The Kindaichi Case Files: The Magical Express (manga, vol. 16) by Yozaburo Kanari (story) and Fumiya Sato (art)

Hajime Kindaichi is a high school student who is regarded by his classmates and teachers as something of a loser. However, he's actually a brilliant crime-solver, and the grandson of Japan's most famous detective, Kousuke Kindaichi. In this volume, the police have received a mysterious puzzle box containing a twisted marionette and a note from "The Puppetmaster" saying that something bad is going to happen on a certain train, on a certain date. The police enlist Hajime Kindaichi's help and plan to ride the train on that date. Also on the train at the same time is a magic troupe - after the Puppetmaster employs some misdirection, the first victim is discovered to be one of the members of the magic troupe, whose body is staged to look just like the twisted marionette.

Kindaichi and the police continue to investigate after the train has reached its destination, even as more members of the magic troupe continue to die. It eventually becomes clear that the deaths are linked to the magic troupe's past and the death of one of its former members.

This is the first time I've ever read anything in this series. It's not really the kind of thing I'd buy, since I doubt I'd ever want to reread it, but it was still fun. Basically, it's got an old school mystery feel, with the kind of clues that allow you to either solve the mystery yourself or at least get most of the way there. At certain places in the volume, previous events are summarized and all the characters are listed - the ones who have died and can therefore no longer be considered suspects are grayed out.

Overall, I liked this volume. The artwork and story are both clear and easy to follow, which is a plus for a mystery. Even though I jumped into this series at a rather late stage, the character info at the beginning of the volume helped me understand some of the character dynamics. Besides, it's not like the character dynamics and premise of the story are all that complicated (or very original) - the important thing is the mystery, and that was entirely self-contained in this volume.

As far as extras go, there's really nothing besides the page of stuff at the beginning designed to introduce new readers to the recurring characters and the series. However, since this volume costs the same amount as Tokyopop's other titles ($9.99) and is maybe twice as thick as the volumes of other Tokyopop series, there's still a lot here for your money.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Tactics (anime TV series) - Kantaro is a folklorist who can see monsters (in the loose sense of the word) that others can't. All his life, he's been determined to find and befriend the demon-eating goblin. One day, he does, but the relationship is a bit bumpier than Kantaro might have hoped. Those who'd like another series composed mostly of one-shot stories and mysteries might like this anime. In addition, there's one particular episode involving a doll-maker that might appeal to those who enjoyed the marionette dolls in this volume of The Kindaichi Case Files.
• Case Closed (anime TV series); Case Closed (manga) by Gosho Aoyama - High school detective Kudo Shinichi is well-known in Japan as a genius crime-solver. Unfortunately, after he is drugged by two mysterious men in black, he wakes up to discover that his body is now that of a child. Shinichi hides his identity as he tries to find clues about the men in black through the clients and cases of a pathetic, second-class detective. Those who'd like another story involving a boy crime-solver and one-shot mysteries might enjoy this title.
• Descendants of Darkness (manga) by Yoko Matsushita; Descendants of Darkness (anime TV series) - Even after death, there's paperwork to do and criminals to catch. Tsuzuki Asato is a somewhat goofy (yet powerful) shinigami (god of death) whose job involves ensuring that the dead remain properly dead and out of the lives of the living. Tsuzuki gets a new partner, Hisoka, and the cases they investigate keep bringing them up against Muraki, a serial killer. Muraki seems to know an awful lot about Tsuzuki and Hisoka's darkest secrets. Those who'd like another story involving (at first, anyway) one-shot mysteries might enjoy this title.
• Black Jack (manga) by Osamu Tezuka; Black Jack (anime TV series) - Black Jack is brilliant unlicensed doctor who helps those who'll pay him, those he takes mercy on, and those who touch his heart. He doesn't need to follow the same rules other doctors do, and he can do things for his patients that few other doctors are capable of. Those who'd like another series with an old school feel (actually, this really does count as old school) and one-shot stories might enjoy this title.
• The Prestige (live action movie) - Robert and Alfred are rival magicians obsessed with coming up with the ultimate magic trick. When Alfred performs a trick so fantastic that it appears to truly be magic, Robert desperately tries to figure out his secret. Those who'd like another story in which characters will do just about anything to get the secret of an ultimate magic trick might enjoy this movie.
• Murder on the Orient Express (book) by Agatha Christie - An American businessman is stabbed to death on the Orient Express, and Hercule Poirot is determined to discover who murdered him and why. Those who enjoyed the "murder on the train" aspect of this volume of The Kindaichi Case Files and who would like to try to puzzle through an even more complex mystery might like this book.
  

Transcription and a webcomic about libraries

If you read Unshelved, you may already know this, but they're enlisting the help of volunteers to transcribe all their comic strips so that they can become searchable. A webcomic about a library probably has tons of fans who'd love to do just this sort of thing, but I thought I'd put the word out on my own blog (granted, Unshelved has far more readers than my blog, but it's possible I'll reach someone they haven't). I've done a grand total of two so far. It's very simple, and it's the kind of thing that library nerds like myself love to do. Pick a strip and give it a try!

Memory Wiping for Fun and Profit

Do you like books/movies/TV shows/whatever where characters purposely erase or alter the memories of other characters? These characters usually have some sort of reason for doing what they do - maybe they're good people who only want to remove others' painful memories, maybe they're bad people who've done bad things and don't want to leave witnesses who remember them, or maybe they're somewhere in between.

This is by no means an exhaustive list (if you have your own suggestions, by all means, mention them in a comment). I had fun doing my previous list based on a topic, so I decided to do another one. Enjoy!

Anime/Manga:

• Ghost in the Shell (anime movie); Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (anime movie); Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (anime TV series); Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig (anime TV series) - In the future, almost everyone has been cyberized, which, unfortunately, leaves them vulnerable to brain-hacking. The first Ghost in the Shell movie makes chilling use of this particular drawback of cyberization, and it comes up in other related works. The list of links I've given is not a comprehensive list of all the various Ghost in the Shell titles - for instance, there's also a manga (which is what all this anime stuff is based on) and another movie. Check out Anime News Network for more info.
• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya - One character in this series, Hatori, can use hypnosis to alter/remove memories. He does this to protect his cursed family's secret.
• Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (anime TV series) - Lelouch, the main character of this series, acquires the power of Geass, which allows him to make anyone obey his orders. Lelouch begins living a double life as both an ordinary student and Zero, the mysterious masked leader of a rebellion to free the Japanese people from Brittanian tyrants.
• Bleach (anime TV series); Bleach (manga) by Tite Kubo - Soul Reapers are beings who protect the spirits of the dead and the world of the living from Hollows. As part of their job, Soul Reapers occasionally have to wipe/alter humans' memories.

Live Action (Movies, TV shows):

• Heroes (live action TV series) - A bunch of people around the world suddenly have the ability to use various sorts of superpowers. Behind the scenes, one man, who happens to be the father of a girl with superpowers, looks into this phenomenon, captures people with superpowers, and has a mysterious Haitian man wipe people's memories.
• Men in Black (live action movie) - The Men in Black are real, and they work behind the scenes to keep the rest of humanity from realizing that aliens are definitely among us. As part of their jobs, the Men in Black often wipe/alter people's memories.
  
• Eureka (live action TV series) - In the small town of Eureka, just about everyone's a genius, which makes new sheriff Jack Carter seem a bit like the village idiot at times. On the bright side, his common sense is often just what Eureka needs. In one particular episode, a character uses a powerful invention to wipe people's memories and make himself look more brilliant than he really is.

Books:

• The Queen's Bastard (book) by C. E. Murphy - In this fantasy set in something like Elizabethan Europe, Belinda is the illegitimate child of Queen Lorraine. When she is older, she becomes a spy and assassin for the Queen and secretly learns how to use her magical abilities, which allow her to make herself invisible and affect others' minds. Belinda tests her ability on her maid and a man she knows and later wipes both people's memories of what she made them do.
  
• Undead and Unwed (book) by MaryJanice Davidson - Betsy Taylor, fan of shoes and shopping, is an unlikely Vampire Queen, but that is what she unexpectedly becomes. In this book, she doesn't have much of a handle on her vampiric abilities. Later on in the series, this becomes a problem, as she accidentally makes a cop her slave. Betsy's consort fixes things by wiping the man's memory, which eventually leads to even more problems.
• Guilty Pleasures (book) by Laurell K. Hamilton - In this alternate history, Anita Blake is a former vampire hunter turned vampire executioner when vampires are legally declared people in the United States. One of the powers many vampires have is the ability to erase humans' memories in order to protect themselves.
• Artemis Fowl (book) by Eoin Colfer - Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is a criminal mastermind, whose latest scheme involves getting gold from fairies. Of course, the fairies have plenty of magic and technology on their side, so they're not giving in easily. One of the abilities fairies have is mesmer, which allows them to erase and/or alter humans' memories.

