Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Archives for July 2012

Tokyopop is back!

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Big news from Anime Expo: Tokyopop had a panel, and they announced they will be publishing that vols. 4 and 5 of Hetalia will be published in North America; Levy said the details are unclear but he is talking to Gentosha about it. Tokyopop will also publish the third volume of the OEL manga Psy-Comm, as print-on-demand books via the anime retail site RightStuf. More on this as it develops…

At MTV Geek I reviewed Viz’s newest shoujo manga, Jiu Jiu.

Erica Friedman rounds up the latest yuri news in her Yuri News Network post at Okazu.

The Yen Press staff blogs about their work on the new (finally complete!) edition of Alice in the Country of Hearts.

The Takehiko Inoue-focused Manga Moveable Feast continues at two sites; at Manga Report, Anna pulls out some of the highlights from the archive of older posts, and at Soliloquy in Blue, Michelle Smith posts the link roundups for days two, three, and four, as well as a special Inoue-themed edition of Let’s Get Visual, with MJ.

Kimi-Chan posts a 2010 interview with Incubus creator Yayoi Neko.

Manga Bookshelf editor MJ talks about manga, blogging, fandom, and girl-friendly comics, among other things, in a wide-ranging interview at women write about comics.

Reviews

Rob Clough on Black Blizzard (High-Low)
Erica Friedman on Black Yagi to Gekiyaku Madeline (Okazu)
Connie on vol. 1 of The Devil Does Exist (Slightly Biased Manga)
Connie on vol. 3 of A Devil and Her Love Song (Slightly Biased Manga)
Rob Clough on A Drifting Life (High-Low)
Connie on Good Morning (Slightly Biased Manga)
Manjiorin on vols. 2 and 3 of Hikaru No Go (Organization Anti-Social Geniuses)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 7 of House of Five Leaves (The Comic Book Bin)
Connie on vol. 10 of Kamisama Kiss (Slightly Biased Manga)
Emily on Kyou Otoko to Isourou (Emily’s Random Shoujo Manga Page)
Lesley Aeschliman on vol. 2 of La Corda d’Oro (Blogcritics)
Tom Spurgeon on Mai, The Psychic Girl (The Comics Reporter)
J. Caleb Mozzocco on NonNonBa (Comics Alliance)
Kristin on vol. 4 of Psyren (Comic Attack)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 5 of Psyren (The Comic book Bin)
Leroy Douresseaux on vol. 8 of Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura (The Comic Book Bin)
Anna on vols. 1-6 of Slam Dunk (Manga Report)
Lori Henderson on vol. 1 of Vagabond (Manga Xanadu)
Michelle Smith on vols. 1-3 of Vagabond (Soliloquy in Blue)
Ash Brown on vol. 2 of Vagabond (omnibus edition)
Anna on vols. 9 and 10 of Vagabond (omnibus edition) (Manga Report)

Manga Bestsellers: 2012, Week Ending 13 May

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Comparative Rankings Based on Consolidated Online Sales

last week’s charts
about the charts

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Manga Bestsellers

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [468.0] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Sailor Moon 4 – Kodansha Comics, Mar 2012 [424.8] ::
3. ↑5 (8) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [422.8] ::
4. ↓-1 (3) : Sailor Moon 3 – Kodansha Comics, Jan 2012 [410.0] ::
5. ↓-1 (4) : Sailor Moon 1 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2011 [409.3] ::
6. ↓-1 (5) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [389.5] ::
7. ↔0 (7) : Sailor Moon 2 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2011 [382.5] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Negima! 34 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [366.5] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [346.2] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [289.0] ::

[more]

Top Imprints
Number of volumes ranking in the Top 500:

Viz Shonen Jump 79
Yen Press 79
Tokyopop 75
Viz Shojo Beat 51
Kodansha Comics 47
Viz Shonen Jump Advanced 39
DMP Juné 17
Vizkids 17
Dark Horse 13
HC/Tokyopop 13

[more]

