Hello lovely readers! After a week full of roundtables & discussion posts, I’m beginning to really tire of the sound of my own voice. So to mix things up a little, this week’s 3 Things is going to be a question.
Readers: What 3 series would you most like to see discussed here at Manga Bookshelf?
You can choose any series you like, but to give you an idea of what’s immediately possible, here are a few photos (in various states of focus) of what I’ve got on my bookshelves: (click on images for larger view)
Some upcoming posts I currently know of include Ayako (next week!) and Black Jack (very soon!) so you need not spend your votes on those!
Okay. Go!
CJ says
February 17, 2011 at 9:28 pmOoh! Could we show off collection pics too?
Anyway, you have
1) Cirque du Freak, I’ve been enjoying that a lot lately
2) Hikaru no Go, more talk of that is always welcome
3) Maison Ikkoku, I can’t help but want to talk of that!
Also: Please Save My Earth if I can pick more than 3. And you’re already talking about Banana Fish or I’d pick that one too. I’m also wondering if 1001 Nights is worth it….
Melinda Beasi says
February 17, 2011 at 9:29 pmSure, show off as much as you like! :)
As for 1001 Nights… check out this post from earlier today to see what Michelle & I think of it.
Michelle Smith says
February 17, 2011 at 9:32 pmD’oh! You beat me.
Melinda Beasi says
February 17, 2011 at 9:32 pmJinx! :D
Michelle Smith says
February 17, 2011 at 9:31 pmWhat a crazy random happenstance! Melinda and I just guest-posted at The Hooded Utilitarian about One Thousand and One Nights. You can find that link here.
Michelle Smith says
February 17, 2011 at 9:29 pmMarmalade Boy, Fushigi Yugi, and Basara. I had forgotten you now own all of the latter. Or at least I count 27 volumes there!
Melinda Beasi says
February 17, 2011 at 9:29 pmYes, they’re all there! :D
lys says
February 17, 2011 at 9:41 pmSo… I kinda read this as “what series do you think need more talk about them?” and so of course I jumped to my two “favourite series that no one talks about” (except a few special, wonderful people): Kaze Hikaru and I Hate You More Than Anyone. I didn’t see either title on your shelves, so I’m not expecting you to run out and buy/read them immediately, but… (also, considering that IHYMTA is currently doomed to incompletion, there is also the complete and shorter series Tears of a Lamb by the same author. Or VB Rose!)
I’ll make my third pick Nodame Cantabile, since you picked Chiaki as one of your valentines last week :D
Melinda Beasi says
February 17, 2011 at 9:57 pmHmmm, I think I have one volume of VB Rose? Lame, right? :)
lys says
February 17, 2011 at 10:03 pmLaaaaame! Just kidding :D Also, I’ll second Michelle’s choice of Basara, as it’s a series I’ve read exactly none of despite hearing all sorts of good things about it (and my resolve not to get into yet another series with scary-out-of-print volumes is slowly crumbling…)
Michelle Smith says
February 18, 2011 at 8:32 amIf any series is worth the pain of acquiring out-of-print volumes, it’s Basara.
Kris says
February 17, 2011 at 10:07 pmOh, I wouldn’t mind Nodame Cantabile either. I always welcome the chance to gush over Chiaki.
Kris says
February 17, 2011 at 10:12 pmOh…I spotted some Yoshinaga and went “Ah, I want to talk about Yoshinaga with Melinda and the girls!” Then I got distracted by plushie Mokona.
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 9:44 amHee hee, well, it wasn’t *that* long ago that I did a full week on Yoshinaga, so it would be hard to justify too much more… though, man, it’s always tempting, isn’t it?
Kris says
February 18, 2011 at 11:05 amYES. She’s my current obsession right now. Since Ooku started, I’ve been amassing all her other works, and reading them like crazy. I’m probably on Yoshinaga overload right now. I want to talk about her all the time, lol.
That said….
Nodame still has my vote. Chiaki…. <3
Sarah says
February 17, 2011 at 10:42 pmI’m not sure that you have any of these on your shelves, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on:
1. Honey and Clover (a truly lovely manga)
2. Kaze Hikaru (a truly awesome manga that severely needs some exposure)
3. Honey Hunt/Hot Gimmick/Miki Aihara works in general. (Because I think it would be great to hear your take on the weirdly addictive but also often repellent mixture of her manga. How does she manage to write something so insanely readable about such horrible, horrible characters?)
Michelle Smith says
February 18, 2011 at 8:33 amI’ve been telling Melinda that she should read Kaze Hikaru, because I think she would love it very much.
Cyphomandra says
February 18, 2011 at 1:29 amI third Kaze Hikaru, which was my favourite new (to me) series last yea. Claymore, because I’m interested in reading it but need a push – and Please Save My Earth, because I have the whole series but stalled out at about v13 after getting annoyed with Rin once too often, but I’d like to know if it’s worth persisting!
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 9:44 amClaymore is an interesting idea, definitely. And you’ll be happy to know that there’s already been some muttering between Michelle & me about PSME!
Cyphomandra says
February 19, 2011 at 6:04 amOh good! I really enjoyed most of the first 12 volumes or so (PSME), and I do want to know what happens to the other characters, but once I put it down it was hard to regain momentum.
Having just peeked at the other comments, I have been reminded how much I also like Real – but I don’t want to give up any of my current three! Arrgh. And I’m also saving FMA until it’s finished, but after that I’d love to see commentary.
