Manga Review: One Piece 62 & 63

One Piece volume 62 & 63

Author: Eiichiro Oda

Viz Media/Shonen Jump

200 pages

Spoiler warning: Review contains spoilers for these two volumes of the One Piece manga, and small spoilers for events leading up to them.

Luffy and the Straw Hat crew board their trusted ship and head under the sea towards Fish-Man Island. However, getting in their way will be fierce pirates, underwater volcanoes, and a humongous sea creature! (Source: Viz Manga)

The Fish-Man Island arc is like a calming, lovely breath of fresh air after the dire blood-soaked events of the war between the World Government and the greatest pirates on the sea. Well, I didn't say it was particularly uneventful, as even under the sea things aren't what they seem. 

But the Straw Hat Gang is back together after a multi-year time skip and once again having oddball adventures in their ship. Oh, and Sanji keeps having noxious nosebleeds that threaten to wipe him out.

PR: Viz's Neon Alley Expands And Adds New Anime Series

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES WEB INTEGRATION FOR NEON ALLEY DIGITAL ANIME CHANNEL AND PREMIERES NEW CONTENT FOR SUMMER AND FALL

Mac And PC Users Now Have Access To Innovative 24/7 Anime Channel; New Anime Series “K” Launches This Summer, Followed By The Debuts Of PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA And MAGI In The Fall

San Francisco, CA, July 8, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, has expanded the interoperability of its Neon Alley anime channel to give members seamless online web access from Mac and PC devices beginning July 5^th. Mac and PC users can now enjoy 24/7 anime content with the same functionality and features that have been available to Neon Alley members on the Xbox 360^® and Xbox LIVE^® and the PlayStation^®3 (PS3™) gaming system and the PlayStation^®Network.

VIZ Media also continues to expand the programming offered on Neon Alley with the announcement of several new shows that are set to debut on the channel beginning this summer. The new anime action series, “K,” will premiere on Friday, July 12^th, along with new ONE PIECE episodes (starting with Episode 53). These will be augmented by the Neon Alley premiere of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE 4: THE LOST TOWER on July 28^th and the highly anticipated broadcast of TIGER & BUNNY THE MOVE: THE BEGINNING on August 11^th.

The Story So Far: Bleach (Lost Agent Arc)

Bleach volumes 49-54 (Tale of the Lost Agent)

Art/story by Tite Kubo

Published in English by Viz Manga/Shonen Jump

Spoiler warning: Post contains spoilers for the entire Lost Agent arc and events leading up to it.

The Tale of the Lost Agent is a major conflict detailing Ichigo Kurosaki seventeen months after Sōsuke Aizen's defeat, completely devoid of any spiritual power or awareness at all. Following his friend Uryū Ishida's attack, Ichigo decides to regain his lost Shinigami powers. He enlists the help of Fullbringers calling themselves Xcution. (Source: Bleach Wikia)

Tite Kubo could have easily ended Bleach with volume 48. He could have had Ichigo ride off into the Karakura sunset, having said goodbye to Rukia and in turn his abilities and the world of Soul Society and shinigami and spirits. He could have ended the series with Ichigo as a human, back in 'normal' society with his friends, forever changed by his experiences but unable to return to that place.

But, naturally, Bleach makes too much damn money for the folks behind Shonen Jump, and so once again we return to Ichigo Kurosaki's world, in which the young man is determined to see a return of his shinigami abilities as well as his abilities to see the spirit world, the ones that had previously made his adolescence a terrible experience. Plus, it wouldn't make narrative sense to leave Ichigo alone after all he's been through. Thus, in usual shonen fashion, we are treated to a time skip before joining a very human Ichigo and his new life in Karakura post-Aizen.

Happy Birthday, America!

Again, Nagareboshi Reviews - an American based blog - is posting on the Fourth of July, that one holiday in the United States where we celebrate our independence from England with loud fireworks, grilling, and lots of alcohol (and apparently a Twilight Zone marathon, if you're the programming director at SyFy).

Last year I was posting about my top five American characters in anime, and number one was Alfred F. Jones a.k.a. America from Axis Powers Hetalia. And today is his birthday yet again! He's looking pretty good for being around 230 years old. You can read more about his character on his Hetalia Archives page, or watch his antics with his fellow countries at the YouTube channel for Hetalia: World Series.

Geez, Alfred's character songs are so annoyingly him, aren't they? And really catchy! Which is no surprise since Katsuyuki Konishi (America's VA) is a pretty good singer. Hamburgers and UFOs for everyone!

Hentai Review: Happy Girls

Happy Girls
Author: Zukiki
Digital Manga Publishing/Project-H
200 pages

Don't hold back if you want it that bad and let your inhibitions run wild! Let these impulsive beauties take the reins and help you to experience pleasure like never before! Come and have some fun with the four lovely sisters-Haru (Spring), Natsu (Summer), Aki (Autumn), and Fuyuko (Winter)-and experience all of their love. This book is packed with 10 sexy stories that will definitely make you happy all year long! (Source: Goodreads)

Content warning: The following post is a hentai review, covering a manga meant for 18+ audiences. Although hentai reviews will not include images, they will be about materials that involve explicit scenarios and may go into detail about certain H scenes. Please read with caution!

First of all, forgive me: how does one review a hentai manga? I suppose like any other manga - but hentai's main purpose is to get one's rocks off, and I usually don't review materials like that. Still, for Project-H and the efforts of manga-ka Zukiki, I shall do my best!