Month: May 2017

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Lenni Reviews: “My Brother’s Husband” by Gengoroh Tagame

 

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Yaichi, a stay at home single dad, has been estranged from his twin brother, Ryoji, even since he moved to Canada. After Ryoji’s death, Mike Flanagan turns up in Japan in Yaichi’s doorstep introducing himself as Ryoji’s husband.

This is a very touching book. Mike and Kana – Yaichi’s daughter – are so endearing, I just wanna squish them. The pure innocence they exude is written in such a way that doesn’t seem pandering in the slightest. Yaichi slowly learning how to accept a homosexual man as a person with feelings and the mere existence of this man as undeniable proof that yes, his brother was really gay; is written at a very natural pace. He doesn’t magically flip to being completely open-minded or remain obstinately homophobic. Seeing his daughter’s innocent acceptance and Mike’s plain ole kind nature slowly change Yaichi’s way of thinking isn’t sappy or overly preachy (it is a little preachy) was a great read. 4.5 out of 5 and I would love to continue reading about these characters.

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Lenni Reviews: “Drakon Book I: The Sieve” by C.A. Caskabel

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*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

*This review is cross-posted to Otakus and Geeks.

Da-Ren appears on the doorstep of Castel Monastery demanding the monks redeem the lives of his wife and daughter. Despite being a barbarian, a pagan, and infidel in their eyes, the monks let him on the island where they are tasked with transcribing the warrior’s story.

This book is the story of Da-Ren’s first trials of training in a gauntlet his tribe calls The Sieve; a series of grueling life or death tests that had me legit wondering if this tribe just runs out of kids at some point. But my stupid jokes aside, this is the type of dark fantasy that’s depressing but written in such a visceral and lyrical manner that it’s almost hypnotic. It’s written in the style of most sweeping epics, so it’s not dumbed down or flinch from the gore. You can’t help but get invested in Da-Ren and his world and though the book only covers the first part of his training and you know more is to home, the cliffhanger doesn’t feel jarring enough to not seek out the next installment; which I will definitely be doing. If you like dark fantasy, this is a fantastic installment.A welcome 4.7 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 10 by Ryukishi07 and Mimori

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As we learn more about our characters, it seems every single one of them has some dark secrets and reasons to want to keep others from contacting anyone outside the village. But who are the strange men in suits keeping them from leaving and how does Mion know them?

So, now Mion is a badass swordswoman? I’m down for that but, how random.

This and the previous volume may not really be considered part of the main mystery but it is a cool little story. If  you’re familiar with the classic railway murder trope, that’s the feel of this story arc with the added bit that the town and Mion can make the dead talk…

This was off pace from the morbidity of the rest of the series but I liked it. Every series has its filler and as far as filler goes, I had fun and enjoyed the ride. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 9 by Ryukishi07 and Mimori

 

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After a gas leak killed the residents of Hinamizawa, the village has remained a ghost town for twenty years. Five people come to the empty village for very different reasons but when people start vanishing and cell phones are found mysteriously smashed, the group suspects Mion – who supposedly died along with the rest of the village.

This volume sets up the creepy factor much faster than the previous ones despite being considered a side story. Mion tried to bring some humor but this time the laughs are toned way down. There’s a strange sword Mion is carrying, she’s seeing the ghosts of her friends, the others around her are hearing that mysterious “extra footstep…” Very ominous. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Happiness” vol 3 by Shuzo Oshimi

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After being saved from death by Nora, Makoto grapples with his blood-lust. Nora insists staying with humans will give him nothing but pain but Makoto clings to his friends and family. However, Yuuki was bitten when Makoto tried to save him so when he turns, it brings some strange men to Makoto’s door, who attempt to kidnap him. And these men know about and are prepared for vampirism.

