The stories jump around the timeline of events in Halo, so you can read about first contact with the Covenant as well as to one that takes place after events in Halo 3. You also get to learn about some characters and storyline such has what happens when Cortana is held by Gravemind at the end of Halo 2 to what may have happened to Preston Cole. There are some stories that fall a little short of what I would have hoped they’d be, but all in all it’s a great collection.

To me I felt that “The Mona Lisa” by Jeff VanderMeer and Tessa Kum and “The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole” by Eric Nylund were my two favorite stories out of the bunch. “The Mona Lisa” tells the tale of some Marines sent to check out a derelict ship and wind up being picked off one by one by the Flood, and even though it seems like a space zombie story it does add in some interesting elements to how the Flood operate, as well as some great moments which I don’t want to spoil.

But the story in “The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole” we can learn more about Preston Cole whom we don’t really see much of even though he is an important character. Nylund also took the interesting approach of telling this tale through the correspondence between two people: “Surgeon” and “Usual Suspects.” We get to learn more about the man and speculate on whether he is alive or dead. The way in which it is written kept me engaged as well.

All in all the book is a must have for any lore fans of the Halo universe. Not only are the stories engaging but it also fills in some gaps that were empty. The stories of the marines, and even a lone Sangheili, really draw you into the universe and make you think more about events on both sides of the fence. I really hope that they plan to release another short story collection as I think it’s  a great avenue to get in depth with the people and races in Halo.

Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian is written by Frank O’Connor and animated by ONE. It’s based on O’Connor’s “Halo: Evolutions” short story. The story is about bravery and sacrifice in even the darkest depths of space. I don’t want to spoil too much, but for all you hardcore Halo fans out there, you should really check this out. The style is really cool, since it looks just like a comic book except for some motion and action (hence it being a motion comic). I’m pretty much hanging onto my controller waiting for the last part to come out. It’s a pretty simple story, but the way it’s done just has a way of drawing a watcher in and make them want more.

There will be four parts to this series. The first one was released on January 16th. The second one was on January 23th, the third on January 30th, and the final part will be released on February 6th. So for everyone that’s waiting to see it from the beginning, be sure to browse the archives, but for those who are waiting, as I am, for the last part… just a few more days!

ALL MY DARLING DAUGHTERS is the story of Yukiko, a businesswoman in her 30′s who still lives at home with her mother Mari. Their living situation suddenly changes when Yukiko announces she is getting married to her boy friend – an ex-host and aspiring actor, who is younger than Yukiko. Worried that her husband-to-be might fleece Mari, Yukiko decides to move in with her boyfriend.

Leyla Aker, Editorial Manager, VIZ Media

“ALL MY DARLING DAUGHTERS is a collection of five short stories that weave a complex tapestry exploring the important emotional relationships in women’s lives,” says Leyla. “Fumi Yoshinaga is known for creating richly developed characters and multi-layered stories that transcend genre. We look forward to bringing this new Signature title to Yoshinaga fans.”

ALL MY DARLING DAUGHTERS is the work of Fumi Yoshinaga, who some of you would know as the author of (my favourite) “ANTIQUE BAKERY” or more recently as the author of “ÔOKU”. The single-volume manga will be published under the VIZ Signature imprint, be rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and is expected to cost $12.99US or $16.99 CAN. And the release date? – January 19th, 2010.

As always, visit www.viz.com for more info!

(Image: All My Darling Daughters – Aisubeki Musumetachi © Fumi Yoshinaga 2003 /HAKUSENSHA, Inc.)

Truly one of the most enjoyable horror short story collections I have read in years, Otsuichi puts together fascinating tales of death that will horrify and shock you, yet you won’t be able to put the book down.

Beginning with the title story in which a young man receives a photograph of his missing girlfriend, I read through the stories in succession. After the third story I realized that death would play a major role in each of the tales I would encounter. Some are gruesome and bloody stories of murders based on pure hatred or psychosis, while others come from the eyes of innocent children.

One of the shorts, Song of the Sunny Spot, stands out from the others as the only story of death that is not as horrifying as the others. As the last man on earth getting ready to die, all he wants is a companion to take care of him and bury him, and so he builds an android. The nameless robot begins to evolve into more than what is expected of it and tries to understand what death is.

My other favourite stories are Kazari and Yoko, a tale of twin sisters, and SO-Far, in which a young boy tries to mend a broken home and becomes traumatized from the experience.

There was not one story that I did not read or find uninteresting. Not even the shortest story, a two page long tale of a child playing in a sandbox.

Zoo is a must-have collection for fans of the macabre.

Find more Haikasoru titles on the official website

Buy Zoo from our RightStuf Store

*Review product was provided by Viz, and does not affect the outcome of this review.*

Artwork Copyright Viz Media

VIZ Media are helping us get there by bringing out plenty of Shojo manga ideas for our bewildered loved ones to choose from. So I hope you have room on your wishlist – this could get ugly otherwise!

If you’re a fan of Arina Tanemura then you’ll probably be after THE ART OF GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † – a collection of lavish drawings and designs from the hit series. There is a new manga title out by the name of BEAST MASTER, as well as the most recent volume of VAMPIRE KNIGHT, and the VIZBIG omnibus editions of FUSHIGI YUGI and HOT GIMMICK.

