Chibi Reviews: Suzaku of the Counterattack, Higurashi, and Black Butler

I’ve been reading a lot of manga lately, mostly because I can’t walk out of a store without at least 3 volumes, so I’ve been trimming down my stack to read by taking them to work with me and reading during my breaks.  Since I promised reviews of most of my last massive buying binge, I’m going to post some mini reviews, focusing on three aspects of each: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

Code Geass: Suzaku of the Counterattack volume 1 manga by Atsuro Yomino, published by Bandai Entertainment

Synopsis: Code Geass told through the point of view of Suzaku Kururugi and without the mech suits.

the Good: The alternate telling of Code Geass from Suzaku’s perspective is interesting.

the Bad: It’s a little too unfamiliar.

the Ugly: It’s not all that memorable.

I didn’t actually buy this manga intentionally, it was included in a Code Geass DVD box set, which also had a soundtrack and drama CD.  I wish more box sets were that cool.

Higurashi: When They Cry (Abducted by Demons Arc I) story by Ryukishi07, art by Karin Suzuragi, published by Yen Press

Synopsis: Keiichi is really enjoying himself in his new hometown with his new friends, until he starts learning about the secret that everyone is hiding.

the Good: The color art is spectacular and the two page spread in this volume is one of the creepiest images I have ever seen.  I still get chills looking at it.

the Bad: The rest of the art was generic.

the Ugly: The harem seems awfully contrived.  I know this is derived from a game, but it still bothers me.

Black Butler, volume 1 story and art by Yana Toboso, published by Yen Press

Synopsis: Ciel Phantomhive’s butler Sebastian seems to be too good to be true or too perfect to be human…

the Good: There’s a good mix of seriousness and humor.

the Bad: I honestly can’t remember all that much of the plot in this volume.

the Ugly: The first chapter is completely different from the rest of the volume – reading it along nearly turned me off from the series altogether.

Unless otherwise stated, I personally buy all the manga that I review.