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Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

News

Site News!

July 5, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 3 Comments

I did some redesigning over the weekend, but most importantly, I added several new categories to the blog:

News: As you can see, this post is categorized as “news” which will apply to site news, linkblogging, and anything else that is not a review or feature article/essay. The front page will always display the most recent news post on top of the left-hand column.

Short Takes: In an effort to be able to cover more manga each week, I’ve started writing mini-reviews for some releases, especially later volumes of continuing series. The front page will always display the two most recent of these, below the regular “Review” section on the right-hand column (not the sidebar). My first two Short Takes are for Legend, Vol. 5 and Hikaru no Go, Vol. 16. Check them out!

Yaoi Corner: Since I’m going to be reviewing more yaoi in this blog, I thought I’d create a section just for those books. As you can see, the latest yaoi review will always be displayed at the bottom of the right-hand column, just below “Short Takes.” Please check out the first of these reviews, for the fantastic DokiDoki release, Color.

ETA: To make it easier to find what’s new, I’ve also added a “Recent Posts” widget to the top of the sidebar.

This week’s upcoming reviews include Kimi ni Todoke, Otomen Vol. 3, Hey, Class President! and more!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: announcements, manga

Monday links

June 29, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 2 Comments

A few quick links for today! First off, I have a review in today’s Manga Minis, for the first volume of Tokyopop’s KimiKiss. This was a fairly depressing read and the best I can think of to say about it is that it is too bland to be offensive. It breaks my heart that this is the kind of manga Tokyopop is putting money into nowadays, while more deserving works languish in cancellation limbo. I realize that sales are (and must be) the driving force behind it all, but really, this? I read the story synopsis of the game it is based on, and it sounded more interesting than the manga. That’s pretty sad.

Secondly, don’t miss my reviews from the weekend! Yuri Monogatari is a fantastic look at lesbian comics from across the globe and a must-read for female comics fans, and Children of the Sea is a gorgeous, thoughtful supernatural mystery story nobody should miss out on.

Looking at this week’s shipping news (thanks, Kate Dacey), I see we have yet another adaptation of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time coming our way–this time of the animated film. I must admit I’m fan enough of this story to be interested in more, so I’ll probably be looking to pick that up. It might be interesting to compare it to CMX’s The Girl Who Runs Through Time, which I own but have never reviewed.

Lastly, please read Erica Friedman’s post at Ozaku where she discusses the “Girls Read Comics” project that was developed recently via Twitter as a response to some of the deeply sexist press revolving around Comic Con this year. This is a very exciting project and I’ll be advertising it more here when there is more to advertise, but if you’re interested in participating, especially as an artist, please read Erica’s post and contact project organizer Deb Aoki ASAP!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: girls read comics, manga, the girl who leapt through time

News in Brief

June 26, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 8 Comments

Reviews have been appearing here in short bursts lately, but I should be back to a more rigorous schedule soon. Shouldn’t the summer be relaxing? :) A few short items:

– For those curious about my non-manga-related activities, I have joined the staff at Act Too Studio, coaching young singers and actors alongside two incredible teachers who also happen to be my parents. I’m pretty excited. Here is some information about us, and here is a page full of people saying we (and by “we” I mean mostly my folks) are great. We are also developing our website as we go, so if that’s your kind of thing, keep an eye out for new content!

– Just yesterday, I got myself on the list to review 801 Media titles, so look for a little more yaoi content here from time-to-time! They also introduced me as a new reviewer in their blog!

– As a testament to my deep love for Yen Press’ One Thousand and One Nights, my review copy of volume eight arrived on my doorstep just yesterday and was immediately pushed to the front of the line (and believe me, it’s become quite a long line). Don’t miss my review!

– On a very different note, I reviewed a new volume in another of my favorite series this week–volume seven of Mushishi. I suppose the contrasting nature of these two series should put aside any lingering worry I might have about this blog not representing me (or my tastes) fully. :) ETA: Also, translator William Flanagan has linked to my review on his Facebook page, filling my fangirlish heart with glee!

