Cirque du Freak, Volume 3

Title:  Cirque du Freak: Tunnels of Blood

Volume:  3 of ??

Author: Darren Shan
Illustrator: Takahiro Arai
Type: Manga

Publisher: Yen Press

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen - LV

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is for language and violence only.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

A “T” rating indicates that there may be content within that some parents or guardians may consider inappropriate for children under the age of 13; LV = Language and Violence

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I only noticed one curse word in this volume - dammit - but it's possible I missed a few in scanning.

Violence/Gore
 - References are made to bodies with slit throats being drained of blood, but nothing is shown
 - Images depicting a vampire war; blood is shown
 - A close up of a human skull with decaying flesh still on the bones is seen
 - During a battle between two vampires, one shoves his hand into the chest of the other, lots of blood is shown

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - One of the minor characters is a very voluptuous woman who is often seen in a revealing outfit
 - A boy and girl share two very chaste kisses 

 
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San Francisco Book Review

Cirque du Freak, Volume 2

Title:  Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Volume:  2 of ??

Author: Darren Shan
Illustrator: Takahiro Arai
Type: Manga

Publisher: Yen Press

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen - LV

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is for language and violence only.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

A “T” rating indicates that there may be content within that some parents or guardians may consider inappropriate for children under the age of 13; LV = Language and Violence

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I could not find any language in this volume; that doesn't mean it wasn't there, just that it was too mild for me to notice.  Let's assume that there might have been a "hell" or "damn" that escaped me.

Violence/Gore
 - A vampire cuts a man's leg in order to drink from him; some blood is shown
 - A character does something to the legs of another character; it's not clear what happens, but the boy is knocked to the ground and some spattered blood is shown
 - A boy is shown being bitten in the neck by a spider
 - A boy dreams of being force-fed blood from a still-beating heart
 - A boy is attacked by a man with a club
 - A boy digs his (very sharp) fingernails into a man's arm, blood is shown spurting out and dripping down the arm
 - A man has his arms bitten off by a wolf-man; this is an incredibly graphic scene with lots of visible blood, flesh and bone
 - Two boys are attacked by a wolf-man; one of them is scratched across the arm, the other is caught and eaten; again, this is a fairly graphic scene and there is some blood
 - A young vampire cuts a boy's neck and drinks heavily from his blood

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - One of the minor characters is a very voluptuous woman who is often seen in a revealing outfit

 
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Tiamat's Manga Reviews

Cirque du Freak, Volume 1

Title:  Cirque du Freak

Volume:  1 of ??

Author: Darren Shan
Illustrator: Takahiro Arai
Type: Manga

Publisher: Yen Press

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen - LV

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

The best spot would probably be in your Young Adult collection.

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Possibly, it depends on your community

High School - This should do just fine in a high school setting; the rating is for language and violence only.
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

A “T” rating indicates that there may be content within that some parents or guardians may consider inappropriate for children under the age of 13; LV = Language and Violence

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - I only noticed one curse word in this volume - hell - but it's possible I missed a few in scanning.

Violence/Gore
 - A very big spider sinks it's fangs into the neck of a goat, a little blood spatter is shown
 - A very big spider sinks it's fangs into the neck of a boy, blood is shown dribbling down
 - Streams of blood are shown dribbling down the hands of a boy and a man as the boy is being made into a vampire
 - A boy gets a bloody knee and another boy proceeds to lick at it; blood is shown dribbling from his mouth
 - A character is thrown out of a window and killed
 - A character attempts to drive a stake through another's chest, but can't go through with it, a little blood is shown

Non-sexual Nudity
 - One of the male characters is shown soaking in the bath
 - A young girl is shown sitting on the edge of a bath tub in only a bath towel

 
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About.com
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School Library Journal

It Takes a Wizard - Overall Imperssions

First a quick apology for the "down time" between posts.  Spring Break is very hectic for me both at work and at home, so I didn't have as much time to work on my blog as I would have liked.

Anyway, moving along to my impressions of the OEL, It Takes a Wizard.  I actually dreamed about this manga last night...I don't know if it was because I was feeling guilty for putting off my mini-review or if it was something else, but thanks to this manga I had the first nightmare I've had in almost six months.  Yeah...it creeped me out that much.

