Baby and me 4-6badtzphotoDecember 8 2008, 00:42:24 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
from viz website: Vol 4: Takuya and Minoru attend a summer festival with their friends, pursue a fairy-tale quest that brings up treasured memories of their mother, and befriend a lonely old man with a kind heart. With a little help from their dad, the two boys are learning the meaning of family, even if their family is a little different from their friends'. This volume also includes a surprising 30-page bonus story, "Hands Off My Secret Boy"! Vol 5: Seiichi, the old neighborhood bully, has moved back to town, and his sudden arrival is causing all sorts of trouble. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kimura, are torn between feeling angry for the way he disgraced the family name and the love they still have for him. The local merchants are up in arms, ready for a preemptive strike against Seiichi's vandalism--even if he has no intention of causing trouble! But for Takuya, the real effect of Seiichi's visit is what he has to say about Takuya's own past... Vol 6: When a new student, Hikage, joins the class, Takuya tries to befriend him. But Hikage is suspicious of Takuya's motives and begins a campaign to destroy Takuya's happiness. When Takuya seems to weather the assault, Hikage gets his little brother to attack Takuya's weak spot--Minoru!
Some points: - vol 4: Minoru's dream of adventure rescuing a fairy. A touching story about an old man who's moving to a nursing home (?). - vol 5: Seiichi, a new character was introduced and Takuya's mother's aunt stopped by ... - vol 6: both brothers had to deal with bullied. Minoru was more pitiful. It was hard for me to see both brothers having a hard time. I can't help but dislike Hikage even though I could see that he was that way because he had some issues to deal with so he took out on other kids and even order his brother to do so. Things were resolved at the end of the volume ...
Bottom line, I have another 3 volumes on my toberead stack.
Baby and me 7-9badtzphotoDecember 19 2008, 21:27:02 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
from viz media website: Vol 7: Ichika and Ma-bo run away from their crowded home...but it's not long before the peace and quiet of Takuya's house get on their nerves! At the office, Takuya's father juggles a computer crisis, a stressed-out coworker, and a gang of lackadaisical office ladies. On a school trip to Kyoto, Takuya tries to figure out girls...while Minoru figures out how to survive without his big brother. And Takuya meets a down-on-his-luck manga artist, only to make an enemy of the artist's son! Vol 8: Meet Mr. Mukai, the enigmatic director of the Sunflower Nursery School. Some people admire his teary-eyed devotion to children of all ages. Other people think he's just weird. And everybody wants to know what he looks like without his ever-present sunglasses. When the preschoolers in Minoru's class turn against Mr. Mukai, he becomes obsessed with winning back their hearts. And when Takuya gets involved, he becomes Mr. Mukai's new favorite kid--whether he likes it or not! Vol 9: When Takuya's friend Hitoshi finds a strange woman's photo in his father's cookbook, he panics. Could his ultra-feminine dad really be having an affair? But Hitoshi's problems are just beginning, as an innocently dropped handkerchief leads him to a gang of bank robbers, a secret code, and more. Before they know it, Takuya and his friends have been kidnapped, and it's up to Hitoshi's dad--with a little help from Minoru--to save the day!
Some points: - These 3 volumes read like multiple of one-shot slice-of-life stories regarding the Enoki family and their neighbors, friends, and co-workers. They are enjoyable read mostly happily resolved - no cliff hanger.
Bottom line, I'll wait until #12 comes out in Feb 09 to get the next 3 volumes.
Baby and me 10badtzphotoNovember 10 2009, 07:12:44 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website Takuya's neighbors Seiichi and Tomoko are on the outs, thanks to Seiichi's weakness for gambling. But with Seiichi unavailable, Tomoko can dig up only one date for her big class reunion: Takuya! Worse, at the reunion, the whole class learns Seiichi's most embarrassing secret. Can Seiichi and Tomoko patch things up this time, or will reliving old school days turn the adults into bickering kids?
Some points: - this book has Takuya and his family took backseat. - Story about the daycare director, Seiichi's and Tomoko's argument and Tomoko's class reunion, Takuya's classmate is sick.
Bottom line, this series is cute with small doses.
Baby and me 11badtzphotoNovember 11 2009, 16:19:41 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website Takuya's class defends its honor in an intramural baseball game that gets a little too intense. Then it's off to beautiful Hawaii, where Takuya's dad tries to keep his staff together during a company vacation--while Takuya and Minoru help a pair of American kids with much more serious problems. Finally, Sunflower Nursery School No. 1 faces off against Sunflower Nursery School No. 2 in...baby sumo wrestling!
