Manga Monday: That's a stylish young man...with a grade school backpack...

It's hard being a high school kid who looks 10...but it's just as hard being an elementary school kid who looks 20 in Recorder and Randsell Volume 1.

Miyagawa Atsumi is a pretty average high school girl. She worries about exams, she has a best friend to hang out with, and she helps to take care of her little brother Atsushi. Atsushi's pretty normal himself too. He's got friends that love to get him in trouble, and a teacher who does her best to watch over him.

Unfortunately, neither of them look as normal as they are. Atsumi is an absolutely tiny 4'5”, while her fifth grade brother is a rather mature-looking 5'10". Atsumi has to shop in the children's department, Atsushi gets hand-me-downs from their 32-year-old neighbor. No one wants to take Atsumi seriously when she's out and about, and everyone mistakes Atsumi hanging out with his normal-looking girl classmate as a weirdo. It just isn't easy being a Miyagawa kid.

Atsumi, at least, is mature enough to use her childish appearance to her advantage, while poor Atsushi hasn't quite gotten it down yet. Volume 1 covers just about a year in their lives, including the popularity problems of Valentine's Day and White day, and the problem of Atsushi being introduced to a new teacher who isn't accustomed to his...appearance. The other folks in town, like the slacker neighbor who keeps giving Atsushi clothes picked out by his ex-girlfriends and the little boys Atsushi hangs out with who think it's super cool to be able to get away with not having an actual adult supervise them, just add to the fun.

Recorder and Randsell Volume 1 is a 4-koma comedy manga that easily captures the silliness of the assumptions that we all make upon seeing someone. It has some absolutely laugh-out-loud scenes, and doesn't rely on just its premise to bring the laughs.

Highs: 'Say something an adult would say!' '...BOOBS!'

Lows: You'd think that the police in the area would eventually recognize Atsushi and stop trying to arret him for being a creep.

Verdict: Recorder and Randsell Volume 1 is in equal parts hilarious and adorable, and a fun change of pace from other more serious manga.

Further Reading: Shiba Inuko-San, Crayon Shin-Chan, Neko Ramen

Manga Monday: A forgotten Tokoypop license that deserved more

Taisho, Takana-san and all the rest come back in one final volume before Tokyopop's collapse in Neko Ramen Volume 4: We're Going Green! Kind Of...

Neko Ramen Volume 4: We're Going Green! Kind Of... is, of course, the sequel to Neko Ramen Volume 3: A Cat After All.  Check out the review for Volume 1 here, and Volume 3 here.  Otherwise, read on!

Even alien judges can be found on the golf course

When last we saw Judge Nugan Bufan Sn, he was perhaps the happiest Judge in the Common Confederation. In a universe thousands of years old, most case law has been hashed out centuries ago. All judges get to do, especially in a backwater such as Earth, is apply the same statutes over and over again. Simply put, there's not much new under the suns. 

But as backwater is humans are, we can still be surprising. And by a strange twist of circumstance, Judge Sn actually got to create new law in The Android's Dream.

Here, in 'Judge Sn Goes Golfing,' we get to see the person behind the robe.

It turns out, Judge Sn isn't the nicest person off the bench, either. After his landmark case, he's still stuck on the provincial planet of Earth. In fact, now that his ruling has been accepted case law, he will forever be tied to the planet. 

Well, at least Earth has some decent golf courses on it. He'd know; he's been permanently banned from almost all of them. All he has left in the vicinity is a course that's so terribly planned, so badly maintained, and so badly managed that even the outcasts of the golf circuit can still get on the course. Poor golfing skills, combined with a bad temper has gotten him exiled to this disaster of a course.

But even the worst golfers occasionally get an amazing round. And he'll be damned if he lets a few assassins get in the way of the game of his life.

'Judge Sn Goes Golfing' doesn't add all that much to the universe of The Android's Dream. Rather, it feels like an unnecessary scene cut from an already full book. That doesn't make it any less fun to read, though, and fans of Scalzi's other works should enjoy this foray into the universe as well.

Highs: Such introspection in one simple round of golf...

Lows: I've seen what the rich and powerful can get away with, and it's a bit hard to believe that EVERY course has kicked Sn out, especially after the ruling.

Verdict: A perfect ebook purchase

Further Reading: Divine Misfortune, The High Castle

And you thought your college dorm-mate was bad.

"What matters is that we're stuck with each other and we can't go back. Me, a timeless devouring force, and you, a delicious chewy morsel wrapped around a crunchy calcium treat..."

So says Vom the Hungering to Diana, aka Number 5, in A Lee Martinez's Chasing the Moon.

All Diana wanted was a cheap apartment. She was even willing to put up with that creepy landlord West when she found out the utilities were paid. Little did she know that the Apartment 5 came with a monster in the closet.

Literally. An all-devouring creature from another universe named Vom the Hungering lived in the closet. And after she accepted the rooms, the only way out was to open the door to the hungering creature who can't help but eat everything in his path. With a self-refilling refrigerator and basic cable, she's also unable to age and nearly immortal.

"Stay as long as you're able, Number 5. Leave whenever you're willing."

 But even after she and Vom strike something of a civil bargain, it's not like life can just go back to normal, albeit with a rather bizarre roommate. Now that she's seen the tears in the universe that most cannot, it's hard to go back to working retail at the mall. Besides, cosmic awareness has some rather interesting side effects that'll take a bit of getting used to.

