After watching the anime, it’s easier to appreciate the manga and look at the differences. Was the anime a straight adaption? Yes, for the most part although it does change some things from the manga. It’s time to see if the original is truly superior and how far it will go in the grand scheme of things. Let’s find out!

The plot involves Joey Jones as he has always wanted to be a Hero, but he lacks the power. His friends try to tell him that heart is what matters, but he won’t have any of that. Instead, he finds a toy that one of the bullies from school threw away and using his determination and a bolt of lightning, turns it into a superhero…Heroman, to be precise! With Heroman at his side, Joey now has the courage to stand up to his foes and the determination to do the right things when it counts. After defeating supernatural samurai and other threats….there is an alien invasion! Can Joey stop the Aliens in time to stop the next threats that arise or will it prove too much for him? He has other adventures along the way and the final plot deals with the remnants of the invasion as they attempt to destroy the planet. This manga is definitely full of excitement!

The art is pretty good for the series and it’s very clear. The art reminds me of Bleach and that’s always a good thing. It’s nice and simple so you can usually tell what is going on right away. When the fight scenes occur, it can get a little tough at times, but for the most part it’s solid. The fight scenes still do have good art, but they just might not be as easy to decipher at times. There aren’t any really long fight scenes in the manga, but the first battle between Heroman and Gogorr is definitely the highlight of the series in that regard. The artist does a good job showing off Joey’s super speed, although I believe that speed lines would be more effective than the use of after images. Both ways are effective so it still works, but it’s a lot harder to gauge his speed using the latter. (Luckily we have the anime for that) The way that the manga is translated is interesting since they use quotation marks for certain words. It makes you picture the character saying the word in a strange accent, which can be slightly distracting, but it’s nothing major.

The manga is a little weaker than the anime in the fact that we do get a filler plot involving a little kid in a wheelchair which isn’t very entertaining. You also can’t really root for him since he skates a little too quickly which makes things a little embarrassing for one character and the kid doesn’t seem to regret his actions in the slightest. Maybe he didn’t notice, but he just didn’t seem to care. The manga does have a little more fanservice than the anime since Lina’s outfit is not that resistant to wind in this version. There aren’t too many scenes of this and it’s one of the lightest types of fanservice that you will find, but it’s still a negative since it’s not necessary. I’m glad that the anime took that out.

Joey is still a solid protagonist and he’s a lot more heroic than most main characters. He does what he needs too and he never crosses any of the big lines. He doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice himself for the greater good and went out of his way to help out his enemies as well. He’s basically a good kid and he will go far. He doesn’t make any big mistakes like using a telephone while on the run in the manga (As opposed to the anime) and he typically has a plan in mind.

The Professor got a much smaller role in the manga or at least it felt that way. He’s still not very likable, but he’s a lot more polite when he ditches Joey and Psy on his way to being kidnapped. It’s still hard to take him seriously and even more so when he fails in his big plan. In the anime, he didn’t make any mistake on the final device, but in the manga he makes one that could have been fatal. It makes the character more believable, but also not quite as professional.

Lina is still the main heroine and her role is similar to that of the anime. It is still a little questionable how quickly she stopped talking to Joey when Will told her some choice words. It’s a little tough to swallow that she would betray Joey so easily. Still, she’s better than the average co-lead although I hope that she can start to fight at some point. (Sequel Series one day…maybe)

Will is one of the major players in the manga and he always wanted to be a hero. It’s sad for him because he is too weak to stop the aliens and he always has to watch as Joey ends up saving Lina. He gets alien powers during the later part of the series, but it also mutates his body and now he doesn’t want to show himself to anyone. He leaves and goes on a quest to destroy the alien artifacts that around and also beat up people that he doesn’t like. His ultimate goal is still to protect Lina, but beyond that he is a little confused at the moment. His abilities are definitely impressive and he can hold his own against Heroman.

Heroman is still as expressionless as ever. He actually participates with the others and has more fun than in the anime, (Getting burned at the barbecue) but he still seems to have trouble replicating mortal emotions. He does believe in justice and he will always try to defend a person in need. His abilities are pretty sound and one good punch can take care of many threats. His only real equals in the manga would be Will and Gogorr. Heroman has his Blast Mode and Rage Mode to keep things interesting and he won’t lose when the chips are down. He’s a fine hero, but I would like to see some more emotion.

Psy is still Joey’s best friend and he comes complete with a sob story. It’s a little iffy since he claims that he was a little too reckless and let the tackle cripple him, but how could he have avoided it? Even if he had dropped the ball, he couldn’t have maneuvered away. Plus, he had no reason to think that such a hit would end his career. He’s a decent friend and he means well, but he doesn’t add a whole lot to the manga. That being said, he still shouldn’t be called a bad character and just could have used more development.

Gogorr is the big mastermind of the whole operation and he has the skills to back it up. He’s definitely one of the cooler characters and his speed is definitely formidable. Joey is able to speedblitz him as first, but Gogorr quickly adapts and turns the tables, which shows just how quick he is. His raw power is also enough to hold Heroman at bay and he’s easily the strongest character in the series aside from Heroman.

Agent Hughes and The President appear, but both of them are out of their leagues. Agent Hughes gets a much smaller role in the manga than in the anime, but it’s essentially the same effect. He does his job, but he’s completely outmatched. He’s all right though and better than the average army grunt. The President never panics, but he doesn’t get much character in the manga.