So...that being said, here's a quick, succinct look at how I feel about this story.  In my opinion there was far too much gore and not enough story.  Now, I'll admit I'm not a big fan of graphic violence, in fact I find that images of it (either real of fake) tend to affect me deeply...even when it's the "bad guys."  However, I'm inclined to overlook such violence in a story...when there actually IS a story.  It Takes a Wizard has what I would consider to be the beginnings of a good story...but it promises and then doesn't really deliver. Yes - it has a beginning, middle, and an end, but when it was over the story somehow felt lacking.  I think it's possible that what I was really wanting was more character development.  You've got this huge, almost 500+ page book and yet the characters don't really grow or change, they just follow along the track that's been laid out for them without ever doing anything unique or unexpected.  That disappointed me.

The art, however, was much less of a disappointment.  It had a flowing, sort of sketchy style that really appealed to me.  The characters were excellently rendered and attention to detail was made on both ends of the spectrum, with creatures that were either disturbingly creepy or adorably cute.  The humans were nicely done, as well; everyone had a different look and feel which made some parts of the story easier to follow.  

In the end,  I'm not sure how willing I am to recommend this book for a library setting.  While there are probably a few libraries out there who will find this title fits their collection's needs, most will have better ways of spending their money.  Something else to remember is the size - this almost 500+ page paperback book is not much bigger than a trade paperback.  Make sure to ask yourself how long it's likely to last in your collection before you're frantically trying to tape and paste in loose pages to make your money go further.

After School Nightmare - Overall Impressions

When I ordered these books I did it for only two reasons - the artwork was absolutely gorgeous and I got a REALLY good deal for buying the whole series at once.  And now, as I sit here typing this, having read all 10 volumes, I can safely say that this is one of the most bizarre series I've ever read...and it's not just because the main character is a hermaphrodite with serious gender issues.

As I finished each volume and then went online to find reviews for my blog, I was honestly surprised by all of the positive feedback.  I was trying not to get spoilers, but I was also truly curious about what it was others saw in this story because I just wasn't seeing it.  Yes, the artwork was delicate, and flowing, and everything a good shojo series should have...but was this REALLY a shojo series at all?  There were elements of fantasy, horror, romance, etc. - it's like the story itself couldn't decide what it wanted to be, just like the main character couldn't decide which gender to accept.  Confusion abounded, but I kept reading because the mystery had captured my interest - then at about the 4th or 5th volume I figured it out...and kept reading to confirm my suspicions (and to finish things up for my blog.)

In addition to the convoluted plot, I also found myself disliking the main character, who did nothing but whine, complain, and blame others for almost all 10 volumes.  That got old fast and even the other characters couldn't save the story from my downward spiraling opinion.  All in all - despite the unusual twist of an ending (that you may or may not see coming), I just didn't like what After School Nightmare had to offer.

Regardless, there are still plenty of teens that I think would relate to, and enjoy this series.  So, if the story sounds like it might fill an empty/lacking niche in your library, why not give it a try?

It Takes A Wizard

Title:  It Takes a Wizard

Volume:  1 of 1

Author: Thomas R. Hart
Illustrator: Sean Lam
Type: Ameri-Manga, OEL

Publisher: Seven Seas

Genres:  Horror, Fantasy, Action/Adventure

Age Rating: Teen

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your community, but definitely YA or Adult 

School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly; there's only some very subtle sexuality, the rest of the 16+ rating is for some fairly graphic violence
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

I could not find detailed rating descriptions.  However, on MacMillan's website this title is rated 16 and up.

Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It pales in comparison to the violence, but there is some mild cursing (ex. God, damn, hell, etc.)

Violence/Gore
 - There's so much in this story that listing it all here would take up several pages, so I'll do my best to summarize; basically horrific fantasy creatures take over Manhattan, so you've got trolls, harpies, goblins, etc. all over the place and all of them enjoy killing and eating humans.  There are many graphic depictions of this throughout the almost 500 page book.  In addition, you've got the humans fighting the monsters, so there's lots of monster blood & gore, too. Some random examples include the following: a man being torn in half with entrails oozing out, a man being decapitated, human heads put on pikes, a man's head being crushed and his eyeballs popping out of his skull, limbs being torn from bodies, and various creatures feasting on masses of entrails and other assorted human parts.

