Unshelved

After the ridiculousness that was May’s Bookshelf Overload (thanks, TCAF!), the number of manga and other books that I acquired in June seems entirely reasonable. Last month I took advantage of a few good sales combined with gift cards to fill in some gaps in a few of my manga series. As I mentioned previously, Kazuo Umezu’s Drifting Classroom looks like it may be going out of print, so I made a point to complete my set. I also supplemented my recent haul of review copies from Kodansha. As for June’s preorders that I was particularly excited for (and dreading in some ways because they’re so emotionally intense) at the top of the list sits Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 2 by Inio Asano and Orange, Omnibus 2 by Ichigo Takano. (I’d actually like to post some Random Musings about Orange, but it will probably be a while before I can get around to it.) June was also a good month for me for shoujo science fiction. I discovered Wrecked Hearts by Mathilde Kitteh and Luca Oliveri and imported Moto Hagio’s SF Art Works collection, both of which are great. (As a side note, if you’re interested in Wrecked Hearts and ordering directly from PEOW! Studio in Sweden is difficult, I recently discovered that it can also be ordered from Retrofit Comics in the United States.)

Manga!
Drifting Classroom, Volumes 9-10 by Kazuo Umezu
Emma, Omnibus 3 by Kaoru Mori
Everyone’s Getting Married, Volume 1 by Izumi Miyazono
Franken Fran, Omnibus 2 by Katsuhisa Kigitsu
Genshiken: Second Season, Volume 7 by Shimoku Kio
Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 2 by Inio Asano
Inuyashiki, Volume 2 by Hiroya Oku
Kaze Hikaru, Volume 14 by Taeko Watanabe
My Little Monster, Volumes 11-12 by Robico
Noragami: Stray God, Volumes 8-9 by Adachitoka
Orange, Omnibus 2 by Ichigo Takano
Red Red Rock and Other Stories by Seiichi Hayashi
Say I Love You, Volumes 10-11 by Kanae Hazuki
Vagabond, Omnibus 6 by Takehiko Inoue
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Volumes 5-6 by Miki Yoshikawa
Your Lie in April, Volumes 3-4 by Naoshi Arakawa

Comics!
Elf Cat in Love by James Kochalka
Hellbound Lifestyle by Kaeleigh Forsyth
I.D. by Emma Ríos
New World edited by C. Spike Trotman
Shadoweyes, Volume 1 by Sophie Campbell, colors by Erin Watson
Wrecked Hearts by Mathilde Kitteh and Luca Oliveri

Artbooks!
Seconda by Yeehun
SF Art Works by Moto Hagio

Nonfiction!
Bubishi: The Classic Manual of Combat translated by Patrick McCarthy
Shed & Frontlawn Zine by Graeme McNee, Ryan Cecil Smith, and An Nguyen

I will be the first to admit that  the amount of manga, comics, and other delights I acquired in May was kind of ridiculous, especially when compared to recent months in which I’ve deliberately tried to curb my spending. However, I expected and planned for a bump in May, mainly because the month includes my annual trip to TCAF. I picked up so many independent comics and zines while in Canada! And it made me very happy. I was also pleasantly surprised to receive an enormous box of review copies from Kodansha Comics at my new address. I really wasn’t expecting to see one so soon after the last box that arrived. (But thank you!) All that combined with a few preorders and other bargains meant that May was a big month for me.

As for some of the highlights from May: Kazuo Umezu’s manga series The Drifting Classroom appears as though it may be going out of print. Volume 11 is becoming particularly difficult (and expensive) to find, but I was able to nab a stray Canadian copy. After a several-year delay, Masahiko Matsumoto’s Cigarette Girl was finally released by Top Shelf last month. Likewise, it’s been a few years since Drawn & Quarterly published its initial collection of Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro, but now there’s The Birth of Kitaro which I loved. There are several other May release which I’m excited about and hope to review in the future, too, including Lianne Sentar and dee Juusan’s short comic Shut In Shut Out from Chromatic Press/Sparkler Monthly, Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 4 by Aya Kanno from Viz Media, and Another: Episode S/0 from Yen On which contains both Yukito Ayatsuji’s novel and Hiro Kiyohara’s manga. My in-depth review of Yui Sakuma’s Complex Age, Volume 1 should be posted later this week as well; I didn’t anticipate that it would resonate with me as much as it did. Oh, and the Dororo anime is now available, too!

