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Girls ブラボー (Girls Bravo) Vol. 10 LETitle: Girls ブラボー (Girls Bravo) Vol. 10 LE
Artist/Author: まりお金田 (Mario Kaneda)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 177pp., w/furigana
Volume: 10/10
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Ace 12/04-5/05
First Printing: 3/26/05
Rating: 3/4

The story is finally over, and surprisingly, there's actually an ending. It involves a planned wedding (hence the cover) back on Selen but it ends without much surprise. As for the series as a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed it despite it's lack of story and repetitive jokes, usually involving Fukuyama and Koyomi. It's definitely something good to read in small bites (something I've had to do frequently lately) as you don't need to remember anything from the previous chapters.

Limited edition comes with an extra booklet with a bonus chapter as well as character sketches. The cover is different that the regular edition.

Contains chapters 62~68.

Girls ブラボー (Girls Bravo) DVD Box 2Title: Girls ブラボー (Girls Bravo) DVD Box 2
Original Creator: まりお金田 (Mario Kaneda)
Volume: 2/2
Catalog No.: BIBA-9106
Release Date: 12/21/04
Rating: 3/4

What's a harem series without a trip to a hot springs in the mountains? While there are only three episodes in this box, two of them are just that. However, my favorite episode has to be Lisa's episode. It's about as deep a story as there'll be in Girls Bravo. I don't remember anything about the doll from the manga, but it's a good story.

There's really no ending in the first season, but that's probably why they got the second season this year.

Bonus comes with a motorcycle figure, cards per DVD, and the last DVD has the censored version of episode 1.

9. 魔法対戦でブラボー! (Magical Fight, Bravo!)
10. 温泉でブラボー! (Hot Springs, Bravo!)
11. ピンポンでブラボー! (Ping Pong, Bravo!)

苺ましまろ (Ichigo Marshmallow) Chara-CD 2 MatsuriTitle: 苺ましまろ (Ichigo Marshmallow) Chara-CD 2 Matsuri
Original Creator: ばらスィー (Barasui)
Vocals: 川澄綾子 (Ayako Kawasumi) and cast
Release Date: 4/6/05
Catalog No.: GNCA-0010
Rating: 3/4

The second of the 4 character CDs. I think this is one of Ayako's better songs (she has had some horrible ones before). The song is slow and soft, fitting of her voice. The lyrics are a better fit than Chika's song.

The dramas are funny, but none of them are as funny as Ana's english lesson from last CD.

The bonus this time is a pen set.

1. オープニングトーク (Opening Talk): Chika hosts the opening talk with assistants Ana and Matsuri. Nobue complains why she has assistants and is followed by an introduction to the contents on the CD.

2. 茉莉への10の質問 (10 Questions for Matsuri): Chika interviews Matsuri, but does it faster than Matsuri can think and respond. After a few questions, Matsuri is so behind that she answers the previous question. The interview ends with Matsuri being cut off in the middle of the sentence.

4. お悩み相談 (Advice): Ana gets to choose letter this time and it concerns love. While there's a little concern that they're all quite underaged and don't have much experience, she continues with the letter. Ana starts reading the letter from a guy who wants to know how to confess his love and then stops and hands it off to Matsuri to finish reading. Turns out the girl can't speak Japanese and so they have Matsuri, who has been the most studious, give some words in English. Miu says she has a hammer of love. Thinking that hammer might be too much, Nobue uses a bamboo sword to show Miu how much she loves her. The response is to not use a hammer in expressing love because it hurts.

5. ミニドラマ「しつけ」 (Mini-Drama "Discipline"): Miu whips out some cat-ears, but she claims that it's dog-ears and it's from the Edo period despite the fact that is says "Made in Japan." After a long discussion, Nobue has Matsuri wear it. Nobue hugs her because she's so cute. Next is Aya and Nobue does the same. Miu then puts it on and acts in character, asking her master (Nobue) for an order. Nobue tells her to wait while the others get some pudding.

