Anna N

Pick of the Week: Past Lives and Saving Souls

November 2, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: This week’s pick is the debut of Arina Tanemura’s new series Idol Dreams. It was called her first josei series, though it runs in Melody, a magazine that caters to late shoujo/early josei demographics. And, as is common with a lot of new series lately, it features an age difference romance. Should be fun.

MICHELLE: Two series that I love are ending this week—Chi’s Sweet Home and Yukarism. I love Chi a lot, as it’s adorable and great for kids, but it doesn’t have a mystery plot that I’ve been waiting to see resolved for several months, so in terms of sheer anticipation, I think I’ve gotta award this week’s pick to Yukarism.

ASH: As usual, there are quite a few manga that I’m looking forward to this week. The final volume of the ever-delightful Chi’s Sweet Home is definitely high up there on my list, but as a JoJo’s fan who never expected to see much of the series translated, the first volume of the ridiculously epic Battle Tendency earns my pick this time around.

MJ: Since Michelle has already given the final volume of Yukarism its due, I’ll throw caution to the wind and check out Livingstone. Though I had mixed feelings about Deadman Wonderland, the combination of summary and cover art on this series’ first volume intrigues me pretty intensely. So I’m in, at least for the short term. Livingstone it is for me!

ANNA: I’m a bit torn between Yukarism and Idol Dreams but given that I’m often distracted by whatever is shiny and new, I’m going to pick the new Tanemura manga.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 11/4

October 29, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N, MJ and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

SEAN: I’ve gone on lately about how much manga is coming out lately, but November is really going to try a wallet’s soul. Let’s start with a huge first week, mostly from Viz.

Kodansha debuts a new series, Livingstone, that ran in the seinen magazine Morning. The artist is better known for Deadman Wonderland. It’s about two guys who try to find … well, living stones. No sign of Stanley, in case you wondered.

ASH: I’m rather curious about this one.

ANNA: This sounds odd, and I’m usually up for trying at least one volume of odd.

MJ: I’m interested in this, for sure.

SEAN: Say “I Love You” reaches double digits. Unlike other soap opera series I follow from Kodansha, I actually like the characters in this one. Read it if you haven’t.

ASH: It’s such a consistently good series!

MICHELLE: Very much looking forward to this!

ANNA: I so need to get caught up and binge read this series.

SEAN: Seven Seas has a 7th volume of oddball slice-of-fantasy-life series A Centaur’s Life.

I believe that Volume 12 is the final volume of Chi’s Sweet Home from Vertical, a series that has introduced a huge number of people to the adorable and quirky qualities of cat manga. I’ll miss it.

ASH: Hooray for Chi!

MICHELLE: It has been such a great manga to lend to coworkers’ kids, too.

ANNA: Nice. I think I’ll finally be reading this in the omnibus editions.

MJ: More Chi is always welcome!

SEAN: Let’s get on to Viz now. The 6th Black Rose Alice volume catches up with Japan, I believe, so enjoy your gorgeous yet spider-filled people while you can.

ASH: Alas, now we must suffer the wait with the rest of the world!

MICHELLE: Yeah, the double-eged sword. Thanks, VIZ, for exposing us to the awesome and the agony of Black Rose Alice.

ANNA: This series is so surreal. Even though it is painful that it is on hiatus, I still greatly appreciate the gorgeous spider-filled people.

MJ: Yes, yes, YES.

SEAN: Bleach, at Vol. 65, is in no danger of going on hiatus, or indeed finishing this arc, supposedly the final one, which started in 1883. Or feels like that.

MJ: Heh.

SEAN: That 13th Bleach 3-in-1 is also an option, and honestly the series reads better that way.

And I think D.Gray-Man may be mostly caught up on omnibuses with this, it’s 8th.

I’ve really been looking forward to this debut. Arina Tanemura’s new shoujo title is Idol Dreams, which runs in Hakusensha’s Melody and features a 31-year-old woman regretting her life who finds herself getting a do-over.

MICHELLE: I’m not historically much of a Tanemura fan, but I am really curious about this one!

ANNA: I am an unapologetic Tanemura fan and I am quivering with anticipation. Quivering!

MJ: I’m with Michelle on this one! Curious, but not quivering.

SEAN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure begins its 2nd arc with Battle Tendency, which leaps forward in time to focus on Joseph Joestar. Will it be as ludicrous as the first arc? My guess is yes.

ASH: This is gonna be good!

ANNA: When I think about how horrible humanity can be, then I think about JoJo and appreciate the fact that the human race has produced this ridiculous and transcendent manga. I’m serious.

SEAN: Kiss of the Rose Princess enters the home stretch with its 7th volume.

ANNA: Yay! I hope that an evil rose person shows up to throw an obstacle in the way of the heroine and her handsome knights.

SEAN: Maid-sama! has a 2nd omnibus. Teeth grinders beware, Usui is still in it.

ASH: But so is Misaki! Who is the best.

MICHELLE: I will keep reading, at least for the time being.

ANNA: Yeargh, if it wasn’t for the relationship dynamics I would enjoy this series so much more.

SEAN: My Hero Academia had a promising first volume, now let’s see where it goes with the second.

Naruto may be over, but its spinoffs live on, first with a nice-looking artbook, and secondly with the first of several post-series spinoff novels, the first being Kakashi’s Story.