Some points: - first 2 chapters are about the baseball game between class 1 and class 2 - hilarious. The kids are so funny. - Who's stronger? Men or women? - another hilarious chapter. - Hawaiian trip. - Sumo wresting competition between 2 daycares run by 2 brothers. - Minoru pouts ^^
Bottom line, I think this is the funniest book in the series.
Baby and me 12badtzphotoNovember 12 2009, 19:02:18 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website There's only one thing Ichika wants for her birthday (besides Minoru's undying love), and that's the royal treatment! At her birthday party, family and friends are forced to bow to the precocious toddler's whims...until Ichika goes a little too far. Then Takuya runs into a familiar face--and a group of gangsters--at a racetrack. And Takuya grows closer to a gruff new teacher when he's given the assignment of keeping a daily journal...
Some points: - Ichika's family's interactions. - The loan shark guy (from vol 6 or 9) is back. - A substitute teacher with a dark past.
Bottom line, another good volume. I'm glad I stick with this series.
Baby and me 13-14badtzphotoNovember 17 2009, 17:39:31 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website Vol 13: How did Takuya's family get started? In this special flashback volume, meet Takuya's father, Harumi, in his days as a hardworking college student and womanizing bachelor. Struggling to make it in Tokyo without his parents' help, Harumi doesn't plan to settle down anytime soon...until a troubled girl named Yukako drifts into his life... Vol 14: chika's mature for a toddler--unnervingly so. But even the most precocious kids are still kids, and even Ichika sometimes wets the bed. With an ingenious cover-up and her little brother as an accomplice, maybe she won't have to admit it! Then Minoru gets his own kid-size car...and a kid-size case of road rage! And Takuya and his friends help a young woman crumbling under the pressures of new motherhood...
Some points: - I'd say vol 13 is the best of the series. It's Takuya's parents' story. It's quite good and moving. I was shocked to know about Harumi's past. - I like Harumi's friend Yuki. I hope he makes a comeback by the end of the series. He seems to be a grounded person and a good friend. - vol 14, back to kiddie side characters. It's a good read.
Bottom line, I'm glad I pick up this series again.
Baby and me 15-16badtzphotoNovember 27 2009, 06:30:13 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website Vol 15: Everyone's an art critic. First Takuya's brainy friend Hitoshi reveals his secret passion for drawing stories about space heroes, only to get into a feud with Fujii over the artistic direction of the project. Then Minoru takes his favorite picture book a little too seriously and becomes convinced that a wolf is breaking into his house. And Takuya helps his friend Hirose's manga-artist dad get over a serious case of creative block--and patch things up with Hirose in the process. Vol 16: Takuya and his friends share a beach house over summer vacation and run afoul of Moriguchi's foxy grandma, who loves checking out the hot young studs at the beach...and hates looking after kids. But when Minoru and his fellow toddlers get lost in the woods, it's grandma to the rescue! Then Takuya looks after a neighbor's talking parakeet, much to the delight of Minoru. What happens when Minoru gives into the temptation to let their guest out of his cage just once?
Some points: - Takuya snaps. - The wolf and the sheep story. - Swimming lesson for Minoru, and Hiro, and Ichika, and Masaki ^^ I can't believe these kids were able to nap near the swimming pool. Isn't the floor cold? - The gang met Moriguchi's grandmother ^^ - Bye bye birdie. - Mr. Kanno is back. I like him. - 2 more vols to go.
Bottom line, even though these are side characters' stories. I enjoy them very much.
Baby and me 17badtzphotoDecember 26 2009, 18:20:55 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website At the annual school festival Takuya and his friends deal with girls, bullies, the geeks from the Audio-Visual Club...and a whole passel of lost toddlers. Then Takuya's dad, sleeping off a few too many after-work drinks, has a very strange dream. And an overprotective parent threatens to destroy the Sunflower Nursery School with her demands for absolute safety!
Some points: - Takuya's dad had a hangover and many good dreams. - Tomoya's turn to shine :) I laughed and laughed reading this chapter. - Troubles at nursery school. - Marathon at Takuya's school.
Bottom line, only 1 more volume to go. I seems to enjoy the stories about side characters too much :)
Baby and me 18badtzphotoFebruary 5 2010, 19:27:33 UTC
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website Sometimes raising a baby is enough to make any overworked junior-high boy lose his patience. But when tragedy strikes, Takuya gets a painful reminder of just how much he's learned to love Minoru. In the two boys' darkest hour, with all of their friends and neighbors gathered to support them, can the bonds of brotherhood prevail? Don't miss the emotional final volume of Baby & Me!
