Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Latest Picks

LATEST FEATURES, ESSAYS, COLUMNS, ROUNDTABLES, & REVIEWS

By

Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest, Vol. 7

By Ryo Shirakome and Takayaki. Released in Japan as “Arifureta Shokugyou de Sekai Saikyou” by Overlap. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Ningen. I’ve talked before about Hajime as Christ figure, and Hajime as simply another example of the overpowered hero going after the kids that bullied the author in middle school, but in this book it’s also worth taking a look at something that has remained a core part of Hajime’s character despite every possible attempt to extract it: Hajime the nerd. (Yes, yes, I know, chuuni. I never saw that anime, so feel uncomfortable using the expression.) Hajime’s inner monologue has had the occasional taste of otaku culture throughout the series, but this volume really sees it in full flower. When he’s in the…

Read More

By , , , and

Manga the Week of 8/22/18

SEAN: Let’s face it, even without Yen Press this would be a really heavy week. With Yen it’s absolutely terrifying. But first, the non-Yen offerings. Dark Horse gives us the first Gantz omnibus, in case you want to catch up on your lycra. Haikasoru has the 7th volume of Legend of Galactic Heroes. If it’s the one I think it is, oh dear. MICHELLE: Someday, I really will read these. My intentions are good! ANNA: I have good intentions about reading this as well. ASH: I’m a few volumes behind, but I’ve been enjoying them! J-Novel Club announced a bunch of stuff at Anime Expo, and this is what I was most excited about. I loved the Kokoro Connect manga when it came out years ago, and wished we could…

Read More

By

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 13

By Mizuho Kusanagi. Released in Japan as “Akatsuki no Yona” by Hakusensha, serialization ongoing in the magazine Hana to Yume. Released in North America by Viz. Translated by JN Productions, Adapted by Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane. As we watch Yona and her bunch wandering through the nations doing good and saving people, it would be all too easy to cut back to the usurpers back at the palace and make them simple, cookie-cutter antagonists. But one reason that Yona of the Dawn is so strong is that Su-Won is not a cookie-cutter antagonist. In fact, the reader might occasionally be thinking to themselves, “You know, Su-Won being king may actually be a very good thing?” Yona is dealing with the world at the lowest level, going from small village to small…

Read More

By

Me, a Genius? I Was Reborn into Another World and I Think They’ve Got the Wrong Idea!, Vol. 3

By Nyun and Sakana. Released in Japan as “Isekai ni Tensei Shitandakedo Ore, Tensai tte Kanchigai Saretenai?” by Overlap, Inc. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Shaun Cook. Of all the places for Me, a Genius? to go in its third volume, I was not expecting it to go here. Note that I’m not talking about it suddenly becoming a tense techno-thriller a la Tom Clancy – given the fact that we spent much of the second volume in a cod-fantasy world, I barely raised an eyebrow to see that we’re suddenly back in Kouki’s home world and taking on Russians and international terrorist organizations. No, the main thing I wasn’t expecting was that Me, a Genius has gotten rid of the humor. You might argue…

Read More

By , and

Bookshelf Briefs 8/14/18

Black Clover, Vol. 12 | By Yuki Tabata | Viz Media – Boy, that wrapped up fast, didn’t it? This is very much a breather volume of Black Clover, and some of the conflict resolution is laughable–the Queen of Witches basically just walks away, and there’s even time to cure Kahono and Kiato (which is good, as Kahono works 100% better as a teasing (and talking)) girl who ships Asta/Noelle. More importantly, the Black Bulls are now the second-most-powerful guild. This… displeases some of the other guilds, and leads to a hot spring on top of a mountain of lava–something that only those with magic can climb. Sucks to be Asta, but guess what? He finds a way anyway. Black Clover is highly enjoyable given its negative originality, and I’m…

Read More

By

The Manga Revue, 8/13/18

There are two kinds of people: those who like to camp, and those who don’t. I fall squarely in the second category — not because I hate the great outdoors, but because I’m fond of hot showers and comfy beds. Still, the prospect of reading a manga about camping intrigued me: is camping popular in Japan? Is the s’more a hit in Japan, too? And what about bears? Laid-Back Camp didn’t answer all of my questions, but it definitely earned a spot on my pull list. Read on for details. Laid-Back Camp, Vol. 1 Story and Art by Afro Translation by Amber Tamosaitis Yen Press, 178 pp. Rated T, for Teen Laid-Back Camp may be the most quintessentially Japanese thing I’ve read this year: it features cute girls doing cute things while…

Read More

By

Hakumei & Mikochi: Tiny Little Life in the Woods, Vol. 1

By Takuto Kashiki. Released in Japan by Enterbrain, serialization ongoing in the magazine Harta. Released in North America by Yen Press Translated by Taylor Engel. This was really cute and fun. I mean, I knew going in that it was going to be – that’s the premise. It’s one of those slice-of-life series starring two girls, only in this case the life is fantasy life and they’re four inches tall. But all of the things I was expecting the series to do were done well, and I enjoyed all the characters. The premise is that Hakumei (the extroverted redhead) and Mikochi (the introverted black-haired one) live together in a tree in the middle of the forest, and we follow then as they do things like go shopping, do their jobs,…

Read More

By

Didn’t I Say to Make My Abilities Average in the Next Life?!, Vol. 3

By FUNA and Itsuki Akata. Released in Japan as “Watashi, Nouryoku wa Heikinchi de tte Itta yo ne!” by Earth Star Entertainment. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Diana Taylor. Adapted by Maggie Cooper. I don’t think I’ve read a series that’s as consistently funny as Make My Abilities Average. The author simply knows how to write humor and write it well (she also apparently makes a lot of tortured puns and wordplay jokes, which the translators make a valiant effort at adapting). The book starts off relatively sedately, but the entire battle with the Wyvern in the final third is comedy cold from beginning to end. You would think that “Mile suggests something incredibly off the wall” would get old fast, but she’s simply a walking…

Read More

By

Amigurumi: San-X Crochet Patterns

Amigurumi: San-X Crochet Patterns I was excited when I saw that Viz was getting into the crafting book business, since there are so many great Japanese pattern books out there. Amigurumi: San-X Crochet Patterns is an English translation of a super cute guide to San-X Crochet. The first half of the book has over 30 color pages showing multiple poses of the amigurumi you can make with the book, including extensive accessories and costumes. I enjoyed the amigurumi sitting in tiny eggshells or lounging around the most. Japanese knitting and crochet books almost universally rely on charts for pattern information, and this book has charts and construction schematics, followed by a basic stitch guide so someone new to charted knitting can figure out the directions. So, this book might seem…

Read More

More Features & Reviews