The manga may not be quite as good as the anime, but it gives it a fair shot. The manga is only 5 volumes compared to the anime’s 20+ episodes and they are different enough that you can enjoy them both. The manga adds a Samurai and gives Will a better role, but also has more day to day adventures while the anime launches off with the alien invasion immediately. The animation was not excellent, but it was still pretty good and the manga’s art was pretty good as well so they’re about equal in that respect. Unlike the anime, the manga doesn’t end with an after credits scene and it’s probably for the best. I love after credits scenes, but the one in the anime wasn’t terribly interesting because it was about a mad scientist who isn’t a great character. (I even skipped him in the review. Just know that he is pretty boring and hard to root for)

Overall, this was a solid manga. It won’t rise up to be one of the all time greats, but it is pretty solid. It’s a fun miniseries to check out and it’s basically light hearted fun. It has a lot of replay value considering its size because it’s just fun to read. Stan Lee did a good job on this series and it would be nice if he could give it a sequel. It would be fun to see more of Joey and Stan (The Man) Lee was also in the manga as a solid supporting member. He knows what it takes to make a good coffee and he’s a very dependable customer. The only negative to the manga would be the slight fanservice and as I said, it is very slight so it shouldn’t destroy the experience for you. The rest of the manga is just too fun and the characters are pretty likable for the most part. I dare say that Joey is a better main character than Kite or Ginta. I recommend giving this manga a shot and you should enjoy it. It’s an underrated gem.

Overall 7/10

I had high hopes for this manga one shot because it was based off of the greatest Pokemon film of all time. That’s a pretty big feat and it’s one that will probably never be surpassed. It would only make sense for this manga to be the greatest Pokemon film adaption and it would definitely rise up to great things during its journey through the years. Was it as good as I had hoped? No, it was even better!

The plot is essentially the same as in the movie, but I shall recap the plot in case you somehow missed out on it. Genesect has been awakened after millions of years and he wants to return to his home. Since it is no longer there, he decides that he shall just conquer an area and make it his! There are a few other Genesect who are with him and are ready to help…willingly or not! Ash and friends don’t realize the gravity of the situation as they have fun at a local area. While they’re playing with the Pokemon, Genesect viciously attacks and even defeats the All Powerful, Invincible, Indestructible, Immortal, Light Speed, Universe Buster Legendary Pikachu! Ash doesn’t take this very well and he gets pretty emotional. Since Ash is no longer a threat, the Genesect only have one Pokemon to contend with….Mewtwo!

It’s a pretty awesome plot and an even better manga! Genesect is easily one of the greatest Pokemon of all time and his personality is pretty intense. This guy will remind you of a classic Shonen Jump villain and he definitely knows how to fire a nice blast. The other Genesect are around, but not really likable. One of them gets his own subplot, but it was mainly just to make Ash and friends seem useful. The main Genesect was the only truly awesome character and his speed/power are at incredible levels. This is one guy that could hold his own against fighters like Goku.

Mewtwo is also pretty awesome and I dare say that the manga made her even cooler than in the movie. She actually tells Genesect that she is faster than him and that’s something that you will usually find in DBZ or Bleach. The line was extremely hardcore and just so epic that you really had to stop and think about it. Not bad….not bad at all! Mewtwo did pretty good in her base form, but when she went Mega, it was a whole new ball game. Mewtwo was able to fight all of the Genesect while they were teaming up and it was definitely a testament to her incredible power. She has a variety of attacks and her high level of speed means that she is the perfect fighter to battle any opponent. Mewtwo has no weaknesses and she can even use her mind abilities if she needs too.

Unfortunately, Ash doesn’t look very good. Ash’s role just isn’t as good as it should be and he doesn’t seem like he has the amount of experience that he should have developed by this point. Ash has fought opponents like Gary and Paul in the past and he’s even went up against foes like Team Rocket and Team Magma in the past. He should have taken the whole Genesect battle in stride, but that’s not what happened. Pikachu looked good since he was able to block Genesect’s strongest attack and he probably would have defeated him if he was not double teamed. Pikachu did his part and even though he did not fight for the rest of the volume, it was a decent attempt.

Ash just didn’t have Pikachu’s courage or finesse. He couldn’t bear to see the Pokemon fighting so he tried to end it all by becoming a martyr as he jumped in the middle of the blasts. Mewtwo was around to bail him out, but I didn’t see anything heroic or epic in that scene. It was just Ash making a pretty bad call and I can’t even say that I was really surprised. It’s too bad because Ash used to be such an intense main character. I’m sure that he’ll go back to his roots, but it’s definitely sad that he couldn’t really help against the villains. At one point, he tells the main worker that he has to go to the park to see what’s happening, but it sounded more like a question than a demand and Ash looked a little too emotional at that point.

The art for the volume is pretty clear, but I don’t think that the artist is great at facial expressions. They actually remind me a lot of the Maximum Ride volumes and that’s not really a good thing. It just doesn’t translate that well, but the rest of the art is solid. The fight scenes show us that Pokemon are pretty high tier when they want to be and the art is solid for these scenes. The battle art reminds me of Bleach and that is certainly a good thing. The fact that you can completely understand every panel is a sign that the art is good and it’s easy on the eyes. It’s fun art and it fits perfectly for Pokemon. The writing is also a step up from the previous film adaptions and it has a more serious feel to it. This definitely isn’t the classic days! They’re actually going all out!

Overall, this manga was extremely good. This is how you write a successful Pokemon manga and it would have made an awesome ongoing series. Mewtwo is a solid fighter and he has a pretty cool demeanor. Genesect was an awesome villain and he may have been the first Pokemon villain to be truly evil…at first anyway. You could also argue that he was just misunderstood. I still liked the ending because it was essentially a parody of Man of Steel and showed what Superman should have done. At least Mewtwo didn’t erase their memories at the end which is always a good thing. I highly recommend this volume and it may be the perfect jumping on point for new Pokemon fans except for the fact that Ash doesn’t look so good. Get ready for some intense action!