7. おまけコーナー「美羽の大予言」 (Bonus Corner "Miu's Big Prediction"): Miu says she has "awakened" but everyone responds by saying what supposed power does she have now. She says she can predict the future and says that Aya will step on dog crap on the way back from school. Then to Matsuri. Something will happen to her in the bathtub next week. The two of them become scared, but Miu then reassures them that they can change their future. Chika then tells Miu that if they can change it, she's not really predicting the future.

赤灯えれじい (Redlight Elegy) Vol. 3Title: 赤灯えれじい (Redlight Elegy) Vol. 3
Artist/Author: きらたかし (Takashi Kira)
Book Size/Pages: B-6, 205pp., w/o furigana
Original Serialization: Young Magazine Vol 44, '04 - Vol 4, '05
First Printing: 4/6/04
Rating: 3/4

Way to go Satoshi! He finally earns the envy of all his peers with Chiko. However, despite that, the two of them still don't get to see each other all that often. When they do though, it's a good laugh.

Bonus comes with a colored page featuring blonde haired Chiko, a letter, and some illustrations.

23. 雨、くもり後晴れ (Rain and the Clearing After)
24. 月の下で (Under the Moon)
25. 朝帰る (Coming Home in the Morning)
26. 幸せ? (Happiness?)
27. 男らしく (Like a Man)
28. ヒマやし (Break)
29. ガキんちょ (Childish)
30. 花火大会(前編) (Fireworks, First Part)
31. 花火大会(後編) (Fireworks, Last Part)
32. 何やってんねやー (Whacha Doin')
33. あせる男 (Impatient Guy)

少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine), 05 Vol 21Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 21
Issue Date: 5/4/05
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 560

New series starting this week from Tooru Fujisawa, the author of GTO. Titled "Rose Hip Zero," it's a action/police/and a tad bit of romantic comedy manga which centers on an odd partnership. King's Sword is FINALLY over, and there's a special preview comic (not really though) for a new series next week titled "Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei." The anime research comic features on the second Negima PS2 game. Tsubasa is off this week.

Rose Hip Zero: 1: The assistant commissioner of the police has an escort to back home give his daughter a present for her birthday. Even with that, there is an assasination attempt. Fortunately their car is bulletproof and the police riding with him murmurs something about a special agent... a young girl. At the local police station, Kyouji is a returning detective specializing in terrorism. He recently lost his sister, Kasumi, in a terrorist bombing. As he tries to let off steam at the shooting range, he sees a girl in a school uniform there practicing, and doing very well. Later, he hears from this chief the report on the attack on the asst. commissioner and is stunned that the group responsible is ALICE, the same group that killed his sister. He is assigned a new partner, the girl that he saw at the shooting facility. At first, she looks naive and clueless, but when a truck is about to hit a mother and child, she springs into action and takes out a tire making the truck swerve and miss the pedestrians. Her name is also Kasumi.

Negima: 92時間目 宿敵との誓い (Vow With an Old Enemy): To train for the fighting event, Negi and Kotaro go in Eva's resort where time slows down. The girls with him play around on the beach while the two boys train. At the end of their training, Eva gives Negi a ring which he can use to summon magic so he doesn't have to carry around his staff. The next morning (in real-time), they gather at the event.

Hamanaka Ai: 083少女的バーストアープ計画II (Femine Bust Size "Up" Plan II): Jealous of Ayana's bust size, Rinko and Misaki are convinced that drinking milk will make them larger. Nakamura tells them that they won't, but offers some advice to Rinko if she wants to impress Ayana. She gives her some nipple pads that protrude through her uniform.

Suzuka: #58選択 (Choice): Suzuka is being wishy-washy. Yamato goes to the laundromat to do his laundry and finds Suzuka there doing it two. While they're waiting, Yamato offers her a combini bento. She declines, and then she tells him that she can't take her laundry out (with underwear) while he's around. So he leaves, but then she says she's hungry so she'll accept his offer. But she can't eat alone, so she has him stay and eat. But even with all her antics, Yamato admits that he likes her.