Original cataloging fun

There are some days when I feel a little more like a professional cataloger than others. One such day was when I spent two days creating original records for some North Korean DVDs. I assigned subject headings and call numbers, and I read about the ethics of using the word "propaganda" (as description and/or genre, rather than as a subject) in bibliographic records. It was draining, but fun (and it totally messed up my copy cataloging schedule for the week).

Today was a similar day. I spent the entire day creating original records for chapbooks donated by a professor, who was also the person who wrote/produced them. Part of his requirements were that they all be shelved together. I came up with different options, none of which both followed the professor's requirements and followed LC classification rules. I had the same issue when it came to deciding whether to add or not add the same series title to all the records. It took a while, but I finally settled on what I'd do and passed it by my supervisor. Only 5 more chapbooks (and a couple stapled sheets) to go!

Eclipse (book) by Stephenie Meyer

I'll start this off with the usual spoiler warning - it takes too much energy to watch everything I'm writing, so don't read this if you want to avoid all spoilers for this book.

Edward and Bella are back together again, although, of course, that doesn't mean things are easy and danger-free. There seems to be an awful lot of killings going on in Seattle. Bella is a bit worried about that, since one of her high school friends will be going there after graduation, but she soon discovers that she has even more personal reasons to be worrying about the violence in Seattle. It turns out that the killings are caused by vampires, who may or may not be connected to the Volturi (who warned the Cullens, in the previous book, that they would be after them if Bella wasn't turned into a vampire) and who may or may not be after the Cullens.

Bella and the others later realize that the vampires are not, in fact, connected to the Volturi, although the Volturi will most certainly become involved if the killings go on much longer. These rampaging vampires are actually an army of newborn vamps created by Victoria, who still hasn't given up on her quest to kill Bella. Bella, as usual, is relieved that the baddie mainly wants to kill her, and not the Cullens. Silly Bella.

The sheer number of vampires, plus Bella's connections to both the werewolves and vampires of Forks, prompts an unprecedented alliance between the Cullens and the Quileute werewolves. Victoria is finally, finally dealt with - unless she rises from the ashes, she won't be showing up in the next book.

Besides the threat of death, Bella's also got lots of romantic and personal problems.

First, there's her volatile love triangle. Both Jacob and Edward love her, and Bella finally realizes that she loves them both (although she's always quick to say she loves Edward more). Sometimes Jacob and Edward are willing to share, and sometimes they're not. Edward had a few snarling jealous boyfriend moments, but he was mostly willing to share, as long as Bella was happy. Jacob was less happy with sharing, especially once he decided he had a chance at stealing Bella away from Edward.

Second, Bella wants to become a vampire. Maybe. She wants to be with Edward forever, staying eternally young with him, but she's worried about what she'll be like as a new vampire. She worries about possibly killing humans, and she worries that her thirst for blood will overpower her love for Edward, making her not herself for a while. She's also sad that she'll have to give up her family. Aside from all of that, there's also Jacob, who, in a fit of rage, tells her he'd rather she was dead than a vampire. What to do when one of the loves in your life says that?

Third, she wants Edward to be the one to turn her into a vampire, but he has conditions she must first satisfy. The main one is that he wants her to marry him. For some reason, the thought of everyone's whispers and stares when she announces she's engaged at such a young age upsets her more than just about anything else. Bella, as usual, seems to have her priorities out of whack. Bella's other difficulty is that, before the thirst for blood becomes her driving physical need, she wants to have sex with Edward. Edward is understandably freaked out by this idea - even if there weren't the possibility that he'd rip her throat out in the heat of the moment, he's incredibly strong and could accidentally hurt her.

I'd have to say that Edward is the most patient and understanding boyfriend in the world. He's practically textbook perfect. One minute, he's snarlingly jealous, willing to fight to keep Bella. The next minute, he's willing to either let her go or share her with Jacob, if only she'll be happy. Emotionally, he reacts in whatever way he believes is best for Bella. That's both sweet and incredibly...fake. When Jacob and Bella finally kiss (fairly passionately, too), does Edward get upset? Of course not. Perfect boyfriends don't get angry at their girlfriends for kissing other guys, oh no.

Well, all's fair in love and war, or at least Jacob seems to think so. He's no longer Mr. Nice Guy. He's willing to lie and steal kisses if that's what it takes to win Bella away from Edward. I missed Nice Guy Jacob - this new Jacob kind of pissed me off occasionally. I'm definitely on Team Edward here. However, the tension between Bella, Jacob, and Edward provided much of the conflict in this book, and it was usually pretty interesting conflict, so I guess I can't complain. I'm really surprised that Bella actually chooses between the two of them by the end of the book. Although I'm sure it's not over, it's still shocking that Bella manages to get over her own feelings about what she needs and finally cuts Jacob loose (not that he goes easy on himself after that).

Another interesting aspect of this book was the fleshing out Meyer did of vampire and werewolf cultures and history. Bella got to hear the story of the first Quileute werewolves (and then she went and identified with the self-destructive aspect of the story - what is with that girl?). The imprinting thing was also interesting (sort of a soulmate thing, although maybe more intense, since it seems to have the ability to alter the werewolf's previous emotions), although not something I could see any werewolf actually wishing for. I keep hoping that Jacob will imprint on somebody, not Bella. Besides the werewolf stuff, Bella also got to hear Rosalie's story (beautiful girl, killed by her beautiful monster of a new husband) and Jasper's story (soldier, turned newbie-vampire-cannon fodder). I hadn't really realized that Rosalie didn't like being a vampire and longed for a baby of her own, but, other than that, her story was only a bit interesting. Jasper turned out to be a more kick-butt than I expected.

I'm so very glad that Victoria is now dead. I never found her all that scary to begin with. Bella spends a lot of time terrified of her, but Victoria doesn't actually do much that's worth all of that terror. I'm not saying Bella shouldn't have been afraid of her (I'm actually kind of impressed that she managed to work up some fear for something she actually should be afraid of), but Victoria wasn't really all that frightening from a reader's point of view.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, although I really wish Bella could cut out all that melodrama and Edward could grow a spine. Despite my ever-present gripes about these things, I managed to read the book in about 5 days - I wonder how long the last one will take me?

Many of the read-alikes I listed for the previous books would work for this book. Since this particular read-alikes list is heavy on books intended for adults, that's important to keep in mind.

Read-alikes:

• Moon Called (book) by Patricia Briggs - This is the first book in a series. Mercy is a mechanic and a skinwalker, someone who can turn into a coyote at will. Mercy is smart and tough, but she's definitely no Mary Sue - she may be able to shapeshift or not whenever she wants, and she may be fast and have a good sense of smell, but she's also weaker and more human than most of the beings she's around. In this book, Mercy and others investigate attacks on local werewolves - although fairies have revealed their existence to humankind, werewolves haven't yet, and random killings could unveil werewolves before they're ready. Those who found the whole werewolf imprinting thing interesting might enjoy this book/series - the werewolves in Briggs's books don't have quite the same thing, but they do have mates. Also, Mercy has something of a love triangle going on between her and a couple werewolves. This series is intended for adults, so there's sex scenes and graphic violence that may not be appropriate for younger readers.
• Tempting Danger (book) by Eileen Wilks - This is also the first book in a series. Lily Yu is a cop who's trying to figure out who's going around killing people in gruesome ways. It looks like werewolves might be involved, and maybe even the prince of the Nokolai clan, Rule Turner. This is especially unfortunate, because Lily and Rule have suddenly discovered that they are mates - the result is a compulsion to be near each other, and it'll look really bad if someone finds out Lily's having sex with the prime suspect. Those who'd like more werewolf soulmate stuff might enjoy this book/series. This series is intended for adults, so there's sex scenes and graphic violence that may not be appropriate for younger readers.
• The Strange Power (book) by L. J. Smith - This is the first book is Smith's Dark Visions series. Kaitlyn Fairchild is a psychic whose drawings predict the future. The only problem is, her drawings usually don't make sense until after whatever they predict has happened. When she finds out about the Zeetes Institute, a place where she can learn to control her abilities, she decides to go, but the institute may have have more sinister intentions than Kaitlyn realizes. Those who'd like another fantasy story with action and romance (Kaitlin has to choose between a bad boy and a nice guy) might like this book/series. Another series by Smith with a romantic storyline involving a girl who has to choose between two guys is The Forbidden Game, which begins with The Hunter - I didn't add it to this list because, unfortunately, it doesn't seem as though this title is one of the ones by Smith that has been recently re-released, which makes it harder to find.
  
