Anna N

Bookshelf Briefs 9/1/15

September 1, 2015 by Michelle Smith and Anna N 1 Comment

Michelle and Anna are holding down the fort this week and, surprisingly, it’s not all shoujo!

Black Rose Alice, Vol. 5 | By Setona Mizushiro | VIZ Media – I’m usually a bit hesitant to recommend series that are on hiatus, but Black Rose Alice is the rare exception, just because it is so quirky, unsettling, and well-executed. The emotional stakes go even higher as Alice meets up with Koya, the student who Azuza saved when she gave up her life and joined the vampires. Mizushiro never goes for tidy resolution, and the encounter between Alice and Koya will continue to affect the rest of the group. I’m sad that there’s only one more volume left, but I’ll take whatever I can get of this fascinating series. – Anna N

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, Vol. 7 | By Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki | VIZ Media – Sometimes, Food Wars! makes me feel bad for liking it. In this volume, the preliminary round of the Fall Classic gets underway, and I appreciate that quite a few female students—including unassuming Megumi, from whom the audience does not expect much—make an impression. One of these girls, Miyoko Hojo, is driven by the desire to achieve culinary prestige that the sexist all-male kitchen staff at her family restaurant will have to respect when she returns to lead them one day. Again, I appreciate that! What I don’t appreciate is that Hojo’s introduction features an extreme boob closeup and “bwoing” and “jiggle” sound effects. Siiiiiigh. I thought I had become inured to the fanservice in this series, but I guess not. Otherwise, it’s an enjoyable volume and features some tasty-looking curries. I look forward to seeing what Soma has come up with. – Michelle Smith

Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, Vol. 13 | By Shinobu Ohtaka | VIZ Media – By Magi standards, volume thirteen is merely pretty good, but that certainly doesn’t mean that it is bad. Rather, it’s transitional. Aladdin, Morgiana, and Hakuryu (the latter of whom gets to be significantly useful on several occasions!) all have individual quests they want to pursue, so they set sail from Sindria, ostensibly leaving a sulky Alibaba behind. Only, he has stowed away and has seemingly abandoned his petulance in favor of a goal of his own. And, indeed, when the group encounters some pirates who are abducting children, it’s a return to the clear-eyed, doing-the-right-thing Alibaba of the past as he declares he and his friends will save the day. And that’s great to see! It’s just all so introductory. I’m sure the next volume will be much more satisfying. – Michelle Smith

Say I Love You., Vol. 9 | By Kanae Hazuki | Kodansha Comics – It’s a rare thing that I feel bad for a romantic rival in a shoujo manga, particularly one with a track record of nastiness like Megumi’s, but when her contest-winning “date” with Yamato makes inescapably clear there’s no room for her in his heart, she earns my sympathies. Despite trading on her cute looks, she wants someone who looks past her appearance to really see her, and that’s something the Kurosawa boys seem genetically disposed to do, as the rest of the volume tells the story of Yamato’s brother, Daichi, and the love he once had, then lost, and is now struggling to move on from. In a way, this reminds me of Hatori’s story in Fruits Basket, and I wonder if we’ll check in with him from time to time, as he lets down his walls and achieves happiness once more. I really enjoy this series. – Michelle Smith

Skip Beat!, Vol. 35 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | VIZ Media – Much as I love Skip Beat!, I have mixed feelings about this volume. On the one hand, Ren talking to Kyoko in the guise of Corn the fairy allows him to admit his feelings freely and also to make progress toward accepting that his terrible past experiences were necessary to get him where he is today, where he was able to meet Kyoko. On the other, Ren is tricking Kyoko, using her unquestioning belief in fairies to explain away his appearance and manufacturing a story about a curse in order to manipulate her into kissing him. When she is exceedingly reluctant, this grown man literally says to a teenage girl, “Liar. You said you’d do anything to help me but you didn’t mean it.” Of course, he instantly feels bad about it, but ugh. I hope she is righteously pissed off when she eventually learns the truth. – Michelle Smith

Pick of the Week: Pastries and Punching

August 31, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, Sean Gaffney and Anna N Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: There’s a new volume of Skip Beat! out this week, which I of course adore, but that makes it even more significant when I say my pick of the week is actually the first volume of Maki Minami’s Komomo Confiserie. I actually know nothing about this series, but I do know that Minami’s Voice Over! ended up being a surprise favorite, so I am really glad to have another new series from its creator now that it has finished.

ASH: It seems like I’ve been waiting to read One-Punch Man forever, but I enjoyed the first volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride so much that there could be no other pick for me this week.

