Pumpkin Scissors (manga, vol. 1) by Ryotaro Iwanaga

After a long and destructive war between the Empire and the Republic of Frost, a cease-fire is declared. Three years later, the Empire is still ravaged with starvation and disease and bandits are a common problem. The Imperial Army State Section III (aka Pumpkin Scissors) is supposed to help with relief and reconstruction and is generally considered to be something of a joke and a career dead end (no real chance for advancement). Section III goes to a town in order to stop some soldiers that had been part of a secret unit responsible for conducting illegal chemical warfare. Although the war is over, these soldiers aren't ready to give up and have been terrorizing the town. Section III stops them, with the help of Randel Oland. Oland is an enormous and mysterious veteran of the war who is somehow able to brave a tank on his own with the help of a blue lantern.

Oland, who desires nothing more than peace, is transferred to Section III. Section III then visits an arrogant viscount who eats well and wastes food while his people starve. The viscount has been using the village men as "prey" in special hunts - those who survive, which no one has managed yet, will win a fortune. The Lieutenant responsible for Section III is determined to fight this injustice. Instead, she is held at gunpoint while her people, including Oland, are chained together and forced to be prey in the next hunt. The Lieutenant convinces the maids holding the guns on her that they can turn their guns on a nobleman like the viscount, because they're already pointing them at one (the Lieutenant, Alice Malvin, is the third daughter of one of the thirteen Appointed Families and therefore a noblewoman). Oland activates his blue lantern and goes after the tank, while the maids finally stand up against the viscount.

In the final part of the volume, the Lieutenant becomes frozen by a desire not to be a hypocritical noblewoman. Because commoners don't get much to eat and don't have access to personal coaches, she doesn't feel she should have any of those things either. Section III's next mission is to dig tunnels near a town, and so they ask the townspeople to help them. The townspeople refuse, however, because they'd been asked to do the same sort of construction work before and then had never been paid. The Lieutenant is still feeling guilty about the benefits she receives as a noblewoman, but Oland convinces her that she can only help the Empire and its people to the best of her ability if she's in top form - if she wants to be at her best, she can't starve herself like the people around her are starving. In the end, the Lieutenant uses her status as a noblewoman to convince the townspeople to help with the work.

This volume was interesting enough that I think I might pick up the next volume when I get the chance. I hope that Iwanaga plans on developing all the characters in Section III some more in later volumes. I also wonder what else Iwanaga plans to do with this series - too many "Section III swoops in and eventually saves the day and promotes peace" stories will get old.

At the moment, the only characters that have gotten any kind of development are the Lieutenant and Oland. It didn't surprise me when the Lieutenant's noble status was revealed, because she's too naive to be a commoner - there's no way a commoner could've made it that far up the military hierarchy and still kept all that loud idealism intact. I found Oland to be much more interesting than the Lieutenant, if only because of the mystery surrounding what he did as part of his former unit. There's one short snippet at the end of the first part of the volume that indicates that what Oland can do with his blue lantern was something that was part of an experiment. Later, it's revealed that the lantern basically makes Oland impervious to pain and fear - while he has it on, he'll keep on moving forward until he can shoot the people in the tanks at point-blank range. It's not surprising that he's so scarred. In fact, it's amazing he's lived as long as he has. I wonder if the lantern has any kind of side-effects?

One of the other characters in the manga comments that Oland doesn't seem to be too bright, but I think he's maybe just slow and careful. It seems like a lot of big characters are, whether they're in manga or novels.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Bleach (anime TV series); Bleach (manga) by Tite Kubo - Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember, but it's not until he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper, that his life really gets strange (not to mention dangerous). When a battle with a Hollow goes badly, Rukia tries to lend Ichigo some of her Soul Reaper powers but ends up accidentally giving him everything. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, Ichigo battles Hollows with Rukia's help and guidance and gradually becomes even more powerful. In addition to lots of action and a good mixture of humor and drama, Bleach has a character named Chad who's big, slow, deliberate and likable, much like Oland. Chad's not a main character, but he's one of Ichigo's friends and does show up fairly often.
  
• Fullmetal Alchemist (manga) by Hiromu Arakawa; Fullmetal Alchemist (anime TV series); Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie (anime movie) - In a world where alchemy is considered science, Ed and Al, two young brothers, have broken the primary rule of alchemy, the law of equivalent exchange, in an attempt to resurrect their mother. As a result, Ed lost an arm and a leg, and Al lost his whole body. Now they're on a journey to discover the Philosopher's Stone and use it to restore their bodies. Both the anime and the manga are good, although the anime is very different from the manga after a certain point. Once you finish the anime, there's also a movie that wraps things up in a grand battles and multi-world spanning way - it's not advisable to watch the movie before finishing the anime TV series. Those who'd like another series with fantasy elements that features humor, drama, and action may enjoy this series. As with Pumpkin Scissors, the main characters try to deal with people in a lot of war-torn places and must try to work with townsfolk who don't quite trust them because of their position in the military.
• Last Exile (anime TV series) - In a world that looks like 19th century Europe with awesome flying technology, Claus and Lavie are pilot and co-pilot of a Vanship and act as couriers. When they rescue a little girl and complete the mission that involves her, they end up becoming crew members of the legendary mercenary ship Sylvana. As this series progresses, the powerful and often scary Guild also gets involved a lot. The look and feel of this anime are quite similar to Pumpkin Scissors - actually, I think Lavie and the Lieutenant look like they're related. This series has lots of battles, mainly between ships (which doesn't mean, of course, that the individuals on those ships aren't affected) and a steampunk feel.
• 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. Those who'd like another story with a historical feel (Chrono Crusade takes place in the 1920s), a loud, energetic, and naive main character, and some amazing technology might want to try this title.

Black Cat (manga, vol. 15) by Kentaro Yabuki

All the bounty hunters that had been going after the Apostles of the Stars were separated after they were attacked. Train and River find each other quickly and agree to a temporary truce. They are found by two members of the Apostles of the Stars, Maro, who can control gravity, and Preta, who has the power to erode things. Maro chooses to fight Train, while Preta fights River. Train is hampered by his unwillingness to kill Maro, and Maro's abilities prevent Train's bullets from reaching him, but Train figures out a way around that problem by shooting at Maro from directly above and using special bullets. River manages to hold his own against Preta by relying on his metallic armor, but when Preta steps things up a notch and makes it impossible for River to touch him, River wins the fight by using his fist to create sonic shock waves that knock Preta out without River having to touch him.

Meanwhile, Eve is elsewhere on the island with one of other bounty hunters. They are found by Leon Elliot, an Apostle of the Stars who uses wind as a weapon. The bounty hunter is hurt pretty quickly and can't take part in the fight, so Eve takes on Leon on her own. Everyone underestimates her - the bounty hunter, because he doesn't know Eve's abilities and thinks she's just a kid, and Leon, because Eve's a girl. However, Eve's been practicing her transforming abilities, and she's in top form for this fight. Leon finally decides to hit Eve with everything he's got, and Eve makes him promise that he'll leave the Apostles of the Stars if she survives. Eve turns herself into steel and manges to survive his attack with some damage, and, before she and the bounty hunter with her leave, Leon reiterates his promise to leave the Apostles. The volume ends with Sven catching up to and saving a bounty hunter who's about to be killed by an Apostle who uses ice as a weapon.

It's always fun to see Eve fight, because you never know what she'll do - after all, she can change her body in just about any way she wants. Unfortunately, I kind of think that this is also her weakness as a character - it can get old if a character is too powerful, and there are times when that seems to be the case with Eve. Her main weaknesses are her inexperience (which becomes less of a weakness every time she fights) and, if I remember right, her tendency to tire if she overdoes things. In the long-term, I'm not sure if she'll continue to be interesting - Train, on the other hand, can still have some very cool battles after 15 volumes, even though he can only use a gun.

Of course, Train now has the rail gun, so maybe he'll start to get into the realm of "too powerful to be truly interesting" too, but his fight in this volume is mostly just about thinking things through and using the right bullets. River, on the other hand, was a little silly in his battle. "Sonic fist"? Right. I know this sort of thing (sonic weapons, I mean) has been used before in other manga, but it doesn't really fly in this one, at least not with River. As far as I know, River's supposed to be an ordinary human who just happens to have a lot of training when it comes to fighting with his fists. He doesn't have special powers like the Apostles, and yet no human could really do what he does with his fists.

