Review: Naruto (volume 1) by Masashi Kishimoto [manga]

Naruto is a ninja-in-training with a need for attention, a knack for mischief and, sealed within him, a strange, formidable power. His antics amuse his instructor Kakashi and irritate his teammates, intense Sasuke and witty Sakura, but Naruto is serious about becoming the greatest ninja in the village of Konohagakure! Believe it! (via Goodreads)

Though I think I've heard of an anime series of the same name, I've never seen it and so didn't know exactly what I was getting into. At first, I got off to a bit of a slow start with Naruto. I wasn't exactly clear on what was supposed to be happening, apart from understanding that the main character, Naruto nonetheless, is a trouble making ninja-in-training who is disliked by nearly everyone in the village. He fails to graduate from the academy for the fourth time, thus having to repeat his training yet again. But the next part of the story is where it got interesting for me – it's revealed why Naruto gets no respect from the villagers in an escapade that brings quite a few secrets and truths to the forefront.

I ended up enjoying this in the end. However, there were some panels that I found were confusing or misleading and I got a little lost in the story. Does anybody else get moments like that when they read manga; where you have to really look at a particular drawing to figure out what's going on before you can move on? This happened to me more with Naruto that it has with any other manga that I've read.

Altogether, though, an excitingly offbeat story with some interesting twists. Good if you like ninjas, paranormal activity and some good ol' Japanese references (lots of Ramen is involved!)


Rating: 3.5 / 5

Review: One Piece (volume 1) by Eiichiro Oda [Manga]

A new shonen sensation in Japan, this series features Monkey D. Luffy, whose main ambition is to become a pirate. Eating the Gum-Gum Fruit gives him strange powers but also invokes the fruit's curse: anybody who consumes it can never learn to swim. Nevertheless, Monkey and his crewmate Roronoa Zoro, master of the three-sword fighting style, sail the Seven Seas of swashbuckling adventure in search of the elusive treasure "One Piece." (via Goodreads)

This is only the second manga I've read but I can already say that I am in love with the stuff now! I'm kicking myself for not reading any of it sooner! What were you thinking, self?! It's going to become an expensive extension to my book buying habits, that's for sure! Haha.

As for One Piece volume 1, well, I completely adored the story! I bought it in Waterstones after reading the first few pages, and decided that with the combination of pirates and good ol' Japanese manga humour, it would be perfect for me. But I never expected it to be this fun! The main character is called Luffy and he is this crazy, care-free, adventurous type who meets a pirate called Shanks when he is a boy, and decides from then on that he wants to become 'the king of the pirates'. Ten years later, he finally leaves his village and sets out to find himself a crew; meeting some completely loony characters in some delightfully dangerous situations along the way.

I seriously can't emphasise enough how fun One Piece volume 1 is! The storyline is off-beat and interesting, plus all the characters are as mad-as-hatters. If you love some out-there humour, then this is definitely for you. My personality can be a little (ahem) crazy, so this fit me like a glove! Plus, I loved that at the end of each chapter, there is a fun and charming extra such as how to draw your own Jolly Roger, pirate trivia, and so on. There's also a profile on the author, plus details of how the story and artwork were developed.

I can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Rating: 5 / 5

Read-along update – volume 1 of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

This month I'm taking part in the Sense and Sensibility read-along hosted by Risa over at Bread Crumb Reads. In a weekly period, we read a volume of the book and then come together to discuss it over on Risa's blog. I've decided to also post updates about my progress here on my blog as I make my way through it.

But beware: If you haven't read the book already, read on with care because there are going to be spoilers!

I'm really enjoying this book! With the classics, I sometimes feel as if the pace is too slow and the details are hard to follow, but I'm not finding this to be the case with Sense and Sensibility. I'm not sure that this has something to do with the way Jane Austen writes or that my reading ability has evolved, but I'm so happy I'm finding it this way  –  now I can really appreciate the story!

I'm not really sure how to go about starting my thoughts (I blame assignment week for frying my brain), so I'm just going to say what I feel and apologise if anything seems incoherent or confusing. ;-)

First there are our two heroines of the story – Elinor and Marianne Dashwood – two sisters with very different personalities. Elinor is sensible and calculated, while Marianne is the exact opposite. Marianne reminds me of a modern teenager – she's opinionated, dramatic and a little high strung! I wonder if as she gets older, she'll be exactly the same as her mother, Mrs Dashwood? They already seem very similar in their excitable ways, and Elinor is always having to keep her in check much in the way that she must with Marianne. Mrs Dashwood is lovely, though. Very kind hearted and always has the best of intentions, even if she does get a bit carried away at times.

It's a shame that back in the 18th century, everything had to be inherited by a male heir as I'm sure these sisters and their mother deserved to stay at Norland far more than Mr John Dashwood and his selfish wife did. But he was so easily manipulated by his wife that it couldn't be possible. Thank goodness that Sir John Middleton and Lady Middleton offered them the cottage on their Devonshire estate just at the right time!