SEAN: I’m fairly sure that One-Punch Man takes the prize for my pick of the week. Never has invincibility been so funny.

ANNA: I’m very excited that One-Punch Man is coming out in print form, but I’ve aleady been buying the digital volumes!. I’m going to pick the shoujo series Komomo Confiserie because a shoujo series involving food just sounds incredibly entertaining.

Manga the Week of 9/2

August 26, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N, MJ and Michelle Smith Leave a Comment

SEAN: School’s back in session. Do you have all your manga supplies? The old favorites? The new series? The zipatone? Let’s see what you might want to pick up.

Dark Horse still knows we like our samurai manga with the 6th New Lone Wolf & Cub.

ASH: I’m still catching up with the old school Lone Wolf & Cub, but I’m picking up this series, too.

SEAN: Kodansha debuts a new series called Ninja Slayer Kills, based off of a concept by two Americans who I suspect are imaginary. It also has a novel series later this year from Vertical, and seems to be very much in the ‘flashy action sequences’ genre.

ASH: Actually, I think Vertical has one of the other manga adaptations. But, yes, lots of action.

SEAN: Kodansha also has the fourth volume of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. We’re still running a few witches short.

ASH: This series has been a lot of fun so far.

SEAN: Slightly creepy power imbalance aside, I really enjoyed the first volume of The Ancient Magus’ Bride from Seven Seas, so the 2nd volume coming out pleases me greatly.

ANNA: I enjoyed the first one too. I like these low-key fantasy series, they remind me of the type of thing CMX used to put out (RIP).

ASH: The first volume was one of my favorite debuts this year, so I’m definitely looking forward to the second!

MJ: I will have to catch up with this one for sure!

SEAN: And a 6th omnibus of Dance in the Vampire Bund, which combines lolis and vampires to devastating effect, or so I hear.

Now it’s time for our slate of Viz. There’s new 3-in-1s of Dragon Ball (the 10th), Naruto (the 12th, and One Piece (the 13th). Good buys if you want to save shelf space.

Kimi ni Todoke has a 22nd volume, and I really hope that a plot point suggested by the cliffhanger happens, for the sake of my own sanity.

MICHELLE: Volume 21 was great, if painful, so I am very much looking forward to another installment.

ANNA: I have around 3 volumes now I need to read to catch up. I think I was staying away from the emotional trauma. I do love this series.

MJ: I live for this kind of pain.

SEAN: Kiss of the Rose Princess 6… I admit I’ve lost track of this series. Anna?

ANNA: What’s going to happen with the Junk Rose Princess and her Four Fake Rose Knights? Now that some of Anise’s Rose Knights are powered up even more, will this throw off the dynamics in this fun and frothy reverse harem manga? Is Anise’s father really as evil as he seems? How does one engineer Rose people? How many cards can Anise collect? I don’t know but I want to find out!!!!!

SEAN: Komomo Confiserie is the new series from Maki Minami, author of Special A and Voice Over. Given that title, I’d expect food to be involved. Always love stuff from this author.

MICHELLE: I loved Voice Over! way more an I expected to, and am looking forward to Komomo Confiserie quite a lot!

ANNA: I liked Voice Over, but not enough to complete the series. On the other hand I love food manga so I will be checking this out.

ASH: Food! Pastries! Cakes!

SEAN: Nisekoi barrels along with an 11th volume, being the rare Jump romantic comedy that doesn’t die in North America (see Strawberry 100% for the fate of prior comedies of that sort).

After getting a few volumes out digital-only, print readers are now able to experience the gloriousness that is One-Punch Man, with its first two volumes coming out together.

ANNA: One-Punch Man is the best. It totally deserves the print edition and I hope more readers discover it because it is hilarious.

ASH: I’ve been holding out for the print edition; can’t wait to finally read it!

MJ: Same here!

SEAN: Seraph of the End gets a 6th volume. Vampires? Still? Dunno.

ANNA: Not surprisingly, I enjoy this a bunch. It has more world building than most vampire manga. Looking forward to this volume.

SEAN: Skip Beat! has a 35th volume, edging closer to the longest shoujo series in North America (Boys Over Flowers still tops it right now, I think).

MICHELLE: You are right; if you include Jewelry Box, Boys Over Flowers has 37 volumes. Also, yay Skip Beat!.

ANNA: Skip Beat! is so great. May it go on for 35 volumes more!

MICHELLE: Hear, hear!

