New Manga Purchases: Dec 8, 2010 to Feb 23, 2011

Here's my most recent purchases:

• "Gakuen Alice" Volume 15 -- One of my favorite volumes and the best sports arc in any series I've read so far 5/5.  I can't read the tiny font Tokyopop uses for the outside of bubble dialog, though.
• "Portrait of M&N" Volume 4 -- so cute, yet so strange 4/5 (Go Hijiri Ringo!)
• "Aion" Volume 1 -- Yuna Kasesaki's new series.  It's no where near as good a "Karin" but it's an entertaining read.  There seems to be some demographic confusion with this series.  The situations and the language indicate high schoolers, but the characters are drawn like 'tweens.  I found the disconnect disconcerting. 2.5/5
• "Mistress Fortune" -- I read the first chapter in Japanese back in 2008 and I wasn't impressed.  I'm still not impressed and found myself rather upset that anybody thinks it's normal for a 14-year girl to have DD sized breast and weigh 84-lbs.  That is mind poison!  Also the fact that they drink a lot of sugar water to get their powers was upsetting.   I got a few pages into the second chapter before I had to put it down. The drawing are beautiful and the book comes with a nice poster inside, however, I can't recommend this book for purchase and I think this book would be especially poisonous to any impressionable tween.  Every other series by Arina Tenemura is MUCH better than this sinker. 1/5
• "Black Bird" Volume 7 -- Chocolate sauce chapter!!!!  5/5
• "Stepping on Roses" Volume 4 -- it's so bad that it's kinda good...2/5/5
• "Black Lagoon" Volume 1 (for Hubby)
• "Natsume's Book of Friends" Volume 5 -- so nice before bed...5/5
• "Gunslinger Girls" Omnibus 1
• "The Black Gate" Volume 1 - 3 Omnibus -- It's good, but it's not something I'd typically read. I'm slowly working through it as a "bathroom reader".  I think folks who like slow developing shounen series will like this. 2.5/5
• "Arisa" Volumes 2 - 6 (Japanese Language)
• "Zettai Heiwa Daisakusen" Volume 4 (Japanese Language)
• "Ouran High School Host Club" Volume 17 (Japanese Language)
• "Nemurenu Kishi ni Hanataba wo" (Japanese Language) 

If you want to buy some of these books, please consider buying them from the Omari's Sister's Amazon Store.  Support your favorite manga series and put a nickel in my pocket.