Title: ちびまる子ちゃん (Chibimaruko-chan) Vol. 1
Artist/Author: さくらももこ (Momoko Sakura)
Book Size/Pages: A-6, 256pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 1/9
Original Serialization: Monthly Ribon 8/86-2/88
First Printing: 10/22/03
Rating: 4/4

Kinokuniya doesn't wrap all their books, or at least in one of the stores. This re-release is a "bunko" comic, which means it's tiny (A-6 paper, postcard sized). I have a few novels of that size, but this is the first comic. Despite it's size, the paper quality is excellent. It's black and white, but man, the black ink is really black and the paper is really white.

Anyway, since it wasn't wrapped, I had a glance and I remembered seeing this as a cartoon somewhere, sometime ago, but can't remember when. However, I do remember the character so I picked this series up. When I was at Book-Off last weekend, I saw they had previous hardcover re-release of this series (so this is a re-re-release), but I like the paper in this one even though the hardcover version has some color pages.

There are a ton of little stories here, each of them disjoint but all deal with the life events of a fictional third grader, Chibimaru-ko. The character is named after the author herself and some of the stories are based on life experiences she had, but this is still fiction.

This book is what's been delaying me these past few days. This thing reads like a novel, despite all the pictures. In addition to the dialogue, there's a lot of exposition explaining things. However, I enjoyed this thoroughly as it deals with issues and situations that a real elementary school student might go through. What I related to most was the earthquake drill chapter. In the comic, Chibimaru is ever so anxious wondering when the drill will happen -- will it happen in math class? language? I remember having gone through the same feelings way back when (although it wasn't "class" it was math "hour").

Needless to say, reading all 9 books will keep me busy for a while.

Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 34
Issue Date: 8/4/2004
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 466

They're having a 4 week campaign and Yuuko-rin is the host! The feature story has swimmers for the Olympics (hence the cover). Suzuka is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. The events in this chapter threw me off completely, but made it all the better.

In chapter 61, Negima and gang go vacationing in the Southern Islands. Keitaro leaves for Pararakelse (sp?) in chapter 61 of Love Hina. Coincidence? Hmm...

Suzuka: ＃２２恋敵 (Rival In Love): Yamato goes to Suzuka's house and meets her sister, Suzune who takes him to where Suzuka's former love, Kazuki, is. Turns out Kazuki died in a car accident two years ago on his way to a track meet and Suzuka's been visiting his grave every time she has a vacation. Yamato leaves but tells Suzune not to tell Suzuka about him coming.

Negima: ６１時間目　南国マシュマロ帝国 (Southern Islands, Marshmallow Empire): Negi and Asuna are still on bad terms, so Ayaka invites him to the Southern Islands to relax. She thinks they'll be alone, but word got out and the other classmates are there too. Ayaka has a plan to get those two on better terms, which is by having Negi fall into the water and letting Asuna save him. After the rescue, Asuna finds out it was all planned, but she still says she was worried.

Changing Now: ＃１３登場　悪の将軍 (Appearance, The General of Evil): The head of the baddies, General Frost is traveling in a limo. However, he gets his horns stuck in the sun roof.

Tsubasa: ５２魔物の贈り物 (The Gift of the Monster): Sakura is able to talk with the gusting wind and has it calm down (Shaoran remembers that she has this ability). The wind tells her that a powerful force is keeping it there and they figure it's the feather/Sakura's memories. They go back to the bunny camp where they find out that the bunnies have the feather. Once it's returned, the wind gusts away and leaves flowers behind.

Hamanaka Ai: ０４４夏期合宿 (Summer Training): The gang goes to the beach and after some talk and Rin getting intoxicated while floating in the ocean, Masahiko pulls some thread from the mound where Ayana is buried in the sand. He pulls out her top.

Title: ヤングマガジン (Young Magazine) Vol. 34
Issue Date: 8/2/2004
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 478

This week's volume features a one-shot manga related to the new Steam Boy movie in Japan. I don't know how the movie is, but this manga is more of a gag than anything serious. Featured girl is Juri Ueno and back page girl is Mari Shinomura, both of whom were featured many a times before.