Overall 8/10

We Were There is a pretty big romance series that was featured in manga format. The fact that I’m reviewing a romance manga means that I may have finally gone over to the other side…or this is going to be a preeeeetty negative review. Either way you should take note that I’m not a fan of the romance genre, so while the manga may sound bad in my review, you may still like it. It all depends on how much you like romance and drama.

All right…this is one of those manga series where it’s a little hard to talk about the plot without spoiling it as well since they connect to each other. Well, I’ll give it my best shot and divide the series into two parts. The first past of the series is about Nanami and how she becomes friends with Yano. At first Yano is rude to her, but eventually she gets him to start being a better person. It’s very emotional and the arc has a pretty intense ending. Honestly, if the series had ended there, it would definitely have had a much better ending.

Arc 2 is arguably still about Nanami, but she has to share her screen time a whole lot. We get some new characters like Sengenji who get their own mini plots inside of the real plot. The “real” plot is very intricate, but I’ll at least mention some of the parts of the plot. Nanami is trying to cope with the realizations that come from the first arc, but now one of her friends is trying a little too hard to be friendly. Will she have to tell him the sad facts of life? Yano is a mystery at this point and the volumes all keep hinting at what may have happened to him….what did happen to him!? Sengenji got the title of “Beauty and Brains” which was pretty cool for her at first, but it got annoying after a while. Can she stop someone from calling her this?

So, there’s the plot in a nutshell. It really is in a nutshell this time because I didn’t mention many of the numerous plot twists or subplots that are in the manga. There are certainly a lot of them, so you need to always keeps a sharp eye and have a lot of caffeine so that you don’t fall asleep while reading! It’s not that the series is boring, but the fact that there is so much romance!

All right, this is a romance series so should I expect any less? Well, I do expect the manga to balance romance with plot, but this series goes a little too far. You can rarely go a single chapter without some kind of romantic plot advancing. One of the only characters who isn’t affected by this is the dog and he’s the best character of the series!

Artwise, the series is decently good. It’s not going to win any awards on my watch, but it’s good enough. The panels are clear and you understand what is happening, but there aren’t any big fight scenes to test the artist’s ability. The series nearly lasted for 20 volumes which would have been impressive since that’s something that shonen series tend to do. (And Skipbeat)

Let’s go into the characters, although you can likely already tell that I don’t like any of them. Nanami is the protagonist and while she may be a nice kid, she ends up hanging with the wrong crowd. She could have been a great person and gone on to revolutionize the editing world, but Yano and the others dragged her down to their level. It was a never ending cycle where they would hurt her feelings and then she would hurt them back. It just wouldn’t stop and that should have been a sign for her to get away from them.

Yano is one of the other main characters and he’s pretty awful. Yano is definitely not a great character and he makes more mistakes than I can count. Some of them are completely unacceptable and show why he’s not a very honorable person. If we placed him in a manga like Yugioh, he wouldn’t last a minute! We’ve also got Takeuchi and he’s not very good either. Granted that he’s better than Yano, but not by much. He nearly wrecks his friendship with one of the characters and he was very pushy throughout the whole series. He should really know that he has no chance and he should just stick to having fun at his job. He’s definitely a lot nobler than Yano, but again….that’s not saying much.

Yuri is another one of those characters who seems to be here for the sole purpose of dragging other characters down for the count. Yuri manages to take on several characters throughout the series and she never really has any good reasons. She gets a sob story like the other characters, but it’s hard to sympathize with her decisions. She is one of those characters who never really got better as the series progressed. We’ve also got Nana who gets so many plot twists through the series that it’ll make you take a step back. What’s the true story behind her actions!?

There are other characters around, but you get the idea of the series. The characters are all pretty negative and not people that you would want to be around in the real world or even on the wired! So, the manga series doesn’t go so well because of the abundance of romance, lack of action, bad characters, and the fact that there aren’t any things that you can take interest in.

Overall, this definitely wasn’t my kind of manga. You can probably tell already since a manga review with 10+ volumes will usually be a lot longer than a mere 1K words. That being said, if you are a romance fan then you’ll possibly like it. It depends if you will end up minding the destruction, drama, and sad things that end up happening to the main characters all the time. Personally, I would not recommend this manga and would instead point you over to Tsubasa. It’s the closest thing to a romance that I would highly recommend at this point unless you count Bleach.

Overall 2/10

Gamaran is a manga that I had always seen as I headed to the latest chapter of Bleach or Naruto. It’s a title that was always around, but I never realized that it was a really cool series. I had no idea what the plot was or if it really had any potential. After reading it, I can safely say that it’s one of the greatest manga of all time! This is a pretty bold statement, but it has earned the right.

The plot is very easy to describe even though it did last for 21 volumes. Gama is one of the last guys to use the Ogame style. (A way of fighting) Naoyoshi is one of the candidates to become the next Daimyo, (King of the land basically) and he comes across Gama. After witnessing Gama’s sword abilities firsthand, he decides to have Gama fight in his defense. The road towards becoming Daimyo is long and fierce. There are many obstacles along the way and the current Daimyo is having a tournament. To become the Daimyo, you must win the tournament, which sounds simple enough…right?