Series/Property

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon – Kodansha Comics [1,157.8] ::
2. ↔0 (2) : Naruto – Viz Shonen Jump [955.0] ::
3. ↔0 (3) : Black Butler – Yen Press [819.3] ::
4. ↔0 (4) : Maximum Ride – Yen Press [609.7] ::
5. ↑1 (6) : Negima! – Del Rey/Kodansha Comics [563.3] ::
6. ↑1 (7) : Highschool of the Dead – Yen Press [512.9] ::
7. ↓-2 (5) : Warriors – HC/Tokyopop [492.0] ::
8. ↔0 (8) : One Piece – Viz Shonen Jump [491.0] ::
9. ↑3 (12) : Pokemon – Vizkids [451.9] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Bleach – Viz Shonen Jump [397.4] ::

[more]

New Releases
(Titles releasing/released This Month & Last)

1. ↔0 (1) : Sailor Moon 5 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [468.0] ::
3. ↑5 (8) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [422.8] ::
8. ↓-2 (6) : Negima! 34 – Kodansha Comics, Apr 2012 [366.5] ::
17. ↑7 (24) : One Piece 62 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [262.4] ::
21. ↓-9 (12) : The Betrayal Knows My Name 3 – Yen Press, Apr 2012 [236.7] ::
23. ↔0 (23) : Highschool of the Dead 6 – Yen Press, Apr 2012 [231.2] ::
30. ↓-15 (15) : Rosario+Vampire Season II 8 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2012 [197.9] ::
35. ↔0 (35) : Bleach 39 – Viz Shonen Jump, Apr 2012 [188.2] ::
37. ↓-24 (13) : Warriors SkyClan & The Stranger 3 – HarperCollins, Apr 2012 [183.3] ::
38. ↓-10 (28) : Durarara!! 2 – Yen Press, Apr 2012 [182.8] ::

[more]

Preorders

6. ↓-1 (5) : Black Butler 9 – Yen Press, Jul 2012 [389.5] ::
13. ↑1 (14) : Sailor Moon 6 – Kodansha Comics, Jun 2012 [275.5] ::
14. ↑2 (16) : Sailor Moon 7 – Kodansha Comics, Sep 2012 [275.5] ::
16. ↑3 (19) : Sailor Moon 8 – Kodansha Comics, Nov 2012 [263.5] ::
33. ↓-6 (27) : Ouran High School Host Club 18 – Viz Shojo Beat, Jun 2012 [189.6] ::
53. ↓-2 (51) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [155.6] ::
63. ↑30 (93) : Naruto 57 – Viz Shonen Jump, Jul 2012 [138.5] ::
64. ↑7 (71) : Negima! 35 – Kodansha Comics, Jul 2012 [138.4] ::
76. ↓-4 (72) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [120.0] ::
80. ↑5 (85) : Negima! 36 – Kodansha Comics, Oct 2012 [114.4] ::

[more]

Manhwa

335. ↑13 (348) : Bride of the Water God 9 – Dark Horse, Oct 2011 [34.8] ::
469. ↑662 (1131) : INVU 5 – Tokyopop, Nov 2009 [24.0] ::
556. ↓-60 (496) : Black God 16 – Yen Press, Apr 2012 [18.7] ::
633. ↓-127 (506) : Color Trilogy 1 The Color of Earth – Macmillan First Second, Apr 2009 [14.7] ::
646. ↓-339 (307) : Priest Purgatory 1 – Tokyopop, Aug 2010 [14.1] ::
669. ↓-51 (618) : Ragnarok 1 – Tokyopop, May 2002 [13.1] ::
750. ↑88 (838) : Toxic (anthology) 1 – Udon, Jul 2012 [10.1] ::
772. ↑57 (829) : Bride of the Water God 10 – Dark Horse, Jan 2012 [9.4] ::
929. ↑308 (1237) : Bride of the Water God 11 – Dark Horse, May 2012 [5.8] ::
1260. ↓-318 (942) : March Story 3 – Viz Signature, Oct 2011 [1.9] ::

[more]

