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Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Latest Picks

July 4, 2022

Pick of the Week: Pick It Again, Nakamura!!

June 27, 2022

Pick of the Week: Dances and Houses

LATEST FEATURES, ESSAYS, COLUMNS, ROUNDTABLES, & REVIEWS

July 5, 2022 By Sean Gaffney

Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 8

By Nozomu Mochitsuki and Gilse. Released in Japan as “Tearmoon Teikoku Monogatari” by TO Books. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by David Teng. Tearmoon Empire is a very funny series. There are tons of scenes of Mia being silly or smug, other people misunderstanding her to comic effect, etc. But the series also knows when it’s time to be 100% serious, and that time is whenever get get a glimpse of what life was like in the original timelines. We’ve already seen how things progressed in Bel’s world (and see why Dion is her absolute hero, something that baffles both the Dion of this world as well as Citrina), but we’ve also seen the main cast occasionally have dreams of their prior lives. They’re never good…

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July 4, 2022 By Sean Gaffney

The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy, Vol. 6

By Yu Shimizu and Asagi Tosaka. Released in Japan as “Seiken Gakuin no Maken Tsukai” by MF Bunko J. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Roman Lampert. One of the sure fire ways to give a character suitable pain and determination is a good tragic backstory. And there’s no tragic backstory quite like the death of beloved family members. That’s what Sakuya, the Japanese — sorry, Sakura Orchid — swordswoman in Leo’s cadre of hot, powerful friends has dealt with since she was six years old. The death of her older sister right in front of her still gives her nightmares, and it informs not only her actions and, to a degree, disregard for her own future and safety, but also others also from Sakura Orchid, who…

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July 4, 2022 By Michelle Smith

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games Though I was, of course, aware of the fervor surrounding this series, I’d never read it until now, nor have I seen the movies. (I do own some nail polish inspired by it, though!) Still, I managed to absorb a few facts through cultural osmosis. 1) The heroine is named Katniss. 2) There is also a boy called Peeta. 3) There is an MC lady with pink hair. 4) A competition and various districts? I came close to immediately casting the book aside when Katniss casually admits to having once attempted to drown a kitten in a bucket, but this turned out to be an effective way of showing how her impoverished, hardscrabble existence in “the Seam” of District 12 has forced Katniss (now 16) to become…

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July 3, 2022 By Sean Gaffney

The Festivities of Marielle Clarac

By Haruka Momo and Maro. Released in Japan as “Marielle Clarac no Shukusai” by Ichijinsha Bunko Iris NEO. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Philip Reuben. We’re nine volumes into Marielle Clarac, and she’s been happily married for quite a few of them. That said, the audience is still more interested in her as the heroine of a mystery/thriller than it is her as a socialite and wife. Which she would probably think is a good thing, as Marielle is starting to doubt herself as a socialite and a wife. Growing up inevitably means feeling that you have not grown up enough, and Marielle is worried that she is not really bringing to her marriage the things that wives should be doing. Instead, she’s getting kidnapped, solving…

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July 2, 2022 By Sean Gaffney

Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts with a Village, Vol. 6

By Mizuumi Amakawa and Mai Okuma. Released in Japan as “Fushi no Kami: Henkyou kara Hajimeru Bunmei Saiseiki” by Overlap. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Maurice Alesch. The last volume of Fushi no Kami finally resolved the burgeoning romance that’s been in this series since the first volume, as Ash and Maika are now old enough, at least in Ash’s opinion, so that he can’t get away with “she’s too young for me to be attracted to”. As such, they are now engaged, though not yet married, and apparently haven’t really consummated anything, despite Maika’s murmurings about wanting a baby. That said, fear not, romance is still in the air, as beta couple Reina and Hermes are still working on it… mostly because they’re essentially carbon…

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July 1, 2022 By Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Anna N, Ash Brown and Melinda Beasi

Manga the Week of 7/6/22

SEAN: July, and the fireworks are here. Oh god. They’re everywhere. *whimper* MICHELLE: Someone in my neighborhood actually set off fireworks for Father’s Day. My cat was not amused. ASH: Goodness! And here I thought my neighborhood was overenthusiastic with explosives. SEAN: Yen On gives us I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss 3. Two debuts for Yen Press. The Girl I Saved on the Train Turned Out to Be My Childhood Friend (Chikan Saresou ni Natteiru S-kyuu Bishoujo wo Tasuketara Tonari no Seki no Osananajimi datta) already has the light novels from Yen On, and this is the manga adaptation that runs in Manga Up!. The plot is the title. The manga has to struggle with art not being by Fly. The other debut is Studio Apartment,…