I think out of the two sisters, I prefer Elinor as she seems to be more fair in her judgements towards situations and also other people. Not that I have anything against Marianne – I love her fun personality, but I dislike the way she judges those who aren't as animated as she is (namely Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon). Also I really didn't like her behaviour with Willoughby. Though I'm glad he makes her happy, they seem to be really overindulgent and immature when put together. Plus it seems a little too coincidental that they have so much in common. But I was very sad when he went away, and really felt for Marianne. I wonder if the business that sent Willoughby away so quickly is the same that sent Colonel Brandon away? Maybe they have a connection in London, and this could have some reasoning behind why Willoughby disapproves of him so much? Only time will tell, but I'm really interested to find out what's going on there.

Edward Ferrars, on the other hand, I really like and he and Elinor are my favourite will-they-won't-they couple. He really grew on me during his stay at the cottage, and I particularly loved this little exchange with Marianne:

...he went immediately round to her and said in a whisper, 'I have been guessing. Shall I tell you my guess?'
'What do you mean?'
'Shall I tell you?'
'Certainly.'
'Well then; I guess that Mr Willoughby hunts.'
Marianne was surprised and confused, yet she could not help smiling at the quiet archness of his manner, and, after a moment's silence, said,
'Oh ! Edward ! How can you?–– But the time will come I hope... . I am sure you will like him.'
'I do not doubt it,' replied he...

It really upset me when Lucy Steele revealed to Elinor that she had been engaged to Edward for quite a while, and particularly the way she went about doing this. I don't much like the Steele sisters – they just seem a little too vulgar (as Jane Austen would put it), and have no sense of social limitations. This will sound mean, but I truly hope that their engagement breaks up so Elinor can marry Edward instead. If this can't happen, then Colonel Brandon also seems a good match for her. But I'd really prefer Edward.

As for the more comical characters, well, I can't help but love them. Mrs Jennings really does make me laugh – she's so ridiculous and out there! No Austen novel would be complete without such a person as this to lighten up the mood every now and again. The same goes for the completely naïve and unassuming Mrs Palmers, who just doesn't understand her husband at all. It's a good job too because I bet she'd be a very miserable woman if she did! I'm hoping to see more of them in the story.

Phew! There you have it. So much to sum up in this volume!

What do you think? What are your opinions of the events thus far?

Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Season 8, Volume 1 – The Long Way Home

Since the destruction of the Hellmouth, the Slayers - newly legion - have gotten organized and are kicking some serious undead butt. But not everything's fun and firearms, as an old enemy reappears and Dawn experiences some serious growing pains. Meanwhile, one of the "Buffy" decoy slayers is going through major pain of her own. Buffy creator Joss Whedon brings Buffy back to Dark Horse in this direct follow-up to season seven of the smash-hit TV series. The bestselling and critically acclaimed issues #1-5 are collected here for the first time, as are their covers by Jo Chen and Georges Jeanty. (via Dark Horse)

Having recently restarted watching the entire Buffy The Vampire Slayer TV series and becoming an even bigger fan of the show than I was when it originally aired, I had to get my hands on the Buffy Season 8 graphic novels! It's taken me a few months to do so, but here they are finally. There are 8 volumes in total, each containing 5 issues of the comic book series.

I've gotta say that if you're a Buffy fan and haven't picked these up yet, you must! I'm not usually a reader of comic books or graphic novels, but I felt that I couldn't miss this chance to find out what happens to all the characters after the TV show.

That is, indeed, where this series picks up from. The back cover of the first volume, The Long Way Home, explains it best:

Worldwide cult phenomenon Buffy the Vampire Slayer returns with Season Eight––only in comics! Series creator Joss Whedon once again takes up writing duties for this official sequel to the show, running the comics as he ran seven seasons of Buffy on TV. This opening story introduces a mysterious threat known as "Twilight" and plunges Buffy and the gang into their biggest adventure––without the limitations of a small-screen budget.

Volume 1 introduces us to this new world in which a few hundred of the newly activated slayers are working for Buffy and the gang in 10 separate squads. Now that Sunnydale is no more, headquarters are now set up in rural Scotland, and together they train these girls to fight against the 'Big Bads'. There are huge monsters, bigger plot twists (trust me) and plenty of nail biting moments. And as creator Joss Whedon writes for this series, plenty of the character's charming qualities and definable wit is in the dialogue. It's very true to the show.

But I'll admit that it wasn't love at first sight for me. I originally disliked the shortened dialogue and the storyline (they really take advantage of the no-budget-to-worry-about deal! And why not? I ask myself now. All comic books do this.) Though as I read on, the story got more and more interesting and I also got used to the narrative style. I guess what you're supposed to do is pick up additional description and detail from the drawings––not relying solely on the words as you would in a normal book. Took me a little while to 'get the hang of' this, but I've got it now. Jeez, this just gives away how much I don't read graphic novels, doesn't it?!

By the end of volume one I was hooked, and quickly went out to get volume 2 (which is, for the record, even better than volume 1)! I'll review that one next week.

Definitely recommended to fellow slayer pals!

Rating: 4 / 5