Well, I guess I'm getting a little nit picky. Anyway, those who like a few good battles will probably like this volume more than the previous one. As far as extras go, there's a few funny extra comics, a character profile, and a couple factoids about some of the techniques characters use in this volume.

Before I move on to the read-alikes and watch-alikes, just a note: for some reason, the sweeper (aka bounty hunter) Eve is with (I think his name might be Kevin) reminds me of some of Yuu Watase's characters - he'd look right at home standing next to Absolute Boyfriend's Night.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Alice 19th (manga) by Yuu Watase - Sixteen-year-old Alice has always felt overshadowed by her older sister Mayura, but never more so when she develops a crush on her sister's boyfriend. Not long after Alice finds a rabbit who tells her that she's been chosen to be a "Lotis Master," Alice has a big fight with her sister. As a Lotis Master, Alice's words have power, and Mayura disappears after the fight. Alice works with Kyo (Mayura's boyfriend) and others to try to find Mayura and free her from the evil that has taken her over. I know I mentioned Watase's Absolute Boyfriend at the end of my post, but I think this series is a better match for those who like Black Cat - there's lots more action in this series. Of course, since this is also a romantic title intended for girls, there's also lots of hot guys and romantic tension. I'd recommend this series to those who notice (and like) the hot guys in Black Cat and would like more romance with their fight scenes.
• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Naruto, a young ninja, is determined to become the best ninja in his village, but he must first learn teamwork and better fighting techniques in order to survive all the tests he needs to pass in order to become a full-fledged ninja. Those who'd like another series with humor, drama, and intense and exciting fight scenes might want to try this title.
• Bleach (anime TV series); Bleach (manga) by Tite Kubo - Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember, but it's not until he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper, that his life really gets strange (not to mention dangerous). When a battle with a Hollow goes badly, Rukia tries to lend Ichigo some of her Soul Reaper powers but ends up accidentally giving him everything. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, Ichigo battles Hollows with Rukia's help and guidance and gradually becomes even more powerful. Those who'd like another action-packed story with lots of battles and interesting characters with amazing abilities might like this anime/manga.
  
• 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. Those who'd like another action-packed series in which supposedly human people do impossible things (which happen to still be cool to see, as long as you can suspend your disbelief) might want to try this title. There's lots of intense battles, engaging characters, and a good mixture of humor and drama.

Shaman King (manga, vol. 17) by Hiroyuki Takei

Yoh tells his friends what Silva told him, that Hao's mana is currently at 1,250,000 (as a comparison, Yoh's mana is at about 10,000, while Horohoro and Joco's are only at about 2,000). This means that Hao is going to win the tournament, no matter what Yoh and his friends do. Despite this, Yoh doesn't plan on giving up. While some of Yoh's friends are off digesting Yoh's depressing news, Ren (who is in the company of Joco and Horohoro) is approached by Mikihisa Asakura, Yoh's dad, who tells him that he's come to teach him the Ultra Senji Ryakketsu. Mikihisa and Ren fight. Ren pulls out all the stops, even revealing his Over Soul (God of War) in an attempt to beat Mikihisa, but he can't. (By the way, both Yoh and Anna are aware that Mikihisa is probably off beating Ren up, but they don't seem too concerned.) Ren does eventually manage to bloody Mikihisa, but he still refuses to be taught the Ultra Senji Ryakketsu. A while later, as Mikihisa feeds everybody and Ren is recovering, Mikihisa explains that the reason why the fate of the world is left to children (many of the people in the Shaman Fight are children) is because adults know their limits, or think they know their limits, which means they have no more potential. Even weak children, however, have unlimited potential, because they don't know they're weak.

A couple Patch come upon Ren, Mikihisa, Joco, and Horohoro. One of these Patch is Nickrome, the brother of Chrom the Officiant, who was killed by Ren. The other Patch is Magna. They are joined by others who serve/follow Hao. These are powerful people, but if Mikihisa (aka Mickey) stays to fight with Ren and the rest, his teammates in the Shaman Fight will die. Ren tells Mikihisa that he can go, because he (Ren) has already learned his techniques. Ren does pretty well against the group at first, but it turns out that everyone on the other side knows how to do the techniques (the Shamanic Oracle) that Ren has just learned. Ren is badly wounded - even if he survives, his spine may be badly damaged. Horohoro and Joco fight back, but they don't have much of a chance of winning, and they may not be able to hold their enemies back for long. When all seems lost, Yoh joins in the fight.

Takei has done a good job of making things seem pretty hopeless. Hao is incredibly powerful, so powerful that even Yoh doesn't measure up. There are a few comments made in this volume that make me wonder what's in store for the future. For instance, early in the volume, Ren wonders about Yoh being Hao's other half. He thinks about how laid back Yoh always is, like he's missing certain emotions. I wonder if Yoh and Hao are two parts of the same person, Maybe at some point they'll become one, and even though Hao will win, so will Yoh.

I wonder if Ren is actually going to die. Although it's often the case in shonen manga that one of the "good guys" will seem to die or be near death, it's rare for anyone to actually die. However, I know that this series is getting awfully close to the end - if I remember right the series ends at something like volume 25. If that's the case, then it's not out of the question for a friend of the hero of the series to die.

Other than a few character files (character image, name, birthday, astrological sign, age in the image, blood type, and maybe a little other information), there aren't any extras.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• 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. Those who'd like another long-running manga with deep friendships and lots of intense battles might want to try this series. As Shaman King gears up for its ending, I'm reminded of how Rurouni Kenshin felt as it was wrapping up, with all that bleakness that (thankfully) turned out better and happier than I expected. I think Takei used to be one of Watsuki's assistants, so maybe this similar feeling isn't just a coincidence.
• Bleach (anime TV series); Bleach (manga) by Tite Kubo - Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember, but it's not until he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper, that his life really gets strange (not to mention dangerous). When a battle with a Hollow goes badly, Rukia tries to lend Ichigo some of her Soul Reaper powers but ends up accidentally giving him everything. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, Ichigo battles Hollows with Rukia's help and guidance and gradually becomes even more powerful. Those who'd like another long-running action-packed story with ghosts, lots of battles, and engaging characters might want to try this series.
• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Naruto, a young ninja, is determined to become the best ninja in his village, but he must first learn teamwork and better fighting techniques in order to survive all the tests he needs to pass in order to become a full-fledged ninja. Those who'd like another long-running series with lots of battles, engaging characters, and a mixture of humor and drama might enjoy this title.
• Yu Yu Hakusho (manga) by Yoshihiro Togashi; Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghost Files (anime TV series) - Yusuke Urameshi dies pushing a child out of the way of oncoming traffic. It turns out that he wasn't supposed to die, so he's given the chance to be resurrected. After he's resurrected, Yusuke becomes a Spirit Detective, along with his friends/comrades, and has many adventures. The only part of this I've ever seen or read involves Yusuke and his friends in a seemingly unending tournament battling teams of demons. Those who'd like another long-running series with ghosts, lots of battles, and people with special powers might want to try this title.
  

The Prince of Tennis (manga, vol. 27) by Takeshi Konomi

Ryoma and Genichiro's match (Seishun and Rikkai's last match of the Kanto Tournament finals) continues and ends in this volume. Things aren't looking good for Ryoma, who's struggling to hold his own against Genichiro's "Furin Kazan" shot. However, Ryoma's teammates know he's not going to give up. Ryoma figures out a way to beat Furin Kazan - he enters the selfless state at just the right moment and cancels out Genichiro's Furin Kazan with an opposing Furin Kazan ("destroy like fire" is weak against "fast as the wind," etc.). Genichiro figures Ryoma will manage to exhaust himself before the end of the match, but apparently this exhausting pace is Ryoma's "optimal pace." Amazingly, Ryoma's shots actually increase in speed. Flashbacks reveal that Ryoma had played similarly exhausting matches against Kunimitsu. Flashbacks also reveal that Kunimitsu asked Seishun's coach to put Ryoma in No. 1 Singles in order to unlock his immense potential.

During Ryoma's match against Genichiro, Genichiro and others see a samurai in Ryoma, calling to mind Ryoma's father (whose nickname as a pro tennis player was "Samurai Nanjiro"). There's even speculation that Ryoma's spectacular skills aren't necessarily the result of natural talent, but rather were drilled into him as a child by his father without him even realizing it. In the end, Ryoma wins the match with his "Cool Drive" shot, which causes the ball to skid across the court rather than rebound.

