Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Anna N

Pick of the Week: Dreaming of Shoujo

by , , , and Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Despite the Pretty Little Liars vibes of its concept, the mere fact that Daytime Shooting Star ran in Margaret is sufficient for me to award it my pick of the week. I deeply hope I’m not skeeved.

SEAN: I want that too, and will always welcome Oresama Teacher and Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, but my pick this week is Side-by-Side Dreamers, because yuri science fiction novels are something I’d like to see more of.

KATE: I’m still reeling from last week’s enormous bounty, so I’m going to pass on recommending anything new. Ask me when I’m climbed out from underneath the big stack of books next to my bed…

ASH: I’m likewise behind in my manga reading, however many of the shoujo releases from Viz will still be added to my ever-growing stack this week. I’m easily furthest behind with Oresama Teacher, but it’s such a delightful series that I have no qualms with making it my official pick.

ANNA: I’m always excited for shoujo debuts like Daytime Shooting Star, but when looking over the week I’m most interested in reading the second volume of Snow White with the Red Hair, which seemed endearingly quirky based on the first volume. I want to see how the series develops.

Manga the Week of 7/3/19

by , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: July begins with, as you may be used to by now, a pile of manga. Let’s take a look.

Cross Infinite World has another novel debut with Labyrinth Angel, a supernatural thriller with a psychic woman and her butler assassin.

ASH: I do have a soft spot for butler assassins…

SEAN: There’s no Seven Seas next week, oddly enough, but we have two Ghost Ship titles. To-Love-Ru Darkness 11 and Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs 6 are both out.

J-Novel Club debuts a one-shot yuri novel, Side-by-Side Dreamers. Like JK Haru, this is from Hayakawa, a publisher known more for their science fiction than their light novels. An insomniac and a girl who can influence dreams battle against outside forces trying to destroy everyone’s sleep.

ASH: That’s a great premise. I hope this one is eventually released in print!

SEAN: They’ve also got Cooking with Wild Game 3, Infinite Stratos 8, and Kokoro Connect 6.

Kodansha has only one print title out next week, the 7th Grand Blue Dreaming.

Digitally, they have My Sweet Girl 4, Our Precious Conversations 3, Perfect World 9, and The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn 5.

MICHELLE: I keep meaning to check out Our Precious Conversations, as it’s by Robico, whose My Little Monster I enjoyed.

SEAN: Now we drop all the way from K to V, with Vertical’s 13th Mobile Suit Gundam Wing.

There’s plenty of Viz, though – in fact it’s the bulk of the list. Debuting is Daytime Shooting Star (Hirunaka no Ryuusei), a Margaret title! Yes, regular Margaret, not Betsuma – a rarity for Western licenses. Country girl moves to the city, and finds the hot guy who she met the other day is her homeroom teacher. Student/teacher romance is not normally my thing, but I’m still gonna check it out.

MICHELLE: I unfailingly love Margaret titles, so despite the student/teacher aspect, I will also be reading this one.

ANNA: Me too, psyched for anything Margaret.

ASH: Count me as curious.

SEAN: Other shoujo titles include Anonymous Noise 15, Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits 4, Oresama Teacher 26 (the ending was just announced in Japan! Noooooo!), Snow White with the Red Hair 2, Vampire Knight: Memories 3, and The Water Dragon’s Bride 10.

MICHELLE: Lots of good stuff in this list! I especially vote for Snow White with the Red Hair, the first volume of which was a lot of fun and had seriously likeable leads.

ANNA: This is a good week for me. Also excited for Snow White with the Red Hair and Water Dragon’s Bride.

ASH: Yup! Hooray for shoujo fantasy!

SEAN: On the Jump end, there is Black Clover 16, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba 7, Dr. STONE 6, Haikyu!! 33, Kaguya-sama: Love Is War 9, the 2nd My Hero Academia School Briefs light novel, as well as the 5th Vigilantes spinoff volume, and Platinum End 9.

ASH: Hooray for Haikyu!!, too!

SEAN: Lastly, a couple of Yen titles got pushed back a bit. Bungo Stray Dogs gets its first novel, a prequel taking place two years before the manga. And we also get the 11th and final Alice in Murderland, which means that we are once again in an odd, Kaori Yuki-less time period in our lives.