• Guilty Pleasures (book) by Laurell K. Hamilton - This is the first book in Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, set in an alternate history where vampires, werewolves and more are now a (sometimes uncomfortable) part of society. Anita Blake is a vampire executioner, an animator (she can raise the dead), and a consultant to the police on all things supernatural. In this first book, someone's killing innocent vampires, and, although Anita's killed her share of vampires, she does her best to find the killer. Those who'd like a story that, eventually, has a vampire-human-werewolf love triangle might like this series. Also, like Jacob, the werewolf in this love triangle starts off as a nice guy and gets bitter as the relationship stuff gets tenser. A warning, however - there is some very explicit sex in this series, especially in later volumes.
  

Anime/Manga Featuring Books, Libraries, and/or Librarians

I'm going to try something new - instead of a post based on one particular book/movie/TV show, I'm going to try writing a subject-themed post. Since the post will mostly be composed for read-alike and watch-alike suggestions, if I do those suggestions like I normally would, the post would take forever to write. Therefore, instead of giving a little summary for each suggestion, I'm just going to write a bit about why that particular book/movie/TV show was included in the list. If you want to know more about it, either see if it's been mentioned in my blog before, or click on the link and read the Amazon, Anime News Network, or IMDb page for more info.

For my very first post of this sort (and maybe my last, if I don't like how it goes), I'm listing anime and manga in which books, libraries, and/or librarians play a part.

• Whisper of the Heart (anime movie) - Who is Seiji Amasawa, and how has he managed to read every book in the library before Shizuku? The answer to this question has serious implications for Shizuku's romantic future and the library's circulation statistics.
• Read or Die (anime OVA) - No list of this sort would be complete without this anime. Yomiko Readman, the main character, is so in love with books that she has developed a magical affinity for paper. As a secret operative for the British Library, she uses her skill to try to retrieve valuable stolen books.
  
• R.O.D. the TV (anime TV series) - Three young women with the ability to manipulate paper become bodyguards for the Japanese author Nenene Sumiregawa, whose long-lost friend happens to be Yomiko Readman. Yup, this series is related to Read or Die. There's also a couple manga related to these two titles.
• Fullmetal Alchemist (manga) by Hiromu Arakawa; Fullmetal Alchemist (anime TV series); Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie (anime movie) - Two brothers lose their mother at an early age and try to use alchemy, with disastrous results, to bring her back. Their interest in alchemy means they can often be found (in the manga or anime) with their noses in books. In fact, when Edward, the older brother, becomes a State Alchemist, the two get access to the National Library, with its extensive collection of books on alchemy.
• Tactics (anime TV series) - The main character, Kantaro, is a scholarly author who specializes in Japanese folklore. He's forever in the midst of writing a book. In addition, his editor, Reiko, is so in love with reading that an entire episode is devoted to this favorite hobby of hers.
• Fruits Basket (anime TV series); Fruits Basket (manga) by Natsuki Takaya - At one point, Tohru, one of the main characters, is at her school's library and has just checked out a few books with her friends in mind, when she gets some upsetting news.
• Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Play (manga) by Yuu Watase; Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Play (anime TV series) - Two middle school students, Miaka and her best friend, visit the National Library, only to get sucked into the book The Universe of the Four Gods. Miaka has it relatively good. Her friend does not. Things only get more complicated from there.
• Negima! (manga) by Ken Akamatsu; Negima! (anime TV series) - There are apparently lots of other versions - I'm not going to list them all, but Anime News Network does. Anyway, this series includes a couple members of Mahora Academy's Library Exploration Club, as well as a character named Albireo Imma, who is registered as a librarian at the Mahora Library Island. By the way, unless you want to risk dying, it's never a good idea to wander around the Mahora Library Island without a knowledgeable guide.
• Chobits (manga) by CLAMP; Chobits (anime TV series) - Hideki, a poor prep school student, lucks out when he finds a persocom (a computer that looks like a person). He names her Chi. Throughout the series, Chi reads some very deep picture books, which delve into the nature of persocom-human relationships.
• Gravitation (manga) by Maki Murakami; Gravitation (anime TV series) - Shuichi's not a reader, but he can at least recognize when someone's talking about the books written by his lover, super-popular, super-sexy, and super-cold Eiri Yuki.
• Descendants of Darkness (manga) by Yoko Matsushita; Descendants of Darkness (anime TV series) - Even after death, someone's got to do paperwork and catch criminals. While Tsuzuki and his new partner are off doing what they can, the Gushoushin brothers, bird-like twin God librarians, try to provide everybody in the division with the information they need. This series is often also referred to by its Japanese title, Yami no Matsuei.
• The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross (manga) by Arina Tanemura - As a young girl, Haine fell in love with the boy (Shizumasa) who authored the children's book that was her first and last present from her father. Now a student at the elite Imperial Academy, Haine must figure out how to deal with Shizumasa (who seems to hate her), as well as her own feelings for him.
  

Cardcaptor Sakura (manga, vol. 1) by CLAMP

Not long ago, Sakura, an ordinary fourth grade girl, discovered an old book in her dad's library. Out of that book came Cerberus (Kero for short), the Creature of the Seal, assigned to protect the book and the Clow cards within it. Unfortunately, Kero slipped up, and the cards have all escaped. Each of the cards have incredible powers, and when they're out in the world like this they can cause lots of havoc. The fact that Sakura was able to open up the book indicates that she has the potential to use magic, so Kero gives her the Key of Seal, turning her into a Cardcaptor. Her job is now to capture and seal all the escaped Clow cards.

In this volume, Sakura captures the Jump card, the Fly card, the Watery card, and the Illusion card. Jump and Fly are relatively easy cards for her to capture, although Fly teaches her that cards under similar elements shouldn't be used to capture each other. Instead, Sakura captures Fly by realizing in a dream that it's wounded and offering to help it. Watery is a much more dangerous card and almost drowns several students before Sakura finally comes up with a plan to capture it by freezing it, allowing her to seal a card that Kero had thought she wasn't yet ready to seal. Illusion turns out to be even more dangerous - people see what they want to see, or think they should see, and Sakura ends up seeing her mother, who died when Sakura was very young. However, Sakura knows that her real mother wouldn't want her to come to harm, so she is able to capture the Illusion card by breaking the illusion it has cast over her.

Aside from all the card capturing, this volume also establishes several of the relationships in the series. Tomoyo is Sakura's best friend, a rich girl who loves dressing Sakura in elaborate costumes and filming her as she captures cards. Sakura's father and brother aren't developed too much yet - basically, they're just shown to be friendly and supportive (although, of course, Sakura is often annoyed by her brother, who likes to tease her). It's also quickly established that Sakura has a crush on her brother's friend Yukito, a nice, friendly guy who miraculously manages to eat his weight in food every day without gaining an ounce. While Sakura is infatuated with Yukito, Tomoyo has a secret crush on Sakura's brother.

Okay, so this series is totally sugary sweet, but I love it. I'm glad that I'm finally getting around to writing something about it. If the series were just about capturing cards, it wouldn't be nearly so interesting - the main draw of this series is the relationships between the characters. This series has plenty of friendships and sweet romance (because the romance generally involves 10-year-olds, all that really happens is lots of blushing and maybe some hand-holding).

In this volume, I particularly enjoyed the conversation that Yukito and Sakura's brother had during the Illusion story, after Sakura was nearly drowned by Illusion. Although Toya (Sakura's brother) may pick on her a lot, he's also protective of her and worries that she's lonely without her mother. As for Yukito, I can't help but smile at how nice he is to Sakura. Also, knowing what happens in future volumes (I've read this entire series before), I can't help but go all squealing fangirl whenever there's a Toya/Yukito scene.

At this point in the series, there's nothing that most parents would find objectionable. It's a sweet, magical girl series without magical girl transformation scenes. Everyone is nice, and although Sakura occasionally ends up in danger, it's nothing she can't handle without the help and support of her friends and family. Future volumes have some developments that some parents may find objectionable, but, at this point, it's a lovely series (in every way) that I'd recommend to anyone who likes character-focused stories. This volume hints at a lot of the cool stuff that turns up in later volumes (for instance, Kero's transformation).