In comparison to a lot of vampire stories these days, this one is fairly subdued. I’ve seen it compared to Let the Right One In and I have to agree. Instead of being loud, flashy, or overly gory; Happiness is taking it’s time to build a moody atmosphere. And again, the art reflects the desperate nature of Makoto’s thirst and ow his perceptions have changed since being turned. Very smartly executed. 4.5 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 8 by Ryukishi07 and Yoshiki Tonagai

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As Akasaka continues to investigate the kidnapping case with local detective, Ooishi, Rika continues to be strangely distant with her predictions of Akasaka’s misery should he stay in that town.

It’s not entirely a spoiler but despite finding the kidnapped boy, something horrible dow happen to Akasaka anyway; just as Rika predicted. And we still don’t really get why or how she can see the future or why the town is so keen on being murderous, creepy people who are determined to act as suspiciously as possible. I mean, even Rika has these moments of lucidity where she acts like a regular little girl but the rest are just begging to have police ask them questions. But I like this arc! 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 7 by Ryukishi07 and Yoshiki Tonagai

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This volume goes back in time to when the villagers were still protesting the damn project that would end up flooding the town. The grandson of the construction minister has been kidnapped and Detective Akasaka is called in from Tokyo to investigate. While in the village, Akasaka becomes friends with Rika Furude; a child who is believed o be the reincarnation of the town’s guardian deity; Oyashiro-sama. The residents believe Rika can tell the future and she strangely wars Akasaka to leave the town before something bad happens to him.

With an actual investigation taking place, this part one of an arc feels like it had more going on than the previous ones. I was anticipating more information on the town’s past concerning the damn project mentioned in previous volumes. Hopefully, the next will give me some insight as to what is going on overall. 4 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 6 by Ryukishi07 and Jiro Suzuki

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When detective Ooishi comes sniffing around Satoko and her abusive uncle returns, Keiichi gets even more protective of her. As the abuse gets worse, Keiichi’s frustration with the futility of reporting to the authorities drives him to take matters in to his own hands.

This was an odd one. A little spoiler here but in this volume Keiichi’s anger results in people dying if he wishes them so and his arc this time ends because he wishes the entire town was gone. I read the notes in the back and there’s something about Keiichi didn’t find the key – whatever that is. According to my research, the series is divided into 4 question arcs and 4 answer arcs. Volumes 1-8 are the question ones and boy do I have a lot of questions! The art is amazing and the story is cool despite being confusing but it must be doing something right to keep me coming back to it for answers. 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 5 by Ryukishi07 and Jiro Suzuki

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After a trip, Keiichi returns to Hinamizawa, picking up right where he left off with his crazy collection of pranking friends. This time around, his friend – Satoko – is dealing with the disappearance of her brother; who has been missing for over a year. Seeing how sad she is, Keiichi decides to be a surrogate big bro to Satoko, who believes her brother will come back one day. But if Keiichi asks about Satoko’s brother, the villagers act very strange; saying it was Oyashiro-sama’s curse that demoned him away.

While I enjoyed the set up in this volume, it meandered a lot more than the previous setup volumes. I’ll be honest, I skimmed through the baseball portion. Other than the coach giving some backstory on Satoko’s family, there didn’t seem to be much point in it; just some filler. Overall, still a 3 out of 5.

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Lenni Reviews: “Higurashi: When They Cry” vol 4 by Ryukishi07 and Karin Suzuragi

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In this volume, Keiichi learns the story behind the Cotton Drifting Festival – it is actually a cannibalistic human sacrifice. The day after the festival, Mion starts acting very suspicious; especially concerning Keiichi handing out with her twin sister, Shion.

As the disappearances and murders begin again, Mion reveals she is heir to the demon curse of the village and is forced to fulfill the Cotton Drifting killings and has been trying to keep Keiichi safe. But is she lying? Is the demon even real?

This series… This series is weird. Are these kids trapped in hell or in a time loop cycling this curse thing over and over in different scenarios? Is just Keiichi cursed? I did notice the editions of this I’m reading are divided not only into different arcs but each arc is split between the slow set up and burst of chaos. But then everything resets. I am so confused. 3.4 out of 5.

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