The Chase for the Chalice

Spy Goddess Manga #1

by Michael P. Spradlin (Creator), Rainbow Buddy (Illustrator), Rachel Manija Brown (Script)

When she is sent to a supersecret spy training academy because of a brush with the law, teenager Rachel Buchanan learns that she may be a reincarnated goddess, takes on missions involving a lunatic millionaire, and tries to learn kung fu without breaking a nail.

Genres: Manga, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Comics, Graphic Novels Comics

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Michael P. Spradlin is the author of more than a dozen books for children.

Reviews

[Rain Misoa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recently, all I've been craving are manga. All kinds of manga. And graphic novels, too! In fact, I just want to read a whole bunch of comic books in general! So what did I do? I went to my library and checked out a whole bunch of manga/graphic novels to quench this thirst. The first I decided to pick up was this one right here. Why? Because my library only had volume one so I thought why not read through the manga volumes you have the least of. So I did. I'll be honest with you... I didn't go into this manga with high expectations. I knew it was somewhat childish and girly and I knew that it was going to be cliche... and I was right. This manga wasn't the best I have ever read. However, it wasn't bad either. It was okay. I wasn't wowed but neither was I completely disgusted by what was going on. In fact, I thought I was going to HATE this manga. I really did. But it turned out to be a decent read after all. I have my problems with it but nothing too bad. Most of it has to do with the main character and some plot points but I'll get into that a little later in the review. For now, let's talk about the man behind the manga and the novels.

Michael P. Spradlin doesn't seem to be a bad author. Then again, I can't really judge him on his writing because I never read any of his novels. This manga is his first work I have ever come into contact with. I have to say as far as story goes... it's pretty weak. It's about this girl named Rachel who just so happens to be a reincarnation of a Roman Goddess who has to fight her archnemesis, but she doesn't believe that she has great power so she denies it until one day she will believe it and yadda yadda yadda. The story has been told a million times before. Nothing about it is new. Nothing about it is unique. I just felt like I picked up a book that I have read before. It was a tad boring. Another thing I wasn't too big on was the side story about Rachel's best friend's boyfriend might like her whilst her guy best friend likes her best friend and they all seem to like the wrong people. That, too, has been told over and over. It's was stupid and it just made the already tedious plot more tedious. However, I will say that one thing that I did like about this manga were all the references to pop culture. From Fruits Basket to Full Metal Panic to Harajuku to Japan in general. It was amazing and very entertaining. I really did enjoy myself during those parts. ^_^

The artwork was, in opinion, wonderful! I thought it was very cute. Some pages came off to be really simple yet others were rich in detail! It was very well balanced. I couldn't have asked for a better art style. I love the character designs the best. They all looked so beautiful and their style of clothes even better. The backgrounds of Japan just made me drool. I want to go there so badly!!! Why am I stuck here!? Tell me why! *Gets shot* ... *Ahem* Anyway, seeing just how everything was beautifully drawn made me really appreciate the story a bit more. I really have nothing more to say about it. It was great and I really liked it. Nothing negative to say. Yifan Ling, you did an excellent job drawing this manga. I salute you! <3