The version that I read for this post was Tokyopop's 2003 edition. The artwork is unflipped, and all honorifics are retained. I enjoyed the translation, although I thought Sakura's habit of exclaiming "Hoe!" all the time was a little odd - wasn't there a better way they could've written that? Oh, well. As far as extras go, there's a short explanation of the things Tokyopop has done for this new edition, an explanation of Japanese honorifics, explanations of various flower-related names, and a few translator's notes. Since Tokyopop doesn't usually have many extras, much less translator's notes, it's a surprising selection of extras, but I still wouldn't say there's very much there.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (manga) by CLAMP; Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (anime TV series) - Sakura, a princess, lives a happy, fairly carefree life until her memory is magically fragmented and spread, in the form of glowing feathers, throughout different dimensions. Syaoran, a young man who secretly loves her, and a few strangers with their own goals and secrets travel from one dimension to the next in search of the pieces of Sakura's memory. This series is darker than Cardcaptor Sakura, but some readers may enjoy seeing familiar characters in an entirely new story. Syaoran and Sakura a bit older in this series, and their relationship has even more difficulties. I should also add that Sakura's brother, Yukito, and Clow Reed show up briefly.
• Inuyasha (manga) by Rumiko Takahashi; Inuyasha (anime TV series) - Kagome is an ordinary schoolgirl living in present day Tokyo. One day, she travels to feudal Japan by way of an ancient well and discovers that she is the reincarnation of the priestess who once guarded the powerful Shikon Jewel. After the jewel is accidentally shattered, Kagome, a half-demon named Inuyasha, and others team up in order to recover all the shards. Those who'd like another story with a little bit of romance, plus characters looking for a fragmented item (shards, rather than cards) might like this title.
• Gakuen Alice (manga) by Tachibana Higuchi - When Mikan's best friend leaves to attend the mysterious and elite Alice Academy, Mikan goes after her and tries to become a student at the academy herself. Alice Academy turns out to be a special school for children with amazing abilities (like flying, telekinesis, etc.). Once Mikan manages to prove that she belongs at the school, she becomes a student. Unfortunately, students are allowed little contact with the outside world, and there are other secrets the school and its teachers are hiding. Those who'd like another series starring characters of approximately the same age as those in Cardcaptor Sakura might like this series, which also has approximately the same amount of sweetness and cute romance.
• Yu-Gi-Oh! (manga) by Kazuki Takahashi; Yu-Gi-Oh! (anime TV series) - High school student Yuugi Mutou gains a powerful card-playing alter ego after he assembles the ancient Millennium Puzzle. Throughout the series, Yuugi uses his card-playing skills to battle various opponents and protect himself, his friends, and his family. Those who'd like another series in which cards (and friendship) have power might like this title.
  

Alone at the ref desk for the first time

At first, it looked like my trainer for the day had just forgotten it was time to staff the reference desk. It turns out she'd actually scheduled a doctor's appointment for her mom and was going to go with her, so she had me sub for her. Scary, but this isn't all that bad a time to start going solo. Finals are here, and no one wants to ask reference questions - they want to know where they can find a stapler!

It was actually kind of sad, though. If someone did ask for for a stapler, or scissors, or white out, then I was fine, but anything more complicated and I had to call a reference librarian. I still don't understand how a student can go an entire semester without once using her network password...

The cataloging side of things has been going a bit more smoothly. I ventured back into the world of Sirsi Symphony reports today and managed to successfully generate a report listing all of the authority files we have for children's subject headings (400-something out of hundreds of thousands of authority records total) and a report of all titles with incorrect nonfiling character indicators (approx. 200, I think, although not all of them are incorrect, just enough to be a bit shocking). Now I just need to find the time to fix all of this stuff.

My work on this blog has slowed down considerably - I've still got lots of posts waiting to be finished, but I don't really have the will to finish them right now. I'm so tired... Well, I'm good until Friday, then we'll have to see. I'm looking forward to the holiday break, although I'm sad I can't visit my family. I miss them.

New Moon (book) by Stephenie Meyer

One of the student workers at my library is wild about this series - when she heard that I had read the first book, she kept bugging me to read the rest. After I decided to go see the Twilight movie, reading the second book in the series seemed like a good idea. One of the nice things about being the one and only cataloger at my library is the ability to be the first (or one of the first) people to check out whatever is cataloged. I can also bump things up to the top of the "to be cataloged" list. The student worker I mentioned had already had me catalog the first and fourth books in the series, so I cataloged the second one and checked it out right after it had been processed. Then I made it my reading project for the Thanksgiving weekend.

I didn't enjoy Twilight as much as I had hoped I would, although I didn't think it was a bad book. The things I didn't enjoy about Twilight didn't really go away in New Moon: Bella's thoughts (and often her speech) are terribly melodramatic, Bella seems to be lacking in survival instincts, and every single teenage male in Forks (the town the books are set in) finds Bella attractive. However, maybe this time around I was more prepared for all of that or something, because it was easier for me to ignore all of that and just enjoy the story. It made for some nice reading over the long weekend.

At the beginning of this book, Bella and Edward are still all lovey-dovey, but there is trouble in paradise. Bella is still a human, which is the source of all kinds of worry and trouble. Bella worries about growing older while Edward stays eternally 17. Then there's Bella's accident-prone nature - once again, she bleeds in front of the Cullens. Edward, as usual, is upset by his own reaction to Bella's blood and by the danger Bella is in whenever she's around him and his family. This has been an issue since the first book, but in this book Edward decides to actually do something about it, and his family's circumstances provide a convenient solution.

The Cullens, being vampires, don't age, and it's gotten to the point where they won't be able to fake being human much longer. For their own safety, they decide to leave. Edward not only leaves Bella behind, he convinces her that he no longer loves her. Bella is destroyed. The only reason she doesn't just kill herself is because she promised Edward she wouldn't. Still, she spends months numb and zombie-like until she renews her friendship with Jacob.

Bella sees Jacob as a source of warmth and happiness in her life - she needs him in a way she hasn't needed anyone since Edward, but she doesn't love him like she loves Edward. Jacob loves her, even though he realizes she might not ever feel about him the way he feels about her (which, I'm guessing, doesn't stop him from hoping). Their relationship works out surprisingly well, until Jacob is drawn into what Bella at first believes is a cult.

Warning: there's some spoilers up ahead.

Anyway, the cult is not a cult, but rather a werewolf pack. Jacob has become a werewolf. Young werewolves are in constant danger of losing their tempers and turning on whoever is near them, so it's no longer safe for Bella to be around Jacob. However, she still needs him for her emotional well-being, and he still loves her. Since Jacob isn't allowed to tell Bella what he's become, it's a good thing Bella manages to figure it out on her own. Also, it turns out that the pack can help Bella - Victoria, one of the baddies from the first book, is back and determined to kill Bella in order to punish Edward for killing James, her mate. Werewolves are natural enemies of vampires, so the pack is perfectly willing to try to kill Victoria and protect Bella.

Eventually, Bella does something stupid and almost ends up dying. Actually, Alice Cullen thinks Bella really does die and returns to Forks to see if there's anything she can do for Charlie, Bella's dad. Unfortunately, although Alice discovers that Bella is still alive, Edward doesn't. Since he can't bear to live in a world without her in it, he travels to Italy, determined to force the ruling vampire family to kill him. Bella and Alice rush to stop him and manage to make it in time. However, Bella has now been brought to the attention of some very old, powerful, and dangerous vampires. Not only do they think she smells fabulous, they'd love to see what she's capable of once she's turned into a vampire. The only reason everyone gets out of this alive is because Alice and Edward promise that Bella will soon be made into a vampire. Bella may like that idea, but Edward doesn't.

By the end of the book, Edward has promised never to leave Bella again, Jacob refuses to be friends with Bella as long as she hangs out around the vampires (and he or one of his pack will probably kill her if she's ever turned into a vampire), and Charlie is pissed at Edward ("how dare the scumbag who hurt my daughter try to make himself a part of her life again!" - that sort of thing).

I'll quit with the spoilers now and move on to the commentary. First, I'll just say this: boy, Bella sure can pick them. In the first book, she ends up with a boyfriend who can't help but want to rip her throat out. In this book, she ends up with a "not quite a boyfriend but more than a friend" who might accidentally kill or maim her one day in a fit of rage.

Really, though, Jacob is a nice guy. He didn't show up much in the last book, so I wasn't sure how I'd feel about him being one of the main characters in this book (this time, Edward is the one who's barely around), but I really grew to like him. Actually, I felt really bad for him. In Twilight, the guys practically panted around Bella, and she barely seemed to notice or care (poor Mike). The pattern repeats itself in this book, although she eventually does admit that she feels bad about basically using the lovestruck Jacob as a crutch. The only reason I didn't hate her for it was because she took the time to tell Jacob that she can't feel about him the way he feels about her. He said he was okay with that, but I wonder - it probably never occurred to him that Edward would eventually come back.