Redlight: 14: The pregnancy test Satoshi found on the floor belongs to his brother's, Yatoshi, girlfriend who they now find out is pregnant with Yatoshi baby. She wants to have the baby, he doesn't. They're both still in high school. The girlfriend has an argument with parents and decides to come live with Yatoshi.

xxxHolic: 54: Kimihiro goes to work and Yuuko automatically sense the feather he picked up. Later, Kimihiro and Himawari are drawing and note the hot weather. They then see that winged boy, but he's the only one who can see the wings. Doumeki and Kimihiro wonder if those wings have something to do with the weather.

スチーム爺さん (Steam Grampa): Ray's grandfather has constructed a new house fully powered by steam. It has such conveniences as a tea kettle, dishwasher, fridge, vacuum...etc. He also has plans for steam powered rockets, but the main problem is that with all that steam power, the house gets extremely hot.

Title: 鋼鉄天使くるみ (Steel Angel Kurumi) Vol. 4
Artist/Author: 介錯 (Kaishaku)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 164pp., w/o furigana
Volume: 4/11
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Ace Next 11/99-3/00
First Printing: 4/10/00
Rating: 3/4

Maybe I'm stupid, but I don't remember any of this happening in the anime, especially the girls singing the intro to the show. I liked this volume a little better than the previous one as it kept the less serious plots in separate chapters. The first two and last chapter were fun whereas the middle chapters were serious. I have to admit though that I was singing along at the beginning of chapter 18.

The bonus manga has the Steel Angels taking a tour of the animation studio, OLM, that's doing the anime. The backside of the dust jacket has a hand drawn, build-yourself Kurumi figure.

17. くるみ、恋のライバル出現 (Kurumi's Rival in Love Arrives): 氷姫 (Eiki) the mini-Steel Angel Nakahito picked up at the end of the last chapter in the cave has apparently merged with Nakahito in that anything she feels, such as pain, Nakahito feels too. Kurumi becomes jealous and asks Dr. Amagi for some help. She gives her a record player that will win his heart, but the three Steel Angels fight over it, break it, and send the loving vibes to everyone in the city who in turn fall in love with them.

18. アイドル天使・ようこそくるみ (Idol Angels, Welcome Kurumi): With their new popularity, they becoming a singing group and perform the theme song to the anime and also participate in a play retelling the story of Cinderella. Because of their stardom, two competing Steel Angels give them their emblems.

19. 二人の絆（前編） (Two People's Bond, First Part): Despite their powers, Kurumi, Saki, and Karinka don't rank up with other Steel Angels in the Academy's competition. This bothers one of the Academy's Angels, Kaga. There's rumors that Kurumi, Saki, and Karinka have been ganging up other Steel Angels and taking their emblems. Aoi and Shinobu go investigate. Kurumi doesn't know anything and has only collected the emblems because they looked nice. Nakahito himself doesn't know about the competition until Shinobu tells him. With Eiki's help, Nakahito has a vision and see Kurumi and gang in action.

20. 二人の絆（中編） (Two People's Bond, Middle Part): While the girls are out, they find some more emblems. However, Nakahito catches them red handed with the emblems and they can't explain how they got it, so he has no choice but to suspect the worst. Kurumi gets bummed and Saki tries to cheer her up. Nakahito and Shinobu then try their magic again, this time Nakahito sense that Aoi is in danger and runs out.

21. 二人の絆（後編） (Two People's Bond, Last Part): Kurumi, Saki, and Karinka also arrive and find their fake clones who turn out to be Kaga and two other angels from the Academy. Kaga just wanted to boost Kurumi's score so she can enter the final competition on the Ragnarok. To entice her, Kaga tells her that Dr. Ayanokoji is also there. Aoi tries to attack Kaga, but gets defeated and her sword broken.

22. くるみのデートでウキウキですぅ (Kurumi's Exhilarating Date): Kurumi and Nakahito go on a date with Saki and Karinka following. They end up at the hot springs where he, Kurumi, and Dr. Ayanokoji first met.