Gonzalo Ferreyra, Vice President Sales & Marketing, VIZ Media:

“Shojo manga fans have much to look forward to during this year’s holiday season, with a variety of selections that make wonderful gift ideas to suit any budget,” says Gonzalo. “Many of these series have dramatically expanded the core Shojo audience, receiving universal renown and acclaim. From VAMPIRE KNIGHT, which has become a national bestseller, to the launch of the wild new manga, BEAST MASTER, and gorgeous new omnibus editions of other shojo favorites, bookstore shelves have never been stocked with so much must-read Shojo manga!!”

Each of the VIZBIG editions are composed of 3 volumes from the original series, and are sized at 5-3/4 x 8-5/8 (as compared to the usual size of 5 x 7-1/2). They are loaded with extra goodies which includes new cover art, bonus colour pages, author interviews, updated text and character art!

Here is your list (with story synopsis for reference):

BEAST Master Vol. 1

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN – Available November 3rd

Leo Aoi looks like a crazy animal with wild eyes – and no one at his new high school will go near him! He does seem to have a special connection with animals, which intrigues overzealous animal lover, Yuiko Kubozuka. In reality, Leo isn’t nearly as frightening as he appears, but Yuiko finds out that he goes berserk whenever he sees blood! Will Yuiko be able to get through to Leo during one of these violent fits? Or will his ferocious side eventually devour her? The debut volume also includes a special bonus short story called FLY.

VAMPIRE KNIGHT Vol. 8

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $9.99 US / $12.99 CAN – Available Now!

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorms, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret – the Night Class is composed of vampires!

In Volume 8, after trying to recall her past, Yuki’s hallucinations become more vivid and she tries to strangle Zero during a fit of temporary madness. Locked in her room, all she can see is a world dyed in blood, but things will become really dangerous when the vampire Kaname comes for her and tells her it’s time to wake up and sinks his fangs into her neck!

THE ART OF GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † (pictured, top right)

$19.99 US / $27.00 CAN – Available November 17th

Renowned manga artist Arina Tanemura exemplifies the shojo style with this collection of highly stylized artwork presented with a swirl of billowing ribbons, romance and heartbreak. The glossy illustrated edition features designs for all the major characters from THE GENTLEMEN’S ALLIANCE † and includes exclusive art for the North American edition and a full color double-sided, fold-out poster.

HOT GIMMICK VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 3

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $17.99 US / $24.00 CAN – Available December 15th

Miki Aihara turned the manga world upside down with her salacious, outrageous, and funny hit series which concludes in this final VIZBIG omnibus edition. If you think being a teenager in America is hard, wait until you read HOT GIMMICK These Tokyo boys and girls are really messed up!

FUSHIGI YUGI VIZBIG Edition, Vol. 4

Rated ‘T+’ For Older Teens – $17.99 US / $24.00 CAN – Available December 15th

Fifteen-year-old Miaka Yuki is transported back to an ancient Chinese kingdom by an old library book called The Universe of the Four Gods. Following the legend of the book, Miaka becomes the Priestess of Suzaku and must find her seven Celestial Warriors before she can save the kingdom and return home. In the latest VIZBIG volume, with one of the Celestial Warriors lost forever, Miaka and her men are more desperate than ever to obtain the two Shentso-Paos in order to summon Suzaku. But once Miaka has one in her grasp, it’s stolen away by the Seiryu Warrior Nakago. Miaka goes to Nakago to get it back, but he assaults her. Believing she is no longer worthy of becoming Tamahome’s bride, Miaka flees on her own, only to be saved by a man whom she initially thought was her enemy. Meanwhile, Tamahome falls under the Seiryu Warrior Tomo’s power of illusions.

If you would like more information on these (or any other) titles, be sure to visit www.viz.com.

© Makoto Shinkai / CoMix Wave Films

Release Date: 19/08/2009
Languages: ENGLISH, JAPANESE
Genre: Anime, Drama, Romance
Subtitles: ENGLISH subtitles
Runtime: 63.0 mins
Format: DVD, Region 2 & 4 (PAL)
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Widescreen Full Height Anamorphic

5 centimetres per second. That’s how far and fast one cherry blossom falls. If you think that is a lovely and romantic idea, then that is what you’ve got in store for you should you watch “5 Centimetres Per Second”.

Rather than a movie, “5 Centimetres Per Second” is a collection of 3 short stories. The first story introduces us to Tono Takaki, who you could say is the main character as he is in all 3 stories.

When he was younger, a girl joined his class at school and they quickly became friends. Takaki and his new friend Shinohara Akari became the subject of teasing by their classmates because they were so close. One day, after many years of friendship, Akari had to tell Takaki she was moving. 6 months after the move, Takaki received his first letter from Akari.

They wrote to each other for a while, the Takaki decided to plan a trip to see Akari. He took the train, and not long after its departure it began to snow. What should have been a 2 hour trip turned into about 5 hours. Every stop ended up with a 10 minute delay, and at one point the train stopped in the middle of nowhere – sitting there for 2 hours. Every delay made Takaki worry more, because he knew Akari was waiting for him and it was getting late.

