Sang-Sun ParkCritiques

This manga sounds very interesting when the summary is read from the back cover - "Pamela, whose past has been veiled in darkness, journeys to Scotland to find the truth. . . .She finds herself trapped in a nightmare. . . ."

Pamela, an immortal, owns the Tarot Cafe. Her clients are often supernatural creatures. She has a host of friends and enemies and something (someone?) from 500 years ago seems to be haunting her. A dragon? An old boyfriend? A demon? (I have no idea.)

Unfortunately, other than Pamela, everyone looks alike. The drawings are pretty, but I can't tell who these people are. I have forgotten the plots of the previous volumes as it's been so long, but I remember having that trouble when I started with #1. I also can't tell who is saying what. I got to the point where I knew I would never figure it out so I just started looking at the pictures and reading the bubbles to get through it, all the while remaining clueless about what was going on.

This is one of the most confusing manga books I have read. I do like the commentaries on the tarot cards and what they mean. The last story about the old man, the tree, and the boy did make sense, but most of the book was shrouded in some sort of fog for me. There was an evil perfume lady. (At least, I think she was evil.)

I doubt I'll read #6 unless it falls in my lap from the sky.

This one I didn't really understand. Maybe because I skipped #3? I can't remember if I read #3 or not, actually.

quick enjoyable read, with creative and well planned artwork, that touch on familiar tarot decks for tarot readers. however for those unfamiliar there is small printed footnotes explaining certain highlighted cards through out.

Very very strange but impossible to stop reading. Finding out about Pamela's past bit by bit is very interesting.

Though in some ways this isn't a new concept (it reminds me a lot of xxxHolic), it is nicely done and the art is very good--way above average. The very first story is my favourite, probably because I love cats so much. It reminded me a lot of Oscar Wilde's story about a little bird who wanted so badly to help a young boy get the red rose his harsh idol demanded that he

*Spoilers!*




gives his life, singing as a rose thorn pierces his chest and his blood colours the white rose red. Hey, I never said it was a cheerful story.

At least the ending to this story is slightly happier than that one.




*End Spoilers*

The other stories are good as well. I must say, though, that the way the book ended was confusing. I couldn't figure out at first if I was supposed to be able to tell how everything turned out based on the wordless images on the last page, or if there was another part to the story in the next volume. I looked it up and sure enough, the rest of that last story is in Volume 2. Darn. It was also disconcerting to find that this manga was printed in the Western style--you read it right to left and front to back. My mind has gotten used to reading manga in its normal way and it took me a little bit to get my head wrapped around reading it like a regular comic.

Pamela reads tarot cards for supernatural creatures. We get the creature/person's history, the cards that Pamela reads (with explanations of their meanings in itty bitty print--this could have been bigger) and the outcome of their story. The stories are all pretty moving and sad. I once again found myself wishing Tokyopop were still in existence.

Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the second volume as Tokyopop has gone out of business. Some of the beginning of getting to know Pamela and the introduction of a new character happened in volume 2 so it took me a second to rethink the structure of the book. In this volume we get some of Pamela's history both with previous clients and personal history. Pamela is very interesting and the clients she see's all have great stories. I was totally curious about where the interpersonal stuff with the dragons was going.

Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the second volume as Tokyopop has gone out of business. Some of the beginning of getting to know Pamela and the introduction of a new character happened in volume 2 so it took me a second to rethink the structure of the book. In this volume we get some of Pamela's history both with previous clients and personal history. Pamela is very interesting and the clients she see's all have great stories. I was totally curious about where the interpersonal stuff with the dragons was going.

Pamela reads tarot cards for supernatural creatures. We get the creature/person's history, the cards that Pamela reads (with explanations of their meanings in itty bitty print--this could have been bigger) and the outcome of their story. The stories are all pretty moving and sad. I once again found myself wishing Tokyopop were still in existence.

Pamela reads tarot cards for supernatural creatures. We get the creature/person's history, the cards that Pamela reads (with explanations of their meanings in itty bitty print--this could have been bigger) and the outcome of their story. The stories are all pretty moving and sad. I once again found myself wishing Tokyopop were still in existence.

Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the second volume as Tokyopop has gone out of business. Some of the beginning of getting to know Pamela and the introduction of a new character happened in volume 2 so it took me a second to rethink the structure of the book. In this volume we get some of Pamela's history both with previous clients and personal history. Pamela is very interesting and the clients she see's all have great stories. I was totally curious about where the interpersonal stuff with the dragons was going.

Pamela reads tarot cards for supernatural creatures. We get the creature/person's history, the cards that Pamela reads (with explanations of their meanings in itty bitty print--this could have been bigger) and the outcome of their story. The stories are all pretty moving and sad. I once again found myself wishing Tokyopop were still in existence.

Unfortunately I couldn't get my hands on the second volume as Tokyopop has gone out of business. Some of the beginning of getting to know Pamela and the introduction of a new character happened in volume 2 so it took me a second to rethink the structure of the book. In this volume we get some of Pamela's history both with previous clients and personal history. Pamela is very interesting and the clients she see's all have great stories. I was totally curious about where the interpersonal stuff with the dragons was going.

Cute stories for a Manga but the artwork is what shines.

Pamela and Belus make sure that everything works out all right for the young singer who was going to have to pay for a magical contract with his life. Afterwards, Pamela lets her friends know that she's decided to take a trip to Scotland by herself. Belus and Ash are already not getting along well (they are both apparently attracted to Pamela, and she seems to be attracted to them both as well), but Belus is also suspicious that Ash has something bad planned for Pamela in Scotland. Belus and Ash both follow Pamela when she leaves for her trip. Pamela ends up following a mysterious man in a robe, who turns out to be Victor, the monk who tried to kill Ash and Pamela long ago.

Belus was right to be suspicious of Ash, as Ash's plan is now put into effect - Pamela gets exposed to a perfume that causes a person to fall into a dream, from which they cannot awaken, of their most painful memory of the past. Pamela dreams of the monk, of everything falling apart with Ash, and of Ash's apparent death. The person who made the perfume for Ash has plans of his own (I think this person is a guy, but I'm not sure...) - he needs the life-strength of an immortal being like Pamela to create a perfume that will restore his youth and beauty. He does manage to create a perfume, but Belus replaced one of the ingredients with poison, and the man dies. Belus wakes Pamela up in the only possible way, by letting her hurt him so that she can taste his heart's blood. Although things appear grim, when Belus next appears he's bandaged up and nearly good as new. In the last part of the volume, Pamela's store is visited by an old man who's trying to help his only friend, a young boy who is repeatedly abused by his father. The man, who is actually an old tree, gives up his trunk so that the boy can live and grow up to be a great and kind man.

It's been a while since I've read the earlier volumes in this series, so I had a little bit of a problem following what was going on and remembering who all the characters are - although there's a "story so far" page, it's incredibly unhelpful. The relationship between Pamela and Ash is particularly confusing to me. She loves him, or did love him at one point, but he wants to punish her for some reason. Perhaps he blames her for his supposed death so long ago? One scene from Pamela's past also seems to indicate that at one point Ash actually told Pamela that he could never love her - did she blank that memory out, or was she so in love with him that she couldn't believe he could possibly mean what he'd said?

Unlike Ash, Belus seems to genuinely like (maybe even love?) Pamela. He was certainly willing to risk dying in order to wake her up. I'm not sure how great his risk of death was, since I think he's nearly as difficult to kill as Pamela (who is immortal). Pamela still seems determined to believe that their relationship is entirely based on the contract that they have with each other, rather than any deeper feelings, but I wonder how long that's going to last.

The final part of the volume was a bit jarring, since it was such a sudden departure from the overarching storyline involving Pamela and her past, but it was still a sweet story. It was kind of cliched, though, and I'm sure I've seen stories like it before, where some ancient tree or something gives up its life for the human being it cares for.

As far as extras go, there's a several page long preview of the first volume of Sang-Sun Park's Ark Angels, in which a trio of sisters from the future try to rescue animals on the brink of extinction. In this preview, the girls are trying to save one of the last Guam Fruit Bats. It's a bit goofy, which, in my opinion, doesn't really fit Park's art style.

