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Rating: Summary: Gosh, it wasn't that bad. Review: I have no idea if the original dialogue was good or not (I cannot read Japanese), but the "adaptation" by Keith Griffin is beyond horrible. Every character talks in a near incomprehensible slang and curses constantly. I have no problem with cursing mind you, but there is a difference between cursing when the situation warrants it, and saying F**K just because you can. Supposedly Keith Griffin is well known in the comics world, but I think Tokyopop made a big mistake hiring him. His work on Battle Royale was bad but still readable, this is just plain bad. I literally flung the book down in disgust. Please Tokyopop, fire this F**KER before he F**KS up any more books.
Rating: Summary: Keith Giffen must be stopped!! Review: Normally I would have steered clear of this manga, but I ended up seeing the entire anime series (Ikkitousen) fansubbed, and I actually liked it quite a bit. Though I was very hesitant to check out the manga because of hearing about the awful translation. And when I found out that it was Keith Giffen I understood why. I've been reading Battle Royale since it first came out, and it's been increasing harder and harder for me to read because the translation reall bugs me. And it is no different here. He makes the characters swear for the sake of it, and his choice of words is just all wrong. I think the guys problem is that when he translates he's trying to do it like he would American comics. And with manga that just doesn't work.
Because of the horrible translation some of the story is lost. Where 2 guys would be talking about something important instead they'll be asking each if they "popped a rod". This series itself isn't that big on plot, but I actually found anime fairly interesting.
The main reason for that is because all of the major characters are actually supposed to be reincarnations of people from the whole 3 Kingdoms period in China. (Anyone who's played Dynasty Warriors or the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms games will know what I'm talking about.) The problem is that most people wont really be able to notice this because they're using their Japanese names instead of Chinese. For example Sonsaku Hakufu the main character is Sun Ce and her Friend Kouken is Zhou Yu. And these two people really were friends. Or then there's Ryofu & Toutaku which are Actually Lu Bu & Dong Zhuo. And you can definitely see similarities in their relatioship.
But not all of the characters in story want to accept their place in destiny so they try to change their fate.
Though I will agree though that I feel this volume didn't have enough story in it and that the side story in the end of the volume was just a waste of space.
Also keep in mind that this is a fighting manga so there is a whole lot of it in this one volume. Surprisingly though the fights are done pretty well and I enjoyed most them. But it can be very hard to enjoy them because practically every comment someone makes ( male of female.) is filled with sexual innuendo.
For example, while Ryomou(Lu Meng.) fighting Gakushu she says she's working on multiple orgasms. Then after beating him, comments that maybe a little girl on girl action with Sonsaku is what she needs. And that got me very angry cause she's my favorite character.
I will warn you though if you are interested in checking this out there is one other thing you should worry about. And that is the insane amount of Fanservice. Any chance they to have to show something, they take it. Every kick will be a panty shot and blows to the chest almost always result in their shirts getting torn open.
So if you actaully want to check this series out you have to worry about fanservice, excessive swearing, and LOTS of sexual innuendo. And if it wasn't for the latter 2, I would have given this 4 stars instead of 2.
As a final comment I am going to agree with a fellow reviewer and say that Keith Giffen must be stopped before he ruins any more series. Because if it wasn't for his awful translation I would have actually been able to enjoy this more. But because of this, I am most likely never going to buy any more of it.
And if this review has made you at all interested in the series, then I suggest you check out the anime instead.
Rating: Summary: DUDE, WHERES THE DRIVEL? Review: Oh, what's a parent to do when your high school daughter likes to go out and beat the crap out of anybody and everyone because she simply likes to beat up people? Plus the fact that it gives her sexual satisfaction. Hakufu Sonsaku isn't interested in being a prim and proper Japanese woman. After her mother throws her out, giving her a Magatama Jewel (said to hold the spirit of an ancient warrior who imbibes its owner with great power), Hakufu enrolls in Nanyo Academy in Tokyo. The Academy is one in which students constantly fight each other in a Highlanderish bid to become Ikki Tosen: One Warrior with the Power of One Thousand. Or is this Real About High School?This first volume was very weak. There's really no story here, oh yeah, there's some mystical mumbo jumbo that the spirits in the Stones were heroes attempting to unite China etc., etc., but it's all rather dull. It's just fight after fight after fight. The whole manga seems just to be for fan service. Adding to this weakness is the fact that the last chapter is a side story about a previously unknown character at the Academy who has...can you believe it?....a fight? It wouldn't be so bad but why couldn't you give another chapter of the real story without digeressing? I had a hard time even trying to find enough story to write about in this review.