Nisekoi gives us more mostly balanced harem antics with Vol. 12.

One Piece is still battling Doflamingo, but I think we’re edging closer to a conclusion with this 76th volume.

MICHELLE: Woo.

SEAN: One-Punch Man could only dream of having 10-volume long fighting arcs – sadly, Vol. 3 shows his fights end all too quickly.

ANNA: Because of the punching!!!!!!!!

SEAN: There are two Izumi Tsubaki series out this month! This week we have the one folks have seen for a while, with the 19th volume of Oresama Teacher.

MICHELLE: I’m glad for more Oresama, but really looking forward to the other one!

ANNA: Oresama is delightful. Looking forward to the new series very much too.

SEAN: Giant manga box sets are a great way to get newbies to read your favorite obsession – you can threaten top bludgeon them with the set if they don’t. Here’s one for Rosario + Vampire.

Yu-Gi-Oh gets a 4th omnibus 3-in-1. Collect ‘em all!

Lastly, there’s a 4th and I believe final volume of Yukarism.

MICHELLE: I’m really, really looking forward to this one!

ANNA: Yay! Why is it final at 4 volumes? I want more!!!!!

MJ: More! More! *whimper* More.

SEAN: Are you prepared for November 2015? Can you handle it? What are you getting next week?

My Love Story!! Vol 6

October 24, 2015 by Anna N

My Love Story Volume 6 by Kazune Kawahara and Aruko

It is nice to have a go-to manga series to read when one feels stressed out, and My Love Story!! never fails to make me happy.

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This volume focuses more on the arrival of Takeo’s new sibling, and the reader gets the treat of seeing a little bit of his parents’ courtship. Takeo’s mom is portrayed as unflappingly capable in her younger years, and his dad exhibits the same ridiculous amount of enthusiasm that Takeo often channels. When something goes a little wrong with the pregnancy, Takeo starts exclaiming “I’ve got to be reliable!” as he tries to take care of everything for his family. He’s supported all the way by Suna and Yamato.

The old valentine’s day storyline has got to be one of the most overused cliches in shoujo manga, but My Love Story!! pulls off one of the most adorable examples of this storyline, as Takeo is so excited to be receiving “true love’s chocolate from his girlfriend, he finds himself striking random celebratory poses as he walks along and discusses his relationship with Suna. I was glad to see that there are hints Suna might actually become involved with a girl at last. He’s deliberately aloof, and shuns any girl who speaks badly of Takeo, so he hasn’t experienced romance yet either. I’m really looking forward to the next volume now, where more of the focus will be on him.

Manga the Week of 10/28

October 22, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, Anna N and MJ 3 Comments

SEAN: Bad news. There’s 31 titles shipping next week. Good news: I’m not getting too many of them, so it’s not crippling for me. What’s happening next week, anyway?

I haven’t seen an 801 Media title in forever, but Amazon lists Magical Warriors: Chocolat & Pudding as coming out next week. Which sounds like a cute magical girl title, but I’m going to hazard a guess isn’t.

ASH: I’m pretty sure that’s actually a Project-H title…

SEAN: Gantz comes to an end with Vol. 37, which is good because I ran out of things to say about it 30 volumes ago. I wish HEN was licensed.

Kodansha gives us more terrifying Junji Ito!… wait, no. This is Junji Ito’s Cat Diary: Yon & Mu, and I expect it will be adorable and strange.

ASH: I am looking forward to this so much!

MICHELLE: Me, too!

ANNA: This sounds like a winner.

SEAN: There’s also an 11th volume of guilty pleasure Missions of Love.

And a 4th volume of “she’s not a manic pixie dream girl, honest” series Your Lie in April.

Seven Seas is debuting three new titles. Akuma no Riddle has yuri and takes place at a girls’ private school, but given it’s all about assassins, I’m hoping it’s less moe than the usual.

ASH: Yun Kouga is involved with the series, so I’m doubly intrigued.

MJ: You had me at “Yun Kouga.” How was this not on my radar? I need to fix my radar.

MICHELLE: So do I!

ANNA: Huh. I am also intrigued.

SEAN: A Certain Scientific Accelerator is based off of a certain well-known franchise, and stars a certain popular antihero, as you will already have guessed.

And Golden Time is based on a light novel by the author of Toradora!, and I hope is just as heartwarming and enjoyable as that title is.

Udon gives us the first volume of Steins;Gate, a title I remember more for the aggravating punctuation than anything else.

MJ: This, this, THIS. I adored this as an anime series, so I’m very optimistic.

SEAN: Viz Select gives us a 2nd digital volume of Chocolate Cosmos. Teacher-student relationships, whee!

MICHELLE: The debut volume wasn’t bad, so I will probably check out volume two, as well.

ANNA: I meant to check this out earlier!

SEAN: Yen Digital has a giant pile of releases, as this is the first month of the “official” rollout, with chapter releases and everything. I’ll just cover volumes here, starting with Corpse Princess, which is probably what it sounds like.

There’s also new volumes for Handa-kun, The Royal Tutor, and Today’s Cerberus.

ASH: Handa-kun will be coming out in print later, so I’m hoping that more of the digital titles will, too.

SEAN: Unknown is an actual title for a new manga about supernatural powers and the people who police them.

