Tag: Fantasy

My Monster Secret, Vol. 1

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My Monster Secret, Vol. 1 by Eiji Masuda
Series Name: My Monster Secret
Genres: Aliens, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-626922-38-9
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

Everyone knows Asahi is the worst liar in school – he’s so painfully transparent that his childhood frenemy has developed gossip tabloids around his best kept secrets. When Asahi falls in love with the enigmatic Shiragami Youko from his class, he decides to confess to her before she, and everyone else, can read his feelings like an open book. There’s just one problem – Asahi stumbles upon her secret, and it’s a lot bigger than his! Youko is, in fact, a vampire, and if the school finds out, she’ll disappear from his life forever.

Personal & Info

I think it was sometime back in July that I added this to my list as a, “meh, this might be good,” option. It wasn’t on my immediate list of things to get or read, so I threw it on an ongoing wishlist for gift ideas. I got it this past Christmas and my expectations were mediocre. Due to a sudden change in my reading plans, I decided to read it sooner rather than later.

I’m glad I did, because I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would. I wasn’t even in the mood for comedy when I read this, but it made me laugh anyway. In my opinion, that on its own says a lot about the quality.

This appears to be a twenty two volume series that finished in 2020. It’s never too late to get into a series, though.

Characters

Asahi Kuromine is the main character. As the description says, he is extremely transparent about everything. He can’t keep secrets or win at card games.

Youko Shiragami is the vampire love interest. She’s a bit oblivious, and not at all the quiet polite person people suspect her to be.

Oka, Sakura, and Shima are Asahi’s friends. I don’t think the book says what their full names are, so these might be their last names, or a mix of first and last. All that matters, is these are the names they go by.

Mikan Akemi is Asahi’s childhood “frenemy.” She’s a journalist for the school newspaper, and she doesn’t care if something SHOULD be written. If the article causes someone distress, she gets joy from publishing it.

Nagisa Aizawa is the class representative. Her speech habits are unusual and she is a stickler for rules.

Story & Thoughts

Going into this, I didn’t know what to expect. I knew it was supposed to be funny like a rom-com, but that still leaves room to guess. I had no idea where the premise would take the story, either.

As of the first chapter, I’m hooked. This book makes me laugh out loud while reading. The comedy holds up from start to finish. Even the bonus comics crack me up.

The main characters are amusing. I don’t care much for the three friends, yet. They seem like solid side characters, but not quite important as of yet. I don’t like Mikan. She contributes to the humor, but at the same time, I hate her as a person. She is cruel and enjoys the suffering of others.

The art is charming in a 90s nostalgia sort of way. It has the long faces, huge mouths, and big eyes, while also looking modern enough to clearly not be from that time period. Youko Shiragami looks a little different between the cover and what is actually inside the book sometimes. Her serious face almost makes her look like a different person.

This take on vampires is different than what I’m used to seeing. Shiragami has wings and she says vampires only drink blood romantically. She doesn’t die in the sun either. I wonder what other lore about vampires of this world we will learn as the series progresses.

I’m not entirely sure, but it seems like there might be some love triangle or harem vibes. Nagisa Aizawa’s actions make me suspect, but I don’t think it’s that kind of story. I’ll have to read more of it to be sure.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 4 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1906-7
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

I can’t remember for sure, but I think the anime is significantly less accurate by this point. I can’t say for sure which episodes start to stray, because it’s been a while, but I know for sure the anime introduces another character before the events of this volume. That character, in the manga, is introduced after these events.

Honestly, looking at a list of the episode descriptions, several things appear to be changed or out of order. I HIGHLY recommend just reading the manga. I will no longer be mentioning the anime after this review due to the massive amount of differences.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Ruby is a new witch character, who may or may not be significant later.

Story & Thoughts

It’s the start of summer vacation at Yokai Academy. The gang goes to the human world for a club field trip to practice some investigative journalism. Gin stays behind to attend summer school, and Miss Nekonome is the chaperone, although she isn’t much of one.

The entire volume focuses on the trip and the events that occur. We get more insight into the rift between witches and humans. Of course, Yukari also experiences a little character growth, since the volume’s theme is witches.