There’s plenty in this list to interest everyone. What about you?

Shortcake Cake, Vol 4

by

Shortcake Cake Volume 4 by suu Morishita

I’m growing more and more fond of this series. I enjoy the steady, slice of life way the plot unfolds, the great sense of place that is grounded in the boardinghouse setting, and most of all the silent moments between the characters that are filled with meaning. I swear, a 4 panel layout of characters from Shortcake Cake just glancing at each other would be a long drawn out speech about feelings in a less well-executed manga.

Switching back and forth one’s object of affections isn’t really anything new, but as Ten starts to reassess her feelings for Riku, Chiaki comes down with a severe case of second male lead in a Korean drama syndrome, where he basically speaks to Ten about his feelings for her in incredibly oblique riddles that she is totally unable to pick up on. Oh, the foolishness and frustration of teenage shoujo manga love! Chiaki and Ten’s fake relationship to fake out Rei gives her an excuse to dismiss his declarations of affection, which Chiaki conveniently times for when Rei is around. Ten realizes her emotions are shifting and thinks to herself that if she was reading a story where she was the protagonist, she wouldn’t like it, because the main character contradicts herself and is selfish. She thinks of her current life being “a bad book” but it seems to more like just what anyone would expect from a teenager not very practiced at friendship. Ten’s self awareness goes a long way in making her sympathetic as she attempts to figure out her suddenly very complicated romantic life.

Chiaki and Riku also attempt to negotiate the strange new undercurrents in their friendship. Ten starts a summer job and in a fraught decision, the trio decide to go to a beach together during their vacation. This volume very much felt like summer, and as Ten goes home she starts to get more clarity over her emotions. I enjoyed the way Ten is self-reflective throughout the book, she seems to be making a decision that will carry over to the next volume, but she’s put in a lot of emotional work behind the next step on her journey.

Pick of the Week: Welcome Returns

by , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: Something for everyone this week. I enjoyed Little Miss P, and have been waiting for more Satoko and Nada for some time. I have to go with one of my “comfort manga” titles, though, so this week I’m picking the 2nd Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family. So many mythical heroes not killing each other and eating yummy food!

MICHELLE: I hope VIZ does more in the digital-only vein, so I will support their inroads into that arena by picking The Right Way to Make Jump. Plus, Kohei Horikoshi is in it, apparently.

ANNA: I’m going to go with Satoko and Nada for my pick.

KATE: I’m torn between the second installment of Satoko and Nada and the first installment of At the Mountains of Madness. How’s that for tonal whiplash?

ASH: Likewise! The first volume of Satoko and Nada was terrific, but then so was Gou Tanabe’s previous Lovecraft adaptation. And so I’ll continue the tonal whiplash by picking something different still, The Monster and the Beast.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol 18

by

Yona of the Dawn Volume 18 by Mizuho Kusanagi

At long last, a Zeno volume! I’m going to attempt to talk around some major spoilers, but I found this volume both immensely satisfying and surprising. Zeno, as the smiling and enigmatic Yellow Dragon has always been a bit apart from Yona and the rest of her companions. He just pops up one day without much backstory, and his power of regeneration as a shield in battle was hidden for many volumes. Now the reader finally sees his power unleashed, and I wasn’t expecting Kusanagi to take a detour into action-centric body horror, but she certainly did. As Zeno is hurt and regenerates, he is able to tap into powers of strength that were previously undemonstrated but he does so at a great personal cost. In the hands of a lesser artist, his stand on the battlefield would be much more difficult to execute.

Most of this volume ends up being an extended flashback where we see the original four dragons and the Crimson Dragon King. Kusanagi is so clever with character designs, body language, and expressions, we can see how traces of the original dragon warriors remain in their reincarnated versions in Yona’s present day. In the end, the reader is left feeling like Zeno is fully integrated into the group, knowing the hidden meaning behind his smiles that initially seemed too easy. The depth of story that Kusanagi has built up over 18 volumes is considerable, I’m always putting each volume of Yona of the Dawn wondering how it is going to get even better, and it never fails to deliver.