Manga!
As Many As There Are Stars by Miecohouse Matsumoto
Attack on Titan, Volume 16 by Hajime Isayama
Bakuman, Volumes 3-5 written by Tsugumi Ohba, illustrated by Takeshi Obata
Bleach, Volume 1 by Tite Kubo
Cigarette Girl by Masahiko Matsumoto
Complex Age, Volume 1 by Yui Sakuma
The Drifting Classroom, Volume 11 by Kazuo Umezu
Fairy Tail, Omnibus 2 by Hiro Mashima
Fairy Tail, Volumes 52-54 by Hiro Mashima
Forget Me Not, Volume 2 written by Mag Hsu, illustrated by Nao Emoto
Genshiken: Second Season, Volume 8 by Himoku Kio
Inuyashiki, Volume 3 by Hiroya Oku
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 2: Battle Tendency, Volume 3 by Hirohiko Araki
Kiss Him, Not Me, Volumes 3-4 by Junko
Kitaro, Volume 1: The Birth of Kitaro by Shigeru Mizuki
My Little Monster, Volume 13 by Robico
Noragami: Stray God, Volumes 10-14 by Adachitoka
Ouran High School Host Club, Volumes 4-16 by Bisco Hatori
Paradise Residence, Volume 2 by Kosuke Fujishima
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Side: P3, Volume 2 by So Tobita
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Side: P4, Volumes 1-2 by Mizunomoto
Planetes, Omnibus 2 by Makoto Yukimura
Real Account, Volume 2 written by Okushou, illustrated by Shizumu Watanabe
Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 4 by Aya Kanno
Say I Love You, Volumes 12-13 by Kanae Hazuki
The Seven Deadly Sins, Volumes 12-14 by Nakaba Suzuki
A Silent Voice, Volume 7 by Yoshitoki Oima
Tract by Shintaro Kago
UQ Holder, Volume 7 by Ken Akamatsu
What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Volume 10 by Fumi Yoshinaga
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, Volumes 7-8 by Miki Yoshikawa
Your Lie in April, Volumes 6-7 by Naoshi Arakawa
Ze, Volume 11 by Yuki Shimizu

Comics!
Always Raining Here, Volume 1 by Hazel and Bell
Avialae, Chapter 1 by Lucid
Bad Company, Part 2 by Guilt | Pleasure
Before the Snows Come by Kat Verhoeven
Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales: Asia Edition edited by Kel McDonald and Kate Ashwin
Foundations of Chinese Civilization: The Yellow Emperor to the Han Dynasty by Jing Liu
Foxfire by Carolyn Gan
GQutie, Issue 1 by Ronnie Ritchie
Human Plantation by Various
If There Be Magic by Kez
Is This a Fetish?: A Weird Aesthetic Zine by Sfé R. Monster
Leveret written by Andrew Wheeler and illustrated by Tory Woollcott
Life on the Hill 5 by Love Love Hill
Magical Beatdown, Volume 2 by Jenn Woodall
Muddlers Beat, Volume 1: Literally Everything Is Outside My Comfort Zone by Tony Breed
Nameless & the Scientist, Volumes 1-2 by Amei Zhao
Portals, Chapter 1: Twenty Minutes by Kori Michele Handwerker
The Prince and the Swan, Volumes 1-2 by April Pierce and Gareth Cj. Wee
Pupa: A Bug Anthology edited by Lawn and Saicoink
Romeo X Julien, Act 1: The Family by Marina
Shitty Horoscopes: The Anthology by Amrit Brar
Shut In Shut Out written by Lianne Sentar, illustrated by dee Juusan
This Will Be Worth It by Sfé R. Monster
Those Spaces Between by Kez
Up Until Now by Akimiya Jun
Valley of the Silk Sky, Part 1: The Long Run by Dylan Edwards
Wayward, Volume 3: Out From the Shadows created by Jim Zub and Steve Cummings

