Rumiko TakahashiBesprekingen

This was a very bloody installment! I mean it, blood was splattering all over the place in too many panels to count. While this is going on, the series manages to stay wholesome. Surely, it must be the art, it is simply bursting with wholesomeness ;)

Anyway, the plot thickens, and there are exciting revelations about the connection between Mao, Nanoka, and Byoki; more about Nanoka’s guardians (in this case, the reader breathes a sign of relief); more on Mao’s backstory, which is still full of mysteries.

Disappointingly, Nanoka doesn’t get to save Mao again. But if the hints are to be believed, the author remedied the situation in the next volume.

Once again, the ending is a cliffhanger. Come on! :)))

Now I am sure this is going to be an excellent series!

Nanoka, Mao, and Otoya investigate a very creepy cult and blood-sucking… things. Scary stuff ensues. Do be careful with curses and demons, it’s nothing to dabble in. “Dark magic is not for amateurs.”

Mao is still great at getting rid of demons, but just like in volume 1, I keep wondering how on earth he had managed anything without Nanoka before. He arrives to save Nanoka when she is already saving herself and doing very well; and then she saves him instead. This is adorable. (Go, Nanoka, go!)

There are very disturbing reveals about Nanoka’s family, and the ending is a terrible cliffhanger. Where is volume 3??? (It’s in my bookshelf, actually, no worries.)½

I of course have loved Takahashi since my early days of reading manga. At one time I deeply loved Inuyasha and enjoyed Rin-ne for the most part. My favorite however will always be the Mermaid Saga books, as they blend the supernatural with the everyday and horror so brilliantly. They're a little historical, a little hopeful, a little action packed...just mt absolute favorite.

This short collection features none of her pre-existing characters, but her signature style all over again. Each story has a little bit about the fantastic to it; whether its the title story where two students are chosen to bear the mirror that shows people their sins to the kid who's afraid of cats and has his arm possessed by one, these are all outside of the ordinary.

Largely they work. Takahashi is no stranger to short manga stories, so she's a dab hand at outlining a world before diving straight to the point of it.

My favorite however was the last comic, which was collaboration between herself and Mitsuru Adachi, ruminating on how they became interested in manga and how they've encouraged each other for decades in large and small ways. Its very touching as well as fascinating to see how they both came to the industry.

Especially as I adore Adachi's Short Program (slice of life stories about growing up and the myriad relationships we have through life) series and Cross Game (baseball) series.

A welcome treat for long time fans, but much like Kaoru Mori's collection, Anything and Something, new-to-her readers may not find the stories as nostalgically endearing.

When your sister-in-law cleans out her bookshelves, you get free books! Here is #3.

Dear Rumiko Takahashi, it’s nice to meet your stories again. I like them so much :)

The premise here is very similar to Rin-Ne : a girl who takes no nonsense from anyone meets a boy who needs to work on his social skills a bit. The boy has special powers and fights ghosts and demons.

The story here is more mysterious and creepy (if you think the idea of cat demon sounds cute, think again). There is no silliness or banter (yet?).

Mao is a cursed exorcist, and when he is not busy exorcising he is a yokai doctor (awww!). Nanoka is tougher than she realizes. She has a horrific backstory – was the accident that killed her parents truly an accident? And what kind of connection do Nanoka and Mao have? Is it possible they share the same curse?

I liked how Nanoka travelled back in time to a parallel universe, and almost without batting an eye, started helping Mao defeat demons. Because why wouldn’t you?

Here is Mao, confronting a demon:

“Shall we join him, Miss Nanoka?”
“Sure.”

That spider lady was *very* scary, I hope I won’t dream of her tonight. *Shudder.* Nanoka saved the day, though. I wonder how on earth Mao had managed without her before? ;)

This first volume is very promising, shaping up to be a cool and scary series with adorable characters. It’s a pity I don’t have more volumes right now…

P.S. For the curious, here are other books from my sister-in-law’s bookshelf:

#1 Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me

#2 Palimpsest

I’ve been having so much fun. I don’t know where the author gets her ideas from, but it must be an interesting place.

Rin-Ne getting cursed by accident so many times was hilarious, and so was the plot line with a rather obsessed and misguided debt collector. The ghost stories in this volume were not quite as memorable as in the previous ones, but the other plot lines compensated for that ☺

Now, there are 34 volumes left in the series, but it’s doubtful that I will get my hands on all of them tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. So I am putting this on hold for now, but the journey will continue at some point.

So many ghosts! Volume after volume after volume, he he he… :)))

This series is really growing on me, so volume three gets the lovely 5 stars. There is an outrageous new character and romantic entanglements are growing in size. People go on a triple date (don’t ask, it just happened). The humour is lovely.

Also, I wonder about the teachers at this school. “Excuse me”, they say, “the class is still in session”. Nobody pays any attention. Do these people manage to do any schoolwork? Oh, well. I know, I know, there are ghosts to chase and evil spirits to exorcise.