Meyer succumbs to the desire to include a few vampire-novel clichés - now her world of vampires and werewolves includes a ruling body of powerful European vampires, and Bella turns out to be Special. Powerful, scary European vampires are nothing new (see Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, although only if you're old enough to be reading explicit sex scenes), but that cliché didn't really bother me. Actually, I'm hoping this will turn out to be an interesting development (although it's also apparently a sign that this series will no longer be confined to the small town of Forks). The revelation that no vampire's special powers work on Bella (except, apparently, Alice's, but no one thinks to wonder why this is) may also turn out to be an interesting development. However, it means that Bella is no longer an average, ordinary girl who just happens to be dating a vampire. It also opens up the possibility of a Mary Sue situation, which would just be annoying.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, despite its significant lack of Edward. Although I'm sure that the later books will have all the same problems as the first and second books, and then some, I'm looking forward to eventually reading them.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Daughters of Darkness (book) by L. J. Smith - This is the second book in Smith's Night World Series - the first book gives readers a little more information about the world and includes an appearance of one of the main characters in this book, but it should still be easy enough to follow along with the second if you haven't read the first. Mary-Lynette and her brother Mark are curious about the new girls who've moved to their town. They see something that lead them to believe the girls might've killed someone. Things get even more complicated when Ash, a relative of the girls, comes to town. The three new girls are actually vampires and fugitives from the Night World, and Ash is determined to bring them back. Unfortunately, Ash and Mary-Lynette turn out to be soulmates (very forbidden in the Night World), and there's also still a murderer to deal with in town. Those who'd like another teenage vampire romance with a crazy-in-love werewolf added to the mix might like this book.
  
• The Darkangel (book) by Meredith Ann Pierce - Aeriel is kidnapped by an impossibly beautiful darkangel who needs her as part of his final steps towards becoming a true vampyre. Although part of his plans for her include draining her of her blood, there's something about him that makes her want to save him. The romance in this book (trilogy, actually) is darker than in Meyer's Twilight series, but those who'd like something with a more pensive mood might enjoy this book. It's been a while since I've read it, but I was obsessed with this trilogy when I was 14 or 15 years old.
  
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (live action TV series) - Buffy used to be a popular cheerleader, until she discovered that she's the Slayer, the girl whose job it is to defeat the supernatural baddies intent on killing everything and taking over the world. She does her job with the help of her friends, her Watcher (her high school's librarian), and, eventually, a brooding vampire. Those who'd like something else with teenage vampire romance, werewolves and other creatures, and the occasional supernatural threat might like this series. Hey, there's even a little bit of teenage werewolf romance at one point.
• Guilty Pleasures (book) by Laurell K. Hamilton - This is the first book in Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series, set in an alternate history where vampires, werewolves and more are now a (sometimes uncomfortable) part of society. Anita Blake is a vampire executioner, an animator (she can raise the dead), and a consultant to the police on all things supernatural. In this first book, someone's killing innocent vampires, and, although Anita's killed her share of vampires, she does her best to find the killer. Those who'd like a story that, eventually, has a vampire-human-werewolf love triangle might like this series. A warning, however - there is some very explicit sex in this series, especially in later volumes.
• Moon Called (book) by Patricia Briggs - This is the first book in a series. Mercy is a mechanic and a skinwalker, someone who can turn into a coyote at will. Mercy is smart and tough, but she's definitely no Mary Sue - she may be able to shapeshift or not whenever she wants, and she may be fast and have a good sense of smell, but she's also weaker and more human than most of the beings she's around. In this book, Mercy and others investigate attacks on local werewolves - although fairies have revealed their existence to humankind, werewolves haven't yet, and random killings could unveil werewolves before they're ready. Those who'd like another story with lots of werewolves, plus an element of romance (although this is much less of a romance than the Twilight series), might like this book and series. This series is intended for adults, so there's sex scenes and graphic violence that may not be appropriate for younger readers.
  

Twilight (book) by Stephenie Meyer

Bella has decided to live in Forks, Washington with her dad, a decision she's not entirely happy with, although she knows it'll be best for her mom. Forks is a small town where everyone knows everyone, and a relative newcomer like Bella (she's visited her dad, but it's been a long time since she's spent much time in Forks) catches everyone's interest. During her first day of school, Bella finds herself most interested in the five gorgeous teens who live with Dr. Cullen and his wife, especially Edward Cullen. Unfortunately, Edward seems to hate Bella on sight, an unusual reaction since she hasn't done anything to earn his hatred and all the other boys at the school like her. It isn't until much later that Bella learns that Edward (and everyone else he lives with, the doctor and his wife included) is a vampire. Bella is more intoxicating to Edward than any other human he's ever met, which is a problem, since he doesn't want to feed on humans, especially on her. Despite the danger, Edward and Bella grow closer and come to love each other more and more. Unfortunately, Bella is still a fragile human, and not all vampires are as against feeding on humans as Edward and his family are.

I enjoy vampire romances, but I read this book mainly to see what all the fuss was about. I know that some people have been wondering whether Meyer is the next J. K. Rowling, and I'd have to say no. I've only read the first book so far, but I don't think it has the wide appeal that Rowling's Harry Potter series does. There's a bit too much romance in the book for lots of boys to flock to it (which isn't saying that the books don't have male fans), and I think the teen angst might be too heavy for many adults. Also, while Rowling created a world full of witches and wizards, parallel to our mundane world, that fans of all sorts could imagine themselves in, Meyer's world seems a bit more limited.

I wasn't sure what to think of Twilight, at first. In the first pages (chapters?), Bella seemed to be looking down on all the people around her. Although, in my opinion, she gets a bit better as the book progresses, she still never really becomes part of the town, she just lives in it. She makes a few friends, but her bonds with them are really shallow - her feelings for Edward are so all-consuming that there doesn't really seem to be room for anything or anyone else, and I guess it doesn't help that she knows secrets about him that she can't ever tell anyone else.

Besides the problems I had with Bella, I also didn't entirely like Meyer's writing style. She seemed to be operating by a few annoying principles: "Never use a word with one syllable when you can use a word with many" or, to a lesser extent, "Never use one word when you can use five." If any Meyer fans ever read this post, I might get bashed for this paragraph, but that's how her writing felt to me. Meyer writes things like "I donned my jacket" instead of "I put on my jacket" - I'm sure it makes for an interesting vocabulary list, but these kinds of things seemed odd for a teenage girl to be thinking and made Bella seem like a heroine in a Victorian novel.

I did start enjoying the book after Bella found out Edward's secret - as I've already mentioned, I really enjoy vampire romances. I don't think I've ever read a romance novel, even one with vampires, where the hero had to always be afraid of killing the heroine - it was really interesting and added a nice bit of tension to all their "getting to know each other" conversations. I loved how Edward had to balance his desire to be close to Bella and protect her with his desire to drink her blood - the rational part of him wanted to get far away from her for her sake, but the emotional part of him wanted to be near her.

The only thing that really made their relationship possible, though, was Bella's sometimes shocking lack of self-preservation instincts. If there was a possibility that someone besides herself could get hurt, Bella feared for that other person to the extent that she didn't look out for her own safety. For instance, she'd go out with Edward without telling anyone who she'd gone out with, just so that none of the townspeople would know it was his fault if he lost control and killed her - all because she loved him. It's amazing she manages to survive this book. When Meyer introduced the bit about Bella finding Edward's scent intoxicating (particularly his breath), I started to wonder whether some of Bella's... stupidity in the face of the danger Edward presented was in some way due to Edward having unwittingly snared her. There were some indications that this might be the case, but Meyer mostly skims over that possibility - I doubt it'll turn up much in later books, although I suppose it could happen.

Besides the romance, I also enjoyed the vampiric elements. All of the vampires had some of the same basic abilities: super speed, strength, etc. Those were most humorously demonstrated in a family baseball game (I'm not sure even the strongest baseball bat could survive what they were doing, but it was still a fun scene). Then there were the more individual vampiric powers, like Edward's telepathy, Jasper's empathic powers, or Alice's precognition. I hope that Meyer does more with those in the future. I have to say, I found Jasper's ability to be the scariest - if he wanted to kill a human, he could do it and make the human feel happy about it.

Despite some of my gripes, I did likethis book overall. I've already gone on to read the second book, and I'm about 100 pages into the third; plus, I've seen the movie.