Pick of the Week: So Much To Pick From

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: In an unprecedented move for me, I’m picking a light novel this week! Restaurant to Another World has spawned various adaptations but I’ve experienced none of them. Still, it seems rather low-key and charming, which sounds lovely.

SEAN: So much I want to talk about… new Silver Spoon, new Hatsu*Haru, another silly isekai debut… for my pick, I’ll go with Animeta!. I’m a sucker for “manga/anime about breaking into the manga/anime industry”.

KATE: I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug Again!! and Silver Spoon, two of my favorite series, but this week, my heart belongs to Saint Young Men. Show some love for Kodansha and read it, since no one ever thought this one would be available in the US.

ASH: Hoo, boy, there’s so much coming out this week that I’m actively reading! Again!!, Gangsta, Golden Kamuy, and Silver Spoon are definite priorities for me, but I’ll be joining Michelle with the print debut of Restaurant to Another World as my official pick.

ANNA: I’m so far behind, but I’m gonna go with Gangsta as my pick!

MJ: Okay, I’ll go ahead and be the one to throw my whole heart at Silver Spoon. SILVER SPOON. SIIIIILVER SPOOOOOOOOON. What I’m saying is Silver Spoon.

Manga the Week of 6/19/19

by , , , and 4 Comments

SEAN: OK, I double checked the Kodansha list this time, so we should be good to go.

We’ll start off with Dark Horse, who has the 10th I Am A Hero omnibus. I think the 11th is the last.

ASH: I’m a few volumes behind in my reading so I’m not sure how things have progressed, but the series started out very strongly.

SEAN: Apologies to J-Novel Club, who have a bunch of digital manga debuts, including ones I missed that came out this week. First what I missed: An Archdemon’s Dilemma: How to Love Your Elf Bride, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom, The Magic in This Other World Is Too Far Behind! and Seirei Gensouki all have Vol. 1s drop this week. (They’re not on Kindle or Nook because of various reasons, but are on all other digital platforms.)

Next week the big digital debut is Animeta!, a Morning Two title (always a good thing) that isn’t based on a light novel (even better) about a girl trying to be an animator. I want to read this.

MICHELLE: That sounds potentially good! I await your review!

SEAN: They also do have more manga adaptations of light novels, as we also see Ascendance of a Bookworm, Infinite Dendrogram, and The Master of Ragnarok and Blesser of Einherjar get Vol. 1s digitally.

And lest you think they’ve abandoned light novels, we see I Saved Too Many Girls and Caused the Apocalypse 14, Infinite Dendrogram 9, and Outbreak Company 9.

Kodansha has no debuts, but has a lot of stuff. That is coming out next week. I promise. Print? We’ve got Again!! 9, Happiness 9, and O Maidens in Your Savage Season 2.

ASH: Oh, hey! I’m reading all those series.

SEAN: Digitally there is Are You Lost? 4, DAYS 14, Defying Kurosaki-kun 10, Heaven’s Design Team 3, Mikami-sensei’s Way of Love 5, Saint Young Men 2, and Starving Anonymous 7.

MICHELLE: Again!! and DAYS for sure. I hang my head in shame that I haven’t yet managed to read the first volume of Saint Young Men. I really will, I swear!

ANNA: I am sad that I am behind on Again!! and Saint Young Men.

MJ: Saint Young Men!!

SEAN: Seven Seas has the print debut of Restaurant to Another World, which is very good but you’d better be a foodie.

ASH: I’ll be picking this up now that it’s coming out in print. It seems like it’ll be right up my alley.

SEAN: There’s also A Certain Scientific Accelerator 9, Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary 9, and (digitally) the 2nd Skeleton Knight in Another World.

Tokyopop has the 2nd Aria the Masterpiece omnibus and Yuri Bear Storm 3. You may have seen both these volumes in prior lists. Kodansha’s not the only one with surprise last-minute delays.

Vertical gives us a 3rd APOSIMZ. And the Inc. side has the 2nd omnibus (Vol. 4-6) of Katanagatari’s novels.

Viz has a 4th 20th Century Boys: Perfect Edition, the 5th Gangsta: Cursed (as well as a digital catch-up), Golden Kamuy 10, Tokyo Ghoul: re 11, and Ultraman 12.

ANNA: Need to get caught up on Gangsta too!

