Book Review: Magic Knight Rayearth Vol 2 (Ominibus)

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

The Deal: After the events of Vol 1. Uni, Fuu and Hikaru return to Cephiro, only to find it much changed since the Princess' death. The kingdom is crumbling bit by bit and three enemies are poised to take over any second now. 

So the country is at the verge of war and they are without a Pillar, which makes the girls sudden return to Cephiro even more startling as the Chief Magician, Clef, knows of no one with a heart so strong as to bring them back.

On one hand, this is a big mystery, on the other it gives them hope that a Pillar does exist out there, that they just need to find it. 

Meanwhile, the girls decide to stay and help Cephiro deal with the possibility of invasions, which means Fuu, Hikaru and Umi will eventually have to face Farhen, Autozam and Chizeta - the countries with their own reasons to want to invade Cephiro. 

And they aslo start to explore the possibility of romance...

My Thoughts: Magic Knight Rayearth Vol 2 is the second and last volume of this compilation put together by Dark Horse. I've talked about the story before so I'll just say that, while the first volume of the manga and the anime adaptation are basically the same, the second volume and second seasons differ a lot. 

In this version - the manga version - there is a bit of a difference on why the girls are able to return, and the villains Nova and Lady Debonair are absent as they were created specifically for the anime version.  The ending is different too - but I won't spoil it.

But most of the stuff I loved about the second season of the anime are present, Including Zagato's younger brother Lantis who was the one person who always knew Zagato was really in love with the Princess and was just trying to set her free. 

Now, this edition is awesome. The format works well, there is a new, smoother translation and the paper and illustrations are high quality. Plus, its a really good value - the book is over 600 pages and costs 20 dollars or less, depending on where you buy it. 

If you're a CLAMP/Manga fan I highly recommend it

Book Review: Card Captor Sakura Vol.2 (Omnibus Edition) (Speed Date)

The Deal: Sakura Kinomoto has been gathering the Clow Cards for a while, her magic is growing stronger, her rivalry with Shaoran Li is turning into something that feels a lot more like friendship, and she still has the world's biggest crush on her brother's best friend Yukito. 

But new challenges are coming her way, particularly after the arrival of Kaho Mizuki, a beautiful substitute teacher that shares a past with Toya (Sakura's brother). Oh, and she also has strong magical powers. 

And, as Sakura races to catch the rest of the Clow Cards, these tangle with the people she loves the most in the world.

My Thoughts: Card Captor Sakura Vol 2 picks up right after the ending of Volume 1 and it goes all the way till The Judgement - where it will be decided if Sakura is worthy of the cards or not - and it's just so cute!!

I've talked about the story before, so I won't go into deep detail. Mostly I want to talk about the edition. I once again went and bought myself the Omnibus/Dark Horse edition, and it's lovely. Great quality in the paper, brand new translation and some full color illustrations. 

I so love this story, and I love seeing it in such a lovely format. 

More on Speed Date, in Mary @ Book Swarm's words: Thursday is Speed Date Night around here. What's a Book Speed Date, you ask? It's a quickie review--about 150 words or so--of any genre book (variety is the spice of life, after all).


If you want to join in or just read other speed date reviews, check out The Book Swarm

Book Review: Card Captor Sakura Vol.1 (Omnibus Edition)

The Deal: After stumbling into a strange book in her father's library, Sakura Kinomoto - a sporty, cute and girly fourth grader - met Kero-chan, the beast that guards the Clow Cards, and he needs her help getting them all back. 

The Clow Cards are magic devices, created long ago by a great wizard, they were supposed to be sealed, but at some point they escaped, and now it is up to Sakura to find them all. Without knowing, Sakura has always had some magical power - which enabled her to open card's book and awaken Kero - and she must  now use it to complete her mission.

Her only aid? Kero-chan (who looks like a cute, little plush lion) and her best friend Tomoyo, who enjoys designing outfits for Sakura and recording her adventures. Not so helpful? Sakura's big brother's Toya who always seems to be around when you least expect him. He's a fairly typical annoying older brother, but he has a good point in his favor: the fact that he's best friends with Yukito, Sakura's crush. 

Vol 1 is the first of a projected 4 volumes that will collect the whole saga. In Vol 1 we are introduced to Sakura and her friends and family, and to the cards. We also meet Sakura's rival, Shaoran Li. 

My Thoughts: I tried to give you a short rundown of the story of CCS, and I know I've talked about the anime before, so really I just wanted to talk about this particular edition of CCS, since I so love this story.

This particular edition is massive and beautiful, and I absolutely loved it. The paper is high quality and the translation is lovely - I own some of the volumes of the previous edition and the translation was a little spotty, I gotta say. It also has several full-color pages which is very nice. 

And I definitely think it's a good value purchase as this single volume covers 3 of the previous edition. 