The six teams that will be competing in the Nationals are Midoriyama Junior High (6th place), Yamabuki Junior High (5th), Rokkaku (4th), Fudomine Junior High (3rd), Rikkai (2nd), and Seishun (1st). The volume ends with a summer-themed break - Seishun and Rokkaku are holding a joint training camp at the beach. In the spirit of fun and competition, they're holding a beach volleyball tournament in which the losers have to drink Sadaharu's Special Solution (sardine juice). Everyone gets paired off, but readers will have to wait until the next volume to see how the volleball tournament turns out.

You know, I was almost hoping Ryoma might lose against Genichiro. I'm not entirely sure about this, but I don't think losing against Rikkai would've hurt their chances of getting into the Nationals (I know that contradicts what I wrote in my post for the previous volume, but that's because I'm just thoroughly confused about how the tournament works), and I kind of think Ryoma could stand to lose a game. He's just creepily good, and apparently he's capable of playing beyond his physical limits. I think he probably sweated several pounds away in this match. Everyone loses sometime, but I don't think I've ever read a Prince of Tennis volume in which Ryoma didn't win.

I really hate the selfless state, and I'm hoping that this is the last time is shows up. Unlike some of the techniques the players in this series use, the selfless state doesn't feel all that realistic, and since Ryoma seems to have limitless endurance it also seems a bit like Konomi's cheating. However, the energy of this volume was great, and I liked getting to see Kunimitsu again, even if only in flashbacks.

The beach volleyball match should be fun, although I kind of wonder about a bunch of tennis players playing volleyball. I'm sure Konomi will find a way for the different players to imitate their signature tennis shots during the games, even though they shouldn't be able to - after all, just because someone can play one sport really well doesn't mean they can play another just as well or with as much control. I'm just going to have to suspend my brain and enjoy the humor - Sadaharu's special juice may be an old joke, but it's one I still enjoy.

Overall, this volume was okay. This might turn out to be the last volume of this series I'm ever going to read, because I've never liked this series enough to feel like buying it, and no libraries in the area I've moved to collect it. As far as extras go, there's a note from Konomi and a few pages of "Rikkai Question Corner."

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Whistle! (manga) by Daisuke Higuchi - In this series, a hard-working boy named Sho transfers to a new school just so that he can get a better chance to play soccer. Although he isn't very good at soccer, he practices long and hard and gradually improves his skills. Others begin to notice him, and Sho becomes part of his school's team. Even though he isn't usually the best player, people notice him because his cheerful, determined presence tends to improve moral and his flashes of brilliant playing hint at future greatness. Those who'd like another series featuring exciting sports competition that is represented in a realistic way (at this point, even more realistic than Prince of Tennis) might like this title.
  
• Eyeshield 21 (manga) by Riichirou Inagaki (story) and Yuusuke Murata (art) - Sena, a freshman in high school, has been bullied for years and, as a result, has learned to run really fast. His talent is spotted by Hiruma, the hilariously sadistic president of the American Football Club, who forces Sena to join the club as the mysterious "Eyeshield 21." Those who'd like another long-running series featuring intense sports competition might enjoy this manga. Even if you don't like football, I'd still suggest this series - Inagaki, aware that many Japanese readers might not know how football works, explains many of the rules (so even American readers who don't know the rules can follow along) and keeps things fun, even for non-football lovers, by cranking up the wild and weird humor.
• Hikaru no Go (manga) by Yumi Hotta (story) and Takeshi Obata (art); Hikaru no Go (anime TV series) - Twelve-year-old Hikaru is looking through his grandfather's things for something he can sell when he comes across a haunted Go board. Sai, the ghost of a long-dead Go instructor, is delighted that Hikaru can see him and basically forces him to give him opportunities to play Go. Hikaru is reluctant, at first, but he gradually learns to love the game and starts on the path to becoming a professional Go player. Those who'd like a manga series with exciting one-on-one competition might like this manga. Yes, I did say that a manga about a board game has exciting competition - Hotta and Obata do an excellent job of making the Go matches both exciting and believable.
• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Naruto, a young ninja, is determined to become the best ninja in his village, but he must first learn teamwork and better fighting techniques in order to survive all the tests he needs to pass in order to become a full-fledged ninja. Those who'd like another series featuring lots of intense competition (in this case, often in the form of life-and-death battles) and characters whose abilities "evolve" as the series progresses might enjoy this title.

Naruto (manga, vol. 31) by Masashi Kishimoto

Sakura and Chiyo continue their battle with Sasori. Sakura almost manages to defeat him, but Sasori can easily rebuild his puppet body when it's been damaged. Chiyo and Sasori start launching armies of puppets against each other. For a moment, it looks like Chiyo has won, but Sasori tricks her and attacks her with a sword. Sakura shields Chiyo with her body and is impaled by Sasori's sword. Sasori frees himself and tries to attack Chiyo again, but he's finally pierced through the heart by Chiyo's puppets, the parent puppets that were Sasori's first creations. In this position, Sasori is still alive, but he can no longer move. Chiyo then uses a transference technique to give up some of her own life force in order to heal Sakura. Usually, this technique would kill the user, but Sakura isn't dead yet, so Chiyo survives. Before Sasori dies, he tells Sakura how she can meet one of his spies, who is also one of Orochimaru's henchmen.

The focus of the story now changes to Naruto and Kakashi, who are chasing after Deidara. Kakashi unleashes Mangekyo Sharingan on Deidara, but his control isn't as good as it could be. Rather than killing Deidara, all Kakashi manages to do is teleport his arm away from his body. Kakashi and Naruto team up to try to defeat Deidara, and Naruto does manage to get Gaara's body back from him, but then Naruto's chakra begins to form the nine-tailed fox demon. Kakashi is forced to seal Naruto's chakra so that he can stay in control. Meanwhile, Guy has managed to defeat his lookalike foe, and Sakura and Chiyo have caught up to Naruto and Kakashi. Guy's team tries to fight Deidara, but Deidara uses a special jutsu that apparently causes him to explode. No one has time to get away, but Kakashi is able to avert disaster by using his Mangekyo Sharingan to teleport Deidara someplace else.

Now that the battles have ended, Naruto and the others have to face the fact that Gaara is dead. However, since Naruto has retrieved Gaara's body, Chiyo decides to use her transference technique to bring him back to life. She doesn't have quite enough chakra, so Naruto agrees to give her however much of his own she needs. When Gaara opens his eyes, he sees around him Naruto and all the other people who rushed to save him, as well as all kinds of people from Sunagakure. Rather than fearing him as they used to, people act relieved he's alive and proud of his strength. At this point, Naruto (and anyone who didn't already know) discovers that Chiyo gave her life for Gaara. The volume ends with the revelation that Deidara is still alive (the thing that exploded was a doppelganger he created) and that someone named Tobi is going to replace Sasori in the Akatsuki.

It's a good thing that Kishimoto didn't have Chiyo reveal her transference technique in an earlier volume, or it would've been obvious much sooner how Gaara's death would be dealt with. I'm glad that Gaara is really still alive - he's always been one of my favorite characters. Since the demon inside him has been removed, I wonder what he's capable of now. I had always thought that many of the things he did were due to the power of the demon inside him, but I doubt that Kishimoto will now say that he's not powerful enough to be Kazekage.

One part of this volume that I found particularly touching was Chiyo's hint to Sasori that she had planned to use the transference technique to breathe life into Sasori's parent puppets, thus giving him his parents back. It's a bit freaky (just because the puppets would have life doesn't mean that they'd be his parents, no matter what they look like), but still sweet. I was really surprised that Sasori dies in this volume. I had expected him to live longer, all the better to throw his angst around some more.

Kakashi's Mangekyo Sharingan was a bit of a surprise. I can't remember if it's come up before in the series - it sounds familiar, but I read enough spoilers that it's possible I might've heard about this on the Internet rather than in the manga. It took me a bit to figure out what the Mangekyo Sharingan was actually doing. With all the things that the various Sharingan can do, Byakugan seems pretty limited. I wonder if Kishimoto will be making up new things for Byakugan as well. Anyway, it appears as though Kakashi has also been training hard in the past three years. Besides being able to use a new ocular technique, he's also able to use it for a significant amount of time without passing out. Go, Kakashi!