ASH: Since I read the first edition of 20th Century Boys, it’s Gangsta and Golden Kamuy that have most of my attention from this list.

SEAN: Yen Press moved all but one of its manga debuts to the last week of June, but we do have one light novel debut. The Hero Is Overpowered But Overly Cautious is one of those “the title is the plot” books, but at least has a novel twist by having the hero not be the narrator – from what I understand it’s the summoner.

Also coming out on the novel side: Accel World 18, The Asterisk War 10, A Certain Magical Index 19, The Empty Box and Zeroth Maria 6, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Sword Oratoria 9, My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected 7.5 (a short story collection), Re: ZERO 10, and Woof Woof Story 2.

On the manga side… let’s start with the news that not only do we get the 11th My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As I Expected manga, but we also get Vols. 1-11 digitally. The Shogakukan dam is breaking!

There’s also a yuri one-shot: Whenever Our Eyes Meet: A Women’s Love Anthology. The gimmick here being that the romances are office and workplace rather than middle and high school.

MICHELLE: Hooray for grown-ups.

ASH: Indeed!

MJ: That does sound wonderful!

SEAN: And lastly (well, sort of… there’s a lot of lastly), we get As Miss Beelzebub Likes 6, Bungo Stray Dogs 11, Dead Mount Death Play 2, For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams 2, Goblin Slayer Side Story: Year One 2, Hakumei & Mikochi 6, Hatsu*Haru 7, Kakegurui: Compulsive Gambler 10, One Week Friends 7, Prison School omnibus 13, Silver Spoon 9, A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School 7, and The Witch’s House: the Diary of Ellen 2.

MICHELLE: Insert obligatory Silver Spoon deliquency admission and apology here.

ASH: You’re going to have a great time ahead of you once you get a chance to catch up! Silver Spoon is terrific.

MJ: Oh, hi, Silver Spoon, you own my heart and soul.

SEAN: Years ago I used to break these down one line per book. I am so glad I don’t do that anymore. What’re you drowning yourself in?

Pick of the Week: Ill Communication

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

SEAN: My pick this week, as I may have hinted in Manga the Week of, is Komi Can’t Communicate, which takes the standard ‘aloof beauty is just an introvert’ and takes it to eleven, as Komi seems to have an actual communication disorder. The manga is lighthearted but apparently really sweet. I want to read it.

ASH: I’ll admit, the manga I’m most curious about this week is actually I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up. Though it’s a story of a completely different type, the title and underlying premise immediately reminded me of Kaori Ekuni’s novel Twinkle Twinkle, which is a favorite of mine.

MICHELLE: Even though I’ve somehow already managed to get several volumes behind, it’s Ran the Peerless Beauty for me!

KATE: I’m also curious about Komi Can’t Communicate, but am otherwise underwhelmed by this week’s bounty!

ANNA: I’m going to check out Komi Can’t Communicate, but this week also represents a chance for me to get a little caught up on my stack of unread manga.

MJ: So, I’m going to go in a different direction this week and check out Crest of the Stars. I missed it the first time around, when Tokyopop was publishing it, and I’m in the mood for some great science fiction. That’s my pick this week!

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 9

by

The Water Dragon’s Bride has always explored issues of humans using religion to justify terrible actions, and this is brought home even more when a god who is actively seeking to meddle gets turned loose. The Water Dragon God’s aloof personality and general lack of interest in humanity other than Asahi was a bit of a protective factor for humans. The God of Darkness, with his damaged human sidekick Kurose has nothing holding him back from some active and severe meddling.

I appreciate the way that Toma has developed Kurose’s character. The intense trauma that he’s experienced in the past gives more context for his turn towards darkness, and although he’s an antagonist for Asahi he’s much more complex than a typical villain. The God of Darkness is portraying the other gods as weak by inventing a Sun God for the humans to worship. By covering up the sun temporarily with darkness, and then letting the sun shine again, the humans are led to dismiss the Water Dragon God as evil and ineffectual. The emperor gets dethroned and Asahi wants to aid him, but she’s again a target of hatred for the humans.

