Rapid Review - Manga Online

Manga Online, for November 2005. Here's July, August, September and October.

I'm not going to review chapters that are continuations of ones I reviewed already and disliked, so if you see it on the page but not in my list, I probably didn't like it much. I'm also keeping new features separate from continuing features.

Previously Reviewed Titles:

• A Midnight Opera, V1Ch4: After last month's fight fest, we get some talking scenes. Very stylish talking scenes at that. If this feature is anything, it's stylish. I'm now clued in to what is happening in this book, and a bit curious to see what happens next. Always a good thing.
  
• Bizenghast, V1Ch5: This one seems to take place in the real world, but doesn't. I'm still a little put off by the style and storytelling in this one, bits of story seem to be glossed over. That's not always a bad thing, but in this case it sometimes makes the narrative jump. Still, not bad.
  
• Dramacon, V1Ch5: Oh. Wow. This just... just kicked the whole book up a notch. I was a little disappointed in how hard it was to read some of the text of this one, I swear my eyes are going, but I was able to read enough. By the by, I have the first volume on order. And I'm really glad I do. Wow.
  
• The Dreaming, V1Ch2: I was hooked on this one last month. It continues to be intriguing this month, with a ghostly sense. I'm looking forward to reading a bit more of this, but I'm not yet sure if it's one I'd be inclined to buy.
  
• Juror 13, V1Ch5: Major clue-by-four to the head of the main character. It's about time he figured things out. Of course, he may well have made things much worse for himself, but that's what the story is all about, right?
  
• Psy-Comm, V1Ch5: Wow. Great action inside a school that looks more like Professor Xavier's institute than your normal boarding school, but I'm still confused as to who or what the enemy is. And I'm finding myself rooting for the students and not the characters we've been following the last couple of chapters, as well. Need more information.
  
• Re:Play, V1Ch2: I seriously need the ability to zoom word balloons. Seriously. I just can't read too much of the text in these previews. I like what I can read of this one. As I recall, a band needed a new member and picked up a guy off the street. Now the guy they picked up is being followed by a couple of unsavory characters. It was good without the mystery, better with it.
  
• Roadsong, V1Ch2: Hmmm. I'm getting a bit of a Scooby Doo with murder vibe from this one. Musicians that might become mystery-solvers, bad cops and explosions... I'm still undecided on this one.
  
• Sorcerers & Secretaries, V1Ch5: Ah, young love. Amazing how stupid men can be. Yes, this one has finally reached my wishlist. I'm very interested to read the rest of this story.
  
• Steady Beat, V1Ch2: Nice illustration of the old "elephant in the living room" saw. Heh. This one is very very interesting on several levels. I don't think it qualifies as a sports manga, either. I think I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

New Titles:

• Dogby Walks Alone, V1Ch1: The word for this one is bizarre. Simply bizarre. I'm not at all sure what to make of it, but it's really bizarre. I have a suspicion that some of my fellow bloggers would love it. For me, I think I'll give it another chapter or two.
  
• Fool's Gold, V1Ch1: Oh, I like Penny, a lot. I don't quite identify with her, although I recognize some similarities with my youthful self. But I like her style, and I like her attitude. We'll have to see where she goes from this start, but this is a keeper.
  
• Idiotz, V1Ch1: um. This one reads like a traditional humor mag to me. The bumbling idiot Melman wants to become a soldier, but his antics get him tossed from every recruiting office. I'm not really sure if I like it or not. I'll have to see next month's installment.
  
• Riding Shotgun, V1Ch1: Licensed hitmen running around killing people. It's actually better than it sounds. I may have to read some more of it.
  
• Warcraft, V2Ch1: I'm always leery when the preview starts on something other than the first volume, as this one does. At least I could follow the action, which sometimes isn't possible. The artwork in this one is much more polished than most of the other previews, and has a traditional fantasy look and feel. Another one I'll give another chance.
  
• Yonen Buzz, V1Ch1: Another band Manga. I'm just not impressed with this one. Not much there to draw me in, and not much to keep me reading. I think I'll pass on this one.

Dramacon is the one that actually made me want to go and check the page out as soon as I knew the November previews were up. So I've read and enjoyed... do you have opinions on any of these? As for me, more next month.