Overall, I enjoyed this volume. Naruto's come a long way from what it used to be. The art is cleaner, clearer, and easier to follow than the art of the earliest volumes, and the story is definitely moving forward, if slowly. I love Gaara, but I really want to see what Sasuke's been up to. As far as extras go, there's only a thank you from Kishimoto for all the fan mail he's gotten.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Shaman King (manga) by Hiroyuki Takei - Manta, a rich but wimpy kid who can see spirits, meets Yoh Asakura, an apparently lazy shaman. They become friends, and Yoh gains Amidamaru as a spirit partner (spirit partners can lend their skills to shamans, and Amidamaru was a samurai). Gradually, Yoh befriends others, participates in battles against other shamans, and sets out on the path to becoming the Shaman King. Those who'd like another lengthy series featuring intense battles and friends saving one another might like this manga. There is also an anime based on this manga, but I haven't seen it yet and can't say how similar it is to the manga.
  
• Bleach (anime TV series); Bleach (manga) by Tite Kubo - Ichigo Kurosaki has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember, but it's not until he meets Rukia, a Soul Reaper, that his life really gets strange (not to mention dangerous). When a battle with a Hollow goes badly, Rukia tries to lend Ichigo some of her Soul Reaper powers but ends up accidentally giving him everything. Now a full-fledged Soul Reaper, Ichigo battles Hollows with Rukia's help and guidance and gradually becomes even more powerful. Those who'd like another long-running action-packed story with lots of battles and well-developed characters with amazing abilities might like this anime/manga.
• Fullmetal Alchemist (manga) by Hiromu Arakawa; Fullmetal Alchemist (anime TV series); Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie (anime movie) - In a world where alchemy is considered science, Ed and Al, two young brothers, have broken the primary rule of alchemy, the law of equivalent exchange, in an attempt to resurrect their mother. As a result, Ed lost an arm and a leg, and Al lost his whole body. Now they're on a journey to find the Philosopher's Stone and use it to restore their bodies. Those who'd like another series with fantasy elements that features humor, drama, and action may enjoy this series. In addition, this series occasionally has messages about peace very similar (in my opinion, anyway) to the one this volume of Naruto ended with. Both the anime and the manga are good, although the anime is very different from the manga after a certain point. Once you finish the anime, there's also a movie that wraps things up in a grand battles and multi-world spanning way - it's not advisable to watch the movie before finishing the anime TV series.
  

The Prince of Tennis (manga, vol. 26) by Takeshi Konomi

Shusuke continues his match despite his temporary blindness. He's doing a great job, but Akaya's determined to win. It's a tense match, and when it begins to look like Akaya can't quite keep up, he achieves something called the "selfless state," which allows him to use the shots of every player he's ever played against. The only reason Shusuke manages to win is because of a tip Ryoma yells out and Akaya's physical inability to keep up the selfless state for long. The next and final match is between Rikkai's Genichiro Sanada and Seishun's Ryoma Echizen. Everything is riding on this match - although Ryoma is good, he may be too young to handle Genichiro. Apparently Ryoma's aware of this, because he starts using the selfless state right away.

Ryoma has played against many tough opponents, so he has a lot of shots to draw from, but Genichiro uses Furin Kazan, a mode of playing so powerful and effective that his opponents always lose their will to play. However, Ryoma seems to be able to handle even Furin Kazan while in the selfless state - at least until it becomes apparent that the energy drain from the selfless state may be tiring him out too quickly. Suddenly, Genichiro brings out the real Furin Kazan, and Ryoma is too exhausted to fight back. By the end of the volume, Ryoma appears to be near defeat.

In this particular volume, Konomi seems to have dropped any pretense of writing a mostly realistic tennis manga. I mean, come on. Characters who can mimick any shot that's ever been used against them, as swirls of selfless state power whirl around them? A tennis player capable of playing excellently against someone from a number-one ranked team while temporarily blinded? I suppose Furin Kazan might be possible (I'm not entirely sure what's involved when Genichiro uses it), but the others seem far-fetched.

That doesn't mean the series isn't still exciting - it's fun to see what sorts of things the characters will do in an attempt to win. It's just that it was even more fun when there was a possibility that the matches could theoretically happen the way Konomi wrote and drew them. I'm looking forward to seeing how Ryoma manages to win his match (he can't lose, or it's all over for Seishun getting into the Nationals), but I'm not expecting that he'll manage to win in any kind of realistic way.

Sometimes I wish that Konomi would allow readers to see Ryoma's thoughts during matches. He sounds cocky and confident when he talks to Genichiro during the match, but he knows that the selfless state is sapping his energy - is he actually worried and afraid inside, or is there no doubt in his mind that he'll win? If the former is true, that it would be nice to see that, because it would make Ryoma seem a little more human. If the latter is true, then Ryoma really needs to lose a little more often - confidence is nice, but too much confidence is just annoying.

As far as extras go, there are a few pages inserted here and there throughout the volume, basically just a few parts of the "Rikkai Question Corner" (Rikkai team members answer questions submitted by Japanese readers) and a short author note.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Naruto, a young ninja, is determined to become the best ninja in his village, but he must first learn teamwork and better fighting techniques in order to survive all the tests he needs to pass in order to become a full-fledged ninja. Those who'd like another lengthy series with intense matches (in Naruto's case, these tend to be life-and-death battles) might want to try this title. In addition, Prince of Tennis's selfless state makes me think of Sharingan, a technique a few characters in Naruto use that allows them to copy other people's moves.
• 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. Those who'd like another lengthy series with intense matches (again, in this case the matches are life-and-death battles) might want to try this title. In addition, a bit of the commentary at the end of this volume of Prince of Tennis compares a technique Genichiro uses to a technique a swordsman might use; it reminded me of some of the descriptions of new techniques Kenshin uses.
  

Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (manga, vol. 18) by CLAMP

Sakura, Syaoran, Kurogane, Fai, and Mokona are still in the world with acid rain. Yuko tells them all about Fei-Wang Reed, the man behind nearly all of their major misfortunes. Fei-Wang stole Sakura's memories for the express purpose of scattering them across dimensions in the form of feathers. Fei-Wang's goal is to obtain the power to cross dimensions and manipulate both space and time. In order to make his wish come true, he needs the mysterious ruins found in Sakura's world, and he needs Sakura to travel to many universes looking for her memories, because Sakura's body will commit those dimensions to memory.

Fei-Wang abducted Syaoran, who knew what he was plotting, and replaced him with another Syaoran whose main priority was to help Sakura collect all her feathers. He murdered Kurogane's mother in order to set into motion events that would eventually lead to him becoming part of Sakura's party. Yuko doesn't explain how Fei-Wang interfered with Fai, but Fai seems to already have his own answers. Only Mokona wasn't part of Fei-Wang's plan - Yuko and other magic user (Clow Reed, I believe) created Mako and Mokona in an attempt to block Fei-Wang's wish from being granted. Despite what Yuko has just told them, they all, for their own reasons, decide to continue their quest to find Sakura's memories.

The group leaves the acid rain world, and Yuko goes off to pass on the egg that Sakura found for her as payment for the water (see the previous volume). If you read CLAMP's Xxxholic, you know that Yuko gives this egg to Watanuki (there's a picture of Watanuki, all bandaged up, on page 20 of this volume of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle), who then chose to give it to Himawari, the girl he likes. The egg hatches into a bird that Himawari names Tampopo - it's the only living creature unaffected by Himawari's uncontrollable ability to bring misfortune to those who touch her.

While the group continues traveling, the previous Syaoran is out continuing to do Fei-Wang's bidding, hunting down feathers and destroying anything in his path. Sakura's feelings of guilt over the destruction he has caused leads her to enter herself, Kurogane, Syaoran (the new one), and Fai into a dangerous "chess" competition (chess is in quotations because the things everyone does bears no resemblance to chess, even though this is the name used in the volume) - she plans on using the prize money to help the people who have been hurt by Syaoran so far. The competition is run by a mafia family, and it's not unheard of for the human chess pieces to die or get hurt. Each group in the competition is composed of several pieces (people who act as fighters in the game) and a master whose willpower allows the pieces to manifest their powers. Fai, Syaoran, and Kurogane are pieces, and Sakura is their master.