SEAN: There’s also an 18th volume of Tegami Bachi.

Lastly, you thought there would be no Yu-Gi-Oh? Foolish mortal! Here’s Vol. 7 of Zexal.

What manga makes you want to learn logarithm tables? (None of them, I imagine, unless you have the old Math Girls manga volume.)

ASH: I in fact DO have the old Math Girls volume!

MJ: Same! :D

Pick of the Week: Mostly Kodansha

August 24, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: There’s a surprising amount of stuff out this week for manga fans, including a new Alice that looks more plot-oriented than most, a new Attack on Titan as well as two spinoffs of same, and a new series from the creator of Gantz. I’ll give my pick to the manga tie-in of the Bodacious Space Pirates movie, Abyss of Hyperspace. It’s not very friendly to casual readers who don’t know the franchise, but for those who do, it’s pirate-riffic.

MICHELLE: I pretty much always pick this series when given the chance, but I am definitely going to be picking up the ninth volume of Say I Love You., which always thwarts traditional shoujo expectations in interesting ways.

ASH: Lots of good stuff coming out this week, and I’ll be picking up quite a few of them, but the manga I’m most curious about is the debut of Inuyashiki.

ANNA: Say I Love You is my pick as well, but I can’t believe we’re up to volume 9 already! More to get caught up on!

SEAN: I just want to add that the Say “I Love You” heroine continues to be so unhappy on these covers. She really does not want to be posing for this shot.

Cosplay Basics

August 23, 2015 by Anna N

Cosplay Basics by by Yuki Takasou, Rumine, and Kashiko Kurobuchi

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This is an English translation of a Japanese book that provides an introduction to cosplay with chapters on tips, shopping, and costume construction, interspersed with short manga chapters showing a seasoned cosplayer showing a newbie the ropes. A magical girl character is used as the focus for the whole book, so this will be most useful for folks who are interested in feminine cosplay.

I don’t think anyone would really be able to construct a costume from start to finish with only the information given in this book, as there’s not enough detailed information given about measuring yourself, making patterns, adjusting fit, etc. There are several sections with step-by-step instructions, but I think someone making pattern pieces based on the information in the book would need to do a bit of experimenting on their own to come up with something usable. But like the title suggests, it does provide a basic overview of the topic, and a reader would be able to take the terminology in the book and then look up a more detailed youtube tutorial about placing darts, for example. There are sections dedicated to cosplay specific topics like wig styling, photographing etiquette, posing like your character, and now to retouch your own photos of your cosplay before you post them online.

Cosplay Basics would be a good addition to library collections for libraries that have active anime clubs or other similar programming like ToshoCons. If I had a young teen newbie cosplayer to hand a book to, I would probably combine this volume with another book that had more of a general focus on sewing and construction principles. The short chapters combined with manga make it easy to dip in and out of the book while exploring different aspects of cosplay.

Manga the Week of 8/26

August 21, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Anna N and Michelle Smith 1 Comment

SEAN: For a last week of the month, there’s a lot of stuff due out, particularly from Kodansha Comics.

The 16th Attack on Titan comes in a regular edition, and also a Special Edition with a set of AoT-themed playing cards.

ASH: It’ll be interesting to see how the special edition does for Kodansha.

SEAN: And there’s a 5th volume of the prequel Attack on Titan: Before the Fall.

Fairy Tail also has a spinoff, with the first volume of Blue Mistral, which I believe focuses on Wendy.

Inuyashiki is the new series running in Evening magazine from the author of Gantz. Its protagonist being an old man is unusual, its science fiction with horror/gore plot is not, at least not for this author.

ASH: Although I didn’t follow Gantz to the end, I am rather curious about Inuyashiki.

ANNA: Huh, I’m cautiously curious about this. Will wait for Ash’s review though!

SEAN: Let’s Dance a Waltz comes to an end with the third and final volume. Less fat-shaming in your next series, please.

MICHELLE: I second that request.

ASH: Yup. Also, I didn’t realize the series was so short!

ANNA: So glad I didn’t read this.

SEAN: Maria the Virgin Witch has an epilogue with Exhibition.

ASH: Maria the Virgin witch was such a quirky little series.

SEAN: Say “I Love You” has volume 9 coming out, and it’s become one of my favorite “shosei” series.

MICHELLE: Mine, too! Looking forward to this one.

ANNA: I need to get caught up! It is very good.

SEAN: And Your Lie in April has a 3rd volume. Lies indeed; it’s August, not April. You can’t trick me, manga!