water dragon's bride 9

Kogahiko shows how malicious the combination of human and an evil god can be, even more than Kurose, as he deliberately manipulates everyone around him through the God of Darkness in order to get more political power. He still sees a use for Asahi, as a way of bolstering his new position by parading her in front of his subjects. Throughout this volume the Water Dragon God’s protectiveness and attitude towards Asahi is striking. When she asks him to forgo using his powers he complies, but his affection for Asahi ensures that he’ll find a way to protect her. As always, Toma’s deceptively simple art makes the most of the symbolism in this volume, as the humans turn towards the darkness in the guise of worshiping the sun. The Water Dragon’s Bride is surely one of the most philosophical shoujo series that I’ve read, which is also why it is a series I can see returning to and rereading in future years.

Manga the Week of 6/12/19

by , , , and 2 Comments

SEAN: Usually the 2nd week of the month is the smallest one. NOT NEXT WEEK.

ASH: Yeah, let’s do this!

SEAN: Ghost Ship has a To-Love-Ru omnibus, Vols. 13-14, and the 5th World’s End Harem.

J-Novel Club debuts Crest of the Stars. Tokyopop released this way back in the day, but it’s been out of print forever, and I’m very happy to see it back with new translation and cover art. It’s also great science fiction.

MICHELLE: Oh, neat!

ASH: I have at least one of the Tokyopop editions floating around somewhere; nice to see this series being revived.

ANNA: I think I missed this the first time!

MJ: I missed it, too!

SEAN: It also has How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord 9, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles 5.

Kodansha, print-wise, has Boarding School Juliet 6, That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime 10, Tokyo Tarareba Girls 7, and, for those with long memories, Noragami: Stray God 20. This was the HOT NEW SERIES till it hit the “caught up with Japan” wall.

MICHELLE: I watched a bit of the anime recently and it was pretty intriguing.

ASH: I haven’t seen the anime, but I’ve largely enjoyed what I’ve read of Noragami manga. Tokyo Tarareba Girls is a must-read series for me, though it packs quite a punch.

SEAN: Digitally Kodansha has Drowning Love 12, Kira-kun Today 8, Love Massage: Melting Beauty Treatment 4, Ran the Peerless Beauty 4, and Tokyo Revengers 8. Ran needs a print release stat.

MICHELLE: Forsooth.

ASH: I’d likewise like to see it in print!

SEAN: One Peace has an 11th volume of The Rise of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas debuts I Married My Best Friend to Shut My Parents Up (Oya ga Urusai Node Kouhai to Gisou Kekkon Shitemita), which if nothing else has a very eye-catching title. It’s a yuri one-shot, which I reviewed here. It ran in Ichijinsha’s Comic Yuri Hime.

ASH: I’ve been curious about this one, and appreciated Sean’s review, so I’ll likely be picking the manga up.

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: There’s also the print debut of Skeleton Knight in Another World, a light novel I was unable to finish the first volume of when it came out digitally.

Seven Seas also has Dragon Quest Monster + 2, Magika Swordsman and Summoner 11, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Kanna’s Daily Life 5, and the 2nd digital volume of Restaurant in Another World. I’ll take the Restaurant over the Skeleton Knight, easily.

SuBLime has Candy Color Paradox 2 and Escape Journey 3.

ASH: Which reminds me I still need to read the first volume of Candy Color Paradox!

MJ: Oh, oops, so do I!

SEAN: Vertical has a 7th Flying Witch.

Vertical also announced that the first seven Monogatari Series novels are now available digitally! Great news for those of us phone readers. These are already out, so go get them.

Viz’s manga debut is Komi Can’t Communicate (Komi-san wa Komyushou Desu), a Shonen Sunday title that I’ve really been looking forward to. Its premise may seem familiar: the cool and aloof beauty of the school is just really poor at socialization. It’s also a 4-koma, for those who seek out/avoid those.

MICHELLE: The covers for this series are really cute! It runs in Shounen Sunday, and I’ve liked slice-of-life shounen from that magazine before, so I’m hopeful about this one, 4-koma or not. (The best 4-koma is still Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, though!)

ASH: Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun is the best of a lot of things.

ANNA: I’ll check it out.

MJ: I’m very hit-or-miss with 4-koma, but I’ll usually give it a chance.