Sakura is a very strong master because her will to win and help those hurt people is so strong. However, she begins to falter when she finds herself noticing things about the new Syaoran that remind her of the old Syaoran. In fact, the new Syaoran even knows things that the group members had thought only the old Syaoran had known, because the new Syaoran had always been there in the background, watching everything. The new Syaoran cares for Sakura but knows that Sakura wants the old Syaoran back, and this is causing some strain in the group. Sakura's faltering emotions almost result in the group losing their latest match (it also doesn't help that the other group is cheating). At the end of the volume, Fai is contacted by Chi (his companion or something from his own world, and also a character from another CLAMP series), who tells him that the one he fears has awoken.

The character relationships in this volume are interesting. From the look of things, Syaoran confides mostly in Kurogane, while Sakura confides mostly in Fai. The whole Syaoran/Kurogane thing isn't too surprising, since they'd already built something of a relationship though Kurogane training Syaoran (the old Syaoran). Also, Kurogane's got a pretty good head on his shoulders and can adjust to a new Syaoran. Fai/Sakura was a little more surprising to me, because I'd never really noticed before that the two of them have such a strong bond. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but at one point (page 37) it looked to me like Fai was practically swearing fealty to her (I'm sure there are fan fic writers who'll read even more into it than I did - maybe something to do with unrequited love on Fai's part...). For those fans of Fai/Kurogane, this is the first volume where Kurogane has to act as food for Fai's new blood-drinking vampire self - Kurogane doesn't seem to mind (in fact, he says something to the effect of, "drink, or I'll just let myself bleed anyway") and, although I was expecting at least some resistance on Fai's part, Fai drank Kurogane's blood without any real protest.

This story is getting pretty dark, but also really interesting. While I suspect that CLAMP won't wrap this series up in a completely happy way, I don't think they'll end it in a completely depressing way, either. I'm looking forward to seeing how things end. As far as extras go, this volume has four pages of translation notes - this isn't much, but I really liked one of the notes, in which the translator explains difficulties translating a particular line (this note could come in really handy later on, if it turns out that the translator, who also doesn't know how things will progress in this series, was off in his interpretation).

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Loveless (anime TV series); Loveless (manga) by Yun Kouga - Twelve-year-old Ritsuka's life isn't very normal - his older brother died not too long ago, his mother is physically abusive, and a strange 19-year-old man named Soubi has shown up, claiming to have known his brother. Soubi says he is Ritsuka's Fighter, while Ritsuka is a Sacrifice. Ritsuka slowly comes to understand what this means, as he learns to battle other Fighter-Sacrifice pairs who may be able to lead him to knowledge about his brother's death. Overall, this series has very little in common with Tsubasa. However, the game in this volume of Tsubasa reminded me a great deal of the look and feel of Loveless, with its super-cool Gothy outfits and masters who control fighters. Also, Loveless has a somewhat dark tone that matches Tsubasa's current tone. The Loveless anime is beautiful and follows the manga pretty closely, but it ends well before the manga does, and therefore doesn't actually resolve or explain much of anything. I own both (at least, as much of the manga as has been published so far in the US) and consider it worth it.
• Chobits (manga) by CLAMP - There is also an anime version of Chobits, which is very similar, but the manga is better and, at eight volumes, quite possibly cheaper. Hideki, a cram student, comes from the country and knows almost nothing about persocoms, robots that look and act almost like humans. Unfortunately for Hideki, almost everyone has one now for their computing needs, and there's no way he can afford one. However, Hideki gets lucky and finds one abandoned next to a dumpster. She's a bit broken and can only say "chi", so that's what he names her. Chi adores Hideki, and, as the series progresses, he comes to care for her, despite his concern about the implications of humans falling for their persocoms. Since Chi (or at least someone who looks an awful lot like her) makes a brief appearance in this volume of Tsubasa, I thought I'd suggest this sweet and surprisingly thoughtful series.
  
• Xxxholic (manga) by CLAMP; Xxxholic (anime TV series) - Watanuki is a high school student who is plagued by the ability to see spirits. One day, he meets a woman named Yuuko who can help rid him of this ability. Anybody who receives her help must pay a fair price in return, so Watanuki becomes her cook, housekeeper, and errand boy for an undetermined amount of time. Until he has worked enough to earn her help, Watanuki will continue to have to deal with his abilities, which often come in handy when Yuuko gives him special errands to run. This series includes lots of mini-stories, as Yuuko deals with clients who need her special skills and knowledge. Sometimes things turn out well for the clients, and sometimes things end badly, and, due to these experiences, Watanuki gradually grows and changes. Xxxholic frequently crosses over with Tsubasa in small ways, and characters from this series show up in Tsubasa and vice versa.
  

Xxxholic (manga, vol. 12) by CLAMP

This volume begins with a celebration of Watanuki's birthday, which is on April 1st, and almost immediately dives into even weirder territory than usual. All throughout the events of this volume, Watanuki keeps falling asleep (or at least that's what he thinks is happening) and having dreams about Haruka (Domeki's grandfather) and Sakura (see Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle if you don't know who I'm talking about - Sakura showed up very early on in Xxxholic, but hasn't had much of a role since then). While Watanuki tries to puzzle through his dreams, he's also worried about events that are happening when he's awake. For instance, Kohane, the young medium Watanuki befriended, has been having problems as a result of others believing that she's a fraud. Watanuki, accompanied by Domeki, goes to visit Kohane with a gift of food, which makes her happy, but Kohane's mother is angered by his visit and hurts him.

After Watanuki has another dream of Sakura, Domeki and Watanuki are on their way to school when they get caught in the rain and seek shelter in an inn - they barely manage to get away from the inn's inhabitants, ravenous birds who hide themselves in the forms of beautiful young women. Later, Watanuki is having lunch with Himawari when he notices a dark hole no one besides him can see. A scaly and webbed hand reaches out of the hole and grabs Watanuki's sherbet, and shortly after that the sherbet container is returned, full of flowers. The volume wraps up with a strange dream conversation and Watanuki's confusion over what is real and what is a dream.

There is so much that I wasn't able to put in this summary, simply because I'm not really sure what's going on yet. This series started off as somewhat strange and fairly episodic - this volume makes it clear that it's become more than that, or maybe that it's always been more than that and I just never noticed. So much of Watanuki's life is strange: he can't remember his parents' names, he can't remember ever eating any of the food he so often makes, he shares the same birthday as Sakura and Syaoran (again, see Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle), and he's no longer even sure which of his experiences are dreams and which are real.

Some of the things Yuko says in this volume make me wonder if Watanuki is actually in a deep sleep or in a coma somewhere, hiding his mind from the real world and only now starting to feel for the things and people he's left behind. Yuko says that Sakura will eventually die if she stays in dreams too long, and Watanuki is horrified at that prospect because of all the people who will be saddened by her death, but I can't help but wonder if Watanuki isn't unwittingly in the same situation. If he really is constantly stuck in dreams, that could be the case. Watanuki also mentions that the only things he can remember having eaten are the nectar given to him in volume 6 and the oden the fox spirit made - both foods are things of the spirits, so maybe he's in some kind of spirit world or he's a spirit himself.

Sakura reveals that coming into dreams was the price she paid Fai from being stabbed by Syaoran. I don't think I've read that volume of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle yet, and I have to say that this is the first volume of Xxxholic I've read that makes me think that readers might actually have to read both series in order to really understand what's going on. The two series have been linked since nearly the beginning of Xxxholic, but the events of this volume seem to indicate that the characters and series are more closely linked than CLAMP had previously indicated. For instance, people keep telling Watanuki that he and Syaoran are either very similar or the same in certain ways. I wonder if Watanuki is some missing part of Syaoran, or vice versa.

The ending of this volume, with Watanuki confused and in tears, trying to sort through the jumble that his life has become and wanting to grant Yuko's wish, whatever it might be, was lovely and heartbreaking. I've really come to like Watanuki, and I like him even more now that he's finally developed the strength to try and sort through his own problems. I also like him for thinking to ask Yuko what her wish is. He asks her twice in this volume, but judging from the surprise on her face I don't think she really takes it seriously until the second time.

