Kingdom Hearts II Volume 1

The second installment of the popular Kingdom Hearts video game series makes its way into print as a manga adaptation. Readers follow Roxas, an energetic young boy enjoying his last days of summer vacation, as he struggles to understand the mysterious dreams of a boy named Sora and the appearance of a group of monsters whom fans will recognize as reminiscent of the “heartless” of the first Kingdom Hearts. Together with his friends Hayner, Olette and Pence, Roxas soaks up the last precious moments of summer, while forces of good and evil conspire to disrupt these peaceful, lazy days. Amano faithfully translates this popular and complicated video game into a manga. The adaptation is very well done, effectively blending battle sequences and in-game fights into elements of a bigger story. New readers will be able to follow along without any complications or knowledge of the first Kingdom Hearts, although the existing fanbase may be put off or bored by the literal translation of game to manga. (July)