Monday Morning Links. Again.

I’ve come to the conclusion that Monday is link-blogging day, so I’m just going to go with it. I’ll begin with a couple of links to my own offsite reviews. First, last Monday, I reviewed volume 22 of Fullmetal Alchemist for PCS’ Manga Minis. By now I’m sure everyone knows what a huge fan I am of the series, but I find myself needing to talk about it again and again in an attempt to sway the unconvinced. At 22 volumes, this series has still not lost even a crumb of its original appeal. Wonderfully drawn and well-plotted–if you haven’t yet given this shonen epic a try, this is the time to start.

Secondly, I have a review in today’s installment of PCS’ On The Shojo Beat, for volume nine of Yuu Watase’s Fushigi Yûgi: Genbu Kaiden. Better than a prequel has any right to be, this series is much more than a rehash of Watase’s original shojo classic, and in fact seems to avoid some of the original series’ less desirable traits. Though it will likely be a while before we see the next volume, it’s a series I’ve been enjoying immensely.

Enough about me. Let’s get to the real meat of the post, shall we?

First, the Hooded Utilitarian begins a xxxHolic Roundtable, starting with an introduction to the series from Vom Marlowe. The post includes some gorgeous scans from both the Japanese and English-translated books, focusing heavily on the series’ artwork. With art like that, one can hardly blame her, but I admit I’m looking forward to some more in-depth discussion of the story’s characters and themes. This is one of my favorite series of all time, as you probably know, and I’m honestly giddy with anticipation to see where this roundtable might go! Keep your eyes peeled for more!

Meanwhile, both David Welsh and Johanna Draper Carlson review Fumi Yoshinaga’s All My Darling Daughters this morning! I’ve been waiting on a review copy for the past few weeks, but after seeing a couple of scans in David’s review, I may not be able to hold out for that.

Lastly, Erica Friedman has compiled some recent discussion on blogging/reviewing along with a bit of her own wisdom in The Hows, Whats, Whys and Why Nots of Manga Blogging and Reporting. The posts includes links to words from Brigid Alverson, David Welsh, and Deb Aoki, three bloggers we can all look to with respect. ETA: Just posted, Kate Dacey takes reviewing advice one step further, with a wonderfully detailed post on Why Editing Matters.