There is still a lot of romantic confusion. As I suspected, cluelessness is not getting better. The classmates are enjoying the show, lol.

Sakura is cool at all times, I like that. Apparently, back in the day she subdued school bullies with a yo-yo. Awesome!

I enjoyed the story of the track team star and his senpai, it was very sweet (and silly).

Cool and fun! I am very fond of Rumiko Takahashi’s stories, oh yes.

Here there are ghosts, wheel of reincarnation, and other weirdness – it’s just another day at your local high school, right? I smiled and chuckled a lot all the way through. Every chapter is both silly and touching. This manga is a cozy place to be.

I especially liked the running commentary Sakura does in her head from time to time, hilarious.

This first installment in the series ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am grabbing volume 2 right now. Aaand there are 40 volumes, and I happen to have the first six… That means I will not be finishing Rin-ne any time soon ;) But I am anticipating a nice journey.

Ghost fun continues.

The black cat is wonderful character, he is going to be a favourite of mine.

The story involving the demon was over the top, and the author is absolutely brilliant at comedic timing.
"Is he just stupid? Or is it a trap?
"With him, it's fifty-fifty."

I am looking forward to the next volume.

Who wants a manga short story collection? With horror, magic realism and whimsy? I do, I do, I do!
Rumiko Takahashi creates her characters so effortlessly, and I love the drawing style.

Came the Mirror – a creepy story about a magic mirror that sucks out the darkness in people’s souls. This one felt too short and slightly half-baked, it seemed that there was more to say. I still enjoyed it, though.

Revenge Doll – be careful with magic dolls that people send you for no particular reason! Here is a pretty “standard” horror story, but it is set in a manga studio, and there is a nice twist at the end. Loved it!

The Star Has a Thousand Faces – a very silly story about a very silly actress, the cast and crew of a very silly drama, and a very silly series finale that almost (!) wasn’t filmed (and what a tragedy that would have been ;))). I had lost of fun, thumbs up.

Lovely Flower – an interesting take on a crazy stalker plot. There are pheromones. The story doesn’t go the way you’d expect and there is a plucky heroine ☺

With Cat – this is a cute teen romance with lots of misunderstandings. Also, you have cats cursing humans and possessing them. How delightful!

My Sweet Sunday – an autobiographical piece on becoming a manga artist, written in collaboration with Mitsuru Adachi. It’s nice enough, but it’s probably my least favourite story in this collection, There was a certain lack of whimsy.

Come, come, come, have some adventures in the afterlife! Evil spirits will be out to get you! It’ll be fun, I promise. You’ll laugh a lot, dear reader.

I didn’t know that there is such a thing as Bloodsucking Wheel of Fire. Now I do! I am very happy! (The way our intrepid heroes deal with it is priceless.)

Romantic entanglements continue, because everyone is clueless. I have a feeling it’s not going to get better ;)))

This series is so ridiculous, that I think I am going to melt… On to the next volume!

Solid sitcom humor to lighten one's mood from an all-too-often depressing world.

The review will be split into three parts.

InuYasha, Vol. 1: Turning Back Time

The story of InuYasha revolves around a young Japanese girl who accidentally travels back in time to the days of feudal warlords, ninjas, samurais, and terrifying demons. Upon arriving in feudal Japan, the heroine discovers that she is the reincarnation of the region's lost priestess and that she is the only one who can safeguard the world.

The first volume of this series actually offers a lot of entertainment; the characters are bold and entertaining, and there is plenty of action too. It also unfolds at such a frantic pace that readers never become bored.

The pacing, however, highlights InuYasha's main problem - just how raw and unpolished it is. Unlike others, Rumiko Takahashi doesn't prolong poignant This is a situation InuYasha rushes through as quickly as possible. As a result, the story feels rushed and incomplete, leaving the audience wanting more. The pacing also makes it difficult to appreciate the character development and the relationships between the characters.


Here, there are no subtleties. The whole thing is rushed and brash. All of the art and dialogue are very basic and outdated. The comment may seem harsh to fans of the series, but I'm just stating my first observations. The story isn't even believable, and the characters are one-dimensional. It's a shame, considering the potential of a well-written story.

However, even though this series has few ticks on my preferred list, I would happily read volume two. I'm interested to see where the story goes and the character development that occurs. I'm hoping that the author takes the time to flesh out the story and characters, resulting in a more interesting and engaging read.

InuYasha, Vol. 2: Family Matters

Our story continues seamlessly and we end up in the same fight we were in in the previous issue.

Despite being seemingly capable of doing everything, Kagome continues to be underestimated as someone who cannot do anything in a challenging environment. As far as I'm concerned, everything would be better without the monsters alternating to take the various pieces of the sphere that scattered when it broke. That's an excellent repetition trick. As a result of the constant fighting, the story becomes too splattery. This repetition makes the story feel predictable and repetitive, and makes it difficult to get invested in the characters. It also makes it difficult to develop an emotional connection with the characters, as they are constantly in danger and can't seem to escape.