SEAN: Viz also has a giant Evangelion artbook, with illustrations from 2007-2017.

And there’s Magi 36, Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle 7, and Splatoon 6.

MICHELLE: I am hoarding Magi until the final volume. Just two more months!

ANNA: One of these days I’m going to do a full Magi marathon.

SEAN: See? Not a small week at all. What’s here for you?

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Vol. 3

by

Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, Volume 3 by Waco Ioka and Laruha

This is one of those series that ends up getting stronger with each volume. I thought the first volume was okish, liked the way the second volume showed more character development, and appreciated the balance between backstory and new plot elements in the third volume. One thing I tend to look for in series about ayakashi is some interesting character design or art that captures my attention. While the art for this series is fine, I wasn’t getting that same sense of wonder about the spirit world that other ayakashi-centric manga titles have delivered. In this volume, I did find the portrayal of wall demons blocking Aoi’s path to be delightful, as they looked like pieces of wallboard dressed in formal kimonos.

Kakuriyo Bed and Breakfast for Spirits 3

Aoi is slowly finding more of a rhythm to her life in the spirit world with the discovery that her food is unique in bolstering the spiritual energy of the demons that surround her. She becomes more involved in the lives of the spider demon siblings, Suzuran and Akatsuki. They tie in to her own story with her grandfather, as she learns that he took them in and temporarily made them his servants when they were fleeing for their lives. Suzuran wants to go back to the human world to exist near Shiro’s grave, and Akatsuki is absolutely opposed to her dream. Aoi mediates this sibling relationship with nourishing food, and the steps in cooking her dishes are more clearly portrayed in this volume. It didn’t quite deliver the level of obsessive detail that I like to see in a food manga, but I appreciated food preparation getting more attention, since it is so central to Aoi’s identity.

One thing I really enjoy about this series now is how each volume tells a satisfying story while inspiring more questions for the reader to ponder. Shiro’s actions and motivations seem more mysterious the more Aoi learns about him. I’m also curious to find out more about Ginji after seeing him report back to the Odanna. I’m enjoying the measured pace at which this story is developing.

Pick of the Week: Sweetness, Classmates, and Viz

by , , , , and Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Last week it was hard to choose because of scarcity and this week it’s hard to choose because of abundance. I am very excited about new volumes of many shounen and shoujo favorites from VIZ, and am very tempted in particular to choose volume nineteen of My Hero Academia, but it’s my last chance ever to recommend the charming food manga Sweetness & Lightning, so I think that’ll have to be the one this time.

SEAN: I will therefore leap in and choose My Hero Academia 19 in your place. After the heavy drama and death of the previous arc, it’s nice to step back a bit and have fun, and this volume’s culture festival does just that. That said, you an bet Promised Neverland and Yona of the Dawn are right up there as well.

KATE: My Captain Obvious recommendation is volume 10 of The Promised Neverland, which remains gripping and suspenseful despite the author’s over-reliance on interior monologues to clue the reader into what’s happening. (Seriously, WE GET IT. Emma and Ray are wicked smart and can out-think their enemies.)

ASH: Lots of great manga are being released this week. One that hasn’t been mentioned yet, and one for which I am particularly excited, is the print debut of Classmates: Dou Kyu Sei. I honestly love Asumiko Nakamura’s work, so I’m thrilled to be able to add more of it to my shelves.

ANNA: If Yona of the Dawn is coming out, I can’t bring myself to pick anything else, so Yona for me!

MJ: Well, I have to join Ash this week in picking Classmates: Dou Kyu Sei. I read and reviewed this charming volume back in the days of JManga, and I’m thrilled that it’s back and finally getting a print release. Thanks, Seven Seas!

Manga the Week of 6/5/19

by , , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: June is bustin’ out all over, with lots and lots of manga.

Dark Horse has the third and final volume of their Dangan Ronpa 2 manga.

Ghost Ship, Seven Seas’ mature line, debuts Creature Girls: A Field Journal in Another World (Kagaku-teki ni Sonzai Shiuru Creature Musume no Kansatsu Nisshi), which certainly fits. It’s an isekai AND a monster girl series, devoted to deep analysis of their naked bodies, followed by… well, deeper analysis, ifyouknowwhatImean. It runs in Akita Shoten’s Champion Cross.