This is basically the plot for the first half of the series. While it may not sound like it can hold its own for over 7 volumes, it works. The fights are intense and Gamaran gets right to the point. We don’t see a lot of emotional scenes and dialogue doesn’t fill up whole chapters. The series is essentially nonstop fighting and there aren’t many breaks. At first it’s tough since Gama is the only warrior on Naoyoshi’s side, but eventually his comrades come in to help. Most of them are pretty cool and I will go into more detail about them later.

The plot for the 2nd half involves Jinsuke, the 1000 man slayer! He decides that it’s time to conquer the world and while we get some pretty emotional reasons for why he’s doing this, that’s all that you really need to know. I will delve deeper into his history as we go through the characters. Gama and his pals have to stop Jinsuke and his large army of allies while working to save Naoyoshi. (Who was kidnapped) Both arcs are incredible and it’s hard to say which one was better. I’m inclined to say that I preferred arc 2, but it’s very close. Lori got to have more fighting scenes in that section which definitely helped me decide.

The art is very solid for the manga, although the author does tend to draw people differently from chapter to chapter. Lori’s hair is constantly changing in size and his spikes really stick up at times. Also, after the time skip, Gama’s eyes start to look exactly like Lori’s. Beyond those minor issues, (Which aren’t really issues since I don’t mind them. They make the manga look unique!) the art is spectacular for the fight scenes.

Gama is the main character so it’s fitting that I talk about him first. I didn’t really care for him during the first volume or two, but he quickly got better as the series progressed. His character is pretty similar to Ichigo’s and even the attire shares some resemblance. As you may have guessed from the picture, Gama is a sword fighter. Most characters in the series use a sword or at least a weapon that has a blade.

Gama is about as skilled as a human can get and his heightened speed and power are impressive. His mostly uses thunder techniques, (Which don’t use thunder, but are very quick) which are epic. They become less effective as the series wears on, but they definitely help to give Gama an edge. He’s easily one of the best main characters out there and puts a lot of the others to shame. This is a true warrior who never gives up.

Zenmaru is one of Gama’s allies and he’s pretty annoying. I never found him to be a likable character and he definitely overestimates himself. Many times, Gama will have to do all of the work, but Zenmaru will act as if helped a lot. I’m sure that you’ve seen this type of character in other manga series, but if not, be warned! He uses a really big (slow) sword and this is probably what limits him. Swinging the sword takes time and his speed isn’t nearly as good as Gama’s. By the end of the series, Zenmaru has gotten pretty skilled, but it ends up feeling forced.

Shinnojou is another one of Gama’s allies and he’s a big improvement over Zenmaru. Shinnojou is an expert fighter and he’s the highest ranked member of the Ogame school. (He’s not the toughest, but the highest ranked) Shinnojou is more of a tactile fighter than the other two and he uses his wits a lot. Shinnojou’s water techniques also revolve around trickery and sudden movements. He does pretty well for the whole series and while he doesn’t fight a whole lot, he always looks good. I definitely had no complaints with him and he made for a good character.

Lori is another one of Gama’s allies and he’s definitely the best character in the series! (Gama being second) He doesn’t fight as often as the others, (Until arc 2) but we see that he is definitely the most skilled. He is the only character in the series who was able to give Jinsuke a good fight. While the fight didn’t go as I had thought that it would, it was a good battle. Lori acts like Zaraki or Sasuke in terms of personality. He always keeps his cool and manages to act epic at the same time. His hair is very spiky and when he power ups, you would think that he’s a super saiyan. He uses a lot of raw power in his swordsmanship and he can even use a Rasengan themed attack on the opponent. He doesn’t even need a weapon to take out some of the higher ranked villains.

There are so many villains that it can be hard to choose which ones to talk about. Let’s start off with Jinsuke. Jinsuke is the main villain of the series and he also happens to be Gama’s father. Defeating him is one of Gama’s goals in life, but it may be tougher than it sounds. Jinsuke was able to defeat 1000 warriors and that’s a feat that is nearly impossible with a sword. He definitely has a strong aura, but he only gets one serious fight for the entire series. Still, he definitely makes for a good villain.

Ranmaru is one of Jinsuke’s highest ranked officers. He becomes Gama’s main rival and they do get to fight several times. He’s another really cool character and a highlight of the manga. If Lori’s my favorite hero, then Ranmaru is my favorite villain of the series. We even find out a nice twist about his abilities. Who said that there were no supernatural abilities in this manga!? His ending may not be as happy as some of the other characters, but at least he got to live his life to the fullest!

Another big villain is Zenmaru’s big brother/rival, Kai. Kai uses the same weapon as Zenmaru and he’s a pretty sharp fighter. His relationship with Zenmaru is similar to Sasuke and Itachi’s…Counting the plot twists! Take that as you will….Unfortunately, I never really liked Kai. He wasn’t a very likable character and I can’t sympathize with him. I couldn’t really forgive Itachi either, but his decision was reasonable in comparison to Kai’s! Kai only fights a handful of times, but that’s really all that we needed.

Riko and Kujou are two other members who used to be part of the Ogame school. Did I mention that part already? Well, Jinsuke, Kai, Riko, and Kujou decided to destroy the rest of the Ogame school to go rule the world. This is the reason why Gama wishes to destroy them, Jinsuke in particular. They just can’t forgive the mass murder of their comrades!….until they do. Riko is a pretty minor character for the most part, but he does get one cool fight. Kujou doesn’t really fight until the very end. His fight is pretty good, but I wasn’t terribly interested. He’s a decent fighter, but not one of the best.

