Greetings, readers. I welcome you to another satisfying issue of Manga Hermit. Now, I’m sure that many of you remember my previous article about bartending, correct? A simple bartender believes that he can create a drink so magnificent, so ethereal, so otherworldly that it would surpass human imagination. The “Glass of the Gods”, if you will. Well, it’s not like we’ve haven’t tried to take down supernatural forces before as a species. Not to mention the ways we’ve managed to do it.

Prime example. Not to mention a good portion of the Megami Tensai series.

I digress, however. While deity hunting is exhilarating in its own right, today’s manga isn’t about that. Today, we’re looking at another attempt at trying to bottle divinity. Specifically, wine. More refined than beer, more restrained than tequila, sweeter than that appletini - wine, that sophisticated alcoholic beverage is what we are drinking today. After all, that is what Les Gouttes de Dieu, translated as the Drops of God, is about.

“If we could… die together… how happy would we be…?” Today, I will be stepping just a little bit out of my comfort zone and will be reviewing an ongoing manga. A relatively unknown artist, Takasaki Yuuki (高崎ゆうき), has created a supernatural yuri manga called Mugen no Minamo ni (To Eternal Minamo/むげんのみなもに). The header image indicates that while there are cutely designed characters, there are also deep and gruesome situations as well. Mugen no Minamo ni 's usage of adorable character designs with dark and heavy tones creates mournful feelings for the main characters as they suffer through their dilemmas. This first impression will cover the first two chapters of the manga.

Welcome readers to another installment of Manga Hermit! In an attempt to counterbalance the sheer amount of testosterone radiating from the flick about one of the most dysfunctional superhero teams to ever exist, this week’s issue is going to be sweet - Soap drama sweet. Passion, lust, desire; all of that and more will parade in front of your eyeballs till you’re itching for another marathon of Tenga Toppa Gurren Lagann. This issue’s drama fest centerpiece – Suna no Shiro, also known as The Sandcastle!

The first thing to greet your eyes when you wake up is the harsh rays of the sun. Muttering curses under your breath, you pull yourself out from under the covers, ready to face another day of mediocrity. Washing up, eating breakfast, checking the news and email – nothing deviates you from the usual morning routine. At school it’s the same thing: class, lunch, class, and then club. Even the people you see don’t change: the businessman who always drops his briefcase on the train, the gossiping girls at the back of the class…every day is the same, day in and out. You can’t help but think these things as you make your way onto the train, only to walk smack dab into a hostage situation. As the gunman takes aim, your life flashes before your eyes and you can’t help but regret that your life will end this way…until you realize that you aren’t in crippling pain. When you open your eyes, what greets you vision is this:

“Either angels have been taking tips from Skynet, or this is the sexiest Transformer ever” you think to yourself.

There's something very meta to be said about a manga about making manga. It becomes even more meta when you're reporting that that manga about making manga is drawing to a close. After a 4 year run in Shonen Jump, the Bakuman manga (which has spawned 2 anime series and has a 3rd one in the works) is ending at chapter 176. The last chapter will run in next week's double issue in Japan.

Source: Japanator

Years ago, before delving into my training as a hermit, I had one heck of an annoying English teacher. He was a tad annoying – the man always said the same words of “wisdom” at the beginning of class, but he did know his way around Shakespeare. In any case, one of the things I came away from that class was that most stories were just clichés. I didn’t quite understand what he meant, until I attempted to read fanfiction. Within the first week I could see so many stories with the same plot lines that it became an exercise just to find something that was remotely new. I bring this point up, for that is what you get with Buster Keel.

Written by Sakamoto Kenshiro in Octobor 2008, Buster Keel is part of the monthly Shonen Rival, published by Kodansha. Our tale begins with the introduction of Keel, an adventurer who needs an anger-management counselor to tag along with him as he searches for a specific individual. Considering that he’s actually an S-class monster whose been cursed into a human form for a good number of years by this “Siva” person, his anger seems justified. Unfortunately for him, Siva is nowhere to be found, so his only clue is his apprentice Ravi and her monster Misisippi “Mippy” Teramoto. A novice adventurer, Ravi is also in search of her master so she can continue studying under him. Though she doesn’t know the reason for his sealing, Ravi joins Keel in his search for Siva, which begins their journey. Along the way they encounter the stoic Blue, an adventurer who specializes in magic. He too is on the search for a specific individual, but for other reasons. Blue decides to join up with Keel, Ravi and Mippy, rounding out the adventuring group Buster Keel!

Hello and welcome to another installment of Manga Hermit. Today’s review, if you couldn’t guess from that tongue twister, will focus upon swindlers. We’re all familiar with swindlers – individuals who take you on a trip, raising you up the minute you start interacting with them. Next thing you know they’re long gone, leaving you with the fragments of the life you used to know. Whether it’s for financial gain, revenge, or sick pleasure – swindlers never let go once they find their prey. In the mind of Takeshi Natsuhara, Japan is filled to the brim with them.

Japan – where a sucker is found every twenty-three seconds.

