This week, Michelle, Sean, Kate, & Melinda look at recent releases from VIZ Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc. Bleach, Vols. 50-51 | By Tite Kubo | VIZ Media – The interminable Hueco Mundo arc finally came to an end in 48 with Ichigo losing his soul reaper powers and bidding farewell to Rukia and […]
About Katherine Dacey
Katherine Dacey has been reviewing manga since 2006, when she joined PopCultureShock. Over the next two years, she worked with webmaster Jon Haehnle and fellow contributor Erin Finnegan to transform Erin’s “Manga Recon” concept from a bi-monthly column into a full-fledged website covering manga, anime, and Japanese pop culture. She stepped down from her post in January 2009. Kate’s resume also includes serving as a panelist at the American Library Association's national conference, New York Comic-Con, and Wondercon; contributing to Chopsticks, a “comprehensive guide to Japanese culture in New York City”; and contributing to the School Library Journal’s Good Comics for Kids blog, where she writes Good Manga for Kids, a column that focuses on manga for pre-teen readers. When she isn’t writing about manga, Kate swings a golf club, plays the oboe, runs long distances, watches old movies, and frolicks with her dog Grendel. Kate lives in Boston, MA.
Manga the Week of 11/7
SEAN: Hello, and welcome to Manga The Week Of: Expanded Version! We liked chattering about JManga so much that we decided to let it carry over into my regular feature. So pull up a chair, sit back, it’s the first week of the month, so Midtown’s list is… tiny. Oh dear, they’re doing it again. […]
Strobe Edge, Vol. 1
One of the most maddening aspects of shojo manga is that it can take 100 or 200 pages for a character to realize what she’s feeling, and another 200 or 300 before she actually tells someone; only the British period drama wrings more tension from its characters’ inability to say what they’re thinking. Strobe Edge, […]
Pick of the Week: Halloween!
With Halloween quickly approaching (and a decided lack of new manga to choose from this week), it’s time once again for the Battle Robot to make their picks for the occasion! What’s your favorite spooky manga?
JManga The Week Of 11/1
SEAN: Welcome to a new feature here at Manga Bookshelf, which for want of a better title will be called JManga The Week Of. As you might guess, it is similar to my Manga the Week of posts, in that we break down what’s coming out next week from JManga (and possibly other e-publishers if […]
Bookshelf Briefs 10/22/12
This week, Sean, Kate, Melinda, and Michelle look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, VIZ Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc., including the latest volumes of Cage of Eden, Fairy Tail, Pandora Hearts, and more!
Pick of the Week: Limit
There’s plenty to choose from this week at Midtown Comics, but the Battle Robot has its collective eye on just one book due in stores from Vertical, Inc.! What looks good to you this week?
The Best Manga You’re Not Reading: Mail
Have spirit gun, will travel — that’s the basic plot of Mail, a three-volume collection of ghost stories penned by Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service illustrator Housui Yamazaki. Like Kurosagi, Mail follows a spook-of-the-week formula, pausing occasionally to fill us in on the personal life of its chief exorcist, Detective Reiji Akiba. Akiba initially presents as […]
A First Look at Cross Manage
For a series whose plot hinges on a mammary collision, Cross Manage is better than it has any right to be: it’s interesting, funny, and populated with appealing characters who rise above type. The collider and the collidee are, respectively, Sakurai, an aimless second-year student, and Misora, captain of the girls’ lacrosse team. Though Sakurai […]
Give My Regards to Black Jack, Vols. 1-2
Give My Regards to Black Jack tells a familiar story: a newly-minted professional enters his field, convinced that he has chosen the True Path. He soon discovers, however, that many of his colleagues have chosen profit over passion, forcing him to decide whether to follow their example or fight the system. Eijiro Saito, the hero, […]
Pick of the Week: Saiunkoku, GTO, Skip Beat!
New manga is plentiful at Midtown Comics this week, especially for fans of VIZ Media, but Vertical makes a nice showing as well. What looks good to you this week?
Bookshelf Briefs 10/1/12
This week, Sean, Kate, Melinda, and Michelle look at recent releases from VIZ Media, Yen Press, and Vertical, Inc., including the latest volumes of Arata: The Legend, The Drops of God, Fushigi Yugi Genbu Kaiden, and more!
Limit, Vol. 1
“The world doesn’t suffer fools or fugly people” — so says Sakura, the most popular student in class 2-4. Sakura is a classic Alpha Girl: pretty, manipulative, and confident that at fifteen, she’s discovered the secret to being successful. (“Both studies and make-up. They’re real important for enjoying life, you know?” she informs her pal […]
Pick of the Week: Barbara & More!
While Kate & Brigid choose the best of Midtown Comics‘ scant offerings, Michelle, Sean, & Melinda turn to alternate sources for their manga fix this week.
Bookshelf Briefs 9/24/12
This week, Sean and Kate look at recent releases from Kodansha Comics, VIZ Media, and Yen Press, including new volumes of Attack on Titan, Blue Exorcist, Durarara!!, and Yotsuba&!.