J-Novel Club has several new print volumes. How NOT to Summon a Demon Lord and In Another World with My Smartphone get 4s, and Daughter Demon Lord and Too Far Behind (look, the titles are too damn long) get 3s.

Digitally, they have a 9th Arifureta and a 14th Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash.

ASH: I do a double-take every time I read that last title.

SEAN: Kodansha has some print and digital as well next week. In print we have Eden’s Zero 3, Missions of Love 17, and Sweetness and Lightning 12, which is the final volume.

ASH: I’ve got a couple of volumes of Sweetness and Lightning stacked up to read; I’ve really been enjoying the series.

MICHELLE: Me, too. I’ll miss it when it’s over.

SEAN: Digitally we see Alicia’s Diet Quest 3, Chihayafuru 17, My Sweet Girl 3, The Quintessential Quintuplets 8, The Tale of Genji: Dreams at Dawn 4, and World’s End and Apricot Jam 5. Several titles that the MB folks enjoy there.

MICHELLE: Forsooth. I wish I liked The Tale of Genji more. I was all happy about retro manga and forgot how awful Genji is.

MJ: I echo Michelle’s regret.

SEAN: Seven Seas has another debut that folks have wanted for years… though technically we did see it digitally several years ago from JManga. Classmates: Dou Kyu Sei is a BL title that’s one volume long, but they also have the sequel, which is likely why this says Vol. 1. It ran in Akaneshinsha’s Opera.

ASH: Digital Manga also published it digitally. I’m thrilled Seven Seas rescued the title and am so happy that the manga is getting a print release!

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one!

MJ: I reviewed Classmates: Dou Kyu Sei when JManga offered it (then just called “Doukyusei” and loved it, so I’m pretty thrilled to see that it’s been rescued, along with a sequel!

SEAN: Seven Seas also has the first Division Maneuver light novel in print, as well as Made in Abyss 6.

Vertical gives us After the Rain 4, reminding me that I need to read After the Rain 3.

MICHELLE: I need to read After the Rain 1-3!

And now it’s Viz time, because first week means SO MUCH SHUEISHA. No debuts this week, but we do get complete box sets for both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Buy it again for the 7th time.

Want some shonen? There’s Boruto 6, Food Wars! 30, My Hero Academia 19 (which has the start of the Culture Festival arc, one of my favorites – especially get it if you like Kyouka Jirou), One Piece’s 28th 3-in-1, The Promised Neverland 10, Seraph of the End 17, and We Never Learn 4.

MICHELLE: The cover of My Hero Academia 19 is my very favorite. I would buy it in poster size, for sure.

SEAN: And on the shoujo end we see Ao Haru Ride 5, Queen’s Quality 7, Takane & Hana 9, and Yona of the Dawn 18.

ASH: Lots of good stuff from Viz this week!

MICHELLE: Indeed!

ANNA: This is my happy week!

SEAN: I once again have to choose between three of the most amazing manga currently running for Pick of the Week, and that’s not even counting Dou Kyu Sei. Which ones are you getting?

Manga the Week of 5/29/19

by , , , and 1 Comment

SEAN: 5th weeks are always awkward, aren’t they?

Bookwalker has the 9th volume of The Combat Baker and Automaton Waitress.

Cross Infinite World has another done-in-one light novel with Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem!. I haven’t read too many CIW titles, but I always enjoy them when I do.

Denpa has a 4th volume of Inside Mari.

ASH: Oshimi’s manga are always a fascinating mix of compelling and uncomfortable.

SEAN: From J-Novel Club, we have Demon King Daimaou 11, Der Werwolf 4, and Invaders of the Rokujouma!? 21.

Kodansha has a lot of titles. A whole lot. The print debut is I’m Standing on a Million Lives, which we’ve already seen digitally. It’s an isekai, which may explain why it got a print edition, and runs in Betsushonen.

They also have Gleipnir 2. Insert your own Electric Boogaloo joke here.

Digitally, there’s a lot more. All Out!! 10, All-Rounder Meguru 10, Asahi-senpai’s Favorite 3, Back Street Girls 11, Boarding School Juliet 10, Domestic Girlfriend 18, Elegant Yokai Apartment Life 13, Hotaru’s Way 9, My Boy in Blue 9, Tokyo Alice 11, and The Walls Between Us 6. So many series to say “whoah, I should read that someday but don’t have the time!” to.

