SEAN: I love the end of the month. It’s so quiet and peaceful.
DMP has the 8th volume of the Ai no Kusabi novel series, which I think is the final volume of this epic sci-fi master/slave BL tale. It’s 1980s-tastic!
MICHELLE: I remember watching the OVA of this (possibly at a convention) and being THOROUGHLY confused.
ASH: It’s nice to see this series finally completed in English, especially after a nearly four-year hiatus.
MJ: If only this was a manga instead of a novel. “1980s-tastic” has a much stronger hold on me when there’s lots of artwork involved.
ANNA: I love 1980s-tastic manga art!
SEAN: Kodansha gives us Attack on Titan 9. I went on about this volume at length in my review. At great length. Seriously, I just wouldn’t shut up. Also, I can now say Ymir! Hooray!
ASH: I’ll admit it: I’ve become hooked on Attack on Titan. I’m glad the series is doing so well for Kodansha, too.
SEAN: There’s also the 2nd and final volume of Sailor Moon Short Stories, which I also reviewed. I recommend getting it for Rei Hino. Also, that wraps it up for the manga, barring any artbook releases in the future.
Seven Seas has another 2-volume omnibus of Witch Buster, which I am so unfamiliar with I can’t even muster up some witty wordplay banter.
ASH: The only thing I really know about Witch Buster is that it’s original title was Witch Hunter.
SEAN: Vertical has Pink, by Kyoko Okazaki. I’ve been waiting for this since it was first announced. It’s from an earlier period in her career than Helter Skelter, and has a crocodile. Hence, everyone should read it.
MICHELLE: I’m really looking forward to this one!
ASH: As am I! I’ve really been enjoying Vertical’s josei titles this year.
MJ: I suspect this will make a strong showing in our upcoming Pick of the Week column. It’s certainly mine!
ANNA: I am glad for the reminder that this is coming out, because I’m going to order it! Helter Skelter was one of the more distinctive manga that I’ve read recently, so I am very much looking forward to Pink.
SEAN: Yen has the 2nd volume of Judge, which is shipping this week instead of last for some reason. See, it’s missing deadlines like that that would get you killed first in a survival game manga.
Speaking of missing deadlines, I forgot to mention that last week the 10th and 11th volumes of the Haruhi Suzumiya light novels shipped as one big omnibus. This catches us up with Japan, at last novel-wise, and is one of the best yet, provided you’re used to the Japanese light novel narration style, which involves a torrent of words and introspection.
What manga are you thankful for?
lys says
November 21, 2013 at 11:48 pmDid you miss Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days volume 1? (or did I??) I thought it came out this past Tuesday, but didn’t see it on your previous list and it’s not on this one either. My favourite Kingdom Hearts manga adaptation yet!
Sean Gaffney says
November 22, 2013 at 4:20 amBecause Amazon doesn’t tag the books as manga and thus I keep forgetting it exists. ^^;; I will try to remember to add it next week.
AshLynx says
November 22, 2013 at 1:32 amI’d give Witch Buster a shot if I were you, it’s one of the few shonen manhwa coming out from anyone, it’s from Seven Seas but somehow not a moe-yuri-animal people fest, and it’s pretty good actually. I think it should be more popular than it probably is (though it claims to be a good seller on the covers, but I have no idea how accurate those are since Tokyopop made up stuff for Fruits Basket). I understand the name change was due to copyright issues.
JRB says
November 22, 2013 at 6:47 pmI’ll have to get around to buying Pink one of these days, but more to support continued publication of josei in English rather than any actual desire to own it; stories about disillusioned prostitutes and their slimy middle-aged johns really are not my thing. (And whyyyyyy is josei so cynical about relationships?). The alligator is definitely a plus, though.