MJ: I’ll pretty much always check out a series with supernatural powers.

SEAN: And we get all 3 volumes of When a Magician’s Pupil Smiles, about an emotionless boy and his run-in with magic. This actually looks like a MJ/Michelle sort of title.

MJ: Why, it certainly does.

SEAN: Yen On has a third No Game No Life, where we see whether Sora will somehow manage to return from being erased from existence.

And a third Sword Art Online Progressive, where we reach a new level of Aincrad and prepare for a lot of water travel.

MJ: I’ve fallen behind in my SAO reading, but I must rectify that soon.

SEAN: Yen Press proper, meanwhile, has its usual pile. Accel World has a 5th manga, not to be confused with the 5th novel, out next month. (At least they aren’t the same date anymore.)

Akame Ga KILL! sure is popular, and has a 4th volume out as well.

Alice in Murderland proved to be as attractive to me as most other Kaori Yuki manga are, but a 2nd volume is out for her fans anyway.

Barakamon has a 7th volume, and I suspect we’ll have a lot more country life to make up for all the Tokyo in Vol. 6.

There’s a Black Butler artbook coming out with many pretty color illustrations of people draped over each other, I expect.

ASH: Yen does a nice job with its artbooks from what I’ve seen, so this should be good.

MJ: Agreed. I’m not a fan of the series, but I expect this will be a nice release.

SEAN: A Certain Magical Index’s 3rd manga volume decides to skip the not-all-that-good 2nd novel entirely and go straight to adapting the third.

And The Devil Is a Part-Timer! also has a 3rd manga volume out.

First Love Monster’s first volume balanced sweet and kind of skeevy very well. We’ll see if it can keep it up with Vol. 2.

Horimiya is Yen’s debut this month, a manga adaptation of a webcomic that seems like your standard cute shoujo romance, but runs in GFantasy so I’m sure it has to be weird in some way.

ASH: I like weird!

MJ: GFantasy, it’s like a drug.

MICHELLE: I’m looking forward to this one a lot!

SEAN: A third Kagerou Daze will likely be adapting the 2nd novel, which I liked but see not reason to read a manga adaptation of.

In case you didn’t think Homura had had enough revenge yet, there’s a 2nd volume of Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Homura’s Revenge. (Look, I’m sorry, it’s the end of a long list.)

So I Can’t Play H! continues to give us ecchi situations with no payoff in its 3rd volume.

Lastly, the debut of the manga adaptation of Strike the Blood, whose first light novel I found reasonably good last month.

Does this list make you happy? Or merely ill at the pile of titles?

Bookshelf Briefs 10/19/15

October 19, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Anna N and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

Sean, Anna, and Michelle take a look at recent releases from VIZ and Kodansha!

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 2 | By Aya Shouoto | Viz Media – This manga suffers a bit in comparison to the overwhelmingly excellent Kamisama Kiss, since they are so similar in plot and sometimes character design, but I did enjoy this volume because it gave more hints of the troubles associated with Aoi’s attachment to Momochi House. He’s been at the house since he was a young child and can’t leave. In a reversal of the rescue the trapped princess trope, Himari is more and more determined to free him. There’s a bit of humor as yet another super cute ayakashi shows up. This manga is good for light and fluffy reverse harem demonic fun. – Anna N.

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 19 | By Julietta Suzuki | Viz Media – Now that we’ve mostly resolved the love story of Nanami and Tomoe, it’s time to try to figure out where to go next, as clearly the series is popular enough that it can’t just end. And so we get the resolution of the dugong plot, with Nanami’s ‘normal’ friends learning about her deity status, and seemingly OK with it. As for Kurama, I liked that his slowly getting closer to Nanami is not getting in the way of him still being a basic jerk—this transformation is slow, and thus more realistic. As for Mizuki, I’m not sure if this will actually stick, but he certainly seems to have come into his own when charming the mermaid with self-image issues. I sense the series is being dragged out, but so far I’m OK with that. – Sean Gaffney

Kamisama Kiss, Vol. 19 | By Julietta Suzuki | VIZ Media – This latest arc—a school trip to Okinawa—started so tamely that I had zero memory of it when I started this volume. And yet, it ended up being significant for two supporting characters! With Nanami mostly sidelined by having her energy drained by Kirihito, Mizuki and Kurama set out to rescue their classmate, Ami. While Kurama ends up revealing more of himself to Ami than he has to anyone else, sowing the seeds for a presumed future relationship, it’s Mizuki who quells the wrath of a lonely mermaid by promising to be her husband. I 100% believe he would’ve honored his word and stayed with her, but when she sees how much he cared for Nanami, the mermaid (Unari) lets him go. In a way, this volume feels like it’s dealing with Nanami’s other potential suitors, clearing the slate for the final arc about Kirihito. We shall see! – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 14 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | Viz Media – The first half of this volume wraps up Hakuryu’s arc, and the thought that he’s meant to be a darker version of Alibaba is not going away, from his murder here right down to his hasty confession to Morgiana (who I think is far too overwhelmed with new and confusing emotions to answer any confession right now). The second half sticks with Aladdin, as he finds that there’s a difference between being a Magi and actually learning and using magic, so he goes to a manga Hogwarts to try to get the basics from the ground up. Since he needs to conceal his true nature, this is harder than it seems. I can do without Aladdin (and the author’s) boobies obsession, but otherwise this is another excellent volume. – Sean Gaffney

