Manga Bookshelf

Discussion, Resources, Roundtables, & Reviews

Anna N

Pick of the Week: A Twinkle in Our Eye

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twinle1MICHELLE: Seeing as how I have literally been waiting for this series to be licensed here for YEARS, there is no way I’m not picking Twinkle Stars this week.

SEAN: Man, when will Tokyopop get around to licensing Hoshi Wa Utau… oh wait, here it is, from Yen Press, in gorgeous omnibus editions. Twinkle Stars is the obvious pick.

ANNA: Twinkle Stars for me as well, I can’t believe it is actually being published finally!

ASH: While I’m certainly interested in Twinkle Stars, I simply can’t resist the combination of music, magic, and demon-hunting composers, so it’s Magia the Ninth for me!

MJ: I’m really interested in Magia the Ninth, it’s true, but I think there’s no real choice for me this week except Twinkle Stars. How often do wishes come true?

Platinum End Vol. 1

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Platinum End Volume 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata

I approached reading Platinum End with mixed feelings, I was interested because this series is another work from the team that brought the world Death Note, and I greatly enjoyed Death Note. On the other hand, I wasn’t looking forward Death Note 2: Electric Boogaloo. I ended up putting down the first volume feeling like I was cautiously interested in seeing where Platinum End was going.

The volume opens with Mirai Kagehashi, a high school student who has decided to kill himself. He’s foiled in his attempt by the sudden appearance of an angel who rescues him. Mirai is stuck in despair because he was orphaned when he was young, and taken in by relatives who abused him. His new angel announces that she’s going to make him happy and gives him some new abilities – he can choose between having wings to fly anywhere or mystical red arrows that will cause anyone to fall in love with him. Mirai responds that he’ll ponder what he wants if he’s given both gifts and the angel agrees.

Mirai’s angel Nasse functions more like the devil on his shoulder than a good conscience, as she encourages him to use his powers for the most selfish of reasons. Mirai gets a sense of how deadly the ability to make anyone fall in love with him can be, when he returns to his aunt and uncle and learns the truth behind the death of his parents. In true shonen fashion it turns out that Mirai is caught up in a cosmic game, where God has decided that he’s going to elevate a human to become the next God. 13 angels have been assigned to 13 chosen humans, and the last one left gets to be in charge of the universe.

Mirai says that he would be just content with normal happiness, but Nasse keeps pushing him to use his angel-given superpowers to manipulate and murder his way to having money and happiness. In a way, Platinum End seems more like a horror title than anything else, as Mirai wakes up from nightmares with horrific visions. The other contestants for godhood aren’t using their powers for good either, as one of them decides to disguise himself as a superhero and pick off his opponents one by one, killing a comedian who decides to use the love arrows to assault a group of women.

Platinum End is rated mature and aside from that, one could develop a drinking game centered on the number of panels where Nasse’s disembodied butt is hanging in the air randomly in many panels. The art from Obata is good as always. Overall, this was an interesting manga to read, but not very pleasant. It seems like Platinum End is going to be even darker in tone than Death Note, and that series was pretty dark. At the same time, seeing if Mirai’s inherent sense of morality is going to hold up to the temptation of godlike power is an interesting story to explore, even though it is thematically a bit too close to Death Note. I put this volume down feeling a bit cautious about this series. I’ll be curious to see if in the next couple volumes Platinum End develops into a manga that I’m looking forward to reading. If not, there’s always Death Note!

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Manga the Week of 11/23

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SEAN: Are you giving thanks for so much manga? Hope so, as there is SO MUCH.

MICHELLE: It’s a cornucopia!

ASH: I always give thanks for manga!

SEAN: Kodansha has a bunch of stuff. A 5th Forget Me Not should please romance fans.

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Their debut this week is In/Spectre, a yokai manga from Shonen Magazine R (the 2nd season of Shonen Magazine?) which is by the author of Spiral.

ASH: Yokai, you say? Then I’m in!

MJ: Hmmmm, maybe me too.

SEAN: The Prince and His Dark Days has a 2nd volume, which I’m hoping is a bit less Dark Days, to be honest.

ASH: It does seem to be an aptly named series.

SEAN: Real Account has its 5th volume – though technically this is the third volume of Real Account II. The distinction is something no one would ever notice, but that’s why I’m here.

ASH: Huh. I was unaware.

SEAN: Lastly, a third volume of Tsubasa World Chronicle, which I haven’t tried yet. Have Michelle or MJ?

