Ranma 1/2, Vol. 21 Review

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(More customer reviews)Pantyhose Taro returns!
Rumiko Takahashi's most openly obnoxious character returns to the Ranma 1/2 series, as Ranma and his pals struggle with body armor, hot springs and fishing poles. A couple of the shorter stories are rather weak, but the other three are hilarious offbeat.
Happosai arrives at the Tendo house, beaten to a pulp and covered in ink. It turns out to be Pantyhose Taro, who plans to douse Happosai with the "Spring of Drowned Pious Man" water. Only problem is, he got the wrong cursed water -- the "Spring of Drowned Twins." Now Ranma, Soun and Genma must stop Pantyhose Taro from dousing Happosai with the water. But Pantyhose Taro has a new weapon -- giant tentacles.
In the aftermath, Nodoka Saotome returns to the Tendo house, just as Kasumi falls ill. Not only does Nodoka offer to cook their meals, but she offers to teach Akane. Problem is, Akane's cooking is toxic. So the disguised Ranma takes it on himself to cook as well, and soon he and Akane are sauteeing their way to disaster.
On the goofier front, Ranma ends up playing "Cinderella": A rich guy is trying to identify the pig-tailed girl who once stomped on his head. And school creepoid Gosunkugi discovers a way to defeat Ranma once and for all -- invincible body armor. Now if only the armor didn't explode...
Finally, Ryoga purchases a magic "fishing pole of love" to use on Akane -- except it hits Ranma instead. Much to Ryoga's discomfort, soon Ranma is washing his clothes, making his breakfast and asking if they can at least be "friends." As Ranma's infatuation grows, a confused Akane tries to figure out exactly what is going on.
Rumiko Takahashi has always been great at action stories, or stories that rely on character gags. The two shortest stories don't quite work; one is too goofy, and the other feels squashed into a too-short chapter. The rest of the twenty-first volume is pure gold.
One of the stories is almost non-stop action with a bit of goofiness thrown in, and the ever-arrogant Pantyhose Taro destroying bathhouses and causing mayhem. And then Takahashi switches to character-based comedy, with lots of romantic rivalry and kitchen disasters. Oh, the suspense -- will Akane ever learn how to cook without poisoning people?
But pity poor Ryoga -- Ranma's rival really goes through the wringer, with Ranma pursuing him, and Akane believing that he's so pitiful that he'll take affection from anyone, male or female. Even though he brought it on himself, you can't help but feel sorry for him.
Three solid stories (and two weak short ones) make up "Ranma 1/2's" twenty-first volume, full of action and comic goodness. A pleasant comic read.

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Xanta Claus: A new story, a new holiday tradition all year long Review

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(More customer reviews)What an original idea for the Holidays!! This book is funny and enjoyable to read. The author has put a new twist on the Santa Clause fairy tale. A very original idea and could become a classic. I have bought several books to give as Christmas presents. This book is for anyone that loves Christmas. The author creatively extended the fairy tale of Christmas into adulthood in this book. You have to read the book to see if the Xanta Clause fairytale is accepted by adults as well as Santa Clause is accepted by children.

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Xanta Claus is a hysterically funny, fresh story guaranteed to brighten your holiday. David Kringle, Santa's brother, who realizes his destiny is to start his own fairy tale, Xanta Claus, which starts where his brothers ends. The new fairy tale is an extension of the family business, but is different in every way! David is a slender, handsome man with a quick wit and a certain charisma with the ladies. He is hopeful he will find the one, even after searching for over a thousand years! The Council of Fairy Tales approves the Xanta Claus charter for a one year provisional trial. Immediately the race is on to start the new South Pole based fairy tale. From the not so nice Elf Union appointed elves, rookie reindeer team and their strict trainer, inexperienced nerd head elf, salty cantankerous plant foreman, and the rest of a colorful, hilarious cast of characters, all with one goal, make the Xanta Claus fairy tale a reality.