Kiyomori is a character that appeared during the final volumes of the series. He actually uses hand to hand combat, which shows how fast he is. Otherwise, one sword slash and he would be down for the count. He’s a pretty intriguing character and while I don’t think he would have lasted a second against Lori or Gama, he made for an epic villain. He’s definitely not someone that you would want to underestimate.

Banri is one of the divine spears and he is the strongest member. While the others only get to appear for the first arc, he manages to last for the entire series. He ends up becoming a rival for Shinnojou. His skills are very good with a spear, but he was never much of a threat. I never pictured Shinnojou losing to this guy. Still, he was another example of an epic villain.

I could go on and on listing the various villains, but I’ll stop there. Muraku is one villain that started out as a pretty cool fighter, but he quickly got worse. When he appeared for his final battle, he was completely unlikable. It’s like his character did a complete 180 for the worst. Also, I never saw how he could really give Gama such a good fight. Gama is far faster than Muraku could hope to be. There are also several good guys that I didn’t get around to talking about like the old mentor and his rival. The two old guys team up during the climax and they’re definitely solid fighters. One of the old guys just came out of nowhere, but he was a nice addition for the most part.

One negative that I should mention is the ending. It’s very rushed and feels a little forced. We don’t really get any closure for some of the plot lines and the ending just wasn’t satisfactory. This is only a mild negative since most manga tend to have bad endings. There aren’t many exceptions to this rule, but Megaman NT Warrior managed to end on a high note. The ending definitely could have been worse, so at least it wasn’t!

There is one more negative that I should note. Kashitarou is one of the worst characters that I’ve seen in a while. If you know who Oolong and James Bond are, then you know all that you need to know about Kashitarou. Kashitarou is the definition of an awful character and there was nothing that he could do to fix that. Once he appeared for the first time, I knew that it was over. You’ll want to ignore all of his lines and he won’t bring the manga down too much. He barely appears which is definitely a good thing!

It should be noted that the manga can get pretty violent. There are parts that make Bleach look like kid stuff! So, while I highly recommend the series, I wouldn’t recommend it for kids. On the bright side, there isn’t really any romance in the series. There’s no time for that since the battles are always happening. Another positive for the series is the fact that they power up, DBZ style! It’s always good to see characters using aura in manga and tends to be one of the key things that separate them from comic book characters.

So, if you ever wanted a really awesome manga about sword fighting, then I’d recommend checking this one out. The series has some pretty great characters and a nice array of villains. The series concluded with over 20 volumes so there is enough content to keep you busy. You won’t have to worry about a lack of fights or screen time for your favorite characters. I’d say that it’s time to check it out!

Overall 9/10

Beet The Vandel Buster is a manga that is missed by many fans. The series had a golden beginning and just kept getting better and better. The series had an abrupt ending with 12 volumes, but there is still a chance that the manga will continue someday. I find the chances of that pretty slim, which is why I’m doing my series review now. If the series ever does return, I’ll either continue from there on a weekly basis, do a new review covering “Part 2” or just update this one.

The manga is about a kid named Beet, who wants to end the darkness that covers the land. The world is filled with Vandels who basically have control over everything. There are various resistance groups who have made it their purpose to wipe these creatures out. They call themselves “Vandel Busters!” The more Vandels you take down, the higher your level and rep increases. There are some powerful Vandel Busters around, but for the most part, they don’t seem to have a chance. There are just too many Vandels and many of them are immensely powerful. It’s essentially the same as Naruto level fighters trying to take on Gokus and Vegetas.

There is one legendary group that are called the Zenon Warriors. They are possibly the strongest Vandel Busters in the world. The series starts off with them at a village, when the strongest Vandel in the world appears. His name is Beltorze and his design is pretty similar to Omega Shenron’s. His power is very considerable. The sheer power that is involved in Beet’s very first chapter, would make DBZ proud. Not even DBZ got to this level of power until later on. The battle is pretty good, but Beet comes along and things get dicey. Like Spiderman or Batman (Depending on the version) bad things happen that could have been avoided, if only Beet had made the right move.

The battle may not look good for the heroes, but we see more of it near the end of the series. After a large time skip, Beet is now a very tough Vandel Buster. Along with Paola, he goes to end the Dark Ages. While Beet is mostly a close range fighter, Paola uses her magical abilities to attack foes from afar. They make a pretty solid team and take on various fighters. They’ve fought opponents like Beltorze and Garonewt in the past.

Eventually, the team gets a new recruit in the form of Kissu. Kissu is also a magic user and he is powerful, but only with his spells. His strength of heart is another matter. He lacks the resolve that Paola and Beet currently possess. It’s hinted that he may have finally turned around, but that’s exactly where the series ends. BB and Slade also help the team out when they’re in a pinch. Slade possesses great speed and BB is a magic user who turns the tables and actually prefers close combat.

The team goes around and takes down as many Vandels as they can. The series is always on the go and the heroes are doing pretty well. Beet currently has a 1 Star Bounty on his head. (Which is more than what a whole country is worth) Whichever 7 star Vandel destroys him, will become the legendary 8 Star Vandel. The pressure is on for Beet and his friends!

Beet is a pretty solid main character and he’s one of the more heroic fighters currently out there. He inherited several Saiga and they have helped him to become a very well rounded fighter. He can fight up close thanks to his Feather Sword and Burning Lance, while fighting from afar with his Air Gun. Beet can use his Shield to block many powerful attacks as well. If Beet needs to land a single, but powerful shot; then it’s time to take out the Axe. Beet uses his powers wisely and he’s definitely cool.