My Little Monster, Vol. 10 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – I love the smell of plot guns in the morning. Haru’s past, and his effortless academic excellence, have been on reader’s minds since the first volume. Now we get a long arc showing how he and Yuzan got to be the way they are, and how Shizuku likely has far more in common with Yuzan than she expected. It can be very frustrating to see someone like Haru in your life, and Shizuru needs to get past that – and I’m sure she will. Unfortunately, she doesn’t here, and Haru is likely going to react badly to this. Adding to that the beta couple, Natsume and Sasayan, also not really going anywhere (mostly due to Natsume’s ongoing issues), and it’s possible this series may end with no romance at all! Somehow I doubt that, though. – Sean Gaffney

My Love Story!!, Vol. 6 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | Viz Media – We’ve been slowly watching Takeo learn how to be a good boyfriend over the course of this series, and now we get to see him learn how to be a good big brother, as his mother is finally giving birth. (Speaking of which, seeing how Takeo’s father courted his future wife and proposed is possibly the funniest moment in the entire book.) After this there’s some cute Valentine’s Day shenanigans, but the more intriguing thing is the promise of more Suna in the next volume. He remains a difficult character to grasp, deliberately so—indeed, he has trouble grasping himself. He knows he hasn’t found the love that Takeo has, though. Will new girl be able to get through to him? – Sean Gaffney

My Love Story!!, Vol. 6 | By Kazune Kawahara and Aruko | VIZ Media – Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love My Love Story!! more than I already do, we get this adorable volume. First, we spend a bit of time with Takeo’s parents, Yuriko and Yataka, learning how they met and how Yuriko can’t help but try to take care of other people, just like her son. (Also, I absolutely love that Yataka was attracted toYuriko for being reliable, confident, and hard-working!) Next, pregnant Yuriko is admitted to the hospital, and panicked Takeo is gently steered in the right directions by calm, kind Sunakawa. And, ultimately, the family welcomes big, strong daughter Maki—there’s a great panel in which Takeo magnanimously declares that he’ll allow Sunakawa to marry her—and Takeo begins to think that he might like to have a career helping people. He’d make a fabulous fireman. Also, I would read that manga! So much love for this series. – Michelle Smith

Manga the Week of 10/21

October 15, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N 2 Comments

SEAN: Even though this is the quietest week of a big month… it’s still fairly big.

Dark Horse has a third volume of Oreimo: Kuroneko, for those who wanted a better ending than the canonical one, i.e. everyone.

Kodansha has the debut of a new shoujo series, L♥DK. It’s the sort I describe as a ‘potboiler’, and I think it will do well with those who love soap opera situations.

MICHELLE: I will be checking this one out. If it’s cracktastic, I hope it’s in a good way!

ASH: Soap opera situations? I am intrigued.

MJ: Who doesn’t love a good soap opera?

ANNA: I know I do!

SEAN: One Peace has a 2nd light novel for Rise of the Shield Hero.

Seven Seas caters to its fanbase with a second volume of Magika Swordsman and Summoner.

And also has a 3rd volume of Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary, which has monster girls and more ecchi antics.

And we round off our trio of otaku titles with Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn 2, which is drawn by Rikdo Koshi as if he never left the world of hentai doujinshi, and is written by Masamune Shirow as if he didn’t either.

Udon gives us the first volume of the Kill La Kill manga, which, if even one-tenth of the folks who gush about the anime on the internet purchase it, will sell like hotcakes.

ASH: I hope it does! Udon always does an excellent job with its manga; I’d like to see the publisher offer more.

SEAN: Vertical has the first of the Ninja Slayer manga (not to be confused with the Kodansha-licensed spinoff Ninja Slayer Kills) by the possibly imaginary American team of Bradley Bond and Philip “Ninj@” Morzez.

ASH: I wasn’t enamored with the spinoff, but I do plan on giving this series a try.

SEAN: If you always wanted to read Claymore but were waiting for a way to get all 27 volumes in one box set, Viz is the answer to your prayers.

MJ: Ooooooh, nice!

SEAN: And there’s also a 6th volume of the Special Edition of Monster, possibly with added depressing bits.

MICHELLE: I didn’t realize that these special editions had bonus material!

ASH: Do they?!

SEAN: They don’t, I was being silly. :)

MICHELLE: Oh, good!

SEAN: Lastly, there’s 3rd volume of runaway zombie hit Tokyo Ghoul.

Which of these varied titles most appeals to you?

QQ Sweeper Vol. 1

October 13, 2015 by Anna N

QQ Sweeper Volume 1 by Kyousuke Motomi

I’m generally excited for any debut series in the Shojo Beat line, but I was particularly interested in reading the first volume of QQ Sweeper because I enjoyed Dengeki Daisy so much. Motomi’s slightly offbeat and cynical sense of humor makes her series stand out, and I was curious to see how the paranormal and cleaning would come together in this title.