(Original review, with read-alikes and watch-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Alecto visits an old three-headed fortuneteller who reminds him of a promise he once overheard between Ash and Belial, the devil, and tells him various important secrets. Alecto tells Cora these secrets, secrets with include the knowledge that Cora is Pamela's mother, reborn in a new form. Elsewhere, Ash arranges a surprise meeting with Pamela and tells her about his relationship with Belus. Since he was a child, Ash saw Belus as something like a father figure, but one day Belus left him in order to go be with Pamela. That's why Ash hates Pamela. He tries to push her into a door to Hell, but Belus saves her, getting wounded in the process.

Cora finds Pamela and, just before she dies, tells her to find Alecto. Belus and Pamela track Alecto down, as does Ash. Alecto reveals some of what he's found out. It turns out that Ash isn't really Ash, but rather a gem - the real Ash is being kept at Belial's castle. A long time ago, Ash made a deal with Belial: Ash wanted to give up immortality for the ability to die, be reborn, and have an end. He said that, although he loves Pamela, he loves himself more. Before Alecto had even met Pamela, he'd also learned from the three-headed fortuneteller that it's his fate to have unrequited love for a human female and then disappear like dust. Alecto did his best to protect himself from that fate, but then Ash took in Pamela. Alecto eventually fell in love with Pamela and was jealous of the love between her and Ash.

Alecto begins coughing up blood, and Belial appears. Alecto turns into his dragon form and attacks Pamela, who is told by Belial that she must do what she can in order to stay alive if she wants Belus to continue living. With that motivation, Pamela tries to kill Alecto but fails. Belus appears to try to finish the job but is badly wounded. By the end of the volume, it's unclear whether he will continue to live, since Alecto had the power to kill immortals like Belus. Meanwhile, back at the Cafe, Nebiross comes back for Aaron.

I have to admit that this volume was massively confusing for me. Ash isn't Ash, Alecto loves Pamela and hates her too, Cora is Pamela's mom, and Belus may be dying. Actually, it doesn't sound too complicated when I put it like that, just... soap opera-ish. Even if the confusion turns some readers off, I imagine the high pretty-boy content will keep people reading anyway. This volume is just filled with images of Alecto. Are really gorgeous images of Alecto worth paying $9.99 for? I suppose that depends on who you ask. At any rate, the series is almost over, and the events of this volume may make more sense after the next and last volume.

As far as extras go, there's a preview of Park's Ark Angels vol. 2. Three sisters are sent back in time to rescue the last remaining Seychelles Elephant Turtle.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

This is the final volume of The Tarot Cafe. Nebiros offers to take Pamela to Hell to see Belial (she wants to do what she can for Belus, who is still badly hurt - Nebiros, on the other hand, has other motivations). Meanwhile, Belial instructs his people to treat Pamela with respect and kindness when she arrives. During her journey to see Belial, Pamela encounters many dangers and even a warning from her dead mother that she can't quite decipher. When the danger Pamela's in seems to be at its greatest, Belus miraculously swoops in to save her, and she and Belus finally admit their feelings for each other and have sex (and here I thought Park would just keep the tension between the two of them going forever).

Unfortunately, Pamela's world is turned upside down when Belus reveals that he is and has always been Belial. Not only that, Belial was the one behind everything that eventually resulted in Pamela's immortality - it enabled him to enjoy her for a longer period of time. If Pamela wants to die like a normal human, she has to kill Ash - the real Ash this time, not the fake one - to acquire the final gem for Belial. Belial has the real Ash right there, but Pamela can't bring herself to kill him. All of a sudden, all kinds of beings Pamela's helped over the years start appearing around Ash and repay their debts by helping Pamela get away from Pandemonium, Belial's home.

The story jumps forward 60 years, with Pamela still reading cards at the Tarot Cafe. Nebiros visits her and takes her to see Aaron, who is now an old bedridden man. Before he dies, Aaron gives Pamela some advice about forgiveness. Later, Nebiros tells Belial a few things he doesn't want to hear, namely that Belial's feelings for Pamela were less of a game than he thought they were. Belial isn't pining because he lost the necklace, but rather because he lost Pamela. After Belial gets over his anger a bit, he gives Pamela a visit and offers her a new contract, but she knows better - if he's lonely and needs a friend, that's what she wants him to say. The series ends with the two of them sitting companionably side-by-side at the cafe.