– The ever-fabulous Danielle Leigh posted a shojo round-up a day or two ago, and we ended up rambling on together in comments about NANA. Look for more of this to come. /cryptic

I wonder how much of this actually constitutes “news”? Ah, well. More reviews tomorrow!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: act too studio, manga, mushishi, nana, one thousand and one nights, yaoi/boys' love

Tea for Two and Assorted Links

June 19, 2009 by M.J. Beasi Leave a Comment

Just a quick collection of links to share today! As my Anime Boston coverage finally went up early this morning, I realized that there were a few recent reviews of mine at Manga Recon that I’ve failed to link to from here. Check out the AB coverage for discussion of some of the panels I attended, particularly Saturday’s “What Is Boys’ Love?” which I know I tweeted from in some distress at the time.

Recent reviews at PCS include GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Tail of the Moon Prequel, and (by far my favorite of the three) the first two volumes of Tea for Two, an engaging BL series from Tokyopop.

Also, I’ve reviewed a couple of fantastic volumes here over the past few days–volume five of Yen Press’ addictive girls’ manhwa Goong and volume 17 of one of my personal favorites, NANA, which was in my possession for only a few hours before I allowed myself to read it (and would not have lasted that long if I hadn’t set it up as my incentive to finally finish the AB coverage).

I have more reviews of upcoming Viz titles on the way, as well as Yuri Monogatari and The Manga Guide to Physics, so stay tuned!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: manga

Pig Bride 1 & Bleach 27 (plus unexpected rambling)

June 1, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 4 Comments

I’ve had a couple of reviews out at Manga Recon over the past couple of days. First of all, I wrote a full review of the first volume of Yen Press’ Pig Bride which I enjoyed quite a bit, though I’m not at all sure where it’s headed. I look forward to reading the second volume.

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Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: bleach, manga, pig bride

Pig Bride 1 & Bleach 27 (plus unexpected rambling)

June 1, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 4 Comments

I’ve had a couple of reviews out at Manga Recon over the past couple of days. First of all, I wrote a full review of the first volume of Yen Press’ Pig Bride which I enjoyed quite a bit, though I’m not at all sure where it’s headed. I look forward to reading the second volume.

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Read More

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: bleach, manga, pig bride

Manga Minis, Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 18

May 26, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 2 Comments

Just a couple of quick links to reviews offsite! First of all, I reviewed DMP’s yaoi one-shot Awaken Forest for this week’s Manga Minis. In more exciting news, I just posted a review of volume 18 of Fullmetal Alchemist (reprinted here after the demise of CSBG), which still stands as one of my favorite series of all time.

Since FMA 18 was released last week, I picked it up at the Comicopia booth at Anime Boston, and it took me all of, oh, two hours before I gave in and headed to the manga library room to read it. Oh, Fullmetal Alchemist! I know I’ve already gone on and on here about how fantastic a storyteller Hiromu Arakawa is, and how I think the series is tragically underrated despite its popularity. But. Gah. I have to say it again. Hiromu Arakawa is a great storyteller of our time, and if you’ve avoided Fullmetal Alchemist for some reason, you are seriously depriving yourself of something special. If you’ve only watched the anime (which is great, yes) you honestly have no idea what you’re missing. If you think you don’t like shonen manga, try it anyway. You won’t regret it. FMA transcends its genre. Don’t let 50,000 cosplayers scare you away!


Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 18 By Hiromu Arakawa Published by Viz

At the end of volume seventeen, Winry had been brought to Fort Briggs by the ever-slimy Kimblee as a means of controlling the Elric brothers, both of whom display how much they’ve grown over the course of the series by handling the situation with surprising restraint. Al, still locked up in the Briggs brig (yes, I just wanted to say that), carefully waits for his chance to escape while Ed, under orders to carry out mass murder (or else), chooses to put aside pride, bravado, and the ever popular lying-to-people-for-their-own-protection in favor of just straightforwardly telling Winry what’s going on. Meanwhile, Lt. Hawkeye has discovered a chilling truth about President Bradley’s young son–one she can’t reveal even to Colonel Mustang. As the volume continues, Ed and Al encounter Scar once again with whom they must form an uncomfortable alliance, and Al experiences an even more disturbing encounter–with his own physical body.