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Motomi does cranky heroes well, so I thought the male lead of the series was quite promising. Kyutaro Horikita is a member of the beautification committee at his school, and he’s introduced in the first chapter as a bit of a loner who is obsessed with cleaning. He comes across a girl sleeping in an abandoned room in his school. Fumi Nishioka is a new transfer student who is homeless, trying to hide evidence of how poor she is, and on a mission to become a real life Cinderella by snagging a rich guy. This doesn’t sound like the most flattering character description, but Motomi also is able to easily create sympathetic yet quirky heroines. Motomi’s slightly offbeat humor is on display in the first few panels, when Kyutaro seems to rely on threatening people with cucumbers a bit too much, and Fumi enters into a dangerous fugue state when she’s assessing the material possessions of a male student/mark.

I don’t even find shoujo cliches all that annoying when Motomi is executing them. In very quick order, Fumi finds herself interviewing for and getting a position as housekeeper for her school principal, who just happens to be Kyutaro’s older brother. Fumi quickly discovers that Kyutaro’s obsession with cleaning extends to cleansing the spiritual plane, and she also has the ability to help him. Motomi packs a great deal of plot and character development into this single volume, setting up the relationships between the characters, and establishing the background for the supernatural aspects of the manga. This is a very solid addition to the Shojo Beat lineup, and I’m very much looking forward to Motomi’s slightly twisted take on the supernatural romance genre in future volumes.

Bookshelf Briefs 10/12/15

October 12, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith and Anna N Leave a Comment

Sean, Anna, and Michelle present a smattering of briefy goodness.

The Demon Prince of Momochi House, Vol. 2 | By Aya Shouoto | VIZ Media – At first, I thought this must be a short series, since Himari and Aoi already have feelings for each other by chapter four, but it’s not especially so. Thankfully, the pace slows down a little more toward the end of the volume, as Himari transfers into a new school. Curious classmates follow her home to her notoriously haunted house, and after a bit of comedic drag by the bishounen occupants, we learn that one of the visitors is already dead. It’s a nice bit of creepiness that will carry over into the next volume, hopefully boding well for more stories of a similar nature down the pipeline. Too, I liked the too-short bonus story of how Aoi came to reside within Momochi House. I am intrigued and will continue to follow this series! – Michelle Smith

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 8 | By Yoto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | Viz Media – I leave out contributor Yuki Morisaka in these briefs for reasons of space, but it’s fairly clear that she’s a second food expert on this title. The addition of the recipes makes sure that the series doesn’t get too ridiculous with its culinary competitions—when Alice uses liquid nitrogen to prepare her bento meal, it’s lampshaded that the bento recipe provided is a “super-easy” version of same. As for the contest, after Megumi’s spotlight last time, this time it’s Soma that gets to move on—though Megumi does have a not-so-shocking realization about her feelings for him. The question is not whether Soma will get past Alice—the nature of the title is not going to have him lose here. It’s how that makes us want more. – Sean Gaffney

Knights of Sidonia, Vol. 14 | By Tsutomu Nihei | Vertical Comics – Perhaps it’s an understatement to say that things are not looking good for the crew of the Sidonia. Spurred into the offensive against a huge cluster ship by the fact that it will only get bigger if they wait, two attack fleets are dispatched without injured ace Tanikaze and soon more gauna materialize to destroy half of them. Still more gauna threaten the Sidonia and, oh yeah, there’s a rogue crazy hybrid out there to contend with, as well. It’s a tense volume and I love that I can actually believe that Nihei really will allow humanity’s last hope to perish. My sole quibble is that when the captain tells Tanikaze about his origins and seemingly attempts to seduce him he has basically no reaction to the former and we never see response to the latter. You’d better not cheat on Tsumugi, you jerk! – Michelle Smith

Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 14 | Original Concept by Hiro Arikawa, Story and Art by Kiiro Yumi | Viz Media – As ever, the basic premise of Library Wars is essentially ridiculous, and as a result it’s pretty hard to care about all the plotting the gang is doing to get an author whose freedom of expression is being denied to a foreign embassy so that he might defect. And yet, this setup does result in some terrific moments, like Shibazaki being omniscient (to anyone familiar with Suits, Shibazaki is the manga equivalent of Donna), Iku slinging an injured Dojo over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and the impossible-not-to-love two-page spread depicting a certain couple’s first kiss. Library Wars is very far from deep, but it is fun, and I expect that the next and final volume will offer up some satisfying resolution. Wonder if VIZ will release the sequel! – Michelle Smith

My Little Monster, Vol. 10 | By Robico | Kodansha Comics – Remember just one volume ago, where sweetly, slowly developing high school romance reigned supreme? Quite adeptly, Robico turns things on their head in volume ten. It’s Yuzan’s birthday, and his scandal-prone famous father is adamant that Haru attend the party for the sake of public appearances. He goes, and it’s awful, but before then we get some much-needed insight into Yuzan’s perspective. All along, I kind of thought Haru’s effortless academic superiority was just a throwaway attribute, but it turns out that it’s the source of all his problems. Young Yuzan envied Haru so much that he contrived to get him thrown out of their father’s house, and when Haru learns that Shizuku is jealous too, he can’t take it. It’s an excellent, though upsetting, volume and I absolutely love feeling that a happy ending is not a foregone conclusion. Even more strongly recommended than previously! – Michelle Smith