Paola is the first member to come and help Beet out against the villains. She did pretty well on her own and got quite a few level ups. She is a magic user, so she can fire off magic blasts to defeat her opponents. Being a long range fighter does have its disadvantages, such as not obtaining the speed and power that Beet has acquired through rigorous training. She’s a pretty good character and never backs down from a fight.

Kissu is only arguably a good character. He’s always having self doubts and his physical abilities aren’t so good. His magic is very potent, but he rarely gets to show it. When the going gets tough, Kissu is usually taken out pretty quickly. I never became a fan, but Kissu was starting to show some promise. If only the series had kept going.

BB is a skilled fighter who arrests those that break the law. Her magic can be used for long range, but she can wrap it around her for close range. This way, any Vandel that makes contact with her, will be destroyed. She’s definitely not as cool as the main fighters, but perhaps she will get better. Slade is a bit of a part timer. He helps out when Beet is in a pinch, but he’s usually not on the team. Slade’s really quick and his weapon is pretty much impossible to spot. Unless your skin is extremely hard, one hit is all he needs to take you out of the fight. I guess you could call him Beet’s rival.

Zenon is the commander of the Zenon Forces. At first he may not impress you, but he’s pretty epic during the climax of the series. Not only is he able to fight against Beltorze, but he was able to transcend his very limits. He’s easily one of the strongest characters in the franchise. He was able to keep up with Beltorze, only one other fighter has accomplished such a feat. (Beet, albeit it was only a fake) There is another character known as the Winged Knight. He’s very similar to Zenon and some suspect that they are one and the same. I definitely think that he is Zenon. (The light aura is a giveaway) This shows that Zenon is even more resourceful than we thought. The other Zenon members aren’t that likable yet, but there’s always a chance for that to change. We just need them to take up arms and fight again! Or at least get a solid flashback.

There are many Vandels, but let’s focus on the 7 Star fighters. Noa is known as the smartest member of the group, but he hasn’t gotten to fight yet. It’s safe to say that he’s immensely powerful, but we have no proof yet. He’s a decent character, but it would be good to see him more excited about fighting. Lady Rodina is another 7 Star fighter. She is scheduled to be Beet’s final opponent, which could mean that she’s…the strongest? I don’t know if that’s possible, considering how tough Grineed and Beltorze were, but that’d certainly be a plot twist. If only she had gotten to fight.

Next up, let’s talk about Hysterio. He had a really cool design, but he seems to be pretty unimpressive so far. Baron completely pulverized him and his powers aren’t the greatest that I’ve seen. He was pretty disappointing, but they can’t all be winners. Garonewt is one of the strongest fighters so far. He has many creatures hidden in stones that are on his body. He also controls gravity, which makes it almost impossible to even stand up, let alone fight. His battle was definitely epic and few could hope to take him down.

Baron is an aerial Vandel whose abilities are very potent. He’s a legend, even among the 7 Stars and he’s been doing well so far. Not only did he nearly defeat Beet, but he also took down the rest of the cast, (Including The Winged Knight) except for Kissu. Can Kissu really defeat him? I don’t think so, but that’s exactly how the series ended. Right before their big, climatic battle.

Grineed is another solid villain. He’s much better when he turns into his true form. In that form, his power is definitely lethal and he was one of the most impressive villains in the series. He definitely felt like a high tier fighter and he had one of the best fights in the series. Beet had some pretty solid/long fight scenes throughout the manga and this one definitely ranks up there.

Beltorze is the final 7 Star Vandel, and I’d say that he’s the strongest. Not only did he take down the Zenon Warriors, but he’s also devastated Beet and his pals as well. Beltorze never ceases to impress me and he’s basically got everything that a villain could want. Speed, Power, Endurance, Regeneration…Everything! I can’t wait until he fights again, but that could be a while.

Beet The Vandel Buster is definitely a remarkable series. It’s one of the greatest manga that I’ve ever read and the art is excellent. The author really knows how to draw a fight scenes, not to mention that he’s good at writing interesting villains. I really hope that Beer continues at some point in the future. Some may not like that the plot isn’t exactly deep, but it makes up for it with plenty of battles. The series is essentially non stop action. The fighting never stops and the art helps everything go smoothly. Even if it doesn’t continue, this is one series that I won’t be forgetting. I highly recommend reading it.

Overall 9/10

Megaman is a very large franchise which has split into various parts of the franchise. We have the Classic universe (Which spins off once again into another series titled Mega Man X), and the Battle Network universe (Which spins off into Starforce) There are always subtle references in each of the series they may be more connected than we realize. This manga adapts the Battle Network games (Very loosely) and I definitely didn’t realize the sheer magnitude of what I was getting into when I first checked out the series.

The series starts out with someone simulating how he’s going to destroy the world. It’s hard to take him seriously since the manga has just started, but we cut away to a school scene. Lan Hikari (The Main character) ditches school and rushes home since his father is expected to have finally made it. He’s often away and that doesn’t change as he is not at home. Something came up, so he had to cancel once again. Lan and Megaman exchange some harsh words, but they later put aside their differences to go save the school.

The series starts out with small time threats (Still serious threats of course, but not world shattering) like a train about to crash, or a prison that is guarded with electricity. Chaud and Protoman make their debut pretty early on and they instantly start off on the wrong foot with our two protagonists. Lan and Megaman decide to take them down since they callously destroy fellow navies, but defeating them will be tough. Protoman can reach mach 5 and his skills are considerable. (Only in volume 2 and I’d say that they’ve surpassed comic book characters) The first big threat is Dr. Wily and the legendary Life Virus monster. It was a solid way to start off the series, but I never really considered those two as a threat.