As far as extra go, there are four beautiful full-color pages and five pages of translator's notes. Unfortunately, considering how many odd and confusing things happen in this volume, I don't think the translator's notes are very good. While the explanations that are included are useful, they're only the tip of the iceberg of all the things that the translator could've written about. Just as an example, I would've liked a reminder about the identity of the boy Watanuki sees in a dream near the end of the volume - he looks familiar, but I can't remember what volume he appeared in.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (manga) by CLAMP; Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle (anime TV series) - Those who were intrigued by Sakura's appearance in this volume and references to Syaoran may want to try this series. The plots and characters of this series and Xxxholic occasionally cross paths, which can be a bit maddening if you're only reading one series. In Tsubasa, a group composed mostly of strangers travels from one dimension to the next, trying to find the missing pieces of Sakura's memory, which have taken the form of glowing feathers.
• The Cell (live action movie) - A psychotherapist uses a revolutionary new technology to help patients by exploring their dreams. She enters the dreams of a comatose serial killer in an attempt to save his latest victim before she dies. This movie is considerably more frightening and horrific than this volume of Xxxholic. However, those who don't mind that and would another story in which it isn't always clear what's real and what isn't might like this movie.
• Paprika (anime movie) - In the near future, a device has been created that allows psychotherapists to access their patients dreams. Unfortunately, someone has stolen one of the prototypes and is misusing the technology, interfering with people's dreams and minds. Dr. Atsuko Chiba and her dream alter-ego Paprika may be the only ones who can put everything right again. Those who'd like another story in which it isn't always clear what's real and what isn't may enjoy this movie.
  

Yakitate!! Japan (manga, vol. 12) by Takashi Hashiguchi

The Japanese professional bread baking team is now going on to the Monaco Cup finals, with Team USA as their opponent. Before that gets underway, however, the sports breads that Azuma and Shadow baked in the previous volume must first be tasted by F1 driver Mikael Shumapa. Although Shumapa likes both breads, his uncontrollable reaction is based on Shadow's bread (the bread prompts him to tell a story about his past, much to his own confusion), and he admits that Shadow's bread is the one he prefers. Kuroyanagi worries about Azuma's reaction to what could be considered his very first defeat, but Azuma barely even notices and continues to be fired up by the thought of baking incredible breads.

Later, Team Japan and Team USA are told that the finals will be composed of three matches with three different assignments. The first assignment, couture, is to create a bread with beautiful form. The second assignment, comfort, is to create an everyday bread for the home. The third assignment, country, is to create a bread that captures the quality's of the baker's country to the fullest. Any team that loses its first two matches loses the finals, meaning that the third match won't be held.

Azuma is naturally chosen for the "country" assignment, because of his lifelong goal to create Ja-pan. Kawachi takes the "comfort" assignment, while Suwabara takes the "couture" assignment. There's some nervousness that Kawachi and Suwabara might lose, meaning that Azuma would not get to compete, but Suwabara is confident he'll win (the assumption being that Kawachi will probably lose). Suwabara will be competing against Monica Adenauer, Kawachi against Shachihoko, and Azuma against Shadow.

Kuroyanagi tries to find information about the members of Team USA and has some difficulty. Shachihoko is relatively simple for him to gather information on, and Azuma has competed against him before. However, the others don't seem to have ever taken part in professional bread baking competitions before. Although Kuroyanagi still can't find information about Shadow, he discovers Monica's shocking secret - she's the world's top confectioner. This makes her perfect for the first assignment, since appearance is so important in the world of confectionery. Rather than being worried by this information, Kuwabara is energized.

When the match actually occurs, Kuwabara's bread is an amazing golden-colored crown with jewels made of fruit. Monica's bread is a multi-layered rye bread with a candy sculpture in the shape of a rose "growing" out of it. Although Kuwabara's bread is wonderful (the judge's reaction has some creepy aspects), Monica's bread is declared the winner (in this case, the judge's reaction involves turning himself into the cops and getting put in jail). Kuwabara may have lost his match, but love seems to be in the air - Kuwabara finds Monica's hands, scarred from years of working with molten sugar and razor-sharp candy, beautiful, and the compliment has Monica sticking to Kuwabara like glue and even teaching him confectionery techniques.

Now Team Japan's chance at winning depends on Kawachi, who doesn't even believe in himself and who hasn't been thinking about the kind of bread he'll be baking at all. Everybody from the South Tokyo Branch shows up in Kawachi's room and expresses their disapproval when Kawachi wimps out and tries to take the easy way out of his match. For the sake of the South Tokyo Branch and his family's pride in him (his family will also be there to see his match), Kawachi must win his match - and the good thing is, he's finally gotten himself fired up.

As usual, the reactions to the bread are odd and corny. It took me a while to figure out what Shumapa's reaction had to do with Shadow's bread - let me tell ya, it's a groaner. The puns and plays on words in the judge's reactions to Kuwabara and Monica's breads were also pretty out there, although I thought they were funnier and easier to understand.

In the previous volume, I thought the breads had gotten a little outlandish, but the breads in this volume, although amazing, seemed much more possible. It's too bad this volume was entirely black-and-white - Kuwabara's bread sounded like it would've looked amazing in color. Monica's bread was beautiful even without color. I sometimes wonder if these incredible breads actually could be baked, and I found myself wondering that again in this volume, especially when one of the South Tokyo Branch people starts talking about "ice bread" - bread with ice cream in it. According to the footnotes, such a bread actually does exist, and there's even a waiting list for it. The person who created that bread assists in the research for this manga, so the breads that turn up in this series can't be totally off-the-wall.

I also enjoyed the small amount of romance in this volume - Monica and Kuwabara seem like they'd make a good couple, although Monica's probably going to have to hit him over the head to get him to do anything that's not in some way related to bread baking. Monica and Kuwabara were also responsible for lots of fanservice in this volume. Monica shows up to her match in a bikini, hoping to fluster Kuwabara into making mistakes during his match, so Kuwabara retaliates by ripping his clothing off so that he's dressed only in a loincloth. After my jaw finished dropping, I couldn't stop laughing. I couldn't help but like Monica - she's not a bad person (her bread is influenced by her mother), and she and her family came from Germany (I'm half German).

Overall, this was a fun volume. I predict that Kawachi will win his match - for one thing, it'd be lame if things ended at this point, and, for another, Kawachi is finally fired up, and his experience with family should make him perfect for his assignment. As far as extras go, there are four short funny manga starring the author/artist, footnotes here and there throughout the manga, and a couple paragraphs on candy-making at the end of the volume.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America (non-fiction book) by Steve Almond - This candy-obsessed author, who has eaten a piece of candy every day of his life, reminisces about the candy brands of his youth, tours candy production factories, and more. For those who'd like to read something from the perspective of someone who loves candy as much (almost as much?) as Monica might enjoy this book.
• The Emperors of Chocolate: Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars (non-fiction book) by Joel Glenn Brenner - This is more of a corporate history than a book about making candy, but those who loved the candy-making aspect of this volume of Yakitate!! Japan and who like the general idea of varied personalities battling it out in the arena of food might enjoy this book. Brenner writes about the ongoing competition between Hershey and Mars and its beginnings with Forrest Mars Sr. and Milton S. Hershey, two very different men who each became successful in the world of chocolate.
  
• Gin Tama (manga) by Hideaki Sorachi - Gintoki is a broke samurai in a world that no longer needs samurai. His life gets a little more complicated when he starts living with Kagura (a super-strong alien girl who looks tiny and cute) and Shinpachi. The group takes odd jobs, trying to save people and earn enough to eat and pay the rent. Those who'd like another manga series with weird and sometimes crass humor might like this series.
• Eyeshield 21 (manga) by Riichirou Inagaki (story) and Yuusuke Murata (art) - Sena, a freshman in high school, has been bullied for years and, as a result, has learned to run really fast. His talent is spotted by Hiruma, the hilariously sadistic president of the American Football Club, who forces Sena to join the club as the mysterious "Eyeshield 21." Those who'd like another manga series with weird humor that focuses on competition might enjoy this series. Even if you don't like football, I'd still suggest this series - Inagaki, aware that many Japanese readers might not know how football works, explains many of the rules (so even American readers who don't know the rules can follow along) and keeps things fun, even for non-football lovers, by cranking up the wild and weird humor.
• Hikaru no Go (manga) by Yumi Hotta (story) and Takeshi Obata (art); Hikaru no Go (anime TV series) - Twelve-year-old Hikaru is looking through his grandfather's things for something he can sell when he comes across a haunted Go board. Sai, the ghost of a long-dead Go instructor, is delighted that Hikaru can see him and basically forces him to give him opportunities to play Go. Hikaru is reluctant, at first, but he gradually learns to love the game and starts on the path to becoming a professional Go player. I'm sure that Japanese readers don't consider the premise of this manga (focusing on a board game and professional Go playing) to be nearly as odd as Yakitate!! Japan's professional bread-making competitions, and it's really not. However, Western readers unfamiliar with Go may find a manga about a board game just odd enough to be interesting. Those who'd like a manga series with exciting one-on-one competition might like this manga. Yes, I did say that a manga about a board game has exciting competition - Hotta and Obata do an excellent job of making the Go matches both exciting and believable.