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Vol. 6 | by Takaya Kagami and Yamato Yamamoto | Viz Media – This volume continues to show a bit of world building and backstory as Yu and Kimizuki face the demons inside their cursed weapons to gain yet another level of power. The political machinations in the Japanese Imperial Demon Army and the vampire nobility are also explained a bit, as Yu and Mika are set up for yet another confrontation. I enjoy the blend of character development and demonic weapon vs vampire action in Seraph of the End, mostly because there’s are more interesting storylines in this manga than the typical shonen action title. – Anna N

Toriko, Vol. 30 | By Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro | Viz Media – I do wonder if the reason for the big romance advancement this volume in a series where romance, let’s face it, is way way down on the list of importance was to dial back the series’ burgeoning BL fandom in Japan. Jump often gets accused of pandering to BL fans. Toriko isn’t Gintama, but they too can’t quite resist making fun of it—when Toriko accepts Rin’s proposal, Sunny straight up asks what about Komatsu? And Komatsu has dinner with a cute, like-minded chef not long after that. I think it would have more impact if Rin had been given a larger role in the story to date, but it’s still pretty heartwarming, particularly as it’s not the “I have no idea what I just agreed to” proposal acceptance I was assuming. – Sean Gaffney

Pick of the Week: Magi and Mermen!

October 12, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: Alas, there’s not a whole lot that I’m looking forward to in next week’s round of releases, but I am always happy for a new volume of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, so the 14th installment of same earns my pick of the week.

ASH: The releases this week run a whole gamut of genres, but I’ve recently been in the mood for some new comedy. Merman in My Tub looks as though it should be suitably ridiculous, so that’s one I’ll definitely be picking up to try.

SEAN: I’ll bite the bullet and go for Kiss Him, Not Me this week. Not overly enthused due to the weight loss thing, but if it manages to be suitably ridiculous and hammer on the fujoshi aspect, it could be a winner.

MJ: I admit it’s a sketchy week for me. I’m at a loss for a completely sure pick, but I think I’ll join Ash and take a chance this week on Seven Seas’ Merman in My Tub. I don’t exactly have the greatest trust in Seven Seas when it comes to publishing manga that’s really to my taste, but I gotta admit this looks fun. I’ll give it a try!

ANNA: There’s not a lot this week coming out that appeals to me, so I’m going to join Michelle in picking Magi. One day I will get caught up on that series!

Manga the Week of 10/14

October 7, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith, MJ and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: It’s the week of NYCC, so let’s keep this Manga the Week of short and sweet.

Dark Horse has a 10th Lone Wolf and Cub omnibus.

ASH: I really need to sit down and catch up with Lone Wolf and Cub now that it’s being released in an edition I can actually read…

SEAN: Kodansha debuts a series that some may have already seen on Crunchyroll’s manga site, the very well titled Kiss Him, Not Me. A warning: there is ‘sudden weight-loss makes me attractive’ here, as in Let’s Dance a Waltz. That said, the annoying premise is used entirely for comedy here, as our heroine is far more interested in pairing her hot guy suitors with each other.

MICHELLE: Yeah, I saw the weight loss thing and it disinclined me to investigate further. I’ll wait on others’ reviews of this one.

MJ: Ugh, not that again.

SEAN: Noragami is up to Volume 7 and making me wish I’d kept up with it, as it’s apparently insanely popular now.

ASH: Very popular! I’ve been enjoying it, too.

SEAN: From Seven Seas, Dance in the Vampire Bund II: Scarlet Order 3. Sean 0.

If you missed the Love in Hell volumes from a while back, there’s a Complete Collection coming out, also from Seven Seas.

The Seven Seas debut is Merman in My Tub, from Media Factory’s oddball magazine Comic Gene. If Monster Girls are a big hit, will Monster Guys sell just as well? Especially if there’s BL subtext?

MJ: Hm. Maybe?

ASH: I’m willing to give it a try!

ANNA: Hasn’t there already been a merman BL/yaoi title published over here? Is this an established genre?

SEAN: SubLime gives us a 3rd volume of The World’s Greatest First Love. Amazon seems to be listing Vol. 4 for next week as well, but I’m not sure if that’s accurate.

ASH: Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s not. Volumes 3 throu 5 were delayed some.

SEAN: And Vertical has a 7th Witchcraft Works. They’ve almost caught up with Japan.

ASH: Another series I need to catch up on myself!

SEAN: Viz has a 56th volume of Case Closed, and will never, ever catch up with Japan, but at least it’s still coming out regularly.

Deadman Wonderland continues to head for a climax, but it’s not there yet with Vol. 11.

Lastly, we get a 14th volume of Magi, which continues to features our leads separating to have their own adventures/level up.

MICHELLE: Yay, Magi!

ANNA: Woo hoo for Magi!

SEAN: Anything from this list catch your eye?

Pick of the Week: Almost a Clean Sweep

October 6, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

SEAN: Everything comes to an end, and we have three major series ending this week. My pick is for the final volume of Oh My Goddess!. It’s the 2nd manga series I ever read, after Ranma 1/2, and I’ve literally been reading it as long as I’ve read manga. Seeing it come to an end is surprising – I honestly thought it would run forever, like Sazae-san. Here’s hoping Keiichi and Belldandy finally get the honeymoon they’ve deserved for the last 25 or so years.

MICHELLE: And while some things end, others begin, like the latest series from Kyousuke Motomi (Beast Master, Dengeki Daisy), QQSweeper! I’m partway through the debut volume now and enjoying it immensely, so it easily earns my Pick of the Week award.