Rating: Summary: Gosh, it wasn't that bad. Review: OK, admittedly not the best Manga I've read and I agree about the cussing, but still an interesting read and worth taking a look at the second volmue
Rating: Summary: Oh dear god Review: There is two good things about this manga.
The first is the artwork. Very cute.
The second is that I have finaly managed to rinse the horror that was stuck in my brain for hours after reading it with some manga that didnt make me laugh and cry at the same time over how bad it was.
I only began an interest in this series because I liked the artwork, I found it very appealing. But sadly the talent has been wasted most terribly here.
The plot seems to be trying to be intelligent by incorporating chinese mythlogy, but it's still the most unintelligible crap I've read. Basically, our main character Hafuka has a gem that marks her as a 'toushi', someone who whole-heartedly craves beating the crap out of other people in all-out combat in a blantant excuse for jiggling boobs and panty shots. Hafuka also must buy her shirts from a $2 shop, and cant see the point in wearing a bra either because every now and then a villain will rip off her shirt giving us all a shot of her naked breasts.
She is living with her *ahem* COUSIN. Yes, her BLOOD RELATIVE who perves on her breasts and as the translation so charmingly put it, 'pops a rod' over her. As for the translation itself, it was terrible. I heard that it's not so much a translation as it is a rewrite. But personally I think even if the translation was top-notch it couldnt have saved this manga. It was just so...so....arrrrgh! My brain literally rotted after reading it and the only way to restore it was to cram the crap out of my system by reading decent manga.
I have heard that the translation did things like this: A character will say 'check out that chick' in japanese, yet this notorious keith griphyths identifies with how the US must want to read manga so changes this to 'wow what a hot chick check out her boobs I wanna do her' or something along those lines.
One of the most pointless things about this manga is that...it doesnt seem to be for anyone. It's like...hentai without the hentai. So therefore hentai fans would only be frustrated..but anyone else would probably just steer clear.
An example of this is a scene in which two male characters are talking about our busty n' brainless heroine Hafuka. Zoom out and we realize they're no alone, between the legs of one such guy is a girl in the process of...well I'm sure you can guess how he made use of an open fly. This element was just...pointless. I mean, the girl is only seen from behind so the reader only gets the idea...but the hentai-fans (seemingly the only people who'd really be interested) are only gonna get annoyed that they cant see enough.
In conclusion: Battle Vixens=Holy Crapola on a Stick! This is one of THE worst manga I have ever come across. The only manga I have so far read that was worse is Evil's Return.
Rating: Summary: I actually enjoyed this manga Review: This is the first manga that I've ever read, and I have to admit I liked it. Being a comic, the art and character designs are the most important to me. So I went down to the local bookstore conglomerate and quickly flipped through a bunch of manga that they had, and this one immediately caught my eye. I really like the simple, clean lines. Hair and faces are drawn very well, and aren't all crazy (like YuGiOh). Plus I was amazed at how clear the action came across in the fight scenes. The author did a great job portraying each battle in a straightforward yet stylistic manner. This is exactly what I expect from the art and storytelling of a comic or manga. The problems with this manga stem from poor dialogue and plot. Even though high schoolers do swear and talk about sex all the time, the dialogue in Battle Vixens was rediculously over the top, to the point where it becomes almost annoying. As for plot there is a weak mythology about ancient chinese warriors that may become more relevant in later volumes, but is pretty unimportant here. There are also hints to hegemonies, conspiracies, and hidden powers. All in all, I gave this manga 4 stars out of 5 because I thoroughly enjoyed myself while reading it. I definitely plan on checking out the next volume (even though it isn't available on amazon.com). If you like great comic artwork, good fight scenes, unbelievably cute girls, and plenty of fan service, then you might like Battle Vixens. Check out the review in Newtype USA (June 2004) as well.
Rating: Summary: Nice book. Review: What the crap. I can't believe that someone would write like that! it must have been some horrible mix up in translation. if you can't read and don't mind a healthy dose of fanservice, it's not too bad, but otherwise, Seriously: What the crap.
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