 some of the answers! Unlike the near-incomprehensible manga, this adaptation of Gainax's craziest project is a fairly straight reading of the OVA, with Volume 1 covering the first two episodes and adding just the right twists of extra back-story and character moments. Readers can finally get inside Naota's head (watch out for dimension-hopping robots!) and understand his jaded views on life, as well as stepping into the emotional insecurities of high school girl Mamimi. This story also plays up the conspiracy between Vespa-riding Haruko and the mysterious Medical Mechanica organization, adding some intergalactic intrigue to the plot. The smooth, matter-of-fact writing style is best suited to the rhythms of school life and growing up, yet when robots and aliens come crashing in, it still feels perfectly in tune with the story. What you get, ultimately, is a very unique dose of slice-of-life sci-fi.
There are some things that work better in prose than on screen... and then there are some things that work better on screen than in prose. Sadly, this novel waters down a lot of the craziness found in the original anime—take the infamous "manga panel sequence," for instance, which ends up as just another scene in the book with some mildly quirky dialogue. The robot battles, too, are the weakest part of the entire novel: a shopping list of special moves and attacks, even with accompanying illustrations, just can't match the excitement of seeing it in real time. But the real drawback of this novel, at least for paying readers, might be the cost of the content: $10 for 120 pages? Are they joking? That's as bad as the actual FLCL DVDs where they gave you 2 episodes for $30 and there weren't any discounts for ages.
The casual writing style and well-developed characters make this a very enjoyable read—but at 120 pages, there's just not enough to enjoy. B- for now until they come out with an "ultimate edition" that packs all 3 volumes together.
"Takemoto, an art student in Tokyo, thinks his greatest worries in life are finding ways to eat more meat and getting to class on time. But with friends like this, life is never going to be that tame. Love triangles—who says you don't learn math in art school?"
It begins with Takemoto, but it quickly becomes so much more—in the space of just one volume, Honey and Clover introduces us to an unforgettable world of complex characters and relationships. Equal parts drama, romance and comedy, this series hits every note just right: the blossoming of love between boy-next-door Takemoto and pint-sized genius Hagumi, the hilarious antics of 7th-year senior Morita, campus beauty Ayumi pining longingly for aloof Mayama, and of course, the heroic stature of Lohmeyer the meat guy. (Does he ever come back?!) The chapters are short, but all it takes is a few pages for Umino to sketch a complete slice-of-life portrait, whether it's Takemoto's reflection on why Christmas depresses him, or something more lighthearted like Hagu losing a picnic watermelon in the river. The artwork itself also has a "sketched" quality to it, with gentle lines and subtle facial expressions bringing out the characters' complex emotions. It may be just the start of the series, but it's already like meeting a group of friends that you never want to let go.
They may be a good group of friends, but there's still a little first-time awkwardness. The number of intertwining characters and storylines leads to an episodic jumble in this debut volume—there never seems to be enough time to dig into one specific plotline, and the comedic asides (entertaining as they might be) keep getting in the way. The artwork also suffers from some roughness around the edges; there are moments of remarkable beauty, but others where it's just ultra-bold pen lines scratched into the nearest available space. And it's not just the style that gets messy, but the way the panels are laid out as well—characters and scenes colliding with each other, dialogue crammed in every which way, and little details that are too easily missed. Maybe those short chapters weren't such a good idea after all.
It may not be perfect in its execution, but the unique and lovable characters—as well as the perfect blend of serious and silly elements—are still worth an A-.
"Ion Tsuburagi chants the letters of her first name as a charm to bring good luck when she needs it. Then she meets Mikado Hourai, the president of the Psychic Powers Research Society at school and touches a mysterious substance he been developing. Now chanting I-O-N gives her telekinetic powers!"
At just one volume long, I·O·N is an adorable dose of Arinacchi-style romance without all the baggage that comes with her longer series (I'm looking at you, Gentlemen's Alliance of Not-Making-Sense). The main characters have the right kind of appeal—Ion is cheerful, but not overly so, and Mikado's love of the paranormal gives him a geeky-cute sort of quality. Heck, even the annoying student council president is endearing in his own hapless way. We can also be thankful that, for once, "psychic manga" does not mean overpowered superhero battles; Ion's abilities play a secondary role to the main story, which is all about the evolving feelings between her and Mikado. And things really do start to evolve after the first half of the book: revelation, heartbreak and redemption all await in the final act, which is surprisingly dramatic even for a one-shot. Flowery backgrounds and expressive artwork add the final touch to this innocent portrait of love.
Even early on in her career, you can see how white space and clean layouts are just not Arina Tanemura's thing. Screentones and background patterns show up where they really aren't necessary, and panels are crammed in together to take up as much space as possible. Eyestrain awaits in scenes like the one where Ion shows up in a yukata, and you can't even appreciate the yukata, because there's too much going on in the background. On another artistic note, the character designs aren't very memorable here—Ion and friends look like typical high school boys and girls for their genre. The story, too, is fairly typical, despite all the twists and drama: boy meets girl, boy isn't sure if he likes girl, Something Important happens, boy realizes he likes girl after all. And it would have been nice if the author's notes didn't keep giving away the details of plot. Spoiler alerts, please!
Not the most unique story, and hard to read at times, but likable characters and a dramatic finish earn it a B-. Arinacchitards can pretend it got an A- if it makes them feel better.
"Daisuke Arai is a 14-year-old boy with a unique ability—he can clean up a room faster and better than any professional custodian! When Daisuke's skills are discovered by a veteran janitor, he promptly embarks on a quest to become the greatest cleaner the world has ever known. However, it will not be easy, as many challenges and rivals await him. Armed with a mop, a bucket, and a keen eye for the smallest speck of dirt, Daisuke is ready to sweep the world off its feet!"
I used to think that the greatest, most epic manga ever was Some Important-Sounding Title by Osamu Tezuka. But that was before I discovered Ultimate Mop Daisuke DX, which not only kicks reason to the curb and pierces the heavens, but basically runs over reason with an 18-wheeler and tears the heavens open with a mop of DESTINY! The first 27 volumes of Daisuke's exploits are a shining example of all the things we love about manga: unforgettable characters, excitement at every turn, limitless creativity, and scenes that will be burned into your mind's eye forever. You think you know action? Just wait until the battle between Daisuke and Hiroshi in Volume 9, which pushes the molecular chemistry of water to its limits. You think you know romance? Check out Volume 14 where Daisuke experiences his first love—and his first heartbreak—in a story that would bring even Ai Yazawa to her knees. You think you know sci-fi? Oh, you just haven't seen the time-travel arc yet, where Daisuke takes on the 250-foot-tall mecha janitor Peroxzaider. Pulling it all together is an artistic style so intense, and so precise, that it seems every other page is a mind-blowing feast for the eyes. From ultracool characters to geometry-defying layouts to hyper-innovative fight scenes, that art of Daisuke is literally changing the way manga is made. Wherever this adventure leads next, UMD is truly a triumph of the human spirit.
Please, please don't read after the time-skip in Volume 28. 
Let it be known now: this is, and forever shall be, the only manga in the history of this column to earn a full A+.
RTO's readers are stepping up to the challenge! This week, Sonja tells us about the good points of the Galaxy Angel manga. P.S. By the way, where are all the yaoi reviews? Don't tell me the entire fandom is