Read-alikes:

• The Awakening (book) by L. J. Smith - This is the first book in Smith's Vampire Diaries series. Elena is a beautiful, popular high school girl who is intrigued by Stefan, a brooding and mysterious newcomer who is the only one to ever resist her. Damon is Stefan's sexy and dangerous brother, who, in order to get revenge against Stefan, is willing to take Elena from him by whatever means necessary. What Elena doesn't know at first is that both Stefan and Damon are vampires - by getting closer to them, she's involving herself, her friends, and her family in their dangerous world. Those who'd like another story involving high school romance, vampires, and a vampire character the heroine can't keep her eyes off of might like this book.
• The Initiation (book) by L. J. Smith - This is the first book in Smith's Secret Circle series, although it is no longer available on its own - the link will take you to the Amazon.com page for a volume combining the first book and half the second book (what were they thinking?!). Cassie isn't thrilled to move from sunny California to gloomy New England, but it isn't long before things get interesting for her. Her new school is practically ruled by a group of gorgeous teens who appear to be feared and/or respected by everyone around them. Cassie gradually discovers that, not only do these teens have special powers, so does she. As she gets involved with the group, she begins to fall for one of the girls' boyfriends. I know, I know, this is the second L. J. Smith books in this list, but I really do believe that fans of Meyer should try out Smith - the two of them have very similar books, and fans who've already devoured Meyer's books will likely enjoy the fact that Smith has written five different series. Those who'd like another story involving a teenage girl who's recently moved to a new town, dangerous fantasy elements, and romance might like this book.
  
• Blood and Chocolate (book) by Annette Curtis Klause - Vivian is a werewolf, part of a small community of werewolves living in secret among humans. Vivian's father, the pack leader, was killed when the pack was driven out of its previous home, and all that remains is for a new leader to be chosen before the pack can move to a more permanent home. In the meantime, Vivian doesn't really feel at home with anyone in the pack. She begins dating a human, but how long will their relationship last if she tells him what she is? Even worse, people have been getting killed and Vivian can't be certain she wasn't responsible. Those who'd like another story with supernatural beings, high school-aged characters, romance, and a writing style similar to that found in Twilight might like this book.
  
• Blue Bloods (book) by Melissa De La Cruz - This is the first book in a series. Schuyler is treated like an outcast by the clique of popular, athletic, and beautiful teens made up of Mimi Force, her twin brother, and her best friend. At the age of 15, Schuyler learns that she is a "blue blood," a very special vampire who is descended from a very old line. Unfortunately, lots of blue bloods have been dying, and Schuyler has to find out why before she, too, ends up dead. Those who'd like another story featuring high school-aged main characters, vampires, and a bit of suspense might like this book.
• Vampire Kisses (book) by Ellen Schreiber - This is the first book in Schreiber's Vampire Kisses series. Raven, a Goth obsessed with all things dark and creepy, is in oddity in her tiny hometown. One day, a handsome teenage boy moves into town, and Raven is immediately drawn to him - like her, he's pale and dresses in dark clothing. She's sure he's a vampire, just as she's sure she wants to be his girlfriend. Those who'd like another "teen girl and her vampire boyfriend" story might like this book and series, which is aimed at a somewhat younger age group than Meyer's books (the books are much shorter, under 300 pages, and things don't get quite as dark and dangerous).
• Vampire Knight (manga) by Matsuri Hino - Yuki's earliest memory is of being attacked by a vampire and then saved by another, the gorgeous and mysterious Kaname. Ten years later, Yuki, now the adopted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, spends her time blushing over Kaname and protecting the Day Class students (all humans, unaware of the vampires around them) from the Night Class (all vampires). She is aided by Zero, a brooding teenager hiding a dark secret. Those who'd like another romance involving teens, vampires, and guys with conflicting desires (should they rip the heroine's throat out or kiss her? hmm...) might like this series. By the way, it has also been made into an anime, which has not yet been made legally available in the US (which, um, hasn't stopped me from seeing the first four episodes - it's a lot of fun).
  

Watching stuff online

While I do own a TV, I only use it for DVDs - I haven't been able to bring myself to add cable (or whatever) to my list of bills. That's okay, though. I have access to the Internet.

If you've visited this blog enough, or if you actually happen to know me, you know I like anime. My addiction to that is a bit like my addiction to books: if I tried to feed it all on my own, I would be broke and unsatisfied. Libraries help me with my addiction to books, but they can't often help me with my addiction to anime.

When I first ventured into the world of online anime viewing, I began with YouTube. It wasn't necessarily easy to find what I wanted, and I had to hope that whatever person posted the first episode of a show also posted all the rest of them, or I'd have to hunt them all down one by one. Then YouTube started cracking down on people for breaking copyright law, and now YouTube, while a pretty good place for finding AMVs, is no longer such a good place to find full episodes.

So what do I use now?

1. Veoh - For my purposes, Veoh is similar to YouTube, in that it can be difficult to hunt down all consecutive episodes of shows. Also, there's the whole copyright thing. Shows that have been licensed in the US, like Fullmetal Alchemist, are much more difficult to find on Veoh than shows that haven't been licensed yet, like Vampire Knight. If you watch streamed episodes, the quality generally isn't good enough for the videos to be viewed fullscreen. However, episodes generally seem to look better fullscreen when downloaded and viewed using Veoh's software.
   
2. Toonami Jetstream - These episodes are posted by the Cartoon Network and are therefore all legal. Unfortunately, there are limitations. For instance, episodes are only available for viewing for a limited amount of time. If you missed out on the earlier episodes of a show, you're out of luck. I don't tend to view anime here often, but it's an option.
   
3. Hulu - I just found this (it's another legal one), and I'm loving it so far. The drawback is that its number of anime titles is extremely limited. However, a high percentage of the few titles they do have are titles I've been wanting to see. Also, I just watched the first episode of Mr. Stain on Junk Alley (a lot more disturbing than I thought it would be, btw), and I was able to view it fullscreen without too much fuzziness.
4. Official show websites - You won't be able to watch an entire series, but quite a few official websites for licensed shows have begun including the first 1 to 4 episodes of the shows. It's a great way to try out a show and hear what the dub sounds like (a big plus for me). FUNimation has been doing this quite a bit - I watched the first couple episodes of the dubbed version of Ouran High School Host Club this way.
5. Adult Swim website - For the most part, you have to stay up pretty late (or get up really early, depending on your viewpoint) to watch anime on Adult Swim. I've accidentally fallen asleep and slept through several episodes of shows I wanted to watch before - that's where Adult Swim's website comes in. They don't necessarily post episodes of every show in their lineup, but they've still got some good ones.

Not bad - only one site on the list (two, if you count YouTube) that's likely to have lots of copyright-law-violating material. Well, just because I've seen an entire show on Veoh or YouTube doesn't mean I won't buy it eventually. I saw all of Loveless on YouTube twice before it managed to make its way onto DVD in the US, and I now legally own all the DVDs. Of course, the sad thing is that the fansubs on the YouTube episodes were more informative and had fewer spelling and grammatical errors than the subtitles on the official DVDs.

Anyway, this post was brought on by my recent discovery of Hulu. Hulu makes me happy so far. Maybe if I get through an entire show, I'll do a series post for it, even though I don't own it - if I ever buy the DVDs, I can then add posts for the individual DVDs.

Saiyuki Reload (manga, vol. 8) by Kazuya Minekura

Although Sanzo, Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo have mainly traveled together, in this volume Sanzo is still traveling with Hazel and Gat instead. The two separate groups are closer than they realize - both groups stop at desert villages that are quarrelling with each other over water. Sanzo and his group stop at the human village, while Goku, Hakkai, and Gojyo stop at the youkai (demon) village. The youkai villagers are sure that the human villagers want them dead, while the human villagers' story is that the youkai villagers have been attacking them. In order to have an excuse to wipe out the youkai village, some of the leaders of the human village stage things so that it looks like one of the youkai invaded the village to attack - once Sanzo realizes and reveals the plan to his companions, neither he nor Hazel and Gat help the human villagers with their massacre, but that and Goku and the others' help doesn't stop the killings from happening.

After the main story, there's a short flashback story that reveals how Goku and Gojyo got their magical weapons (the nyoi-bo and shakugetsujou) and how Goku's hair got cut. After the bleak and depressing main story, this story's lighter tone was a nice change. Next, there's a very short murder mystery parody story starring all kinds of Saiyuki characters in various roles (Kougaiji as a servant who comes from a fallen noble family, for example). It was nice to see all the characters again, and a bit funny imagining them in their new roles, but it's not a very interesting or very good story.