The characters now... might as well start with the main character. Rachel... I hate her. She got on my nerves really fast. She's a stereotypical girl, through and through. She hates anything she deems "geek" and hates breaking her nails and loves going shopping and giving me a bloody headache it would seem! DX She pathetic in ever aspect of the word. She can't even fight even though she's a BLOODY SPY!!! Her mannerisms are just... ugh... the way she talks is also annoying. Who uses the word "dork" in almost everything they say when they want to convey dissatisfaction? Makes. No. Bloody. Sense. It's not cool or funny so STOP DOING IT!!! Anyway, enough of that. Let's move on to the few characters I did like. Pilar is Rachel's best friend and she's a lot more level headed and cool. I love how she's an otaku. I related to her big time when that was revealed. She's also smart. She saw right through her boyfriend, Alex, on his feelings of possibly liking Rachel more than her. Speaking of which, I don't mind Alex, but the fact that he has a girlfriend and he's clearly flirting with Rachel is upsetting. It's the main reason why I can't bring myself to fully like him. There' Mr. Kim, the one in charge of sending them on their missions. He seems to be one to try to take responsibility but fails because he's an adult. That's how these type of stories go. Eh, whatever. He was bland at best. Didn't really do much. The one character I loved to bits was Brent. He was so cute. He's described as the quiet one but he does talk from time to time and when he does, he's just too cute!!! I love how he's the brightest one there. He definitely knows his shit. My feelings for him grew with each new scene he was in. The fact that he likes gadgets just makes me want to squish him. Even though it was made completely obvious that he likes Pilar, I don't care because he was just too cute. X3 Yeah... I have my ups and downs with the characters but Brent makes me feel happy about it so it's okay.

Now the verdict! Should you go and pick up this manga for a read-through? Sure. Why not? It's not a bad story, it's not a good story. But it's a story that will not kill you to give it a shot. You might end up liking it a whole lot and there's definitely a lot of things in this manga that make it worth the read. If you like a story that has some action, a bit of romance, rich in pop culture references, then I think you should check it out. I do recommend you getting it from the library first... just in case you end up not liking it or think like me and it was an "eh" read. Still, give it a shot. It deserves to be read at least once. I do plan on reading the second, sure, but I won't go out of my way to track it down. If ever my library gets it, then you can expect me to review the second volume. If not... well... then you'll be waiting a long time. XP Anyway, that's it for now~ I hope you give this manga a try and that you enjoy it a lot more than I have.

[Sarai · Rating 3 out of 5]

My one big gripe about this book is that even though it says it is volume 1, I felt at times as though I was reading the second in a series rather than the first. They kept referring to things that had happened previously and I assume they were supposed to be flashbacks as opposed to there actually having been a previous volume in the series, but it was a little distracting because it happened often.

Other than that, this was a fun read.

From Booklist
A lot has happened since Rachel Buchanan was caught by the police in a stolen car and offered a choice: juvie or a high school for spies in training. In this Spy Goddess book, the first in manga format, Rachel and her classmates are off to Japan to stop the dastardly Simon Blankenship from stealing yet another ancient artifact in his quest to resurrect the god Mithras. Scriptwriter Rachel Manija Brown has done a terrific job translating Spradlin’s world into comic form. Her script builds on Rachel’s story but also takes time to go over the basics of the first two Spy Goddess novels so readers unfamiliar with them can easily catch up. By making use of Japanese locales and cultural details, she adds a humorous nod to manga and anime fans, and the snappy dialogue will remind some readers of the quick pace of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer. The art is not as strong as the telling, but the baby-faced characters do look at home in the manga setting. There is some mild cartoon violence, but this book will still find an audience among middle-schoolers. Grades 6-8. (School Library Journal ranks it grades 7-10.)

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completely random pick up. I’m reading everything the library has got just so I don’t feel unfulfilled. God, I’m lonely. Haha! American writers and artists? At first I thought “Dude! This goes left to write!?” and now it makes sense. Quite funny to open a manga, start on the right cover and have no wrong direction pointers. Ahh, Fooled me.

As far as American to Japanese manga goes it’s a worthy attempt. The cultural mentions that usually need explaining aren’t necessary (For instance it doesn’t bother putting an asterisk next to Daniel Craig and explaining who/why/etc). Ironically it does feature a translated text message XD It’s really just a copy of style that pulls from varied sources and places. So we review it on what we would anyway which is primarily art and story. That’s when the dialogue crept in and ran smooth as polished stone.

And that actually hits extremely hard, because it makes me wonder over the course of all these years of reading towering amounts of manga how many of them don’t quite translate. It’s something I take for granted and I often do forget that some mangas are at the mercy of the translators (and variables x, y, z). I feel like many translators do an excellent job. Anywho, time and palce.

