It may be a slow week for shipping at Midtown Comics, but the Battle Robot picks out two easy favorites.
MICHELLE: It’s slim-pickings time again at Midtown Comics. Happily, though, two of the three releases (sorry, Ninja Girls!) are on my must-buy list. Forced to choose between them, I’d give my pick to volume two of Codename: Sailor V. Sure, the first volume was an episodic string of encounters between perky Minako and evil singing groups bent on making humanity their slaves, but it took a more serious turn in its final chapter that might bode well for volume two. I’ve read this before, but it was so long ago I don’t remember how things turn out, but I anticipate more glimpses of Usagi and friends as Minako comes closer to her eventual place with the rest of the team. If you’ve read volume one, you absolutely can’t miss volume two!
SEAN: Yes, hard as the decision may be, I’m going to have to pass on Ninja Girls as well. My pick is for the second volume of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon. This second volume continues to give us reveals fast as lightning – if you watched the anime first, you might think it was rushing. In fact, it’s just cruising through its plot with no filler whatsoever. It’s possible Takeuchi originally planned to have this end in 3-4 volumes, as there’s a lot of revelation and backstory here, almost looking as if it’s setting up an ending. Of course, that could also be Takuechi just messing with our heads – there are some surprises sprinkled throughout, and even one of the bigger hoary old cliches trotted out is still done in a suitably dramatic fashion. Best of all, having wrapped up her plot in Code Name: Sailor V, Minako joins the cast at last, and our senshi team is complete (for now).
MJ: Well, I just read Sean’s pick, and I’m *sold*. It’s Sailor Moon for me, too! Though I do wish Midtown would hurry up and get Princess Knight!
DAVID: And I’ll second Michelle on the Codename front. Kodansha is making it easy this week!
Readers, what looks good to you this week?
Aaron says
November 21, 2011 at 10:36 amwell seeing as I pre orderd both volumes of Codename Sailor V and PRetty Guraidian Sailor Monn voulmes 2 back in Augest I’ll go with those.
Hamster428 says
November 21, 2011 at 11:09 amAm I the only one to like Kodansha’s translation (esp when Prince Franz Charming exclaimed “we’re in deep shit”)? :D
Nicola says
November 23, 2011 at 5:45 pmI feel strange in regards to Sailor’s Moon. Probably because my first memory of the anime was when I was much younger, just sitting in front of the TV with some friends, zapping along when suddenly hitting a turkish channel where a naked 2-d chick was encantation-ing some serious sparkle rain.
I was unfamiliar with manga and anime at the time, and needless to say the whole deal, which turned out to be a marathon, seemed very funny (as Turkish is a language I do not speak) and made for a really fun Mistery Theatre orientated afternoon.
Seeing that it’s now out in a language I can read I will probably pick it up soon. Thanks for the heads up.
EricMontreal22 says
November 24, 2011 at 2:27 pmGreat picks! Just to clarrify something Sean said (but maybe I mis read him), much (I think maybe all of volume 2 in fact) of Sailor V ran in Run once Sailor moon anime and manga were already set up. yes it started the franchise and got the TV studio to ask naoko to create a team based on the concept, but more than half of the actual sailor V manga was written after SM was established—which is why you start seeing the other characters in cameos, etc. In fact I think it took a while for her to actually do the last V stoires—I wanna say several years into Sailor Moon as there was definitely a break.