MICHELLE: Nope.

ANNA: I am saddened by how indifferent I am to CLAMP when I used to love them so much.

MJ: I haven’t, which surprises me more than anyone, honestly.

SEAN: One Peace has a 6th novel of Rise of the Shield Hero. I would think he’d have risen by now – even Christ only took 3 days.

Seven Seas gives us a 5th and mercifully final omnibus of I Don’t Like You At All, Big Brother!!.

Magia the Ninth is their first debut, another Gene Pixiv title (which I think is Media Factory’s equivalent to Zero-Sum or Wings), from the creator of Black Bard. The plot is essentially “classical music composers hunt demons”.

ASH: Okay, I can’t help it, I really want to read this series. And I did rather enjoy Black Bard.

MJ: Sean knows he can get my attention by invoking the names “Zero-Sum” and “Wings.” So. Yes.

SEAN: In case you worried there were no monster girls this week, well, there’s monster guys, as we get a 5th Merman in My Tub.

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The other debut is Please Tell Me, Galko-chan!, a comedy title that runs on the Comic Walker website. It seems to involve a blunt girl and her friends.

ASH: I’ve heard good things and so am curious.

ANNA: I enjoy blunt girls and friends.

SEAN: And the title that always gets me mixed up, The Testament of Sister New Devil, has a 4th volume.

Vertical has another spinoff novel in the Attack on Titan series, called The End of the World. It’s a novelization of the live-action movie.

And there’s a 3rd volume of To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts.

The rest is Yen, though it’s not even all of Yen – they pushed a few titles back to the week after next. For Yen On, we have a 3rd volume of The Isolator, the dark thriller from the creator of Sword Art Online.

Black Butler is still popular, I hear, even in these days of Monster Girls. Vol. 23 is out next week.

And popular as well is BTOOOM! 15, which may never really surpass that whole ‘bomb bounces off the boob’ scene that is the only reason anyone remembers it.

Corpse Party: Blood Covered has a 3rd omnibus of, well, blood and corpses, no doubt.

Fruits Basket has a 7th omnibus, as past traumas collide with present abuse to hopefully lead to future healing.

MICHELLE: Seven volumes already!

ANNA: Yay for healing and Fruits Basket!

MJ: This, always!

SEAN: There’s a 6th volume of the Danmachi manga, aka Is It Wrong To etc etc etc.

And a 6th Karneval omnibus as well.

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Another title better known by its fan nickname, Konosuba: God’s Blessings on This Wonderful World! *still* ends up being a mouthful to say. It’s a parody of ‘guy ends up in fantasy game world’ titles, is based on the light novel due out here next year, and runs in Dragon Age, which means it must have fanservice.

Always welcome on my shelves, we have a 5th volume of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, which means more hilarious tsukkomi faces.

MICHELLE: I recently watched some of the anime on Crunchyroll. It’s pretty great!

ASH: YESSS!!! (I love this series so much.)

ANNA: Woo hoo!

SEAN: There’s a 9th volume of the Watamote manga, aka No Matter How I Look etc etc etc.

Madoka Magica now has spinoffs or spinoffs, as the Oriko Magica spinoff gets a new side-story, Sadness Prayer. Given it’s Madoka Magica, I think sadness is guaranteed.

Rose Guns Days begins its Season 2 arc. Will Rose be able to get by without Leo?

School-Live! has a 5th volume of friendship and zombies.

I always love it when a title and its volume match. Have Trinity Seven Vol. 7.

Yen’s big debut is another title from Natsuki Takaya, creator of Fruits Basket. Back in the day, there was thought to be a licensing war over this series, but nothing came of it. Now we get Twinkle Stars in omnibus format. It’s about half the size of Fruits Basket, but has the same amount of drama.

MICHELLE: I’m so happy about this. I read the Australian editions of the first two volumes back in the day, but they were pricey to import. My plan to buy and painstakingly read the French editions did not get far.

ANNA: Officially on my holiday wishlist!

MELNDA: This, this, this.

SEAN: Lastly, we have a lucky 13th omnibus of Until Death Do Us Part, which is also the final volume.

Full of turkey? Or full of manga?

Everyone’s Getting Married Vol. 3

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Everyone’s Getting Married, Volume 3 by Izumi Miyazono

Is everyone getting married? I see no evidence of it yet in this series where aspiring housewife Asuka and committed bachelor Ryu continue to fall in love with each other despite their utterly incompatible life goals. This manga manages to balance the twists and turns of a soap opera with some very touching moments as Ryu and Asuka continue to struggle with their feelings for each other, balance their demanding work schedules, and navigate their possibly doomed relationship.

