[BOOK REVIEW] Rin-ne Volume 5 by Rumiko Takahashi

Title:  Rin-ne Volume 5


Author:  Rumiko Takahashi


Genre: Horror / Adventure / Comedy / School


Year Published: 2009


Year Read: 2015


Series: Rin-ne #5


Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 10+  (Some Language)


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

 

After reading the fourth volume of Rumiko Takahashi’s new series “Rin-Ne” and being introduced to Rinne’s deadbeat father Sabato Rokudo, I was truly interested in learning more about Sabato and his turbulent relationship with Rinne.  Now, we have a new love interest in this volume named Ageha, who also happens to be a Shinigami girl who might give Rinne a run for his money in terms of competing with him in taking the souls back to the afterlife!

After defeating his father in the last volume, Rinne then meets up with a mysterious Shinigami girl named Ageha, who is out for vengeance against the president of the Damashigami Company, who she claims had kidnapped her sister years ago.  Little does Ageha know, Rinne happens to be the son of the president of the Damashigami Company and Rinne decides to withhold this secret from Ageha.  Not only that, but it turns out that Ageha has feelings for Rinne, but Rinne is still trying to sort out his feelings for Sakura Mamiya.

Will Rinne choose either Ageha or Sakura and will Ageha find out about Rinne’s terrible secret regarding his father?

Read this volume to find out!

 

Now, the moment that a new love interest was introduced in this volume, I knew that Rumiko Takahashi’s signature style in having many suitors for the main characters was going to show up in this series!  I loved the fact that we are introduced to a female Shinigami in this volume as it makes things even more interesting for Rinne and Sakura.  It was great seeing another Shinigami in this universe besides Rinne and now it seems that we are about to have a major story arc unfold in this universe that involves the evil Damashigami Company and everyone’s efforts to bring the company down.  I also loved the way that Rumiko Takahashi focused more on Rinne and Sakura’s relationship in this volume as their relationship with each other seems a bit different than what we normally seen in Rumiko Takahashi’s works as they are not constantly at each other’s throats as we usually see them trying to sort out their feelings for each other and trying to see how their relationship will go in the future (in other words, as far as I could see, this is probably the most mature relationship shown in Rumiko Takahashi’s works so far).   Rumiko Takahashi’s artwork is just as impressive as in the previous volumes as the characters look both cute and impressive and I really enjoy the fight scenes between Rinne and the citizens of the afterlife as they are truly stylized and exciting to see!

For anyone who does not like language in a manga, there is some language in this volume such as the use of the “d” word, although it is not as bad as some of the more mature manga.

Overall, “Rin-Ne Volume Five” is a fantastic volume for anyone who is interested in Rumiko Takahashi’s “Rin-Ne” series and I definitely cannot wait to check out the rest of this series in the near future!

[BOOK REVIEW] Rin-ne Volume 4 by Rumiko Takahashi

Title:  Rin-ne Volume 4


Author:  Rumiko Takahashi


Genre: Horror / Adventure / Comedy / School


Year Published: 2009


Year Read: 2015


Series: Rin-ne #4


Publisher: VIZ Media


Source:  Library


Content Rating:  Ages 10+ (Some Language)


Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

After reading the first three volumes of Rumiko Takahashi’s newest series “Rin-Ne,” I was wondering what major plot twist would happen in the later volumes that would help get this series off on its feet.  Then, I read the fourth volume of “Rin-Ne,” which actually introduced a character who might change the events of the “Rin-Ne” universe forever!

 Uh oh!  Poor Rinne ends up catching a cold from Rokumon and is bedridden!  Not only that, but a mysterious stranger pays Rinne a house call and it turns out to be Rinne’s sleazy father Sabato Rokudo, who is the president of the evil Damashigami Company!  Now that Sabato had caused Rinne to be in a massive debt, Rinne will have to defeat him in the afterlife!

Will Rinne be able to defeat his father?

Read this volume to find out!