It's been a while since I've read any Saiyuki or Saiyuki Reload, and I'm not sure if I ever even read volume 7 of Saiyuki Reload. It's quite possible I haven't read it, since I can't remember how the main characters got separated into two different groups (although I'm glad there's a "story so far" section - it helped get me a little caught up). By just accepting that I wasn't going to get everything that was going on, I was able to enjoy the volume, but the tone of this volume was more bleak than I liked. No one in the group was able to help the humans and youkai in this volume attain a steadier peace. Although Sanzo was suspicious of the leaders in the human village and their plans for the youkai, he didn't stop them from doing what they were doing (maybe he didn't feel he be able to do anything, or maybe he didn't find out their plans in time, but still). Hakkai and Gojyo were gone when the most damaging things were happening, and Goku was frozen by indecision, unable to figure out who to side with, humans or youkai.

I love Minekura's art style, which is part of the reason why I managed to enjoy this volume, but I don't think that it was the best that Saiyuki Reload or Saiyuki could offer. No one seemed to gain anything from the events in this volume, except maybe Goku - apparently, all this bad stuff that happened somehow helped Goku become a little more independent of Sanzo, although I don't think there's been much evidence yet that this is really the case. The flashback story after the main story had a more enjoyable feel for me - I liked the tone, which was both goofy (Goku and Gojyo using their weapons for the first time and breaking everything around them) and painful (Goku's memories of his past imprisonment).

Overall, it wasn't the most interesting volume - I hope that things either lighten up in the next volume, or move the story forward. As far as extras go, there are a few full-color pages at the beginning of the volume (very nice - I'd love it if they were poster-sized) and a sound effects list (all the sound effects in the volume are left just as they were in the original Japanese version, and the translations of those sound effects can be found in this list).

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Read or Die (anime OVA) - Yomiko Readman is "The Paper," a bumbling, yet powerful operative working for the British Library. Yomiko can manipulate paper, and she uses this skill to try to retrieve valuable stolen books that a mysterious group plans to somehow use to take over the world. I believe the original Genjo Sanzo was both a Chinese historical figure and a character in a famous Chinese novel - anyway, Sanzo and others turn up a lot throughout manga and anime, and this anime is no exception. If you'd like to see another interpretation of Sanzo, you might like this anime, which features Sanzo as a scary and violent foe.
• Chrono Crusade (manga) by Daisuke Moriyama; Chrono Crusade (anime TV series) - Rosette is a nun who is part of a special demon extermination squad. As a child, she made a contract with the demon Chrono, allowing him to borrow her life energy in order to use his demon powers to their fullest extent. Together, Chrono and Rosette try to get Rosette's brother back from the demon Aion, an old friend and nemesis of Chrono's. Like Saiyuki Reload, the tone of this series alternates between goofy and fun and bleak and sad. Plus, there's plenty of action, demons, and characters dealing with internal conflicts.
• Bus Gamer (anime TV series); Bus Gamer (manga) by Kazuya Minekura - In order to make some money, three guys who have never seen each other before agree to team up and take part in the "bus game," a secret series of battles waged by representatives from different corporations. The goal of the game is to take possession of a disk filled with corporate secrets, and all players risk losing their lives. Created by Saiyuki Reload's Kazuya Minekura, this series features similar characters (all are pretty boys with secret, disturbing pasts) and life-or-death situations.
• Rurouni Kenshin (manga) by Nobuhiro Watsuki; Rurouni Kenshin (anime TV series) - During the violent Bakumatsu era, the assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai paved the way for the Restoration, killing many. Years later, this man, now known as Rurouni Kenshin, has given up killing and chooses to wander from town to town. After he helps a woman named Kamiya Kaoru, his wandering life becomes more rooted, at least temporarily. Kenshin is willing to fight to help others, but he does whatever he can to avoid having to kill. Fans of Saiyuki Reload may enjoy Rurouni Kenshin's action, tone (which ranges from light to somewhat dark), and Kenshin's dark past.
• Samurai Champloo (anime TV series) - Fuu, a somewhat ditsy waitress, enlists the help of Mugen, a fierce and undisciplined fighter who incorporates break-dancing into his fighting style, and Jin, a samurai with a more traditional fighting style and a calmer and more controlled personality. Somehow the three of them have to get along while they try to find a samurai who "smells of sunflowers," someone from Fuu's past. Those who'd like another action-heavy series starring cool guys with dark pasts might like this anime.
  

The Memory Prisoner (book) by Thomas Bloor

When Maddie was two years old, something terrible happened that she can't remember, even though she can remember everything else she's ever heard or seen. Whatever it was that happened, Maddie's grandfather, Silas Lemon, disappeared, the library, which had been a lending library open to the public, shut its doors to almost everyone, and Maddie became afraid to leave the house. Thirteen years later, Maddie has not left the house once. Instead, she sits by her window and watches the outside world, learning about the goings on in the rest of the town from her younger brother Keith, whose memory is as amazing as her own.

Maddie and Keith's strange existence is disturbed by the news that Keith must now work at the Tower Library. The library is a mysterious and lifeless place that seems to have control over all of the town's information, from police reports to medical records, and the librarians are hiding some kind of secret in a restricted area of the library. Maddie becomes obsessed with investigating the Tower Library, encouraging the reluctant Keith to see as much of the library as he can and report everything he sees to her. Eventually, Maddie is forced to go outside in order to protect Keith, and she suddenly feels free and able to visit the library on her own. While there, she discovers what happened to her grandfather, learns about the terrible memory she suppressed, and frees the town from the corruption and control of the Tower Library.

This book was a bit of a letdown. Maddie's situation was so odd that I was expecting the ending of the book to be just as strange, but then it turned out to be a fairly mundane (if extremely pervasive) case of blackmail. No one knows what happened to Maddie's grandfather, Maddie hasn't left the house in 13 years, the Tower Library just screams "dark and foreboding," Maddie's mother is afraid of cupboards and drawers, and the readers are given blackmail and corruption as the root explanation of everything? I'd kind of expected that the librarians would turn out to be dangerous supernatural soul-suckers or some other creepy fantasy explanation.

Even if the ending didn't really live up the mood of the story, Bloor did a great job up to that point. I loved the creepy strangeness of it all, and the thought of villainous librarians always makes me laugh a bit.

Read-alikes:

• Alcatraz Smedry Versus the Evil Librarians (book) by Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz has always had a talent from breaking things - his mere presence can cause kitchens to go up in flames and doorknobs to break off. His world is turned upside down when he is given a bag of sand on his 13th birthday and it is promptly stolen by the evil Librarians bent on taking over the world. Alcatraz's grandfather, who special ability is arriving late for things (more useful than you might think), tries to teach Alcatraz how to use his talent so that they can infiltrate the library and get the bag of sand back. Those who'd like another young adult story involving evil librarians and the people who try to stand against them might like this book.
• Holes (book) by Louis Sachar - Stanley Yelnats isn't a bad boy, but he is an unlucky one, and a misunderstanding lands him at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility. The boys at Camp Green Lake are made to dig holes in the hot sun, day after day. Supposedly this will reform them, but it gradually becomes clear that the camp's frightening warden is actually having them look for something for her. Those who'd like another story with mystery, an odd and somewhat creepy feel, and villainous adults holding people prisoner for their own reasons might like this book.
• A Wrinkle in Time (book) by Madeleine L'Engle - The book begins with the arrival of a disturbing stranger. Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe (one of the most popular boys in high school) travel through space and time in an attempt to find Meg and Charles's father, who disappeared while doing secret work for the government on the tesseract (tesseract = a wrinkle in time) problem. Those who'd like another young adult story starring intelligent young main characters who are on a fantastic adventure might like this book. Although The Memory Prisoner only felt like it was going to be a book with fantasy/magical elements, this book actually does have those elements.
• Coraline (book) by Neil Gaiman - I'm not sure if I've actually managed to link to an edition of the book, or if what I've linked to is only a retelling of the story in a new format, so beware - I was a little surprised that the edition I read is no longer available. Anyway, in this strange and creepy story, Coraline and her family have recently moved into a new home. While exploring her home on her own, Coraline ends up stumbling into a version of the world much like her own, only freakier. Her other mother and other father (her mother and father in this alternate world) want Coraline to stay and be their little girl. Coraline becomes trapped in this other world and must figure out how to free her real parents and escape. Those who'd like another short young adult story with a creepy tone, a strange contemporary setting, and similar writing might enjoy this book.
  

The Queen's Bastard (book) by C. E. Murphy

Belinda Primrose has lived her entire life with secrets - she is the illegitimate child of Queen Lorraine and Robert Drake, the queen's secret spymaster, she has magical abilities, and she is the queen's secret assassin and sometimes spy. Belinda usually pretends to be lowborn women in order to go where she needs to be, but this time she must pretend to be minor nobility and infiltrate the courts of Echon. While there, she must befriend heir to that country's throne, Javier, and discover anything she can about possible plots against Queen Lorraine.

