Plucked From The Pile: Emma, House of Five Leaves and Soul Eater

Emma Vol. 1 & 2 by Kaoru Mori: After reading A Bride’s Story and being blown away with Kaoru Mori’s artwork, several fellow bloggers made references to  her previous work, Emma. It is published under the now defunct DC Comics imprint CMX, but happily I was able to find some of the series at the library. Mori’s artwork is as meticulous as ever as she brings to life Victorian England.

Emma is a story about a young girl who grew-up on the streets and now works as a maid. She meets the son of a wealthy family, William, and as all these type of stories go, the relationship is forbidden due to their differences in class. It's a simple and common plot line but the characters are interesting and by the end of Vol. 2 it’s uncertain where the story will go. I would love to get into this series but as it’s out of print I’m afraid of never being able to find out how it ends.

Emma by Kaoru Mori was published by CMX but is now out of print. There are ten volumes in all.

House of Five Leaves Vol. 3 by Natsume Ono:  I found myself a little confused in the beginning of this book, perhaps because too much time passed since I read the previous volume, or maybe because I have been watching the anime version, which is similar but not quite the same as the books.

When fellow Leaves member, Matsu, is kidnapped, Masa goes undercover to help free him. Masa finds himself to be an integral member of the House of Five Leaves, whether he wanted to or not.  It also appears that his new acquaintance, Yagi, is a police officer and he must operate carefully to protect the other members. Masa’s sister also pays a an unexpected visit.

House of Five Leaves by Natsume Ono is published by Viz Signature under IKKI Comix. Vol. 4 is set to be released later this month.

Soul Eater Vol. 6 by Atsushi Ohkubo: This volume is all action as the story reaches its pinnacle with a showdown between Medusa and the DWMA, as she tries to execute her nefarious plan to use the black blood to revive the Kishin that lies beneath the DWMA. Each DWMA team has an adversary to defeat as they race through the underground maze that lead to the Kishin’s Shrine. What will happen now that the madness has been released? Interesting scenarios, likable characters and lots of humour make this series work.

Soul Eater by Atushi Ohkubo is published by Yen Press. Next volume released in October.

That’s last week’s pile. What did you read this week?

House of Five Leaves Volumes 1 & 2 by Natsume Ono

Synopsis (May contain spoilers) Volume 1: Akits Masanosuke (Masa) is a lone samurai. He has the stature of a samurai, but his inexperience, shyness and overall lack of confidence results in many failed attempts to find work as a bodyguard. One day, he comes across a man named Yaichi who takes an interest and offers him work. Drawn by Yaichi’s charm Masa agrees, and before he realizes, he unknowingly takes part in a crime. This is his introduction of the “Five Leaves,” the gang in which Yaichi leads.

Masa’s conscience weights heavily. He is troubled by the gang’s criminal activities, but is in desperate need of money and friendship. He is reluctant join the gang as a full member, yet his is unable walk away.

In Volume 2, Masa continues trying to figure out what motivates Yaichi. Although Yaichi claims to be in it for the money, Masa suspects he may be some sort of “chivalrous thief”. Stricken by “Edo Disease”, Masa is sent to recuperate at the home of Goinkyo, an acquaintance of Five Leaf member Umezo. There, Masa learns more about the origins of the Five Leaves and begins to suspect that Yaichi is not who he says he is.

Thoughts:  Natsume Ono’s unique drawing style succeeds in creating an air of mystery. As the story unfolds it becomes more and more intriguing. Her panels have a certain quietness which helps generate the feeling that the characters are hiding things about themselves, and there is a general mistrust amongst the gang members. The story itself is complex and is the type of story that is difficult to predict where it's going, making the reader want to continue in order to find out. This is a similar method used by Natsume Ono in her previous book, “Not Simple”.

House of Five Leaves by Natsume Ono is published by Viz Media under the IKKI Comix/ Viz Signature labels. It is rated for older teens and the first three volumes have been released. Volume 4 set to be released in September 2011. The Anime version is available through Funimation.