Manga Bookshelf's Weekly Features

Pick of the Week: A Drunken Dream

August 24, 2010 by MJ 10 Comments

Buy this book – As I peruse this week’s new arrivals at Comicopia.com, I feel a bit sad. There are a number of new volumes that might normally catch my eye for Pick of the Week. Rasetsu, for instance, has become quite a favorite. And who can resist Sand Chronicles?

This week, however, everything fades in the presence of a newly-released collection of short manga from shojo pioneer Moto Hagio, A Drunken Dream and Other Stories. The book is published by Fantagraphics, and edited and translated by Matt Thorn.

Simply put, this book is gorgeous. You can expect a review here soon at Manga Bookshelf, though there’s no way I’ll come even close to doing it justice, unlike Kate Dacey, whose recent review should be required reading all on its own. Visit Publishers Weekly for a very generous preview, if you’re wondering just what I mean by “gorgeous.” Also, check out the slideshow at Fantagraphics’ website for a glimpse of its spectacular, hardcover glory. This is not a cheap book (in any sense of the word), and it is a must-buy for any fan of sequential art.

For my thoughts on one of the very few of Hagio’s works to be published in English, you can read my review of the out-of-print short series They Were Eleven.

This is a release I’ve been eagerly anticipating since its announcement. Visit your local bookstore to find out why.

Pick of the Week: Chi-licious

August 18, 2010 by MJ 2 Comments

Welcome to Manga Bookshelf’s Pick of the Week!

Buy this book – This week, we recommend another new arrival, volume two of Chi’s Sweet Home, published by Vertical, Inc. Chi’s Sweet Home is the story of a stray kitten who finds a new home for herself with a loving family in a (supposedly) pet-free apartment building.

The series is funny and sweet, with the cutest artwork you’ll ever see. It’s also surprisingly poignant and provides some startling insight into the complicated relationship between human and feline.

Volume two addresses kitty frustrations that many humans will relate to as well, and offers up the same light humor mixed with deeper emotional underpinnings (for those who are looking).

Expect a full review of volumes one and two here in the near future. In the meantime, check out the second volume of this adorable series for yourself!

Keep up with all of this week’s new manga with help from Boston’s own Comicopia.

Pick of the Week: Days of Sehara

August 10, 2010 by MJ 1 Comment

Welcome to Manga Bookshelf’s first Pick of the Week!

This feature is exactly as it sounds–a weekly spotlight on a single manga or manhwa title. Picks may be chosen from among the week’s new releases, or whatever else I’ve been enjoying in the moment.

Buy this book – This week’s pick falls into the first category. It’s the final volume of a series I’ve followed ravenously for quite some time, Han SeungHee and Jeon JinSeok’s One Thousand and One Nights, published by Yen Press.

Though originally I declined to categorize this series as boys’ love (much like Akimi Yashida’s Banana Fish), it has certainly earned that title over the past few volumes. It also has the distinction of being one of the few in its genre I’ve ever encountered that was written by a male author.

This overtly homoerotic take on the tales of Scheherazade (“Sehara” in this retelling) is dark, violent, and melodramatic at times. It is also intensely beautiful, and one of the most tender love stories I’ve read in quite a while. My enjoyment of this series is quite well-documented, most recently in last week’s installment of Off the Shelf.

Originally published in English by ICE Kunion, the series is available in its entirety from Yen Press. Do take a look. And don’t let the unattractive cover art fool you. It’s gorgeous, through and through.

For a list of what may be shipping to your local store this week, check out new releases at Boston’s Comicopia.