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Santa Responds: He's Had Enough...and He's Writing Back Review

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(More customer reviews)(I gave it 5 stars because it kept everyone at a family dinner laughing the whole time!)
Perfect for : Personal reading, great host/hostess gift (for the right person!)
In a nutshell: I don't know if my family has laughed this much in quite a while - at least not because of a book! We had relatives over for dinner one evening, and I decided to pull this book out to see what they thought. What I thought would be a quick five minute browse through the book ended up lasting over an hour as we passed the book back and forth, reading the children's letters and how Santa responded to them out loud. I've never had a better time during dinner! This is the perfect gift for someone with a great sense of humor, or someone who needs one! It would also be great after a long day of work, or holiday shopping - just grab a cocktail and start reading - your day will instantly get better! As I learned, this book is also a perfect ice breaker for a gathering - just make sure there are no kids who still believe in Santa, because just like the picture on the cover - this Santa isn't your normal "ho, ho, ho" jolly old Saint Nick, but rather a blunt pot-bellied, tattooed, cigar-smoking, drinking, cursing (not too bad) Santa who is finally telling kids exactly what he thinks!
Extended Review:
You've simply got to get this book this holiday season! If for some reason it offends you - I apologize, but I don't expect it to offend anyone. My parents were here when we read it out loud, and if anyone would have been offended, it would have been my Mom, who took everything in stride and laughed as much as the rest of us! While you are at it, pick up a copy for someone else who deserves a good laugh!
Characters: Santa is hilarious! He's pulling out all the stops and telling kids what the reality of the situation is!
Story-Line: This book is full of letters written by children to Santa, and his responses. Please note that it is NOT a book I would read to a child who still believes in Santa, or any child at all, as it is certainly filled with adult humor.
Readability: I found the book easy to read. One note here is that the kid's letters are in different fonts, and some really look like kids handwriting, which can get a bit tricky in some situations (think of the suggested cocktail above).
Overall: A holiday MUST HAVE this year, especially with the economic fears - everyone needs to laugh about something!

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Ever wonder what Santa does with all those letters? (And all those cookies?) After a particularly long, cold night staring at nine smelly reindeer butts, the old man lets loose with the real answers to those stupid, whiny, hard-to-read letters from kids. Turns out, we really do get what we deserve. Dear Billy, I know you honestly believe that the good deeds you rattled off represent your behavior for the entire past year rather than the activities that occurred during the two hours leading up to the writing of this letter. Two hours of good behavior hardly justifies a new Playstation, let alone a trip to Disney World!! Your pal, Santa

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Firehouse Fun (Ready, Freddy) Review

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(More customer reviews)My son loves these books. I always preorder the new ones. Anything to keep them reading! Great book, great adventures.

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Freddy Thresher's first-grade class is taking an exciting field trip -- to the local fire station, where they'll learn safety tips and how firefighters do their jobs! Come along as veteran first-grade teacher Abby Klein delights young readers with another engaging story about Freddy and his friends.
First-grade and kindergarten teacher Abby Klein has been teaching for almost twenty years, and she brings her first-hand knowledge of children to this popular series. As well, she tailors each story and the language in it for new readers--using just the right words as well as the issues that are most important to children this age.

For extra fun, the word "fin" is hidden in every illustration, and children will have a good time playing the games in "Freddy's Fun Pages" at the end of the book. Attention shark lovers! Freddy Thresher is a first-grade expert on sharks, and each book features cool facts about sharks as an added bonus.

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Harold at the North Pole (Harold and the Purple Crayon) Review

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(More customer reviews)The Harold and the Purple Crayon Series are wonderful. Harold is a little boy with a round head (around long before Charlie Brown) with a little purple crayon and a big imagination. In the North Pole book, Harold has set out on Christmas Eve to find a Christmas tree. Along the way, Harold ends up helping Santa but needs to hurry to find a tree to have it ready for Santa's visit. The simple line drawings are wonderful for younger readers yet there is always a charm to them. Harold inspires kids on so many levels; he's great for children who are timid, he's great for the mighty little explorers and he's great for kids who like to draw but feel intimidated by other artists.

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