Tag: Vol 1

Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 1

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Kingdom Hearts, Vol. 1 by Shiro Amano
Series Name: Kingdom Hearts
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy
Intended Age Group: All Ages
Publisher: Tokyopop
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-59816-217-2
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

When a strange storm hits his island home, 14-year-old Sora is separated from his friends and swept into a mysterious new land. There he meets Court Wizard Donald and Captain Goofy, who are on a mission to find their king, Micky, and return him to his throne at Disney Castle. When the three learn of the Heartless, ominous creatures who feed off the darkness in the hearts of others, they join forces to recover Sora’s friends, return the king to his rightful position and save the universe from the Heartless!

Personal & Info

I’ve been a fan of Kingdom Hearts for a long time. I’ve fallen behind a little on the newer stuff, but the series, no matter which format, will always have a special place in my heart. The version of the series I have in my collection for Kingdom Hearts is out of print. It’s four volumes. I have all of them, so I will be reviewing all four.

Reprints were done for this series sometime around 2013, in which they compiled them into two books instead of four. Those will be the primary versions I link, but I will include a couple links where used versions of the old editions can be found. The 2005 print that I have, would be less convenient to find.

I can’t say for the reprints, but the editions I have read left to right instead of right to left. I still consider it a manga because that’s pretty much the only difference from the norm.

Going into this, it’s been a couple years since I played the game, but I have played it several times, so I have a solid grasp of the plot. This is technically a reread, because I have read it before. It has, however, been several years, possibly over a decade, since the last time.

Characters

Sora is the main character. He is like your stereotypical average kid thrust into fantastical save the world scenarios.

Kairi and Riku are Sora’s friends from the island. Riku is basically the cool guy, who is also a tad mean. Kairi is like the girl next door that Sora and Riku are both crushing on. The manga doesn’t make the crush very clear compared to the game.

Donald and Goofy are well known Disney characters. For this series, they are Sora’s traveling companions and allies in combat.

Various other Disney and Final Fantasy characters make appearances throughout the series. I will not list those for people who might not have any exposure to the series. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise appearances.

Story & Thoughts

This volume covers Destiny Islands, Traverse Town, and Wonder Land. The beginning of the book has a slightly different introduction where the game tutorial would be. There’s a page that tells a story about a broken world. I’m fairly certain this piece of lore is not part of the games. I can’t say if it’s part of the light novels, though, because I have not yet read them. Those will be read and reviewed at a later date.

The island section, which would be the start of the game, where we meet Sora and his friends, seems rushed. We don’t get a solid feel for the characters before everything takes off. Some jokes and interactions from the game were cut, probably to save on time and pages. This is shorter than the average manga, though, so I think they could have made it work.

The story overall seems mostly accurate. I think the fluidity of the panels in some parts is a little jank. With the extra fast pacing of the story, someone who hasn’t played the game might not get the full experience from just reading the manga. It definitely doesn’t have the same feel to it as the game either. The manga seems to try hard for a loony type of comedy that you might see in old Disney cartoons. I get why, but I’m not sure it helps the quality.

The cover art for all the chapters looks really nice. The art throughout is decent, but I think everyone seems to have a case of the baby faces. Sora looks much younger than fourteen. Leon, oh my gosh, Leon looks twelve.

I wouldn’t recommend this as your only Kingdom Hearts experience. You should definitely play the game, or watch someone else play it.

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1

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My Happy Marriage, Vol. 1 by Akumi Agitogi, Rito Kohsaka, Tsukiho Tsukioka
Series Name: My Happy Marriage (Manga)
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Romance 
Intended Age Group: Teen
Publisher: Square Enix
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-64609-146-1
Rating: 4/5
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Description from the Book

All She wanted was a bit of happiness…

Considered night worthless for having failed to inherit the superhuman powers of the bloodlines into which she was born, Miyo Saimori lives her days unwanted and unloved.

Her stepmother and very own father have little time or affection for her, and Miyo must suffer being treated as a servant by her half sister who, unlike Miyo, is blessed with the unusual powers of their blood.

Ultimately seen as nothing more than a nuisance and a drain on the family wealth, Miyo is packed off to the Kudo house as a bridal candidate for its heir, Kiyoka Kudo.

Whispers abound about the Kudo clan, the most powerful in all the land, but will the allegedly cold and cruel ouse into which Miyo aims to marry prove much warmer than the family she left behind?

Personal & Info

This is a fairly new release. It came out the same day as The Apothecary Diaries volume 6. I’ve seen it around a bit since the release, so when I saw it at my local bookstore, I decided to look into it.

This is apparently the manga version of the series, because there is also a light novel series. However, they are both extremely new to the English translation right now, so I don’t think it matters which one I start first. I think the light novel has a little more out than the manga does, but the manga was right there, so I wouldn’t have to order it.

Characters

Miyo Saimori is the main character. She experiences abuse from her own family, and is sent to court a man everyone considers cruel. Nobody expects her to stay long.