One of the things I like about this series is how little it relies on conflict due to people not talking to each other. Sure it happens sometimes, but not talking about a problem isn’t stretched over multiple volumes as sometimes happens in romance manga. Even when some standard plot elements pop up in the form of Ryu’s Complicated Ex-Girlfriend and Asuka’s Flirty Co-Worker, this continues to lead the couple to reflect on their relationship.

Two events happen in fairly short succession that cause some strain. Yuko, a married actress who Ryu had a long-term affair with years ago is back in town. She’s touched by scandal due to her philandering husband, and Ryu is maneuvered by combative questions from the press into joking on tv that he’d dump his girlfriend for a chance to date her. In addition, Asuka gets news of a upcoming work transfer and is spending time with Kamiya, a colleague. They’re walking down the street together and they agree to do a “couple interview” as a joke, only Asuka is shocked when she sees that Ryu is interviewing her.

These additional people popping up near Asuka and Ryu cause them to confront some of the issues in their relationship. Asuka wonders if Yuko is the reason why Ryu is so set against marriage. Ryu is jealous of Kamiya, even though his relationship with Asuka is professional. But while the only person Asuka wants to marry is Ryu, she wonders what might happen if she takes Kamiya’s overtures seriously since it seems he does really want to get married.

As always the art is attractive and easy to follow, easily handling cute scenes of Ryu and Asuka supporting each other in addition to some tumultuous relationship drama. I wish Shojo Beat could bring out more series like this all at the same time, but I’ll be happy with what I can get.

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Pick of the Week: An Old Favorite

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ooku12MICHELLE: Given the fact that I’m fidgeting impatiently for its arrival, I must pick Ooku volume twelve.

ASH: It’s Ooku for me, too! As much as I love What Did You Eat Yesterday?, Ooku is probably my favorite Yoshinaga manga, so I’m always glad to see a new volume released.

ANNA: Put me down for Ooku too, always happy to see a new volume of this released.

MJ: It’s another vote for Ooku from me! This is unsurprising, I’m sure. With me, Yoshinaga always wins.

SEAN: Much as Ooku is awesome, I can’t be pulled away from the lure of light novels this week. I’ll give my pick to the 6th volume of Log Horizon, which gives Akatsuki some much needed depth, and shows how the series carries on in Shiroe’s absence.

Manga the Week of 11/16

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SEAN: Life goes on. Somehow. And so does manga. Let’s see what’s coming out next week.

MICHELLE: *heavy sigh*

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SEAN: Haikasoru has the 3rd volume of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, as a corrupt democracy battles a fascist dictatorship, with a third party making money off of both of them. Insert dark joke here.

MICHELLE: Heh.

ASH: Eyup.

ANNA: Sounds like a good time for me to finally pick this up.

SEAN: Kodansha gives us the 4th and final volume of Livingstone.

ASH: Intriguing premise with a somewhat uneven execution, but I’m still interested in seeing how it ends.

SEAN: And the 11th Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches, which many thought would be the final volume, but… it isn’t.

ASH: Already the series has had some good stopping points. I do enjoy the manga, but I also wonder how long it can be stretched.

SEAN: Vertical has the second to last Tokyo ESP.

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Do you like Gundam? Do you like serious, hardboiled, probably depressing Gundam? By the creator of the tragically unlicensed Moonlight Mile? You will love Viz’s debut of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, then. Plus it ran in Big Comic Superior. Do you know how often that magazine gets a license? Never, that’s how often.

ANNA: I do like Gundam in general, but am not sure I am in the mood for depressing Gundam.

SEAN: Viz also has our yearly release of Ooku, with its 12th volume. If you like digital manga, Ooku 1-12 are also available digitally for the first time next week!

MICHELLE: Commence Kermit flail.

ASH: Always glad to see more of this series!

ANNA: EEEEEE!

MJ: Yes!

SEAN: And there’s a 6th and final volume of Sunny, probably my favorite Taiyo Matsumoto manga to date, even though I’ve fallen way behind on it.

MICHELLE: As have I.

ASH: It is a very good series.

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SEAN: Terra Formars continues to be a resounding success despite all my best efforts. Here’s the 15th volume.