Some points: - Takuya is clueless :) - Fuji is cool. Gon is also cool. - Lots of fun stories in this last volume. It's open-ended as expected, but some loose ends were tied at the end. - At the end, a new chapter is open for the family. - In-laws conflicts of neighbors. - Yay, I got my wish, Yuki is back :)
Bottom line, it's a feel-good series, reading about a life of a family and its members and everyone around it. One fell, one pick oneself up or someone will pick one up and help one to march on.
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
from viz website:
Vol 4: Takuya and Minoru attend a summer festival with their friends, pursue a fairy-tale quest that brings up treasured memories of their mother, and befriend a lonely old man with a kind heart. With a little help from their dad, the two boys are learning the meaning of family, even if their family is a little different from their friends'.
This volume also includes a surprising 30-page bonus story, "Hands Off My Secret Boy"!
Vol 5: Seiichi, the old neighborhood bully, has moved back to town, and his sudden arrival is causing all sorts of trouble. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Kimura, are torn between feeling angry for the way he disgraced the family name and the love they still have for him. The local merchants are up in arms, ready for a preemptive strike against Seiichi's vandalism--even if he has no intention of causing trouble! But for Takuya, the real effect of Seiichi's visit is what he has to say about Takuya's own past...
Vol 6: When a new student, Hikage, joins the class, Takuya tries to befriend him. But Hikage is suspicious of Takuya's motives and begins a campaign to destroy Takuya's happiness. When Takuya seems to weather the assault, Hikage gets his little brother to attack Takuya's weak spot--Minoru!
Some points:
- vol 4: Minoru's dream of adventure rescuing a fairy. A touching story about an old man who's moving to a nursing home (?).
- vol 5: Seiichi, a new character was introduced and Takuya's mother's aunt stopped by ...
- vol 6: both brothers had to deal with bullied. Minoru was more pitiful. It was hard for me to see both brothers having a hard time. I can't help but dislike Hikage even though I could see that he was that way because he had some issues to deal with so he took out on other kids and even order his brother to do so. Things were resolved at the end of the volume ...
Bottom line, I have another 3 volumes on my toberead stack.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
from viz media website:
Vol 7: Ichika and Ma-bo run away from their crowded home...but it's not long before the peace and quiet of Takuya's house get on their nerves! At the office, Takuya's father juggles a computer crisis, a stressed-out coworker, and a gang of lackadaisical office ladies. On a school trip to Kyoto, Takuya tries to figure out girls...while Minoru figures out how to survive without his big brother. And Takuya meets a down-on-his-luck manga artist, only to make an enemy of the artist's son!
Vol 8: Meet Mr. Mukai, the enigmatic director of the Sunflower Nursery School. Some people admire his teary-eyed devotion to children of all ages. Other people think he's just weird. And everybody wants to know what he looks like without his ever-present sunglasses. When the preschoolers in Minoru's class turn against Mr. Mukai, he becomes obsessed with winning back their hearts. And when Takuya gets involved, he becomes Mr. Mukai's new favorite kid--whether he likes it or not!
Vol 9: When Takuya's friend Hitoshi finds a strange woman's photo in his father's cookbook, he panics. Could his ultra-feminine dad really be having an affair? But Hitoshi's problems are just beginning, as an innocently dropped handkerchief leads him to a gang of bank robbers, a secret code, and more. Before they know it, Takuya and his friends have been kidnapped, and it's up to Hitoshi's dad--with a little help from Minoru--to save the day!
Some points:
- These 3 volumes read like multiple of one-shot slice-of-life stories regarding the Enoki family and their neighbors, friends, and co-workers. They are enjoyable read mostly happily resolved - no cliff hanger.
Bottom line, I'll wait until #12 comes out in Feb 09 to get the next 3 volumes.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
Takuya's neighbors Seiichi and Tomoko are on the outs, thanks to Seiichi's weakness for gambling. But with Seiichi unavailable, Tomoko can dig up only one date for her big class reunion: Takuya! Worse, at the reunion, the whole class learns Seiichi's most embarrassing secret. Can Seiichi and Tomoko patch things up this time, or will reliving old school days turn the adults into bickering kids?
Some points:
- this book has Takuya and his family took backseat.
- Story about the daycare director, Seiichi's and Tomoko's argument and Tomoko's class reunion, Takuya's classmate is sick.
Bottom line, this series is cute with small doses.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
Takuya's class defends its honor in an intramural baseball game that gets a little too intense. Then it's off to beautiful Hawaii, where Takuya's dad tries to keep his staff together during a company vacation--while Takuya and Minoru help a pair of American kids with much more serious problems. Finally, Sunflower Nursery School No. 1 faces off against Sunflower Nursery School No. 2 in...baby sumo wrestling!
Some points:
- first 2 chapters are about the baseball game between class 1 and class 2 - hilarious. The kids are so funny.