Bleach (manga, vol. 24) by Tite Kubo

This volume begins with the tail end of Ikkaku's battle against the Arrancar from the previous volume. Ikkaku beats him, and there's a flashback to the time Ikkaku first met Kenpachi Zaraki. In a slightly more recent flashback, Renji asks Ikkaku to become one of the new squad captains, a replacement for one of the traitors, since Ikkaku can perform Bankai. However, Ikkaku's ability to perform Bankai is a closely guarded secret, because all he wants to do is "fight and die as Zaraki's subordinate." Renji agrees to honor Ikkaku's wish to keep his Bankai a secret.

In the present day, Renji and others are continuing their battles against the Arrancars. Ururu goes into massacre mode during Renji's battle and joins the fight - unfortunately, the Arrancar (Ilfort) releases his Zanpakuto and impales Ururu. Ginta gets her away from the Arrancar and Renji continues the fight on his own.

Meanwhile, Captain Hitsugaya is also fighting an Arrancar (Shawlong Qufang) using his Bankai, while Rangiku is lying on the ground, apparently too wounded to fight. Ichigo continues trying to fight another Arrancar (Grimmjow), while Rukia also lies wounded on the ground. Ichigo is forced to activate his Bankai and must even used Getsuga Tenshou, the technique used by his Hollow side - Ichigo can only use this technique a few times before the Hollow part of himself tries to take over. Although this technique allows Ichigo to wound Grimmjow, it's still unlikely he'll manage to beat him. Before that becomes an issue, however, former Soul Reaper Captain Tosen appears and forces Grimmjow to abandon the fight.

Although things looked grim for all the other fighters, everyone's odds get much better after the Soul Reapers are authorized to remove the restriction upon their powers. Every one of them (Rangiku, Hitsugaya, and Renji) manages to kill their opponents. After all the battles are over, Orihime heals everyone who was badly hurt (except for Ururu, who gets healed by Tessai at Urahara's shop). Back in Hueco Mundo, Tosen lops off Grimmjow's left arm as punishment for his disobedience.

As the volume wraps up, Kubo shows a bit of the training Uryu is going through to restore his powers, Hitsugaya worries about how the Soul Reapers will manage to fight the Arrancars in the future (they had to fight with their full power, and even then they only barely managed to survive against the weakest Arrancars), Chad asks Urahara to train him, and Ichigo disappears, possibly to join up with the Visoreds.

As usual, things looked really bad during most of this volume, until the Soul Reapers revealed they had an ace up their sleeves. Of course, things can't be too easy, so readers are reminded that the Arrancars everyone managed to beat were only the weakest of the bunch - no one in the group, not even Ichigo or Captain Hitsugaya would, at this point, be able to beat stronger Arrancars. That's a bit bleak, though, so I'm sure that they'll all figure out a way to beat the Arrancars anyway - no matter what Ichigo goes up against, he always figures out a way to get himself and his friends out of bad situations alive.

I'm really curious about what Ururu is. Did Urahara create her as a Hollow fighting machine? It certainly seems like her fighting skills are something automatic. Ginta doesn't seem to be the same sort of thing - I wonder if he's human and Ururu is something else (or maybe a human with add-ons).

Overall, I enjoyed this volume, and I'm really enjoying this series. I figure I'll probably end up buying volumes of this series form here on out, just so that I can find out what happens next. Here's hoping the series doesn't go on for too long beyond this point - even at $8 a volume, it's going to get really expensive to keep up with this series if it goes into 30, 40, or more volumes. As far as extras go, there's the results of Japan's 3rd Bleach popularity poll and a prolonged gag comic that appears in the blank pages between chapters. The gag comic mainly involves Shuhei, who's been invited to take part in a snowball tournament between the 11th through 20th place popularity poll finishers. At first, Shuhei doesn't want to take part, but then he sees that Rangiku will be involved and spends some time fantasizing about saving her during the snowball fight. I wonder if Shuhei's as interested in Rangiku in the main story as he is in this gag comic?

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Shaman King (manga) by Hiroyuki Takei - Manta, a rich but wimpy kid who can see spirits, meets Yoh Asakura, an apparently lazy shaman. They become friends, and Yoh gains Amidamaru as a spirit partner (spirit partners can lend their skills to shamans, and Amidamaru was a samurai). Gradually, Yoh befriends others, participates in battles against other shamans, and sets out on the path to becoming the Shaman King. Those who'd like another series that includes lots of battles and spirits might like this series. There is also an anime based on this manga, but I haven't seen it yet and can't say how similar it is to the manga.
  
• Naruto (manga) by Masashi Kishimoto; Naruto (anime TV series) - Naruto, a young ninja, is determined to become the best ninja in his village, but he must first learn teamwork and better fighting techniques in order to survive all the tests he needs to pass in order to become a full-fledged ninja. Those who enjoy Bleach's battles, characters with amazing abilities, and fantasy elements may enjoy this manga series. Like Bleach, this series features action, humor, and drama.
• 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 involving big action scenes and powerful opponents might want to try this series.

Psych: The Complete Second Season (live action TV series)

If you'd like to read more about the premise of this series, please look at my post for the first season.

Just like the first season, there's really no overarching storyline. Every episode (or almost every episode - I wasn't exactly keeping track) begins with a flashback of Shawn's childhood. The flashbacks usually involve either Gus (Shawn's best friend) or Shawn's father. In the present, someone is killed or something is stolen, and the flashback into Shawn's past usually has something to do with some aspect of the present day crime (for instance, child-Shawn once caught his dad watching a soap opera, and then the present day crime involves the cast of a Spanish-language soap opera).

I don't think there's a single episode in this series that isn't self-contained. Although several episodes in the previous season indicated that there might be romance brewing between Shawn and Juliet (one of the cops Shawn often works with), their relationship doesn't actually progress any further in this season. They almost kiss, but that's about it. Shawn's dad starts dating in a few episodes, Gus is revealed to have gotten married a few years ago (his wife shows up asking for a divorce so she can marry someone new), and, in the final episode of the season, Shawn's mother shows up.

There's usually at least one scene in each episode that I really like. I loved Shawn's stint as an astrologer for the local newspaper - rather than taking his job seriously (after all, it was only a cover designed to make his investigation easier), he writes each of his horoscopes for specific people he knows (things like, "The man of your dreams will be wearing an Apple Jacks t-shirt"). I really enjoyed the episode where Shawn becomes an actor in a Spanish soap opera, although I'm sure it might upset and offend some people (when Shawn starts ad libbing, he resorts to a phony accent). I'm amazed that Gus finally got a few episodes of his own - in one his parents are the murder suspects, another involves the woman he married a few years back, and in another one Gus has to pretend to be the psychic detective in order to make one of his relatives proud of him.

There are plenty of extras in this DVD set. Each disk has deleted scenes (which usually didn't interest me, since they weren't always that different from what actually aired), podcast commentaries, and often audio commentaries. I didn't listen to any of the commentaries - there just wasn't enough time (I checked this boxed set out from the library). There was also one gag reel, "Where's the pineapple?" (clips of all kinds of Psych scenes involving pineapples, which can be found, I think, in every episode), "The Name Game" (a montage of clips in which Shawn gives himself and Gus funny names), Psychouts (I think this is some ad libbing by the cast - in my opinion, it's funnier than the gag reel), and "The Adventures of Lil' Shawn and Gus" (cartoons). The cartoons were a little over the top, and most of the other stuff wasn't all that interesting (although the pineapple clips drew my attention to pineapple references I'd missed). However, I always appreciate gag reels, and I really liked the Psychouts.

I don't think I'd ever buy this series, but it's still fun to watch. It worked really well as entertainment while I was packing up boxes for my big move - I didn't mind if I missed some of what was going on onscreen, and the humor worked well to keep my mood light.