Student Council: #20戴冠の儀 (Coronation Ceremony): In preparation for Musashi's coronation as student council president, Mami has him do various chores arounds school while they prepare. They meet up at their student council room later and it suddenly goes dark. When the light is turned on again, they see that Naju has been attacked and is laying on the ground bleeding.

King's Sword: 最終話 奸雄と梟雄 (Last, Kanyuu and Kyouyuu): As Rakuyou burns, the army leaves. Everyone comes back except for Ryubi and Sousou. Kanu and Chohi start getting worried, but Ryubi eventually comes back and the three have a reunion.

Toto: 19父の写真、カカシの決断 (Father's Picture, Kakashi's Decision): After the initial shock of discovering that Kakashi is the son of the guy who released all the "accessories," Kakashi hears from the leader of the Witches that his father is still alive. Kakashi decides to go find him, but is told that it'll be difficult. However, if he collects all the "accessories," then the guy who released them will certainly re-appear. Kakashi agrees and is given a new partner, Dorothy.

Changing Now: #20参上!! 公園のヒーロー (Appearance!! Hero From the Park): At the toy store, Shiro (the baby son), wants a helmet in which he uses as a costume to dish out justice at the local park.

少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine), 05 Vol 22/23Title: 少年マガジン (Shonen Magazine) Vol. 22/23
Issue Date: 5/18/05
Publisher: Kodansha
Pages: 522

It's a pretty small double issue. Aya Ueno is the cover girl. As advertised from last issue, a new series, "Sayonara Zetsubou-sensei" starts with two chapters in its first issue. It's a gag comic so there's a lot of slapstick humor, but not much plot. There's a color page announcement for the Tsubasa movie preceding the chapter.

Zetsubou-sensei: 1さよなら絶望先生 (Goodbye, Zetsubou-sensei): While walking to the first day of school and enjoying spring, Kaori (?) sees a man about to hang himself. She "rescues" him and tells him no one would want to kill himself on such a fine day and he was probably just trying to make himself taller much like his dad when he was in heavy debt. She's extremely positive, he's extremely negative. She finds out that he's a new teacher with the name Nozomu Itoshiki (糸色望む). When written together closely, it spells Zetsubou, meaning despair. Nozomu runs out of the class and doesn't come back that day. From then on, they would write it with emphasis on the distance between kanji.

Zetsubou-sensei: 2帰ってきた絶望先生 (Zetsubou-sensei Comes Back): The students are asked to fill out a handout describing what they aspire to be. However, Nozomu has them write down what they don't believe they'll ever accomplish. When the principal sees this, he's pleasantly surprised at hope ambitious Nozomu's students are... except for a certain Kaori aspires to become god.

Rose Hip Zero: 2: Kyouji can't believe that he's teamed up with some 14-year-old girl who also acts that way. After a dinner with her and the chief, he dismisses her. Suddenly, an explosion happens nearby and Kazumi jumps into action. Kyouji sees that she has the tattoo of ALICE. The chief explains that she's a defector and wants to defeat the leader of ALICE, codename ZERO.

Negima: 93時間目 小太郎、出陣!いざ、開幕の武道会 (Kotaro at Front! Budou Event Opening): Before the event, Negi talks with Takamichi. Despite Negi telling him not to hold back, Takamichi says he can't use too much magic and show too much of himself. Asuna tells him that she knows he's also a mage. After Kazumi explains the tournament, Kotaro is up facing Mei Sakura, a fellow mage who he had a run in with a while back while trying to prevent students from kissing near the tree. Despite her magic, Kotaro quickly defeats her with his speed.

Suzuka: #59覚悟 (Preparation): At the inter-high, Yamato, Yasunobu, and the captain of the team are on a hill looking down at the track. The captain tells Yamato about Kazuki, Suzuka's old flame who died a few years ago, and an ideal track runner Yamato is always compared with. Not being able to take more of that talk, he screams out, attracting attention and embarassing Suzuka. He will be better than Kazuki.