Finally he got to his destination. Walking into the train station, he found Akari sleeping in her seat near a heat stove. He woke her, and they had some food and drink before being moved on by the station master who was closing for the night. They walked through the snow and eventually paused under a large cherry tree that Akari had mentioned in her letters. They shared their first kiss there, and decided to spend the rest of the night in a nearby shack. The next morning Takaki went home again with Akari waving and watching from the station.

The second story shows Takaki in a new school, as he had to move too. He texts someone on his phone a lot, and it’s safe to assume that someone would be be Akari. He develops a casual friendship with another girl (named Kanae) in his class, who has a big crush on him. She likes sports, and her older sister taught her how to surf. Her sister is also a teacher at the school. They accompany each other home after school, as Kanae’s place is along the same route as Takaki’s.

Kanae one day works up the courage to admit her feelings to Takaki, but when it appears a though she may have missed meeting up with him after school to make the trip home, she gives up and leaves on her own. On the way she sees Takaki’s scooter sitting on the side on the road, so she stops to go looking for him. She finds him sitting on a hill, texting that all-important person yet again. They go home after a while, and Kanae spends her night crying having realised that Takaki is in love with someone else.

The third and final story shows us an all grown up Akari and her parents, whom she is assuring that she’ll be alright. They are waiting for a train which Akari is taking to what I assume is Tokyo. She is also sporting an engagement ring, and appears to be very happy (as you would be). However, it does not seem as though Takaki is the reason for this. We see him walking around the city alone, appearing to be somewhat depressed. He enters his apartment (where it’s clear that he is the only person staying there), settles down and receives a text from an unknown lady saying they love him. Akari is seen walking happily from the train station on the arm of an unknown man.

The tag line for this venture is “a chain of short stories about their distance” and I see how. Takaki and Akari meet, become friends, get separated, rekindle their friendship which turns into love, and over time they grow apart. It’s a lovely reminder to us that even if we had similar circumstances in our lives such as those in the story, things may or may not work as we would hope. But we can still appreciate what we have, enjoy the beauty of every day life that surrounds us, and take joy in the fact that there is someone who loves us even if we don’t see it.

“5 Centimetres Per Second” is a beautiful set of stories, with animation and life reminders that are just as beautiful. It would be the perfect addition to your collection if you enjoy love stories of any proportion.

Perhaps you’d like to buy it from our Amazon store?

Review product was provided by Madman Entertainment, and does not affect the outcome of this review.

“There are so many interesting and exciting playgrounds that are spawning from every HALO offering,” says Eric Raab, Tor editor. “This is a great chance to watch writers have some fun with these areas and expand on some of the unexplored mythos and characters, while at the same time creating new ones as well. Think of the short story collection as a new litter of Halo stories, each excitingly unique.”

Halo: Evolutions is set to be released in November 2009 along with an unabridged audio book.

The writing style varies with each author and this in turn keeps the book refreshing and making you want to come back for more. The characters in most of the stories are well developed, and it does make you care to a degree about their welfare in the fight against the unknown, or in one case a crazy ex girlfriend. Some of the monsters we have seen before (like the giant bugs or a massive sea serpent) but each of the authors manages to work a new story around them that makes the monsters just as intimidating and scary.

These are graphic stories, and definitely not for the faint of heart. I admittedly had to stop midway through a couple of stories involving giant bugs since I really do not like bugs, and giant ones are even worse. And there was at least one story that had me laughing out loud, even though the implications of what was going on was pretty unsettling. All in all this is a great book for those who love the horror genre and want to take a break from vampires and zombies and sit back to read about some good monsters.

You can find Monstrous on Permuted Press’ bookstore here.

Season of Rot looks to be a promising collection of short stories for those needing to sate their appetite for new zombie tales.  Full list of stories and synopsis below:

Season of Rot: Safe from the walking dead that rule the streets, a band of survivors holes up in a hospital. When their supplies run low, they must either migrate or trust a stranger who promises them salvation-except the stranger isn’t who he seems to be, and neither are the dead.

The Queen: To escape a plague that has turned most of mankind into ravenous cannibals, a crew of survivors takes refuge at sea. But supplies only last so long, and the crew must face their enemies on land in order to keep themselves alive and afloat.

The Wave: When a wave of mysterious energy from outer space washes over the earth, electronic devices fail worldwide and communications break down. Worse still, the energy alters human brain waves and turns billions of people into bloodthirsty animals. Only a small pocket of humanity is immune, but their only chance of survival may also be their grave.

Dead West: The Civil War is over. The Confederacy is gone. But in the West, a new threat is rising. Accompanied by a regiment of inexperienced soldiers, a journalist ventures into the frontlines of a war against the walking dead, and the truth he finds there is far more frightening than any living corpse.

Rats: Rats are everywhere and can get into anything. And now they are swarming mankind. Those bit rise again as undead pawns in the rodents’ onslaught, and no place is safe-no place except one. The problem is getting there before the rats’ next attack.