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July 1, 2022 By Katherine Dacey

The Manga Review, 7/1/22

Good news: The United Workers of Seven Seas (UW7S) achieved a major victory this week when the company agreed to recognize their union. Though management has not yet spoken to the press, the UW7S Twitter feed posted the following statement on June 24th: “This decision by Seven Seas eliminates the need for an NLRB conducted election and will pave the way for a more expedited path to bargaining a first contract. At a time when many employers continue to fight the unionization of their employees, we appreciate that Seven Seas decided to respect the voices of the majority of staff and recognize us. We look forward to developing a mutually beneficial relationship and reaching a collective bargaining agreement in the near future.” The path to a better contract and better…

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June 30, 2022 By Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith

Bookshelf Briefs 6/30/22

Kageki Shojo!!, Vol. 5 | By Kumiko Saiki | Seven Seas – I really like the fact that Sarasa is choosing the more difficult option. They’re doing auditions for a five-minute Romeo and Juliet, with singing, and Sarasa, who would make a much better Romeo, resolves to try for Tybalt again, as she wants to figure out the role and how she can make it not what the actress she emulated had done. This ends up impacting Ai, who’s going for Juliet, but realizes that she has absolutely no idea what being a girl who falls in love at first sight is like… until she starts thinking of Sarasa, and how they first met in a very romantically charged scene, and the bulb lights up. This may not be a…

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June 30, 2022 By Sean Gaffney

Unnamed Memory, Vol. 5

By Kuji Furumiya and chibi. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Sarah Tangney. The six books in this series are divided into three books each, and this is the middle one of the second arc. As such, it tends to mirror the middle one of the first arc, in that it’s a bunch of shorter events that happen to our two leads rather than one big storyline. Of course, there’s a lot going on in those shorter events. The author describes this book as the lighter, fluffier one before the final book, and that does make me a bit worried, because this book was not all THAT light and fluffy. That said, there are many sweet moments in here, as Oscar…

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More Features & Reviews

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LATEST POSTS – SITEWIDE

  • Tearmoon Empire, Vol. 8
  • The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy, Vol. 6
  • The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
  • Pick of the Week: Pick It Again, Nakamura!!
  • The Festivities of Marielle Clarac
  • Fushi no Kami: Rebuilding Civilization Starts with a Village, Vol. 6
  • Manga the Week of 7/6/22
  • The Manga Review, 7/1/22
  • Bookshelf Briefs 6/30/22
  • Unnamed Memory, Vol. 5

From the Archives

July 4, 2018 By Sean Gaffney 2 Comments

Manga the Week of 7/11/18

SEAN: Manga, manga, manga! Last chance sale! Everything must go! Dark Horse gives us a 39th ...

[Read More...]

July 24, 2014 By Sean Gaffney Leave a Comment

Manga the Week of 7/30

SEAN: A 5th week of the month is usually sparse, but we do have a few interesting things due out at ...

[Read More...]

November 22, 2012 By Melinda Beasi 3 Comments

Manga the Week of 11/28

SEAN: After three weeks that absolutely buried us in manga, it's a relief to find that the last ...

[Read More...]

October 13, 2014 By Ash Brown

My Week in Manga: October 6-October 12, 2014

My News and Reviews Last week Experiments in Manga saw the introduction of a new ...

[Read More...]

June 24, 2011 By Chou Jones 6 Comments

No Us and Them: Theme in Wild Adapter

I admit it—I'm a theme geek. I like a tight plot, complex characters, gorgeous art, an immersive ...

[Read More...]

More Posts from the Archives

Recommended Reading

  • Off the Shelf: Fullmetal Alchemist
  • Off the Shelf: Moon Child
  • Off the Shelf: Basara
  • The NANA Project
  • Breaking Down Banana Fish
  • Roundtable: Hikaru no Go
  • BL Bookrack: Wild Adapter
  • Off the Shelf: Tokyo Babylon
  • Please Save My Earth with Melinda & Michelle (at The Hooded Utilitarian)

DRAMA DIARY

By Anna N

Skip Beat! the drama

I recently marathoned 14 episodes of the Tawainese live action version of Skip Beat! which is airing now on ...

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By Anna N

Drama Diary: IRIS Episodes 1-5

I tend to watch mostly romantic comedies when I am viewing k-drama, but IRIS is a bit different. This is a ...

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MORE DRAMA DIARY

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