Zatch Bell! by Makoto Raiku Vol. 1 - 5
Zatch Bell!, 1
Rating: (4/5)
(US) Out of Print
2005, VIZ Media, 192 pgs
Age: (13+)
"Kiyo is a brilliant junior high student whose inflated ego (and tendency to blow the grading curve) has made him a major target for teasing at school. So his father sends him a bizarre birthday present - a strange little boy named Zatch Bell - to help him make friends and reform his bad attitude. Zatch brings with him a mysterious red volume of spells, and Kiyo discovers that Zatch has magic powers that are unleashed by reading from the book! But there are more surprises to come, and Kiyo's destiny is about to change forever!"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
I found the first five volumes of this series, which I had never heard of before, at my library so decided my son and I would give it a go. We both really enjoyed the first volume. Humor is used to great effect in both the text and the typical old-style manga over dramatic illustrations of emotion. This is a good first volume in that it both serves up a good beginning plot and introduces us well to the two main characters. It zips along at a fast pace with action moving the story along rapidly. While starting off mysteriously, not knowing who Zatch is or what the red book means, by the end we have quite a satisfactory explanation and our characters are set for their mission and the plot of the series to continue. Zatch is adorable, very cute to look at, he has a cute naive personality with a huge violent anger streak when he feels dishonoured. Kiyo starts off arrogant but even by the end of the first volume we are seeing his character change already. Zatch has already battled two other kids like himself and the book ends in the middle of another such battle but with a bit of a scary twist that makes reading volume two a priority.
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Zatch Bell!, 2
Rating: 4/5
(US) - Out of Print
2005, VIZ Media, 192 pgs
Age: (13+)
"For his 14th birthday, Kiyomaro received a bizarre present from his father - a strange little boy named Zatch Bell. Zatch's mission is to reform Kiyo's bad attitude and help him make friends, but Kiyo soon discovers that there's more to Zatch than his dad ever realized. Zatch is a creature called a mamodo, and he has magic powers that are unleashed when Kiyo reads from a mysterious red book. With Kiyo's help, Zatch must compete against the 99 other imps like him who are vying to become the king of the mamodo world! As the battles with the other mamodo intensify, Kiyo's loyalty to Zatch is put to the test. And what will happen when the red book is stolen?"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
Oh, VIZ Media bring this series to digital please! It should not be out of print! The second volume and I was practically in tears by the end. Wow! What an emotional story. Everything is explained, we know why Zatch is there, he has battled several other mamodos now because they are after him. I'm loving the characters and the humour! So much fun. The best part of this volume is the story of Kolulu. Awesome battle and such a touching end. I can't wait to read the next volume!
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Zatch Bell!, 3
Rating: (4/5)
(US) - Out of Print
2005, VIZ Media, 200 pgs
Age: (13+)
"For his 14th birthday, Kiyo received a strange little boy named Zatch Bell as a bizarre gift from his father. Kiyo soon discovers that there's more to Zatch than his dad ever realized - Zatch is a mamodo child with magic powers that are unleashed by reading spells from a mysterious red book...and there are 99 other kids like Zatch who must fight one another to become the king of the mamodo world! Kiyo and Zatch are gradually mastering more spells from the red book as they continue to battle other mamodo and their human partners. And when his class goes on a special camping trip, will Kiyo turn out to be the world-class curry chef that Suzy claims?"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
I am thoroughly enjoying this early 2000s manga. This hearkens back to what I would call the Pokemon days of anime/manga though I've only ever watched that show when it originally aired with my now grown-up son LOL. This is far more in depth than Pokemon though. Yiko receives the third spell from the Red book and he and Zatch meet up and do battle with two more mamodos in this volume. Both these mamodos and/or their masters are different than the previous ones met so far. We have people with heart here and Zatch and Yiko do not want to hurt good-hearted ones who have been pulled into this battle to the death for the king of Zatch's world. We learn a little more background on the king situation and on Zatch's personal story. I'm wondering if we'll ever find out why he is the only mamodo with memory loss. Lots of fun with great battles and we're already seeing the return of previous characters. Yiko actually goes back to school and has some adventures in class with Suzy as well. Onwards to volume 4!
