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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Latest Picks

January 25, 2021

Pick of the Week: Cuties, Spongers, and Magi

January 18, 2021

Pick of the Week: Asadorable Manga

LATEST FEATURES, ESSAYS, COLUMNS, ROUNDTABLES, & REVIEWS

January 27, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Vol. 4

By Kumanano and 029. Released in Japan by PASH! Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Jan Cash & Vincent Castaneda. Adapted by M.B. Hare. This series remains very off balance, though I do enjoy it a great deal. It sells itself as a slow-life adventure with an OP girl doing cute things with other girls, and that’s what it is about half the time. But once every volume the author wants to remind us that this world (and, it’s implied, Yuna’s past) can be dark and horrible, and it’s always tonally dissonant. Here we see Yuna stopping a gang of bandits. First of all, the bandits are really adventurers paid by the villain to be bandits. Secondly, they go above and beyond their pay, as they…

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January 26, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

Wataru!!! The Hot-Blooded Teen and His Epic Adventures in a Fantasy World After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!, Vol. 2

By Simotti and RELUCY. Released in Japan as “Truck Uketome Isekai Tensei! Nekketsu Butouha Koukousei Wataru!!!” by Overlap. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Adam Seacord and Roko Mobius. I have been known to say that the reason I don’t review light novels in the “Bookshelf Briefs” column on Manga Bookshelf is that there is always a way I can spin out 500 words on a light novel no matter what, but I will admit that some series test that to the extreme. Wataru!!! 2 is exactly what Wataru!!! 1 was, and if you liked that you should like this, though probably a bit less as the shtick is no longer new. But this is a gag series. I can’t talk about character development, there isn’t any….

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January 25, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

The Saga of Tanya the Evil: In Omnia Paratus

By Carlo Zen and Shinobu Shinotsuki. Released in Japan by Enterbrain. Released in North America by Yen On. Translated by Emily Balistrieri. I mentioned this a bit in my last review, but it’s even more obvious here: the ‘winning’ part of Tanya the Evil is well and truly past, and we’re likely to see more and more of the Empire losing badly down the road. This book has the Empire try what seems to be a very clever strategy, Tanya and her group do their bit fine, and it just… fails. Due to lack of supplies, because the empire is running out of everything. It’s especially interesting as this is framed around a “won the battle but lost the war” siege, in which Tanya’s somewhat smaller corps has to lay…

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January 23, 2021 By Anna N

Way of the Househusband Vols 3 and 4

Way of the Househusband Volumes 3 and 4 by Kousuke Oono One of my favorite things about Way of the Househusband is how ordinary household chores get infused with the action and drama of a gangster drama. Tatsu and his wife Miku have to band together to banish a roach in the opening chapter, and they cycle through roach fighting options growing more and more frantic until their foe is vanquished. There’s no real overarching story line here, but the episodes around high stakes bread baking and grocery store promotion antics were funny. I enjoy most when the househusband has interactions with people from his past, and he runs into his old boss (and an adorable dog!) and then again the grocery store becomes a site for a reunion with…

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January 23, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

Altina the Sword Princess, Vol. 6

By Yukiya Murasaki and himesuz. Released in Japan as “Haken no Kouki Altina” by Famitsu Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia. Unsurprisingly, a lot of these books are devoted to scenes of battle, with clever tactics and lots of cool action. It’s well-written, but it does leave very little for me to talk about. I am reminded of reviewing those titles like K-On! or Sunshine Sketch, which rely on cute girls doing cute things. Here we have soldiers doing soldier things. Or, in the case of this particular book, sailors doing sailor things. The enemy is simply better at everything right now, and so Regis is sent to try to stop their supply line. This involves trying to outwit their naval force, something…

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January 22, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Vol. 11

By Fuminori Teshima and COMTA. Released in Japan as “Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf wo Yome ni Shitanda ga, Dou Medereba Ii?” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Hikoki. This series is trying its hardest to keep a good balance between the light-hearted romantic comedy that the majority of its readers are here for and the increasingly dark backstory that is constantly threatening to become the front story as well. That continues in this book, which has an awful lot of Zagan and Nephy being incredibly blushy and goofy around each other, wearing each others clothes, being in each other’s dreams, and generally being the most adorable couple around that haven’t even gotten to first base yet. Contrasted with that is the…