ASH: Wait, it’s not April?

SEAN: There are a few titles coming out that are not Kodansha. Seven Seas has an Alice book, with White Rabbit and Some Afternoon Tea. After being an antagonist for so long in these books, Peter White finally gets his chance to be the love interest.

ANNA: Is it extra traumatic?

SEAN: I realize the title might put some people off, but Bodacious Space Pirates was a fantastic novel/anime series, and Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace is a manga adaptation of the feature film they made. I’m greatly looking forward to it.

ASH: Should hopefully be fun!

ANNA: If nothing else, that title is fabulous.

SEAN: Also greatly looking forward to the 4th omnibus of Lucifer and the Biscuit Hammer. Buy this please. Make Sean proud of you.

ASH: I will make you proud, Sean!

SEAN: Vertical has a 6th volume of Supernatural thriller Ajin. Be warned, it’s caught up with Japan.

And Vertical also has a novel spinoff of Attack on Titan. Harsh Mistress of the City is another one that takes place before the main manga, I believe.

ASH: It’s also illustrated by Range Murata which will be of particular interest to a few people I know.

ANNA: I didn’t know that! Interesting!

SEAN: So what are you getting next week?

Kiss of the Rose Princess, Vol. 5

August 20, 2015 by Anna N

Kiss of the Rose Princess Volume 5 by Aya Shouto

I find myself enjoying this series more and more, mostly because with each new volume my suspension of disbelief grows, and I just kick back and enjoy the ridiculousness of this reverse harem fantasy manga. This volume did a good job balancing out which knights were featured, with a bit more attention given to Tenjo the White Rose Knight. As ever, Kaede the Red Rose Knight lurks around and smolders in a few panels for each chapter.

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The first part of this volume picks up at an area that is fraught with terror in most shoujo manga – an amusement park. Meek classmate Mikage with her overwhelming crush on Kaede has been hiding an even worse secret. Even more fake Rose Knights appear, leading to an excess of flower avatar people everywhere! Anise powers up a bit, triggering an awakening in Tenjo the White Rose that allows him to deal with their enemies easily. This throws off the balance of power and changes the dynamics in the group a little bit.

The fake rose idols Rhodecia make a brief appearance again, and there’s an extended comedy bit when Anise, Kaede, and Seiran dress as servants in an attempt to infiltrate Tenjo’s mansion to check up on him. There are plenty of gags involving both maid costumes and the odd decorating habits of the rich. One of the things I enjoy about the series is the way it switches back and forth between more lighthearted scenes and hints of upcoming ominous events. Shouoto’s dramatic art has plenty of flourishes that suit the dramatic and silly situations the protagonists find themselves in. Even though evil fake roses keep popping up, the mystery around Anise’s diabolical father is still touched on briefly with each volume, hinting at larger issues Anise is going to confront eventually. With the Black Rose Mutsuki seeming to take center stage at the end of this volume and I’m assuming the start of the next, it looks like there’s going to be more grim vampirific backstory to look forward to.

Pick of the Week: Big Week, Small Picks

August 17, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown and Anna N 1 Comment

SEAN: I have gotten used to the fact that when Yen Press puts out 19-20 titles in one go, I get all excited about at least half of them and the rest of the Manga Bookshelf team tends to shrug their shoulders. So let me start this week off. There’s a pile coming out I love – new Wallflower, new Dorohedoro, new Emma. For a pick, I’ll go with the new Sword Art Online novel, if only as I want to see if the author even tries to justify why there are still MMORPGs after the disaster that was cause of the first four books.

MICHELLE: I’m guilty of shrugging, but if I didn’t already own the complete CMX run of Emma, I would surely be excited about Yen’s omnibus editions! As it is, I’m very happy that others have the chance to experience this lovely series.

ASH: There is so much to choose from this week! I’ll definitely be picking up Emma since I missed it the first time and Yen’s hardcovers are gorgeous, but I think I’ll throw my official pick towards the most recent volume of Dorohedoro. I’m thrilled that Viz continues to publish the series; it’s just so bizarrely charming.

ANNA: I’ll go with Emma. I’ve already read it, but it is a delightful series that deserves new readers. I’m glad it is coming back into print with Yen’s excellent production values.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 8/19

August 13, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Ash Brown, Michelle Smith and Anna N 5 Comments

SEAN: (flat stare) OK, I have not seen this much manga coming out in one week in about 7-8 years. This is getting completely ridiculous.

