Neko Ramen (Volume 1) by Kenji Sonishi (Story and Art)

Title:  Neko Ramen: Hey! Order Up!, Volume 1
Author:  Kenji Sonishi (Story and Art)
Location:  GRAPHIC NOVEL YA KENJI VOL. 1
Audience:  Teen (Ages 13 and Up)

Taisho runs a ramen shop... and he's a cat.  The funny thing is, he doesn't think it's strange to have a cat make and sell ramen.  When you walk in to his shop, be prepared to have any ingredient or topping served in your bowl.  You can follow Taisho's adventures from starting out as a cat model to making his own way to a ramen chef with his own ramen shop.  You will meet a wide variety of characters along the way including Taisho's baby brothers.

Neko Ramen is not your average manga.  It is actually a yonkoma (or 4-koma) which is a gag comic strip.  It is sort of like short stories as each story is told in four panels starting from the top and finishing at the bottom.  Although the stories are not dependent on one another, they come together to create an overal  story that makes you fall in love with Taisho.  With Taisho in most of his scenes is the ever faithful customer Tanaka-san.  Through Tanaka-san we learn more about Taisho and his very strange life as a cat Ramen Chef.  This manga really is quite clever and funny and appeals to both people who like cats and ramen.  From extremely ridiculous ramen ingredients to learning about Taisho's secret past as a cat model, there are many laughs to be had.  Once you start reading you will not want to stop.

The art style to Neko Ramen is rather simplistic.  What really makes it fun to read are all the facial expressions.  There may not be much to the backgrounds or character designs, but the facial expressions really aid the storytelling process.

You can find the Neko Ramen manga by Kenji Sonishi on the CPL catalog.  If you enjoyed Neko Ramen, you may want to try Hetalia-Axis Powers by Hidekaz Himaruya or Chi's Sweet Home by Kanata Konami.

A Neko Ramen Sneak Peek

D.Gray-man (Volumes 1 through 17) by Katsura Hoshino

Set in Victorian England, we follow the adventures of Allen Walker in his search for Innocence as one of the Black Order’s Exorcists. Innocence is vital to the Black Order and the world’s survival as it is their only weapon against the Millennium Earl and his akuma. Allen is important to their cause as he was cursed and now can see the trapped soul that is used to create akuma. It is a race against time to see who will get the innocence and save or destroy the world.

This gothic story may seem familiar as there are some elements that are in other supernatural narratives. What really captures your attention is the art style and character design. This is a very visually beautiful work that grabs you and sucks you in to this alternate reality. D.Gray-man has very interesting characters, especially the main character of Allen Walker. He is a young man with a dark past. As the series progresses, his character develops and even physically changes. You will want to keep turning the pages to see all of these compelling characters and experience the fight between the Exorcists and the Millennium Earl.

While the art style has been criticized for being generic, I find the character designs to be fascinating and unique. The akuma and exorcist transformations are so interesting that I can't wait to see the next one to see what reality will be completely altered. I will admit that the backgrounds are dark and the action sequences can be difficult to decipher. I still like the alternate reality created that I keep coming back for more.

D.Gray-man was awarded the prize for best manga series 2006 at the Anime and Manga 2007 French Grand Prix. It was also awarded the manga of the year in 2006 by Webotaku.

To enhance your enjoyment of this story, why not check out the anime based off of the manga. D.Gray-man transports you to an alternate Victorian England. Enjoy the world that Hoshino created in vibrant color. Experience the exciting action that you can only get a glimpse of in the manga. The anime follows the storyline of the manga closely and allows the characters to come alive.

You can find the D.Gray-Man manga and anime by Katsura Hoshino on the CPL Catalog. If you enjoyed D.Gray-Man, you may want to try Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa or Bleach by Tite Kubo.

xxxHoLic (Volumes 1 through 15) by CLAMP (Story and Art)

Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!

xxxHoLic is quite a unique manga. On the surface, it may seem like another supernatural manga, but there is much more lurking below. While there are spirits aplenty, there is also a recurring thread about the importance of dreams. Another thing that makes this series so great is the characters. We follow Watanuki on his journey to discover the secrets of his past locked away inside him and his interactions with those around him. CLAMP fleshes out their characters so well that you care about everyone, including characters that stay for just one story arc. With the art and great storytelling combined, it makes for a fantastic series.

While xxxHoLic is a parallel story to Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, the art style is noticeably different. The art becomes part of the storytelling. By warping the character sizes and proportions, the reader is forced to look at them in different ways. Often this is done when an element in the story may not be what it seems. Even the background gives clues to the overall plot. You will want to take your time and savor every page.

If you enjoy the art of xxxHoLic, you will not want to miss the anime based off of the manga. CLAMP's art is taken from the page and brought to life on the screen. While there are more references to Tsubasa in the manga, the anime mainly covers the stories from the xxxHoLic manga. What really sets this anime apart is the art style. In keeping with CLAMP's design of strange proportions, they are even larger on the screen. For some this may detract from the story, but I find I enjoy it and it adds to the overall theme of series. In addition to the series, you can enjoy the movie, xxxHoLic the Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

You can find the xxxHoLic manga and anime by CLAMP on the CPL Catalog. If you enjoyed xxxHoLic, you may want to try Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE by CLAMP or Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.