Eventually, The heroes go into the undernet and meet with the legendary Bass. Bass is the greatest character in all of media, but I’ll go into that a bit later in the review. Bass crushes them with ease and they are forced to find more power. Megaman comes across the four legendary navies and if he is able to defeat them..he will gain overwhelming power! A new villain group by the name of Grave starts to terrorize the world at around the same time. Megaman taps into his Hubstyle form and has a very climatic battle with the Virus Beast. Bass ended up coming along and the two of them have an immensely destructive battle. It’s one of the greatest battles to ever be seen and it was the first time that you could truly call the series High Tier. Remember Dragon Ball Z? This universe even surpasses that legendary series.

Unfortunately, Hubstyle won’t be enough to take on the next opponents. These guys wield dark powers and the light of Hubstyle is sucked away against them. Even without Hubstyle, Megaman has gained tremendous power thanks to his experience and expertise. Protoman also obtains the legendary Muramasa blade which gets stronger whenever Protoman gets inflicted with damage. It’s a very risky blade, but he has Megaman to back him up. The shadow masters are very powerful, but not exactly Megaman level. Things take a turn for the worst when….BASS shows up! His power has now multiplied exponentially and he’s seeking to destroy whoever gets in his way. Megaman and Protoman must use the legendary Double Soul technique if they wish to win. The battle is incredible and just as impressive as the first battle. This time, things don’t end so smoothly as the mighty…..LASERMAN shows up! After a cheap shot from behind and an assist stab from Dark Megaman, they decide to leave…with Bass. Megaman attempts to stop them, but Dark Megaman proves to be too powerful.

This next arc was pretty epic and it was definitely an intriguing experience to see Laserman in on the action. Unfortunately for his fans, Dark Megaman overshadows him for the whole series. Laserman doesn’t retain as much dignity as his anime counterpart, but his lines are definitely intense. Megaman and Dark Megaman have a pretty epic fight and the series continues to be great.

The next arc was the weakest from the bunch and Megaman became a criminal. There’s not much logic behind it, but the Government can do whatever they want, since it’s their country. Megaman tries not to hurt the attackers (Since he’s much stronger than them and could win with a single hit) and eventually he comes face to face with Cosmoman and Nebula Gray. Defeating them alone could prove difficult, but the always awesome Bass is also there to shake things up. Even together, can Megaman and Bass hope to defeat this being of pure evil?

The final arc deals with the menace of the Cybeasts. Megaman is one of the chosen warriors sent to fight in a tournament that will decide the right to battle them. The winner will have absorbed the emblems of the opponents that he defeated so that his power would be great enough to stop the Cybeasts. Things look to be pretty easy for Megaman…until the mighty Bass shows up! Which of them will win in this final battle!? Also, will the winner be able to defeat the Cybeasts!?

Lan makes for a decent character. He loses sight of his morals early on, but after that he never looks back again! Lan may be seen as a pretty generic character, but generic beats being a bad main character right? He will definitely put his life on the line for a comrade and he knows when it’s time to get serious. Chaud is also a pretty solid guy and he’s a good rival. He looks pretty great during his early appearances, but after that things go downhill for him. He tries to be optimistic about the whole thing, but he was utterly surpassed. He is still good for an assist once in a while. At the very least, Chaus is still a pretty smart guy and actually helps to find the mastermind behind the whole Grave incident. (Not that things go very well for him)

Megaman is the real star of this story. He’s a very good guy right from the start. Even after Lan ignores and abandons him, Megaman continues to do the right thing. He never resorts to destroying his opponent (Unless that opponent is endangering someone’s life and needs to be quickly stopped) Megaman’s already great personality becomes even greater when he is in his legendary Hubstyle mode. In that form, he’s easily one of my favorite characters of all time. He’s also immensely fast and his power is basically unstoppable. Megaman is the standard for what all main characters should be like.

Protoman is a good rival and he gives Megaman a good fight during their initial encounters. Once Megaman obtains Hubstyle, the gap in power is greatly changed. Protoman can no longer engage him in an equal battle, but he still finds other ways to be useful. With his Muramasa sword, he can still fight high level opponents. He also trains a lot and by the final chapter, he is once again a very tough opponent. Protoman can also help Megaman out through the Double Soul technique.

Chief Oda’s navi is very cool, but he’s never given an official name. It’s too bad since he’s a great opponent for Megaman and his skills are considerable. Megaman’s friends (Roll and Gutsman) are all right, but they never really get a great role. Torchman and Elecman are decently good characters, but not one of my favorites. Blasterman is pretty much a joke in the manga.

Serenade is a pretty great navi and his (Sometimes he is called a she so I’m not extremely certain of the gender. For reviewing purposes, I will refer to Serenade as a he) abilities are pretty intense. Serenade is one of the only fighters in existence who was able to go up against Bass on equal ground. He had one of the most emotional moments in the series and helped Megaman and Protoman to realize their full potential.

Laserman wasn’t one of the bigger characters to appear in the manga, but he needed an honorary mention since he’s become so popular on the net. (On the blog I write his name as Lazerman for effect, but if you go to youtube, you’ll find many videos with him) Laserman might not be as intense as his anime version, but he’s still a character that you won’t want to mess with.

Dark Megaman is a very interesting villain and his abilities are on par with Megaman’s. One can even argue that they temporarily exceeded his since Dark Megaman obtained some of Bass’s power. Dark Megaman also got a laser form and he was definitely one of Megaman’s deadliest threats. He’s another one of my favorite characters from the series.