This is the first time we get to see any combat involving Yukari. Her techniques seem simple, but effective. I would guess her cards probably have metal edges. If they don’t, then the force she manages to put into them is amazing.

Another witch by the name of Ruby appears in this volume. I can’t remember how significant she is in the manga later on, but I know the anime liked to throw her in frequently for cameos. She shows off some cool witch abilities we have not seen in the story until now.

This volume ends in a major cliff hanger just when things are getting super serious. I recommend having volume five ahead of time, so you don’t have to wait.

Notable Issues

In a panel that recaps what species everyone in the group is, Moka and Kurumu’s species are mislabelled as switched. I’m surprised this mistake made it through editing.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 3

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 3 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1905-0
Rating: 4.5/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

If you want to watch the anime, I can say from experience the first few episodes are fairly accurate. However, as the show goes on it becomes very much less so. The manga is way better. I highly recommend reading the series if you want the best experience. I can say this from experience even though I haven’t finished the manga before. The difference is that significant.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is an eleven year old genius, and a witch.

Gin, also known as Ginei Morioka, is the editor of the school newspaper club.

Story & Thoughts

I remember being on the edge of my seat back when I first read this volume. This one picks up where volume two left off in dealing with the protection committee. The story ramps up in the first two chapters as the gang takes on Kuyo, the committee leader. Tensions run high, and we learn another vampire capability.

The second half of the book deals with the fallout of the battle. Tsukune is uncomfortable with what Moka did, and his grades are slipping. If he doesn’t pass his mid-terms, he’ll have to attend summer school.

Considering the school’s purpose is to help monsters learn to blend in with humans, and looking at all the stuff that happens at the school, I find it surprising the school board isn’t super strict about everything. It seems like people and faculty are breaking rules all the time and nobody cares. I doubt that teaches anyone how to blend in. Clearly the protection committee hasn’t been doing their job.

The four panel comics at the end of this volume function as a fun Q & A. They are not at all serious, and we don’t necessarily get any answers to all the questions. Ms. Nekonome doesn’t appear in this volume, so she takes over this bonus section.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 2

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 2 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires, Witches
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1904-3
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Since I’ve already read a large chunk of the series before, and seen the anime, I’m giving the volumes I’ve already read a slight bump in rating to show how much I liked it my first time through. I don’t want my familiarity with the series to hurt the score. There is less thrill when you already know what happens, so I’m accounting for that. The bump is only about a half star.

If you want to watch the anime, I can say from experience the first couple episodes are fairly accurate. However, as the show goes on it becomes very much less so. The manga is way better. I highly recommend reading the series if you want the best experience. I can say this from personal experience even though I haven’t finished the manga before. The difference is that significant.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. She is the big booby lady.

Yukari Sendo is introduced in this volume. She is an eleven year old genius.

Gin, also known as Ginei Morioka, is the editor of the school newspaper club.

Story & Thoughts

This volume is primarily monster of the week style. Only one significant main character is added in this volume. She’s not very likable at first, but that gets better.

I recall coming across some adult themes with gross behavior my first time reading the series. This volume has the first encounter with that kind of thing. In chapter three (Test 7: Deadline!), there’s a really slimy guy who doesn’t care about privacy, discomfort, or consent. This particular chapter might be triggering for some people who are more sensitive to this kind of content. I will say, nothing physically sexual happens. At most, there is a boob grab. Use your own discretion when determining if you can tolerate this content.

I like how this book has a chapter focusing on Kurumu. I think it’s important that Moka doesn’t always steal the show. Kurumu is also capable, and we get to see more of her abilities here.

The story also gets more serious in this volume. There are more continuous events between chapters instead of isolated encounters. The protection committee is their first real big bad type threat. The first conflict is resolved in one chapter as usual, but the overall problem will continue past this volume. It’s not just a one and done like everything else has been.

Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1

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Rosario+Vampire, Vol. 1 by Akihisa Ikeda
Series Name: Rosario+Vampire
Genres: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Monsters, Romance, Vampires
Intended Age Group: Older Teen
Publisher: Viz/Shonen Jump Advanced
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-4215-1903-6
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All-around average student Tsukune can’t get accepted to any high school save one…but on his first day, he finds the rest of the student body doesn’t appear average in the least. Best of all, the cutest girl on campus can’t wait to fling her arms around his neck! Wait a sec’ – are those her teeth around his neck too…? Tsukune’s going to have one heck of a hickey when he gets home from Monster High! But does he have a chance in H-E-double-hockey-sticks of raising his grades at a school where the turf war isn’t between the jocks and the nerds but the vampires and the werewolves?

Personal & Info

Initially, I came across this series back when I was in high school. Every time I went to Barnes & Noble, I would see a display of volumes from the series. I managed to read a large chunk before obtaining my own copies, which I used to continue reading the series. I dropped off reading manga for a while, though, so I never got to finish it. It wasn’t until earlier this year, I think, that I finally finished my collection, so I can go back and read it from start to finish.

I still like this book, but since I’ve already read it before, and seen the anime, I’m giving it a slight bump in rating to represent how much I liked it my first time through.

If you want to watch the anime, I can say from experience the first chunk is fairly accurate. However, as the show goes on it becomes very much less so. The manga is way better. I highly recommend reading the series if you want the best experience. I can say this from personal experience even though I haven’t finished the manga before. The difference is that significant.

Characters

Tsukune Aono is your every day incredibly average underachiever human with no special skills. He is the male lead in this harem story.

Moka Akashiya is a beautiful vampire love interest. Everyone thinks she’s the prettiest girl in school and they all hate Tsukune for being around her.

Kurumu Kurono is beautiful love interest number two. I’ll let the book tell you her species. She is the big booby lady.

Ginei Morioka, or Gin, is the head of the school club our main characters join. He is a pervert.

Ms. Shizuka Nekonome is Tsukune’s homeroom teacher. She is very obviously a cat, and looks like the sexy librarian type.

Story & Thoughts

As the first volume, the focus is introducing the main cast and getting to know them a little. This book has four chapters, and introduces three significant characters. The chapter that does not introduce anyone important instead teaches us a little more about vampires.

There’s also a monster of the week element to the story. Each chapter seems to have an encounter with a different monster, usually resulting in some sort of beat down resolution. There are also “Bite-Size Monster Encyclopedia” informational boxes for most of the monsters once they’ve been unmasked. Unmasking in this case meaning shedding their human disguise.

The ecchi part of the series generally starts in chapter two. That’s when it starts to emphasize things like big boobs, swimwear, panties, etc. However, it’s a little funny that Moka’s combat scenes are always conveniently censored with shadows or something in the foreground to block it. At least it looks natural, unlike the blatant censor they use in the anime.

Art style is always a memorable thing when it comes to manga. Each artist has their own style, and while some are similar, they all have their own identifiable features. I love the art style for this series. It has its own charm that stands out to me.

There are some silly four panel comics at the end. I love when manga have those. My favorite one in this volume is Kurumu with the cookies.

Notable Issues

Some of the translation choices are interesting. I’m not sure if I noticed with my first read way back when, but most of the effect text uses odd spellings. For example, skweez and krash come up a lot instead of the regular spellings. I have no idea why this is a thing.

I don’t remember where, but in one of the scenes where Moka changes, someone said her hair turns from brown to silver. That must be a mistake or typo, because I’ve never seen her usual hair color be anything except pink. I don’t think pink can be considered any shade of brown. They aren’t anywhere near similar in color.

Spice & Wolf, Vol. 5 (LN)

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Spice & Wolf, Vol. 5 by Isuna Hasekura
Series Name: Spice & Wolf (Light Novel)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, Commerce
Intended Age Group: 15+
Publisher: Yen On/Yen Press
Edition: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-7595-3110-9
Rating: 3/5
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Description from the Book

Arriving in the town of Lenos, Lawrence and Holo take a respite from their travels north – but a true businessman never rests! It isn’t long before an opportunity for profit presents itself to Lawrence, one that could fulfill his dreams of owning his own establishment. But as always, the promise of great reward carries great risk – and risk is never greater than when one plans to use a wisewolf as collateral! As Lawrence and Holo feel the ties binding them stretched thin, has the time come for the pair to go their separate ways?

