Chris Beveridge
07-23-2009, 07:08 AM
http://cdn-www.mania.com/content_pics/000005/21/50/725453b83ba42a2a_thumb.jpgReview by Sakura Eries (http://www.mania.com/ballad-shinigami-vol-01_article_115616.html)
Mania Grade: B
* Art Rating: B
* Packaging Rating: B
* Text/Translation Rating: B
* Age Rating: 16 and Up
* Released By: CMX Manga
* MSRP: 9.99
* Pages: 200
* ISBN: 978-1401220587
* Size: B6
* Orientation: Right to Left
* Series: Ballad of a Shinigami
Comments:
Like Yume Kira Dream Shoppe and Nightmares for Sale, Ballad of a Shinigami is a collection of unrelated one-shot stories. The only thread connecting them is the brief cameos by the white shinigami, Momo. While each story involves death to some extent, it's not as overbearing as you might expect for a series about an agent of death. Two of the main stories are more about the survivors of an unexpected loss while the third is essentially a fluffy high school love story. Indeed, this title has a very shojo feel to it with each chapter featuring teenage protagonists and romance, and all of them with hopeful endings.
So don't let the scythe fool you. This manga is less about the transition to the other side than it is about the challenges of life. There is sadness and some blood splatters in the panels, but there's also comedy amid the drama.
Mania Grade: B
* Art Rating: B
* Packaging Rating: B
* Text/Translation Rating: B
* Age Rating: 16 and Up
* Released By: CMX Manga
* MSRP: 9.99
* Pages: 200
* ISBN: 978-1401220587
* Size: B6
* Orientation: Right to Left
* Series: Ballad of a Shinigami
Comments:
Like Yume Kira Dream Shoppe and Nightmares for Sale, Ballad of a Shinigami is a collection of unrelated one-shot stories. The only thread connecting them is the brief cameos by the white shinigami, Momo. While each story involves death to some extent, it's not as overbearing as you might expect for a series about an agent of death. Two of the main stories are more about the survivors of an unexpected loss while the third is essentially a fluffy high school love story. Indeed, this title has a very shojo feel to it with each chapter featuring teenage protagonists and romance, and all of them with hopeful endings.
So don't let the scythe fool you. This manga is less about the transition to the other side than it is about the challenges of life. There is sadness and some blood splatters in the panels, but there's also comedy amid the drama.