And Ultraman’s 6th volume is ultra good. (Sorry, witty comments are thin on the ground today.)

And Yen On has most of its November releases ship next week (one was moved to the week after), starting with the 9th volume of A Certain Magical Index. What happens when you combine science, magic, a citywide athletics festival, and a terrorist attack? If you guessed “shenanigans”, you win.

Durarara!! has a 5th volume that starts up a new story arc, as Izaya gets revenge for the lack of hotpot invites, and Mikado learns that running a “colorless” gang is not as easy as he thinks.

Log Horizon’s 6th volume is focused on Akatsuki, who finds her skills hitting a wall and her relationship with Shiroe doing much the same.

And lastly, another volume of Re: Zero, where we see if our hero can survive the next day, or if he keeps getting horribly murdered.

Take your mind off things. Read manga!

Pick of the Week: Still the King

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roseking5MICHELLE: My pick of the week is absolutely the third Princess Jellyfish omnibus, which has graduated from being in my Amazon cart to actually being pre-ordered.

SEAN: There are titles I may be looking forward to more, but I think my pick this week has to be Neo Parasyte f, simply as the idea of a bunch of shoujo artists giving their take on one of the iconic bizarre horror series is something I’d never have expected to get licensed here. Well done.

ASH: I am so glad that Princess Jellyfish and Neo Parasyte f have already been mentioned because that frees me to pick the most recent volume of Requiem of the Rose King! I love the series’ dark fantasy reimagining of the War of the Roses and Shakespeare’s plays. The manga’s artwork and the drama are both very striking, and I look forward to reading more.

ANNA: I am also torn between Princess Jellyfish and Requiem of the Rose King, but I have to go with Requiem of the Rose King, just because it is so unique and surreal.

MJ: I’m sure this is predictable for any long-time reader, but Requiem of the Rose King always, for me! It is exactly my kind of manga.

Haikyu!! Vols 3 and 4

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Haikyu!! Volumes 3 and 4 by Haruichi Furudate

I have great difficulty reading Haikyu!! because my kids keep stealing my volumes and rereading them before I have a chance to get to them, but I recently managed to find volumes 3 and 4 and stash them away so I finally got a chance get caught up. I’m very much enjoying the pacing of the story in Haikyu!! and also the accelerated release schedule that Viz has been setting for these volumes, so I don’t have to wait too long for the next one. The first couple volumes firmly established the new rookies on the volleyball team, Kageyama the perfectionist and Hinata the enthusiastic but short volleyball savant, but two rookies can’t make up a whole team. There are still some essential players missing, and these two volumes did a good job at filling in the gaps of the Karasuno High Volleyball team.

The third volume introduces Karusuno’s libero, a player who specializes in defence. Yu Nishinoya is even shorter than Hinata, and he’s fiercely dedicated to his specialist position. When he shows up to practice, he’s disappointed that Karasuno’s ace Asahi isn’t participating. He refuses to play without Asahi, but is won over by Hinata’s enthusiasm and desire to learn. The spector of the missing Asahi hovers over practice, and when the reader is introduced to him, he looks at first like a mild giant, his fighting spirit knocked out of him by a horrible volleyball loss the last time he played.

Another missing piece is a coach, Keishin Ukai, the grandson of the legendary coach who was responsible for Karasuno’s winning era. Ukai promptly sets up a new challenge for the high school kids – they have to play the local municipal team of adults. Along the way, Yu actually mangest to get Asahi involved in the game again. Bolstered by additional players and a coach, the team is starting to pull together.

The fourth volume shows the team take on a new challenge – a practice game with their traditional rivals, Nekoma High. One of the things I enjoyed most about this volume was seeing the personalities and playing habits of Karasuno pitted against another high school team. Karasuno still has a long way to go, but they have flashes of brilliance here and there which hint at success in future volumes. Sometimes sheer determination and repetition forces Hinata to take his game to the next level. The trust developing between all the teammates is also key to their improved performance.

Haikyu!! is just delightful to read, and while I might be inadvertently learning more about volleyball strategy than I ever expected, seeing all the subplots develop as each member of the team has individual struggles to reach their full potential is what makes this series so entertaining. Widening the focus of the story to include other team members like Asahi and Nishinoya keeps everything fresh, as the rookies have to adjust to the changing team dynamics.

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Pick of the Week: The Soft Cell

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cellsatworkSEAN: Any week with Oresama Teacher in it is going to be an Oresama Teacher pick of the week. Even as it’s gotten more serious, each volume still guarantees big laughs from me. That’s really something after 21 volumes.