Now, when I mentioned that this volume might change the direction of the series, I never would have thought that Rinne’s father would be introduced so early in the series!  Rumiko Takahashi did a fantastic job at throwing a curveball at the audience as not only is Rinne’s father introduced so early on in the series, but the fact that Sabato is actually the president of the evil Damashigami Company, implying that Rinne’s father is actually evil, was really shocking to me!  I was also surprised to see that it was Sabato who caused Rinne to be in so much financial debt in the first place and now I am interested to see where Rinne’s relationship with his father will go in future volumes and whether or not it would lead to them reconciling with each other or killing each other, if the series goes in a darker direction.  I will admit that having Rinne’s father introduced as the president of the Damashigami Company without any foreshadowing in the previous volumes was a bit odd for me as I would have liked it better if they had established the Damashigami as a threat prior to this volume, but at the same time, it sort of worked out for me because this event came out of nowhere and really made the twist worthwhile!  Rumiko Takahashi’s artwork is as usual a treat to look at as the images of the Damashigamis in the afterlife were extremely creative to look at and there is one surprise image of a large panda who attends Rinne’s (supposed) inauguration in the Damashigami Company that would leave a smile on faces of anyone who is a fan of “Ranma ½!”

For those of you who are not fond of reading manga that has language in it, this volume does have some language that the previous volumes did not have before, even though the language in this volume is not as strong as some darker manga.  Also, I did have a bit of a problem with how Rinne’s father was introduced in this volume as being the president of the evil Damashigami Company.  I kind of wished that they would have developed the Damashigami as a much bigger threat in the earlier volumes so that way, it would make the revelation about Rinne’s father being the president of this company even more shocking.  Or maybe they could have dropped some hints about Rinne’s father and what he was like in the past volumes just so when the volume that introduces him actually comes, the mystery surrounding Rinne’s father would be solved in an exciting and shocking way.

Overall, “Rin-Ne Volume Four” is a fantastic volume that introduces even more mysteries to the world of “Rin-Ne” and what it would mean for the characters in the future volumes!

  

  

Top Ten Tuesday #15: Top 10 Books I Would Love to See as Movies/TV Shows

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

So today’s Top Ten Tuesday theme is my top 10 Books I would love to see as movies/TV shows!


So, here's my top 10 books I would love to see as movies/TV shows (in no particular order).

1. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

I've always loved the tight-knit friendship between the main characters and the fact that the setting of this book is in Australia.  So, I would definitely love to see a movie based on this book where we are actually shown the beauty of Australia through live action!



2. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I just loved the magical universe that Karou lives in and I would love to see such creatures like the chimera and the angels make it on the big screen!

3. The Fool and the Flying Ship by Eric Metaxas

This is the one story from the Rabbit Ears series that I really wanted to get its own TV series since it has so much potential for many story lines for the characters and the character designs and the humor would really appeal to a wide audience!

4. The Sandman Series by Neil Gaiman

I have really enjoyed reading Neil Gaiman's comic book series "The Sandman" and even though I have heard rumors that there might be a movie franchise coming out soon, I would love to see Dream make his debut on the big screen!

5. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

Even though we need to get "Saving Francesca" on the big screen first since it is the first book in Melina Marchetta's "Saving Francesca" series, I would love it even more if we get "The Piper's Son" on the big screen since I really enjoyed Thomas' story and it would be awesome to see who would play Thomas on the big screen!

6. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Another fantastic book from Neil Gaiman that I would love to see get it's own movie, especially since the world that Shadow lives in is so exciting and intense and I would love to see how all the creatures in this book like the various gods, are being made onto the big screen.

7. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Another book that is apart of a series, I would definitely love to see Lola and Cricket make it on the big screen since I loved their chemistry in the book and it would be so awesome to see that relationship appear in the movie!

8. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Who wouldn't want to see a steampunk version of Cinderella on the big screen and from the looks of some of the fan photos I've seen from this book, I am definitely hyped up for a movie version of this book!

9. Blue-Eyed Devil by Lisa Kleypas

Probably my favorite book so far from Lisa Kleypas' "Travises" series and Haven and Hardy would be the perfect couple to incorporate onto the big screen!

10. Kiss An Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Oh my gosh!  Who wouldn't want to see a Russian male protagonist doing various stunts in the circus while pursing an innocent young woman who wants to show him the true meaning of love on the big screen?

So, what books do you want to see as a movie or a TV series? Please feel free to comment below!

Posted on Tuesday, June 2, 2015