Personal & Info

It took me a few months to circle back around to this series. My reading schedule is a bit of a mess right now.

Characters

It’s been one week since the events of volume four. Lawrence and Holo are comfortable around each other. Their banter has gotten more elaborate and playful as Lawrence has learned how to keep up better with her wit. I think it’s obvious they both either have a crush on each other, or feel some kind of ownership regarding the other person. Both of them get jealous regarding interactions with the opposite sex. They should just tell each other how they feel, but then we wouldn’t have an interesting story, now would we?

Story & Thoughts

I adore this series, but this volume does not resonate with me. It was a little upsetting to read. A large chunk of the story feels highly melancholy and depressing. They start analyzing things, like how different Holo’s lifespan is compared to humans and whether or not she could feasibly tire of being in someone’s company because of that.

I thought we were past the threats of Holo potentially leaving. The first few volumes all have that as a will she or won’t she. I’m not amused to see it come up again. At this point, I thought they would have no more issue staying together and waiting to reassess until they find Holo’s homeland. It’s starting to feel repetitive with this theme constantly popping up.

Holo seems extra violent in this volume. Granted, for the worst of it, she is angry and frustrated, but that doesn’t necessarily make it okay. Especially when she knowingly targets areas she knows are sensitive. We already know she doesn’t exactly have a shining personality, but part of this book shows off her more abusive side. I find it a little concerning she doesn’t show any concern for Lawrence’s condition at that time either.

The business opportunity in this one doesn’t seem as suspenseful as the others. Everything goes smoothly, and nobody is really in any danger. There is potential danger, but even if things were to go catastrophically bad, it’s implied nobody’s life is truly at risk.

I do like that this book is one of the few times Lawrence works on a deal by himself. It’s important he doesn’t always rely on Holo, otherwise he might lose the practiced merchant skills he had before meeting her.

Kingdom Hearts

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Kingdom Hearts by Shiro Amano
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: All Ages
Publisher: Tokyopop
Volumes: 4
Series Rating: 3/5
See my individual reviews here:
Volume 1 – volume 2 – volume 3 – volume 4
Get your own copies here:
1 – Amazon ThriftBooks
2 – Amazon ThriftBooks
3 – Amazon ThriftBooks
4 – Amazon ThriftBooks
Or get the newer duology versions (published by Yen Press) here:
1 – Amazon Barnes&Noble RightStuf
2 – Amazon Barnes&Noble

Description

Fourteen-year-old Sora and his friends want to see what is across the ocean and visit other worlds. Everything gets turned upside down when their island home is hit by a storm, ripping them from their home and separating them.

Sora finds himself in a new land where he meets Court Wizard Donald and Captain Goofy. Together they fight mysterious creatures called Heartless and travel the universe in search of King Mickey and Sora’s lost friends.

Throughout their travels, they make friends in every world, and quickly discover it’s up to them to save the universe from the Heartless, and whomever is pulling their strings. The power of Sora’s Keyblade and the strength of his heart are paramount to succeed.

About

This is a manga adaptation of the popular game Kingdom Hearts. These are the older editions that make it a four volume series. The newer editions are encompassed in two volumes for a duology set. I got these forever ago, so I don’t have the newer editions.

I can’t stress enough that this is an adaptation. Don’t expect it to be super accurate.

Personal

I’ve been a fan of Kingdom Hearts since back when the first game was still new. It’s one of my favorite franchises, so when the manga came out, I knew I wanted to have it.

There are more Kingdom Hearts manga out there for some of the other games, as well as light novels. I’m in the process of collecting and reading them all. I want to do this in tandem with replaying the games to spot the differences, though, so it may take a while to review them.

As far as the manga versions go, I consider each “game” to be its own series, because they are, at the very least, in sets of two or more.

Characters

Sora is the main character. He is exclusive to the Kingdom Hearts universe. Well, except for his Smash appearance. He’s basically your average joe with a heart of gold.

Donald and Goofy are popular Disney characters associated with Mickey mouse. All three of them have been around for several decades, and they’re kind of the face of Disney, so it makes sense they would be main characters for this kind of story.