MICHELLE: I’m definitely looking forward to the latest Oresama Teacher, but am most eager to check out the debut of Cells at Work! Quirky premise for the win!

ASH: Hmmm… there’s all sorts of interesting things being released this week, both old and new. I think I’m with Michelle this week, though. While I plan on reading a fair number of recent releases, it’s the debut of Cells at Work has me the most curious! (Perhaps it will even manage to scratch the Moyasimon itch.)

ANNA: I have to say I’m also interested in Cells at Work, it sounds like a very promising debut.

Manga the Week of 11/2

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SEAN: Not only are there no small weeks anymore, there are no medium weeks. Only large weeks forever, with piles and piles of new manga.

MICHELLE: I can’t be sad about this, though I’ll forever mourn the titles that got cancelled when the first bubble burst.

ASH: True, true.

SEAN: We start with something that is not technically manga, but certainly has a manga style and audience. The second omnibus of the Megatokyo webcomic is out, collecting Vol. 4-6 of the Hunter x Hunter of North America. This catches up with the released volumes, I believe.

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Kodansha has 6 new titles this week, starting with Cells at Work!, a cute new series which combines educational biology, amusing comedy, and action movie. I already reviewed the first volume, and found it quite enjoyable.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one!

ASH: I’m rather curious about it, myself.

MJ: This sounds pretty cool!

ANNA: It does sound intriguing.

SEAN: Devil Survivor comes to an end with its 8th and final volume.

I may be forced to endure far too many Monster Girl series these days, but at least some of them are cute and fluffy rather than softcore porn. Interviews with Monster Girls is one of the former, a sweet series about a teacher taking interest in the “demihumans” in his school.

ASH: It’s interesting to see publishers other than Seven Seas taking on the trend.

SEAN: It has been over 6 months since I last enjoyed the glorious trash that is Missions of Love. Here’s Vol. 13, and it can’t come fast enough. How will everyone be horrible this time?

ASH: I’ll admit, I actually do read and enjoy this series.

And there’s a 2nd volume of That Wolf-Boy Is Mine! (The doggone wolf-boy is mine?)

MICHELLE: I think of that song EVERY SINGLE TIME!

ASH: The first volume, while certainly not breaking any new ground, was still enjoyable. I’m looking forward to reading more.

SEAN: Lastly (for Kodansha), Your Lie in April reaches its 2nd to last volume. Will it all end happily ever after? (Spoiler: no.)

Seven Seas gives us a 3rd volume of the violent and grotesque Hour of the Zombie.

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And just when you thought monster girl manga could not get sillier, there’s My Girlfriend is a T-Rex. No, really. It runs in Media Factory’s Gene Pixiv, which I guess cultivates artists from the popular Japanese art platform.

Vertical gives us a 5th Nichijou, which had better have more Mai this time around.

And the rest is mostly Viz, but that doesn’t mean we’re near done. Bleach has a 68th volume, and still has a few more to go after that, despite being finished in Japan.

And if you missed Bleach, or just want to relive its glory days, read the 17th omnibus, which shows those days had already passed by that point.

Dragon Ball Full Color Freeza Arc 4! Buy it again! And again! And Again!

And if that wasn’t enough exclamation marks for you, here’s Haikyu!! 5.

MICHELLE: Huzzah!

ASH: Yay!!

ANNA: WOO HOO!

SEAN: Rejoice, for the JoJo’s hardcovers continue! This is Stardust Crusaders, which some may have read when Viz brought it over years ago, but which many may have missed (including me). Now it’s here in hardcover deluxe editions.

ASH: I’m double-dipping on this. The hardcovers are beautiful.

ANNA: I’m behind on my Jojo reading, I’m glad Viz continues to put out these editions.

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SEAN: And if you loved The Legend of Zelda manga, Viz is starting to re-release that as well, in a Legendary Edition.

Maid-sama! has a 6th 2-in-1, as it tries to explain Usui’s backstory while still letting him tease Misaki mercilessly, because really we read this for her blushing and yelling, right?

MICHELLE: I do like getting more information about him.

ANNA: The yelling is always a highlight.

SEAN: And My Hero Academia’s 6th volume should be starting up a new arc.

Viz decides to skip the Naruto novel about Hinata’s wedding prep, possibly to pacify fans, and instead will release the first volume of Itachi’s Story.