Artbooks!
Samurai 2.0: A Tribute to Men by Various
Take My Revolution!: A Revolutionary Girl Utena Fanzine by Various
Yuko Shimizu by Yuko Shimizu

Novels!
Another: Episode S/0 by Yukito Ayatsuji
Horses, Horses, in the End the Light Remains Pure by Hideo Furukawa
The Secret Biwa Music That Caused the Yurei to Lament by Isseki Sanjin

Anime!
Dororo directed by Gisaburō Sugii

April was a fairly reasonable month when it came to the number of manga and other books that I acquired, but by far my biggest acquisition was a house! It took nearly six months and a lot of stress to get everything to align properly, but I was finally able to close on the house that my family and I have had our eyes on since the the beginning of the process. We aren’t moved in yet, though we hope to be by the end of May. One of the (many) reasons that I’m especially excited about the new place is that it’s large enough that I’ll be able to devote an entire room to books. Now I’ll finally have a place to properly house my absurdly large library.

Anyway! Back to April’s manga. I happened across a bunch of Kaze Hikaru volumes for only a dollar each at my local comic book store, which made me very happy. As for preorders, there were several April releases that I was particularly happy to see, including Kaori Ozaki’s The Gods Lie (I loved Ozaki’s series Immortal Rain/Meteor Methuselah, so am glad to have the opportunity to read more of her manga) and the newly revised and expanded edition of The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame (I reviewed the original collection back when it was first released). However, what I think is probably one of the most notable and most important manga from April is Rokudenashiko’s What is Obscenity? I believe the official release date was technically in May and my copy simply arrived early, but that certainly didn’t stop me from reading and reviewing it.

Manga!
The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Volume 4 by Kore Yamazaki
I Am a Hero, Omnibus 1 by Kengo Hanazawa
The Gods Lie by Kaori Ozaki
Guardians of the Louvre by Jiro Taniguchi
Kaze Hikaru, Volumes 12-13, 15-18 by Taeko Watanabe
Library Wars: Love & War, Volume 15 by Kiiro Yumi
Midnight Stranger, Volume 1 by Bohra Naono
Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Volume 2 by Nanao
The Passion of Gengoroh Tagame by Gengoroh Tagame
What is Obscenity?: The Story of a Good For Nothing Artist and Her Pussy by Rokudenashiko
Yowamushi Pedal, Omnibus 2 by Wataru Watanabe

Comics!
Broken Frontier edited by Frederik Hautain and Tyler Chin-Tanner
The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Two Keys, Volume 1 by Chloe Chan and Aliena Shoemaker
Vertoscope edited by Nechama Frier and Ten Van Winkle

Artbooks!
Bearutus by Cauro Hige
Blanc et Noir by Takeshi Obata
Living with Yuko Shimizu by Yuko Shimizu

Anthologies!
In Light of Shadows: More Gothic Tales by Kyōka Izumi

Nonfiction!
Straight from the Heart: Gender, Intimacy, and the Cultural Production of Shōjo Manga by Jennifer Prough

Well, while still not as large as some previous months, March did end my streak of smaller monthly hauls, but I swear I have some legitimate excuses! First of all, Kodansha Comics apparently remembered my mailing address and the fact that I read and review manga. It’s been about half a year since I last received any review copies, but it was a big box so it should keep me happily occupied for some time. A bunch of Kickstarter rewards arrived in March as well, but since those were already paid for, they didn’t impact my budget for March, just my shelf space. As for the other March arrivals that I was particularly excited about, at the top of the list is Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 1 by Akiko Higashimura (which I just reviewed earlier this week). A few of Viz Media’s March releases also had my attention and wallet, such as Real, Volume 14 by Takehiko Inoue, the first Goodnight Punpun omnibus by Inio Asano, and Yoshiki Tanaka’s novel Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Volume 1: Dawn. And I’m very happy to have Ken Liu’s first short story collection The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories in my hands. The volume includes his award-winning story “Mono no Aware” which I first read in The Future Is Japanese and which was my introduction to his work. Hopefully I’ll find some time to actually read (and review) the collection soon!