The fantastic half-brother of Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, arrives in the story. Inuyasha is a half demon, while Sesshomaru is a complete demon. The reason Sesshomaru shows up is because he's looking for the tomb of his father, whose skeleton is hidden inside a pearl hidden in Inuyasha's eye, where he hopes to find Tessaiga.

Neither brother succeeds in retrieving the sword from the rock in style, but Kagome succeeds perpetually with the skirt, which makes it even more ridiculous.


As a result of the fight, Sesshomaru turns into a giant dog, as his true nature is revealed, but Inuyasha defeats him with a sword that, as it will be discovered in the end, can only be used by those who love humans and wish to defend them, since the father of the two brothers created it to protect the woman he loved. As a result, a sword that reacts according to intent and stays with its worn appearance if it does not like them.

Since there is a lot of set up before things can begin, this quantity is relatively slow. It has the same pacing issue as Volume 1.The third volume will hopefully have fewer set up scenes and more action. It should also provide a better sense of overall pacing and flow.

InuYasha, Vol 3: Good Intentions

As the story continues, Inuyasha and Kagome have found their harmony, despite the fact that they don't want to admit it. Though she is not credible at all and continues to be a Mary Sue, she endures herself because Inuyasha is spectacular and charming, just as she thinks.

With the help of the well, Kagome now brings food, clothes, and even homework home... And if Inuyasha is bad, she orders him to sit.

The story starts with a complete one, followed by a second one, and then another one begins.

Firstly, there is the frog monster that is truly terrifying, and then there is the demon that is a mass of dead bodies that is not scary at all, but just horrifying from the standpoint of how unpleasant they look. Last but not least are two brothers: Hiten with a humanoid appearance and Manten with a reptile appearance. It is very difficult to endure the visuals in this story because of the continually changing shapes of the characters, especially the Myoga fleas.


It repeats itself continuously, but there is no real villain who is more powerful than all these slimy ugly monsters and splatters.

A new character appears in the third story: Shippo, son of the fox demon killed by the two brothers.

The manga is very comical, but there are some scenes that seem a little sloppy at times.

While I enjoy the manga and find it original, I would never invest money in it, so I always have to thank the library for letting me borrow it.

You can see all my reviews here

Dark, fantastical manga. It's a must read for fantasy lovers who want to dip into the manga genre.

This horrific collection will have you looking at mermaids a little differently. Our leads needs to hunt down a mermaid to become normal again, but it's not going to be easy. These immortals will go on a fantastic adventure to become mortal and normal again, but there's no way to confirm their success.

Three out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and VIZ for providing me a free copy of this manga in exchange of an honest review.

inuyasha is both a great anime and a great manga, full of adventure and fighting with witty comments!

Read the first two volumes, it was just boring and bland. The story wasn't interesting enough for me to read or pay attention to.

Short stories, told from a single point of view. Mostly horror. Art is amazing and so are the characters.

Excellent story telling. The art is itself very descriptive.

Was a good story, just not for me.

A perfectly decent juvenile fantasy by Rumiko Takahashi. It's one of those basic things, where an orphan, Nanoka Kiba, discovers she has hidden powers and stumbles into the quest of a grim man named Mao whose origin may be tied to hers. Together, they're detectives! Various supernatural beings pop up regularly to be fought, vanquished, or befriended.

Again, it's not bad, but I just can't find any enthusiasm inside me to continue with the series.

I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.

This was another solid installment in the series.

This installment had more backstory than the previous volumes which I felt slowed down the pace of the book a little. A good chunk took place in Mao’s past and we learned more about his early days.

Like the previous volume, this one unveiled even more about the story and the characters, including details on how Mao and Nanoka are connected. It is shaping up to be a very intriguing read!

Overall, I really enjoyed this volume and am looking forward to the upcoming volumes. So far, this series has been full of action and mystery, with things coming together at a steady pace. If you’re looking to read a new manga series, consider starting this one (just keep in mind that all the volumes are not yet available in English yet).½

I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.

This volume was so good!

This installment was jam packed with action. So much happened and I enjoyed every page of it. There was a lot of world building that helped move the story along. I liked that more of the story was revealed in this volume. The first volume did not explain much and I was a little confused about the world. This volume provided som answers and got me hooked. I have to know what happens next.

This volume also made me love the main characters. Mao is so intriguing and mysterious. I’m excited to learn more about him and his past. Nanoka is turning out to be quite the heroine! Also, Mao’s assistant, Otoya, is so adorable.

Overall, I loved this volume and cannot wait to read volume 3!

I received a copy of this book for free for promotional purposes.

This was such a good start to the series!

I haven’t read a manga in a long time so it was nice to finally be able to read one again. I haven’t read anything from Rumiko Takahashi, so I can’t say how this compares to her other books.

The art style is very simple, but classic. There’s something a little old school and retro about it that I liked.

As for the storyline, I was very intrigued by it. It’s fast paced and there’s a lot of mystery and fantasy action and adventure that kept me turning the pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed this volume and am excited to read the next installment and see how the rest of the story unfolds.