One other funny thing to mention, because the names aren’t typical Japanese I actually had a hard time keeping up with who was who. The Japanese names are louder and more unique than Rachel.

Enough banter. I was more intrigued by what surrounds this manga than what’s inside. There’s really nothing great coming out of this, and yet, I can’t find myself willing to push it down with things that I know are much worse for wear. What the hell does this have going for it? I guess its uniqueness. If I didn’t read this in one sitting I’m not sure I’d feel compelled to pick it back up.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Story hard to follow. It was missing the Japanese storytelling flair as it was written by Americans. Backdrops were plain. This was obviously published before the initial end of Tokyo Pop.

[Amanda Yeargin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about Rachel and her team get the chalice back. Alex, Rachel,Pilar, Inspector Kazumi Sato, Brent, and Mr. Kim go to Japan to try and arrest the person who stole the priceless gold mithrian chalice. They face many obstacles like traitors, thiefs, and odd feelings that something bad could happen. Rachel faces a external conflict with Inspector Kazumi Sato becaus they get into a physical fight becaus eof the chalice.
I have a text-to-text conection. This connects to my other book Tokyo Mew Mew. They both have to find something deep inside of them to challenge the worst to get something good. They both have to battle for there generation. This is a text-to-text connection becuase of their destines in life.
I'd give this book ***** stars. I gave it 5 stars because this book gives you details. It give you a lot of action that draws you in. I know when i started reading it i couldnt stop cause it was so good. There is something about the book that is interseting. I suggest this book to anybody who likes actions.

[Layla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spy Goddess Rachel Buchanan is very exited when she finds out that Blackthorn Academy is sending her and her friends on their next mission to Japan. But Rachel dosnt know who to trust anymore.And ratchel also has to worry about trying not to have a crush on her best friends boyfriend!

i could make a connection to thiis because one time when i was little i had a crush on my best friends brother. so i could connect to rachel on that one!

i rated this book a 3 because it was pretty good but i read it to fast and the auther didnt put enough interesting things in the book to get you hooked on it!

[Booker · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good, but not like the other books before it. (They were way better!) It was cool, with many twists and turns and stuff I didn't expect to happen. It was funny and smart but the manga ruined it (see note).

NOTE: I read the first books in this series and I suddenly learned that the books were going manga. I really liked them, so I tried this one, the first graphic novel of the series. i felt that the pictures were distracting and I couldn't focus on the story. So it's doubtful that I'll ever do manga again.

[Isabelle Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spy Goddess is a comic book about this girl. She is being trained by her sisters' boyfriend, who she also has a secret crush. In this book, their are a lot of suspicious things going on. First, "spy goddess" thinks that a secretary is the bad guy who is helping Chalise, the bad BOY. Once Spy Goddees and her friend check


I keep on forgeting the charactes name.... I will find that book and get their names, then you will be able to read my report. Srry :-)

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is also connected to a series but I wasn't aware of that when I picked it up. In this case, Rachel is going to school, and may be the reincarnation of a goddess who will take down ninja assassins. There is also a love triangle thing going on too. I want to read the series this book is based on too.

[Dru]

I have seen the spy goddessbooks at the store andthe library but Inever really thought of reading them until now. I really liked Rachel. I also liked the story and the relationships between the characters, I will definantly be reading this series. XD

[Kalynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This book was enjoyable, but the only problem I had with it was the fact that it just thrusted me into the story. I felt like it was very rushed, and at times just made no sense. I did like all of the Fruits Basket references, though. :D

[Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved that!!!!!!!!!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already did a paper book report

[✿ ~Yessenia~♥︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it funny expecially the bathroom part. Good job in it.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Valen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the artwork for this, but not much emotion is shown through facial expressions.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was AWESOME!!!!!

[Joanne Louzado]

I love Mangas! Love the fact the western was fused with Japanese! The drawing style is really nice.

[Alesia · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute manga sweet story

[Steven Keith]

manga style left to right