I have to say, I really liked this volume. Maybe I would've guessed Belus' true identity sooner if the gaps between my readings of the volumes hadn't been so great, but I'm glad I didn't really get a chance to guess sooner. Being shocked at his identity myself made me feel Pamela's shock and betrayal even more than I might otherwise have. The "we're all here for you and want to repay our debts" ending was a bit more fluffy than I expected, but I'm glad that the series didn't end with death and destruction - some people may find happy endings to be too Hollywood, but I like it when my entertainment doesn't make me depressed.

The 60-year jump into the future was a bit odd, but I thought it, too, was nice. Sixty years is enough time for everyone involved in the final showdown to have gotten a little emotional perspective - I'm not sure that Belial, especially, could've gone to Pamela the way he did in the last couple pages without 60 years to think about things. A part of me had expected Aaron to be as immortal as everyone else, so it was odd trying to see how his usual babyface had turned into the well-wrinkled face of an old man. I liked Aaron, but the way Park did his death, as a sad but natural thing, made it surprisingly painless, for me anyway - not sure how other readers felt about it. The little appearance by Ash seemed a little tacked on. He obviously doesn't remember Pamela, although something about her caught his attention and maybe stirred up a ghost of a memory. He's still as young as he was 60 years ago in Pandemonium - did Belial not release him for a few more decades, or does he not age? Maybe this is the next generation of reborn Ash, but that seems off to me, too.

Despite some of the really nasty things Belial has done to Pamela in the past, I'm glad that they at least decided to be friends by the end of the series. It's almost like Belial has a split personality - the nasty demon part of him that likes messing with people, and the nice, protective part of him that loves Pamela. Hopefully, he'll work at letting the nice part of himself dominate.

As far as extras go, there's excerpts from The Tarot Cafe: The Novel and Bizenghast: The Novel. I skimmed the excerpt from the Tarot Cafe novel - it looks like it's set before volume 7 of the manhwa, since Aaron is there, but it's possible that it could be set sometime during volume 7's 60-year time jump. I didn't read either excerpt in full because novels based on manga or manhwa, with few exceptions, don't generally interest me.

(Original review, with read-alikes, posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Sadly this is the final instalment in the Tarot Café series although there is a short novel I haven’t yet read. This follows Pamela exclusively as she travels into Hell to finally confront Belial in his castle Pandemonium. She takes such a risk to save Belus who is dying back in London and she wants to end her contract with Belial once and for all.

There are some old and new characters as she travels to the heart of Pandemonium including Harlequin (I seem to be reading lots of stories with Harlequin in them lately), Chiron and some of the characters she has helped with her readings. She travels through some of the levels of Hell including Diss to get to the final confrontation where there are a few more surprises in store for Pamela which change everything.

This was much more horror than fairy tale in contrast to come of the earlier collections. I felt the series could have had more instalments and the ending was a little rushed, but then again it’ always nice to find a shorter manga series and overall I really loved it. The art was stunning as always and I definitely recommend this series even if you haven’t read any manga before.

The penultimate volume in the series and it is the first one that has one continuous storyline running through it. Pamela is still learning about her past and trying to understand the work of fate. We get to discover it with her and learn about the characters right along with them. Meanwhile, Alecto delivers a surprise to Pamela which startles her. We get to learn more about Ash and his back story with some new surprises there too.

Lots of unexpected twists and it ends on quite a cliff hanger. Only one more to go and then I will have to say goodbye to Sang Sun-Park’s beautifully crafted world.

Pamela is slowly becoming the main focus of the series and in this instalment she travels to Scotland to try and find out more information about her past. She uses a perfume that lets her relive her memories, but this is at a cost as she is forced to relive the negative and painful ones so she is stuck in a nightmare. It is up to her friends to help her, but can they get to her in time.

