The Manga Review: Back in the Saddle

After almost two years of planning and procrastinating, my husband and I finally got around to putting in a garden last Friday. It was cold, grey, and raining, but I’m pleased to say we got the job done. By the time we finished, though, I didn’t have a lot of energy for manga blogging—we got soaked to the skin in the final stages of planting—so I skipped last week and hoped my Feedly folders wouldn’t be too full when I sat down to write this post. Boy, was I wrong…

NEWS ROUND-UP

Brigid Alverson breaks down the Circana Bookscan numbers for May 2023. “Webtoons and manhwa continue to dominate the Author chart,” she notes, while Blue Lock and Oshi no Ko are making headway on the Manga chart… For the first time in fifteen years, VIZ will be raising the price of its manga from $9.99 to $11.99 per volume… and speaking of VIZ, the publisher announced nineteen new licenses, including manga by Taiyo Matsumoto and Kazuo Umezz, as well as a Food Wars/One Piece mash-up and a One Piece novel. For more insight into VIZ’s spring 2024 line-up, check out the latest Manga Mavericks episode.

In other news, Azuki added a new sci-fi series to its library: Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms. Look for chapters one and two in July… Ize Press just acquired Finding Camellia… GKIDS will bring Blue Giant to North American theaters for a limited run this year… Tezuka Productions is using ChatGPT to create a new Black Jack story for publication this fall… Netflix has unveiled a new One Piece trailer… and  Matthew Levay interviews Tony Davis, owner of The Million-Year Picnic, the oldest comic shop in New England (and a cool place to browse, I might add). 

AROUND THE WEB

Anita Mowete explains how Blue Lock gave her a new respect for soccer. “As I read through this series, for the first time I understood how people can get so excited over football,” she observes. “I now understand how it gets people pumped up to maximum excitement or brings them to tears. You get a glimpse of the culture that surrounds football, the stories of each participant and the years of dedication that led up to the critical points in make-or-break matches.” [How to Love Comics]

In honor of Pride Month, Women Write About Comics convened a roundtable on the current state of LBGTQ+ manga. [WWAC]

Camil V. Ristè explores Keiko Takemiya’s early career, from Pharaoh no haka (1974-1985) to Toward the Terra (1977-1980). [Anime Feminist]

The Manga Machinations crew weigh in on the live-action adaptation of What Did You Eat Yesterday? [Manga Machinations]

The Reverse Thieves name Skull-Faced Bookseller Honda-san their manga of the month. [Reverse Thieves]

Kory, Helen, and Apryll discuss Until I Meet My Husband and She Loves to Cook, And She Loves to Eat. [Manga in Your Ears]

Did the Shonen Flop crew give Ginka & Glüna a frosty reception, or did they warm to this adventure series about a magical snowman? Tune in and find out! [Shonen Flop]

The Mangang dedicate their latest show to JH’s The Boxer, a Korean drama about a boxing prodigy. [Mangasplaining]

In a letter to readers, Beneath the Tangles’ editor-in-chief explains why the site won’t be covering the new Rurouni Kenshin anime. [Beneath the Tangles]

William Schwartz offers an in-depth look at Joseon Attorney, a Korean webtoon that’s equal parts historical drama and legal procedural. [The Comics Journal]

Jocelyne Allen sings the praises of Ryo Ikeumi’s Kiyouko Iwaka, a series that “has everything I want from shojo: reasons to cry, interior monologues questioning all emotions everywhere, secret handholding, and dramatic vengeance being exacted with the throwing of a whole tub of paint on a person.” [Brain vs. Book]

REVIEWS

Andy Oliver reviews Gengaroh Tagame’s Our Colors, “a tenderly told tale of two gay men from different generations”… Adam Symchuk praises All-Rounder Meguru for its “dedication to authenticity and ability to break down a fight with technical precision”… SKJAM! tackles Deserter, an anthology of early Junji Ito stories… Helen pronounces Osamu Tezuka’s Apollo’s Song “bloated” and pointlessly transgressive… and Kara Dennison has an early look at Susumu Higa’s Okinawa.

New and Noteworthy

• Boy’s Abyss, Vol. 1 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
• Children of Mu-Town (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
• Don’t Call It a Mystery, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
• Drip Drip (Mark Thomas, The Fandom Post)
• The Essence of Being a Muse, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
• Good-Bye, Eri (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
• Gourmet Glutton, Vol. 1 (Adam Symchuk, Asian Movie Pulse)
• I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons, Vol. 1 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
• I Hear the Sunspot: Four Seasons, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
• The Heiress and the Chauffeur, Vol. 1 (That Manga Hunter)
• Magical Girl Incident, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• Minami’s Lover (darkstorm, Anime UK News)
• My Cute Little Kitten, Vol. 1 (Jaime, Yuri Stargirl)
• My Date Is a Total Ike Woman (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
• My Dear, Curse-Casting Vampiress, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• My Future Starts Today, Vol. 1 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
• My Gently Raised Beast, Vol. 1 (Kaley Connell, Yatta-Tachi)
• Ogi’s Summer Break, Vol. 1 (Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier)
• Oshi no Ko, Vol. 1 (Daryl Harding, Yatta-Tachi)
• Parallel World Pharmacy, Vol. 1 (Bill Curtis, Yatta-Tachi)
• Pension Life Vampire, Vols. 1-3 (Erica Friedman, Okazu)
• Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon, Vol. 1 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
• Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement, Vol. 1 (Mark Thomas, The Fandom Post)
• Tista, Vol. 1 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
• Until I Love Myself, Vol. 1 (MrAJCosplay, ANN)
• What This World Is Made Of, Vol. 1 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
• The Witch and the Knight Will Survive, Vol. 1 (Kate O’Neil, The Fandom Post)

Complete, Ongoing, and OOP

• BASTARD!!, Vol. 1 (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
• Boys Run the Riot, Vols. 1-4 (Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier)
• The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy, Vol. 2 (Richard Gutierrez, The Fandom Post)
• Dr. STONE, Vol. 25 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
• Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol. 8 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
• Flying Witch, Vol. 11 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
• The Girl I Like Forgot Her Glasses, Vol. 2 (Justin, The OASG)
• Honey Lemon Soda, Vol. 2 (Rebecca Silverman, ANN)
• I Belong to the Baddest Girl at School, Vol. 7 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
• In the Clear Moonlit Dusk, Vols. 2-3 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• Kaiju No. 8, Vol. 5 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
• Key Princess Story: Eternal Alice Rondo, Vol. 3 (Matthew Alexander, The Fandom Post)
• Kowloon Generic Romance, Vol. 3 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
• Miss Miyazen Would Like to Get Closer to You, Vol. 4 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
• The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter, Vol. 3 (Sarah, Anime UK News)
• Rainbow Days, Vol. 4 (Josh Piedra, The Outerhaven)
• The Reprise of the Spear Hero, Vol. 1 (Megan D., The Manga Test Drive)
• Run Away With Me, Girl, Vol. 2 (Matt Rolf, Okazu)
• Run Away With Me, Girl, Vol. 3 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• Sakamoto Days, Vols. 7-8 (King Baby Duck, Boston Bastard Brigade)
• Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Vol. 20 (Justin, The OASG)
• Soulmate, Vol. 3 (Laurent Lognon, Okazu)
• Spy x Family, Vol. 9 (Sara Smith, The Graphic Library)
• Tokyo Aliens, Vol. 3 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• Wistoria: Wand and Sword, Vols. 2-3 (Demelza, Anime UK News)
• Yumeochi: Dreaming of Falling for You, Vol. 15 (Chris Beveridge, The Fandom Post)