ASH: QQ Sweeper is my pick, too! Although I still need to read Beast Master, I really enjoyed Dengeki Daisy, even more than I expected that I would. I’m definitely looking forward to the debut of Motomi’s newest series in English.

ANNA: I enjoyed Dengeki Daisy very much, and while QQ Sweeper doesn’t feature another older hacker janitor/schoolgirl romance, Motomi’s delightfully quirky storytelling habits make it my pick of the week. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens with this more supernatural shoujo series.

MJ: I admit that I fizzled out early on Dengeki Daisy, but QQ Sweeper hooked me right away. It hits all my contemporary shoujo sweet spots, and I really can’t wait to read the next volume. This is absolutely my pick of the week.

So Cute it Hurts! Vol 3

October 5, 2015 by Anna N

So Cute it Hurts! Volume 3 by Go Ikeyamada

This is an excessively silly series, but I’ve been enjoying it, mostly because of the amount of plot twists that get resolved in each volume, so more goofy subplots can promptly develop. Also, I feel like Shojo Beat should always be publishing at least one title where the heroine cross dresses just on principle.

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I feel like in many shoujo series, the fraternal twins’ cross dressing antics would fuel plot lines for 4-5 volumes, but in So Cute it Hurts! their true identities were unmasked at the end of the second volume. Aoi, the delinquent boy with a crippling physical aversion to female contact is surprised when the boy he’s been hanging out with is unmasked as Mitsuru’s sister Megumu. At the same time, Mitsuru’s masquerade is uncovered by mean girl Azuza. Aoi deals with the psychological impact of being around a girl unknowingly, and Azuza blurts out a confession of her crush to Mitsuru instead of revealing his secret. Meanwhile, Mitsuru is struggling with his feelings for Shino, but doesn’t want to ruin their friendship by telling her that he’s actually a boy. Oh, the tangled storylines of cross dressing shoujo romance!

When the week-long switch ends after Megumu has taken Mitsuru’s tests for him, there’s still plenty of emotional fall-out as Megumu pines for Aoi, and he begins to come to terms with his own feelings. Aoi’s allergy to girls causes some hilarious reactions when he and Megumu get closer, although they have to stay a certain distance apart to avoid triggering him. Their budding romance is indeed ridiculously cute, and while this manga in no way approaches both the hilarity and emotional depth of My Love Story!!, it is still entertaining. Ikeyamada ratchets up all the emotional reactions of her characters for added hilarity. While this volume focused a bit more on Megumu, I can see how the next volume is going to be focusing more with the love triangle Mitsuru is in since the object of his affections does not even know him as a boy while Azuza continues to have a violent crush on him. So Cute it Hurts! continues to be a fun read for those who enjoy romance with broad comedy.

Manga the Week of 10/7

October 1, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, MJ, Anna N and Michelle Smith 2 Comments

SEAN: First week of October, and therefore hope you like Viz. But first:

Diamond Comics has been messing with me, saying this wasn’t coming out and then saying it was. Amazon says 10/21, but they’re usually behind Diamond by 2 weeks. I don’t know when it’s actually coming out (this makes me nostalgic for Dark Horse releases days past). But it’s Oh My Goddess 48, the final, very last Oh My Goddess, except for all the omnibus releases. I’ll miss it.

Kodansha hits a milestone with the 50th volume of Fairy Tail, which I’ll be honest I’m just following on Tumblr for Gajeel/Levy moments.

Genshiken 2nd Season Vol. 7 continues to show us the world’s most unlikely harem comedy.

ASH: I’ve been enjoying this one! Hato is the best.

SEAN: One Peace gives us a 4th volume of Aquarion EVOL.

Seven Seas has the 5th and final volume of Kokoro Connect, a series I’ve greatly enjoyed. Given there are many light novels after the two that were adapted, my guess is the ending will be somewhat open.

And there’s a 5th volume of gore-filled Magical Girl Apocalypse, for those who felt Madoka Magica didn’t go far enough.

Vertical Comics have a new series debuting. Tokyo ESP, about a girl who suddenly finds she has… well, ESP. And she lives in Tokyo. Sometimes titles write themselves. This also had an anime last year.

MJ: I’m a sucker for ESP stories. So, yeah. This one’s for me.

And now here’s Viz. Assassination Classroom gets a 6th volume, and introduces the chief villain’s villainous son.

ANNA: Wow, I am so far behind with this series, even though I quite like it!

SEAN: Two big Viz shonen series come to an end next week, and sadly I expect this is the one folks won’t be talking about as much. But Claymore has been quietly awesome for some time, and the 27th volume is definitely worth a look.

MICHELLE: Some day I really will read all the volumes of Claymore that I have accumulated.

MJ: Yes! So happy to see this!

SEAN: The Demon Prince of Momochi House has a 2nd volume.

ASH: If nothing else, the first volume was pretty!

ANNA: It was! Even though it seems a bit too similar to Kamisama Kiss, I found it enjoyable.

SEAN: And Food Wars! is up to Volume 8, and still in the midst of its tournament arc, though there’s still time for teaching little kids to make food as well.

MICHELLE: Yay Food Wars!.

SEAN: Kamisama Kiss is at volume 19, and is edging towards romantic resolution, possibly? Have I said that before?

