Lenni Reviews: "The Thousand Year Beach" by Tobi Hirotaka - Translated by Matt Treyvaud

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review and it suggested for mature readers.

When mysterious spiders attack their small beach town, the remaining surviving AI's must battle to save what little that remains.

If I were to sum this up, I would describe this as if the minds behind Black Mirror re-wrote the ending to Wreck it Ralph.  The book has you thinking about the nature of what an AI really is and what they are forced to do at the hands of human users.

The characters may be just in-game characters, but they have all the personality and depth, I got sucked into the world right away. I had so much fun reading this and I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes original cyberpunk stories. The action starts right up and doesn't let up very often; making this book hard to put down. Beautifully written and tense, this was a great read. 4 out of 5.

VIZ Media Launches New Paranormal Action Manga Series TWIN STAR EXORCISTS

TWIN STAR EXORCISTS  to be released on July 7th. Created by Yoshiaki Sukeno, TWIN STAR EXORCISTS is rated ‘T’ for Teens and will be published in print with an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. The series also launches digitally on July 7th via VizMedia.com  and the VIZ Manga App, as well as from the Nook, Kobo, Kindle, iBooks, comiXology, and GooglePlay stores. Future volumes of the series, which is ongoing in Japan, will be published domestically twice a year under VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump imprint.

In TWIN STAR EXORCISTS, Rokuro is from a family of exorcists who exorcise the evil Kegare, but he’d rather be a singer, a soccer player or anything but! He’s forced to own up to his own incredible potential when new arrival Benio stirs his competitive spirit—and is in need of rescue. But their rivalry gets a twist when they learn they are the “Twin Star Exorcists” – two supreme fighters fated to marry and birth the prophesied child who will eliminate all the Kegare in the world. Too bad they can barely stand each other!

“TWIN STAR EXORCISTS is an electrifying and hilarious new manga series about a pair of unlikely mystical partners and their intertwined destinies that drew significant acclaim from fans and readers during its initial serialization in Japan in Jump Square magazine,” says Annette Roman, Editor. “Will these rivals fall in love? English readers now have the opportunity to dive into the action as the fate of two worlds hangs in the balance!”

Manga creator Yoshiaki Sukeno was born in 1981 in Wakayama, Japan and graduated from Kyoto Seika University’s School of Manga. In 2006, he was selected for a Tezuka Newcomer Award. In 2008, he began the supernatural manga comedy Binbougami ga!, which was later adapted into the anime series Good Luck Girl in 2012. 

New Naruto Manga Series Debuts in Weekly Shonen Jump

The brand new, limited-run series by NARUTO creator Masashi Kishimoto depicts a new generation ofshinobi and will appear in the English incarnation of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP on the same day as its premiere in Japan.

After a short break, NARUTO is back! And the story picks up right where the series finale left off. As the newest Hokage, Naruto's face now adorns the mountain behind the village. The same one he used to paint on as a prank when he was an attention-seeking kid! After his legendary feats, Naruto has gained the respect of everyone in the ninja world...except his own son. Boruto is as bratty and stubborn as Naruto used to be! How will these two ever see eye-to-eye?!

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is published digitally each week by VIZ Media and features the latest installments of some of the world’s most popular manga series released to English readers across North America on the same day as the magazine’s general print release in Japan. Currently featured series include BLACK CLOVER, BLEACH, BLUE EXORCIST, FOOD WARS!, GAKKYU HOTEI, MY HERO ACADEMIA, NISEKOI, ONE PIECE, ONE-PUNCH MAN, SERAPH OF THE END: VAMPIRE REIGN, TORIKO, WORLD TRIGGER and YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL. More info is available at: ShonenJump.VIZ.com.

In addition to the U.S. and Canada, WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP is available to readers in the U.K., Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand at ShonenJump.VIZ.com and through the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP App for iOS and Android devices. Additionally in North America, the free WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP issues are available via the VIZ Manga App and WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP App for iOS and Android devices.

Annual 1 Year Memberships to WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP are available for only $25.99 (USD). Members receive 48 weekly digital issues as well as special premiums such as Yu-Gi-Oh! Collectable Trading Cards, rare one-shot manga releases, digital-only promotions, and access to additional subscriber-only content including creator interviews and insightful promo videos. (*Note: Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are only available to annual subscribers in the US and Canada.) Current subscribers can access their accounts viaVIZManga.com, the VIZ Manga App, and shonenjump.viz.com or with the WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP App on iOS and Android devices.

For more information on WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and exclusive subscriber offers, please visitshonenjump.viz.com.

Lenni Reviews: Kiss of the Rose Princes vol 2 by Aya Shouoto

(Image Source)

If you recall my last review, I mentioned this manga is pretty standard shojo fare unless there's a curve ball thrown in later volumes. Boy, were my words ever prophetic...

This volume begins with Anise still searching for her lost choker. She orders her knights to locate it but can only let them look for so long as their magic is powered by her blood. But things get interesting when a new transfer student, Haruto Kisugi, is added to the mix, Anise's father sends her a message that he's coming home, and a seal holding in a demon is cracking, which will require a sacrifice to repair.

By the end of this volume, I was shocked and had a new respect for Anise. Most shojo heroines are plucky by design and want to change the sad fate presented in the plot. But (as a mild spoiler) when Anise says "Bring on my punishment" (referencing the punishment for losing the choker) I found that pretty ballsy. Things went so bad so quickly and Anise really showed her bravery. She went right on without hesitation. And she's brave and strong without being overbearing or too cliche. And I have read a LOT of shojo manga. Of course that could change but we shall see in volume three!

I can't give much more detail without spoiling all of the plot twists in this volume but to sum up, things get real and it was awesome.

Requiem of the Rose (Vol 1) King Review

I am a theatre nerd (hence being an English and Theater major) and when it comes to Shakespeare, I am all in especially with different adaptations of his classic works. I am not a big fan of Shakespeare's historical plays, however, Requiem of the Rose makes me want to re-read Henry IV and read Richard III. An added bonus is that Aya Kanno also wrote one of my favorite manga series Otomen. I could not wait to start reading this and it met all of my expectations. Without further ado here is the review for Requiem of the Rose. 

Synopsis

In medieval England, during the age of the War of the Roses, a fierce battle rages between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Young Richard of the House of York is determined that his family will ascend  the throne...but he's hiding a secret that could destroy everything he desires. 

I remember reading Richard III just recently last semester and I may have read Henry IV as well. If one has no idea about the original plays or read some and not all, it is not a problem. Aya Kanno makes the story original and engaging enough to sit and read, hungry for more volumes. The secret that Richard of Lancaster has, will spin the story in such a way that I did not see it coming nor did I that as part of the original story. It differs from the play but one could understand the premise and love the story. For veterans of the plays, it gives a whole new twist and it may peak your interest on how Aya Kanno takes the series even further. Also the artwork is amazing and it reminds me a lot of Otomen. This manga is a little more serious than Otomen however there were funny moments. 

Rating

I give this a rating of 9/10. Overall the story, characters, and artwork are amazing and I can't wait to read more from Aya Kanno. Manga Rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!