If you somehow have missed bloggers banging the drum for the Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service over the last several years, there is a good chance to catch up now, as an omnibus of the first 3 volumes is out next week from Dark Horse. Seriously, this series is ridiculously good, y’all. (note: this may not be out everywhere next week, check your Diamond listings)

ASH: I’m glad to see this series getting some more love from Dark Horse again.

SEAN: Kodansha has an 18th volume of Cage of Eden, coming ever closer to the end of the series, where surely it will answer all the questions we have so far! (cough)

And there’s a 6th volume of the increasingly popular series Noragami.

ASH: There was quite a cliffhanger at the end of the fifth volume, so the sixth is on my reading list.

SEAN: Lastly, the penultimate 35th volume of The Wallflower, a series that many thought would never end! Will it romantically resolve anything? Don’t hold your breath. I wouldn’t hold your breath in Vol. 36 either.

MICHELLE: I certainly thought it would never end!

ANNA: I am amazed.

SEAN: One Peace Books has a 3rd volume of Aquarion Evol.

And also a light novel, which I think might have an associated manga later, though I’m unsure. It’s called The Rising of the Shield Hero, and as you can guess, is fantasy-based.

ASH: Yup. One Peace Books is planning to release the manga as well.

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 3rd volume of yuri potboiler Citrus.

And a 2nd of Clay Lord: Master of Golems, which I found more interesting than I’d expected.

Vertical has a 6th volume of popular fantasy series Witchcraft Works.

Viz gives us new Dorohedoro, which always makes me happy, and always makes me want to do a giant reread. This is the 16th volume, meaning it easily wins the SigIkki wars for supremacy.

ASH: Dorohedoro! I’m long overdue for another binge read.

SEAN: And if you prefer zombies to… well, I guess Dorohedoro has zombies as well, sort of, but if you prefer more traditional zombies, there’s a second Tokyo Ghoul.

ASH: I haven’t read any of Tokyo Ghoul yet, but the series seems to be doing quite well for Viz.

SEAN: The new manga reboot of Ultraman is so amazing that it actually runs in a magazine called “Monthly Hero’s”. You may expect… Tokusatsu shenanigans, I would expect.

MICHELLE: Ugh, that apostrophe bugs me.

SEAN: Yen On has a whopping six new titles for us, including the debut of Black Bullet, a future dystopia series. If you enjoyed the ‘young man with loli not-quite-sister’ aspect of No Game No Life but wished it were more depressing, this may be for you.

The fourth volume of A Certain Magical Index reintroduces us to Kaori Kanzaki, the girl with huge sword from the first volume, and also shows us Touma’s parents for the first time… sort of.

The Devil Is A Part-Timer! has Volume 2, as we start to see where we go now that the forces of good and evil are pretty much settled on Earth and dedicated to minor squabbles.

ASH: This series amuses me greatly.

SEAN: Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? has a 3rd volume, and the anime has now passed it, so we get to see what was left out of the adaptation.

Spice & Wolf has ended in Japan, I think, apart from side stories. But it’s still chugging away here in North America with its 15th volume.

And Sword Art Online has a 5th volume. Now that everyone is finally free from the game of death and their lives are back to normal, surely they’ll never play another MMORPG again, right? Hah.

Yen Press has several digital-only releases coming out as well. The 3rd Handa-kun continues to elaborate on the high school years of the Barakamon protagonist.

We get the first two volumes of Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler, a Gangan Joker series about a school whose student council base everything around, well, gambling. I know next to nothing about it, so am intrigued.

And the first two volumes of The Royal Tutor, a GFantasy series that has, well, royalty and a tutor for same. It seems to be more lighthearted than serious, and may have BL overtones, given the magazine it’s in and the author’s prior works.

ANNA: Hmmmmmm….

SEAN: And Today’s Cerberus has volumes 3 and 4. Despite having dog girls, cat girls, and wolf girls, I found it more enjoyable than you’d expect.

So, that’s Yen On and Yen Digital sorted out, now for Yen Press proper. We’re about halfway through Ani-Imo with the 4th volume. Is it any less creepy?

Despite Handa returning to the city at the end of the last Barakamon, the series continues on with its 6th volume.

It’s been 11 volumes of BTOOOM!. Can you believe it? 11 volumes.

MICHELLE: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

SEAN: The Devil Is A Part-Timer! High School!! is an alternate universe spinoff of the main series which… well, I’m sure you can guess.

Emma has a 2nd omnibus. What will happen to our heroine now that she’s left to go north? And can William ever find her? And can everyone continue to be repressed?