Mickey is a king in this universe because he is the ever constant mascot of Disney. Donald is his court wizard, and Goofy is his head knight.

Riku and Kairi are also completely new characters specifically for this story. Riku is the cool edge lord loner type. Part of his relationship with Sora is Riku is always better than him at everything, but that changes a bit as the story progresses. Kairi is essentially the girl next door everyone is crushing on.

Various Disney and Final Fantasy characters make appearances throughout the series. The number of Final Fantasy characters is small, but the Disney quantity is high since pretty much all the worlds are from Disney movies.

Story & Thoughts

Negatives

Honestly, I don’t think the manga does the story justice. There are so many cuts, and the story feels too fast.

The characters seem to have little to no development. You don’t even get to know the characters the same way you would in the game. In the game, you get time to see what Riku and Kairi are like before everything happens. That experience is missing here. The introduction is rushed, and the lack of proper introductions makes Riku come off as a jerk, instead of the cool loner type that actually cares. The rushed plot doesn’t help this later on either.

Entire levels are missing. Deep Jungle and Halloween Town are not in the manga. I have issue with this, because it goes along with the lack of character development. Donald and Sora are supposed to butt heads significantly at the start of the journey. That is barely portrayed at all. The entire point of Deep Jungle in the game is to sort out Sora and Donald’s differences, so they can actually be good friends. The story feels shallow without those experiences.

There is little action. For an adaptation of a game where you fight things constantly, there is hardly any action to be seen. I think this could have been a little better if it embraced more action scenes and showed off more of the epic boss fights. Show off some of Sora’s special techniques, too.

Positives

In the game, we’re under the impression Sora summons and dispels his key blade at will. The manga does things a little differently. I find this part a little amusing. This adaptation actually has Sora use his belt as a sheath. It does not look realistically stable for use at all, but it’s a detail I enjoy.

The cover art for the chapters in each volume are nice. I like seeing them.

Despite my complaints, the manga isn’t bad. It’s not entirely faithful as an adaptation, but it’s enjoyable. I like to think of it as an alternate retelling, because it’s accurate to a point. All the most important story events are there. The route to them and how they occur are just a little different.

I don’t recommend this as your primary Kingdom Hearts experience. But, if you’re just in the mood for some Kingdom Hearts and don’t want to boot up the game, it might scratch that itch. Or if you’ve never played the game, and you just want to see what the story is like, this is a generally accurate enough outline of it to get an idea.

Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 4

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Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 4 by Shiro Amano
Series Name: Kingdom Hearts
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: All Ages
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 1-59816-220-9
Rating: 3/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble
If you are set on getting the same old four volume editions, you can check here:
Amazon ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

Sora, Donald, and Goofy are forced to choose between duty and friendship. Our heroes must follow their hearts if they are to succeed and defeat the growing Heartless menace. But in the world of Kingdom Hearts, choices are never easy!

Personal & Info

This is the final volume of the old four volume edition Kingdom Hearts manga. As usual, I will primarily link the new duology editions, as well as some links to find these older versions if they are your preference.

Characters

Sora, Donald and Goofy are the primary characters in every volume.

Riku and Kairi obviously play big parts in the finale.

Various Disney and Final Fantasy characters make appearances throughout the series.

Story & Thoughts

This book picks up after the group leaves Never Land. From there, it goes straight into the final two locations of Hollow Bastion and the End of the World. Unfortunately, my favorite level, Halloween Town, does not make it into the manga at all.

I’m surprised they managed to squeeze the whole ending into this one short book. They cut some things and rush others. For example, there is a Maleficent boss in the game here. That is cut entirely for the manga.

100 Acre Wood is missing from the main story, aside from Sora delivering the book, but it gets a chapter at the end of this volume instead of the usual four panel comics.

I don’t think the manga does the series justice. Obviously the game is going to be better. The manga speeds everything up, and doesn’t care as much about the action or character development. It feels like more of a for fun read. Like, if you are craving some Kingdom Hearts, but you don’t want to boot up the game, this might be a quick fix. It gets the most important parts right, and that’s what matters. But seriously, don’t let this be your only exposure to the series. The game is so much better.

Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 3

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Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 3 by Shiro Amano
Series Name: Kingdom Hearts
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: All Ages
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 1-59816-219-5
Rating: 3/5
Amazon Barnes&Noble
If you’re set on getting the old four volume editions, you can check here:
Amazon ThriftBooks

Description from the Book

When Monstro the whale swallows Sora and crew, the world of Kingdom Hearts plunges into an underwater adventure! Deep within the ocean depths, Sora lends Geppetto and Pinocchio a helping hand to fend off the Heartless. Our heroes then dive even deeper under the sea to face Ursula the Sea Witch. But Sora and Riku better surface fast because they have to rescue Kairi from the clutches of Captain Hook! When it comes to dealing with the Heartless, let your conscience be your guide, and don’t forget the pixie dust!

Personal & Info

This is volume three of the four volume old editions of the Kingdom Hearts manga. I assume most, if not all, of this volume is probably included in volume two of the newer duology prints.

Characters

Sora, Donald and Goofy are the primary characters in every volume.

Riku and Kairi both appear in this one.

Various Disney and Final Fantasy characters make appearances throughout the series.

Story & Characters

This volume starts where volume two ends, however, the resulting boss battle is anticlimactic. They kind of overdo the whole Herc weakening Cerberus thing. Aside from that, the volume covers the Monstro, Atlantica, and Neverland levels from the game.

Like the other volumes, this one is fast paced. It blends some events together, or changes them a bit to make the story progress faster. Monstro seems particularly short.

It’s at this point I notice the manga entirely skips over the Deep Jungle level. I highly doubt it would be in the last volume since it’s an early level. The way things are going, there might be one or two other levels missing from the manga by the time it’s done. I think those parts of the story are significant for character development, but the manga seems to try to keep a more cheerful and funny vibe, so the characters don’t have much development, or at least none that is blatantly obvious. I’d say the most character development I’ve seen so far is learning skills, and that’s not usually what people mean when they talk about character development.

There’s a part in this one where they finally get to read Ansem’s report. I often didn’t read that while playing the game, so I can’t say if it’s similar. I would have to turn on the game to check.

There are more four panel comics in the back of the book. The one titled Farewell Gift is my favorite out of this batch.

I still love the chapter cover art, and highly recommend playing the game or to watch someone play the game if you read this. It should not be your only exposure to the series.

Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 2

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Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 2 by Shiro Amano
Series Name: Kingdom Hearts
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: All Ages
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 1-59816-218-7
Rating: 3/5
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If you are set on getting the same old four volume editions, you can check here:
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Description from the Book

Sora, Goofy and Donald Duck continue their magical journey. Along the way they discover new clues about Maleficent’s preparations to conquer all the worlds. The fate of all beings lies within the power of Sora’s Keyblade – and the strength of his heart!

Personal & Info

This is volume two of my old copies of the Kingdom Hearts manga. These can only be found used now a days, so I will be linking the newer duology reprints as the primary shop links. I believe this volume is part of volume one of the duology. I don’t know for sure if they end in the same spot, because I don’t have those editions, but it’s probably close.

Also, I said it in the review for the first volume, but I’ll say it again here. This series reads left to right instead of the usual right to left like the average manga.

Characters

Sora, Donald and Goofy are the primary characters in every volume.

Riku appears in this volume, but we do not see any of Kairi aside from a hallucination.

Various Disney and Final Fantasy characters make appearances throughout the series.

Story & Thoughts

This volume covers Agraba, Traverse Town, and The Olympus Colosseum. Based on how I play the game, the manga does the levels out of order. One could play the levels in the order of the manga, but that’s not my preference.

The story is still mostly accurate. By mostly accurate I mean it’s kind of an alternate retelling. Events are usually blended together instead of separate instances to make the flow faster. Details or minor events that never happen in the game are added to help the flow and keep things going or make them make sense, while other things are cut entirely.

This volume has a cliff hanger. It ends at the start of a boss fight, so volume three is going to start with that.

There are some funny four panel bonus comics at the end of the book.

I still love the chapter cover art, and highly recommend playing the game or watching someone play the game if you read this. It should not be your only exposure to the series.