MICHELLE: Yeah, at this point I just keep updating volume numbers on to the list of stuff I mean to read. I’ve seen parts of the animes for All Out!! and Elegant Yokai Apartment Life and enjoyed them, and then two of those titles—Hotaru’s Way and Tokyo Alice—are josei, which is obviously a big draw. It’s just a time problem! (I note that The Walls Between Us looks pretty cute, too.)

ANNA: I am SO far behind in the digital manga I want to read, it is sad. I’m also far behind in the physical manga I want to read as well.

SEAN: One Peace has an 11th volume of the Rising of the Shield Hero manga.

Seven Seas debuts Eve x Eve, a yuri anthology of short stories by the same author, which interconnect towards the end. It’s fairly explicit as these sorts of things go, and you’d better like magical yuri pregnancies, but it’s a good pickup for a fan of the genre.

ASH: I’m particularly interested in the speculative fiction aspect of the collection.

SEAN: There’s also the 2nd (and final) Division Maneuver light novel digitally, Holy Corpse Rising 7, How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom light novel 3 (print edition), Magical Girl Site 9, Masamune-kun’s Revenge 10, Monster Girl Doctor’s 4th light novel, My Monster Secret 16, the 2nd and final omnibus of Ojojojo (which is great), and Servamp 12.

Vertical has a 4th Chi’s Sweet Adventures.

And Yen has the rest of the May lineup that didn’t already come out, as we get Forbidden Scrollery 7, Kakegurui Twin 2, Kiniro Mosaic 9, Shiboya Goldfish 4, Sword Art Online: Hollow Realization 3, Tales of Wedding Rings 6, and Trinity Seven 16.

MJ: I really want to be interested in something here. I really want to be. Um.

SEAN: Nothing really groundbreaking (and I expect the Manga Bookshelf peeps to have trouble with Pick of the Week), but a wide variety. What seems good for you?

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 1

by

Snow White with the Red Hair, Volume 1 by Sorata Akiduki

The “two volume” rule for judging manga series is something I tend to stick by because sometimes it takes six or seven chapters for a series to come together. In the case of Snow White with the Red Hair, the first volume is charming, but I was left a little confused about what the storyline would be to carry this series for 20 volumes. I’m assuming that this minor quibble will be cleared up with the second volume, or if not, it will continue to be a great slice of life series about herbalism with occasional low stakes kidnappings.

Snow White with the Red Hair

The woman with the red hair is actually not a princess at all, so the “Snow White” of the title is a bit of a red herring? What is it with red-haired heroines in shoujo manga anyway, is it a call back to Anne of Green Gables maybe? Shirayuki is an herbalist with striking red hair that unfortunately makes her a target for petty royals. In the first chapter, Shirayuki flees an overzealous prince who is determined to make her his new concubine, only to run into yet another prince – Zen, the second son of royalty for a neighboring kingdom. They immediately strike up a friendship, but in a subversion of the Snow White fairy tale, Zen eats a bit of a poisonous apple sent by Shirayuki’s would-be paramour and she has to rescue him.

One of the amusing aspects of Snow White with the Red Hair is the fairy-tale like setting combined with characters who are determined to make their own destiny. Shirayuki is devoted to the study of herbalism, and she decides that she’s going to make her own way in Zen’s country through her studies until she can become a court herbalist. Zen has a somewhat laid-back attitude to his royal position which is refreshing. I am not sure if I’ve seen a super chill prince in shoujo manga before. Shirayuki continues to be targeted, both because of her red hair and due to her new friendship with Zen. Seeing their initially quasi-platonic friendship slowly develop throughout the course of this volume made me look forward to what might happen next. On the whole, Snow White with the Red Hair reminded me a lot of the whimsical fantasy series that CMX used to publish, and then when I realized that it ran in LaLa, source of many CMX series, that all made sense to me. I’m glad that shoujo fantasy seems to be doing so well for the Shojo Beat imprint, because it is one of my favorite genres, and this series looks like it will be a worthy addition.