And Nisekoi gets an 18th volume. Will it start to wrap things up?

One Piece has 80 volumes. Eighty. That’s as many as eight tens. And that’s wonderful.

One-Punch Man’s 9th volume. Less volumes, but lots of punching.

ASH: One-Punch Man is still a lot of fun.

MJ: Always ready for this.

ANNA: I’m behind as always but happy for the punching.

SEAN: A 21st volume of Oresama Teacher means I will definitely have something for my Pick of the Week.

ANNA: This is my regular reminder that I need to catch up on this series.

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SEAN: Shuriken and Pleats ends with its 2nd volume, and Hino heads back towards vampires, which are apparently better than ninjas after all.

ANNA: I have an idea. What about VAMPIRE NINJAS?

SEAN: Toriko 36. More eating. More fighting. More weird creatures. More homoerotic subtext that it will never deliver on.

World Trigger has really become popular, and now I wish I had kept up with it. Here’s Vol. 13.

MJ: I wish I had, too! But even more, I wish I’d stuck with Oresama Teacher, since you still love it after all this time.

And Yu-Gi-Oh! has an 8th 3-in-1.

Lastly, Yen On has (deep breath) Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? On the Side: Sword Oratorio. As you may have guessed, it is a spinoff novel from the main series, dealing with Bell’s crush, Aiz Wallenstein, and the misadventures of her own guild. I hear there are elves!

Have you already burned out your wallet for the year? Or is there more you must buy?

Welcome to the Ballroom, Vol. 1

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Welcome to the Ballroom Volume 1 by Tomo Takeuchi

The ballet manga Swan is one of my all-time favorites, and dance manga doesn’t get translated into english very often so I was very interested in checking out Welcome to the Ballroom, which has a shonen take on learning how to dance.

Like many shonen protagonists, Tatara Fujita is aimless and without purpose. When he’s saved from being bullied by Kaname Sengoku, Tatara is dragged along to a ballroom dance studio where he is part of a new student round-up campaign. Kaname yells at him, “Through dance, you can absolutely achieve your adolescent fantasies of touching someone’s body!” Conveniently Tatara discovers that Shizuku, a girl at his school has been taking dance classes at the same studio. Tatara is too self-conscious and poor to sign up for lessons, but later on at home he watches a dvd of ballroom dance performances and decides that he’s finally found something that he can care about.

When Tatara shows up at the studio again and announces to Kaname that he’s going to turn pro and wants to learn how to dance, he’s set up for some serious hazing. Kaname instructs his new student in the box step and tells him to practice until he is given permission to stop. Tatara practices all through the night and into the next morning. It turns out that while he isn’t great at following directions, if he sees a dance performed he can successfully mimic some advanced movements.

I enjoyed the art in this book, while the dancing doesn’t reach level of the ballet in Swan, the dance scenes are suitably dynamic. I was impressed at how Takeuchi handled the varying looks and somewhat split personality of Shizuku’s partner Hanaoka, who shifts from being a polished and commanding presence on the dance floor to a scruffy student with a cold. The contrast between the dancers in daily life and their costumes and bearing during competition showcases how ballroom dancing is an entirely new world.

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By the end of the volume, Tatara has found his purpose, started to practice with great devotion, and continued despite all of Kaname’s attempts to discourage him. It is possible to see the possibility that he might make it as a dancer, and I’m thoroughly enjoying seeing some of the shonen staple sports manga plot elements being applied to ballroom dance.

Pick of the Week: A Lotta Lise

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liselotte2MICHELLE: Having acknowledged Horimiya last time, I am clear to pick the second volume of Liselotte & Witch’s Forest this week. The first volume was intriguing, even if it went by in a flash, and I look forward to finding out more about what’s going on.

SEAN: So much to choose from, but as I hinted, I am picking the 4th volume of Sword Art Online: Progressive, a reboot of the SAO Aincrad arc that shows off how much Kawahara has grown (and not grown, to be fair) as a writer since 2004. Also, Argo > you.

ASH: I’m definitely looking forward to reading more of Horimiya (I’ve fallen a little behind on the series), but the manga I’m most curious about this week is the debut of The Ghost and the Lady. A story combining supernatural mysteries with Florence Nightingale and packaged in a beautiful hardcover edition? Count me in!

ANNA: There’s not a lot coming out this week that I’m really excited about, but I’m going to pick Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, just because I have a feeling I’d like it once I get around to reading it!