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January 21, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

Manga the Week of 1/27/21

SEAN: The end of January still has some choice titles coming out. Seven Seas has rolled out its Airship imprint, so given I separate Ghost Ship titles I should probably do the same with Airship. Next week we get ROLL OVER AND DIE: I Will Fight for an Ordinary Life with My Love and Cursed Sword! 2 in a digital-first edition. ASH: I’m really curious to see how the Airship imprint evolves. SEAN: Cross Infinite world has the 2nd volume of Hello, I am a Witch and my Crush Wants me to Make a Love Potion!. A bunch of Ghost Ship titles, including Destiny Lovers 5, Parallel Paradise 4, Welcome to Succubus High! 2, and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 12. J-Novel Club’s debut is one that manga fans…

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January 21, 2021 By Sean Gaffney

Otherside Picnic, Vol. 4

By Iori Miyazawa and shirakaba. Released in Japan as “Urasekai Picnic” by Hayakawa Bunko JA. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Sean McCann. Last time I talked about the fact that the narrative voice in this series is Sorawo’s, and how that makes the character of Toriko more intriguing. After this book, I’ll go even further and say that the narrative of Sorawo is vital to what makes Otherside Picnic so good, and that it’s even better because it can’t be trusted. In the first story in this book, Sorawo worries that she and Toriko are becoming desensitized to horror, but quickly shoves that off to the side, which is a shame, as yes, she absolutely is. More to the point, the horrific urban legends that she…

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January 20, 2021 By Sean Gaffney and Michelle Smith

Bookshelf Briefs 1/20/21

Goodbye, My Rose Garden, Vol. 3 | By Dr. Pepperco | Seven Seas – Last time I said that this series never quite tipped over into melodrama, but let’s face it, that’s what happens here. I mean, it’s good melodrama, and you really feel the tortured emotions of these girls who just want to be able to love each other. If I’m honest, the fact that this series has a happy ending feels a bit unrealistic given everything that’s been stacked against them since the start, but that’s OK, because it fits the work emotionally, and no one wants to see this end with someone visiting another’s grave. If you enjoyed Emma but wish it had more lesbians, Goodbye, My Rose Garden should be right up your street, and I…

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LATEST POSTS – SITEWIDE

  • Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Vol. 4
  • Wataru!!! The Hot-Blooded Teen and His Epic Adventures in a Fantasy World After Stopping a Truck with His Bare Hands!, Vol. 2
  • Pick of the Week: Cuties, Spongers, and Magi
  • The Saga of Tanya the Evil: In Omnia Paratus
  • Way of the Househusband Vols 3 and 4
  • Altina the Sword Princess, Vol. 6
  • An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, Vol. 11
  • Manga the Week of 1/27/21
  • Otherside Picnic, Vol. 4
  • Bookshelf Briefs 1/20/21

From the Archives

October 27, 2014 By Ash Brown

My Week in Manga: October 20-October 26, 2014

My News and Reviews I posted two reviews at Experiments in Manga last week. First up was my ...

[Read More...]

April 10, 2012 By Sara K. 7 Comments

The Condor Trilogy in Manhua: The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Sabre

This is part four in a series of posts about the Condor Trilogy in Manhua. The previous posts are ...

[Read More...]

May 10, 2017 By Sean Gaffney 1 Comment

Manga the Week of 5/17/17

SEAN: Thanks to Kodansha’s INCREDIBLY AGGRESSIVE digital plan, there’s a large amount to talk about ...

[Read More...]

February 3, 2014 By Ash Brown

My Week in Manga: January 27-February 2, 2014

My News and Reviews I only posted one review last week, but there were a couple of other posts as ...

[Read More...]

July 5, 2013 By Sean Gaffney 11 Comments

Manga the Week of 7/10

SEAN: Not as big as week 1 of July, but there's plenty of tasty treats to check out as the summer ...

[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 ...

[Read More...]

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 ...

[Read More...]

MORE DRAMA DIARY

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