ANNA: Cheers to Emma being back in print, it is such a special series.

ASH: Cheers, indeed!

SEAN: Our long national nightmare is over with the 4th and final volume of Gou-dere Sora Nagihara.

High School DxD shows us we must stay ever vigilant, however, with a 6th volume and no end in sight.

The 2nd Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon? manga volume continues to confuse Amazon’s systems and these lists.

Has Madoka Magica been getting you down? Does your favorite girl keep dying? Try Puella Magi Homura Tamura, a wacky 4-koma version of the series that will probably not remind you of Sunshine Sketch too much.

RustBlaster (no space) is a one-volume manga from the creator of Black Butler, featuring vampires. It may therefore take the new crown of ‘most obvious license ever’.

Lastly, a second volume of Trinity Seven, with slightly less “look, breasts!” on the cover than the first.

I… wow. If you’re not getting SOMETHING next week, we may have to check your pulse.

MICHELLE: I think I may not be getting anything! But mostly ‘cos I already own Emma and Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service.

ANNA: I’m not getting anything either! I need to whittle down all the stacks of unread manga I already have.

ASH: I… most definitely have a pulse. (And soon to be even more overloaded bookshelves.)

Spell of Desire Vol. 5

August 11, 2015 by Anna N

Spell of Desire Volume 5 by Tomu Ohmi

It is the final volume of Spell of Desire! What’s happening in the conclusion of this paranormal romance series?

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Throughout Spell of Desire Kaoruko has been heading towards a confrontation with her mother, the mysterious Witch Queen. She finds out that her mother sealed herself away as part of a spell to balance out the positive and negative energy that was building up in the world. The Witch Queen emerges, and Kaname confesses that he’s no longer able to serve as the Witch Queen’s knight due to his love for Kaoruko. The Witch Queen promptly wins an award for worst mother of the year when she announces that she’s going to curse her daughter’s boyfriend by taking all of his senses away, followed by taking his memories of Kaoruko away too. Kaname is blinded, and he slowly becomes more and more debilitated.

This curse presents quite the conundrum, and Kaoruko is determined to harness her power for once and for all in order to save Kaname. She’s been slowly inching towards claiming her power, so it was great to see her finally take charge and do something. She’s aided by an elderly black witch who shows up and indulges in a great deal of exposition as the volume wraps up.

Overall, I thought the pacing of this series was a bit off. I enjoyed the world building and character introductions in the first couple volumes a great deal, but the rest of the series felt like it was just marking time until the big witch battle happened in the final volume. Kaoruko’s rise to self-assurance and command of her power felt a bit rushed, but I still appreciate that by the end of the series she was making her own decisions and acting heroically in order to create her own happy ending. While Spell of Desire wasn’t the best example of paranormal romance, Ohmi’s clear visual storytelling made it easy to read.

I see that this manga hasn’t sold as well as Ohmi’s other series to be translated into English, Midnight Secretary. This is a bit of a shame, because I was hoping that Viz would bring out her earlier series Kindan no Koi de Ikou, since there is such a dearth of werewolf manga romance being translated into English. We have all the vampires we need, what about some werewolves for a change? I’d still recommend Spell of Desire and Midnight Secretary to romance manga fans, and I hope more of Ohmi’s work gets translated here.

Pick of the Week: Nearly United

August 10, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney, Anna N and Ash Brown Leave a Comment

MICHELLE: I know I’ve picked Magi at least a half dozen times before, but really it’s just that good. It’s fun, in the way that one expects a shounen adventure to be, but it also prioritizes character growth and world-building. I am really, really enjoying it.

SEAN: Yeah, I’m going to go with Magi as well, which is doing some really great worldbuilding and has some nice smug villains.

ANNA: I will pick Magi too, even though I’m not that far along in reading the series.

ASH: Wow, well, I apparently need to get around to reading Magi at some point! But as for my pick this week, I’m going to go with the third omnibus of Embracing Love. It’s been a while since I’ve read the series, but I’m glad that it was rescued.

What looks good to you this week?

Manga the Week of 8/12

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

SEAN: If you want a quiet week with not much manga, next week is pretty much the only week in August you’ll get it, so enjoy.

Kodansha has its 5th Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle omnibus, which I think is busying itself by walking around the X continuity.

ANNA: You know what would be nice? If X/1999 walked around its own continuity and actually had an end to the series. That would be nice!!!!!

ASH: YES.