Non-sexual Nudity
 - There's one instance in which a female character is lounging nude and then changes into some clothes, however all of the "important bits" are always covered by her hair
 - I'm not sure if this really counts, but I'm adding it just in case; there are several depictions of obviously female monsters with no visible clothes, just patterns and scales that give the vague appearance of clothes

 
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Podcast Directory
Bella Online 
Good Reads

After School Nightmare, Volume 10

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  10 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A dog is shown biting someone and tearing out someone else's throat; blood is shown
 - A dog is attacked/strangled by a shadow creature
 - A character's chest is cut open with a sword and bloody birds fly out
 - A woman is giving birth prematurely and blood is shown seeping from her pants

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character is seen in bed with another male character after the fact.  It's obvious what they were doing, but nothing graphic is shown
 - The main character observes another couple obviously in the middle of sex, but all that's seen is their discreetly covered upper bodies
 - The main character has sex more than once with the male love interest; nothing graphic is shown, but it's obvious what they're doing
 
Reviews
Graphic Novel Reporter
Heart of Manga
Manga Life 
Manga Maniac Cafe

After School Nightmare, Volume 9

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  9 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A character has his leg chopped off and then he's run through by a sword; blood is shown
 - A character is sliced across the chest by a sword; blood is shown
 - A lion bites into the neck of a character and slashes him across the chest; blood is shown
 - A character shoves his hand into the chest of another character and eventually pulls out a bloody key
 - A character forcibly strangles/drowns another character

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character accepts his feminine nature and confesses his feelings to a male classmate
 - The main character and the male love interest share several kisses
 - Incest is seen; a brother and sister kiss and share an intimate embrace while unclothed (although nothing graphic is shown)
 
Reviews
Graphic Novel Reporter
Heart of Manga
Kuriousity  
Manga Maniac Cafe

After School Nightmare, Volume 8

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  8 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
- It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A parasite appears on a character's hand and another character cuts it off with a sword; blood is shown
 - Several characters are run through &/or sliced up by a sword; blood is shown

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character accepts his feminine nature and confesses his feelings to a male classmate
 - Several instances of the main character and the male love interest making out
 - Incest is implied but not shown
 
Reviews
Familiar Diversions 
Kuriousity  
Manga Maniac Cafe

After School Nightmare, Volume 7

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  7 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A face grows out of the back of one of the other characters
 - A character is chopped in half by a sword
 - Unidentifiable bodies are shown, all of them run through with umbrellas
 - Images of a husband beating his wife are shown
 - A character is bitten on the hand by a parasite living in his arm; blood is shown streaming from the parasite's mouth
 - A character is shown with blood running from her eyes and mouth

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character begins to experiment with the idea that he might be more feminine than masculine by dressing in girl's clothes
 - Incest is implied but not shown
 - Scattered sexual references throughout the volume
 
Reviews
Familiar Diversions 
Kuriousity  
Mania 
Manga Maniac Cafe

After School Nightmare, Volume 6

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  6 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A character is crushed to death by a giant hand and blood is seen streaming down afterwards
 - A character attacks and then stabs two swords through the chest of another character; spattered blood is shown
 - A character's hand is torn off at the wrist; blood and ripping skin/muscles are visible

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 
Reviews
Familiar Diversions
Manga Maniac Cafe 
Mania
Pop Culture Shock 

After School Nightmare, Volume 5

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  5 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A character is sliced to pieces by a multi-bladed device
 - A character has a huge hole shot through his chest, but no blood is seen
 - A chamber filled with spikes, blood spatter, and bloody hand prints is seen
 - Another blood-spattered wall is shown
 - A character sets off a trap which causes a spiked block to crash down on top of her; nothing graphic is shown except for blood pooling out from underneath the triggered device
 - A blood-covered key is shown in several panels
 - A character is doused in oil and set on fire
 - Unidentifiable bodies are shown, all of them run through with umbrellas