Not all creatures tuck in our universe are as good-natured as Vom, either.Oh, they mostly don't really want to cause trouble, and would much rather just go back to whatever universe they came from. It's just that these pesky Earth creatures are in the way of that.

And what exactly is that big, green, tentacled thing in the sky?

A Lee Martinez is a rising name in the world of humorous fantasy. He has the knack for putting everyday people into absolutely absurd situations, and yet they feel perfectly reasonable at the time. Add to that an ear for dialog and the ability to bring out the humanity in the most unhuman of creatures, and you get some of the most entertaining reading available.

Highs: It seems so reasonable that these beings would have worshipers that it's almost a given that there'd be a doomsday cult with one at the head.

Lows: I wish Diana had been able to gain a bit more insight after her trip to one particular other universe.

Verdict: If this book, along with Divine Misfortune are indicative of his other works as well, I'd make him an author to pre-order.

Further Reading: Divine Misfortune, The Android's Dream 

All this over a closed butcher's shop...

The fate of a cult-like religion, an alien race's noble class, and interstellar stability in general all hinge on finding a particular sheep in John Scalzi's The Android's Dream.

It started with flatulence. Admittedly, it was carefully scented flatulence emitted by a technologically-enhanced rectum, but the principle is the same. A traitorous official emitted a grave scent-based insult to the senior-most trade delegate of Earth's greatest ally, the Nidu. After both parties end up dead on the floor (though perhaps not as one would expect), the Nidu offer the government of Earth one chance to head off an interstellar incident: bring them a sheep. To successfully complete their coronation ceremony, they need a genetically-modified, 'Android's Dream' sheep.

But someone's been killing off these sheep. Rather efficiently, in fact. All the specimens the Nidu have were wiped out by a virus, and a band of sheep-assassins have been cleaning up the remaining hybrids on Earth.

Harry Creek is a veteran of one of the most brutal slaughters in the history of Earth's interstellar military. He now has a rather unenviable job for the government, but he's good at it and doesn't mind it terribly much. One of his old military buddies calls him in to find one last creature with the Android's Dream DNA. But beyond her unruly curly hair, she doesn't have all that much in common with her mother.

There's a lot going on in this book, but the best part is turning the pages to see what comes next. To keep from ruining any of the surprises, I'll simply say that the story involves a ghost in the machine (or two...), two religions spun off of the same hoax, and an alien on a spiritual journey which seems to involve eating quite a few people.

Best known for his 'Old Man's War' series, John Scalzi has combined humor, satire and science fiction in a way that most people fail miserably at. With laugh out loud absurdity reminiscent of Douglas Adams at his finest, The Android's Dream is a modern science fiction classic.

Highs: The portrayal of Judge Sn at the tribunal is spot-on for many lower-level members of the bar out there.

Lows:The reader is hit with so many ideas so fast that whiplash is a definite possibility.

Verdict: In the genre of science fiction humor, this belongs in the top tier.

Further Reading: Divine Misfortune, Judge Sn Goes Golfing

Manga Monday: A manga take on national stereotypes

When I finished Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 1, I hesitated to review it.  However, I'm sure that manga fans can be reasonable, and accept some criticism, so why not?


Parts of Hetalia were extremely funny.  It's hilarious to see characters based mostly on (Japanese) stereotypes of countries, and the interaction between countries is very amusing.  Each country involved in WWII is personified as young men, containing all of the stereotypes of personality that the country brings to mind.  France is a cowardly fool, Germany is arrogant (and a little bit of a perv?) and America is brash and thinks too much of himself.  The title character of Italy is divided between Northern Italy (Italy Veneziano) and Southern Italy (Italy Romano), harkening back to the relatively recent unification of Italy a century previous.


The story takes place some time between WWI and WWII, as the countries are getting to know one another in their current configurations, and friendships and fights spring up around the most petty things.


Watching the countries interact, especially with the liberal use of footnotes on nearly every page, is certainly funny to anyone who has even a passing interest in international politics.  Yes, at time, it seems like the leaders of other countries are acting like petulant brats, so it's fun to watch all the countries try to queue up at a grocery store.


The only reason I can't give this a firm recommendation is the absolutely horrendous artwork.  This started as a webcomic, and was never cleaned up for book release.  At times, it's even a bit hard to keep track of which characters are in the panel, as the art is so sketchy.  I stopped and restarted the first volume several times in frustration at the artwork.


If you're more patient than me, Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 1 has quite a lot of potential, but perhaps the anime is the best way to take in the series.


Highs:  The humor is right up my alley, with 'it's funny because it's true' moments throughout


Lows:  The art is just TERRIBLE.  Seriously


Verdict:  If you can tolerate looking at it, enjoy.  Otherwise, check out the anime


Further Reading:  Neko Ramen Volume 1, Maison Ikkoku Volume 1

Manga Monday: Will Tanaka-san ever get a decent lunch?

Neko Ramen Volume 3: A Cat After All is, of course, the sequel to Neko Ramen Volume 2: Curry is Also Delicious.  Check out the review for Volume 1 here, and Volume 2 here.  Otherwise, read on!

Manga Monday: More Ramen? Really?

Neko Ramen Volume 2:  Curry Is Also Delicious is, of course, the sequel to Neko Ramen Volume 1: Hey! Order Up!.  Check out the review for Volume 1 here.  Otherwise, read on!