SEAN: X Vol. 19: everyone mysteriously vanishes into a hole in the plot except Nokoru, Suoh and Akira, and the series reboots itself as CLAMP Detectives: The Adult Years. With plenty of Utako as well. …OK, perhaps that’s only *my* version of X.

MICHELLE: I fully support this version. My life needs more grown-up Suoh in it.

MJ: I am probably a rare CLAMP fan in that I’m not super-anxious for them to finish X, but I’m not opposed to Sean’s ending here. :D

SEAN: Seven Seas gives us a 2nd volume of angsty coming-of-age story Evergreen, from the Toradora! author.

And a 7th volume of bestselling, anime-producing monster fetish manga Monster Musume. Watch out for snakes.

Sublime hopes you are still embracing the 3rd omnibus of Embracing Love.

ASH: I certainly am! This omnibus includes part of the series that wasn’t previously released in English.

SEAN: Viz gives us the 10th volume of Deadman Wonderland – are they out of prison yet?

And a 15th Itsuwaribito, which is part of the Shonen Sunday imprint! As is…

Magi, which has its lucky 13th volume. Shonen Sunday! It’s an imprint too! You can see it, next to the Jump and Beat titles. Well, sort of next to them. Down the hall. And a stairway. Next to the boiler room. (Buy Sunday titles.)

ANNA: I need to fill in my collection and read more of this series!

MICHELLE: Yay, Magi! And I concur; the Shonen Sunday imprint has a lot of good stuff, like Kekkaishi, Cross Game, and all of the Rumiko Takahashi!

SEAN: Does anything here tickle your fancy?

Pick of the Week: Sparkling Series

August 4, 2015 by Sean Gaffney, Michelle Smith, Ash Brown, MJ and Anna N Leave a Comment

SEAN: I was originally going to pick Showa here, but Amazon helpfully moved it to late September at the very last minute. So instead I will pick Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, Seven Seas’ new series about the coolest high school student around, and how no one else can hold a candle to him. It’s completely hilarious and I want more immediately.

MICHELLE: Voice Over!: Seiyu Academy may not be a classic, but I have grown to like it very much over its run, and so must pick the twelfth and final volume while I can. I hope for a sugary sweet ending with kitties.

ASH: I was all set to choose Haven’t You Heard? I’m Sakamoto, but then the Sparkler Monthly Kickstarter reached its goal over the weekend. I’m so excited that we’ll be seeing another year of fantastic content, beginning this month!

MJ: I’m pretty much MIA due to my teen opera production which goes up next week, but I had to jump in to add to Ash’s excitement. Yay, Sparkler!! We’re so lucky to be getting more of this magazine!

ANNA: I will go with the third volume of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. So weird! So manly!

What looks good to you this week?

Bookshelf Briefs 8/3/15

August 3, 2015 by Michelle Smith, Sean Gaffney and Anna N 5 Comments

Sean, Michelle, and Anna check out recent releases from VIZ, Yen Press, and Vertical.

Inu x Boku SS, Vol. 8 | By Cocoa Fujiwara | Yen Press – The timeskip that happened after volume four has always felt a bit awkward, with several characters just feeling wrong, even with the reincarnation aspect. Now we begin to see that maybe this has been the point all along, as in order to stop our villain from screwing up the past, our heroes have to return to stop him. This naturally leads to an almost humorous scene where they all fall over themselves to be the one to sacrifice themselves to a time loop. In the end, though, a time capsule letter seems to be the better option, but we will see—the series still has a few volumes to go. There’s also a lot of side-stories here, in order to get the page count right, which are mostly cute but slight. -Sean Gaffney

Kaze Hikaru, Vol. 23 | By Taeko Watanabe | VIZ Media – Every August, avid fans of Kaze Hikaru like me receive a single volume to savor, and though I am exceedingly grateful that VIZ continues to publish this series, the slow pace is especially painful this time around. Not because Okita has finally acknowledged (to himself) both his love for Sei as well as her maturation as a bushi, but because times are becoming increasingly fraught for the Shinsengumi. Captain Kondo has witnessed first hand the indolence and corruption of the Bakufu, and there’s plenty of ominous hinting about “a dark cloud rolling over” them all. Though I do enjoy the central romance, when Kaze Hikaru focuses on humanizing historical events, its potential to be something truly epic shines. Now to sigh and pine away for another year until the next installment. – Michelle Smith