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character, who asserts himself as a guy, is almost raped by another male character, who gives up halfway through
 - Incest between a brother and sister is implied; they are seen in bed together, one on top of the other, unclothed from the waist up, but nothing graphic is seen
 - The main character has sex with his girlfriend; nothing graphic is shown, but it's obvious what they're doing
 
Reviews
Graphic Novel Reporter
Heart of Manga
Kuriousity 
Mania 

After School Nightmare, Volume 4

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  4 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - One of the characters uses some sort of telekinetic power to attack another character, slicing them again and again; blood is shown
 - Lots of spattered blood when one of the characters is attacked by a long-armed creature
 - A character has tree limbs that shoot out of her body; a little blood is shown

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character, who asserts himself as a guy, allows himself to be kissed and touched multiple times by another male character
 
Reviews
Graphic Novel Reporter
Heart of Manga
Manga Maniac Cafe
Mania 

After School Nightmare, Volume 3

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  3 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - One of the characters attacks a long-armed creature, beating it repeatedly; blood is seen flying around and spattered on the ground
 - A character is stabbed in the back my multiple sharp-tipped umbrellas
 - Two characters struggle and one pushes another out into "dead space"
 - The walls drip briefly with blood
 - A giraffe is attacked with a sword, no blood is seen

Sexuality/Sexual Themes

 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - The main character, who asserts himself as a guy, allows himself to be kissed by another male character
 
Reviews
Graphic Novel Reporter
Heart of Manga
Manga Maniac Cafe 
Mania 

After School Nightmare, Volume 2

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  2 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - It's possible there was use of language in this volume, but it was scattered enough to be unnoticeable

Violence/Gore
 - A character is stabbed through the back with a sword
 - A character thrusts their hand (up the the wrist) into another character's fresh wound and rummages around before finally pulling out a bloody key
 - A character attempts suicide by jumping off a building, but is unsuccessful
 - A character is attacked by lots of long little arms and he proceeds to hack them to pieces
 - A character sinks down into a pool of blood and drowns

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - It may bother some that the main character is being romantically sought after by both a guy and a girl
 - Suggested incest between a brother and sister; sex is referenced and we see them kiss on the lips
 
Reviews
Graphic Novel Reporter
Heart of Manga
Manga Maniac Cafe 
Panel Patter

After School Nightmare, Volume 1

Title:  After School Nightmare

Volume:  1 of 10

Author: Setona Mizushiro
Type: Manga

Publisher: goComi!

Genres:  Drama, Horror, Fantasy, Gender Bender, Romance

Age Rating: Older Teen, Age 16+

Public Libraries - Location Suggestion

This probably depends on your library and where you feel comfortable putting it.  I believe this title would work very well in a YA collection.  However, due to some of the issues the characters deal with, if your community is a bit more conservative the best place to put it would probably be in Adult.
 
School Libraries - Location Suggestion

Elementary - Not recommended

Jr. High/Middle School - Not recommended

High School - Possibly, be aware of your community
 
According to the Publisher - What the Age Rating Means

Mild Language, Moderate Violence, Mature Situations
 
Parental Eyebrow Raisers 
Language
 - The use of the words "bastard" and "hell" as generic curse words

Violence/Gore
 - A character is run through multiple times with a VERY sharp-tipped umbrella; blood is seen
 - A character is seen multiple time walking around with two large, bloody holes in her body, one through the head and the other through her upper chest
 - Images of a husband beating his wife are shown
 - The main character has begun to menstruate - drops of blood are shown (in full color) at the beginning of the story
 - A character is strangled by a creature made up of nothing but VERY long arms

Sexuality/Sexual Themes
 - The main character, Mashiro, is a hermaphrodite; male on top and female on bottom
 - Mashiro has begun to menstruate when the volume begins
 - Mashiro walks in on two other characters having sex; both are completely clothed, but it's very obvious what is going on
 - It's implied that a 5 year old has been raped, but nothing is graphically shown
 - One character cuts the clothes off of another with a sword; full nudity is implied, but all the viewer actually sees is a bare, male chest
 - A forced kiss between Mashiro and another male character
 - There's an attempted rape, but it doesn't get very far; the characters involved stay fully clothed
 - Scattered sexual references throughout the volume
 
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