- The Demon Ororon volume 1 by Hakase Mizuki. I got this in an eBay lot. The story is that a half-angel who doesn't know her father was an archangel helps a demon and they (sort of) fall in love. All hell breaks loose, naturally. This isn't a must-read for me, but I do rather like it, so it'll go somewhere on the "to read once I've read all the important stuff" list. The art is mostly stylish and appealing, but sometimes awkward. And for some reason, I kept thinking the main character was really a boy that the editors had turned into a girl to make the story more socially acceptable. I'm not sure why. She was wearing a skirt in one scene, so changing things would have meant a lot of trouble (which means I'm probably wrong). Probably it's just becuase the character was so androgynous. But anyway . . .
- The Demon Ororon volume 2 by Hakase Mizuki. The series in only four volumes, as far as I can tell, which makes it more likely that I'll finish it than if it were fifty-seven volumes (or even fifteen).
- Suki volume 1 by CLAMP. The sheer cuteness and innocence of the main character sometimes threw me, but I like this series very much. CLAMP has managed to very skillfully reveal only a little of the backstory at a time, continually making each character more and more intriguing. The art is standard CLAMP: well-done, and full of pretty girls, elegant women and beautiful men. This is one for the "important stuff" list.
- Suki volume 2 by CLAMP. The middle volume of three, and the tale only becomes more mysterious and intriguing.
- Hikaru no Go volume 1 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata. I got this as a freebie (long story). It's one of the few stories I really enjoy when I borrow Selena's Shonen Jump every month, and I liked this first volume even more, as I could see how the story developed (I've only read later installments in SJ). The art is polished, with lots of blacks and whites (not so many greys).
- InuYasha volume 21 by Rumiko Takahashi. Yay! More InuYasha.
- The Vision of Escaflowne volume 1 by Katsu Aki. Another eBay book, from the same lot as the ones above. This book really didn't grab me at all. I think I would probably like the anime, but the manga simply felt too shallow. I didn't know the characters enough, or learn enough about them over the course of the volume, to care at all what happened to them or their homelands. That's what I get for trying another manga-based-on-an-anime. I thought this one might be okay, though, because it's supposed to be much fleshed out (and I liked the volumes of the manga-fleshed-out-from-the-anime Neon Genesis Evangelion that I got from the library). Oh well. Into the pile of stuff to sell on eBay it goes.
- Azumanga Daioh by Kiyohiko Azuma. I got this from the library, to try on a whim. It's more like a series of comic strips (only vertical instead of horizontal) than a standard manga or comic book (though a few sections are the more usual manga layout). It's amusing and charming, but not something I need to own. I'll get more volumes from the library, though, assuming our library ever gets them in.
So now I've got the first volume of Fruits Basket to try, the second of Hellsing, the fifth of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, some assorted other odd volumes, and a whole pile of Lone Wolf and Cub to tackle. Some are recent purchases, and some are eBay scores from ages ago that I haven't got to yet. I have yet to find more French comics in translation at a decent price. Back to eBay, I guess. But first I have to sell more stuff. (Speaking of which, anyone in the market for 1/6 scale martial arts wear? I've got a set of hakama and gi listed on eBay.)
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