Manga!
Attack on Titan, Volumes 17-18 by Hajime Isayama
Attack on Titan: Before the Fall, Volume 7 written by Ryo Suzukaze, illustrated by Satoshi Shiki
Crime and Punishment by Osamu Tezuka
Fairy Girls, Volume 1 by Boku
Fairy Tail: Blue Mistral, Volume 2 written by Hiro Mashima, illustrated by Rui Watanabe
Fairy Tail: Ice Trail, Volume 1 by Yuuskuke Shirato
Forget Me Not, Volume 1 by Nao Emoto
Goodnight Punpun, Omnibus 1 by Inio Asano
I’ve Seen It All, Volume 3 by Shoko Takaku
Kiss Him, Not Me, Volume 2 by Junko
LDK, Volume 2 by Ayu Watanabe
Livingstone, Volumes 1-2 written by Tomohiro Maekawa, illustrated by Jinsei Kataoka
Maga-Tsuki, Volume 1 by Hoshino Taguchi
Ninja Slayer Kills, Volume 2 by Koutarou Sekine
Noragami: Stray Stories, Volume 1 by Adachitoka
Otouto no Otto, Volume 2 by Gengoroh Tagame
Paradise Residence, Omnibus 1 by Kosuke Fujishima
Persona 4, Volume 2 by Shuji Sogabe
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth Side: P3, Volume 1 by So Tobita
Princess Jellyfish, Omnibus 1 by Akiko Higashimura
Prison School, Omnibus 3 by Akira Hiramoto
Real, Volume 14 by Takehiko Inoue
Real Account, Volume 1 written by Okushou, illustrated by Shizumu Watanabe
A Silent Voice, Volume 4 by Yoshitoki Oima
Storm Fairy by Osamu Tezuka

Comics!
Anatomy of Melancholy: The Best of a Softer World by Joey Comeau and Emily Horne
The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye by Sonny Liew
Bulldogs written by Dale Lazarove, illustrated by Chas Hunter and Si Arden
Curveball by Jeremy Sorese
Dates: An Anthology of Queer Historical Fiction Stories edited by Zora Gilbert
Dream Tube by Rebekka Dunlap
Food Porn edited by Gina Biggs
Cuttings: A Johnny Wander Collection by Yuko Ota and Ananth Panagariya
Lucky Penny by Yuko Ota and Ananth Hirsh
The Young Protectors, Volume 1 written by Alex Woolfson, illustrated by Adam Dekraker and Veronica Gandini

Novels!
Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Volume 1: Dawn by Yoshiki Tanaka
United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas
Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama

Anthologies!
The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

Anime!
My Neighbor Seki directed by Yūji Mutoh

February was a rather reasonable month for me when it came to additions to my collection, though I did end up with a little bit of everything. After a small delay, Persona 4, Volume 1 by Shuji Sogabe was finally released which I was particularly curious about, so I made sure to review it. I’ll have a review posted of Mechademia, Volume 10 in the very near future as well, which may be of interest to those looking for a scholarly approach to the study of Japanese pop culture. I finally got around to importing Takako Shimura’s Illustration Works, an artbook that includes some Wandering Son material among other artwork. (I don’t expect that we’ll ever see an English-language release, but it’s mostly illustrations, anyway.) As for February releases, some of the things that I was most excited about weren’t manga-related at all. The most recently translated volume in Keigo Higashino’s Detective Galileo series, A Midsummer’s Equation, is now available, for one. (I also discovered that another of Higashino’s works, Journey under the Midnight Sun, was released in translation a few months ago, but only in the United Kingdom. I’m not sure if there will be a North American release or not, but either way I’ve got some catching up to do!) And surprising no one who is aware of my obsession with Lianne Sentar’s Tokyo Demons, I’m also thrilled that the collection of the series’ sexually-charged short stories Know What You Want has now been released! I should hopefully have a review of that one at some point, too.

