Friday morning roundup

Literary analysis of Train Man? Not quite, but Stephanie Folse looks at all three in her Tokyopop column to compare the way different artists handle the same story.

Shaenon Garrity treats us to another overlooked manga festival, this one about Sexy Voice and Robo.

ComiPress translates an interview with manga-ka Nariko Enomoto, creator of Sentiment no Kisetsu, a manga about the real lives of schoolgirls.

One blog that I really enjoy, although I seldom link to it, is One Potato Two, by Satsuma, a Japanese translator. Satsuma is currently working on vol. 3 of Innocent W, which is that rare manga about which I have absolutely nothing good to say. (My short take: It’s the manga equivalent of a splatter movie.) Satsuma’s posts have given me a bit more insight, though, and today’s post recommends some other work by Kei Kusunoki that look kind of interesting. Of course, they are in Japanese… Anyway, Satsuma’s blog is a good daily read if you’re curious about the translation process and what the near future holds, manga-wise.

Reviews: Kethylia enjoys Kingdom Hearts, despite poor production values and lackluster subplots. At Active Anime, Holly Ellingwood looks at vol. 20 of Please Save My Earth, a series that is almost complete. Anime on DVD’s Julie Rosato reviews Lovely Sick, a DramaQueen title. Dave Ferraro of Comics-and-more has good things to say about Ode to Kirihito. Mangamaniaccafe severely pans Because I’m A Boy. If you’ve been wondering about Strawberry Marshmallow, Okazu has reviews of vol. 1 (by guest reviewer Sean Gaffney) and vol. 2 (by resident blogger Erica Friedman). At Slightly Biased Manga, Connie has posted a flurry of reviews of Boogiepop Doesn’t Laugh, Hanakimi, and DN Angel.