BL/Yaoi

53. ↓-2 (51) : Finder Series 6 Passion within the View Finder – DMP Juné, Jul 2012 [155.6] ::
76. ↓-4 (72) : Only the Ring Finger Knows (novel) 5 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [120.0] ::
83. ↓-15 (68) : Private Teacher 3 – DMP Juné, May 2012 [111.5] ::
85. ↑5 (90) : Ai no Kusabi (novel) 7 – DMP Juné, Sep 2012 [108.6] ::
88. ↑34 (122) : Love Mode 1 – Tokyopop Blu, Nov 2005 [105.3] ::
102. ↓-6 (96) : Private Teacher 2 – DMP Juné, Jan 2012 [96.4] ::
159. ↑3 (162) : Finder Series 5 Truth in the View Finder – DMP Juné, Dec 2011 [73.6] ::
181. ↓-94 (87) : Gravitation vols 3-4 collection – Tokyopop, Aug 2009 [64.3] ::
182. ↑31 (213) : Vassalord 4 – Tokyopop, Nov 2010 [64.3] ::
210. ↓-52 (158) : Good Morning – DMP Juné, May 2012 [57.0] ::

[more]

Ebooks

3. ↑5 (8) : Naruto 56 – Viz Shonen Jump, May 2012 [422.8] ::
9. ↔0 (9) : Naruto 55 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [346.2] ::
10. ↑1 (11) : Maximum Ride 5 – Yen Press, Dec 2011 [289.0] ::
15. ↑5 (20) : Maximum Ride 1 – Yen Press, Jan 2009 [267.4] ::
31. ↑9 (40) : Naruto 54 – Viz Shonen Jump, Mar 2012 [193.8] ::
36. ↓-5 (31) : Blue Exorcist 1 – Viz Shonen Jump Advanced, Apr 2011 [185.0] ::
47. ↓-3 (44) : Maximum Ride 2 – Yen Press, Oct 2009 [168.2] ::
49. ↑5 (54) : Naruto 53 – Viz Shonen Jump, Dec 2011 [166.5] ::
51. ↓-1 (50) : Maximum Ride 3 – Yen Press, Aug 2010 [162.7] ::
52. ↑5 (57) : Maximum Ride 4 – Yen Press, Apr 2011 [156.5] ::

[more]

Pick of the Week: Jiu Jiu, 5 Centimeters & more

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SEAN: Given that there’s about 40 gazillion titles coming out this Wednesday at Midtown Comics, narrowing down a pick of the week is hard. I am therefore going to do what I usually do in these cases, which is assume my colleagues will pick the more ‘upscale’ titles and go for my own personal biases. Jiu Jiu is Viz’s latest Shojo Beat series, and it’s from Hana to Yume (and its spinoff), a magazine I adore. It combines shoujo romance with fantasy, as most of the currently licensed crop do (hey, you go with what sells), and features a heroine who is cool and can kick ass when required. Who could ask for anything more?

MICHELLE: Actually, even though I know I should pick the third volume of Wandering Son because it’s bound to be awesome, my heart is drawn unerringly—over other greats like One Piece and Ooku—to the 28th volume of Skip Beat!. I think it says a lot about the series that it inspires such loyalty and genuine expectation so long into its run. Also, I have successfully gotten a coworker addicted. Muahaha!

MJ: I think we can all agree that Wandering Son is a must-buy. But since there will be much more of it to come, I’ll give my vote this week to a single volume release—the manga adaptation of Makoto Shinkai’s 5 Centimeters Per Second. I’m a fairly devoted fan of Shinkai’s work and vision, and as this adaptation is based on my very favorite of his films, it’s not a release I’m willing to miss. There are images from this melancholy film that are among my favorites in any medium—moments I carry with me day-to-day, even now. And while I expect I’ll find the manga’s strengths to be different than the film’s, it’s hard for me to imagine Vertical licensing this if it had no strengths at all. So, despite my usual skepticism over adaptations of this kind, I approach this manga optimistically.

BRIGID: Wow, so many good books to choose from! I’m loving Drops of God, so I’ll want vol. 4 of that, and I’ll be going for 5 cm too. But in the dog days of summer, I go for the simple pleasures, so my first choice this week will be vol. 1 of the Kitchen Princess omnibus. I’m ready for some sweet, sweet shoujo, and Kitchen Princess delivers, treading very familiar ground with the story of a cheerful orphan at an elite boarding school who solves everyone’s problems by cooking for them. It’s charming, funny, and broken up into short story arcs so I can pick it up and put it down whenever I like. Yeah, I’ve read it before, but summer is a good time for reruns, so bring it on!

