Rapid Reviews - Recommended Manga

Here's another review based on the recommendations I got from this post.

Maison Ikkoku by Rumiko Takahashi. Although I wouldn't quite agree with Dave's assessment that this is the best romance comic ever (Tom Beland's work still holds that spot for me) it was really funny and cool. The humor is just plain odd, from the nasty neighbor who breaks through a wall to the good old cliche tennis instructor. The most interesting thing about this book was that, despite their quirks, all of the characters seemed very real. Heck, maybe it was because of the quirks.
Recommended by Dave Carter. Will I read more? Yes.

And here's a pile of second or third volume reviews:

Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind (Perfect Collection 3) by Hayao Miyazaki. Again, the book doesn't seem appealing until I actually pick it up, then I remember why I'm still reading it. The art is just amazing, as usual for Miyazaki. The story is finally beginning to make sense to me, as the epic it is, which makes me more interested in seeing how it will eventually turn out.

Mai The Psychic Girl (Perfect Collection 3) by Kazuya Kudo and Ryoichi Ikegami. This appears to be the last volume of this series that my library has, and it's also a decent stopping point. I can't tell if it's actually the last volume of the series or not. If it is the end, then I have to wonder, as the real threat isn't revealed until this volume. Not a completely satisfying series, but not too bad. The art is nice, and I'm still a sucker for innocents finding out about their own power.

Hikaru No Go (Vol 2) by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata. This is still a fantastic series, although it settles down slightly in this volume. I love how Sai reacts to the world around Hikaru. From what further I've read in Shonen Jump, this series just gets better and better. I've fallen completely in love with it, and it still gets four and half starfish from me, even on my new rating system.

Planetes (Vol 2) by Makoto Yukimura. After the first volume, I was expecting an anthology focusing on different characters in each story, with a loosely connected plotline. This volume narrows in on Hachi and his quest to be on the first manned trip to Jupiter. I like that Hachi isn't the loser we're led to believe he is, but I could use a little less of his introspection. It's somewhat entertaining, but not as much as when he's in action.

I've finally figured out the KCLS's method of filing periodicals, so I'm trying to get all the issues of Shonen Jump between the ones David sent me and whenever my subscription starts so I can catch up with Hikaru No Go. I won't be reviewing the library copies, though, to give myself a break. I do know that as long as there's at least 20+ pages of HNG in each issue of SJ, I'll be getting my money's worth.