal enemy, and despite warnings from Dr. Bleak, Lucy tries to befriend her…with dire consequences. McGinty has sworn off all girls since the disappearance of his sister, a victim of the windmill 6 months prior. Can Lucy discover the reason the windmill exists, without being too cliche and dragging on the storyline far beyond when the reader figures everything out first? My answer is yes. The story flows smoothly and was unpredictable. I enjoyed not knowing what was happening before the characters in the story did. And just when you figure it out, so do they. A deliciously evil book, full of frightening “Wonderland style” images, and a great read from start to finish. Excellent work from an American manga author. Now, if only we could rid ourselves of Lucy’s exceedingly large and annoying hair-bow…

Okunen rating: 4.2 out of 5

Opinion: I grow tired of the same manga plots that usually involve high-pitched voices of irritating girls and panty shots, along with a healthy dose of teen angst. But this manga surprised me in a wonderful way. This dark story follows the path of Ginko as he helps people along the way with their supposed diseases. He finds that the causes are the mushi, and finding a “cure” is not always an easy task. But, it wouldn’t be a story if it was easy, would it? The dark side of life, a terrifying fear of the unknown and the fear of something one cannot control are all explored in this mysterious, deep manga. But don’t let the seriousness fool you. The story is thoughtful, exciting, and you try to think ahead of how the mushi are involved or how the situation can be resolved. Perhaps, will the person inflicted…die? A strong storyline backs up superb art…yet another “must read” manga.

Genre: supernatural, shounen
Mangaka: Yuki Urushibara
Status: Volumes 1-7 available now in English. Volumes 8-10 (appears to be a combined volume set) due out July 10.
Okunen rating: 9.5 out of 10

Synopsis: Follow the magical adventures of Mikan at Alice Academy! Young Mikan runs away to Tokyo following her best friend, Hotaru, who has been enrolled in an exclusive, secretive private school for geniuses. But it turns out that the Alice Academy is a lot more than meets the eye. Whether it’s Hotaru’s gift for inventing gadgets, the cranky Natsume’s fire-casting ability, or Professor Narumi’s control of human pheromones, everyone at the school has some sort of special talent. But what ability, if any, does Mikan possess? Mikan is going to have to rely on her courage and spunk if she’s going to stay in school, or even stay alive!

Opinion: I picked this series up after seeing it on the shelf for a long time and always being curious. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read a story about a bunch of elementary kids and their issues. But it turns out that the whole “little kid angst” is only a small portion of a supernatural story of children with powers, called Alice’s, who are forced to go to a school and remain there for a very long time with no contact with the outside world, including their parents. Because of the bad rumors flying around about the academy, parents tend to flee and evade the “recruiters” who come in search of their gifted children. Mikan, however, decides to run away from her home with her Grandfather in order to follow her best friend Hotaru, who voluntarily gave up her freedom so her parents would no longer have to run, to the academy. So as you can see, there is a very serious side to this story, but at the same time the lighthearted side pokes fun at polka-dot underwear and clumsy kids. Each child at the academy holds a burden, feels alone or is used by the academy to do their “dirty work” and thus the story flows as to the friendships formed within the academy, how the issues are resolved, as well as a medley of interesting activities similar to an “Alice in Wonderland” style of absurdity. A carnival ride powered by telekinesis? An “illusion” based haunted house? A giant (and hungry) chic and…a teddy bear with anger issues? Over all, the uniqueness of the storyline and the mystery surrounding the students as well as the (very hot) teachers and senior class members had me reading 8 volumes in two days. I never bored of the odd twists, and the only thing I could find wrong with the manga was the occasional “dragging on” of something that was obvious from the beginning. (Realize it already!) Otherwise, I highly recommend this manga as a good, fun, crazy read.

Okunen rating: 4.5 out of 5

Synopsis: In the war against vampires, mankind has only one hope: The Dark-Hunters. Ancient warriors who died of brutal betrayal, the Dark-Hunters have sworn themselves into the service of the goddess Artemis to protect us.

It’s a pact with pretty good perks. Immortality, power, psychic abilities, wealth and a cool wardrobe. But it comes with a few drawbacks: fatal sun poisoning and a new, irreparable dental problem. But aside from the fangs and nocturnal lifestyle, it’s not so bad.

It’s just another night on the prowl for Kyrian of Thrace when he meets the most frightening thing imaginable; an accountant who’s being hunted by one of the most lethal vampires out there. But Amanda Devereaux is so much more than she seems. Hunted by one of the deadliest of vampires, Amanda is the key to our survival. If she goes down, so does he and -no offense- he doesn’t want to die (hence the whole immortality thing). And he doesn’t want humanity dead either, which is a good thing for us since he and Amanda are all that stands between us and oblivion. Let’s hope they win.

Opinion: Wow. I picked this up while walking to the language section of the library. It was on display and caught my eye. I immediately picked it up, wondering why a manga was displayed so far away from the manga section. I soon realized that this little bit of excitement did not originate from Japan, but was in fact the concoction of two American women. The bad-ass bishounen on the front cover captured me first, the word vampire second. I added it to my stack of various reads and went home. My mind kept thinking about this book, so I confess to reading it first.

At first I was a little put off by the wavy blond hair of the male lead character and the mouth of the female lead. I prefer the Japanese style of not accentuating the mouth too much, and instead focusing on the incredibly expressive eyes to convey emotion. But I quickly grew used to her full lips and the Godlike locks of Kyrian, who was indeed a former God. Now, time to break out the old books on Greek mythology folks, because the story begins in ancient times to provide a quick setup for the story. I enjoyed the background info as well as the fact that it was kept short and to the point. Storytime. Not your typical vampire plot, and I like that. Infuse a bit of American humor (her reference to Buffy the Vampire Slayer was perfectly timed), more of the Japanese style of art and I was thoroughly entranced. This graphic novel rightly deserves to be called an Ameri-manga, and it holds its own. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes manga, vampires, supernatural, or just a plain damn good read. I eagerly await the next volume.

Okunen Rating: 9 out of 10

To all our wonderful otaku’s… have a safe and wonderful December and a great holiday season, no matter what your religion is!

From myself personally, Merry Christmas to all…and to all, some great anime!

** Want to see your cosplay pics? *CLICK HERE*

Oh and by the way…. you just lost The Game. 

Okunen is getting ready with their partner, DFW Cakes, to bring you more goodies in the Artist’s Alley this year. Stop by our booth and say “Allo!” We will be offering anime inspired necklaces, magnets, plush onigiri “Rice Balls!” and other gifts perfect for the holiday season.

DFWCakes will again bring you their delicious Buttercream Onigiri….little divine cakes perfect for the hungry congoer. Last year, they were SOLD OUT twice! Don’t miss out and try these for yourself! DFWCakes also does custom anime and game cakes for your birthday, holiday, wedding or anytime. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Mata kinyoubi! See you Friday!