Manga!
A Bride’s Story, Volume 7 by Kaori Mori
Ding Dong Circus and Other Stories, 1967 to 1974 by Sasaki Maki
Does the Flower Blossom?, Volume 2 by Shoko Hidaka
Franken Fran, Omnibus 1 by Katsuhisa Kigitsu
Hey, Class President!, Volumes 1, 4-5 by Kaori Monchi
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 2: Battle Tendency, Volume 2 by Hirohiko Araki
Ouran High School Host Club, Volumes 1-3 by Bisco Hatori
Pandora Hearts, Volume 10 by Jun Mochizuki
Persona 4, Volume 1 by Shuji Sogabe
Tomodachi x Monster, Volume 1 by Yoshihiko Inui

Manhwa!
Behind Story, Volume 3 by Narae Ahn

Artbooks!
Guin Saga Artbook by Naoyuki Kato
Illustration Works by Takako Shimura

Novels!
Journey under the Midnight Sun by Keigo Higashino
A Midsummer’s Equation by Keigo Higashino
Silence by Shusaku Endo

Anthologies!
Mechademia, Volume 10: World Renewal edited by Frenchy Lunning
Tokyo Demons: Know What You Want by Lianne Sentar

Anime!
Free! Eternal Summer directed by Hiroko Utsumi
Library War directed by Takayuki Hamana

Another month has passed and my manga collection continues to grow and evolve. The nice thing about December and January is that I usually end up with at least a few gift cards (and gifts), so I can splurge a bit even though I’m actively reducing the number of manga and books I’m buying at the moment. There are a few things that I definitely didn’t want to miss out on though, such as  Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 3 by Aya Kanno (review to come soon!) and Orange, Omnibus 1 by Ichigo Takano, which at the moment is a strong candidate for becoming one of my favorite series of the year. Also released in January, though I’m not sure when I’ll be able to actually get around to reading it, was Casey Brienza’s Manga in America: Transnational Book Publishing and the Domestication of Japanese Comics, one of the very few works about the North American manga industry. I also managed to snag an early copy of Tokyo Decadence, a “best of” collection of short stories by Ryu Murakami due to be released in March. (I recently posted my review of the volume which, though engaging, definitely won’t be to everyone’s taste.) Also arriving in January, though technically I believe it was released in December, was one of Chromatic Press’ most recent paperbacks, KaiJu’s delightful Mahou Josei Chimaka . (Unsurprisingly, I reviewed that one, too!)

Manga!
Aldnoah.Zero: Season One, Volume 1 by Olympus Knights
Brave Dan by Osamu Tezuka
Clockwork Apple by Osamu Tezuka
Even So, I Will Love You Tenderly by Kou Yoneda
A Girl on the Shore by Inio Asano
Kamisama Kiss, Volumes 2-4 by Julietta Suzuki
Kaze Hikaru, Volumes 8-11 by Taeko Watanabe
My Love Story!!, Volume 7 written by Kazune Kawahara, illustrated by Aruko
Natsume’s Book of Friends, Volumes 4-8 by Yuki Midorikawa
Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Volume 1 written by HaccaWorks*, illustrated by Nanao
Orange, Omnibus 1 by Ichigo Takano
Requiem of the Rose King, Volume 3 by Aya Kanno
The Tyrant Falls In Love, Volume 9 by Hinako Takanaga

Comics!
Bug Boys, Volume 1: Welcome to Bug Village by Laura Knetzger
Mahou Josei Chimaka by KaiJu
Shades After by T. A. Kimpton
The Tipping Point edited by Various

Novels!
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Anthologies!
Biogenesis by Tatsuaki Ishiguro
Tokyo Decadence: 15 Stories by Ryu Murakami

Nonfiction!
Manga in America by Casey Brienza
Sake Confidential by John Gauntner

Anime!
Ouran High School Host Club directed by Takuya Igarashi