- Who's stronger? Men or women? - another hilarious chapter.
- Hawaiian trip.
- Sumo wresting competition between 2 daycares run by 2 brothers.
- Minoru pouts ^^
Bottom line, I think this is the funniest book in the series.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
There's only one thing Ichika wants for her birthday (besides Minoru's undying love), and that's the royal treatment! At her birthday party, family and friends are forced to bow to the precocious toddler's whims...until Ichika goes a little too far. Then Takuya runs into a familiar face--and a group of gangsters--at a racetrack. And Takuya grows closer to a gruff new teacher when he's given the assignment of keeping a daily journal...
Some points:
- Ichika's family's interactions.
- The loan shark guy (from vol 6 or 9) is back.
- A substitute teacher with a dark past.
Bottom line, another good volume. I'm glad I stick with this series.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
Vol 13: How did Takuya's family get started? In this special flashback volume, meet Takuya's father, Harumi, in his days as a hardworking college student and womanizing bachelor. Struggling to make it in Tokyo without his parents' help, Harumi doesn't plan to settle down anytime soon...until a troubled girl named Yukako drifts into his life...
Vol 14: chika's mature for a toddler--unnervingly so. But even the most precocious kids are still kids, and even Ichika sometimes wets the bed. With an ingenious cover-up and her little brother as an accomplice, maybe she won't have to admit it! Then Minoru gets his own kid-size car...and a kid-size case of road rage! And Takuya and his friends help a young woman crumbling under the pressures of new motherhood...
Some points:
- I'd say vol 13 is the best of the series. It's Takuya's parents' story. It's quite good and moving. I was shocked to know about Harumi's past.
- I like Harumi's friend Yuki. I hope he makes a comeback by the end of the series. He seems to be a grounded person and a good friend.
- vol 14, back to kiddie side characters. It's a good read.
Bottom line, I'm glad I pick up this series again.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
Vol 15: Everyone's an art critic. First Takuya's brainy friend Hitoshi reveals his secret passion for drawing stories about space heroes, only to get into a feud with Fujii over the artistic direction of the project. Then Minoru takes his favorite picture book a little too seriously and becomes convinced that a wolf is breaking into his house. And Takuya helps his friend Hirose's manga-artist dad get over a serious case of creative block--and patch things up with Hirose in the process.
Vol 16: Takuya and his friends share a beach house over summer vacation and run afoul of Moriguchi's foxy grandma, who loves checking out the hot young studs at the beach...and hates looking after kids. But when Minoru and his fellow toddlers get lost in the woods, it's grandma to the rescue! Then Takuya looks after a neighbor's talking parakeet, much to the delight of Minoru. What happens when Minoru gives into the temptation to let their guest out of his cage just once?
Some points:
- Takuya snaps.
- The wolf and the sheep story.
- Swimming lesson for Minoru, and Hiro, and Ichika, and Masaki ^^ I can't believe these kids were able to nap near the swimming pool. Isn't the floor cold?
- The gang met Moriguchi's grandmother ^^
- Bye bye birdie.
- Mr. Kanno is back. I like him.
- 2 more vols to go.
Bottom line, even though these are side characters' stories. I enjoy them very much.
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
At the annual school festival Takuya and his friends deal with girls, bullies, the geeks from the Audio-Visual Club...and a whole passel of lost toddlers. Then Takuya's dad, sleeping off a few too many after-work drinks, has a very strange dream. And an overprotective parent threatens to destroy the Sunflower Nursery School with her demands for absolute safety!
Some points:
- Takuya's dad had a hangover and many good dreams.
- Tomoya's turn to shine :) I laughed and laughed reading this chapter.
- Troubles at nursery school.
- Marathon at Takuya's school.
Bottom line, only 1 more volume to go. I seems to enjoy the stories about side characters too much :)
Reply
Written and illustrated by Marimo Ragawa
From Viz website
Sometimes raising a baby is enough to make any overworked junior-high boy lose his patience. But when tragedy strikes, Takuya gets a painful reminder of just how much he's learned to love Minoru. In the two boys' darkest hour, with all of their friends and neighbors gathered to support them, can the bonds of brotherhood prevail? Don't miss the emotional final volume of Baby & Me!
Some points:
- Takuya is clueless :)
- Fuji is cool. Gon is also cool.
- Lots of fun stories in this last volume. It's open-ended as expected, but some loose ends were tied at the end.
- At the end, a new chapter is open for the family.
- In-laws conflicts of neighbors.
- Yay, I got my wish, Yuki is back :)
Bottom line, it's a feel-good series, reading about a life of a family and its members and everyone around it. One fell, one pick oneself up or someone will pick one up and help one to march on.
Reply
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