MJ: I’m interested in the SAO novel that Sean is looking forward to, and also The Ghost and the Lady. But like Michelle and Anna, I’ll go with volume two of Liselotte & Witch’s Forest. I, too, haven’t gotten around to reading the first volume, but I feel like saving it for a double read this time was perhaps the right way to go!

Manga the Week of 10/26

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SEAN: End of October. 35 titles. Scary!

MICHELLE: I am having Count Floyd feels.

SEAN: Kodansha brings us the 9th volume of Genshiken 2nd Season, which may have a new cast but has ended up being about Madarame’s love life.

ASH: I’ll admit, I really wasn’t expecting it to basically become a harem manga.

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SEAN: Kazuhiro Fujita, best known over here for the unlicensed yet very popular Ushio and Tora, has a new hardcover horror volume out, part of a series subtitled “The Black Museum” that runs in Morning. This one is called The Ghost And The Lady, and features Florence Nightingale. It sounds amazing.

ASH: It looks it, too!

SEAN: Kodansha also has a 7th volume of Kiss Him, Not Me!, which I hope is stocked next to The Ghost and the Lady at all good bookstores, just for the humor value.

Speaking of new works by authors best known for something else, Nekogahara: Stray Cat Samurai is from the creator of Shaman King, and has… well, cat samurai. Be warned: this is not your Chi sort of cat book – it runs in Shonen Magazine Edge (I assume because the works are edgy).

MICHELLE: Huh.

ANNA: I have a similar reaction as Michelle.

SEAN: And a 17th volume of breakout hit Noragami.

ASH: I’ve come to really enjoy this series.

SEAN: Seven Seas also has a bunch of stuff. The 4th volume of spinoff A Certain Scientific Accelerator continues to be action oriented, much to the annoyance of Last Order.

A new Freezing omnibus, Vols. 11-12, will please anyone who likes breasts.

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Speaking of such readers, the big release this week is Monster Girl Encyclopedia, which is apparently a lavishly illustrated guide to various types of monster girls. It’s a hardcover, so they’re really pushing this. I also hear that it’s possibly the most fanservicey title they’ve ever released.

ASH: That’s impressive in and of itself.

SEAN: And another omnibus, with manwha release Witch Hunter getting Vols. 17 and 18.

Vertical has a 2nd volume of Immortal Hounds.

Time for Yen. First of all, we have the digital-only releases: Aoharu x Machinegun 6, Black Detective 6, Saki 6, and Corpse Princess… 7. Sure, ruin my numerology, why don’t you.

ASH: Saki!

SEAN: Light novels. Psycome has a second volume of wacky insane girls in prison antics.

And the fourth volume of Sword Art Online: Progressive has Argo on its cover, which automatically makes it a must-read.

As for Yen’s print manga, we get an eighth Akame Ga KILL!

Did I say Aoharu x Machinegun was digital-only? Never mind. Like Handa-kun, it did well enough to get a print release, with Volume 1 shipping next week.

The Asterisk War has a 2nd manga release. I quite like the book’s cliched but breezy story.

We’ve caught up with Barakamon, so it’s been a while since the last volume. I’ve missed it. Here’s Vol. 12.

MICHELLE: I have every intention of getting caught up on Barakamon. Intentions, but not time, alas.

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SEAN: Bloody Cross comes to an end with its 12th and final volume.

A Certain Magical Index has its 7th manga volume, which I think starts to adapt the 6th novel.

And The Devil Is A Part-Timer! has its 7th manga volume, which is still adapting the 3rd novel, because it didn’t skip entire books like Index’s manga did.

And if you like cuter and fluffier, there’s a 5th volume of the High School!! spinoff.

Fruits Basket has a 6th omnibus, as Akito helpfully allows Tohru to gain resolve to stop the curse by being completely terrible.

I’d mentioned Handa-kun before, and we get a 4th print volume here.

Horimiya gives us a 5th volume of adorable high school romance.

MICHELLE: Yay for Furuba and Horimiya!

ASH: Yay, indeed!

SEAN: More manga adaptations of light novels, or in this case adaptations of songs, with the 7th Kagerou Daze.

I was lukewarm to the first Liselotte & Witch’s Forest, but a 2nd volume should help firm up which direction it’s going.

MICHELLE: I found it reasonably intriguing, but definitely the second volume is going to be key. I’m looking forward to it a lot.

ANNA: Surprisingly I haven’t read this yet, but I plan to.