Readers, what looks good to you this week?

Takehiko Inoue MMF Roundaup: Part Four

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It’s the fourth quarter, and your co-hosts have banded together to take you through the final stretch!

Anna joins me for a special Let’s Get Visual column dedicated to Inoue’s artwork, where we discuss pages from Real and Vagabond.

And speaking of Vagabond, we both weigh in on the series, with Anna tackling the two most recent VIZBIG editions to be released (nine and ten) and me checking out the first one. Ultimately, it looks like neither of us has found a new favorite over the course of the MMF, but we still both enjoyed branching out!

A big thank you once again to everyone who contributed and left comments. MJ of Manga Bookshelf will be hosting the next MMF, which will focus on works by CLAMP.

Vagabond, Vols. 1-3

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By Takehiko Inoue | Published by VIZ Media (first VIZBIG edition)

One of my goals for this Manga Moveable Feast was to finally read some of Vagabond. I’ve been collecting the VIZBIG editions since they started coming out, which means there were ten of these on my shelf (with their spines forming a group portrait) unread. Now that I finally have read some of Vagabond, I’ve found it so different from the Inoue I’m familiar with—and yet containing some of the same themes—that I’m rather at a loss for words.

Shinmen Takezo is the son of a legendary swordsman, though we don’t really find that out until volume three. Since the age of thirteen, when he killed a man who came to Miyamoto village looking to challenge its strongest occupant, he’s been ostracized by all save a couple of childhood friends and he’s recently been off to battle with one of them, Hon’iden Matahachi. They both survive a bloody battle, but Matahachi takes up with a thieving widow, leaving Takezo to return to Miyamoto with tidings of Matahachi’s survival.

To make a long story very short: Takezo meets with an unfriendly welcome and is manipulated by a clever monk named Takuan into reevaluating his life. Four years later, now going by the name Miyamoto Musashi, he shows up in Kyoto looking to challenge the head of the Yoshioka sword school, and though he defeats many of their members, he learns there are still those stronger than him. A drunken Matahachi accidentally sets the blaze that allows Musashi to escape, and the VIZBIG ends with him realizing that the old friend he left for dead might actually have survived.

Even though I knew this was about swordsmen, I somehow didn’t expect it to be as gory as it is. There are a lot of death blows being dealt here, as Musashi is obsessed with measuring/proving his strength against others and willing to sacrifice his life to this aim. That said, at times the art is absolutely gorgeous, and there are a few color pages that look like bona fide paintings. The scope, layout, and pacing of the story all lend it a cinematic feel that is genuinely impressive. There’s one scene early on, when Musashi turns around to face the one opponent left standing and it’s genuinely terrifying.

But yet, I mostly found it unaffecting. I expect there will be more insight into the main character as time progresses, but for now he’s so closed off, so proud of his strength and being hailed a demon that I can’t grow fond of him or endorse his goals. I have a feeling I’m not supposed to. I did identify with Matahachi a lot, though, especially his inferiority complex in regards to his friend and his inability to follow through with the heroic deeds he imagines himself performing. I like Otsu, the fiancée Matahachi left behind, and I’m intrigued by Takuan, the monk. I’ll keep reading for them, if nothing else.

One thing about Musashi reminds me a lot of Hisanobu Takahashi in Real. As a child, Hisanobu was attempting to master a particular basketball move that his father showed him. He worked very hard on it, but was never able to show his father because the latter abandoned the family. Musashi has also been abandoned by his mother and shunned by his father, and part of his drive to test himself seems due to the desire to show them his strength, show them that he doesn’t need to depend on anyone else. Musashi is a real historical figure, not a character Inoue created, but it seems like he’s drawn to these confident yet wounded types.

Ultimately, I can see why Vagabond is hailed as a masterpiece, and I will certainly keep reading it, but my heart will always belong to Inoue’s sports manga, Slam Dunk in particular. The heart wants what the heart wants!

Vagabond is published in English by VIZ Media. Single volumes up through 33 have been published, as well as ten “VIZBIG” editions comprised of three volumes each. An eleventh VIZBIG edition is scheduled to be released in December. Inoue has recently resumed the series in Japan, so the upcoming release of volume 34 (October) will be the first new Vagabond released in English in two years.