Shounen Manga Book Club discussion

+Anima is one of the series we are reading for March. We are discussing the first four volumes as a group.

The +Anima are beings who possess animal-like powers. In this alternate universe, they walk among us--shunned by society--as they search for others who have similar traits.

Cooro is a crow-like boy who is on a quest to find other +Anima. When he meets Husky, a disrespectful boy with a past shrouded in mystery, he finds a kindred spirit who also possesses animal-like powers. Together, they try to gain acceptance in a world cruel to anyone or anything that is different...

Discuss +Anima here!

I just finished the first volume yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Cooro is adorable. And it's hard to resist half-animal people: for me anyway.

I really like the storytelling so far. Each chapter has been it's own concise, singular story, but they still all connect to the overarching plot. Not that the plot is exactly complex in the first place.

Kristen wrote: "I just finished the first volume yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Cooro is adorable. And it's hard to resist half-animal people: for me anyway.

I really like the storytelling so far. Each chapter..."

The plots get a little more complicated and expansive as you get into later volumes. Early on they do one shot stories probably to introduce the characters before jumping into the bigger stories.

I'm planning to reread this once I get the first volume in from the library.

Selena wrote: "The plots get a little more complicated and expansive as you get into later volumes. Early on they do one shot stories probably to introduce the characters before jumping into the bigger stories."

I figured that. I actually liked the way it was like little individual stories, though. It felt like it would have been really easy to pick up if you had been reading it chapter by chapter and had missed one. You weren't really missing to much and it wasn't overly complicated.

I have the next two volumes from the library, so I need to start reading so I can see where it goes from here :)

I just finished the first volume as well. It's very simplistic, but I enjoyed it. At a few points things seemed to come out of nowhere with no explanation, like Delly hating +Anima and then not hating Nana for no apparent reason, or Husky hating girls with no explanation. These were relatively minor complaints though, and I plan on continuing the series. The TokyoPop label scares me though. Every time I see an manga published by them, I'm hesitant to start it because I'm afraid I won't be able to complete it. I hate not finishing series I read past the first volume.

I like Cooro. He's good-natured with a bit of a mischievous streak and, like you said, Kristen, he's absolutely adorably.

I remember the cover for vol 1 catching my eye forever ago but never tried it. It's a cute, light read. First vol was amusing and I can definitely see myself continuing.

Serene wrote: "I just finished the first volume as well. It's very simplistic, but I enjoyed it. At a few points things seemed to come out of nowhere with no explanation, like Delly hating +Anima and then not hat..."

It was a little weird that they never explained why Husky didn't like girls. I thought there was going to be a little flash back or maybe just a little (i can't talk to girls" or something, but it never came. Perhaps it will come up in volume two.

Yeah. I'm kind of expecting that to be some sort of major plot point in the future with an extended flashback, but it could be something quick they're just holding off on.

With the amount they were harping on Husky's dislike and Husky dressing as a female mermaid, etc I spent half the first volume thinking Cooro was going to turn out to be a girl.

That's the thing about manga and anime: you can never really be sure that the character is as they appear. Incredibly pretty, wears dresses and hits on every man character? That's a boy. Has short hair, plays sports, and is taller than everyone else? That one's a girl. It's kinda nice, yet frustrating at the same time.

Yeah. It can be really interesting and add to the story sometimes, it can be overdone and unfunny, or it can be entirely unintentional and just cause confusion.

Serene wrote: "Every time I see an manga published by them, I'm hesitant to start it because I'm afraid I won't be able to complete it. I hate not finishing series I read past the first volume."

This series was finished in English, so no worries there. My worries are more for poor translating...

As for Husky hating women, if I remember correctly they address that later... I think. It's been a while.

Read two more volumes. There's an interesting interlude in the second where the author shows three chapters worth of an earlier iteration of the "Anima characters and ideas. The final form is much better, but it's still interesting to see the first attempt of the concept.

The main comic portions continue to be light and fun. Cooro is a fantastic main character. So easy to like and cheer for.

Selena wrote: "This series was finished in English, so no worries there. My worries are more for poor translating..."

That's certainly my largest concern, but out of print volumes also worry me. In particular, my library is very spotty on older manga (they rarely have all of the volumes of any manga 5 years old). They only have the first two volumes of +Anima, so I'll have to special order the rest. That isn't a big deal, but it does take a lot longer for me to get the books.

"As for Husky hating women, if I remember correctly they address that later... I think. It's been a while. "

Glad to hear that.

I read volume two. I'm not as impressed with it as I was with the first. I don't particularly like Nana. I find her rather annoying and she pretty much never uses her powers, despite being extremely useful. The single adventure per chapter format that I liked so much in the first volume didn't work as well for me in the second. In volume one, each chapter introduced you to a new character and a new cool +Anima power. Now all of the +Anima seem to be revealed and the four main characters are fighting for screen time. It's too much to pack into a single chapter. I think some plotlines that spanned two or more chapters would add some variety. It would also be neat if they did something similar to Sailor Moon in that characters could each have a story that's about them and using their powers. Highlighting their strengths and whatnot.

It's still really cute, I just think that it could use some improvements. I still have one more volume on my nightstand waiting to be read, so we'll see if anything gets better over time.

Finished the series. It takes a while, but the plot definitely picks up in the second half. The author gets better at the pacing of the shorter "adventure of the week" chapters and they were fun, but the longer arcs are definitely stronger.

As I whole I loved +Anima. And Cooro has quickly become one of my favorite characters ever.