SEAN: I have to admit I am impressed with the anonymous teams behind these series that are all coming out at a rapid rate, even if I don’t know who they are because they aren’t credited. The translation quality, while still not perfect, has risen considerably since the start back in August 2011, and the series are cranking out so that, presumably, we can focus on fresh new series in the future.
All of which is a nice way of saying I still don’t have much to say. The big manga for me this week and next is Joshi Kousei (aka High School Girls), which wraps up with the release of Vols. 8 & 9, and finally resolves the unanswered question about the Takarazuka pair. No, not whether they’re actually lesbians, that’s still unanswered. (Though obvious.)
MJ: I admit I don’t have much to say, either, which isn’t to say that I’m necessarily disappointed with what’s happening at JManga. Sure, I miss some of the weeks when they introduced scads of new series, and it’s been a while since some of my personal favorites have been updated. But I appreciate the fact that they’re carrying on, updating what they can, when they can.
MICHELLE: My sentiments exactly. I’m sure at some point, there’ll be something for us to squee over again.
SEAN: There’s also Vol. 5 of Biscuit Hammer, which puts us at the halfway point, and Vol. 6 of Crime and Punishment: A Falsified Romance, which is also 10 volumes, but otherwise quite different from Hoshi no Samidare.
And Vol. 12 of Tactics, which has blown past the old Tokyopop releases (which ended with 8, I believe) and is blazing its own trail. The series is still ongoing from Mag Garden, I believe, and I still can’t remember what it’s about aside from “fantasy”.
MJ: Though I lost interest in Tactics midway through the Tokyopop run, I’ll admit that seeing so many available volumes pop up has re-awakened my curiosity. Should I give the series another shot? I’m thinking I just might.
SEAN: Speaking of fantasy (indeed, they’re by the same author), there is also Vol. 5 of The Mythical Detective LOKI. Please note that this version is not played by Tom Hiddleston, despite what Tumblr may tell you.
Lastly, Tsumanuda Fight Town still has maids who fight. I should really actually read this rather than mocking it, as it does run in Young King OURS, home of many of my beloved titles.
Anything catch your eye here?
When did a Takarazuka pair show up in “Joshi Kousei”? I read several of the earlier volumes of this back when it was released in print as “High School Girls” (by ComicsOne, I think), but don’t recall any characters who might fit this description. Are they only introduced after the class trip volume? That’s the last one I read, after skipping several of the volumes in between.
They showed up in the 2nd half of the series, yes. One “butch”, one girly, always together… the lead girls mentioned their vibe together a lot. Vols. 7-9 have them as more than just one-line characters, and they develop a larger role.
Just wanted to point out that all nine volumes of High School Girls were published, in print, by ComicsOne (later renamed DrMaster).
Good luck finding all nine volumes, though (especially 5, 6 and 9).
Nothing particularly caught my interest this week. Honestly, I miss the days where I could expect a new series every week or two. Recently it feels like a lot of series I have really much interest in haven seen subsequent volumes released either. I’m happy JManga is continuing series but nothing has honestly caught my attention in over a month now.