As always the artwork is stunning and I was mesmerised by the drawings. It continues straight from the end of volume 4 and I cannot wait to see what happens next as we are drawn further and further into Pamela’s life and her past.

Pamela is a tarot reader to the supernatural and unusual. She is back here for another set of tales which include a spirit who wants her to uncover what happened to his abused and neglected half sister. He wants to reconcile with her before he leaves the earth for good. We also find out more about Pamela's mysterious past and meet a man who has promised his soul in exchange fo rbeing a famous musician and it turns out he wasn't the only one throughout the years...

This is an excellent series. I love the artwork and the stories remind me very much of the Nightmares and Fairy Tales graphic novel series by Serena Valentino. They combine manga with supernatural themes and are a must for anyone who loves fairy tales, mythology and beauty.½

Tarot Cafe was a very charming and very very fast read. It had three small stories that were told in relation to the tarot card reading (the back story). When the last card was pulled the reading would be finished and we would see the end of their tale (not always a traditional happy ending). I dabble in Tarot cards myself and I really enjoyed that the tarot cards (with the artist's story related imagery) were shown and the meaning were given in side notes as well as hearing Pamela (the tarot card reader's) impression. I can't wait to read more- I'm hoping to pick up something useful as well as enjoy the tales. Thus far the paranormal characters have included a wishing cat, a vampire and a pixie (I think it was). Reccomended
Three and a half stars½

Pamela the tarot card reader does four readings for extraordinary clients and each of their stories is told through the card reading. The androgynous depiction of the characters bothered me while reading, although I've since learned that this is a graphic novel aimed at teenage girls (and teenage girls like pretty, doll-like men?). The stories were interesting and there was good play between the text and the drawings. The characters occasionally had uncharacteristic, cartoon responses that I didn't understand, but the female characters having realistic, human, features was nice. Fine to recommend to girls 9-12, although I'd take into consideration that this one is for graphic novel fans and fans of the occult.

Pamela runs the Tarot Café, where she uses her Tarot deck to help guide those who seek her counsel. Her clients include vampires and fairies, and other fantastical creatures, such as a Wish-fulfilling Cat. Each comes to Pamela for help, with Pamela’s cards assisting to prompt more information, and to reveal hidden truths and wisdom.

There’s beautiful artwork here, with lots of gorgeously drawn characters, and detailed attention to costumes and backgrounds. The first volume has four episodes, each self-contained, though with Pamela’s continuing story linking them. The tarot cards are lovely, and are accompanied by little snippets of explanation so their relevance to the story is transparent.

A fun, dramatic and romantic manga series, with wonderful artwork.½

I have reservations about The Tarot Cafe 1. I liked the stories, but...

First, the main character, Pamela, is a tarot reader who can see into the future. She also sees non-human clients, which is cool. Her clients come in very interesting varieties including (but not limited to) a tibit, a vampire, and a faerie.

So, these odd people come to Pamela and have their fortunes read. They sit, she turns over tarot cards and tells them about their own pasts. The tarot cards are shown with asterisks and a translator's concept of what the card means. (Personally, I disagree with several of the interpretations, but I cannot say whether interpretations were in the original version at all.) The client's past is all seen in brief 'flashback' format. Then, Pamela gives advice from the cards and the client goes away. The reader is shown the client's concluding decision and we go on to the next client. It's a very staid set-up and delivery story arrangement and frankly, it's boring.

While I am intrigued by Pamela's varied clients, the story format is regrettable. There are no deviations and there is little surprise. It is a case of telling what happened rather than showing what is happening. Written work does not survive this and for a medium which depends upon visual cues, it is a kiss of death.

The artwork is similar to that of "Under the Glass Moon" or "Doll". It is heavily reliant on thick black lines to emphasize eyes in a gothic look. 'Pretty' seems to be dependant upon curly-cue-everywhere-hair in ringlets. Everyone looks heavily made-up (yes, men, too) and they are dressed as if they stepped out of a goth club. I prefer softer art styles which rely less on heavy outlining.

The clients and the clients' stories might be interesting enough to buy another volume but I'm going to pass.