According to the collective wisdom of the internet, Best of 2022 lists are out, and What to Read in 2023 lists are in! So in that spirit, here are a few articles to help you get off to a good start this year. The Beat’s list of 60 Anticipated Graphic Novels offers a pleasing mixture of manga, manhwa, and comics, while Brigid Alverson’s Manga Pick Hits highlights March’s big debuts. Over at Honey’s Anime, Brett Michael Orr organizes his recommendations by genre, naming his five most anticipated shoujo, shounen, josei, and romance manga. Readers looking for a complete overview of 2023’s most anticipated titles should click over to Anime Collective, which has compiled an exhaustive, month-by-month list of every new manga series debuting this year.
NEWS…
Over at ICv2, Brigid Alverson parses the December 2022 Bookscan data on the 20 Bestselling Adult Graphic Novels. “Six of the titles on the December charts are the first volumes of manga series that have been around for a while,” she observes. “It’s not unusual to see the first volume of a hot series, such as Chainsaw Man, in the Top 20, but first volume appearances on the chart seem to spike in December: there were eight or more first volumes on the chart in December 2020… and 2021.” [ICv2]
Topping the list of December 2022’s most popular manga are Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Spy x Family. [ICv2]
Coming soon to a screen near you: Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, which is getting two separate treatments. The first is an animated television series, which will be available on Hulu in July, while the second will be a live-action movie, which will premiere on Netflix in December. [ANN]
Seven Seas is hiring: they need an editor for their extensive line of novels. [Seven Seas]
Australian fans’ demand for unlicensed manga has led to a surge in piracy Down Under. According to the Attorney General’s office, “There has been a general downward trend in the demand for unlicensed television shows, films and music since 2017, but a general increase in the demand for unlicensed publishing materials.” [The Guardian]
… AND VIEWS
Alenka Figa, Kayleigh Hearn, Carrie McClain, Paulina Przystupa, and Masha Zhdanova list their favorite manga of 2022, from Correspondence from the End of the Universe to The Vampire and His Pleasant Companions. [WWAC]
Also compiling a list of his favorite manga of 2022 is Tony Yao, who names Sensei’s Pious Lie and Akane-banashi as two of last year’s best debuts. [Drop-In to Manga]
Erica Friedman kicks off the fourth season of Yuri Studio with a preview of coming attractions and a reaction video. [Okazu]
Jocelyne Allen invites readers to “start your year off with some feminist manga” with a look at Takinami Yukari’s Watashi-tachi wa Mutsu Renai ga Shitai. [Brain vs. Book]
The latest Manga Machinations podcast focuses on three series: Tales of the Kingdom, Children of the Sea, and Welcome Back Alice. [Manga Machinations]
The folks at Taiiku Podcast have been busy, posting not one but two new episodes in the first days of 2023, the first exploring the work of panpaya (Invitation from a Crab, Guyabano Holiday), and the second critiquing Akane-banashi and Embrace Your Size. [Taiiku Podcast]
On the most recent episode of Shojo & Tell, Ashley and Colleen dish the dirt on Natsuki Tayaka’s Twinkle Stars. [Shojo & Tell]
REVIEWS
Sarah gives Phantom of the Idol solid marks, arguing that the series offers an “entertaining look at the world of idol culture that will appeal to readers who enjoy stories (like IDOLiSH7) set in the hothouse world of popular music.” Over at Beneath the Tangles, the gang posts a fresh crop of capsule reviews of Maison Ikkoku, Romantic Killer, Yakuza Finacé and Your Forma.
New and Noteworthy
- Doomsday with My Dog, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- The Food Diary of Miss Maid, Vols. 1-2 (Justin, The OASG)
- The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, Vol. 1 (Justin, The OASG)
- Helck, Vol. 1 (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
- I Want to Be a Wall, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Vol. 1 (Helen, The OASG)
- Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You, Vol. 1 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- My Gently Raised Beast, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- No Longer Allowed in Another World, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- Oshi No Ko, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
- Run Away with Me, Girl, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent, Vol. 1 (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
- Shuna’s Journey (Terry Hong, Book Dragon)
- Shuna’s Journey (Firechick’s Manga Reviews)
- Shuna’s Journey (Kevin Credo, Game Rant)
- Shuna’s Journey (Linda Codega, Gizmodo)
- Shy, Vol. 1 (Renee Scott, Good Comics for Kids)
- Tomb Raider King, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
- The Witcher: Ronin (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- Your Forma, Vol. 1 (Brett Michael Orr, Honey’s Anime)
Complete and Ongoing Series
- Blue Box, Vol. 2 (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
- Blue Period, Vol. 9 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
- Bofuri: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense, Vol. 5 (Justin, The OASG)
- The Crater (SKJAM! Reviews)
- Dandadan, Vol. 2 (Arped Okay, The Beat)
- Miss Miyazen Would Love to Get Closer to You, Vol. 2 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
- Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 19 (Justin, The OASG)
- Suppose a Kid from the Last Dungeon Boones Moved to a Starter Town, Vol. 6 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
- Yuri Is My Job, Vol. 10 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
- Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Vol. 8 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)