Tsubasa: 76克服の時 (Time of Victory): Sakura and Shaoran are surrounded by Shogo and other familiar faces from previous parallel worlds. They try to ambush him, but using skills that Kuro taught him, he's able to repel their attack. He finds out later that they're trying to find out who cheated in the preliminaries with the dust in the clouds.

Hamanaka Ai: 084GWで100点 (100 Points During Golden Week): The group plays basketball, Ai-team with Ai, Rinko, and Masahiko. Nakamura-team with Nakamura, Ayana, and Misaki. As Nakamura's team is winning, she extends an olive branch and tells the other team that the next shot is worth 100 points. The score comes out to be 107-21, which they read as "ii-o-na-ni-i."

Changing Now: #50購入!! ニューマシン (Purchase!! New Machine): Dog Fighter gets a new scooter, but is sandwiched between the guardrails and a truck, destroying his new vehicle. In anger, he chases after the truck on a bicycle.

Student Council: #21裏切り (Betrayal): The ceremony must go on, says Mami. She tells Musashi that the ritual has already started since he walked around the perimeter of the school (the real reason he did those chores). Nagare and Musashi talk to each member trying to find out if there are any suspects. All seem strange, but not out of character. At the start of the ceremony, in the few seconds that everyone is looking at the flowers that sprouted from the ground, Hidemitsu becomes the next person to get nailed, literally.

Toto: 20ドロシー、師範に会う (Dorothy Meets The Instructor): In order for Dorothy to be a partner, she needs to go train. She, along with Kakashi, Noiru, and Paisley, go to a special temple where Dorothy will train. The headmaster of the place is a hairy-chested man named Kenbi Sou in a leotard. The males are disgusted, but Dorothy along with the other women at the training grounds all drool at the sight of him. At first, Kenbi turns down Dorothy and tells her to go home, but after seeing Dorothy take down Kakashi, he accepts her.

電撃大王 (Dengeki Daioh) April '05Title: 電撃大王 (Dengeki Daioh) April '05
Issue Date: 4/1/2004
Publisher: メディアワックス (Media Works)
Pages: 578

Two new series starts this month. The first is To Heart 2, which for its premiere comes in a separate booklet. The second series is based off a long running novel titled "Shakugan no Shana" (Red-Eyed Shana). It's a bit of the horror/magical girl type story.

Bonus is the To Heart 2 booklet which not only has the comic, but also a lot of information about the characters from the game.

Uta~Kata ends this month. Pretty Maniacs ends (sequel to Maniac Road). KuraKURA ending next volume. NA-NA-NA-NA ends next volume.

Shakugan no Shana: 1: Yuuji thought that life would be normal until one day he gets attacked by several monsters. Apparently, they put everyone else in a form a stasis, but he can still move. As he's about to be eaten, a red-haired, red-eyed girl shows up and starts slaying the monsters. She accidentally slices him too, and even though his body is almost split in half, he doesn't feel anything and still and talk. After defeating the monsters, she fuses him back together again and he notices that he has a flame burning inside, much like what is surrounding the other people. The girl then "unfreezes" everything. Yuuji notices that there's a dark haired girl nearby and tries to ask what's going on. She tells him that he's not human.

Yotsuba to: 24よつばとばんごはん (Yotsuba and Dinner): Yotsuba and father go to the supermarket to find ingredients for dinner. After hearing some other kid wanting hamburger for dinner, Yotsuba suggests they have hamburger. She makes a point to tell everyone at the store that she's having that for dinner. However, father finds out that he forgot his wallet, but fortunately Fuuka is there and she pays for their groceries. The dinner they make tastes better than it looks.