MICHELLE: It certainly feels that way.

ANNA: Such a good series! I hope this isn’t the last Julietta Suzuki we see over here.

ASH: I still actually need to read Kamisama Kiss.

SEAN: Library Wars: Love & War has its penultimate volume out next week, and I can confirm it DOES have quite a payoff, though it’s still not quite resolved.

MICHELLE: So much good stuff this week!

ASH: Penultimate volume! I hadn’t realized that.

ANNA: Library Wars! I love it so! I am also stoked that the anime has been licensed.

ASH: YES!!

SEAN: My Love Story!! is up to Volume 6, and still adorable.

MICHELLE: Like this!

ASH: Yes!

ANNA: YAY!

MJ: Same.

SEAN: Naruto has come to an end with its 72nd volume, though there are six novels and several spinoffs still to come. The ending was… controversial among fandom. Should be interesting.

A new debut from the creator of Dengeki Daisy, one of my favorite Shojo Beat series. QQ Sweeper has a bit more of a supernatural flair to it, but the sense of humor and “plucky heroine” style is the same.

MICHELLE: I’m curious about this one, definitely.

ASH: Same here.

ANNA: It is good!

MJ: I really enjoyed this first volume—hit all the sweet spots!

SEAN: So Cute It Hurts!! only has two exclamation marks, despite this being Vol. 3.

ANNA: Call me a sucker for fluffy shoujo series, but I like this. We haven’t had many cross-dressing shoujo series recently, so it certainly serves that niche.

SEAN: Toriko 30 has what many saw as one of the biggest surprises of the entire series, though no surprise as to what it entailed – it involves romance.

Twin Star Exorcists gives us a 2nd volume as well.

World Trigger has a 7th volume, and is doing far better than I expected it to based on the first few chapters.

Lastly, Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds 8 continues to look like some bizarre library indexing system.

What are you planning to get next week?

Requiem of the Rose King Vol 2

September 29, 2015 by Anna N

Requiem of the Rose King Volume 2 by Aya Kanno

This has been one of the manga series that I’ve been anticipating very impatiently, I enjoyed the first volume very much, and was eager to see how the story would develop in the second volume. Kanno is still in the initial stages of developing the story, but this volume provides more insight into the psychological pressures afflicting the people who rule during the Wars of the Roses.

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If Richard didn’t have enough to deal with in the first volume, his situation grows even more unbearable when his beloved father is captured by the House of Lancaster and tortured horribly. Richard is left behind by his family’s army, left alone to deal with the torment of knowing his father has been captured. He crosses a line when he realizes that murder is the only way for him to gain the disguise and weapons he needs to journey behind enemy lines. Richard encounters Henry again when he’s struggling with the emotional aftermath of his actions. While Richard deals with his problems by enduring horrible visions and taking violent action, Henry’s passivity and desire to escape his responsibilities serves as a strong contrast to Richard’s more decisive nature. While Richard is clearly heading down a path of madness and despair, it also seems like his actions are going to have a strong impact on the world around him. Henry just wants to withdraw and allow his insane wife Margaret to make all his decisions for him.

When Richard discovers his father’s fate, Kanno’s paneling decisions underscore the emotional impact. Richard’s face is shown with a blank expression with his eyes hidden to underscore the shock he initially feels, followed by single panels showing his whole face, zooming in on his surprised eyes and clenched mouth as he confronts his father’s death. Richard begins a transformation into the monster that people have labeled him as before, as he’s absolutely consumed by the need for vengeance. As the events later in the volume unfold, Richard is portrayed in a more and more stylized fashion, becoming a living embodiment of a curse and less like the tortured human the reader encountered in the first volume.

The emotional stakes have certainly been raised in this volume, and Kanno’s illustration style is really stretched way beyond what I expected from the author of Otomen. There’s certainly more and more tragedy ahead, but Kanno’s take on the story of Richard the Third is a fresh and incredibly interesting adaptation. The tragedy and emotional trauma feels entirely justified and in service to the plot Kanno is developing. If you haven’t checked out this series yet, now is a great time to jump on and read two volumes with no waiting.

Pick of the Week: Vikings, Japan, and Space

September 28, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N and MJ Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: The two volumes I am most looking forward to this week hail from two very different series I love a lot and which only have a few volumes left. I think I’ve probably praised My Little Monster more often and more recently, though, so I will cast my vote this time for Tsutomu Nihei’s Knights of Sidonia, which I love fervently. I really can’t believe that it’s ending soon, but I intend to cherish every panel until it does.

SEAN: No question here: the final volume of Showa is absolutely my pick of the week. Shigeru Mizuki’s book is 60% history textbook and 40% biography, and it’s to his credit that we find both equally riveting. I can’t wait to see the conclusion.

ASH: Vinland Saga! It’s been about a year since the fifth omnibus was released, and the fate of the series in English will depend on the success of the sixth and seventh. So far, the historical epic has been excellent; I’ve been anxiously waiting to read more.

ANNA: I absolutely agree. Vinland Saga is a great series and it deserves more support. Buy a copy or three!!!!!

MJ: Though there’s a lot of manga coming out this week, I admit it’s mostly series I’m not following. That is, of course, with one BIG exception, the glorious Knights of Sidonia, which is worthy of my pick any week. I’m going for Sidonia.