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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

June 17, 2013 by MJ, Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney and Anna N 2 Comments

Pick of the Week: Subverting Expectations

potw-6-17-13MJ: My obvious pick this week would be volume 16 of Pandora Hearts, and I am sure that’s what everyone expects (you can read about how much I love this volume in today’s Bookshelf Briefs). But sometimes it’s the unknown that has the greatest allure, and I’ll admit that I’m most anxious to get a look at Asumiko Nakamura’s Utsubora: the Story of a Novelist, out this week from Vertical. I’ve had a shaky relationship with Vertical’s titles from Manga Erotics F—the magazine this title comes from—but Vertical’s track record with me overall is pretty stunning (and the magazine has housed some of my favorites as well), so I’m more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. Familiar favorites are a wonderful thing, but nothing beats the mystery of the unknown. I can’t wait to see what this manga has in store!

MICHELLE: I was so sure that you were going to pick Pandora Hearts that I was all set to pick Utsubora myself. I’m definitely looking forward to checking it out, but I’ll go ahead and give Pandora Hearts my official love, as I’m really looking forward to getting caught up with that one.

SEAN: I’m deciding to go with the manga that’s down to a yearly release rather than the quarterly one, so despite my Higurashi obsession, my pick of the week is for GA Art Design Class. There’s an awful lot of 4-koma series about girls in high school out there, and this is one of the ones that makes me smile the most. The cast is amusing in just the right amount, it’s filled with cute, funny and heartwarming moments, and it’s taught me a hell of a lot about art. It’s likely not for you unless you enjoy moe 4-koma manga, but if you do it’s one of the best.

ANNA: I’m also going to have to throw in my vote for Utsubora: The Story of a Novelist simply because it is the only manga this week that I felt compelled to pre-order! The premise about an upcoming novelist who is suddenly found dead also sounds very intriguing. I think a bit of mystery will balance my usual shoujo and sci-fi manga reading habits.

What looks good to you this week?

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Filed Under: PICK OF THE WEEK

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. K says

    June 20, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    Great pick on Utsubora. I actually purchased the volume on a whim, and since it was published by Vertical which haven’t steered me wrong yet. Unlike other manga where I tend to blow through in under an hour, I am taking my time reading this one – pondering the scenes on each page and trying to feel what Nakamura wants to portray. So far, it is a remarkable piece and I am enjoying the story, art and overall experience more than I usually do. I highly recommend it to anyone who yearns for something a bit different and more mature (not in a vulgar way) in their manga.

    Reply
  2. Marie says

    June 23, 2013 at 2:55 pm

    I purchased Utsubora and I am liking it. However, I suppose the definition of ‘available’ when it comes to Vertical’s blurb on the back about it being the first work of hers in English is up for debate. If memory serves me right her Doukyuusei title was done by JManga previously.

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