There are several giant monsters in the series like the Life Virus, Virus Beast, Cybeasts, and Nebula Gray. They are all decently cool for the most part, but they don’t have much in the way of character development. Cosmoman briefly appears towards the end and his character was all right. We never really got to see much of him. I didn’t really care for Colonel or Tomohawkman, but they were all right.

There are many more characters that I could mention in the series, but I think that I’ve covered a good number of them. Let’s end off the characters with the greatest character in existence, Bass! Bass has been my favorite character of all time for a while now. I’m not even completely sure when it started, but I think that it must’ve been the manga. Bass has a very cool intro in the manga and he completely crushed the heroes. His power is unparalleled (No character in all of media could defeat him) and his speed is also off the charts. Bass also has a pretty great personality and he has a lot of honor. He would never resort to taking a hostage or hitting someone with a cheap shot. He likes to win fair and square so that his opponent will realize the gap in their power levels. Bass needs to prove that he’s the strongest and he usually does just that. After an opponent has proved himself worthy to be his rival, it’s not entirely out of the question for Bass to help him. Bass definitely isn’t a hero, but he’ll help if he wants to do so. If the world is about to end, he’ll try stopping it so that he can finish his fights. Also, how can an opponent try to destroy the planet when Bass is still around!? Bass also has a pretty tragic back story which helped to shape him into the being that he is today. Bass knows the dark depths of despair and he’s been able to live through it. Bass is not only the strongest physically, but mentally as well. His Get Ability also insures that he’ll never be destroyed. Bass will be around until the end of time. Hopefully this will put some enlightenment into why I think Bass is so great. If you’ve been around my sight, you’ll definitely be aware of my high respect for him.

Megaman NT Warrior is an incredible manga that has it all. The art is very high tier and I never get tired of looking at it. It was definitely very well done and some of the best art that I’ve ever seen. The fight scenes are some of the greatest in existence and the character roster is the greatest in existence. Having a character as great as Bass already boosts the series up, but having Megaman in his Hubstyle mode is overkill. This is a series that I have read and re read over a dozen times. I highly recommend buying it, since this is the ultimate manga experience.

Overall 10/10

La Corda D Oro is a pretty unique series. The plot revolves around a girl named Kohoko. She meets up with a fairy who can only be seen by a select few who can help to bring music back into its golden age. The fairy tells her that she must inspire people with her music and gives her a magical violin. With it, she can play excellently as long as she is one with the music..in a way. Along the way, she realizes the true value of music and why it’s a necessary part of everyday life.

Kahoko isn’t the only character who’s deeply interested in music. Once she joins the music world, she runs into Len, Ryotaro, and others. Winning the contests may be easy with her magical violin, but what happens when it starts to break down? Will Kahoko be able to master the violin or is all hope lost!?

This is one series where I can’t say that I really like any of the characters, but they aren’t awful. Kahoko is a pretty cheerful character, but she doubts herself a lot and by the end of the series, her music skills never become extraordinary. Technically that’s realistic since she just started playing the instrument, but it is pretty disappointing. By the end of the series, she definitely has a long way to go. The fairy helps her less and less as the series goes on and he basically disappears by the end. Kahoko is one of only two Gen Ed (General Education or basically normal school) characters who is able to practice and compete alongside the music school kids.

Len is known as one of the greatest musicians around. Like Kahoko, he also uses the violin. If Kahoko is cheerful and only average at the violin, he’s the exact opposite. He’s pretty silent and he also tends to be pretty rude. He doesn’t usually mean it, but he doesn’t know how to interact well with others. He mastered the violin a long time ago and his skills are unparalleled. Later on, he even leaves the city so that he can further his skills and rise to the next level. He starts to warm up to the others by the end and maybe even learns that friendship can be a good thing. Of course, he has to leave at the end which may make him regress a bit.

Ryotaro is the other Gen Ed student who manages to make it into the big leagues. He misses out on most of the first volumes as a musician. At first he just wants to stick to sports, but Kahoko helps him realize that music is one of the most important hobbies ever. That’s basically what happens; At any rate, Ryotaro uses the piano in his performances. He’s pretty good and he actually competes with Len a lot. He never ends up surpassing him, but he definitely gave Len a good fight. Ryotaro’s one of the happier members and he’s usually pretty upbeat.

Azuma is one of the musicians that you will find yourself disliking pretty quickly. He’s rich and pretty good at the flute. While he appears to be a very nice and polite guy to the general audience, he actually harbors a dark side as well. He’s pretty rude to Kahoko for the entire series, but unfortunately nobody ever notices. Later on he must decide between sticking to music or furthering his education. (I wonder which one he’ll pick…)

Keiichi is another music student who plays the cello. He doesn’t get as much of a role as the other members and he mostly enjoys sleeping. He’s decently good at music and he tends to do pretty good. He’s overshadowed by the other members, but he’s an all right character. Finally, we have Kazuki and Shouko, but there’s no reason to go too in depth with them. Kazuki is also a pretty happy guy who plays the trumpet. He’s all right at best, but next to Kahoko he may be the worst musician. His personality doesn’t really change that much and he never notices that his best friend (Azuma) has a dark side even though it’s fairly obvious. Shouko plays the clarinet, but that’s about all I can say about her. She’s very quiet and rarely talks to gets any character development.

The art for the series is decently good and the pacing is all right. There isn’t an overabundance of romance, but a bit more than is necessary. If they had cut the whole romance subplot out of the way and just kept it to music playing, this may have risen to a higher score. As it is, I’d recommend it to Shojo fans or people who really enjoy music. I thought the manga was all right and one of the better Shojo’s that I read.

Overall 4/10

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