New anime news out of Japan reveals that the anime film adaptation of Yoshihiro Togashi's Hunter x Hunter has finally been green-lit. Yoshihiro Togashi, whom is famously known for the manga series YuYu Hakusho has given the film adaptation his stamp of approval. The Hunter x Hunter series has spawned 2 TV anime adaptations (with one ongoing today) as well as numerous OVAs over the past 14 years. But this is the first theatrical adaptation for the series.

The film adaptation is to have it's own complete original story. There is currently no news on when this movie will be out but its good to know that one of Shonen Jump's oldest manga series will finally make its leap to the big screen.

For those that have never read or heard of Hunter x Hunter before, here is a short synopsis:

In the original manga, Gon Freecs' father abandoned him as a baby in order to become a Hunter, an elite class with a license to go anywhere and do almost anything. Now, 12 year old Gon wishes to follow in his father's footsteps and become a great Hunter like his dad. While Gon faces the challenges of the Hunter Exam, he befriends 3 other hunter exam candidates: Leorio, Killua, and Kurapika. Thus begins his adventure...

Source: Crunchyroll

According to this year's 5^th issue of Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Mangazine, the beloved manga series Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei, will be publishing its last chapter this coming May/June. For those who love the suicidal teacher and his wacky oddball class, there will be 9 more chapters for you to enjoy before the manga officially finish its seven year publication.

This popular comedy series, created by Kumeta Kouji, follows the life of a very pessimistic highschool teacher named Nozomu Itoshiki. After a failed suicide attempt, he finds himself in charge of a class full of students with bizarre and strange personalities. From student Meru Otonashi, who communicates via text messaging on her cell phone, to the exceeding positive student Kafuka Fuura, Nozomu finds himself being pushed into more despair. There are currently 26 volumes of Sayonara, Zetsubou-Sensei out in Japan.

Source: ANN.com

Well readers, we’ve finally made it to March. And unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you can be sure that sooner or later we will all experience that moment when we know that spring is here. Whether it’s the sign of color returning to the frozen wasteland, or realizing that sixty-degree weather is too hot for a parka, we all know when spring arrives. You know what tells me that spring is here?

Aside from getting intimate with a box of Puffs?

MARRIAGES! While a bit sappy, marriages are the best scenes of spring hands down. Two individuals staring a new journey together, supporting each other as they face all the challenges and obstacles that life throws their way. Just like a bud or a sapling, breaking though the hard earth – ah, what a beautiful sentiment. Of course the bond between the bride and groom has to be strong; otherwise everything about the marriage will just fall apart. Unfortunately for Takanashi Chiwa, she doesn’t have that luxury.

Having to pay off the crippling debts her father incurred on a business venture, Ms. Chiwa is office lady by day, part-time hostess at night. Barely making enough to cover the housing for her and her father, things take a turn for the worst when she retaliates against a customer named Mamiya Hokuto for …calling her out on her crappy lifestyle. Having no idea of the ramifications of her actions (and subsequently being fired from her part time gig) she goes to work the next day, only to be called up to the president’s office. Upon her arrival, Chiwa realizes that the president is the crass customer she threw whiskey at the night before!

You get what you reap, Chiwa. Jack Daniels has no pity on those who dishonor his brethren. Even those below him.

Preparing for the worst, she is shocked to find that he is also accompanied by his grandfather – the patriarch of the Mamiya family. Chiwa is even more shell-shocked when she is told that the Mamiya family will pay off her father’s debts, due to a favor owed to Chiwa’s deceased grandmother. The catch, you ask? Well… the patriarch would like some great grandkids from another one of his possible heirs.

Because adoption is so passé’ these days.

And so begins the newlywed life between Chiwa and Hokuto. Will they find a love so pure between each other that no soap opera can compare? Or will they fight and potshot each other while stumbling through a relationship filled with so many mixed signals, you would think Zoro was the captain of this Love Boat?

Hapi Mari, also known as Happy Marriage, is the brain child of Enjouji Maki. It made its debut in the Josei magazine Petit Comic back in 2009 and is still going strong. A fairly strong romance manga, Hapi Mari has the pull of a soap opera while not overwhelming the reader with lust and heavy theatrics. The series strangely maintains a lighter theme than what one would expect from such a plot line. This may be due to the lack of “difficult” obstacles between our two love birds. The art style of Hapi Mari is simplistic in its execution. Compared with other mangas with heavy tones and high detail, Hapi Mari keeps its style light and easy, without losing the perspective of either the characters or the environment. This style belies the lightness of the story being told.

Character wise, Hapi Mari has all the basic archetypes found in a drama: backstabbing family members, dotting patriarch, ex-wives and ex-classmates that act as possible love interests, convoluted familial bonds, etc… Chiwa is the airhead heroine of our tale – plucky and determined, but has a tendency to cry before solving the issue at hand. Hokuto is the jackass businessman, who swears that the relationship will be professional, but it’s a drama –he falls in love eventually. It’s rare when they don’t.

Still, Hapi Mari caught my eye because of its ease to read. I won’t say you will be taking gasps with every page, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a look, no?