Gunslinger Girl: 第26話ピノッキオ5 (Pinocchio, Part 5): Pinocchio leaves the vineyard and returns to Christiano's mansion urging him to leave. Despite knowing that they're coming for him, Christiano is reluctant. Toriella comes into the mansion and meets up with Pinocchio again. After a short scuffle, Christiano tells Pinocchio that he's going to go abroad and gives him keys to a getaway car.

HayatexBlade: 16世界の中心にバカが集まる (The Baka Gathered in the Center of the Universe): Ayana still has issues with her old partner, Yukari. Jun introduces Hayate to her partner, Yuuho, the quiet and strange girl Hayate had lunch with several chapters back. They're both at rank B, so they'll eventually have to fight each other. Yuuho is convinced that Jun will beat Ayana, Hayate rebuts.

Tsukihime: 17: Shiel invites Shiki into a club room for some snacks and has a conversation with him about his past. In her last question, she asks if Shiki knows about vampires and asserts that they must not exists because they're monsters. At night, he goes out to find Alcuid, but can't find her even in her apartment. Later in the night, he wakes up in his room to find Alcuid standing over him.

Muv-luv: 8: Takeru and Mikoto continue their trek back, but Takeru can't walk anymore. As it becomes dark, the two of them camp out. Mikoto explains that she became a soldier to fight for the sake of others. The next morning, Takeru forces himself to urge on. He explains to Mikoto that he looks like Mikoto from earth, except that that Mikoto is a male. All of a sudden, they meet up with everyone else.

Uta~Kata: 7: Ichika goes back in the attic to find Manatsu and sees Saya there as well. Saya makes her choose between her her life or the lives of everyone else. Because she can't decide, she violates the rules and will follow the same fate as Sei 6 years ago. However, Manatsu jumps in and offers her life instead. Ichika and Manatsu then have a tearful goodbye as Ichika disappears.

Ichigo Marshmallow: ??: Matsuri comes over wearing a cat hat (hood with ears). With everyone saying how cute she looks, Miu decides to wear some rabbit ears. When that fails, she dresses up as a tiger and finally as Dracula.

To Heart R: 6: Hiroyuki is invited to Remi's Christmas party, but is reluctant to go. Akari shows up and Remi assures her that Hiroyuki will come, but he doesn't. Akari goes outside and finds Maruchi there waiting to talk to her. Maruchi tells her that she wants Akari to be with Hiroyuki and then passes out.

To Heart 2: 1: Takaaki and Konomi are running late to school. Yuuji finally catches up with them and reminds Takaaki that he's been living single for the past month since his parents went abroad. At lunch, Yuuji makes Takaaki think about his relationship with Konomi. After school, Konomi, Michiru, and Chie have ice cream and each tries each other's flavors. The two other girls are amused when Konomi asks Takaaki to try her flavor. At dinner, Konomi brings some food over and Takaaki affirms that Konomi is his most important childhood friend.

Kashimashi: 10見てるだけが… (Just Looking...): The class is going to have a bravery event where the students will walk around school at night. As Hazumu mopes, she accidentally sees Ayuki turns down another invitation. Ayuki catches her and tells her that she's not really interested in dating. That night, Hazumu walks with Tomari and Yasuna, but still gets frightened off. He runs into Ayuki later on and asks her what she meant by not trying. Ayuki explains that she's always enjoyed observing, not participating and tells Hazumu to make his choices wisely between Yasuna and Tomari.

KuraKURA: 8: Just as Ruuna is about to confess to Hayakawa, she finds out that there's two of them and the one she's been talking to is the alien. The false Hayakawa and accomplice knock out the real Hayakawa and run off into the classroom. Ruuna transforms and follows them into find the room full of students (including her mother).

Psi-ren: 9: After the date, Souichiro has a nightmare imagining that Meruna might be using him just like how he's been trying to use her. The next day at work, Meruna is told that she can dress different when she leaves work so that she won't get so much attention. However, that afternoon, she calls on Souichiro to pick up her. He drives her to an outlook, but the mood is ruined by her grumbling stomach.

Lunar Scribbles