Retro Friday (29) - Magic Knight Rayearth Vol 1 (Omnibus)

This week's retro friday is going to be a little different, as I choose to review the manga of Magic Knight Rayearth by CLAMP which was re-released last July by Dark Horse Comics.

At First Sight: Fuu, Umi and Hikaru are three Tokyo school girls, who go to different middle schools but happened to take a class field trip to the Tokyo Tower on the same day. Once there, they hear a strange voice asking the Magic Knights to Save Cephiro, before a blinding white light iluminated the sky.

Next thing they know, they are flying over a strange ocean, looking at big volcano and floating mountains. Oh, and they are catching a ride on the back of a huge flying fish.

They have arrived to Cephiro, a world where the will and strength of the heart rule everything. A world that is in a lot of danger since the high priest Zagato kidnapped the ruling princess of Cephiro, Princess Emeraude who is literally the Pillar of the whole world, her will and prayers what kept the world glued together. At least, that's what the strange looking kid (who claims to be over 700 years old but looks roughly about 10) tells them when trying to explain what they are doing in that strange world.

Fuu, Umi and Hikaru have been summoned to Cephiro by the princess, to become the legendary Magic Knights and help save the world. To do that, they must awaken three mashins - or rune gods - and learn magic... and face one of the best villains ever!!

Second Glance: Okay, as you might have noticed there is a lot going on, and if you can't detect it yet, I was gushing a little bit because I quite frankly love the anime series of Magic Knight Rayearth, but never had the chance to read the manga until now (thanks, NetGalley!).

I only got to sample the first 100 pages (the actual book has over 650, quite a good deal for 15 to 20 bucks, depending where you buy it), but I loved it. CLAMP has a very distinctive style that's is both incredibly beautiful and incredibly dynamic, something that serves this story well as there is a lot of action on it. It has some beautiful color pages - something I love, particularly since this is an special edition.

And, from what I know of the story, I say that they did a pretty awesome job with the translation. It flows well, it's understandable and it's even funny - I cracked up about 5 times while reading this). It starts almost like a (parody of a) role playing game but it evolves into so much more. There is love, lost and heartbreaking tragedy woven into a story full of adventure and fun and even dashes of romance.

Bottom Line: For me, this series is one of the best there is. This edition looks beautiful -as much as I could see from the e-galley - and I highly recommend it for the story alone. It does differ a little from the anime (particularly on the second season of the anime), but never the less, is awesome. I recommend it for anyone 12 years and up (the protagonists are 14, in case you were wondering). Currently only the first volume is out, but volume 2 will be out January 2012.

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time!

MiniReview: Gate 7 (Vol 1) by CLAMP

The Deal: Chikahito was just visiting Kyoto for fun when he was dragged into a strange world where he meets two handsome men - Sakura and Tachibana - and a girl named Hanna

These people are just sitting on the trees around a temple, and when they notice Chikahito, they attack him. But when their magic does nothing to Chikahito, they take him in. 

Next thing he knows, he's waking up and they are feeding him and things are just strange. The guys don't seem to like him, but Hanna does, and that changes his life forever. 

My Thoughts: I'm not exactly sure what to say about  Gate 7 as this is just the first chapter of the manga series and things aren't very clear just yet. 

The artwork is lovely, and you can tell is a CLAM job - they have a particular style that I enjoy a lot (obviously, as I've been a CLAMP fan girls since I was 13). The story, as I said, it was a bit confusing as the board is being set for whatever is going to happen next. 

I'm not rating it because it was really little to go on, but I have to say that it is intriguing and I do want to read more and find out what's going on with these characters. 

Love,

Anime Addiction: Card Captor Sakura

Sakura Kinomoto is a normal girl, she's in the fourth grade, she is good at sports but not so good at math and music; and she's generally regarded as a popular and outgoing girl. She has a good life with her father and her older brother Touya (who likes to call her monster but who really is very protective of her), and though she thinks a lot about her Mom - who died when she was 4 - she's a happy girl. 

One afternoon when she's home alone, Sakura comes across a strange book in her father's library. The book is called The Clow, and it's full of cards, which she inadvertently spreads all over her city. In the process, Sakura also awakens the guardian of the cards - Kero, who quickly informs her that she's now a Card Captor, her mission: to gather all the cards before something terrible happens in the world. 

Soon, Sakura is running all over town to gather all the cards with Kero and her best friend Tomoyo by her side. Later, she's also joined by Shaoran Li, a serious boy who goes from being her rival to being her friend.

Sakura Card Captor is a lovely anime series that spans over three seasons, something close to 70 episodes, and it's just wonderful! From the start, Sakura has to balance being a normal girl - hanging out with her other friends Rika, Chiharu and Naoko; nursing her crush on her brother's best friend Yukito - with being a Card Captor whose magic keeps on getting stronger.

There is action, lots of costume changes - courtesy of Tomoyo - and laughs, what else can you ask for?

Alex's Personal Favorite