Though it is a matter of characterization more than plot, the most exciting aspect of this volume is actually Ed’s willingness to be fully honest with Winry about her role in Kimblee’s machinations, something which he surely would have tried to “protect” her from earlier in the series. This actually puts Winry in a position to make her own informed decisions on well-earned equal ground, and though it may not (and does not) keep her safe, it gives her the opportunity to grow up just as her two childhood friends have, something which will inevitably benefit them all. Already her grounded fortitude is an asset, particularly to Ed, and though she’s in peril once again by the end of the volume, there is no doubt she will continue to lend her strength to both brothers in the future. A romantic future with Ed also begins to feel inevitable (if undeniably distant), assuming they both survive, and this volume contains a surprisingly touching scene in which Winry gives her earrings (too dangerous to wear in the deadly cold outside Fort Briggs) to him for safekeeping, leaving him stammering after her. Arakawa plays this perfectly simple and matter-of-fact, which is somehow much more romantic than any labored, tearful goodbye could ever be. This is actually Winry’s volume all over–another highlight being her confrontation with Scar, the man who killed her parents.

With each new volume, this series gets stronger and stronger. Arakawa’s ability to maintain an incredibly complex plot with multiple locations and dozens of supporting characters, thick with moral and philosophical themes, while still turning out kick-ass shonen-style action sequences (of which there are at least two in this volume) is unmatched in my experience, and her story is as satisfying and honestly moving as anything I’ve encountered in any genre. I tend to consider Fullmetal Alchemist to be the most popular underrated series out there–tragically overlooked despite (or maybe because of) its massive sales numbers.

This volume ends with a sense of strong foreboding, as Al is trapped in a snowstorm, battling the effects of coming in contact with his real body, Winry is headed into a deadly trap, and Ed is stuck playing “human weapon” under Kimblee’s watch. For fans of the series, this volume provides new revelations, strong character development, and some anxious anticipation of what’s to come. For those who have avoided picking up this long-running shonen series, it’s never too late to catch up. Head to your local library before volume nineteen arrives on July 21st!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: fullmetal alchemist, manga, tokiday

Kindle Blogs & Anime Boston

May 19, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 6 Comments

A little bit of news I keep forgetting to share here is that this blog is now available for subscription on the Kindle! If you’re a Kindle user and reading this blog for free online is just not convenient enough for you, check it out. Subscriptions are cheap ($1.99/month with a 14-day free trial period to start) and while you’re there, check out the other manga-centric blogs that are turning up! Lori Henderson has a list at Manga Xanadu here.

I was waiting to talk about Anime Boston here until the panel schedule was up, but since the con is just a few days away with no schedule in sight, I’ll just keep it general. I’ll be at Anime Boston for all three days (schedule pending) and though I tend to be a bit of a shy loner at cons, I’d love to say hello to any of you who might be there! The one place I you can be sure I’ll be is sitting on our PCS panel, “Please Save My Manga,” at 10:00 am on Friday. Other than that, it’s all TBA. Feel free to stop me for a hello if you see me (here’s a photo with my current hair–please note that head tops a roly-poly body) or drop me an e-mail if you want to be more formal about it. Hope to see you there!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: conventions, kindle

Manga Minis & New Look!

May 4, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 2 Comments

First of all, I have a review in today’s Manga Minis, for DMP one-shot, Live for Love. This was a rough call for me, because while I really dislike one of the common BL elements present in this story (why, why must someone always be raped?) I really enjoyed the rest of it on a fun, fluffy kind of level, much more so than usual for this type of story. So there you have it.

Secondly, and I’m very happy about this, the site has a new look! After seeing Kate Dacey’s fancy new blog, I was inspired to give this place a slightly more professional look, particularly to make it easier for people to find recent reviews. Please drop me a comment or e-mail if you run into any problems with the site!

I’ve got lots of new content coming this week, including new reviews and discussion topics. We should be hearing more from guest blogger Deanna Gauthier in the next month as well! Stay tuned!

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: manga, wordpress

Hurray for Kate!

April 29, 2009 by M.J. Beasi 2 Comments

Just a quick link for those who haven’t heard, the fantastic Kate Dacey, who was Senior Manga Editor at PCS when I was brought on, has started her own blog, The Manga Critic! She gets things going with a roundtable of short recommendations from other reviewers (including me!) as well as a treasure trove of other content already put into place.

For a little history on Kate and manga, check out this introduction and then add her to your blogrolls and RSS feeds ASAP, because this blog should absolutely be a daily read for anyone who loves manga.

Filed Under: NEWS Tagged With: blogs, manga

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