Kiyoka Kudo is the love interest of the story. Everyone thinks he is too cruel for anyone to marry, but he has high political standing and wealth, so many families try to arrange a marriage anyway. Most end in failure within a three day time period.

Yurie is Kiyoka’s housekeeper. She has taken care of him since he was young, and he trusts her implicitly. She is a very kind older woman.

Kanoko is Miyo’s step mother. She is a mean woman who resents Miyo. Her name does not come up in the volume, as far as I can remember, but it does in the short story at the end of the book.

Kaya is Miyo’s younger half sister. She receives everything Miyo does not.

Koji Tatsuishi is Miyo’s childhood friend, and the only person who is ever kind to her while she lives at home.

Shinichi Saimori is Miyo’s father. He cares not a whit for Miyo.

Sumi Usuba is Miyo’s mother. With this being a Cinderella inspired story, she is not around. We only see her in flashbacks.

Story & Thoughts

Halfway through the first chapter and this story already pulls on my heart strings. I was not expecting this to be this good. The cover doesn’t stand out to me, and the synopsis sounds mediocre, but dang. I’m going to have to keep reading the series.

The tone of the story comes off as rather serious. Miyo is a woman with a broken spirit. She’s sent to the Kudo household fully expecting to either be sent away or die there. She doesn’t even care which result occurs because either of them would be preferable to going back home, which she can’t do anyway.

There is some intrigue going on in the background, because it turns out the paranormal ability from the Usuba bloodline is special. There are people who want it. Even if Miyo herself does not have it, there’s still a good chance it could pass to her children. You know, because that’s how genetics work.

I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t want to detract from the experience of reading the book yourself. Just know that I am very interested in seeing where the story goes from here. I want to know what becomes of Miyo’s life under Kudo’s roof.

Combs and Memories

This is a short story in the back of the book. It’s about seven pages long. Miyo reminisces about a servant’s kindness regarding a comb. This is a novel style story, and if the light novel is anything like this, I’ll probably like that, too. I will likely get that version of this series eventually.

His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper, Vol. 1

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His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper, Vol. 1 by Saiko Wadori, Mika Kajiyama
Series Name: His Majesty the Demon King’s Housekeeper
Genres: Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Romance 
Intended Age Group: 13+
Publisher: Seven Seas
Edition: Paperback 
ISBN: 978-1-63858-407-0
Rating: 3.5/5
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Description from the Book

For Takatsuki Sakura, a trip to the library turns into a fantastical journey. She has been swept away to a grandiose castle ruled by a gorgeous demon king. Magic and wonder covers every room. Taking it in, Sakura can hardly breathe…because of all the dust and dirt. A curse has prevented this kingdom from cleaning. Only Sakura and her housekeeping knowhow can scrub away this dark magic and grime!

Personal & Info

Not going to lie, I grabbed this because the cover looks nice and the description mentions the word library.

Housekeepers and maids are always popular in manga. I don’t think I’ve actually tried any series with them in the title, though. I did see a couple episodes of Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, and I like that. I’ll probably try reading or watching more of that eventually. Anyway, my point is, this is my first real try(maybe specifically with manga) at anything with maid or housekeeper in the title.

Characters

Sakura, is the main character. She’s an enthusiastic neat freak, because her mother traumatized her as a child.

His Majesty the Demon King, I don’t believe we get a name in this volume. We’re going to have to wait and see about that. He’s so pretty.

Milia is a cat demon with shapeshifting abilities. She’s the girl with purple hair on the cover.

Lehaye is the chamberlain to the King. He takes advantage of any profitable opportunity.

Sadeen is His Majesty’s personal guard. He’s mostly good at doing strong man things.

Ruval is a minstrel, and self-invited guest in the palace.

Story & Thoughts

Isekai are a dime a dozen these days, so I’m always a little wary when trying them. This one is surprisingly good. I give it a three and a half out of five. Three and a half usually means above average enough that it stands out to me and I want to continue the series. It seems like it can only get better from here. Several plot hooks are thrown in toward the end of the volume.

The kingdom this takes place in is heavily reliant on magic. Nobody knows how to do anything without it. This is why Sakura is their only hope for cleanliness.

This series is interesting because it has cleaning tutorials thrown in. Legit tutorials, like using salt to clean iron, and the use of baking soda as a cleaning agent. It even talks about alkaline solutions. You could probably legitimately learn some cleaning tips from reading this.

The King is not exactly what one would expect in a standard isekai. He’s literally just living in luxury, and has no plans to cause any chaos. There’s no evil army for a hero to fight against. He’s not even a villain. I think the atypical cast adds to the charm of the story. The whole thing is unexpectedly wholesome.

The afterward describes the series as a rom-com, and I do agree with that. There are funny moments scattered around, and the story doesn’t seem super serious. Nothing blatantly romantic happens in this volume, but there are definitely hints of romance to come. I’m interested in seeing what happens.