Desert Coral Volume 1

Rating:
Summary: What if when you dreamed, it was all real?
Review: (Out of 5)

Cover: 4
Artwork: 3
Characters: 5
Story: 5
Extras?: Full Color (beautiful) first page

Cover: Nothing really striking. Murayama's artwork leaves something to be desired, but at least we're given a cute rendition of Lusia with a dragon on the cover.

Artwork: At first, Desert Coral's artwork didn't appeal to me at all. The characters are oftentimes disproportionate and ugly. Lusia is the only character that remains pretty no matter how she's draw. I had one little pet peeve as well; when the characters close their eyes when they're smiling, their closed eyelids are shown as one quick pen swipe, sans eyelashes. This really bothered me. Lusia obviously has eyelashes, but they disappear when she smiles.

Characters: Even though I wasn't too fond of the artwork, the characters are still well fleshed out. It's easy to distinguish between everyone and I was never once confused. Varying personalities make this a compelling read.

Story: This has to be one of the most intriguing storylines I've read in a long time. Naoto Saki is a seemingly ordinary high school boy. The only thing is though, he falls alseep no matter where he is! It could be in class, on a subway, or even just in his room, but this kid sleeps like it's his job!

But then again, you would too if your dreams transported you to another world.

For as long as he could remember, Naoto's dreams were filled with adventures in an alternate world called Orgos and with a beautiful girl named Lusia. Naoto had always been just an observer though, until Lusia decided she needed to summon a monster in a fight, and somehow managed to pull Naoto into her world.

Now Naoto is caught up in Lusia's battle with the Elphis, the desert people, and finds out that he can experience both real pain and danger in his dream world.

If you've ever wondered if that dream you had last night seemed just a little too real, then you'll find this story to be as intriguing and entertaining as I did.

Overall: 4.25 out of 5

Rating:
Summary: Average Tale of an Average Boy-Or is IT
Review: I used to read a lot of comic books but this is my first serious foray into Manga. I have been a fan of anime over the years but not of the written form until recently.

This is a fairly simple fantasy plot and is fairly easy to follow. There aren't too many characters and sub plots to confuse you but enough of a story to get you questioning. Is the main character dreaming? Which world is he dreaming?

I will be interested to see what the series brings. A good selction for anyone who enjoys standard fantasy stories.