Maid-sama!, Vols. 1-2 | By Hiro Fujiwara | VIZ Media – I am so conflicted about Maid-sama! On the one hand, I like the smart and strong heroine, Misaki Ayuzawa, who is determined to whip the 80% male population of her high school into shape. It’s her love interest, Takumi Usui, who is the problem. When he’s not taking it upon himself to teach Misaki valuable lessons—including that she shouldn’t try so hard at the sports festival because “You’re a girl, remember?”—he’s saving the day with random prowess in things like cooking and playing chess. He is, frankly, insufferable. What’s worse is that I suspect we’re meant to think he’s cool and dreamy! I did read the eight volumes of this series that TOKYOPOP managed to publish, but I can’t remember whether Usui grew on me or not. Right now that’s seeming highly unlikely, but I’m not willing to give up on this series just yet. – Michelle Smith

My Neighbor Seki, Vol. 3 | By Takuma Morishige | Vertical Comics – Yokoi seems to get in more trouble than usual in this third volume of Seki, or at least more personal humiliation. In addition to the teacher calling her out on several occasions (though she at least manages to inconvenience Seki too in one of these), she is unable to explain Seki’s weirdness to her friends, gets her skirt caught under his seat leg, risks life and limb to save a snow bunny, and even belches in the middle of class after drinking Seki’s fresh tea. This is Yokoi’s manga more than Seki’s—when absent, even her angry spectral presence stops him, and meeting his little sister (who’s an adorable carbon copy of him) doesn’t make things any better. Fight on, Yokoi!. -Sean Gaffney

Nisekoi, Vol. 10 | By Naoshi Komi | VIZ Media – Nisekoi is generally at its best when it’s doing a longer plot or taking itself more seriously. With that in mind, the plotline featuring Shu was definitely the best in this volume, as his laid-back easy-going personality gets a kick in the head on learning that the class teacher is leaving to get married. (This is far more common in Japan than it is here.) It allows Raku to be the one to dispense the good advice—even if it’s just a kick in the pants—and doesn’t descend to the usual teacher/student creepiness. Other than that, cliches abound here, with a ‘must avoid being seen in the baths’ chapter and a cliffhanger with Raku getting amnesia and forgetting everything about his life—including his family business. Always great fun. -Sean Gaffney

Yukarism, Vol. 3 | By Chika Shiomi | VIZ Media- I was surprised that this was only the third volume of this series because Shiomi just manages to pack so much story into each chapter. The characters are all fully fleshed out, and now the reader is able to learn even more about Yukari, Mahoro, and Katsuhiko’s past lives. There are some ominous hints about the eventual fate of Yumurasaki’s eventual fate as she grows sicker and sicker in the past. Abilities and feelings from past lives keep popping up in the present, causing even more complicated emotions in the young trio. I enjoy the way Shiomi switches back and forth with a more ornate style in the past compared to the cleaner brighter panels in the present. This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite current Shojo Beat series. – AN

So Cute it Hurts!! Vol. 2

July 30, 2015 by Anna N

My biggest complaint with the first volume of So Cute it Hurts!! was that I thought it focused a bit too much on boy twin Mitsuru’s adventures cross-dressing as a girl, without as much character development or action for his sister Megumu pretending to be her brother at a school largely populated by juvenile delinquents. I was happy to see that in the second volume Megumu gets a larger chunk of the story.

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One of the things that I’ve enjoyed in Ikeyamada’s series so far is that the plot moves fairly fast. Developments that might take at least a two volumes to be explored in another series are quickly resolved, only for even more complications to pop up. Also, many of the issues that the characters have are so ridiculous, I find it extremely entertaining. Megumu pretending to be her brother grows closer and closer to head one-eyed delinquent Aoi Sanada, who turns out to have a deadly Achilles heel involving female company. If he so much as touches a girl, he immediately feels faint and sick. It is to Megumu’s credit that as soon as she finds this out after indulging in fantasies about revealing her true gender and confessing her love to Aoi, she vows to just remain at his side as a male because she doesn’t want to burden him by making him deal with her as a girl.

In the first volume there’s a hint that the deaf girl that Mitsuru likes, Shino and Aoi know each other. This is promptly explored in the second volume, continuing with the plot moving along quickly. Most of this volume will be very familiar to Hana Kimi fans, as Megumu’s natural cuteness shines through her boyish disguise, causing her classmates and Aoi in particular to experience odd feelings. Even though the romances in So Cute it Hurts!! are absolutely silly, there are a few sweet moments where it is clear that twins really do care about the objects of their affection. Overall, I was happy to see the additional character development I was hoping for and while So Cute it Hurts!! is not in any way profound, it is a nice brain candy type manga series.