SEAN: And there’s a 4th spinoff volume of Log Horizon’s West Wind Brigade.

MORE manga adaptations of light novels! This time the 2nd Re: Zero manga.

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It’s rare we see seinen romance manga in North America, let alone by a female author. But Scum’s Wish is still about tortured high schoolers and hopeless crushes, have no fear. It runs in Big Gangan, and has been on the Crunchyroll app as well.

Taboo Tattoo gets a 4th volume, so it can’t be all THAT taboo.

Another manga gets out of digital only land, as we see the first volume of Today’s Cerberus. This is a Shonen Gangan series, has supernatural elements, and leans very much towards the comedy end of things. Not quite Another Monster Girl Series, but close as dammit.

Just because monster girls are the next big genre doesn’t mean we’re not getting more survival game as well. I know little about Tohyo Game except it runs in Big Gangan, and is an omnibus of the first 2 volumes.

Are you being tricked? Or is all this manga a treat?

Komomo Confiserie, Vols 4 and 5

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Komomo Confiserie, Vols 4 and 5 by Maki Minami

This series was five volumes long, and it feels like exactly the right length to wrap everything up and not leave the readers hanging. It was pleasant enough, but I don’t see myself rereading it anytime soon. Still, this is the first Minami series that I’ve stuck with all the way to the end, so there’s something about cranky pasty chefs that I must find appealing! The last two volumes of the series work through a few barriers to Komomo and Natsu getting together.

This volume shows how Komomo deals with a psychotic girl who has decided to stalk Natsu in a dramatic fashion. Natsu starts ignoring Komomo for her own protection, because he doesn’t want Komomo to become a focus for Noelle’s wrath. Komomo doesn’t deal well with being ignored though, and since Natsu doesn’t openly discuss this problem with her at all (which is standard practice for shoujo heroes) the situation drags on far too long. While Komomo manages to fly under the radar for a little bit, Noelle becomes suspicious of Komomo and Natsu’s relationship and decides to take out her revenge on the Meli-Melo pastry shop. Here, Komomo’s sheer force of will and commanding nature comes out when she decides that she will not stand for Natsu’s livelihood being threatened, and she takes charge in a spectacular fashion, exhibiting some emotional maturity that she wouldn’t have been capable of at the start of the series.

Mitsuru, an old friend of Natsu starts to move in on the story. He’s fascinated with Komomo and figures out that Natsu must be in love with her. However, he has his own secret motivation for becoming involved with the odd pastry-obsessed couple, which is explored more fully in the next volume.

While Komomo starts to realize her feelings for Natsu when she begins to feel jealous of Noelle in the previous volume, the dynamic in the final volume is reversed as Natsu is forced to confront just how precious Komomo is to him once Mitsuru comes charging on the scene. Komomo has a choice to go back to her old life or stay devoted to Meli-Melo, and while her feelings aren’t in question, it takes a bit of time for Natsu to actually acknowledge what the reader has known has been going on since the very first volume.

Komomo Confiserie isn’t the most innovative shoujo manga, but I enjoyed the pastry-themed setting and Komomo’s imperious manner, expressive eyebrows, and occasional fits of rage. I While I don’t see myself rereading this manga anytime soon, it was the first Maki Minami series that I actually read from start to finish. Even though I had a very clear idea where the story would conclude after reading the first volume, I still enjoyed reading the whole series.

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Pick of the Week: To Titan or Not to Titan

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anthologySEAN: It’s the Attack on Titan Anthology, full stop. It’s amazing that this project happened at all, and it’s even more amazing that it turned out so excellent, with stories that are gut-wrenching, inspirational, and hilarious.

MICHELLE: Because I’m not really into anything that’s coming out this week, I thought I’d cheat and pick one thing from *next* week’s Yen offerings, thus freeing me up to pick something else then. So, this time I’ll plug Horimiya once again. It’s a very enjoyable, shoujo-esque love story, and I am looking forward to the latest volume.

ASH: I’m with Sean this week. Considering everyone who was involved, I was expecting Attack on Titan Anthology to be good, but I was still pleasantly surprised by just how good it is. Honestly, it’s a fantastic collection with a great variety of stories in a wide range of styles. Anyone with even a passing interest in Attack on Titan should be picking this one up.

ANNA: I’m not seeing much that I’m thrilled with this week. But do you know what I am thrilled with? Kaze Hikaru Vol 24. Sure, it came out in the summer, but I am just reading it now so it is my pick of the week!