426. Zatch Bell! Vol. 4 by Makoto Raiku.
Zatch Bell!, 4
Rating: (4/5)
(US) - Out of Print
Dec. 13 2005, VIZ Media, 200 pgs
Age: (13+)
"A harrowing battle with a new foe results in a startling revelation that could offer more clues to Zatch's past! And when Kiyo goes to see a famous pop star in concert, things go horribly off-key when not one but two mamodo show up to tangle with Zatch and Kiyo!"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
The plot continues on as usual in this volume. Zatch battles a few more mamodo, in particular one who has an interesting revelation and another who may be as nice as Zatch. We also get to see a day in the life of Zatch and what he gets up to when he's by himself with Kiyo at school all day. Good battle scenes and the plot progresses nicely but no truly wow! moments. Still a solid book in the series. Wondering if Zatch may have found a kindred mamodo ...
431. Zatch Bell! Vol. 5 by Makoto Raiku.
Zatch Bell!, 5
Rating: (4/5)
(US) Out of Print
Feb. 6 2006, VIZ Media, 208 pgs
Age: (13+)
"While searching in England for the Zatch look-alike they've heard rumours about, Kiyo and Zatch learn that a mysterious bandit has kidnapped Kiyo's father...and their rescue attempt pits them against knights and mamodo!"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
Last volume ended with Kiyo discovering someone had been kidnapped and this volume contains his whole quest to rescue that person. A bit like a video game level where one enters the castle, defeats the various traps and then beats the boss. Pure action and lots of fun. Afterwards, they travel to where Zatch was originally found and he gets a tiny bit of his memory back and we gain a slightly better understanding of the sightings that have been reported of someone looking like Zatch. This story is keeping it's momentum and the new mamodo's are always fresh and exciting. Looking forward to the next volume and calling out to VIZ again to think about adding this series to their digital library. It deserves to be available!
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Zatch Bell!, 4
Rating: (4/5)
(US) - Out of Print
Dec. 13 2005, VIZ Media, 200 pgs
Age: (13+)
"A harrowing battle with a new foe results in a startling revelation that could offer more clues to Zatch's past! And when Kiyo goes to see a famous pop star in concert, things go horribly off-key when not one but two mamodo show up to tangle with Zatch and Kiyo!"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
The plot continues on as usual in this volume. Zatch battles a few more mamodo, in particular one who has an interesting revelation and another who may be as nice as Zatch. We also get to see a day in the life of Zatch and what he gets up to when he's by himself with Kiyo at school all day. Good battle scenes and the plot progresses nicely but no truly wow! moments. Still a solid book in the series. Wondering if Zatch may have found a kindred mamodo ...
**********
Zatch Bell!, 5
Rating: (4/5)
(US) Out of Print
Feb. 6 2006, VIZ Media, 208 pgs
Age: (13+)
"While searching in England for the Zatch look-alike they've heard rumours about, Kiyo and Zatch learn that a mysterious bandit has kidnapped Kiyo's father...and their rescue attempt pits them against knights and mamodo!"
Borrowed a copy from my public library.
Last volume ended with Kiyo discovering someone had been kidnapped and this volume contains his whole quest to rescue that person. A bit like a video game level where one enters the castle, defeats the various traps and then beats the boss. Pure action and lots of fun. Afterwards, they travel to where Zatch was originally found and he gets a tiny bit of his memory back and we gain a slightly better understanding of the sightings that have been reported of someone looking like Zatch. This story is keeping it's momentum and the new mamodo's are always fresh and exciting. Looking forward to the next volume and calling out to VIZ again to think about adding this series to their digital library. It deserves to be available!
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