Unfortunately, my read-alikes and watch-alikes are the same as the ones I used for the first season - since both seasons have exactly the same feel and neither season has a theme of its own, the same book and show suggestions apply.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Monk (live action TV series) - Adrian Monk is a former cop who's wife was killed. Most episodes of this show can stand alone, but the overarching plot, when there is one, is Monk's attempts to discover who killed his wife. Monk, like Shawn, is excellent at helping the cops solve crimes based on details he can see that no one else does, but he's crippled by his OCD and fear of just about everything. He travels with a nurse so that he can at least function in public and at crime scenes. Viewers who want another humorous and quirky mystery show with interesting characters might like this one.
• Dexter (live action TV series) - Dexter and his whole family are cops, although he works as a technician specializing in blood spatter. Dexter is also a serial killer. Dexter's foster father realized what he was becoming when he was younger, taught him how to keep from getting caught, and taught him how to choose worthy victims (the bad guys that the legal system can't catch or keep). Dexter now has two lives, his life as a serial killer, and his life as a guy trying to look as ordinary and normal as possible. This show is more graphic than Psych (blood, cut up body parts), has more bad language, and the humor tends to be darker. However, if the thing that most interested you about Psych was the father-son relationship, you may want to give this one a try. Like Psych, Dexter has flashbacks to Dexter's childhood, showing how his foster father molded him into the person he is today.
• One for the Money (book) by Janet Evanovich - One for the Money is the first book in Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. If you'd like something with lots of humor and quirky characters who manage to bring in the bad guys and solve crimes in spite of their aura of amateur-ness, you might like this book and this series. Although the main character is a woman and doesn't even have anything like Shawn's level of skills, she and her mostly incompetent friends (except Morelli the cop and Ranger the badass bounty hunter with a past) manage to get everything to mostly work out by the end of every book. In the first book, Stephanie, a resident of Trenton, NJ who's desperately in need of money, gets a job as a bounty hunter for her cousin Vinnie - never mind that she doesn't know the first thing about being a bounty hunter and doesn't even own a gun. Her first assignment is to bring in Morelli, a cop who's been accused of murder and the guy who charmed her out of her virginity when she was 16.
• Burglars Can't Be Choosers (book) by Lawrence Block - This is the first book in Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr series. Bernie is a professional burglar who's intelligent, ordinary, and as honest as someone in his profession can be. In this first book, he starts off on a job finding a leather-bound box in a house. Unfortunately, the box isn't there, there's a dead body in the house, and the police find Bernie in the place and assume he's responsible for everything they find there. Bernie doesn't know if he was set up or not, but he's got to stay ahead of the law and prove he didn't commit murder. If you'd like something with humor and a main character who is both likable and only honest according to a certain narrower definition of honest, you might like this book and this series.

The Wallflower (manga, vol. 16) by Tomoko Hayakawa

This volume (like all the others) is basically composed of several fairly standalone stories. In the volume's first story, Sunako becomes determined to make up for a past missed opportunity by going to Harajuku, where she discovers a store that is perfect for her. In the second story, Kyohei is broke, gets hit on the head after he's told that he should become a host in order to make lots of money, and starts pumping out pheromones and hitting on Sunako. In the third story, it's Valentine's Day, one of the most dangerous days of the year for the guys. The guys retreat to a cabin in the middle of nowhere, taking Sunako with them, but the girls still manage to find them. The girls attack, much like crazy zombies, but everything turns out okay and Sunako manages to get some of the guys' Valentine's chocolate, which is all she really wanted. In the fourth and final story, Sunako's aunt wants her to go to a party, but she needs to lose 20 lbs. first (she's gotten fairly overweight). Instead of just getting slim, Sunako becomes obsessed with building muscle and looking like something out of an anatomy diagram - not the image the guys and Sunako's aunt wanted her to present, since Sunako's aunt hopes to match her up with a prince at the party.

The volume has its funny moments (I couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Kyohei hitting on Sunako and her response to him), but still, it feels like more of the same. Sunako's come out of her shell a lot - a comparison between this volume and the first volume makes that clear, since Sunako would never have been able to withstand going to Harajuku at the beginning of this series. However, after 16 volumes you'd think the characters would have changed than they have. At this rate, the series could potentially wrap up in the next volume, or 100 volumes from now. Despite a few funny moments, overall it gets a little boring.

In this volume, one thing in particular bothered me. When Hayakawa sticks with drawing androgynous clothed pretty people, she does well enough, but there are some things she just doesn't have the skill to handle. In this case, it's muscles. It's bothered me in the past, since I found her previous half-naked drawings of the guys to be more horrific than sexy - I'm a fan of lean guys, but these guys aren't lean, they're bony. Their arms and shoulders are painful to look at. In the final story of this volume, Hayakawa's weakness becomes extremely apparent. When Sunako goes to the party, she's apparently supposed to be muscular, but she actually just looks like a bunch of stringy sinew stretched over bones. It's awful.

I continue to read this series because of its occasional funny moments - also, I can't help but be hopeful that Hayakawa will finally have Sunako and Kyohei realize their feelings for each other. However, if I couldn't get it for free from my public library, I wouldn't still be reading it. Nothing ever really changes, and that gets old after 16 volumes. Since I'm now no longer in an area where I can get access to this series for free, I doubt I'll be writing more about it.

As far as extras go, there's a note from the author with a nice picture of her Scottish fold cat, an afterword from the author with another picture of her cat and a short comic starring her and her cat, five pages of translator's notes, and a six-page translated preview of the next volume. Also, each chapter begins with a note from the author.

Read-alikes and Watch-alikes:

• Ouran High School Host Club (manga) by Bisco Hatori; Ouran High School Host Club (anime TV series) - Haruhi, the only scholarship student at an elite school for the rich, is forced to become a host in the Ouran High School Host Club after breaking an expensive vase. Unfortunately, Haruhi is actually a girl - in order to stay in the host club and pay off her debt, Haruhi must make sure that no one outside the host club finds out that she's not a guy. Those who'd like another story starring a bunch of hot guys all the girls at school and elsewhere drool over might like this series. Personally, I prefer the anime over the manga, but they're both good. Like The Wallflower, this is another humorous series in which there's the potential for romance, but the main female character is too oblivious for anything to really happen.
• Gravitation (manga) by Maki Murakami; Gravitation (anime TV series) - Shuichi Shindo is a singer in a band that he hopes will become famous. One day, he loses a page of unfinished song lyrics. The handsome and caustic man who catches it insults the lyrics and sticks in poor Shuichi's mind. Schuichi later discovers that the man was Eiri Yuki, a famous writer, and Shuichi seeks him out. The two eventually become lovers, but Yuki's emotional issues and Shuichi's rapidly developing musical career may tear them apart. Those who want another humorous story with famous and almost-famous guys and crazily obsessed fans might like one of the various versions of this series. The manga came first, and has some moments that I really enjoy, but overall I think that the TV series and OAV (not listed here, since it's best not to start with that) have much better and tighter plotting. This series isn't for everyone, since it features romance between two men - although neither the manga nor the anime are explicit, the anime keeps the physical aspects of the romance slightly more "off screen" than the manga.
• S.A. (manga) by Maki Minami; S.A. (anime TV series) - Hikari Hanazono has always taken second place against Kei Takishima, which only adds fuel to her desire to finally beat him in something. Hikari has considered Kei her rival since childhood and is completely oblivious to his love for her. The two of them are students in the S.A. (Special A), an elite group at their school, and the story occasionally focuses on the S.A. as a whole or on one of the other S.A. students. Those who'd like another story in which there's the potential for romance between an oblivious heroine and one of the other characters might like this romantic comedy. I'll admit, I haven't read hardly any of the manga, but I've seen most of the anime (which has yet to be licensed in the U.S. - I plan to get it if it ever does get released here).
  
• My Heavenly Hockey Club (manga) by Ai Morinaga - Hana Suzuki's favorite things to do are sleeping and eating. She'd never dream of joining a school club on her own, because it would interfere with her precious sleeping time, but circumstances force her to join her school's hockey club. The club is full of rich, attractive guys who hardly ever practice playing hockey, much less participate in hockey games - this club is mostly just an excuse for field trips. Those who'd like another humorous manga starring an unladylike main female character surrounded by a bunch of attractive guys might like this series. As with The Wallflower, there's the potential for romance between Hana and one of the members of the hockey club, but Hana's too oblivious to notice.