Belinda has always been aided by her ability to use what she calls the stillness, a secret ability that allows her to distance herself from any emotions that might hurt her. This ability helps her perfect her personae, but she eventually learns how to use her ability to make herself unnoticeable, invisible. She discovers that Javier has abilities similar to her own. He calls the two of them witchbreed. Thinking her to be an ally, he makes her his lover and trains her in the use of her power. Although she gradually comes to love him (if it's possible to attribute such an emotion to her), she never admits to him her real identity, and she never tells him the full extent of her abilities, that she can make herself unnoticed and read other people's thoughts and emotions. In the end, Belinda must decide whether she will act according to her duty or according to her heart.

On the cover of this book, underneath the author's name, are the words "author of Urban Shaman." While this is certainly true, it's also misleading. These words are an encouragement to those who have read Urban Shaman to read this book, but those, like myself, who read Urban Shaman and enjoyed it may be disappointed. While the information on the back of the book makes it clear that certain aspects of this book are very different from Urban Shaman (that book was contemporary fantasy, while this book is fantasy featuring political intrigue, with an alternate history twist), it's not just in those aspects that this book differs from Urban Shaman. If it weren't for the author's name on the cover, I would not have guessed that this book was written by C. E. Murphy, because her writing style is so vastly different from what I had come to expect.

My summary may make this book sound softer and more emotional than it actually is. Although by the end of the book Belinda claims to have fallen in love with Javier, I'm not sure she's actually capable of feeling that emotion. From the time she was a baby, Belinda has been a tool for her mother and father's use. This, combined with the less than savory side effects of her magic usage, lead to Belinda having what I consider to be a very twisted personality. It's possible for Belinda's personae to be be nice people - I think that if Belinda could've allowed Beatrice, the minor noble she pretended to be, to take her over, I could have actually believed she had really fallen in love with Javier. However, Belinda herself is a very ruthless and sometimes sadistic woman.

I'll say flat out that I usually prefer it when the main characters of the books I read are at least somewhat likable. Unless the premise and plot of a book really grabs me, I have problems getting through books that are lacking in likable characters. This was my problem with The Queen's Bastard - hardly any of the characters were likable and the intrigue was almost too confusing to interest me.

When I first began the book, I expected that Belinda would gradually learn more about her magical abilities and use those abilities to break free of her parents - the information on the back of the book and Belinda's occasional attacks of conscience led me to believe this. This belief allowed me to keep an open mind about Belinda's activities. Then, about half way through the book, Belinda rapes the maid she keeps as part of her Beatrice persona and encourages a man who loves her (Marius, a friend of Javier) to rape her, too - whether he does or not depends upon your definition of rape, but I consider what he did to her to be rape. After this is all over, Belinda has a mild attack of conscience that I think Murphy might've thought would raise her up in readers' eyes again. As for myself, the fact that Belinda washed her poor maid and then figured out how to wipe the memories of the rapes from her mind did not make me forgive her for what she had done. As if things weren't already bad enough, Belinda later sees her maid as little more than a plaything - since she can erase her maid's memories, she doesn't see the harm in offering the young woman to Marius again (she doesn't get a chance to, but she does consider the idea).

Although I didn't dislike Javier nearly as much as I disliked Belinda, he was also not a very likable character. When he first appears in the story, he seems like an intelligent, arrogant, and crafty man. As the story progressed, I was forced to revise my assessment of him - he's arrogant, but he's actually more naive and easily manipulated than he is intelligent and crafty. Belinda wraps him around her finger so easily it's pathetic. While he notices that his childhood friend Eliza loves him, he doesn't have enough empathy to recognize how his actions (taking Belinda as a lover and eventually proposing to her) can hurt her - actually, in general, he seems to have absolutely no talent for reading and dealing with people, at least when it suits Murphy's plot. His magic allows him to influence other people's behavior, so maybe he's lost the knack of dealing with people without it. According to Murphy (through Belinda), Javier tries not to use his magic on his friends, although it seems that he does use it involuntarily sometimes, and also when it's really convenient for him.

Well, enough about the characters. As far as the intrigue goes, I didn't really get interested until at least two thirds through the book - I spent most of the book a little confused, trying to remember who all the characters were and whose side(s) they were on. There are three queens, so there's basically three sides, with spies, assassins, other members of royalty, and secrets in the mix. The book begins before either Javier or Belinda's births - readers are forced to figure out why Sandalia and Lanyarch are important before anything has even been explained, and it's not until much, much later that readers find out why anything that happens in those first few pages is even worth knowing, since Murphy skips from Sandalia to Lorraine. Most of the book is from Belinda's perspective, but some scenes are told from other characters' perspectives, like Sandalia, Javier, or Ana di Meo (she's an important character who isn't obviously important, because she's forgotten during most of the book). The changes in perspective can sometimes initially add to the confusion.

Overall, I disliked this book and barely managed to get through it. Had Belinda not raped her maid and had her raped again by someone else, I probably would've judged this book as "ok." Murphy did a nice job of setting up a believable world of danger and political intrigue, but it's not a very pleasant world and neither are the people that populate it. The similarities of this world with Elizabethan Europe mean that this book could be called an alternate history, and it may appeal to alternate history lovers. Also, Belinda's abilities, especially her ability to use the stillness to make herself unnoticed, are very interesting and may appeal to those who'd like something involving unusual magical abilities. However, any people this book might be recommended to would have to be willing to deal with the general ruthlessness of the characters and unpleasantness of the sex scenes (in addition to the rape, Belinda has sex with many other characters for a variety of reasons - usually, she has sex with someone as part of her persona or in order to get information or gain control over someone).

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Poison Study (book) by Maria V. Snyder - Yelena is given a choice - she can either continue to live in her dank prison cell until the day she is put to death, or she can become the food taster for the Commander, ruler of Ixia. Although it's quite possible she'll end up dying a painful death anyway, Yelena chooses to live a bit longer and become a food taster. As she begins and passes her intense training under the watchful eye of Valek, the Commander's head of security, Yelena is also drawn into castle politics. Those who'd like another story with an edge of magic, political intrigue, and a female main character who can't safely trust anyone might like this book.
  
• Assassin's Apprentice (book) by Robin Hobb - Fitz is a bastard, sired by Prince Chivalry and born to a peasant woman. At the age of six, Fitz is put in the care of the prince's man, Burrich, but his existence is not a comfortable one. Fitz has inherited the "Skill," an ability that allows him, among other things, to meld his thoughts with those of nonhuman creatures - unfortunately for Fitz, it's not an ability that's looked upon kindly, and he must keep what he can do hidden. When Fitz comes to the attention of King Shrewd, he becomes the Royal Assassin's apprentice and is trained to carry out the king's devious plans. Those who'd like another story with a bit of magic and lots of political intrigue, in which a child is molded into a skilled assassin, might like this book and series.
  
• Kiss of Shadows (book) by Laurell K. Hamilton - This is the first book in Hamilton's Meredith Gentry series, set in an alternate world that is much like ours, except that faeries have made their existence known and have come to America after they were ousted from Europe. For years, Meredith has hidden her identity as a faerie princess of the Unseelie Court from everyone, convinced that her aunt, the queen, would kill her if she found her. Meredith is part sidhe, part brownie, and part human (and maybe part other things I can't think of right now), and the only magic she's ever really been good at is personal glamour - she'd never stand a chance against her aunt's assassins. While in hiding, Meredith works for the Grey Detective Agency, which specializes in supernatural cases. The agency gets involved in a case where someone is using magic to seduce women with fey blood and drain their power. Meredith's cover gets blown, and suddenly she's got more to deal with than she can really handle. Those who'd like another story with political intrigue, magic, and characters who aren't afraid to use sex as a tool might like this book and series. A warning: the sex scenes are longer and more plentiful than Murphy's.
  
• Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (anime TV series) - In this alternate history (?), the Empire of Britannia has invaded Japan. Japan is now referred to as Area 11, and its people are 11's. Lelouch appears to be an ordinary, if extremely intelligent, high school student, but in reality he's hiding many secrets. One of those secrets is the power of Geass, which was given to him by a mysterious young girl who was some sort of military secret. Geass allows Lelouch to make anyone obey his orders, and he uses it great deal as he begins living a double life as Zero, the masked leader of a rebellion to combat Britannia's tyranny. Those who'd like another story with political intrigue and an apparently ruthless and arrogant main character who must live a double life might like this anime series.