...continued from previous page In BRAVE MONKEYS, which began last issue, we meet Utsumi Daichi, a young man prone to fanciful thoughts of adventure, and Tsubaki, a more down-to-earth young woman. With a boy named Mikawa, the three schoolmates have been left behind at an island airport thanks to Daichi's fascination with a huge poster of a bikini-clad woman. They are offered a cheap ride back on a tiny ten-seater plane with the ill-omened company name of "Heaven." As they fly, little do they know that all other flights and ferries have been cancelled, and that out in the open water, warship crews are bracing for the "Last Judgment"—something has gone terribly wrong. Sudden bright lights flash behind the tiny plane, the engines and controls are damaged, and the pilot is knocked out. Refusing to panic like everyone else, Daichi leaps into the pilot's seat. His words and actions of bravery stir the others, who pitch in their knowledge and know-how to help him pilot the plane. But with the last engine burning, what hope do they have? Even as the distant warships' officers pray for survival, the plane crashes. In this issue, Tsubaki awakens on a sandy beach. She finds the others around the tiny plane, which is perched precariously in a huge tree. Daichi is valiantly trying to free the unconscious pilot from under a seat, even while another passenger tells him the effort isn't worth it. But Daichi insists, saying that "Even if there's only a 1% chance of helping him, I'll use 120% and save him!" Using up all his strength, he frees the pilot by ripping the chair from the floor and then passes out. Thanks to him, all eight of the plane's occupants have survived. Meanwhile, another one of the passengers is walking through the island's lush tropical greenery, where he finds fallen trees and vegetation and a strange silence... It's too early to tell where this story will lead, but the author has already said there will be a series of explosive developments. BRAVE MONKEYS already bears a strange resemblance to a cross between LORD OF THE FLIES and GILLIGAN'S ISLAND; who knows what lies in wait for our heroes? INUYASHA by Takahashi Rumiko Overview: Kagome is a modern student teamed up with the strange boy Inuyasha in 15th or 16th century Japan, seeking to retrieve the fragments of the magical Shikon No Tama, and trying to stay one step ahead of the evil Naraku. This Issue: Inuyasha's sword has been re-forged, this time from one of his own teeth, and for some reason Toutousai made it extremely heavy—too heavy for him to use effectively. Now, his elder brother Sesshoumaru has come to test him with a blade made from Goshinki's tooth; he wants to see if Inuyasha had really become a full-blooded supernatural being. Inuyasha still seems half-human until, caught without his sword and wounded, he changes. Sesshoumaru feels an unexpected stab of fear, allowing Toutousai and the others to escape with Inuyasha. JAJAUMA GROOMING UP! by Yuki Masami Overview: Although originally a city boy, young Kuze Shunpei has taken to working as a farm hand at the Watarai racing horse breeding farm; he also has taken to Watarai Hibiki, one of the Watarai daughters. This Issue: Watarai-born steed Strike Eagle has won the Arimakinen race, his last race, and Shunpei has won enough money to buy Hibiki a ring. The Watarai farm hosts an engagement party for the two of them, with Strike Eagle's victory adding extra excitement. Abumi's suitor sends roses, but Satoru defends the fact he didn't come in person. After a long kiss by a drunken Shunpei with Hibiki, the partygoers leave them alone and go to a karaoke bar, where a now-drunk Satoru reams Abumi's suitor for not showing up. Shunpei, meanwhile, passes out and fails to make use of the privacy given them by the others.