Melinda Beasi says
February 19, 2011 at 9:03 amI wish share with you that we have planned an FMA Off the Shelf for December (after the release of the last volume), so folks who have wished for that will get it. :)
DerikB says
February 18, 2011 at 9:41 amOishinbo, Real… Hard to make out a lot of those…
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 9:45 amEditing because I completely misunderstood your comment originally. :D Yes, I did take the photos in a bit of haste, and our living room is rather dark.
DerikB says
February 18, 2011 at 9:52 amI’m curious about Real because I’ve become a huge fan of Vagabond (just in time for it to go on hiatus!), but haven’t looked at Real yet.
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 9:55 amI wrote a bit about it here and here, but there’s enough to say to warrant more conversation. I’m a big fan.
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 10:41 amOff-topic, just because I’m trying very hard not to express how pissed-off I’m feeling in the HU design thread… man, if my full-width pages are too hard to read & I’m violating your irrefutable concept of web 101, then don’t read my blog.
I don’t mind if someone doesn’t like my design, but suggesting that I’m stupid or that I don’t know what I’m doing really *really* bothers me.
DerikB says
February 18, 2011 at 10:49 amSorry, I’m really not trying to piss you off and I didn’t mean to imply you were “stupid” or any such thing. I do find the wide-width hard to read, but I’m reading most everything in my rss reader so I don’t tend to notice.
No rules are irrefutable, in fact most are broken successfully for all kinds of reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t general consensus on a lot of things that work as a starting point, particular from a usability standpoint where studies are done to figure out general conceptions of what works. Hell, I realized in my own comment, that I have my site’s text going all the way across the page too.
Again, I am sorry.
DerikB says
February 18, 2011 at 10:54 amCan I blame my lack of tact and good sense on the cold medicine I’m on?
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 10:58 amYes, probably. :)
And I’ll blame my hot-tempered reaction on lack of coffee.
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 10:57 amPersonally, I think a lot of those conceptions need to be rethought now that most people are reading on widescreen monitors at higher resolutions than they used to. Yes, there may be people who have trouble with one way or another, but I got more grateful compliments when I switched to a full-page view for posts than I’ve ever gotten on any kind of design change, from readers who like having their text laid out plainly and clearly without having to scroll down for eternity reading a narrow column. Many of these readers were brought into blogging via LiveJournal, which has always used a full-width view for posts as its default.
Again, it’s not that I mind disagreement on what people like best, and certainly nothing can please everyone. But the web 101 thing felt really dismissive and condescending.
DerikB says
February 18, 2011 at 11:00 am“most people are reading on widescreen monitors at higher resolutions”
And now we have the increasing number of people reading on narrow width tablets too.
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 11:03 amTrue, though I’ve found my site reads very nicely on the iPhone/iPad at least.
Zoe Alexander says
February 18, 2011 at 10:56 amSo many books! *drools*
Anyway, my choices:
1. Death Note
2. Fruits Basket
3. Fushigi Yugi or Chobits or Rasetsu (Okay, I couldn’t pick just three! :P)
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 10:59 amHee hee I like how you slipped those in there. :D
Aaron says
February 18, 2011 at 11:12 am#1. Strawberry Marshmallow
#2. Fruits Basket
#3. Azumanga Daioh
those are my three choices
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 11:15 amHmmmm I am pretty interested in talking about Strawberry Marshmallow…
Rij says
February 18, 2011 at 12:17 pm1. New series. Well, you’ll be doing this anyway but it has to mentioned since it’ the main reason I read any manga blogs in the first place. I want to know what’s out there, what’s coming and what’s worth spending my money on.
2. Jyu-Oh-Sei. If you want to talk about older series, at least talk about those that aren’t ridiculously hard to get. I don’t want to read an enthusiastic glowing article on Basara since unless it comes back in print, I’m not going to be able to read it.
3. Shinobi Life. Since it needs more love.
I’d suggest FMA as the fourth but maybe it’s better to wait for the actual final volume before making a feature out of it.
Melinda Beasi says
February 18, 2011 at 1:26 pmAgreed on FMA. :) And yes, you’ll always be able to read about new series here. As for older ones, though, there definitely will be articles on out-of-print series, if for no other reason than generating interest in them is the only chance they have for ever coming back *in* to print!
Myrah says
February 19, 2011 at 2:02 amI too would love to see a nice long discussion on FMA from you. Please please please do one in the future!
With that said, it’d be nice to see some recent and intelligent remarks on Fruits Basket. (Especially since I just bought the entire series on ebay…) If not FB, the next series I’d be interested in is X since there is talk of CLAMP actually picking it up again sometime soon now that they’re done with xxxHolic. (Probably just rumors, but one can hope, right? It’d also be neat to look at the epitomal apocalypse manga now that it’s over a decade since the supposed deadline.)
Melinda Beasi says
February 19, 2011 at 9:05 amYou’ll definitely get your FMA wish, though not until the final volume comes out in English. Fruits Basket is an interesting possibility. And, hmmm… I think there’s at least one other person who might like to see X/1999, so that’s a decent possibility too!
animemiz says
February 19, 2011 at 11:50 amDrools over the size of the collection… well here’s my choices. .
Zombie Loan, Cirque Du Freak and 3rd Choice is probably going to be your choice. ^_^